geoharvey

Opinion:

¶ “Peaking: A Theory Of Rapid Transition” • RMI’s “Peaking Series” report is intended to map past and current peaks in fossil fuel demand. In country after country, sector after sector, fossil fuel demand has peaked and now faces a future of decline. It develops a new framework, The Peak, Plateau, and Decline, to chart the shape of change. [CleanTechnica]

Peak in the Italian Alps (Marek Piwnicki, Unsplash)

¶ “How Scary Is Threat To Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant?” • The Kremlin’s use of nuclear power plants as part of its military tactics contradicts international humanitarian law. It is apparent that Russia has made the callous calculation that any counterattack at the site would be too dangerous. Moscow’s behaviour looks like that of a terrorist. [EUobserver]

¶ “China is beating the US in clean energy. Can America catch up?” • Despite its continued connection with coal, China has emerged in the last decade as a global clean energy champion. It is outperforming the US by a wide margin in almost every area of clean technology, from overall investment and manufacture to marketing across the world. [Grid News]

Wind turbines (Jason Blackeye, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “YASA Axial Flux Motor Coming Soon To Mercedes AMG Vehicles” • When Mercedes purchased UK-based YASA last year, it opened the door for axial flux electric motors to find a place in mass produced production vehicles. The axial flux motor is the brain child of Tim Woolmer, who came up with the idea while he was a PhD candidate at Oxford. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “China Inducing Rainfall To Combat Severe Drought” • Some provinces around the drought-stricken Yangtze river are turning to cloud seeding operations to combat the lack of rain. Hubei and a number of other provinces are launching rockets carrying chemicals into the sky, according to local media. But a lack of cloud cover is hampering efforts. [BBC]

Clouds (Ganapathy Kumar, Unsplash)

¶ “Hyundai Is Said To Be Developing Two Low-Priced EVs For Europe” • Hyundai is said to be developing two electric cars for Europe that will start at around €20,000. Many people in Europe are quite content to drive vehicles that Americans would never consider owning. It’s a cultural thing. America has always been in love with road locomotives. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ratch Ups Asia Pacific Renewables Ambitions With 2.7 GW Purchase” • Thai-owned power producer Ratch Group signed an agreement with US-based Denham Capital for Nexif Energy’s portfolio of renewable energy and storage assets in the Asia Pacific. Most of the portfolio’s 2,670 MW capacity is in stages of development. [pv magazine Australia]

Wind turbines and batteries (Nexif Energy image)

¶ “ReNew Power Claims India’s ‘Biggest Ever’ Finance Deal Made For Battery-Backed Renewable Energy Project” • ReNew Power said it secured $1 billion financing for the biggest single-project clean energy deal in India. It will include 900 MW of wind and 400 MW of solar power, along with storage capacity to provide dispatchable energy 24/7. [Energy Storage News]

US:

¶ “As Colorado River Crisis Grows, Some Officials Say It’s Time For Feds To Make A Move On Water Cuts” • The Colorado River system is spiraling toward its demise, stakeholder states failed to meet an August 15 deadline to devise a plan to reduce water useage themselves. Now the US government says it is stepping in to produce mandatory cuts. [CNN]

Colorado River in 2020 (Gabriel Tovar, Unsplash)

¶ “US Natural Gas Prices Spike To 14-Year High” • US natural gas prices have increased to levels unseen since 2008, even as prices for gasoline and oil are falling. The summer spike is being driven partly by high demand as scorching temperatures through much of the country force Americans to crank up the air conditioning. It is made worse by low inventory levels. [CNN]

¶ “American Farmers Are Killing Their Own Crops And Selling Cows Because Of Extreme Drought” • Of the farmers in the US, 37% of said they are plowing through and killing existing crops that won’t reach maturity because of dry conditions. In Texas, drought is forcing farmers to sell off their cattle, reducing the state’s herds by 50%. [CNN]

Beeves thinking it all over (Kait Herzog, Unsplash)

¶ “These Cars Are Eligible For New US EV Tax Credit” • Are you confused about what cars are eligible for the federal EV tax credit now that the Inflation Reduction Act has been signed into law? Don’t be. According to the Alternative Fuels Data Center at the DOE, this is the definitive list of models, though the VIN number is the final determinant. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Grants Of $1.6 Billion For Clean Transit Buses In Bipartisan Infrastructure Law” • The Federal Transit Administration announced $1.66 billion in grants to transit agencies, territories, and states to invest in bus fleets and facilities. This year’s funding alone will nearly double the number of no-emission transit buses on America’s roadways. [CleanTechnica]

Electric bus (Proterra image)

¶ “US DOE Finds Record Production And Job Growth In Wind Power Sector” • The DOE released three reports showing that wind power remains one of America’s fastest growing energy sources and a generator of high-quality jobs. Wind power accounted for 32% of US energy capacity growth in 2021, and it employs 120,000 Americans. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Renewables Will Total 22% Of US Electricity Generation In 2022, Says Government” • Renewable energy will account for 22% of electricity generated in the US this year, according to projections from the US Energy Information Administration. This is up from 20% in 2021. The EIA projects that the figure will grow to 24% in 2023. [The Hill]

Have a sublimely chipper day.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.