Opinion:
¶ “2022 Ford E-Transit – Video Review” • Ford has been on a roll recently when it comes to electrifying its vehicle lineup. Now Ford is making one of its most popular commercial vehicles as an EV, the E-Transit. We recently had a chance to check out the 2022 cargo van guise of the E-Transit and learn more about its impressive features. [CleanTechnica]
Ford E-Transit (Ford image)
¶ “Queensland Australia Has A Fossil Fuel Revenue Problem And Wants Hydrogen To Solve It” • Queensland has a challenge: a lot of rooftop solar that has no price signal, so it always runs, along with a lack of grid storage. However, hydrogen as a medium of electricity storage for firming the grid is a poor choice due to high cost and low efficiency. [CleanTechnica]
Science and Technology:
¶ “Heat Waves Due To Climate Change Have Cost World Economy Trillions So Far” • A study in the journal Science Advances says increasingly extreme heat waves brought on by global warming have cost the global economy trillions of dollars since the early 1990s. The countries emitting the least CO₂ are suffering the most. [Business Standard]
Flooded street (Misbahul Aulia, Unsplash)
World:
¶ “Ukraine War: Kyiv Set For Longer Power Cuts After Air Strikes” • The Ukrainian authorities have warned people in the capital Kyiv to expect longer power cuts, lasting more than four hours, because of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. Rolling blackouts are hitting not only Kyiv but also central regions of Ukraine, including the city of Dnipro. [BBC]
¶ “The Highland Haven Insulated From Rising Energy Prices” • Hydroelectric schemes are not unusual in Scotland. Knoydart, the west coast of Scotland, is different, however. It is so remote that it is not connected to the National Grid, meaning prices here are not dictated by the wholesale cost of more expensive forms of energy such as gas. [BBC]
Inverie village in Knoydart (Subarite, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)
¶ “Offshore Wind – Victoria Won’t Wait” • Victoria will no longer wait for coal companies and energy generators to make up their minds and take action. Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio has announced that the state will aim for 95% renewables by 2035. “By 2035 there will be no dirty coal generation in our state,” the minister said. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Wind Goes Global Giga” • The Philippine Department of Energy announced that 40 offshore wind service contracts with a potential capacity of 30 GW have been issued. Chaozhou, in the Guangdong province of China, intends to install a 43.3 GW wind farm in the Taiwan Straits. Morocco is in talks about 10 GW of solar and wind. It is happening. [CleanTechnica]
Offshore wind turbine (Grahame Jenkins, Unsplash)
¶ “China’s Renewable Energy Capacity Expands In January-September” • In the January-September period, China’s installed capacity of wind power increased 16.9% year on year to around 350 GW, while the installed capacity of solar power generation came in at 360 GW, up 28.8%, according to the National Energy Administration. [Shanghai Daily]
¶ “IEA: The Rapid Growth Of Natural Gas Demand Is Coming To An End” • A World Energy Outlook scenario from the IEA based on the current government policies has global demand for every fossil fuel showing a peak. “One of the effects of the current crisis is that the era of rapid growth in global gas demand draws to a close,” IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said. [Oil Price]
LNG Ship (Maciej Margas, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “Eskom: 53 GW Of Renewable Energy Required Over Next Decade” • Eskom revealed that around 53 GW of additional generation capacity from renewable energy sources will be needed over the next decade to ensure energy security in South Africa. Eskom revealed the figure during the Transmission Development Plan Public Forum. [ESI Africa]
¶ “Poland Chooses US Firm To Build First Nuclear Power Plant” • A US firm beat out its French and South Korean competitors to land a contract to build Poland’s first nuclear power plant, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said. Westinghouse Electric Company was given the multi-billion-euro deal as Poland seeks to be independent of Russian gas supplies. [DW]
Westinghouse AP1000 (Westinghouse image)
US:
¶ “Enphase Commits To Manufacturing Microinverters In US, Thanks To The IRA” • Enphase makes microinverters, the tiny devices that convert the direct current from PVs to alternating current to power homes or feed into the grid. The company is based in California, but it makes its products other countries. Now they will be made in the US. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Line Upgrades Could Help Get Renewable Energy To The Grid, State Says” • The Alaska Energy Authority got the go-ahead to upgrade aging electrical transmission lines from Bradley Lake to Quartz Creek, in the state’s “rail belt.” The area’s transmission lines aren’t up to the task of bringing renewable electricity to the people living there. [KDLL]
Sterling Highway (steve lyon, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)
¶ “Puerto Rico To Make Improvements On Power Grid After Hurricane Fiona, Governor Says” • Governor Pedro Pierluisi said after Hurricane Maria, the government made repairs to the island’s power grid, but after Hurricane Fiona, they’re making improvements. Nearly fifty construction projects are underway in a transition to renewable energy. [WESH]
¶ “LePage Blames Renewables, Mills Blames Fossil Fuels – Here’s Why Energy Prices Are Really So High” • Electricity prices are sky high in Maine, and that has made for fertile campaign material this election season. But the data is clear that fossil fuel prices, not renewable energy subsidies, are largely to blame for the recent surge in electricity prices. [Maine Public]
Have an uninterruptedly cheerful day.
geoharvey 