Also on today’s menu:
Russia, Germany, And Nord Stream 2
Tickets Now Available For Newfound Fishing Derby
The International Renewable Energy Agency said in a 2016 report that waste from solar panels could go from 250,000 metric tons in 2016 to a cumulative total of 78 million tons by 2050. The United States would have 10 million tons that year. Since that report, the growth of solar power has accelerated, so the 2050 numbers are likely going to be even higher.
Dan Gearino reports in Inside Clean Energy that the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP in Freiburg, Germany, has taken silicon from discarded solar panels and recycled it for use in new ones — a positive step for dealing with the coming mountain of waste from solar power.
The team produced solar cells from 100 percent recycled silicon. The cells are the parts of solar panels that capture the sun’s energy to convert it to electricity.
Russia, Germany, And Nord Stream 2
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied that he is planning an invasion of Ukraine, but the former Soviet state is facing more than the threat of war from Russia. Putin has been working at cutting Ukraine out as a natural gas conduit between Siberia and Europe. Nord Stream 2, Gazprom’s $11 billion conduit beneath the Baltic Sea to Germany, is the fourth pipeline Putin has built, avoiding payment of the transit fees that previously made up as much as 4 percent of Ukraine’s gross domestic product.
It is gas that Europe desperately needs right now, as it relies on Russia for 35 percent of its natural gas, and this is the season of highest demand. The amount flowing to Europe through Ukraine has fallen from 80 percent at the time of the 2006 Russian cutoff to just 25 percent today, and natural gas reserves in Europe are unusually low. The supply shrank due to continued depletion of Europe’s own gas production and a slowdown in 2021 shipments from Russia.
As much as Europe — and Germany, in particular — would benefit from Nord Stream 2 going online, President Joe Biden declared that the pipeline would never open if Russia invades Ukraine. The American president guaranteed that Europe would receive the gas it needs through other means.
Tickets Now Available For Newfound Fishing Derby
Tickets are on sale for the Alexandria Firefighters Association’s 31st annual Ice Fishing Derby on Newfound Lake, taking place on February 26-27.
There will be cash prizes of $150, $100, and $50, respectively, for the three largest fish among lake trout, rainbow trout, perch, and cusk. The person with the overall largest fish will receive $1,000; the second overall largest fish will bring $500; and the third-largest will bring $250. There also will children’s prizes, and the Bristol Fire Department will have its own fundraising raffle at the event.
Derby tickets are available through the Alexandria Volunteer Firefighters Associa- tion Facebook page, in Bristol at Newfound Sales and Trading Post on Lake Street and Gina’s Restaurant on Pleasant Street, and from any AVFD member.
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