Science and Technology:
¶ “See-Through Solar Windows Turn Houses Into Powerhouses” • An ordinary solar cell blocks sunlight from passing through. It’s a tricky feat to engineer one that performs the sustainability twofer of harvesting renewable energy while also lighting up an interior space with zero emission sunlight. But Patagonia now has them at its headquarters. [CleanTechnica]
Solar window (Ubiquitous Energy image)
¶ “Invisible Solar Panels For Pompeii And Other Historic Locations” • The Invisible Solar tiles are made from a polymer compound which allows the sun’s rays to filter through. The PV cells are integrated into it by hand and covered with a layer of the polymer compound. “We can also give it the look of stone, wood, concrete, and brick.” [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Worst Drought ‘In Living Memory’ Threatens The World’s Olive Oil Supply” • Olive oil producers have been hit hard by this year’s heat and drought. Kyle Holland, a pricing analyst for oilseeds and grains at Mintec, a commodities data company, expects a “dramatic reduction” of between 33% and 38% in Spain’s olive oil harvest that begins in October. [CNN]
Olive grove (Kostas Morfiris, Unsplash)
¶ “Energy Giant ExxonMobil Sues EU To Block Energy Windfall Tax” • US energy giant ExxonMobil is suing the EU in a bid to force the bloc to scrap its new windfall tax on oil firms. A windfall tax is imposed on firms that benefitted from something they were not responsible for. ExxonMobil reported a quarterly profit of almost $20 billion in October. [BBC]
¶ “EU Market Outlook Says Solar Production Is Soaring” • Solar production has already made a real difference in the current EU energy crisis. Driven by dramatically reduced fossil fuel imports following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, solar production soared nearly 50% in the EU this year, after 27 EU nations added 41.4 GW of solar PV capacity. [CleanTechnica]
Solar array (GCL image)
¶ “BYD Atto 3 Voted Electric Family Car Of The Year 2023 By VAB” • The Flemish Automobile Club, VAB, holds a contest every year for the best family cars in different categories. It voted the BYD Atto 3 the Family Car of The Year 2023. Fifteen professional motoring reporters and 74 family jurors judged ten electric cars at the Zolder race circuit. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Neptune Energy, Ørsted, And Goal7 Are To Explore Powering Integrated Energy Hubs With Offshore Wind” • Neptune Energy announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Ørsted and Goal7 to explore powering new integrated energy hubs in the UK North Sea with electricity generated by offshore wind plants. [Neptune Energy]
Offshore windpower (Cassie Boca, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “UK Had Warmest Year On Record Due To ‘Human-Induced Climate Change,’ Met Office Says” • With just three days left, 2022 looks on course to break the record for the UK’s highest annual average temperature, breaking the previous record set in 2014. The top ten hottest years all occurred since 2002. Records have been kept since 1659. [iNews]
¶ “China Starts Work On Huge $11 Billion Desert Renewables Project” • China broke ground on an 80 billion yuan ($11 billion) renewables project in Inner Mongolia, part of a massive rollout of clean power to achieve the nation’s ambitious climate targets. The project, located in the Kubuqi Desert, will have 16 GW of capacity when completed. [Yahoo Finance]
Tourists in the Kubuqi Desert (Popolon, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “Ukraine: 213 Attacks On Power Infrastructure By Russia Spark Disaster Fears” • As many as 213 incidents of military actions on energy infrastructure such as thermal power plants, nuclear power plants and electricity substations were reported in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion on February 24, 2022, a study found. Such attacks could cause disasters. [Down To Earth]
US:
¶ “Tax Credit Confusion Could Create A Rush For Electric Vehicles In Early 2023” • As the new year begins, a number of popular electric vehicles, specifically some Tesla and General Motors models, could be eligible for $7,500 worth of tax credits they weren’t eligible for in 2022. But that eligibility may last only last a few months. [CNN]
2022 Chevy Bolt (GM image)
¶ “US Winter Storm Death Toll Rises As Bad Weather Drags On” • A powerful winter storm that slammed North America has claimed more lives in New York state, local officials say. At least 34 people have died in Erie County, which includes the city of Buffalo. The holiday weekend storm has killed at least 60 people in eight states. [BBC]
¶ “US Government Plans 5-Year Geoengineering Study” • In accordance with requirements created by Congress, the Biden administration is undertaking a 5-year study of geoengineering techniques and has issued a call for input. The study will include scientific assessments of solar climate interventions to address near-term climate risks. [CleanTechnica]
Solar intervention (Chelsea Thompson, NOAA, CIRES)
Please click on the image to enlarge it.
¶ “Oregon’s Largest Electric Utilities Are Missing Climate Benchmarks” • Oregon’s largest private electricity providers are dragging their feet when it comes to transitioning to renewable energy sources, a Sierra Club report found. Only one of the three Oregon utilities was found to be on track to meeta a goal of 80% clean electricity by 2030. [Missoula Current]
¶ “New York Plans 6 GW Of Energy Storage By 2030” • The state of New York has a new framework to achieve 6 GW of energy storage by 2030, which represents at least 20% of the peak electricity load of New York, the governor’s office announced. If approved, the plan will support a buildout of about $2 billiion worth of storage deployments. [T&D World]
Have a sufficiently plentiful day.
geoharvey 
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