Opinion:
¶ “Is Australia’s Energy Supply In Crisis? What’s The National Electricity Market? Can It Be Fixed?” • Last week, the Australian Energy Market Operator suspended the spot market in the National Energy Market for the first time. We heard politicians talking about “load shedding” and “regulatory intervention.” What’s going on? Where is it all heading? [ABC]
AGL’s Bayswater power station in New South Wales (AGL image)
¶ “How Community Solar Can Benefit Customers With Low And Moderate Incomes” • Residential rooftop solar projects often only benefit the households who live under the array, but a community solar project can reach beyond its site, impacting many more customers who otherwise might have a hard time accessing renewable power. [CleanTechnica]
Science and Technology:
¶ “Friendly Fungi Help Forests Fight Climate Change” • While we know that forests play a major role in countering global warming, acting as reservoirs for carbon, what is less well understood is how tiny organisms that dwell hidden in the soil help lock away our greenhouse gas emissions. Ectomycorrhizal fungi enable certain trees to absorb CO₂ faster. [BBC]
Forest (Jay Mantri, Unsplash)
World:
¶ “Western Europeans Wilt In An Early Summer Heatwave, Compounding Climate Change Fears” • Spain is seeing its hottest early summer temperatures, one area of France banned outdoor events, and drought stalked Italian farmers as a heatwave sent Europeans hunting for shade and fretting over climate change. It was 40°C (104°F) in Madrid. [CNN]
¶ “Tesla Giga Berlin Team Built Over 1,000 Model Y EVs This Week” • Tesla’s Giga Berlin team made over 1,000 Model Y EVs in one week. This is a phenomenal achievement, as Giga Berlin just began producing vehicles this year. Last March, Elon Musk promised to make sure Giga Berlin is a gem, as he doubled down on solving climate change. [CleanTechnica]
Tesla workers celebrating (Tesla image)
¶ “A Ford Tops EV Sales In Germany In May – Yes, Ford!” • The overall German automotive market is still in the red, with the market dropping 10% last month, but sales of battery EVs were up 9% year over year. The 29,182 battery EV registrations last month, represented 14% of the overall market. The Ford Kuga plugin hybrid led the market. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “WA Forges Ahead With Renewables Transition As Other States Face Energy Crisis” • WA has announced the end of state-run, coal-fired power plants by 2030. With additions of rooftop solar, there’s little or no need for the coal-fired plants to run during the daytime, and that causes issues for coal because coal plants aren’t designed to be turned on and off. [ABC]
Albany wind farm (maveriqk, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “Demand For Rooftop Solar Batteries Surges As Eastern Australian Energy Prices Soar” • Demand for batteries linked to rooftop solar panels has soared in the past month as energy prices rise in the coldest start to winter in decades. Inquiries into battery rebates in Victoria have spiked in the past two weeks, one source says. [The Guardian]
¶ “Mexico Signs Renewable Energy Deals With US Companies As It Steps Up Climate Change Fight” • Mexico made commitments with 17 US companies on generating clean energy, its president said. After months of friction with business leaders, President Lopez Obrador said the deals would generate 1,854 MW as the government fights climate change. [The National]
Solar farm in Mexico (Contenidos InLab, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
US:
¶ “For The First Time, A Sea Turtle Has Laid Its Eggs On This Texas Beach” • For the first time, the world’s rarest species of sea turtle has laid eggs on Magnolia Beach in Texas, experts say. In the 1980s, there were only a couple hundred Kemp’s ridley sea turtles left in the world. About fifty hatched from the nest at Magnolia Beach. [CNN]
¶ “The Southwest’s Unchecked Thirst For Colorado River Water Could Prove Devastating Upstream” • When the federal Bureau of Reclamation and four states agreed to release a sixth of the capacity of the Flaming Gorge Reservoir, on the border of Utah and Wyoming, to help desiccated communities to the south, it created a local uproar. [CNN]
Flaming Gorge Reservoir in 2014 (Paul Hermans, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “Tesla And Frito Lay Are Preparing For 100 Tesla Semi EVs” • Tesla and Frito Lay are preparing for the long-awaited delivery of 100 Tesla Semis. Teslarati reported that Tesla added an active Megacharger to a Frito Lay and PepsiCo facility in Modesto, in preparation for the delivery. Reportedly, Semi chargers could reach up to 1 MW per vehicle. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Protecting Solar Energy Assets From Hazardous Weather” • According to the US Energy Information Administration, from 2020 to 2035 solar power is estimated to rise from 3% to 14% of total energy production in the US. The bad news is that with climate change, severe weather is also rising, putting solar panels at risk of damage. [CleanTechnica]
Severe Weather Climatology (NWS Storm Prediction Center)
¶ “Fort Stockton Facility Aims To Boost Renewable Energy” • The Permian Basin leads the nation in crude oil and natural gas production. But that epicenter also has significant potential for wind and solar energy, and that’s drawn companies like Lancium to the region. Lancium hopes to have a 325-MW wind farm operating by year’s end. [Midland Reporter-Telegram]
¶ “Georgia Cooperatives Move To Freeze Nuclear Costs At $8.1 Billion” • One of the owners of the Vogtle nuclear plant being expanded in Georgia says it’s shifting overruns to Georgia Power Co in exchange for part of its ownership. Vogtle is currently projected to cost $30.34 billion. Oglethorpe Power Corp hopes to save $400 million. [CityNews Toronto]
Have a profoundly admirable day.
geoharvey 
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