Opinion:
¶ “Four Undisputable Advantages of Wind Energy” • Windpower is among the most important sources of renewable energy, and continued improvements in technology are contributing to its rapid expansion. It has some important advantages, and these should be recognized. They make a compelling argument for further expansion of wind energy. [Earth.Org]
Wind farm (Peter Beukema, Unsplash)
World:
¶ “Siemens Gamesa Begins Testing New 115-Meter-Long Wind Turbine Blades” • Siemens Gamesa, the Spanish-German wind energy giant, is ready to being testing its first B115 wind turbine blades in Aalborg, Denmark. Measuring 115 meters long, the blades will be used as part of the company’s next generation offshore wind turbine. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “UK Launches Floating Wind Task Force” • RenewableUK is welcoming industry leaders, senior Government officials and other key stakeholders to the launch of a Floating Offshore Wind Task Force in London. The new body aims to ensure that the UK “stays at the forefront” of floating wind, attracting investment and creating jobs, the trade group stated. [reNews]
Offshore wind turbine (Grahame Jenkins, Unsplash)
¶ “Visible From Space: The Consequences Of Climate Change In The Alps” • Scientists from the University of Lausanne and the University of Basel, writing in the journal Science, have now used satellite data to show that vegetation above the tree line increased in nearly 80% of the Alps. Snow cover is also decreasing, albeit so far only slightly. [SciTechDaily]
¶ “Celebrating ‘Golden Decade,’ Poland Set To Reach 12 GW Of PV Capacity In 2022” • Poland’s solar PV capacity in 2022 exceeded 10 GW in May and is expected to reach 12 GW by the end of the year, according to a report published by the Institute for Renewable Energy. The country is on track to achieve 20 GW of PV capacity by 2025. [PV Magazine]
Solar farm in Poland (Lightsource BP image)
¶ “Prioritize Renewable, Not Nuclear Power” • Greenpeace International, the global environment network, is urging the incoming Philippine administration of President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos to prioritize renewable energy for the power requirements of the country instead of reviving the mothballed Bataan nuclear power plant. [The Manila Times]
Australia:
¶ “KFC Australia Forced To Swap Lettuce For Cabbage” • Fast food giant KFC has been forced to put cabbage in its burgers and wraps in Australia as the country is struggling with a shortage of lettuce. Heads of lettuce have cost over A$10 ($7.18, £5.72), three times the usual price, as a result of floods in Queensland and New South Wales. [BBC]
KFC wrap (KFC image)
¶ “Melbourne Office Building Clad Entirely In Skala Solar Power Panels” • A new office building in Melbourne, Australia will have installed solar power, thanks to architect Peter Kennon. It will be clad entirely in Skala thin film solar panels from Germany’s Avancis. The eight story building will have 1,182 solar panels as thick as a regular glass facade. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Energy Security At The Edge Of The Grid” • With experience in remote communities, Dr Andrew Mears is working on project in Australia’s Northern Territory. He founded SwitchDin, whose software will enable greater access to renewable electricity for Alice Springs by using already available solar and battery assets for a virtual power plant. [CleanTechnica]
Alice Springs (Phil Whitehouse, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)
US:
¶ “Climate Groups Join For First-Of-Its-Kind, $100 Million Push To Mobilize Midterm Voters” • In an attempt to mobilize voters around the climate crisis, six climate groups are readying for the midterms with an arsenal of $100 million – the first coordinated spending of its kind. The $100 million will pay for multiple ad campaigns in battleground states. [CNN]
¶ “Biden Announces New Executive Actions To Spur Domestic Solar, Clean Energy Development” • President Joe Biden authorized the DOE to use the Defense Production Act to speed up domestic manufacture of solar panel components, heat pumps, building insulation, electric transformers and equipment like electrolyzers and fuel cells. [CNN]
Joe Biden speaking (The White House, public domain)
¶ “The US South Prepares For The EV Transition” • Electrify the South, a non-profit program of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, is leveraging research, advocacy, and outreach to push renewable energy and accelerate EV adoption across the Southeast. It is making the transition believable and part of an appealing regional mindset. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Bill McKibben Advocates For Food Security” • Activist Bill McKibben addressed the question of food security in his blog. He makes a plea to transition from fossil fuels to renewables as a way to cool the planet and increase food security. All the energy from Iowa’s corn ethanol could be replaced by covering a seventh of the land used to grow it with PVs. [CleanTechnica]
Harvesting corn (Bill Whittaker, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “Cost Of Renewables Falls As Installed Capacity Increases” • Researchers Mark Bolinger, Ryan Wiser, and Eric O’Shaughnessy collected data on renewables from 908 wind farms and 822 solar operations in the US, all of them larger than 5 MW in capacity. They found that the people operating solar and wind farms are getting more efficient, reducing costs. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Hancock County To Become Home To New Solar Plant” • Mon Power, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp that services portions of the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, is working on using renewable energy. Mon Power is working on 50 MW of renewable energy and is taking subscriptions from customers who want to support that initiative. [WTOV]
Have a superbly effective day.
geoharvey 