Science and Technology:
¶ “An Electric Train That Never Needs Charging? It’s Real!” • NBC News recently reported on an electric train never needs to be plugged in to keep running. The train goes on battery power to a mine at the top of a mountain, where it is loaded with ore. It goes down by gravity, with regenerative breaking charging the battery again. [CleanTechnica]
Ore train in Australia (Fortescue, via Jalopnik)
¶ “New Process Yields Super Strong Recycled Wood” • An article at New Scientist tells us about a process to recycle wood, but with a twist: the process not only means you can build something with it again, but it will have more strength than steel. The process uses wood that can be broken, even sawdust, to produce material that is amazingly strong. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Wooden Towers To Help Cut The Cost Of Wind Turbines, Even More” • If laminated timber can make an office tower, why couldn’t it make towers for wind turbines? Good question. The leading wood products firm Stora Enso has teamed up with the lamination experts at Modvion to make wood towers happen for wind turbines. [CleanTechnica]
Modvion wooden tower manufacture (Courtesy of Modvion)
World:
¶ “ThinkBikes Nigeria Starts Delivering Its Locally Produced Electric Cargo Tricycles To Customers” • ThinkElectric Africa, a non-profit, has a mission to accelerate Africa’s transition to sustainable transport. For-profit ThinkBikes Limited arose from it. ThinkBikes is delivering its locally produced electric tricycles to customers in Nigeria. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Big Tech CEO Fights To Curb Coal Emissions In Australia” • Mike Cannon-Brookes is a co-founder of Atlassian, an Australian software company that makes digital tools that help people collaborate. Now that he has profited from the tech boom, he is looking for ways to use his wealth to reduce the carbon emissions in Australia. [CleanTechnica]
Mike Cannon-Brookes (TedXSidney, CC BY-NC-SA)
¶ “China Sets Out Five-Year Strategy For Renewable Energy Development” • The Chinese government has laid out its latest strategy for renewables as part of the country’s current five-year (2021-2025) economic development period, with demand for renewable energy expected to be equivalent to 1 billion tonnes of coal per year by 2025. [Upstream Online]
¶ “Renewable Energy Boosts China’s Green Development In Past Decade” • Over the past decade, China’s renewable energy has made remarkable progress, promoting green development and making major contributions to the global fight against climate change. China now gets 30% of its electricity from renewable energy sources. [Macau Business]
Wind turbines in China (Chris Lim, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “Sales Of Electric Cars Doubled To Record 6.6 Million In 2021” • Electric car sales doubled in 2021 to 6.6 million and remain strong in 2022, but future growth will demand greater efforts to diversify battery making and ensure critical mineral supplies to reduce the risks of bottlenecks and price rises, an International Energy Agency report says. [Energy Digital]
¶ “SNP Urge UK Government To Ditch ‘Obsession’ With Nuclear Power And Focus On Renewables” • The UK Government was urged to end its “obsession” with nuclear power and focus on renewable energy. The Scottish National Party said Scotland has plenty of renewable power sources, but nuclear power will send energy bills soaring. [The National]
Hadyard Hill windfarm (James Hearton, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “Court Rules Against Restarting A Nuclear Power Plant In Hokkaido” • A Japanese court ordered three reactors at a nuclear power plant in Hokkaido to remain offline as requested by over 1,000 plaintiffs due to safety concerns, in a rare decision issued while the operator is seeking permission from authorities to restart the plant. [Japan Today]
US:
¶ “Energy Experts Sound Alarm About US Electric Grid” • The forecasts say this will be a hotter than normal summer, and electricity experts and officials are warning that states may not have enough power to meet demand in the coming months. But many of the nation’s grid operators are also not taking climate change into account in their planning. [CNN]
Transmission lines (Jay Heike, Unsplash)
¶ “Ford F-150 Lightning Reaches Its First Customers” • The Ford F-series trucks have been selling really, really well for decades, so it made sense to simply adapt an F-150, a vehicle millions have purchased, to the EV platform. Now they are being delivered. Nick Schmidt, who just got the first of the new Lightnings, shared some of his first impressions. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Californian Solar Project Powers Up” • Idemitsu Renewables’ 73-MW solar project in California has achieved commercial operation and is expected to generate clean and affordable power equivalent to the needs of over 20,000 homes in the state. The Luciana solar project, located in Ducor, provided jobs for over 200 construction workers, Idemitsu said. [reNews]
Luciana solar project (Idemitsu Renewables image)
¶ “Vermont And ISO-New England Provide An Interesting Renewable Energy Transition Case Study” • Vermont’s power system is worth taking a look at as it has undergone a notable shift toward renewable energy. About 80% of Vermont’s power comes from renewable sources. Almost no fossil-fueled plants operate in the state. [Power Magazine]
¶ “NH Delegation Welcomes $1 Million To Continuum In North Conway To Support Wood Energy” • New Hampshire legislators applauded a $1 million award to Continuum in North Conway to support the Ridgeline Assisted Living Community Wood Chip Fueled District Heating and Cooling Plant. This award will help Continuum modernize. [Senator Jeanne Shaheen]
Have a thoroughly amusing day.
geoharvey 
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