Science and Technology:
¶ “Autonomous Robot Killing Weeds Is More Eco-Friendly Than Herbicides” • A German consortium is developing AMU-Bot, a robot that will solve the problem of weeding without manual work or spraying with herbicides. Funding is from the German Federal Office of Agriculture and Food. The Fraunhofer Institute is coordinating the project. [CleanTechnica]
Robot (Federal Office of Agriculture and Food, Fraunhofer)
¶ “StoreDot Developed Batteries That Can Self-Heal” • StoreDot announced technology that enables battery cells to regenerate while they are in use via a background repair mechanism. The self-healing battery system can identify a cell or string of cells that are overheating or performing poorly. Repair is done by hardware under software control. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Tidal Energy Has the Potential To Become Viable And Reliable Renewable Energy Source” • Bureau Veritas welcomed the UK Government’s plans to invest in the country’s tidal energy industry, suggesting that tidal stream electricity could become one of the most viable and reliable sources of renewable energy in the world. [Renewable Energy Magazine]
Evopod turbine in 2008 (Courtesy of Ocean Flow Energy Ltd)
World:
¶ “Thousands Are Left Homeless And Hungry At Christmas As The Philippines Faces Up To The Climate Crisis Reality Of A Super Typhoon” • The Philippines experiences several typhoons a year, but the climate crisis has caused storms to become more unpredictable and extreme. while leaving the nation’s poorest most vulnerable. [CNN]
¶ “The African Nation Aiming To Be A Hydrogen Superpower” • Lüderitz is a town in southern Namibia. It has seen boom times based on diamonds and fishing. Now, a green hydrogen project has been proposed to be “the third revolution of Lüderitz.” The project could ultimately produce around 300,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year. [BBC]
Lüderitz, Namibia (SkyPixels, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “Every 38–44 Seconds, A New Tesla Model Y Leaves Giga Shanghai’s Workshop” • Drive Tesla Canada reports that drone flyovers showed that a new Tesla Model Y leaves Giga Shanghai’s workshop every 38 seconds. The article noted that Tesla China’s November sales reflected an annual production rate of 683,000 cars per year. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “UK Police Are Testing Tesla Model 3 With Promising Results” • British police have been testing Tesla Model 3 vehicles as part of its plan to electrify its fleet, The Guardian reports. According to the emergency services lead at Tesla, the early findings show great results for the suitability of Model 3 vehicles in emergency service operation. [CleanTechnica]
Brutally colored police car (Tesla UK image)
¶ “Solar And Wind Produce The Cheapest Electricity – Report” • The Australian Energy Market Operator and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation released a report that shows conclusively that solar and wind are the cheapest ways to generate electricity. The report includes carbon capture and hydrogen electrolysis. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Railroads And Solar Power: You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” • Renewable energy has been quietly seeping into the US railroad industry, but the pace has been achingly slow. Things could pick up if a new solar power research project in Germany pans out. It aims to leverage the built environment of railroads for direct electrification. [CleanTechnica]
Solar system and railroad (Courtesy of TÜV Rheinland)
¶ “Delegates At New Round Of Iran Nuclear Talks Strike Hopeful Note” • The eighth and possibly final round of talks in Vienna to restore Iran’s landmark 2015 nuclear deal with world powers has commenced on a cautiously hopeful note. The delegation from Iran said it is ready to remain in Vienna until a deal acceptable to Tehran is reached. [Al Jazeera]
¶ “Siemens Gamesa Secures New Order From Ayana Renewable Power” • Siemens Gamesa has secured an order in India from Ayana Renewable Power Six to supply a 302-MW project. Ayana Renewable will install 84 of the SG 3.6-145 wind turbines for the project in Karnataka State. Ayana has 3 GW of renewable energy capacity at this time. [GreentechLead]
Wind turbines in India (Debasish1974, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
US:
¶ “Wind And Solar Provided 86% Of New US Power Capacity In January Through October” • October 2021, was a rare month in which natural gas led the show for new US capacity with a 51.1% share. But in 2021, wind and solar power have dominated new power capacity additions, accounting for a whopping 85.9% of new US power capacity so far. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “US Air Force Taps Solar Energy, Wireless Transmission For Battlefield Deployment” • The US Air Force has seen the future, and it has solar energy written all over it. Last fall the Air Force Research Laboratory announced an eight-project lineup for its new Expeditionary Energy Campaign initiative focusing on clean tech and renewables. [CleanTechnica]
Solar system (Image by Corey Parrish, USAF)
¶ “Hoboken To Launch Renewable Energy Program” • A program revealed by the Hoboken mayor’s office will offer residents a baseline of 10% more electricity from renewable sources like wind or solar than the current state minimum levels, which is at roughly 23.5%. Residents can also choose to have 100% renewable electricity. [Hudson Reporter]
¶ “Shell Gets OK To Proceed With Offshore Wind Project Off New England” • A joint offshore wind venture spearheaded by Royal Dutch Shell and Ocean Winds North America has gained approval to build offshore wind turbines off the New England coast. The Mayflower offshore wind project is expected to generate 400 MW. [Houston Chronicle]
Have a sufficiently marvelous day.
geoharvey 
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