EGEB: This woman explains why she thinks EVs are family- and range-friendly

In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):

• Electric vehicle drivers are increasing — this woman explains why driving an EV works for her.
• The Vatican urges Catholics to stop investing in fossil fuels.
• The UK’s biggest onshore wind farm will go forward, in Shetland.

The Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB): A daily technical, financial, and political review/analysis of important green energy news.

Family-friendly EVs

Grace, a teacher of the visually impaired, explains to Electrify the South, a campaign of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, why an EV is a small-child-friendly car. She’s owned an EV since June 2017.

Many consumers have avoided purchasing an electric car because of range anxiety. So it’s great that Grace is comfortable taking long road trips with her small children in an EV and doesn’t worry about range — she drove from South Florida to Montreal and back.

Further, historically, more men than women have driven EVs, and that ratio is quickly changing.

Experienced EV owners are already aware of the issues that Grace addresses, but it’s always great to hear firsthand experiences. It’s also useful for those who are interested in driving an EV but still have questions and want to learn more.

Vatican: Say no to fossil fuel investment

The Vatican yesterday released a 225-page manual for church leaders and workers on the need to protect “nature, life, and defenseless people.”

The manual contains practical steps to achieve Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si (Praised Be), according to Reuters. An encyclical is a papal letter sent to all bishops of the Roman Catholic Church.

The manual’s finance section, called “Journeying Towards Care For Our Common Home,” addresses the issue of climate change, among other things. It calls on Catholics to:

[S]hun companies that are harmful to human or social ecology… and to the environment, such as fossil fuels.

The Vatican bank says it does not invest in fossil fuels. Reuters continues:

The [manual] urges Catholics to defend the rights of local populations to have a say in whether their lands can be used for oil or mineral extraction and the right to take strong stands against companies that cause environmental disasters or over-exploit natural resources such as forests.

UK gets its largest onshore wind farm

The UK’s largest onshore wind farm in terms of annual electricity output will go forward. The 103-turbine Viking 443MW project will be located in the Shetland Islands. It will need a subsea cable to run between the islands and Scotland’s mainland, which energy regulator Ofgem is expected to approve.

The Scottish energy company SSE Renewables project will cost £580 million and create up to 400 jobs at the peak of construction, with a further 35 full-time permanent jobs.

Construction will start in late summer this year and is expected to be completed in early 2024.