Opinion:
¶ “That Chinese EV Price War Truce Dissolved Real Quickly – What Does That Mean?” • Soon after the agreement was made to end the EV price war in China, the China Association of Auto Manufacturers, which arranged the meeting and agreement, said in a statement that realized the agreement had actually violated China’s antitrust law. [CleanTechnica]
BYD E6 taxi (LN9267, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)
¶ “Time To Close Diablo” • California’s Central Coast is faced with a 20-year license extension for the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant. San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace is doing everything it can to show why an extension of Diablo’s license is the wrong thing to do. California needs a safe, reliable, all-renewable energy portfolio. [The Santa Barbara Independent]
Science and Technology:
¶ “The Transformation Of Global Steel Making Has Huge Potential” • A major insight from Agora is that the once seen as “hard-to-abate” sector, the steel industry, now has the potential to turn into a “fast-to-abate” sector. A net-zero iron and steel industry is technically feasible by the early 2040s using a rapid rollout of new technologies. [CleanTechnica]
Blast furnace (Kateryna Babaieva, Pexels)
World:
¶ “Is This Extreme Weather The ‘New Normal?’ There’s No Such Thing, Some Scientists Say” • This year, summer in the Northern Hemisphere is a tale of heat, floods, and fire. But scientists warn this may only be a preview of the chaos to come if we continue to pump out planet-heating pollution. Until we stop doing that, we have no idea of what is to come. [CNN]
¶ “The Australian Climate Protesters Cast As Extremists” • Stench gas is released in mines as a danger warning. Protesters used it at the main offices of Woodside Energy, the largest oil and gas firm in Australia, to highlight the climate crisis. The investigation was done by a counter-terrorism group. Lawyers warn that Australia is being “increasingly militarised.” [BBC]
Oil platform in Australian waters (CSIRO, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “Tesla Now At 4% Of US Auto Market, Nearly 3% Of European Auto Market” • One of the most interesting elements of Tesla’s quarterly shareholder reports is something that seldom gets much attention. What I’m talking about is Tesla’s graph on the company’s market share in three major auto markets – the US, Europe, and China. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Tata’s New $5.2 Billion EV Battery Plant Catapults UK From Zero To Hero” • The economic news out of the UK has been less than encouraging since its withdrawal from the EU in 2020. But now, Tata Motors, the leading Indian automaker, has announced that it will build a $5.2 billion EV battery plant there for its iconic Jaguar Land Rover business. [CleanTechnica]
Tata drive system
¶ “China’s Installed Renewable Energy Capacity Surges In H1” • In the first half of 2023, China’s installed capacity of renewable energy grew 18.2% compared with the same period last year, according to the National Energy Administration. The installed capacity of wind power grew 13.7% year on year, while that of solar power was up 39.8%. [People’s Daily]
¶ “Europe Stockpiling 40 GW (DC) Of Chinese Solar Panels” • Chinese-manufactured solar panels are piling up in European warehouses, with about 40 GW (DC) of capacity currently in storage, according to Rystad Energy. The number of panels, worth about £7 billion, is same amount installed across the continent in 2022. [reNews]
Solar panels (Jadon Kelly, Unsplash, cropped)
US:
¶ “Tesla Revenue Up 47%, Gross Profit Up 7% Year Over Year” • In the second quarter of 2023, Tesla continued to rake in the cash on the back of record global deliveries. The company brought in nearly $25 billion in revenue in the second quarter, which was 47% more than in Q2 2022. Here we look a little more closely at these and other numbers. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Volkswagen Group Uses Tennessee Lab To Add Lightness, Improve Wireless Charging” • Colin Chapman, founder of Lotus Cars in 1952, often said, “Adding power makes you faster on the straights. Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere.” Volkswagen Group is engaged in subtracting weight, especially EVs, at a Tennessee laboratory. [CleanTechnica]
Super-lightweight whuzzit (Courtesy of Volkswagen)
¶ “There’s One Self-Driving Electric Car You Can Now Buy In California – The Mercedes-Benz EQS” • Whereas you have to keep your eyes open and your hands on the wheel in a Tesla with FSD active, up to date, and in use, in a 2024 Mercedes-Benz EQS, you can now close your eyes and take your hands off the wheel on certain highways in California. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “The Economics Of Green Energy: A Case Study Of Wind Ranchers In Texas” • When a developer offered John Davis cash for the right to install an array of wind turbines on his land, he looked at the numbers. Davis can get $8 per acre raising cattle, $15 per acre from deer hunters, but many hundreds of dollars by hosting wind turbines. [Electropages]
Wind turbines in Texas (Leaflet, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “Solar Power Could Help Stabilize The Texas Power Grid Amid Record Electricity Demand” • Wednesday set a record for Texas power demand. ERCOT data shows the demand was over 82,500 MW. The previous record was set on Monday. ERCOT records also show that solar and wind energy have helped manage that demand and keep the grid stable. [KENS 5]
¶ “Texas Solar Energy Jobs Surge Amidst Heatwave: A Bright Future For Power Grid Stability” • As the heatwave continues and tests the Texas grid, solar energy is key in meeting demand. Solar is growing and creating more jobs, a report shows. The growth in jobs means more people turning to solar, and that means less stress on the grid. [CBS Austin]
Have a thoroughly satisfying day.
geoharvey 