Science and Technology:
¶ “The Unstoppable Force Of Agrivoltaics, Now With Tiltable Solar Panels” • Researchers at Purdue University in Indiana came up with a workaround for the tall racks some agrivoltaics use, so farmers can drive vehicles under them. It is a software-enabled agrivoltaic array that is mounted closer to the ground, so panels can be tilted to give verticle clearance. [CleanTechnica]
Solar panels (Green Voltaics Energy, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “Making Cement From Electricity Cuts Carbon Emissions” • About a third of our carbon emissions is from transportation. About two thirds of carbon emissions come from other sources. Cement is a necessary ingredient in concrete, and making it produces about 8% of global carbon emissions. Cement’s carbon emissions can be reduced. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Putting Salt In Tap Water And Drilling Wells In Parks: One City’s Desperate Quest To Avoid Running Dry” • Grappling with a multi-year drought and high temperatures, Uruguay is running dry. The situation has become so bad that residents are being forced to drink salty tap water and workers are drilling wells in the center of the capital city. [CNN]
Montevideo (Tania Malréchauffé, Unsplash)
¶ “Coventry Council Submits Planning Application For Solar Farm” • Coventry City Council submitted a planning application for a new solar farm on land in the council’s ownership. The site is around 103 acres and is currently used for sheep farming and agriculture. Options to continue the farming activities with solar development are being considered. [Solar Power Portal]
¶ “New Battery Storage Capacity: 10x Growth, 40 GWh/Year By 2030” • Rystad Energy predicted that energy storage installations will surpass 400 GWh a year in 2030. That would be nearly ten times the 43 GWh added in 2022. This year, 74 GWh of capacity are expected to be added, which is 72% more than last year, so the growth is already under way. [CleanTechnica]
Rising sun (Karsten Würth, Unsplash)
¶ “Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Global Energy Industry Still Rising – Report” • Greenhouse gas emissions from the energy industry continued to rise to new highs last year despite record growth in wind and solar power, according to a comprehensive review of global energy data. The report was undertaken by the Energy Institute. [The Guardian]
¶ “Utility firm secures renewable energy supply through deal with Shell Energy” • Yorkshire Water has struck a 10-year power purchase agreement with Shell Energy Europe Ltd to buy energy from the Thanet and Dogger Bank offshore wind farms. Off the coast of Kent, Thanet has an operational installed capacity of 300 MW and hss 100 wind turbines. [The Business Desk]
Offshore wind turbines (Ørstead Energy image)
¶ “Oz Player Wins 62-MW Gold Mine Contract” • Pacific Energy was awarded the contract to integrate 62 MW of clean energy into its existing 54-MW gas-fired power system at the Tropicana gold mine, in remote Western Australia. The expansion will incorporate four 6-MW wind turbines, a 24-MW solar farm and a 14-MW battery storage system. [reNews]
¶ “Enel Picks Up PPA For Spanish Solar Site” • Swedish bearing manufacturer SKF signed a virtual power purchase agreement for an Enel solar project in Spain. The plant is expected to add more than 260 GWh per year of renewable electricity and be connected to the power grid by August 2024. The agreement covers fifteen years of use. [reNews]
Solar array (Enel image)
¶ “Putin’s Devastating Plot To Blow Up Nuclear Plant ‘Approved’, Ukraine Spy Chief Claims” • A Ukrainian spymaster warns that Vladimir Putin’s plans to blow up Europe’s largest nuclear power plant have been “drafted and approved.” He claimed the Russian premier ordered troops to lay mines around the cooling pond at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. [Daily Express]
¶ “ARENA Commits $36 Million To Boost Renewable Energy Production In Victoria” • The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has announced a $36.1 million commitment to the Australian Gas Infrastructure Group for a 10-MW electrolyser deployment in Victoria, expanding on the agency’s efforts in renewable hydrogen. [Australian Manufacturing]
Hydrogen Park Murray Valley (ARENA image)
US:
¶ “Tesla Sales Forecasts For Q2: 440,000–450,000 Deliveries” • Among EV manufacturers, Tesla is king of the hill. It drives the market forward more than any other company. Tesla sold (read: delivered) 422,875 vehicles in the first quarter of 2023 (and produced 440,808). It is climbing closer to an annual run rate of 2 million EVs! [CleanTechnica]
¶ “R&D Delivers Wind Turbine Tester To US” • The Danish engineering company R&D Test Systems delivered a new bench that can test wind turbine blades up to 130 metres long to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s Wind Technology Testing Center. The blade exciter can deliver force of up to 120 kN and power up to 210 kW. [reNews]
Test center (R&D Test Systems image)
¶ “Solar Power Helps Texas Meet Energy Needs” • With the extreme heat, Texas’ energy usage is rising. But there’s plenty of sunlight to generate solar energy. “The great thing about solar is the sun is shining typically when our overall statewide electricity needs are the greatest,” said Robert Miggins, co-founder and CEO of Big Sun Solar in San Antonio. [Spectrum News]
¶ “Nuclear Waste Transportation Draws Opposition In West” • Concerns about nuclear waste transportation are growing in the west. The Snake River Alliance is holding a webinar on these concerns, heightened by the potential of a temporary waste facility opening in New Mexico. One expert said the recent train derailment in Ohio raises concerns. [Public News Service]
Have a wisely executed day.
geoharvey 
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