This week in clean energy, Greentown Labs was featured twice! The first was as a resource to Boston University’s Energy Club, Entrepreneurship Club and Net Impact Undergrad as they explored startups and their affect on climate change. The second was in our CEO’s endorsement of the City of Somerville’s bid for Amazon’s second headquarters.
In other news, Iowa and Nebraska got a shout out for their high percentage of renewable energy usage. This week Boston launched a new climate initiative to reach its clean energy goals. Finally, Elon Musk managed to fulfill his promise of maintaining a megabattery for 100 days in Australia.
The Daily Free Press– Greentown Labs focuses on sustainable innovation, seeks BU partnership
- Boston University’s Energy Club, Entrepreneurship Club and Net Impact Undergrad discussed on Tuesday startup companies’ role in addressing the issues of climate change at an event called “Sustainability in Entrepreneurship.”
“Think about how you can use your training to solve a big problem. Not a small problem, but something big … You will find that so much more satisfying to know that you’re attacking something that’s going to have a significant impact.”
City of Boston– Boston Launches New Initiative to Achieve Climate Goals
- The City of Boston is now analyzing policies and technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and be carbon neutral by 2050.
“Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced the launch of Carbon Free Boston, the City’s next step to become carbon neutral by 2050. The first step within the initiative, the Carbon Free Boston report, will analyze the cost and benefits of policies and technologies that could enable Boston to reach that goal. The report is slated to be completed and released next fall.”
Bloomberg– California Is Plenty Green But Iowa Has the Cleanest Power
- Iowa has one of the nation’s least ambitious clean-energy targets and gets as much as 40 percent of its power from wind and solar farms.
“In those states, the economics just really work out for renewables, they have a very good wind resource.”
Quartz- With the right moves, India’s renewables push could lift thousands of rural workers out of poverty
- India’s major renewable energy push could be as much about poverty reduction and job creation as it is about energy security and climate change.
“Although direct employment benefits will not be large, relative to India’s economy and its millions of poor citizens, the new jobs can make a difference to rural poor people, especially women, who have few formal sector employment opportunities”
Futurism– Elon Musk Fulfilled His Promise to Make a Megabattery for Australia in 100 Days
- In the southern Australian outback, power blackouts are a major concern. Elon Musk made good on a recent promise to deliver a megabattery to this region within 100 days.
“South Australia is set to have backup power in place this summer through the world’s largest lithium-ion battery, which is set to be energized for the first time in the coming days as it enters a phase of regulatory testing”
Tufts Daily– Somerville contends to host second Amazon headquarters
- The City of Somerville sent in a bid last month to host Amazon’s planned second headquarters, proposing a transit-oriented campus running through areas of Somerville, Cambridge, Boston, Everett, Chelsea and Medford.
“While we can understand and appreciate the anxiety residents may feel about the possibility of a major e-commerce and tech company moving to Somerville, we also know from experience how welcoming, collaborative and supportive the City and its residents are and we know that’s how they’d respond if this move were to come to fruition”