Opinion:
¶ “Everything To Know About The Three Mile Island Accident” • Netflix has a new four-part docuseries, “Meltdown: Three Mile Island.” The series details the terrifying partial meltdown of a nuclear power plant in central Pennsylvania in 1979. It features testimonials from the plant’s chief engineer and whistleblower, Richard Parks, and others. [Yahoo]
Three Mile Island plant (Smallbones, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
World:
¶ “Shell Profits Nearly Triple As Oil Prices Surge” • Energy giant Shell made $9.13 billion (£7.3 billion) in the first three months of the year, nearly triple its $3.2 billion profit it announced for the same period last year. But the company said pulling out of Russian oil and gas due to the Ukraine conflict had cost it $3.9 billion (£3.1 billion). [BBC]
¶ “Ukraine War: How Germany Is Getting Rid Of Russian Oil” • Since the invasion the German government has dramatically reduced its dependence on Russian oil from 35% to 12%, all of which comes to the refinery in the town of Schwedt, in north-eastern Germany. Germany has managed to pivot away from Russian oil quicker than expected. [BBC]
Petrochemical plant in Schwedt (© Ralf Roletschek, via Wikimedia)
¶ “Enough Raw Metals To Make 14 Million Electric Cars Globally In 2023 – Study” • There is enough lithium and nickel available to produce 14 million electric cars globally in 2023 even without Russian supplies, a study into the short-term availability of raw materials shows. The study was carried out by Transport & Environment. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Sweden Plugin EV Share At 48.2%, Kia Niro On Top” • Sweden saw plugin EVs take 48.2% market share in April, up from 43.1% YOY. Overall auto market volume was down 19% from last year. Sweden’s best selling auto was the Kia Niro. In April, 24.7% of cars sold were full battery BEVs, up from last year’s 22.2%, and 23.4% were plugin hybrids, up from 20.8%. [CleanTechnica]
Kia Niro (Hyundai Motor Group, Unsplash)
¶ “RenewableUK Calls For 5-GW Hydrogen Plan” • RenewableUK has published a series of key policy recommendations in a report to help the UK Government achieve its target of 10 GW of low carbon hydrogen by 2030, including at least 5 GW from green hydrogen production. Green hydrogen is made from water by electrolysis powered by renewables. [reNews]
¶ “World’s Second-Largest Hydropower Plant Set For 14-Year Upgrade After Deal With GE” • GE Renewable Energy has signed a deal that will see it carry out upgrades to the 14-GW Itaipu hydropower plant, a vast facility straddling the border between Brazil and Paraguay. Itaipu started production in 1984. The upgrade will last 14 years. [CNBC]
Itaipu Dam (Jonas de Carvalho, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
US:
¶ “Officials Worry Southern California Won’t Have Enough Water To Get Through Summer Without Unprecedented Cuts” • As Southern Californians brace for unprecedented restrictions on water use, officials worry some communities won’t have enough water to get through the summer, unless residents and businesses cut back more than restrictions require. [CNN]
¶ “Stanford University Announces New Climate Change School With $1.1 Billion From Renowned Venture Capitalist” • Stanford University announced it is launching a new school with a focus on climate change. Renowned Silicon Valley venture capitalist John Doerr and his wife donated $1.1 billion to fund the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. [CNN]
Hoover Tower, Stanford University (Y S, Unsplash)
¶ “In California, 12.5% Of New Light-Duty Vehicle Registrations Were Plug-In Electric Vehicles In 2021” • In California, 12.5% of new light-duty vehicle registrations were plug-in EVs in 2021. Next highest were the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Washington, and Oregon, which each had PEV registrations accounting for more than 7% of new registrations. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Jamestown: America’s First English Settlement Is Now Endangered” • One of the most important historic sites in the US has been put on a list of endangered places. Preservation groups warn that Jamestown, Virginia, the first successful English colony in America, may not survive another generation because of climate change. [BBC]
Historic Jamestown (Pi3.124, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “Austin Semiconductor Factory Moves To 100% Renewable Power” • Austin semiconductor maker Infineon Technologies announced that it is switching to 100% renewable power for its local factory. Infineon was one of the first semiconductor makers to set a carbon neutrality goal for its global operations, according to the company. [KVUE]
¶ “Sila To Build Next Generation Batteries In Washington State” • Sila Nanotechnologies is working with Mercedes and BMW on batteries that use silicon for anodes instead of carbon. The result is batteries that are less expensive and more energy dense. The company announced it will convert a facility in Washington State to produce 10 GWh of batteries. [CleanTechnica]
Batteries (Sila Nanotechnologies image)
¶ “Wyoming Starts Energy Partnership With Idaho Laboratory” • Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon announced in a press release that his state has signed a memorandum of understanding with Batelle Energy Alliance, the operating contractor of the Idaho National Laboratory to collaborate on such advanced energy technologies as nuclear and hydrogen. [K2 Radio]
¶ “Another $61M In Refunds For SC customers In Nuclear Plant Lawsuit” • A judge has approved a second round of refunds for electric ratepayers of Dominion Energy South Carolina totaling $61 million as part of the settlement agreement over a failed nuclear plant. The VC Summer plant never came online despite customers paying over $2 billion for it. [WCBD]
Have a comfortably victorious day.
geoharvey 