Science and Technology:
¶ “Scientists Aim To Improve Solar Cells With Nanomaterials” • NREL researchers are discovering (or creating) what may be key materials for tomorrow’s energy systems in the weird world of nanomaterials. “When you go down to the nanoscale, you often endow materials with properties they wouldn’t otherwise have,” an NREL group leader explained. [CleanTechnica]
NREL Scientists in a lab (Photo by Werner Slocum, NREL)
World:
¶ “Antarctica’s Last 6 Months Were The Coldest On Record” • In a year of extreme heat, Antarctica’s last six months were the coldest on record. One extremely cold winter is intriguing from a record keeping standpoint, but one season alone does not change the long-term progression, which is rapid warming. And nearly all of the rest of the world was above normal. [CNN]
¶ “Lebanon Left Without Power As Grid Shuts Down” • Lebanon is without electricity, and the country is in darkness in the midst of a severe economic crisis. The grid is no longer working at all. A government official told Reuters news agency that the country’s two largest power stations, Deir Ammar and Zahrani, had shut down because of a fuel shortage. [BBC]
Byblos, Lebanon (Nate Hovee, Pexels)
¶ “Demand Jumps For Renewable Energy As Lebanon Plunged Into Darkness” • Lebanon is witnessing significant demand for the installation of solar power units, amid a severe energy crisis. People want at least the amount of solar capacity they need in order to keep food in the fridge, and their lights, internet, and television on. [Arab News]
¶ “Elon Musk At Giga Berlin: ‘Tesla’s Mission Is To Accelerate The World To Sustainable Energy'” • Tesla, which started out as an automotive company that was mocked and jeered at by legacy auto, officially opened its factory in Berlin today. So Tesla, now the leader of the automotive industry, opened its newest factory in the heart territory of legacy auto. [CleanTechnica]
Tesla Giga Berlin (Screenshot from Tesla YouTube video)
¶ “COP26: Far Right Climate Denial Group To Stage ‘Alternative’ Summit In Glasgow” • The right wing Heartland Institute, which has previously received funding from the fossil fuel industry, is to convene a two day “climate reality forum” in Glasgow, designed to counter what it calls the “political groupthink” and “propaganda” of world leaders. [The Scotsman]
¶ “Queensland, Twiggy Sign Green Energy Deal” • Gladstone is to become Queensland’s green energy center, with one of the world’s largest hydrogen-equipment facilities to be built in the central coastal city. The project is part of a partnership deal between the state government and billionaire Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest’s Fortescue Future Industries. [Yass Tribune]
Gladstone, Queensland (JoePerchard, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “Iran Nuclear Deal: Tehran Has More Than 120 Kg Of 20% Enriched Uranium” • Iran has enriched more than 120 kilograms of 20% enriched uranium, the head of the country’s atomic energy agency said on Iranian state television. Iran’s position is that the western nations have failed to provide the material as agreed, so Iran is now making its own. [CGTN]
US:
¶ “Critical Protections Restored For NEPA, The USA’s Bedrock Environmental Law” • The Biden administration restored some critical protections to the National Environmental Policy Act, our nation’s bedrock environmental law, which had been eliminated by the previous administration. The rule puts the focus back on public, rather than corporate, interest. [CleanTechnica]
Forest (Dan Stark, Unsplash)
¶ “Southern California Business Owners Frustrated As Oil Spill Forces Them To Close Shop” • The coastal areas around the California oil spill are dependent on the ocean for tourism and business. Of the six sectors in the state’s “ocean economy,” the largest is tourism and recreation, and the oil spill is keeping the customers away. [CNN]
¶ “Tesla’s Safety Obsession” • One of the most interesting highlights of the 2021 Tesla Annual Meeting this week was Elon Musk’s continued focus on safety. Elon Musk highlighted that Tesla factory safety improved considerably over the time Tesla scaled up and matured as a company. He said Tesla aims to have the safest factory in the world. [CleanTechnica]
Have a supremely cozy day.
geoharvey 