Opinion:
¶ “Why Is Shell Making Electric Micromobility Products?” • Shell offers oil. Lots of oil. But, now Shell is starting to offer clean energy products, such as an electric scooter and battery storage products. That leaves us with a question: Why is Shell is doing this? We don’t have any solid answers, but we can make some educated guesses. [CleanTechnica]
Shell Ride brand scooter ad
World:
¶ “The UK’s Hottest Day Destroyed Their Homes. They Fear It’s A Sign Of Worse Ahead” • Fires around the capital destroyed dozens of shops and houses. London Fire Brigade described last Tuesday as its busiest day since WW II, saying in a statement that the blazes were yet another example of how climate change is increasing challenges. [CNN]
¶ “The EU Has Agreed To Ration Gas, But Some Countries Put Up A Fight” • The EU has agreed to ration its natural gas this winter to prevent a severe supply shock. EU energy ministers agreed to a voluntary target to reduce gas usage by 15% between August and March 2023. But the bloc is offering countries some significant leeway. [CNN]
Burning natural gas in Poland (Marek Piwnicki, Unsplash)
¶ “Sono Reveals Final Designs For Sion And Solar Bus Kits” • Sono Motors hosted its first “Celebrate the Sun” community event. At the event, it celebrated the debut of the world’s first affordable solar EV, the Sion, in its production design, and it unveiled its novel ‘Solar Bus Kit,’ a scalable B2B solution for public transportation. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Whyalla’s Hydrogen Plant To Trigger Boom In Renewable Energy Projects” • Renewable-energy projects worth $20 billion will be triggered by Whyalla’s planned hydrogen plant, according to the South Australian government. It said sixty proposals from around the world had been received for ventures linked with the hydrogen plant. [Victor Harbor Times]
Steel works in Whyalla (Bahnfrend, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “PGE Gets Green Light For 200-MW Polish Battery” • PGE Group secured a license to build a 200-MW battery project in Poland. It was issued by the President of the Energy Regulatory Office, and it is the first license approved in Poland for a battery storage project. It will be located at the 716-MW pumped hydro Szczytowo-Pompowa Power Plant. [reNews]
¶ “Manor Renewable to power Dogger Bank construction” • SSE Renewables and Equinor awarded Manor Renewable Energy a contract to provide temporary power for the construction of the 3600-MW Dogger Bank offshore wind project. Dogger Bank will have 277 x GE Haliade-X 13-MW and 14-MW turbines. It will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm. [reNews]
Work at sea (Manor Renewable Energy)
¶ “IAEA Concerned By ‘Increasingly Alarming Situation’ At Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant” • The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency said reports about Ukraine’s Zaporizhzya Nuclear Power Plant indicate that the situation is increasingly alarming, and he called for maximum restraint to avoid any accident. [Homeland Security Today]
¶ “EDF To Redesign British Reactors After Leaks At Chinese Nuclear Power Station” • French state-owned energy company EDF has reportedly been forced to redesign Britain’s proposed reactors after leaks at a major nuclear power station in China. A reactor at the Taishan nuclear power plant was shut down after an investigation of fuel damage. [Energy Live News]
Nuclear plant construction (EDF image)
US:
¶ “US DOE Announces New EV Infrastructure And Development Funding” • A $96 million funding opportunity is now available from the DOE to assist with decarbonizing the US transportation industry. The funding is to enhance EV charging availability, develop alternative-fueled non-road vehicles, and help further develop electric drive systems. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “California’s Oak Fire Destroys At Least 42 Structures As It Burns More Than 18,000 Acres” • California’s Oak Fire has burned through over 18,000 acres and destroyed more than 40 structures since it started near Yosemite National Park on Friday. It is now 26% contained, according to an update from Cal Fire, the state fire management agency. [CNN]
Pyrocumulus cloud from Oak Fire (Roc0ast3r, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “Renu Energy Solutions Doubles Solar Power Production For UNC Asheville” • Renu Energy Solutions, a locally-owned and operated solar installer in North Carolina and South Carolina, announced completion of a new solar system at the University of North Carolina Asheville. The system will offset roughly 30 tons of CO₂ emissions per year. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “MISO Approves 18 Transmission Projects In The US Midwest, Integrating More Renewable Energy” • The board of MISO, the Midwest power grid operator, voted unanimously to approve a tranche of transmission projects representing investments of $10.4 billion. The projects will integrate about 53 GW and create more than 200,000 jobs. [Utility Products]
Transmission lines (Matthew Henry, Unsplash)
¶ “GE Reports Deepening Q2 Renewables Losses” • The GE renewables unit reported losses of $419 million for the second quarter of 2022, compared with a loss of $99 million in the same quarter in 2021. For the first half of 2022 the renewable business reported a loss of $853 million compared with a loss of $333 million in the first half of 2021. [reNews]
¶ “Proposal To Dump Contaminated Water In Cape Cod Bay Meets Opposition In Plymouth” • Plymouth residents, politicians and environmental advocates are opposing a proposal that could involve dumping contaminated wastewater into Cape Cod Bay as part of the cleanup of Pilgrim nuclear power plant. Pilgrim shut down in 2019. [WBUR]
Have a fascinatingly energetic day.
geoharvey 