Clean Energy: Indiana Solar Power; The Worth of Electric Vehicles.

If we want to be truly great as a country, we would ahve gotten out from under the domination of the Saudis. Renewables will let us do that.

If we want to stay competive in manufacutring automobiles, if we want to provide good manufacturing jobs to the future, then we need EVs.

Hope these readings help you. 

Solar ordinance adopted but battles continue

But the change left in place setback requirements that solar boosters say could likely disqualify the county from receiving state money that might be made available to counties considered "solar ready" by state officials.

An adopted setback approved by the plan commission in the just passed ordinance is 500 feet from the property lines of land owners not participating in the solar project. But the state reccomends a setback of just 250 feet from dwellings on nonparticipating property.

The Indiana General Assembly passed SB 411 in 2022, a bill which provided suggested regulations for zoning ordinances at solar fields. State Rep. Sue Errington, D-Muncie, told the commission Wednesday that the state established the Solar Energy Ready Communities program earlier this year. It began in July and is housed in the Office of Energy Development.

As of yet, the program has not certified any county as a "solar ready community" and it has no funds to distribute to qualifying communities. "But I really believe there will be in the future," Errington said. "And propbably not that distant." 

From The Capitol Chronicle, Advocates hope to use map, grant to reduce conflict over solar, wind siting:

The conservancy is developing a geospatial mapping tool that he said combines “hundreds of layers of inputs” to locate sites involving — potentially — fewer conflicts with nature and residents, plus better connections to the electric grid.

And it’s working in collaboration with Purdue University’s Extension — which offers Hoosiers home-grown expertise — and the Indiana Office of Energy Development to vie for a federal grant meant to aid in renewable energy siting.

Lawmakers, meanwhile, say state-level mandates for siting don’t yet have the legislative support to pass.

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Soliday said an attempt at a mandate was unlikely in the coming legislative session. But he said the issue remains crucial because businesses want to use renewable energy and factor it into operational decisions.

“We have two choices in my mind: we build it, or we buy it from somebody else,” he said at a December legislative conference. “If we want to compete in this market, … we’ve got to figure out a way around it. But right now, I would not bet on our ability to get it even out of a committee.” 

Industry needs energy that is cheap and dependable; solar and wind are now both. If there is less sufficient wind and/or solar power available, then industry will go elsewhere. Jobs depend on Indiana ramping up its solar and wind power generation. 

And further away from Indiana, The Guardian's Do electric cars really produce fewer carbon emissions than petrol or diesel vehicles? 

Electric cars, by contrast, use less energy and can charge from zero-carbon sources. Just how much greener electric cars can be in operation depends on how much renewable electricity is used in local grids. Transport & Environment has a handy online calculator that allows you to play with the grid, choosing between different countries’ energy mixes and whether the battery was made in carbon-heavy China or greener Sweden. Where the lines cross indicates how many miles are needed for a battery car to win on carbon emissions.

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The picture for electric cars will improve as power from the wind and the sun replace gas and oil, reducing carbon emissions from generating electricity. Colin Walker, the head of transport at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit thinktank, said: “Even if you have a really dirty grid, EVs are still better for the environment. That will keep going as the grid gets cleaner and cleaner.”

We also need to take into account the future of the technologies. Auke Hoekstra, an energy transition researcher at the Eindhoven University of Technology, said emissions from fossil fuel cars cannot fall much further, meaning they are not a viable technology for a zero-emissions world. Yet battery development is still in relative infancy, and is likely to tip the balance further in favour of electric cars. 

sch 12/23