World:
¶ “PM Tells Workers To Stop Wearing Ties To Save Energy” • Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called on workers in the public and private sector to stop wearing ties, as an energy saving measure in the heat. He said the move will ensure people stay cooler and therefore lower energy costs, because air conditioners will be used less often. [BBC]
Seville (Agustín Núñez, Unsplash)
¶ “Mercedes-Benz Electric Trucks Now Shipping, More Coming” • Mercedes-Benz announced that it has begun production of its own large electric truck, the eEconic. The eEconic is not a long-haul semi truck, however. It’s an inner-city truck targeted at municipal uses. This model supplements and follows the Mercedes-Benz eActros. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Tesla Model Y And Model X Are First Electric Vehicles To Reach Mt Everest Base Camp” • Five years back, no one would have imagined an EV reaching anywhere near Mount Everest. But the ever-expanding network of Tesla Superchargers made it possible. A Tesla Model X and a Tesla Model Y have reached the Mt Everest Base Camp. [CleanTechnica]
Tesla Model X and Model Y (Courtesy of Tesla Greater China)
¶ “13% Of New Car Sales In Europe Electric (21% Plugins)” • With the overall European car market still in the red, down 17% last month year over year, the European passenger plugin vehicle market has also started to be affected. It was down 8% last month. Battery EVs managed to grow last month, even if only 4%. That’s a lot better than the rest of the market. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “XBus Camper Is EVerything The ID. Buzz Should Have Been – Quirky, Lovable, And Cheap!” • Germany’s Electric Brands has just unveiled its latest XBus, a camper van that is everything the Volkswagen ID. Buzz could have been but isn’t. It’s quirky, cute in an insouciant sort of way, and it is underpowered, just like the original VW bus. [CleanTechnica]
XBus Camper (Electric Brands image)
¶ “Delivering Renewable Energy To Maria Island” • Construction has begun on a solar array and battery energy storage system on spectacular Maria Island, Tasmania. As the new project delivers energy from renewable sources, it will reduce demand for diesel power generation and provide greater renewable energy capacity for the Darlington precinct. [Premier of Tasmania]
¶ “Kenya Aims To Generate 100 GW Of Renewable Power By 2040” • Kenya set a bold and ambitious target to have 100 GW of installed capacity of power produced from renewable sources by 2040, the Ministry of Energy said in its blueprint of the sector. Kenya will leverage its geographic advantage and clean energy abundance to achieve the goal. [Xinhua]
Kenya (Thomas Bennie, Unsplash)
¶ “Germany Says It May Leave Its Final Three Nuclear Energy Plants Running For Longer Than Planned” • Germany is thinking about delaying the shutdown of the country’s remaining three nuclear plants as Russia reduces natural-gas supplies. This is a big deal as Germany has been phasing out nuclear energy since the Fukushima Disaster in March 2011. [Yahoo Finance]
US:
¶ “New Mexico Governor Declares State Of Emergency As One City’s Drinking Water Supply Is Threatened By Ash And Debris From A Wildfire” • Las Vegas, New Mexico, has a two-month supply of water, but flooding threatens to contaminate the supply with fire debris and ash. The river supplies 90% of the water for the city’s 13,200 people. [CNN]
Downtown Las Vegas, NM (Asaavedra32, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “At Least 16 People Are Dead After Kentucky’s Catastrophic Flooding” • At least 16 people are dead, including children, and the toll is “going to get a lot higher” following catastrophic flooding in Kentucky, Governor Andy Beshear said. An unknown number of people were missing, as rescuers scrambled to reach areas that are difficult to access. [CNN]
¶ “USDA Announces $1 Billion In Community Wildfire Defense Grants From Bipartisan Infrastructure Law” • Climate change is making wildfires worse, both in terms of when they happen and how bad they are when they get started. Shifting rain patterns, drought, dry air, and dry lightning all make for nasty conditions. New grants of $1 billion address that. [CleanTechnica]
Forest fire (Kari Greer, USFS via NASA)
¶ “Ford Reveals Police Version Of Ford F-150 Lightning” • After Ford got a Mustang Mach-E police-rated and partnered with the New York Police Department with a custom Mach-E, it is ready to move on to other police EVs. The latest is an electric pickup truck purpose-built for police: the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Pro Special Service Vehicle. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Midwest Power Grid Capacity Opens Up, Boosting Renewable Projects” • After the Midcontinent Independent System Operator approved a $10 billion investment for 18 long-term transmission projects for its Midwest Subregion, three utilities announced plans to expand renewable energy output by building lines from elsewhere to central Minnesota. [KNSI]
Line work (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)
¶ “CenterPoint Energy Requests Approval For 130 MW Of Renewable Energy” • CenterPoint Energy announced that an electric and natural gas subsidiary, CenterPoint Energy Indiana South, is seeking approval from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to acquire a 130-MW solar array as part its long-term electric generation transition plan. [StreetInsider]
¶ “NRC Moves To Issue Final Design Certification For NuScale Nuclear Module” • The NRC indicated it will certify NuScale’s 50-MW small modular reactor design, marking a definitive milestone for the reactor vendor and its technology prospects. The NRC said it directed staff to issue a final rule that certifies the standard SMR design. [POWER Magazine]
Have an abundantly sufficient day.
geoharvey 