Science and Technology:
¶ “Home Energy Storage Is Getting A Flow Battery Makeover” • Once limited to utility-scale uses, flow batteries are coming down in size as well as cost. A research team based in the Georgia Tech laboratory of assistant professor Nian Liu has been working on a new configuration that cuts down the size of a flow battery cell by an impressive 75%. [CleanTechnica]
Small flow battery experiment (Georgia Institute of Technology)
World:
¶ “Ukraine Accuses Russia Of ‘Ecocide’ As Critical Dam Near Kherson Destroyed Sparking Evacuations” • A dam and hydro-electric power plant in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine was destroyed, prompting mass evacuations and fears for large-scale devastation as Ukraine accused Moscow’s forces of committing an act of “ecocide.” [CNN]
¶ “Canada Could See Its Worst Wildfire Season On Record” • Canada is bracing for what forecasters say may be the country’s worst wildfire season on record. It has already seen 2,214 fires this year, and they have burned an area roughly totalling the size of Belgium. Climate change is blamed for increasing the frequency and intensity of wildires. [BBC]
Wildfire (Canadian Forest Service)
¶ “More Investment In Solar Than Oil In 2023” • “Solar is the star performer and more than $1 billion per day is expected to go into solar investments in 2023 ($380 billion for the year as a whole), edging this spending above that in upstream oil for the first time,” the International Energy Agency writes in its report, World Energy Investment 2023. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “MAN Goes All In On Electric Buses, Daimler Introduces Fuel Cell ECitaro” • MAN, the heavy vehicle arm of Volkswagen Group, has made an executive decision not to manufacture diesel-powered buses that comply with the upcoming Euro 7 exhaust emissions rules. Instead, it will focus on producing battery-electric buses. [CleanTechnica]
Electric bus (MAN image)
¶ “World EV Sales Now 14% Of World Auto Sales” • Global plugin vehicle registrations were up 70% in April 2023 compared to April 2022. There were 928,000 registrations. Plugins took a 14% share of the overall auto market (10% battery EV share alone). This means that the global automotive market remains in the Electric Disruption Zone. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Akuo Commissions French Floating Solar Farm” • Akuo has commissioned a new floating solar power farm in Cintegabelle, near Toulouse in southern France. With a capacity of 8.7 MW, the Cintegabelle plant is located on Cap Vert lake on the southern edge of the village, a 19 hectare man-made lake created when a gravel quarry ceased operations. [reNews]
Floating solar system (Akuo image)
¶ “NZ ‘Well Placed’ To Reach 100% Renewable Energy – But Obstacles Must Be Overcome” • A report by global professional services company GHD showed that New Zealand is relatively well placed to reach 100% renewable energy if critical barriers are removed. But the first challenge is to ensure New Zealand is able to meet its own energy demands. [RNZ]
¶ “Switzerland Is Installing Solar Panels In Train Tracks” • Swiss startup Sun-Ways is installing solar panels on railway tracks in Switzerland. The panels are reportedly being rolled out ‘like a carpet’ in the gap between the tracks near the Buttes train station following the go-ahead from the country’s Federal Office of Transport. [TechSpot]
Solar panels between tracks (Sun-Ways image)
¶ “Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Plant At Risk From Kakhovka Dam Breach” • After an explosion at the Kakhovka Dam, the water level is rapidly decreasing, which is an additional threat to the Russian occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant, Energoatom said. Water from the reservoir is necessary for turbine condensers and safety systems at the plant. [Yahoo News]
US:
¶ “Smoky Week Ahead From Wildfires In Canada Is Expected To Lead To More Alert Warnings For The Northeast” • More than 8 million acres have burned this year across Canada, with nearly half a million acres in Quebec alone. The fires are sending thick smoke south and east into the US Northeast, affecting air quality for millions of people. [CNN]
Smog in New York (Juan Ordonez, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “US Issues 20-Year Ban On Drilling Near Indigenous Cultural Site In New Mexico” • Interior Secretary Deb Haaland acted to protect the cultural and historic resources around Chaco Culture National Historical Park from new oil and gas leasing and mining claims. The order applies to public lands within ten miles of the park for 20 years. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Arizona Limits New Construction Around Phoenix Due To Lack Of Groundwater” • The Phoenix area has been one of the fastest growing areas of the US for decades, but the growth can’t go on. There isn’t enough water to wash the dishes and flush the toilets and fill the pools of all the new homes that will be needed to house more people. [CleanTechnica]
Canal (Central Arizona Groundwater Replacement District)
¶ “Fossil Fuels Got A Boost From Lawmakers Aiming To Fix The Texas Grid, But Renewable Energy Escaped Stricter Regulations” • Texas lawmakers passed a huge economic incentives package to lure companies to Texas, which included the oil and gas industry but excluded wind and solar energy companies. Energy efficiency went unsupported. [Fort Worth Business Press]
¶ “Biden-Harris Administration Releases First-Ever National Clean Hydrogen Strategy” • The Biden-Harris Administration released the US National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap, a comprehensive framework for accelerating the production, processing, delivery, storage, and use of clean hydrogen. [Department of Energy]
Have a conveniently sufficient day.
geoharvey 