Opinion:
¶ “Would You Like Fumes With That? ” • As my grandsons and I watched a crew cut down a large tree that had been damaged in a storm, I was impressed by the attention to safety. The men had steel-toed boots, protective clothing, safety goggles, hard hats, and ear protection. Then I realized they were breathing fumes from a chain saw and a diesel truck. [CleanTechnica]
Worker and chain saw (Helena Jankovičov, Pexels)
¶ “Driving A Tesla Makes Life So Much Easier” • I’m a new Tesla (co)owner. I’ve been driving the shiny new white Model Y for two weeks, and, while I do have much to learn about the multitude of settings available through the touchscreen – that will likely be an ongoing process – I now know that driving a Tesla makes life so much easier. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “We Need To Keep Cleantech Companies From Being Used Against Democracy” • In this short series of articles, I’d like to explore the ways that the Chinese Communist Party extends its reach globally to control us, why its tactics work, and (most importantly to readers here) how it is working toward using the cleantech industry against us. [CleanTechnica]
Tesla ad in China (Image courtesy of Tesla)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Minnesota Lake Ice Shrinking As Climate Change Warms Winters” • Officials from Minnesota’s natural resources and pollution control agencies say climate change is diminishing Minnesota winters, with 10 to 14 fewer days of lake ice over the past 50 years. They say climate change is hurting local economies and the environment. [Keloland.com]
¶ “How The Climate Crisis Is Crushing The Wine Business” • A changing climate is changing the wine industry as we know it and for some producers, who have noticed changes to weather since the 1990s, the change is not all good. Wine grapes usually need a special set of weather conditions to ripen properly and climate change is making that harder. [The Hill]
Grapevine (Sven Finger, Unsplash)
World:
¶ “Pitched Solar Roof Options In Europe – The World Beyond Tesla” • On-roof mounting systems still have the largest share in the residential solar PV market. However, for new or refurbished pitched roofs, another option is more cost-effective. Integrated systems, once more expensive, are less costly in today’s market, especially in Europe. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “EU Approves Renewable Energy Development Funding Scheme In Croatia” • Croatia notified the European Commission of its intention to introduce a new scheme to support electricity produced from renewable energy sources, namely wind, solar, hydro, biomass, biogas, and geothermal power plants. The EC has approved the scheme. [ThinkGeoEnergy]
Geothermal plant by Turboden in Croatia (Turboden image)
¶ “Renewable Energy Hotspot Grinds To A Halt Through Lack Of Transmission Infrastructure” • The 50-MW Kennedy Energy Park in North Queensland was Australia’s first to combine a solar farm, 12 wind turbines, and 2 MW of battery storage when it was completed in late 2018. But a lack of transmission infrastructure has kept it idle for three years. [ABC]
¶ “Renewables Already Generate Almost 50% Of Electricity … But Electricity Remains At Record Prices” • According to Red Elctrica de Espaa, renewables, including hydro, wind, and solar energy, have generated the 48.7% of electricity in Spain this year, more than double the 22.1% produced by nuclear. The high cost of gas kept electricity prices high, however. [CVBJ]
Andasol Solar Power Station (kallerna, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “Zero Carbon Lithium Company Vulcan Acquires Geothermal Plant; Brine Offtake Agreement With geox” • Vulcan Energy Resources has agreed to acquire an operational geothermal renewable energy power plant in the Upper Rhine Valley at Insheim, Germany, through the acquisition of 100% of the shares in the owner. [Green Car Congress]
US:
¶ “A White Christmas Is Less Likely For Many. The Grinch To Blame Is Climate Change” • Meteorologists refering to “normal” weather are mainly referring to a three decade data set, updated every ten years. The current data, from 1991 to 2020, is generally milder and less snowy due to the climate crisis. For many people, a White Christmas is less likely. [CNN]
Reindeer (Norman Tsui, Unsplash)
¶ “Biden Pledges Federal Support In Aftermath Of Deadly Storms” • President Joe Biden told reporters traveling with him in Wilmington, Delaware he’d been monitoring the situation “very closely since early this morning,” after what he called one of the “largest tornado outbreaks in our history” left at least 84 dead across six states. [CNN]
¶ “US Interior Secretary Haaland Touts Solar Energy In Desert Visit” • US Interior Secretary Deb Haaland visited the California desert to promote solar farms and other renewable projects on public lands in the West. She said the Interior Department is working with states, cities, and tribes to permit at least 25 GW of onshore renewable energy by 2025. [The Desert Sun]
Have a spectacularly worthwhile day.
geoharvey 