Hopeful Headlines April 29: Largest Solar Project Also The Cheapest

I’ll be honest, good news was tougher than usual to come by this week. We’ve turned the corner from “Yay, shutdowns are reducing emissions and improving air quality” to “Seriously, this is all we get from a complete global shutdown?” Nevertheless, there’s hope to be had in this global shakeup including an announcement that the world’s largest solar project will also be the cheapest.

Each week we share three pieces of news that give us hope for a cleaner brighter future and suggest that individual action does add up to global change.

World’s Largest Solar Project Will Also Be Its Cheapest

By John Parnell, Green Tech Media, April 28, 2020

Falling solar prices have made the world’s largest solar project in Abu Dhabi the cheapest on record. French energy company EDF and Chinese Jinko Solar won the bid at 1.35 US cents per kilowatt-hour.
Per the article: “There are numerous factors behind the ever-lower prices for solar in the Middle East, including great solar resources, large and flat sites, cheap-to-zero land costs, massive scale, and the cheap finance that comes with a 30-year PPA with a petrostate as the offtaker.“
The 2-gigawatt project is slated for completion in mid-2022 and will provide a much-needed boost to solar module demand that has floundered due to coronavirus.

Wall Street Is Bending to Pressure to Halt Arctic-Oil Loans

By Jennifer A Dlouhy, Bloomberg Green, April 24, 2020

Morgan Stanley became the fifth major U.S. bank to withdraw financing for Arctic oil and gas drilling. Citigroup Inc. made a similar announcement last week.
Per the article: “The bank declarations underscore the potential peril for companies with ties to controversial fossil fuel projects amid growing public concern about climate change. The pressure will only increase, both for other banks to follow suit and for lenders to strengthen existing policies to keep fossil fuel projects off limits.”
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to animal species including polar bears, caribou and arctic foxes, and sacred ground for the native Gwich’in people.

An Exciting First: All-Paper, Plastic-Free Deodorant Packaging from Old Spice & Secret

From Waste360, April 24, 2020

Procter & Gamble is debuting deodorants with all-paper packaging in 500 U.S. Walmart stores on May 1. The brands include Old Spice and Secret. P&G plans to expand the new packaging in successful.
The plastic-free packaging is “made of 90 percent recycled paper, is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and features a “push up” design.”
Per the report: ““If we convert just 10 percent of our current deodorant packages to recycled paper or another recyclable material, it could eliminate up to 1.5 million pounds of plastic waste annually,” notes Anitra Marsh, Associate Director of Global Sustainability and Brand Communications, P&G Beauty.“

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