Opinion:
¶ “Big Hike In Natural Gas Prices Will Accelerate Change In Utility Industry” • The economics of providing electricity to consumers using wind and solar has changed in the last year with soaring natural gas prices. The cost of natural gas generation has been increased by inflation to a much greater degree than the cost of solar and wind. [CleanTechnica]
Please click on the image to enlarge it.
World:
¶ “European Parliament Says Natural Gas Projects Can Be Considered ‘Green’ For Investments” • EU lawmakers voted in favor of calling natural gas and nuclear power “sustainable” or “green” sources of energy, backing a proposal from European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, that has spurred criticism from scientists and environmentalists. [CNN]
¶ “Fossil Gas Labelled Green In ‘Biggest Act Of Greenwashing In History'” • The European Parliament voted by 328 to 278 in favor of the EU Commission’s proposal to label gas as “green” in the EU’s taxonomy of sustainable investments. The vote is a disaster for the climate and a gift to Putin, according to Transport & Environment. [CleanTechnica]
Ursula von der Leyen (Courtesy of the Government of Finland)
¶ “Sri Lanka President Asks Russia’s Vladimir Putin For Help To Buy Fuel” • Sri Lanka’s president says he has asked Russia’s Vladimir Putin to help his cash-strapped nation import fuel, as it faces its worst economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1948. Gotabaya Rajapaksa said he “had a very productive” discussion with Mr Putin. [BBC]
¶ “Europe Wants A High-Speed Rail Network To Replace Airplanes” • A network of modern, super-fast and comfortable trains could run between every major city in the EU, as a reliable, comfortable and sustainable alternative to air travel. That was the vision outlined by rail industry leaders in Lyon, as they seek big increases in numbers of passengers. [CNN]
High speed train (Winston Chen, Unsplash)
¶ “Dutch BEV Market Up 82%, Fossil Fuel Vehicles Down 16%” • The Dutch battery electric vehicle market is slowly recovering. It is up 82% in the first half of 2022 compared to the first half of 2021, thanks to 29,428 registrations. At the same time, the internal combustion engine vehicle market is down 16% to 124,280 registrations. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Hexicon Secures First Ever CfD For UK Floating Wind” • Hexicon’s 32-MW TwinHub has become the first ever floating wind project to land a Contract for Difference in the UK, securing a strike price of £87.30/MWh in the latest auction round. The project involves two turbines built on a single foundation off the coast of Cornwall. [reNews]
Hexicon’s 32-MW TwinHub floater (Hexicon image)
¶ “Biggest Renewables Auction Accelerates Move Away From Fossil Fuels” • The UK’s fourth round of Contracts for Difference scheme secures almost 11 GW of clean energy, enough to power around 12 million homes. The per unit (MWh) price of offshore wind secured in this round is almost 70% less than that of the first allocation round, in 2015. [GOV.UK]
¶ “France Seeks To Nationalize Nuclear Giant EDF To Ride Out Energy Crisis” • The French government intends to nationalize its financially-struggling nuclear giant Electricite de France to help it ride out Europe’s worst energy crisis in a generation. EDF, already 84% state-owned, has been trying to deal with high costs of nuclear energy for years. [Energy Voice]
Hinkley Point C nuclear power station (EDF image)
US:
¶ “FCC Approves Starlink For Planes, Ships, And Trucks” • The US Federal Communications Commission recently authorized SpaceX to use the Starlink satellite internet network with moving vehicles, a move that will give impetus to the company’s plan to expand broadband offerings to commercial airlines, ships, and trucks, though not yet cars. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Hydropower: Retrofitting Untapped Dams” • Although the US has more than 92,000 dams, 89,000 do not generate electricity through hydropower. Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are assessing the viability of retrofitting some of these non-powered dams. They may add up to 12 GW more electricity to the grid. [CleanTechnica]
Non-power dam in Tennessee (Scott DeNeale, ORNL, US DOE)
¶ “Electricity Grid Operator Expecting More Demand And Renewables In New England” • New England’s electricity grid is in for major changes, according to a yearly report from ISO New England, which manages the region’s grid. Decarbonization will become the way of life in New England, with transportation and heating becoming electrified. [NHPR]
¶ “Grand Canyon National Park Is Now More E-Bike Friendly” • In late 2020, the US government ordered public land managers such as the Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service, and National Park Service to expand recreational offerings for people riding e-bikes. Now, Grand Canyon National Park has announced changes to e-bike access policy. [CleanTechnica]
Grand Canyon (Gabriel Tovar, Unsplash)
¶ “Update: Offshore Wind Bill Signed Into Law By Rhode Island Governor” • A law signed by Rhode Island Gov Daniel McKee says that PPL Corp, which operates Rhode Island Energy, will be required to buy up to 1,000 MW of offshore wind power. Rhode Island has enough offshore wind potential to meet the state’s needs eight times over. [Environment America]
¶ “State Requests Input On Vermont’s Renewable Electricity Programs” • The Public Service Department announced the start of a comprehensive review of Vermont’s clean electricity policies and programs. The Department is issuing a Request for Input to solicit feedback about Vermonters opinions on the state’s supply of electricity. [Bennington Banner]
Have a powerfully uplifting day.
geoharvey 
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