Opinion:
¶ “Tesla Model Y To Be Best Selling Car In World In 2023?” • 2023 is not half over, but the Model Y is likely to win the annual sales title. According to Tesla, it was the best-selling passenger vehicle on Earth in the first quarter of the year. With production and sales expected to grow throughout the year, it’ll be tough for any other car to catch the Y. [CleanTechnica]
Tesla Model Y (Charlie Deets, Unsplash)
World:
¶ “How Solar Power Is Keeping Lebanon’s Lights On” • In a time of crisis, rooftop solar panels have become a stand-in for both grid power and diesel generators for many families. While it is an imperfect solution, Lebanon’s situation has shown the power of solar and how it can be a source of clean and reliable electricity when other systems fail. [BBC]
¶ “‘Sounding The Alarm’: World On Track To Breach A Critical Warming Threshold In The Next Five Years” • The world is now likely to breach a key climate threshold for the first time in the next five years due to a combination of greenhouse gas pollution and a looming El Niño, according to the annual climate update of the World Meteorological Organization. [CNN]
El Niño in January 2016 (NOAA image)
¶ “China’s Electric Car Emissions Reductions Increasing Rapidly Over Time” • Shaojun Zhang et al conducted comprehensive “cradle-to-grave” assessments of China’s EVs in 2015 and 2020, covering fuel-cycle and material-cycle phases, and compiled life-cycle projections for 2030. Better efficiency and cleaner electric power are having effects. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “WEF Sees Huge Drop In Oil Demand As Electric Vehicle Sales Rise” • To highlight the impact of EVs on oil use, the World Economic Forum has created an infographic using data from BloombergNEF that shows how much oil will be saved in 2025 by various types of EVs, assuming existing trends continue. It’s a lot of oil not being burned. [CleanTechnica]
Oil pump jack (Pixabay, Pexels)
¶ “Northland Reaches FID On 250-MW Canadian Battery” • Northland Power reached financial close on a 250-MW battery project in Ontario. The Oneida energy storage project has all necessary financing. Northland owns 72% of the project, with Aecon Group, NRStor, and Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation as partners. [reNews]
¶ “National Grid Profits Jump To £4.6 Billion Amid Green Energy Delays” • National Grid reported a jump in annual profits to almost £4.6 billion at the same time concerns grow that it is not connecting renewable energy projects fast enough to meet the UK’s climate targets. Profits from its electricity distribution business climbed by 39%, year over year. [The Guardian]
Transmission lines (Brett Sayles, Pexels)
¶ “EU Delays Key Renewable Energy Vote Over A Disagreement About Nuclear Power” • Sweden, which holds the rotating EU presidency, dropped a key vote on the bloc’s renewable energy targets from Wednesday’s agenda as member states continue to argue about the role of nuclear power in the clean energy targets, Bloomberg reports. [Oil Price]
¶ “‘Lightning Pace’: Portugal Produces Over 50% Of Electricity From Wind And Solar For First Time” • Solar and wind produced more than half of Portugal’s electricity for the first time last month, according to data from clean energy think tank Ember. Renewables reach 51% of electricity production in April, beating record of 49% set in December 2021. [Euronews]
Solar farm in Portugal (Bextrel, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “Japanese Lawmakers Denounce Nuclear Wastewater Plan” • Japanese lawmakers rallied outside the country’s House of Representatives to condemn the government’s plan to discharge contaminated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea, calling it a serious breach of contract with the public. [CGTN]
US:
¶ “Loophole: How Ineligible Electric Cars Can Still Qualify For $7,500 Tax Credit” • Recent changes to federal regulations deemed certain electric vehicles no longer eligible for the full $7,500 tax credit. However, a loophole has been spotted that restores eligibility to nearly any EV, whether from Tesla or other automakers. [CleanTechnica]
Rivian (Wes Hicks, Unsplash)
¶ “10 Megawatts Of Solar Being Put Into New Jersey Landfill” • In New Jersey, Berkeley Township had a problem familiar to many municipalities: what to do with their idle landfills. In 2020, they entered into a public-private partnership with CS Energy to close the landfill and to install 10 MW of community solar on the site. Now it is being built. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “First US Congestion Pricing Plan Gets Closer To Reality In New York City” • New York City traffic is bad. At peak hours of the day, traffic is at a virtual standstill in many areas, and air quality and traffic noise can be terrible. New York City could soon be the first city in the US to implement its own traffic tolling system to address the problem. [CleanTechnica]
Traffic in New York City (Raidarmax, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “BMW And PG&E Pilot V2X Technology” • BMW of North America and Pacific Gas and Electric Company are teaming up to investigate how vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology might provide a solution for the growing power grid demand. V2X technology testing is taking place at PG&E’s Applied Technology Services Lab in San Ramon. [The EV Report]
¶ “Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Sea Grant To Map Potential Path Of Proposed Wastewater Release From Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station” • A team of researchers from WHOI will undertake a study of the pathways of circulation in Cape Cod Bay to see where 1.1 million gallons of radioactive wastewater from the Pilgrim nuclear plant will end up. [Newswise]
Have a rewardingly active day.
geoharvey 