Opinion:
¶ “Hitting The EV Inflection Point In Europe” • Can the entire EU go to 100% electric car and van sales by 2035 in order to decarbonize road transport by 2050? Can a small business as well as an average family, whether living in a city or a village, make the switch? Bloomberg New Energy Finance did an analysis and gave a clear answer: Yes. [CleanTechnica]
Inflection point (T&E and Bloomberg)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Tesla Transitions To LFP Battery Cells For Megapack Battery Installations” • Multiple news sources are reporting that Tesla has begun using lithium-iron phosphate (aka LiFPO₄) battery cells in its Megapack grid-scale storage systems. LFP has advantages, and some disadvantages, when compared to other more commonly used lithium batteries. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “EMEC Assesses New York Tidal Turbine Output” • EMEC delivered the world’s first internationally recognized power performance assessment to Verdant Power for its Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy array in New York. In a 39-day test, Verdant Power’s turbines had availability of over 99% and generated 187 kW at peak flood tide velocity. [reNEWS]
Tidal turbine installation (Verdant Power image)
¶ “Coral Reef Restorations Can Be Optimized To Reduce Flood Risk” • New guidelines for coral reef restoration aiming to reduce the risk of flooding were published in Frontiers in Marine Science. The guidelines aim to optimize restoration efforts not only for the benefit of the ecosystem, but also to protect the coast and people living on it. [EurekAlert!]
World:
¶ “Throwing Money At Schemes Ineffective – Charity” • A report by Third World Network says rich countries “throwing money” at enhancing biodiversity is ineffective. It calls for “a profound re-organisation of the global post-pandemic economy to prevent further harm to the planet,” and it recommends nothing less than a “change in our entire economic model.” [BBC]
New Zealand (Tomas Sobek, Unsplash)
¶ “Renewable Energy On Back Burner With Gas Confirmed As Budget Focus” • Australia’s treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, unveiled a big budget. Critics were quick to condemn it for a lack of money set aside for renewable energy. They called it a point of “national shame” and missed opportunity as Australia continues to pursue a gas-led philosophy. [pv magazine Australia]
¶ “Ilmatar Finds €42 Million In Funding For Two Finnish Projects” • Ilmatar Energy has secured €42 million of senior debt commitments for two onshore wind projects in Finland. Under the agreement, Ilmatar remains the sole owner of the 25.8-MW Voimamylly project and the 48-MW Rasakangas project. Work on the latter has already begun. [reNEWS]
Wind project (Image via Unsplash)
¶ “UNDP Extends Philippine Renewable Energy Program” • The United Nations Development Programme has extended the Development for Renewable Energy Applications Mainstreaming and Market Sustainability program to January 2023, according to the Philippine Department of Energy. The project had run into delays due to the pandemic. [BusinessWorld]
US:
¶ “Drought Emergency Declared In Most Of California Amid ‘Acute Water Supply Shortfalls'” • California Governor Gavin Newsom expanded a drought emergency across most of the parched state, covering a vast stretch of the central and northern regions of the state as it endures its second major drought in less than a decade. [CNN]
California highway (Peter Mizsak, Unsplash)
¶ “US Petrol Supplies Tighten After Colonial Pipeline Hack” • Motorists in the Southeast have been urged to not hoard fuel as supplies tighten due to a major pipeline remaining shut after a cyber-attack. North Carolina, Virginia and Florida have declared a state of emergency. The average price for gasoline rose to $2.98 per gallon. [BBC]
¶ “Navajo Nation Methane Pollution Rate Double National Average” • Methane pollution from oil and gas extraction on Navajo Nation lands harms the health of local residents and robs the tribe of critical income, writes Hannah Grover for the New Mexico Political Report. An EDF report found the leak rate is twice the US average. [CleanTechnica]
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park (Cayetano Gil, Unsplash)
¶ “Keene Passed Its Community Power Plan. What Comes Next?” • Keene became the first municipality in New Hampshire to pass a community power program, in a move to give the city more control over the local electricity supply. But there are still details that need to be addressed. One is to submit the plan to the NH Public Utilities Commission. [The Keene Sentinel]
¶ “Colorado Springs Utilities Pushes Ahead Toward Renewable Energy” • The migration away from fossil fuels to renewables requires new ways to deliver power to customers. Colorado Springs Utilities is all in on finding ways to wean the city off fossil fuels, such as microgrids. It is creating an Advanced Technologies Campus. [Colorado Springs Independent]
Advanced Technologies Campus (Colorado Springs Utilities)
¶ “Markey, Warren Ask NRC For Stricter Conditions At Seabrook Station” • Massachusetts Democratic Senators Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to the NRC, in which they called for stronger safety standards at the Seabrook Station nuclear power plant. One of their main concerns is alkali-silica reaction degradation. [Gloucester Times]
¶ “US May Consider Nuclear Subsidies” • New subsidies, in the form of “production tax credits,” could be included in President Joe Biden’s multi-trillion-dollar legislative effort to invest in infrastructure and jobs, sources said. Wind and solar power already benefit from tax rebates based on the levels of energy they generate. [Nuclear Engineering International]
Have an outrageously uplifting day.
geoharvey 
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