Opinion:
¶ “The World May Be Careening Toward A 1970s-Style Energy Crisis – Or Worse” • The world is grappling with energy price spikes on everything from gasoline and natural gas to coal. Some experts fear this may just be the beginning of a situation that may rival or even exceed the oil crises of the 1970s and early 1980s, but this time it is not just oil. [CNN]
Power plant in Hong Kong (Ben Tatlow, Unsplash)
¶ “Sweltering India Turns To Superheating Coal For Cooling” • India has had a series of unusually early and prolonged heat waves this year. To cool off, the country has leaned on coal, the fuel most responsible for the blazing temperatures. But coal also contributes to the initial problem, making heat waves are more frequent and severe. [Scientific American]
¶ “Why Hydropower Is The Forgotten Giant Of Clean Energy” • Hydropower is the largest renewable worldwide, producing over twice as much energy as wind, and over four times as much as solar. And pumped storage accounts for over 90% of the world’s energy storage capacity. Despite its outsize impact, we don’t hear much about it. [CNBC] (I think solar and wind have grown to be more than this article indicates – ghh)
Dam (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)
Science and Technology:
¶ “US DOE: Slow Down To Save Fuel: Fuel Economy Decreases About 27% When Traveling At 80 Mph Versus 60 Mph” • Fuel economy for a light-duty vehicle going 80 mph is about 27% lower than when traveling at 60 mph. The best fuel economy is typically obtained when the vehicle is traveling at the lowest speed in the vehicle’s highest gear. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Chris Ramsey Will Drive A Nissan EV On An Epic Adventure From The North Pole To The South Pole” • British adventurer Chris Ramsey will be the first person to drive an EV from the North Pole to the South Pole, a press release says. The expedition is to raise awareness of the climate crisis and also to address misinformation about EVs. [CleanTechnica]
Chris Ramsey and Nissan EV (Courtesy Chris Ramsey and Nissan)
¶ “Sweden’s Plugin EV Share Keeps Growing, Up 22% YoY” • May saw Sweden’s plugin electric vehicles take 47.5% market share, up from 39.0% from May of 2021. Overall auto market volume was 26,375 units, up 9% year over year, though still 9% down from the normal seasonal level. Sweden’s best selling battery EV in May was the Volkswagen ID.4. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Siemens Mobility Finalizes Contract For 2000-Kilometer High-Speed Rail System In Egypt” • Siemens Mobility and a consortium partners signed a contract with a governmental authority under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport of Egypt. The deal means Egypt will have the sixth largest high-speed rail system in the world. [CleanTechnica]
Rendering of train (Courtesy of Siemens)
¶ “The BMW IX1 Is Coming To South Africa” • BMW has kept South Africa up to date with its EVs. Since the launch of the i3, BMW South Africa has followed that up by introducing the i4, iX, and the iX3. The iX was so well received that the first allocation for South Africa was quickly sold out. Now, BMW says that the iX1 is coming to South Africa. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Climate Agreement Between Canada And India Discusses Renewable Energy But Omits Coal” • Canada’s Environment Minister says an agreement to cooperate with India on climate action is an opportunity for Canada to export its technology for making renewable energy reliable. But the agreement does not mention coal. [Castanet]
Open pit mine (Lachlan, Unsplash)
US:
¶ “At Long Last, Hawaii Embraces Rooftop Solar Power” • Much of Hawaii’s electricity comes from burning diesel fuel refined from oil. In fact, a third of its oil imports came from Russia until Putin decided to go full rogue in Ukraine. That fact has forced Hawaiian Electric Company, HECO, to rethink its long standing opposition to rooftop solar. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Buick Resurrects Electra Brand For Future Electric Cars” • If ever there was a brand name from the past that cried out to be part of the electric car future, it is the Buick Electra, a name that replaced others in the Buick lineup from 1959. Now Buick says it will sell only electric cars from 2030 onward and they will all carry the Electra badge. [CleanTechnica]
Buick EV (Buick image)
¶ “Solar, Storage Win Big In $2.7 Billion New York Tender” • New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced awards for 22 large solar and energy storage projects. The projects are expected to deliver enough energy to power over 620,000 New York homes for at least 20 years. And they will spur over $2.7 billion in private investment in the state. [reNews]
¶ “US Department Of Energy Launches Partnership To Speed Interconnection” • The US DOE is building the Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X) to develop systems for faster, simpler, and more fair interconnection of large solar, wind, and storage projects, through “better data, roadmap development, and technical assistance.” [pv magazine USA]
Transmission lines (Ernest Brillo, Unsplash)
¶ “North of Chicago, a contaminated site will be reused for solar energy” • In the middle of a commercial and residential area of Waukegan, about 42 miles north of Chicago, are 70 acres of empty land dotted with posts bearing toxic gas monitors. But Yeoman Creek Landfill is headed toward a second life as a renewable energy facility. [WBEZ]
¶ “Governor Wants Federal Bailout Rule Change To Keep Diablo Canyon Power Plant Alive” • The California governor’s office has asked the US DOE to rewrite the rules on its nuclear power bailout program so Pacific Gas and Electric Co can apply for money to keep Diablo Canyon Power Plant operating beyond its scheduled closure date. [Lompoc Record]
Have a justifiably perfect day.
geoharvey 