Science and Technology:
¶ “The Next Extreme Floods Could Be Even Worse, A New Study Shows. But There’s A Way To Prevent That” • The world is getting better at managing extreme weather risk and adapting to changes brought by the climate crisis. But a study published in the journal Nature found that climate change-fueled flooding and droughts are still getting deadlier and more expensive. [CNN]
Flood (Jonathan Ford, Unsplash)
¶ “This Company Is Turning Heaps Of Plastic Trash Into Construction Building Blocks” • Los Angeles-based startup ByFusion has a plan for that waste. In fact, the business has created a system to collect the most troublesome type of plastic trash – the stuff that can’t be recycled. ByFusion hopes to be able to recycle 100 million tons of plastic by 2030. [CNN]
¶ “Rechargeable Silicon Redox Battery For Renewable Energy Storage” • Israeli researchers developed a device that combines a reversible silicon anode with halide cathodes and uses hybrid electrolytes to enable cell recharging. Silicon is dissolved during the battery discharge process, and upon charging, elemental silicon is deposited. [pv magazine Australia]
Battery concept (Technion – Israel Institute of Technology)
World:
¶ “Shell Staff Get Profits Bonus As Energy Bills Soar” • Energy giant Shell is to give its workers a one-off 8% bonus after the company reported record profits from high oil and gas prices. Most of the 82,000 staff it employs worldwide will get the pay boost but not top executives. Shell reported Q2 profits of £9 billion due to high oil and gas prices. [BBC]
¶ “UN Chief Guterres Slams Oil And Gas Firms’ ‘Grotesque Greed'” • UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for oil and gas companies to face special taxes. His comments come as surging energy prices sparked by the war in Ukraine push industry profits to new highs. Mr Guterres said it was “immoral” for firms to be profiting from the crisis. [BBC]
Antonio Guterres (Palácio do Planalto, Brazil, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “Solaris Hits A Milestone With Its 2000th Electric Bus” • In 2012, only 15 electric buses were put into service throughout Europe’s urban areas. They are non-polluting, quiet, and very inexpensive to operate, so with falling prices of batteries, electric buses bus sales have boomed. Recently, Solaris signed a contract for its 2000th electric bus. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “VW China Unveils ‘Flying Tiger’ EVTOL Passenger Drone” • After thorough study, concept development, and prototyping, Volkswagen Group China completed its first EVTOL validation model. The initial prototype was unveiled in the Year of the Tiger, so it is the Flying Tiger, and was given a distinctive black and gold paint job. [CleanTechnica]
VW China drone (Volkswagen China image)
¶ “Spain To Hold 3.3 GW Renewables Auction In November” • Spain’s Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge revealed that it will hold a 3.3-GW renewable energy auction in November. The Spanish government expects to allocate 1.8 GW of solar and 1.5 GW of wind power, to be built within two years. [PV Magazine]
¶ “First Power Exported From Hollandse Kuist Zuid Wind Farm” • The Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm in the Dutch North Sea has generated its first electricity. So far, 36 of its turbines have been installed. When fully operational in 2023, it will be the world’s largest subsidy-free offshore wind farm, with 140 turbines and an installed capacity of 1.5 GW. [Offshore Magazine]
Already completed wind turbines of Hollandse Kust Zuid
¶ “EDF Cuts Output At Nuclear Power Plants As French Rivers Get Too Warm” • The state-owned French energy supplier EDF is temporarily reducing output at its nuclear power stations on the Rhône and Garonne rivers as heatwaves have increased river temperatures, reducing its ability to use river water to cool the nuclear power plants. [The Guardian]
US:
¶ “Congress Considers First Purchase Incentive For Commercial EVs” • The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the product of the agreement of Senators Manchin and Schumer, would establish a federal tax credit for businesses to purchase electric and plug-in hybrid trucks, buses, vans, shuttles, and other heavy-duty vehicles. [CleanTechnica]
Delivery vans (Courtesy of FedEx and GM)
¶ “Solar Tariffs Under Threat All Over The US” • Net metering helps solar customers by crediting them for the extra electricity their panels produce, and it’s a key reasons why solar has been able to grow so rapidly in the last few years. But now, utilities are starting to put up a fight against net metering, claiming that it’s unfair to non-solar customers. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “New Jersey School District Gets 390 KW Of Solar Power On Two Schools” • Wanaque Public Schools and Greenskies Clean Focus, a national renewable energy company, have energized 390 kW of new solar projects on two of the district’s schools. The solar projects were installed at no cost to the schools and reduces their electricity bills. [CleanTechnica]
Rooftop solar system (Greenskies Clean Focus image)
¶ “Solar Facility Now Supplying Renewable Energy For Two-Thirds Of University’s Electricity Use” • With a commitment from Johns Hopkins University, a solar facility is now providing the university with two-thirds of its annual electricity needs. So Johns Hopkins has now achieved its goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions 51%, by 2025. [JHU Hub]
¶ “Georgia Nuclear Plant Gets OK To Load Fuel At New Reactor” • Federal regulators have given a nuclear power plant under construction in Georgia approval to begin loading radioactive fuel into one of its two new reactors. With this key step toward generating electricity, it will soon be the first new nuclear reactor built in decades in the US. [Now Habersham]
Have a relaxingly cool day.
geoharvey 