Opinion:
¶ “Electric Vehicle Phobia” • We will soon be going south into New South Wales and Victoria, on our first post-Covid roadtrip. We will visit old friends and relatives en route, and we expect some negative comments on our transportation. Some are wary of the Tesla Model 3 and fear for our safety. Some think we may not get there at all. [CleanTechnica]
Tesla Model 3 (Charlie Deets, Unsplash)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Can An Enormous Seaweed Farm Help To Curb Climate Change?” • Imagine a seaweed farm the size of Croatia floating in the South Atlantic. Spinning in a natural ocean eddy, it sucks a billion tonnes of carbon out of the atmosphere every year and sinks it to the ocean floor out of harm’s way. A UK businessman plans to have this up and running by 2026. [BBC]
¶ “NASA Is Making It Even Easier For Scientists To Understand Climate Change” • A new mission led by NASA, the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation, hopes to provide better context and understanding about climate change. The mission is being run from aboard the International Space Station and has recently produced its first mineral maps. [BGR]
Work on the ISS (NASA image, public domain)
World:
¶ “Vancouver’s Air Quality Affected As Several Wildfires Rage” • Wildfires burning in British Columbia and Washington state have triggered an air quality advisory, a Metro Vancouver district press release says. The smoke contributes to high concentrations of fine particulate matter in the area, which pose the greatest risk to health. [CNN]
¶ “The BYD Atto 3 Launched In India, Laos, And Nepal!” • It has been reported on several platforms that BYD is planning to start producing at least 300,000 EVs per month soon from its various plants in China and other places. This week saw the Atto 3, being launched in new markets, including the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, India, and Nepal. [CleanTechnica]
BYD Atto 3 (Image courtesy of BYD)
¶ “Removing The Barriers To EV Uptake In Australia” • Now, with rollouts of charging systems throughout Australia, barriers to EV uptake are pretty much gone. Apart from misinformation and ignorance, the only barrier facing Australians at the moment is the upfront cost of purchase. This may disappear next year as cheaper imports reach us. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “German Greens Lay Out Nuclear Power Position Amid Federal Government Infighting” • The Green Party, one of the three coalition parties governing at federal level, supported German Economy Minister Robert Habeck in his plans to keep two nuclear power plants on standby, in case of an energy crunch over winter, up until April 2023. [DW]
Isar II nuclear plant (E.ON Kernkraft GmbH)
US:
¶ “The Mighty Mississippi Is So Low, People Are Walking To A Unique Rock Formation Rarely Accessible By Foot” • Tower Rock, an island in the middle of the Mississippi River south of St. Louis, is typically surrounded by water and only accessible by boat. But as severe drought pushes river levels to near-record lows, people can now reach it on foot. [CNN]
¶ “Credit Suisse Predicts Renewable Energy That Is ‘Too Cheap To Meter’ By 2025” • Credit Suisse says the Inflation Reduction Act will have such a tremendous impact on renewable energy that the US may see the LCOE from renewable sources fall to less than 1¢/kWh hour by 2025, after all tax and production credits are factored in. [CleanTechnica]
Solar array (Raphael Cruz, Unsplash)
¶ “US Offshore Wind Guidance Accelerates Development Of The US Offshore Wind Industry” • The US offshore wind sector has new official guidance that can be used in the regulatory approval process. The first of five recommended-practice documents for offshore windpower is an overarching flagship document for the US Offshore Wind Standards Initiative. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “CIRI Looks To Triple Power At Fire Island Wind Farm” • An Alaska Native corporation is looking at expanding its Fire Island Wind Project, adding perhaps a dozen turbines and tripling the power output from the island in Cook Inlet, five miles west of Anchorage. With 11 big turbines, it is already the second-largest wind farm in Alaska. [Anchorage Daily News]
Fire Island wind farm (tjpeters, free for use)
¶ “Gov Youngkin reconfirms goal of investing in nuclear energy” • Gov Glenn Youngkin is reconfirming his goal of investing more into nuclear energy. Southwest Virginia could become home to the nation’s first small modular reactor, or SMR, due to the aggressive plan from Youngkin. He made a new announcement in Wise County. [WSET]
¶ “Miami-Dade County Involved In National Study To Fight Climate Change Impact On Island Communities And Urban Settings” • To help fight climate change, Miami-Dade County is participating in a nationwide study that will analyze the cooling potential of urban natural areas among other things. The study is led by the Natural Areas Conservancy. [Islander News]
Have an enchantingly cozy day.
geoharvey 