Science and Technology:
¶ “GM Falls For Crazy Floating Wind Turbine Idea, May Not Be So Crazy After All” • General Motors has been deploying its GM Ventures arm to kickstart next-generation clean tech. The firm has spearheaded a round of up to $10 million in funding for a new floating wind turbine system that looks like a giant wall of fidget spinners. [CleanTechnica]
Mult-turbine floating platform (Wind Catching Systems image)
World:
¶ “Italy’s Eni Says Russian Gas Supply Cut By Half” • Italy has become the latest of a host of European countries to report further cuts in its Russian gas supply. Italian energy giant Eni said it would receive only half of the 63 million cubic meters per day it had requested from Gazprom, after experiencing shortfalls for two days. [BBC]
¶ “Fiat 500e Shines In 21% Plugin Share Market Of France” • Plugin vehicles continue to rise in France, with last month’s plugin registrations ending at 26,517 units, of which 15,247 were battery EVs (or 12% share of the overall auto market) and 11,270 plugin hybrids (9% share of the overall auto market). The former jumped 38% year over year. [CleanTechnica]
Peugeot e208 charging (Tomás Freres, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “National Battery Testing Centre At The Queensland University Of Technology” • Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick is putting $15 million in funding for the National Battery Testing Centre at the Queensland University of Technology in the state budget. He says he wants his state to be “the natural home” of battery testing and making in Australia. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Marriage Between Sony And Honda Is Now Official” • Sony and Honda signed a memorandum of understanding in March saying the two companies intend to make electric cars together with each company contributing its own expertise to the effort. Now the new joint venture is official and will be known as Sony Honda Mobility. [CleanTechnica]
Sony Vision S 02 and Vision S 01 concepts (Sony image)
¶ “China’s Renewable Energy Capacity Expands In First Five Months” • In China, over the January-May period, the capacity of wind power jumped 17.6% year on year to around 340 GW, while solar farms saw capacity hit 330 GW, an increase of 24.4%, the National Energy Administration said. China’s goal is net-zero emissions by 2060. [China.org]
¶ “How Orkney Is Leading A Tidal Power Revolution” • Tidal power, while not yet widely commercialized, is seen by many as the next frontier in renewables. It’s the only renewable power source that comes from the moon’s pull on the Earth. Orkney, home of the European Marine Energy Centre headquarters, is a hub for tidal power innovation. [The Guardian]
Graphic showing Orbital O2 in action (Orbital Marine)
¶ “UAE Seeks Iran Assurance On ‘Peacefulness’ Of Nuclear Program” • The United Arab Emirates urged Iran to provide reassurances on the peaceful nature of its nuclear program after the IAEA denounced Tehran´s lack of cooperation. Iran has a controversial uranium enrichment program, and the UAE lies just across the Gulf. [The News International]
US:
¶ “Yellowstone River Flooding Is A 1-In-500-Year Event, Says US Geological Survey” • The devastating flooding that occurred along the Yellowstone River this week constitutes a 1-in-500-year event, according to a US Geological Survey news release. More than 10,000 visitors to Yellowstone National Park have been forced to evacuate. [CNN]
Flooding at Billings, Montana (Photo via USGS, public domain)
¶ “FERC Reveals Interconnection Reforms That Could Unleash Solar Energy Potential” • The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a notice of proposed rulemaking detailing the proposed interconnection reforms the Commission would like to adopt in order to clear interconnection backlogs and speed clean energy deployment. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “NM’s Kit Carson Electric Cooperative Achieves 100% Daytime Solar Power” • The Kit Carson Electric Cooperative has achieved a milestone. Customers in their service area, around Taos and Santa Fe, New Mexico, will now have 100% of their daytime electric use provided by solar power. This was achieved with the opening of a 41-MW solar array. [CleanTechnica]
Solar panels (Courtesy of the Kit Carson Electric Cooperative)
¶ “Biden Announces New Initiatives To Curb Methane During The Climate Conference” • Convening a meeting of over twenty of the world’s largest economies to discuss curbing methane emissions, President Joe Biden said Russia’s war in Ukraine shows that renewable energy is vital to national security as well as to preventing global warming. [Press TV]
¶ “Natural Beauty And Renewable Energy Source Are Being Threatened” • Vermont’s Green River Reservoir State Park is threatened. The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources ordered Morrisville Water & Light, to reduce generation by about 30%. So the dam at the reservoir operates at a loss, and the electric utility has no choice but to remove it. [VTDigger]
Green River Reservoir (Vermont State Parks image)
¶ “Methane-Based Gas Plant Explosion Sends Shockwaves Through Market” • The Freeport LNG export facility in Texas will be out of commission until September and will not be fully operational until late this year, the company said. An explosion at its Quintana Island liquefaction facility last week is having effects on global markets. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “As Texas Increases Renewable Energy Production, Grid Capacity And Transmission Haven’t Caught Up” • While a lingering heatwave impacts Texas, renewable energy sources are picking up the slack for the state’s power grid. But as energy demand continues to grow, is Texas moving fast enough on embracing renewable energy? [Texas Standard]
Have a serendipitously soothing day.
geoharvey 
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