Science and Technology:
¶ “High-Tech Hard Sails Transform Old Cargo Ships Into Racing Yachts” • Wind power is making a comeback on the high seas, and the global shipping industry beginning to be down for it. Rigid sails for cargo ships are still in the tryout phase, but that could change as Russia continues to pinch the global fuel supply and climate goals kick in. [CleanTechnica]
Rigid sails on a cargo ship (Photo via Cision PR Newswire)
¶ “Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck Is Here To Help EV Batteries, Not Harm Them” • London-based EV maker Tevva has come up with a formula combining EV batteries and hydrogen fuel cells. The company’s newly launched battery-electric truck has a fuel cell range extender to get it through the working day with maximum efficiency and lowest cost. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “India Will Overtake China In 2023, Says The UN” • India is set to be the world’s most populous country next year, overtaking China with its 1.4 billion people, according to UN figures. By this November, the planet will be home to 8 billion. But population growth is now at its slowest rate since 1950 and may peak by the 2080s, at about 10.4 billion. [BBC]
Street in India (Vishal Bhutani, Unsplash)
¶ “Persistent Expands Its Electric Mobility Venture Building To West Africa, Partners With SolarTaxi” • Persistent believes in the power of carbon-neutral economic development in Africa. It is a leading expert and pioneer investor in the renewable sector on the African continent. It announced that it has invested in the Ghanaian company SolarTaxi. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Catholic Groups Oppose EU Vote To Designate Gas And Nuclear Energy As ‘Green'” • Catholic organizations in Europe denounced a move by European Union lawmakers to designate gas and nuclear energy as “green” options for sustainable investing as part of the 27-nation bloc’s efforts to combat climate change. [National Catholic Reporter]
Cooling towers at a nuclear plant (Jiří Sedláček, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
Australia:
¶ “Most Of South Australia’s Energy Via Renewables: Report” • South Australia got almost 70% of its electricity from renewables in the last financial year, data shows. The Open National Energy Market Report also shows that SA’s solar and wind resources can sometimes generate more than the state needs. On November 27, it provided 150%. [The New Daily]
¶ “Australia’s Most Affordable Energy Generation Is Renewable, Says CSIRO, AEMO” • Wind and solar have been reported by Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and the Australian Energy Market Operator to be Australia’s most cost-efficient and affordable energy generation and storage options. [Utility Magazine]
Windy Hill Wind Farm (Leonard Low, CC-BY 2.0)
¶ “‘Step Change’: $12 Billion Plan For New Electricity Grid” • In the 2022 Integrated System Plan, released on 30 June, AEMO says $12.7 billion investment in electricity transmission projects will be needed to accommodate the rapid change. But overall savings elsewhere will deliver net benefits that far outweigh the initial costs. [Australian Renewable Energy Agency]
¶ “Australia ‘On Track’ To Generate Half Its Electricity From Renewable Sources By 2025, Report Finds” • Australia is on track to meet half its electricity needs from renewable sources within three years, according to a report from the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. The changes are coming at an extraordinary pace. [ABC]
PV plant in the ACT (Grahamec, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
US:
¶ “Extreme Temperatures Will Challenge The Texas Power Grid This Week” • Summer is always hot in Texas, but this is hotter than hot – it’s a record-breaking, sizzling hot, sweaty summer. The high temperature in Dallas has topped 100°F every day since July 3, and the heat is continuing. The electric grid is being challenged. [CNN]
¶ “It’s Time For Clean Truck Rules In Illinois” • By adopting two clean truck regulations, Illinois could generate net societal benefits of roughly $26 billion through 2050. So says an analysis by the Environmental Resources Management Group evaluating the impact of the Advanced Clean Trucks and Heavy-Duty Omnibus rules on Illinois. [CleanTechnica]
Mack Trucks electric garbage truck (Courtesy of Mack Trucks)
¶ “Indiana Government Stops Solar Net Metering, Costs Voters Thousands!” • Thanks to lobbying by the oil industry and utilities, anyone who wants to install rooftop solar systems in Indiana’s investor-owned utility areas will no longer be able to sell power back to the grid for what they’d pay for it. It’s all about slowing the growth of solar power. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Utah’s Great Salt Lake Is Still Drying Up” • Salt Lake gets less Great all the time. If things don’t change soon enough, the most populated part of the state will face toxic dust clouds and a loss of lake effect snows, which will dry the place out even more. Scientific groups have warned the state about water issues, but change has not come. [CleanTechnica]
Great salt lake (Patrick Hendry, Unsplash)
¶ “Ford Tells 200,000 SUV Owners To Park Outside” • Ford is telling owners of some of its most popular, current, fossil-fuel-powered SUVs to park their vehicles outside after a series of engine fires that took place even when the ignition switches were off. It is one of two recalls for internal combustion engine fires, totaling 206,000 cars. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Renewable Sources Powered 88.5% Of MidAmerican Iowa Customers’ Energy In 2021” • MidAmerican Energy provided 88.5% of customers’ annual power needs from renewable energy last year, the Iowa Utilities Board has verified. That is five percentage points higher than 2020, according to a news release from the utility. [The Des Moines Register]
Have a relaxingly noteworthy day.
geoharvey 