Opinion:
¶ “Electric Vehicles Don’t Break The Grid, And They Can Help Boost It” • Australia has just come out of an energy crisis. Some people blamed it on the amount of renewable energy in the grid and the number of EVs that were plugged in. But real numbers show that is wrong, and the EVs can actually provide power to the grid when it is needed. [CleanTechnica]
Backup power from a pickup (Courtesy of Ford)
Science and Technology:
¶ “The Botanic Matchmakers That Could Save Our Food Supply” • Among the vegetation at New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, in one of the most celebrated plant collections in North America, are the wild relatives of our most important food crops. They are genetically set up to meet challenges that might destroy domesticated plants. [Inside Climate News]
¶ “Dust To Downpour: US Weather Whiplash Shows Climate Change” • A series of “once-in-a-millennium” rainstorms have struck the US in recent weeks, flooding areas long parched by droughts, as human-caused climate change brings weather whiplash. Scientists warn that global warming means once-rare events are much more likely. [Business Recorder]
Hurrican Irma aftermath (Wade Austin Ellis, Unsplash)
World:
¶ “Pakistan Appeals For Aid As 119 More Die In Floods In One Day” • Pakistan is appealing for further international assistance as floods devastate the country, leaving people searching for higher, drier ground. The death toll from the monsoon rains has reached 1,033. The US, UK, UAE and others have contributed to a disaster appeal, but more is needed, officials say. [BBC]
¶ “Avocados And Exotic Plants Grow In Hot UK Summer” • This summer’s record-breaking hot and dry weather has seen more exotic plants, including figs and avocadoes, growing in the UK, gardeners told BBC News. It’s part of a trend of Mediterranean and sub-tropical plants thriving in recent years, while traditional British garden varieties struggle. [BBC]
Figs growing on a tree (Martin Angelov, Unsplash)
¶ “China Plans To Double Renewable Energy Generation By Building More Wind Turbines, Solar Panels By 2025” • China’s usage of renewable energy sources will surpass 50% in the overall energy usage increments by 2025, and wind and solar energies will be doubled over 2020, according to a report by Shanghai Securities News. [Global Times]
¶ “Demand For Solar Explodes Everywhere In Europe Except The UK” • In April, Germany instituted new policies designed to accelerate the construction of wind and solar installations. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine made a problem clear: It is in the national interest of all countries to use local renewable energy for their own security. [CleanTechnica]
German railroad and solar power (Courtesy of TÜV Rheinland)
¶ “Renewables And Solar As Sources Of Reliable Power Increase On Australian Farms” • While data across the entire agricultural industry is not available, it is clear many are making the switch. A 2020 survey by the peak industry body found that 71% of the farms in Australia installed at least one type of renewable energy between 2015 and 2020. [ABC]
¶ “Radiation Leak Fears Grow Near Ukrainian Nuclear Plant Knocked Offline” • Authorities began distributing iodine tablets to residents near Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant Friday in case of a radiation leak, amid fears that the fighting around the complex could trigger a catastrophe. The plant had been knocked offline temporarily. [HuffPost]
Another Zaporizhzhia power plant (Anatoliy Volkov, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “With Disaster Looming, Inspectors Set To Visit Ukraine Nuclear Plant” • As renewed shelling intensified fears about a nuclear accident at the Zaporizhzhia power plant, Ukrainian authorities stepped up emergency drills. Ukraine is still haunted by the memory of the 1986 Chernobyl Disaster, and officials urged the public not to panic. [The Japan Times]
US:
¶ “The Fight Against Drought In California Has A New Tool: The Restrictor” • When customer service representatives California’s Las Virgenes Municipal Water District see any water restriction violations they take note. And for repeat offenders, officials are trying something new: adding water restrictors to the pipes, to reduce the home’s water supply. [CNN]
Development in Calabasas, CA (brewbooks, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “One In Three Americans Live In A State Committed To 100% Clean Electricity” • According to Environment America, ten states have 100% clean or renewable electricity commitments, since Rhode Island joined the crowd in June of this year. But some of these states have large populations, and together, they account for one in three Americans. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “New Ford Mustang Mach-E Pricing, Colors, EPA Range – And Orders Re-Open!” • If you want to join the 44,818 Ford Mustang Mach-E drivers on the road in the US (as of the end of Q2 2022) and buy a brand new Mustang Mach-E, there’s some news this week just for you. Ford has re-opened the order books for the Mustang Mach-E. [CleanTechnica]
Preproduction Mustang Mach-E (Courtesy of Ford)
¶ “Top 10 Cities For Solar Power Per Capita In USA” • Which US cities are leading in solar power adoption? Which are leading on a solar power installed per capita basis? We’ve got answers to both questions thanks to a report from Environment America. Many are in the Southwest. But on a per capita basis, one of the top ten is Burlington, Vermont. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Arkansas Farmers Harvesting Sunlight For Power” • The US has passed Inflation Reduction Act making renewable energy a priority, and it is growing in the Arkansas agriculture sector. More farmers are turning to energy sources like solar to power everything from fans in a poultry house to grain drying bins and well pumps. [The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette]
Have a consciencously carefree day.
geoharvey 
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