Science and Technology:
¶ “‘It Was An Accident’: The Scientists Who Have Turned Humid Air Into Renewable Power” • “To be frank, it was an accident,” says the lead author of a study that extracted electricity from humid air. “We were actually interested in making a simple sensor for humidity in the air. But [a student] forgot to plug in the power.” [The Guardian]
Lightning (Johannes Plenio, Unsplash)
World:
¶ “Energy Boss Says Prices Might Rise This Winter” • Energy prices could spike this winter forcing governments to step in and subsidise bills again, Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency said. He added that if the Chinese economy strengthens quickly and there is a harsh winter, gas prices could rise, putting pressure on consumers. [BBC]
¶ “Shipping Faces Showdown Over Greenhouse Gases” • Ocean transport emits as much CO₂ as Germany, but is the biggest global sector without a goal for cutting emissions to “net zero.” Some delegates at a UN summit want emissions halved by 2030 and cut to net-zero by 2050. Campaigners say agreement to that goal would be the climate “deal of the decade.” [BBC]
Port of Singapore (shawnanggg, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “Air Pollution Causes One In Six Human Deaths” • According to a recent report from the journal The Lancet Planetary Health, pollution is “responsible for approximately 9 million deaths per year, corresponding to one in six deaths worldwide.” It is also estimated that air pollution resulted in $4.6 trillion in economic losses in 2015. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Philippines’ DOE Identifies 68 Renewable Energy Projects In Western Visayas” • The Department of Energy of the Philippines announced its plans for 68 potential renewable energy projects in Western Visayas, with a total capacity of 14,245 MW. Currently, Western Visayas has 29 operating projects with a total capacity of 708 MW. [SolarQuarter]
Philippine wind turbines (Paolo Dala, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “Wind And Solar Power In China On Track To Help Avoid Global Warming” • A report by Global Energy Monitor, whose work is often used by the World Bank, shows that wind and solar power growth in China may help curb global carbon emissions far faster than expected. China, by itself, could increase global solar capacity 85% by 2025. [Interesting Engineering]
¶ “Record Temperatures in Warming Oceans Causes Chaotic Weather Patterns” • Researchers say they are detecting a big spikes in ocean surface temperatures worldwide. They are as much as 5°C (9°F) above normal in the North Atlantic, and they could rise even higher. Warmer oceans are triggering chaotic weather patterns around the world. [VOA]
Fishing boat (Paul Einerhand, Unsplash)
¶ “Lord Goldsmith Resigns From Government, Accusing Sunak Of ‘Apathy’ On Climate” • There is widespread coverage in UK media of international environment minister Zac Goldsmith’s resignation from the government. In a scathing letter, Lord Zac Goldsmith took aim at the prime minister for being ‘simply uninterested’ in the environment. [Carbon Brief]
¶ “New Green Energy Approvals Pathway Open For Business” • A green energy approvals team is streamlining environmental assessments to reduce project approval times. Its $22.5 million of funding will overhaul the State’s approach to environmental approvals to provide coordinated, cross-government support for investors. [Government of Western Australia]
Solar panels (Markus Spiske, Unsplash)
¶ “Ukraine ‘Preparing For Nuclear Explosion’ As Russian Troops Ordered To Leave Zaporizhzhia Plant” • Ukraine is reportedly “preparing for a nuclear explosion” at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. “I still cannot process that in the 21st century, this is what is happening,” a Ukrainian member of parliament said, noting that the whole world is watching. [News.com.au]
¶ “Japan To Go Ahead With Releasing Nuclear Waste Into Sea” • The release of treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean this summer will proceed as planned, with the exact timing yet to be decided, Japan announced. One official said, however, “The release should not coincide with the sea bathing season.” [Anadolu Agency]
Beach in Japan (Pixy.org, CC0)
US:
¶ “Wind And Solar Prop Up Texas Grid” • The brutal heat, made worse by climate change, caused some coal and gas power to fail, Texas’s grid operator said. Even so, “wind and solar are giving us a big enough buffer that even when we have a handful of power plants go offline, it isn’t causing disruptions,” a Rice University professor said. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Amazon Robotaxi Team Growing, Robotaxi Use Launches In Las Vegas” • Zoox, owned by Amazon, is expanding its robotaxi service. It’s still only for employee use, but employees now have access to the robotaxis in the city of Las Vegas, Nevada. On June 16, Zoox robotaxis began operating there – no drivers, no pedals, no steering wheels. [CleanTechnica]
Zoox L5 fully autonomous, all-electric robotaxi (Courtesy of Zoox)
¶ “Tesla Sales Shatter Wall Street Expectations – Nine Charts” • Tesla has released then numbers for its production and sales in the second quarter of this year. The take-home summary: they crushed Wall Street’s expectations. Here, we focus on deliveries, so we can take a look at the progress over time, as it is shown in nine charts. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Eolus Make Investment In US Battery Project” • Eolus has made an investment decision for the stand-alone Pome battery storage project in San Diego County, California. Construction will begin in the third quarter of 2023 with planned commercial operation in the fourth quarter of 2024. The project is planned to have a capacity of 100-MW, 400-MWh. [reNews]
Have a spectacularly undemanding day.
geoharvey 