Opinion:
¶ “Tesla Drops 50 Places In Brand Reputation Survey – What Does That Mean?” • Tesla may still be retaining customers to a greater degree than other automakers (based on 2022 data), but it has taken a serious reputational hit. A recent survey of 100 top brands showed that Tesla’s brand reputation dropped from #11 in this ranking to #62. [CleanTechnica]
Tesla Gigafactory Texas (Larry D Moore, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Harnessing Solar Power For Sustainable And Climate-Resilient Farming” • There is an urgent need for innovative solutions that can help the agricultural sector adapt to climate change and ensure food security for future generations. One solution is to leverage solar power or other renewable energy for agriculture that is smart about the climate. [EnergyPortal.eu]
World:
¶ “Iphone Maker Foxconn To Switch To Cars As US-China Ties Sour” • iPhone maker Foxconn is betting big on electric cars and redrawing some of its supply chains as it navigates a new era of icy Washington-Beijing relations. Chairman Young Liu said even as Foxconn shifts some supply chains away from China, EVs will drive its growth in the coming decades. [BBC]
Foxconn EV (Foxconn image)
¶ “The Indians Taking On Giant Saudi-Backed Refinery” • “We don’t want this chemical refinery. We will not allow dirty oil from an Arab country to destroy our pristine environment,” Manasi Bole says. She is among thousands of people protesting plans to build the largest petrochemical refinery on Earth in India’s ecologically fragile Konkan belt. [BBC]
¶ “Sri Lanka Aims To Reach 500,000 Electric Tuk-Tuks” • Tuk-tuks sure can be dirty vehicles, but some countries have a lot on the roads. Sri Lanka is one of those countries, and it is now looking to do something about this problem. Within the next five years, Sri Lanka plans to convert half a million fossil-fueled tuk-tuks to electric tuk-tuks. [CleanTechnica]
Tuk-tuk in Thailand (Lauren Kay, Unsplash)
¶ “BYD ETP3 Panel Van, ETM6 Cargo Truck, & ETH8 Truck Available In Poland” • BYD announced a partnership with Inter Cars SA to accelerate the adoption of sustainable pure-electric mobility solutions for commercial transportation in Poland. Inter Cars is the largest automotive parts distributor in Central and Eastern Europe. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “FedEx Deploys Its First Ten Electric Delivery Vans In South Africa” • FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp, deployed its first ten EVs in South Africa, as part of the company’s continuing efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and promote sustainability. FedEx plans to transform its entire global pickup and delivery fleet to EVs by 2040. [CleanTechnica]
FedEx EV (FedEx image)
¶ “Sunshot Gets State Backing To Deliver Queensland Renewable Energy Zone” • Sunshot Industries will develop and deliver a renewable energy industrial precinct in western Queensland, which will be linked to large-scale wind and solar projects and provide manufacturing tenants with competitive low-carbon electricity. [pv magazine Australia]
¶ “SJVN To Build 5 GW Of Renewable Energy Projects In India” • SJVN, a state-owned hydropower producer, agreed to develop 5 GW of renewable energy projects in Maharashtra. The projects would include hydro, pumped storage, wind, solar, hybrid, and green hydrogen technologies. SJVN is targeting 25 GW of power generation capacity by 2030. [PV Magazine]
Reservoir in Maharashtra (Neha173, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)
US:
¶ “Triple-Digit Heat Across Texas Is Forecast To Break Energy Records” • Summer is still a week away and the Lone Star State is already sweltering, as triple-digit heat could lead to more than 75 heat records being broken across the state of Texas this week. The blast of hot weather raises the potential for record energy usage, according to ERCOT. [CNN]
¶ “US Goes Bonkers Over Floating Solar Power Plants” • First it was a trickle, now it’s a flood. US energy planners are starting to catch up with the floating solar trend, in which solar panels rest on lakes, reservoirs, and other bodies of water. The technology could provide solar developers with another pathway for solar energy in rural areas. [CleanTechnica]
Floating solar array in New Jersey (Businesswire.com image)
¶ “Interior Department Looks To Boost Solar And Wind Power Development On Public Lands” • The Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management proposed a Renewable Energy Rule to reduce fees for renewable energy projects by around 80%, streamline certain application reviews, and provide the private sector with greater certainty. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Hawaiian Electric, Wailuku River Hydroelectric Want To Keep Providing Reliable, Sustainable, Renewable Energy To The Big Island” • Wailuku River Hydroelectric has provided up to 10 MW to the Big Island power grid for thirty years. Now, the dam owner and the grid operator are asking the PUC to allow them to extend their contract for five years. [Big Island News]
Wailuku River Hydroelectric dam (Courtesy of BHE Renewables)
¶ “Alabama Public Service Commission Greenlights More Large-Scale Solar” • The Alabama Public Service Commission approved a 480% increase in Alabama Power’s renewable capacity, allowing the utility to increase its renewable certificate program to 2,400 MW, a big increase from the 500 MW of capacity authorized by the PSC in 2015. [Southern Environmental Law Center]
¶ “US Still Pays Russia $1 Billion Per Year For Nuclear Energy” • Two years after the US pulled out of purchasing Russian fossil fuels amid start of the war in Ukraine, American companies are still buying roughly $1 billion worth of enriched uranium per year from Russia’s state-controlled nuclear agency, according to a New York Times report. [The Messenger]
Have a really heavenly day.
geoharvey 