Opinion:
¶ “The Looming Winter Problem The Biden Administration Must Fix” • This winter, Americans are facing the steepest home heating prices in more than 10 years. With many already struggling to afford basic necessities like food and rent, higher energy bills mean some will be facing service disconnection, and a winter without heat. [CNN]
Gas meter (Doris Morgan, Unsplash)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Waste Heat From Data Centers Can Bolster District Heat Systems” • Globally, data centers are estimated to account for 1% to 2% of electricity. In Europe, they consumed about 3% of all the electricity. Those data centers create a lot of waste heat. Some of it could be repurposed to help heat buildings, and high gas prices now make that economical. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “The Seychelles Public Transport Corporation Is Getting 22 Electric Buses!” • The Seychelles Public Transport Corporation operates a fleet of about 250 buses. Most of them are diesel, and up to 20% of the country’s import bill is for diesel oil. As part of a broader National Electric Mobility Project, 22 electric buses will soon join the SPTC fleet. [CleanTechnica]
Buses (Courtesy of Seychelles Transport Ministry)
¶ “Seychelles Switches On 5-MW Solar PV Plus 5-MW, 3.3-MWh Battery Plant Developed By Masdar” • One of the few African countries where the access to electricity is 100%, is the Republic of Seychelles. About 80% of this is from diesel generators. To reduce the oil bill and CO₂ emissions, Seychelles installed a 5-MW solar PV plant with battery storage. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Renewable Power’s Growth Is Being Accelerated As Countries Seek To Strengthen Energy Security” • An IEA report says the global energy crisis is causing a sharp acceleration of renewable energy installations. The total capacity growth is expected to almost double over the next five years, overtaking coal as the primary generating source. [CleanTechnica]
Solar array (Markus Spiske, Unsplash)
¶ “Britain Generates Record Volume Of Renewable Electricity” • Renewable power sources generated 40% of the UK’s electricity in 2022, up from 35% in 2021, helping to cut CO₂ emissions from the power sector by 2.7 million metric tons from the previous year. Generation from renewables has more than quadrupled over the last decade. [Biomass Magazine]
¶ “Vestas Prototype Turbine Produces First Power” • Vestas’ prototype V236-15MW turbine has successfully produced its first electricity at the Osterild National test center in Western Jutland, Denmark. The 15-MW prototype will undergo an extensive test and verification program to ensure reliability before certification and the beginning of serial production. [reNews]
Vestas turbines (Image courtesy of Vestas)
¶ “Alberta Builds Robust Renewable Energy Sector” • Alberta is expected to add enough solar and wind energy in the next few years to exceed expectations of renewable energy supporters. The projects include the 466-MW capacity Lone Pine wind project, the 360-MW Solar Krafte development, and some large battery storage projects. [The Western Producer]
¶ “Bangladesh Bans Russian Vessel Carrying Nuclear Plant Parts” • The government of Bangladesh has denied entry to a Russian ship carrying parts for the new Rooppur nuclear power plant, the first facility of its kind in the nation. Russian state nuclear agency Rosatom chose to ship nuclear power plant components aboard a sanctioned cargo ship. [The Maritime Executive]
Rooppur 2 reactor construction (Rosatom image)
¶ “Russia’s Lavrov Claims ‘Irreversible’ Arms Race With Iran If Nuclear Deal Not Reached” • Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed that Moscow supports the US and its Western allies in finding a nuclear deal with Iran. Lavrov claimed not securing a deal would lead “to escalation, an arms race, an open conflict with irreversible consequences.” [Fox News]
US:
¶ “FedEx Expands Electric Cart Routes In New York City” • When we talk about the “last mile” in delivery, there’s a part of that last mile that we often leave out: the last few yards. Packages don’t magically get from the van to the door. It turns out that GM was able not only to help electrify that last mile, but also to electrify and better manage the last few feet. [CleanTechnica]
FedEx delivery cart (FedEx image)
¶ “California Bans Deceptive Self-Driving Claims” • False self-driving claims have been outlawed in California by Senate Bill 1398, which was recently signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. The California DMV already had rules banning the false advertisement of self-driving cars. The new law provides a way to enforce that. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “DOE To Propose Efficient Transformer Rules” • The national average for energy lost in US grid transmissions is about 6%. New rules proposed by the DOE would reduce that amount, bolster the resiliency of America’s power grid, lower utility bills, and significantly decrease domestic CO₂ emissions by diversifying transformer core technology. [CleanTechnica]
Transformer (Robert Linder, Unsplash)
¶ “Developer Sues To Build Biomass Power Plant In Springfield” • After nearly 15 years battling to build a wood-burning power plant in Springfield, Massachusetts, the owner of a proposed biomass facility is suing the state’s Department of Environmental Protection for revoking its air quality permit. The suit is asking a judge to reinstate the license. [WBUR]
¶ “Coverage Of Climate Change In College Textbooks Headed In Wrong Direction” • Evidence is mounting fast of the devastating consequences of climate change, but college textbooks aren’t keeping up. A study found that most college biology textbooks published in the 2010s have less content on climate change than textbooks from the 2000s. [Tucson Sentinel]
Have an invigoratingly untroubled day.
geoharvey 