World:
¶ “China Turns Back To Coal As Record Heatwave Causes Power Shortages” • China is mining and importing more coal as its worst heatwave and drought in six decades hits hydroelectricity, the nation’s second biggest source of power. The country’s crucial Yangtze River has dried up in parts because of extreme heat and scant rainfall. [CNN]
Coal barge in China (Rob Loftis, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “Turmoil In The Natural Gas Market Spells Trouble Ahead” • The outlook for inflation and the global economy hinges in large part on where energy prices head next – which makes recent turbulence in natural gas markets a worrying development. Natural gas prices in Europe are almost 10 times where they stood this time last year. [CNN]
¶ “Europe’s Drought The Worst In 500 Years” • Two-thirds of Europe is under some sort of drought warning. It is likely the worst such event in 500 years. The latest report from the Global Drought Observatory says 47% of the continent is in “warning” conditions, meaning soil has dried up. Another 17% is on alert – meaning vegetation is stressed. [BBC]
Huveaune River, July 2022 (Ianaré Sévi, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)
¶ “Up To 3 GW Of Offshore Wind Power Being Explored In The Philippines” • Aboitiz Power Corporation, a Philippine company, in partnership with Climate Capital Management and RMI, has launched a feasibility study to develop up to 3 GW of offshore wind projects in the Philippines. This work is funded by the US Trade and Development Agency. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Octopus Energy And National Grid ESO Demonstrate Future Role For EVs In First For Great Britain” • Octopus Energy and the National Grid Electricity System Operator demonstrated the UK’s first successful integration of vehicle-to-grid technology. It showed that EVs can receive a direct signal from the ESO to support system balancing. [CleanTechnica]
EV charging (Octopus Energy image)
¶ “Australia Gas Subsidized By Government Is Being Exported” • An Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis report suggests that Australia’s gas industry majors are acting like a cartel. Domestic users are expected to pay the same price as the countries to which Australia exports, even though gas is heavily subsidized by the government. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “IAEA May Visit Russian-Occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant In Ukraine” • If access negotiations are successful, the UN nuclear watchdog will travel to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power facility in Ukraine within days, it was announced in a statement. The demilitarisation of the area has been demanded by the UN. [WION]
United Nations building (the blowup, Unsplash)
¶ “At UN, Russia, Ukraine Spar Over Nuclear Plant Dangers” • Russia and Ukraine traded accusations over who was imperiling the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, as the UN urged both sides to insulate the Ukrainian facility from the war. Russia had called the meeting at the UN Security Council to discuss the dangers posed to the power plant. [NDTV]
US:
¶ “Dinosaur Tracks From 113 Million Years Ago Exposed By Severe Drought” • A severe drought has exposed 113 million-year-old dinosaur tracks on a river bed in central Texas. The massive tracks, which belonged to a single acrocanthosaurus, hadn’t been seen since 2000, as they sat under water and several layers of sediment. [BBC]
Dinosaur tracks in 2011 (Dill Tom, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “Hawaii Cancels Coal Culture” • Environmental groups are celebrating this week because the last coal-fired generating facility in Hawaii will be shut down by September 1. The AES facility on Oahu serves about 300,000 customers and has been in operation for 30 years. Annually, it spews about 1.5 billion tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Policies Matter: Volkswagen, Mercedes, And Hyundai React To Inflation Reduction Act” • You can bet that Major corporations like Volkswagen, Mercedes, and Hyundai have read the Inflation Reduction Act. And they know that if they jump through the right hoops, their customers will be able to qualify for a $7,500 tax credit on their EVs. [CleanTechnica]
Mercedes-Benz EQS (Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz)
¶ “Fetterman Calls Out Big Oil For Gouging Consumers” • John Fetterman, lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, is a candidate for the US Senate on the Democratic ticket. Among the many positions he’s taken to appeal to working people, none is more powerful or poignant than his condemnation of “big, price-gouging corporations.” [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Knoxville’s Demand For Renewable Energy Is Rising Like The Sun” • Are you ready to cut some ties with your local utility? The demand for solar energy is rising by the day, creating a big hiring boom in East Tennessee. Company Solar Titan USA has needed to expand its staff from some 20 people to several hundred in less than two years. [WVLT]
Solar farm (Michael Förtsch, Unsplash)
¶ “Georgia Communities Mobilize Against Expansion Of Foul-Smelling Wood-Burning Energy” • The Southern Environmental Law Center and Concerned Citizens of Cook County are asking a judge to revoke an air quality permit for the planned Adel plant. They say the state Environmental Protection Division did not properly consider its health risks. [Georgia Recorder]
¶ “Ohio Counties Ban Renewable Energy Projects” • At least ten Ohio counties have passed resolutions blocking development of new utility scale wind and solar projects within all or part of their jurisdictions. Their moves come after the enactment in October 2021 of a state law giving the locals veto power over renewable energy generation. [Columbus Underground]
Have a memorably superb day.
geoharvey 
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