Science and Technology:
¶ “Solid-State Batteries Get Another Step Closer: ‘Breakthrough In Stabilization’” • Solid-state batteries have been hyped as the next big era of batteries for at least a decade. But there’s always “just one more thing” that needs to be fixed. Osaka Metropolitan University claims that its scientists have made a “breakthrough in stabilization of solid electrolyte.” [CleanTechnica]
Solid-state battery (Courtesy of Osaka Metropolitan University)
¶ “‘Striking’ New NASA Videos Show CO₂ Emissions Rapidly Building Up In Atmosphere” • Dramatic visualisations by NASA show CO₂ emissions build up in the atmosphere over the course of a year. The project is a “great example” of “show, don’t tell” science communication, a climate scientist from the UK Met Office told Carbon Brief. [Carbon Brief]
World:
¶ “Rainforest Destruction Soared In 2022 Despite Global Pledges To Halt Deforestation, Report Finds” • An area of tropical forest the size of Switzerland was lost in 2022, as forest destruction rose by 10% compared to the previous year, according to the report by the World Resources Institute’s Global Forest Watch, based on data collected by the University of Maryland. [CNN]
Logs (Marcus Urbenz, Unsplash)
¶ “EU Renewable Energy Law Clears First Vote After French Nuclear Assurances” • A European Parliament committee backed new EU renewable energy targets, but it criticised last-minute changes that were made to allow France and other countries possible carve-outs for ammonia plants and greater recognition of nuclear energy. [Nasdaq]
¶ “Polish Delivery King Electrifying Fleet, Including Installing EV Chargers” • The EV revolution is reaching more markets in more ways. Sometimes it’s tiny electric cars, sometimes it’s big electric SUVs and trucks, sometimes it’s something else. In Poland, the markets that are getting important are electric delivery vehicles and electric buses. [CleanTechnica]
Wrocław (Maksym Harbar, Unsplash)
¶ “World Bank Extends $200 Million Loan To Bolster Himachal Pradesh’s Renewable Potential” • The World Bank has approved $200 million in loans for Himachal Pradesh to facilitate power sector reforms in the Indian state. One expressed purpose of the loans is to increase the share of renewable energy generation capacity by 10 GW. [Hindustan Times]
¶ “Wind Farm Neighbours Are More Positive To Wind Power” • Do all people oppose to living near wind farms? Well, when asked, it turned out that those who lived closer to turbines have a more favourable view of wind power than people living further away. This was one of the results which some may find surprising in a recent survey. [Evwind]
Wind farm (Vattenfall image)
¶ “As Japan Prepares To Release Fukushima Wastewater, Anxiety Grows Across South Korea” • As Japan plans to release treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea this summer, South Koreans concerned about its effect on the marine environment and seafood are buying less fish and stocking up on sea salt. [WFAE]
US:
¶ “Extreme Floods Are Happening Much More Often Than Federal Data Would Suggest, Analysis Shows” • A critical federal analysis of extreme rainfall is vastly underestimating the chances of flood events, with grave implications for everything from new roads and bridges to the rising cost of flood insurance, according to a new analysis. [CNN]
Wisconsin Flood (jim gade, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “Texas’s Nighttime Temperatures Are A Symptom Of A New, More Dangerous Kind Of Heat Wave” • Forecasters warn that there is a more dangerous aspect to this heat wave than daytime highs. Because of the climate crisis, overnight temperatures are not cooling down enough to offer people a little reprieve from the oppressive heat. [CNN]
¶ “Over 80 Million People From The Midwest To The East Coast Are Under Air Quality Alerts As Smoke From Canadian Wildfires Drifts To The US” • Air quality alerts were issued for the entire states of Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Delaware, and Maryland, and parts of Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Virginia. [CNN]
Bad air day (Photoholgic, Unsplash)
¶ “LG Energy Solution Targets 280 GWh Of Battery Production In The US” • Ford has come up with a plan to build a battery factory in Michigan that will use CATL technology, but be owned and run by Ford. LG Energy Solution is looking for a similar opportunity. The company plans to make 280 GWh of batteries in the US within a few years. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Biden-Harris Administration Celebrates Groundbreaking Of New Transmission Line” • Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm celebrated the construction start of the TransWest Express Transmission Project, a 3,000 MW interregional transmission line that will run from Wyoming to southern Nevada. [CleanTechnica]
Map of Route (TransWest Express Transmission Project image)
¶ “Offshore Wind Energy Opportunities In The Five Great Lakes” • Wind resource assessments suggest that the Great Lakes’ potential capacity is 160 GW for fixed-bottom wind turbines and 415 GW for floating wind energy systems. The potential for wind energy exceeds the annual electricity consumption in five of eight states on the Great Lakes. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Janet Mills Vetoes Wind Power Bill With Major Carve Outs For Unions” • Gov Janet Mills dealt labor unions a major defeat when she vetoed an offshore wind port construction bill that included lucrative carve-outs for organized labor. The carve-outs were problem for Maine’s largest construction companies, which are employee owned and not unionized. [The Maine Wire]
Have an enthusiasticly energetic day.
geoharvey 