Opinion:
¶ “Smoke In Our Eyes: National Park Grandeur Degraded By Global Warming” • A US Global Change Research Program report shows climate change is having effects on the natural environment, agriculture, energy production and use, land and water resources, transportation, and human health and welfare across the US and its territories. [CleanTechnica]
Howe Ridge Fire (Courtesy of National Park Service)
¶ “The Future Of Solar Energy In Maine Hinges On Passing LD 1986” • The future of solar energy in Maine depends on which of two bills is potentially enacted by the Legislature. Both LD 1347 and LD 1986 aim to address how solar projects are compensated for their electricity, but only LD 1986 will actually support solar development. [Bangor Daily News]
Science and Technology:
¶ “El Niño + Climate Change = Heat Records” • Climate change combined with this year’s El Niño set a new world record for worldwide heat on Tuesday – 62.92°F or 17.18°C. That may not sound that hot to anyone sweating through a summer heat wave, but the figure is almost a full degree Celsius above the average between 1979 and 2000. [CNN]
Hot day – wishing it felt as good as it looks (Lucian, Unsplash)
¶ “The Planet Saw Its Hottest Day Ever This Week. The Record Will Be Broken Again And Again” • This week saw a new record for the hottest global temperature ever, data from two climate tracking agencies shows. That is likely to happen again soon. The lead scientist at Berkeley Earth said we “may well see a few even warmer days over the next 6 weeks.” [CNN]
¶ “Penn State’s New LionGlass Is 10 Times Tougher And Has Half The Carbon Emissions” • Penn State University announced a new product, LionGlass, which is ten times more resistant to damage than soda lime silicate glass. And it uses about half the energy to manufacture, because the melting temperatures are lowered by about 300°C to 400°C. [CleanTechnica]
LionGlass (Courtesy of Penn State University)
¶ “Delivering A Net-Zero Future For Aluminum” • Processes used in aluminum production are energy-intensive and rely heavily on fossil-fuel generated electricity. Access to renewable power, emissions reduction technologies, scrap availability, and data transparency for emissions are increasing to meet the demand for low-carbon aluminum. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Oil Giant Shell Warns Cutting Production ‘Dangerous’” • The boss of energy giant Shell told the BBC that cutting oil and gas production would be “dangerous and irresponsible.” He warned increased demand from China and a cold winter in Europe could push energy prices and bills higher again. His statement angered some climate scientists. [BBC]
Refinery (Paul Teysen, Unsplash)
¶ “Anxiety And Anger Over Japan’s Nuclear Waste Water Plan” • A controversial plan by Japan to release treated waste water from the Fukushima nuclear plant has sparked widespread anxiety. Since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, over a million tonnes of treated waste water has accumulated there. Japan wants to start releasing it into the Pacific Ocean. [BBC]
¶ “Australian Mining Companies Chose Battery-Electric Over Hydrogen Fuel Cell Mining Trucks” • Both batteries and fuel cells provide the electricity needed to turn electric motors, so which is better? The companies have done their research. For them, the answer is clear. Battery-powered mining trucks are the way to go. Why? Efficiency. [CleanTechnica]
Caterpillar 793 electric truck (Courtesy of Caterpillar)
¶ “Floating Photovoltaics Emerge As A Promising Solution For Southeast Asia’s Clean Energy Future” • For countries with lots of solar potential and limited land, floating PV, or FPV, has potential for clean energy. The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory did an analysis of FPV potential for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Renewable Energy And Cleaner Transport: Egypt Updates Its Climate Commitments” • Egypt updated its carbon emissions plan to generate 42% of its energy from renewable resources by 2030 instead of 2035. It intends to meet this target replacing inefficient thermal power plants with renewable power sources, mainly solar and wind powered. [Egyptian Streets]
Cairo (Waleed Rostom, Unsplash)
¶ “UN Wants More Access To Ukraine Nuclear Plant Amid Sabotage Warnings” • The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency, has called for increased access to the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine as Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of planning acts of sabotage at Europe’s largest nuclear power facility. [Al Jazeera]
US:
¶ “Californian Winemakers Learning Firefighting Techniques” • Northern California’s Napa Valley had a historic wildfire season in 2020. The first blaze erupted in August, consuming hundreds of thousands of acres and killing five people. Vinyard owners had to adapt to learn not only firefighting techniques, but how to deal with wine flavored by smoke. [BBC]
Napa Valley vineyard (Gabriel Tovar, Unsplash)
¶ “Electric Bicycles Can Bridge Gap In Access To Transportation” • Power-assisted bicycles have existed for more than a century. While gasoline-powered bicycles are no longer mainstream, today, battery-powered electric bicycles are more popular than ever. Sales figures for e-bikes are significantly outpacing all other electric vehicles. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “EV Batteries Find Second Life Storing Solar Energy At Night” • B2U Storage Solutions, based in Los Angeles, is using the excess supply of used batteries to meet the high demand for stored clean energy. “It’s pretty simple: Take it out of the car, put it in, cable it up. And it’s ready to go,” Rachel Harper, B2U’s operations project manager, said. [KCRW]
Have a marvelously exquisite day.
geoharvey 
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