Opinion:
¶ “Reasons For (Cautious) Optimism: The Good News On The Climate Crisis” • We could say a lot about what’s going wrong. The extent of damage caused at 1.2°C of global heating since pre-industrial levels is proving greater than was forecast by climate scientists not that long ago. But there are reasons for hope, as we push harder to address the issue. [The Guardian]
Solar energy (Raphael Cruz, Unsplash)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Mixing Solar Power And Agriculture: A Blueberry Farm Does A Test Run” • With dual-use agrivoltaics, crops are grown under or between the rows of solar panels, with the aim of generating renewable energy without removing farmland from production. The University of Maine is studying a combination of solar power and blueberry farming. [Canary Media]
World:
¶ “How Climate Change Is Tweaking The Taste Of Wine” • The effects of climate change are well known to winemakers. Warmer temperatures have been a boon to some in cooler regions who rejoice over riper berries, but they are devastating to others. With scorching heat waves, wildfires, and other calamities, harvests are being ruined by climate change. [BBC]
Wine (Hermes Rivera, Unsplash)
¶ “Sunshine State Accelerates The Drive To Electric!” • As politicians frame the 2023–2024 Queensland budget, they are considering what sweeteners need to be in the pot to accelerate the drive to electric. The goal is 50% of all new passenger vehicle sales being zero emission by 2032, and all new fleet car purchases being electric by the end of 2026. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “VinFast Serves Its First 100 Customers In Vietnam” • VinFast has released its first 100 VF8 all-electric SUVs to customers in Vietnam. This will be followed by 5,000 VF8s released globally. Initial markets to get the EVs are the US, Canada, and Europe, where customers who made early reservations are expected to receive their vehicles this year. [CleanTechnica]
Electric car factory in Vietnam (VinFast image)
¶ “Fortescue Proposes 9.2-GW Green Hydrogen Project In Egypt” • Mining magnate Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue Future Industries continues its campaign to be one of the world’s largest clean energy companies. It announced plans to develop a 9.2-GW wind and solar facility in Egypt to power production of green hydrogen. [pv magazine Australia]
¶ “BMW To Get Cylindrical Batteries From CATL” • BMW has confirmed a battery supply agreement with CATL to start in 2025. It is for cylindrical battery cells 46 mm in diameter, to be produced at two new CATL factorys, one in each of China and Europe. At each of these gigafactories, 20 GWh of production will be dedicated to BMW Group. [CleanTechnica]
BMW headquarters (Image courtesy of BMW)
¶ “France’s Macron Urges Putin To Withdraw Russian Forces At Besieged Nuclear Plant” • French President Macron, one of the few Western leaders to keep an open dialogue with Russian President Putin since the invasion of Ukraine, urged the Kremlin in a phone call to withdraw forces from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. [Yahoo News]
US:
¶ “Air Quality Worsens As 94 Fires Burn Across Western US” • Air quality alerts are in place in much of Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Smoke from active fires is leading to poor air quality in the aftermath of a record-breaking heat wave. There are now 94 large fires burning across eight states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. [CNN]
Smoke from a wildfire (Malachi Brooks, Unsplash)
¶ “Yellen Says Inflation And Higher Gas Prices Remain A ‘Risk’” • Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that there is a “risk” that US gas prices could rise again later this year, as fears grow over the possibility that Americans’ wallets could be strained by a spike in prices similar to the one seen this summer. But she stressed that she’s optimistic about the economy. [CNN]
¶ “California Embraces A New Approach To Community Solar” • Community solar is a way to allow people who don’t have a site suitable for solar panels to own solary systems. Utility companies generally oppose it. California may soon enact a law that will pay community solar owners at rates for electricity at the time it is generated. [CleanTechnica]
Solar farm (US Bureau of Land Management)
¶ “Build Back Better Lives Again, Now With Green Hydrogen” • The Build Back Better bill may have died, but the Department of Commerce has a program called the Build Back Better Regional Challenge. It put up $50 million for a green hydrogen hub in the New Orleans region, one of twenty that will get funding from the Commerce Department. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “States With The Most Untapped Wind Energy Potential” • Using data from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Stacker compared installed wind energy capacity in the continental US to potential wind energy capacity. The EERE calculation of wind energy used suitable wind turbine locations based on legal and technical factors. [Arizona’s Family]
Have a charmingly pleasant day.
geoharvey 
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