Opinion:
¶ “UK Biomass Strategy Won’t Stop The Destruction Of North American Forests” • The growing wood pellet industry, driven by UK demand, is damaging some of the most important forests on the North American continent, and the biodiversity they support. The UK government has a new Biomass Strategy, but it has very little in it to improve the situation. [CleanTechnica]
Deforestation (Sebastian Pichler, Unsplash)
World:
¶ “Nearly 40% Of Tesla’s Battery Material Suppliers Come From China” • Of the ten best selling plugin vehicles in the world, eight are Chinese models. The other two are Teslas, which can also be produced and sold in China. A lot of the EV battery minerals of the world are mined or at least processed in China. Here, we take a look at the implications. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “As The Earth Gets Hotter, Can Our Cities Get Cooler?” • Most years, lately, heat is the deadliest disaster. It kills an average of 490,000 people globally and causes severe health problems for many more. Deaths from heat are expected to grow by 50% by 2050, according to the World Health Organization. It can be at its worst in poor urban areas. [CleanTechnica]
One Solution to heat (CHUTTERSNAP, Unsplash)
¶ “Micron Technology Initiates Major Rooftop Solar Project In Singapore For Sustainable Operations” • Micron Technology, a prominent memory chip maker, is installing 36,000 solar panels on the roof of its Singapore plant and carport. This sustainable initiative aims to use renewable energy to reduce the company’s carbon footprint. [Solar Quarter]
¶ “Vestas Turbine Sets World Record” • Vestas’s V236-15 MW prototype wind turbine set a world record for the most power output by a single unit. The Danish manufacturer’s wind turbine racked up 363 MWh in 24 hours. The prototype was installed at the offshore Østerild National test center for large wind turbines in Denmark, in December 2022. [reNews]
V236-15 MW turbines (Vestas image)
¶ “Vehicle-To-Grid Tech Put To Test In SA Trial” • Flinders University has brought ten V2G chargers online, working with the Australian arm of French renewables developer Engie. They allow compatible EVs to be used as mobile batteries that can store and supply energy directly to the grid during periods of high demand. [pv magazine Australia]
UK:
¶ “UK Homes Install ‘Record Number’ Of Solar Panels And Heat Pumps” • British households are making more green energy upgrades than ever before, installing a record number of solar panels and heat pumps. Industry figures show there were more green energy installations in June alone than in any six-month period in previous years. [The Guardian]
Housing in Bristol (Louis Reed, Unsplash)
¶ “‘Change Is Needed’: Ofgem Chief Calls On Ministers To Rethink Energy Price Caps” • In what could herald a shake-up of Britain’s energy market, Ofgem’s Jonathan Brearley is calling on ministers to rethink the “very broad and crude” price control used to keep bills in check for the past four years, to find whether it is still fit for it purpose. [The Guardian]
¶ “Risks Of Further Delays At Hinkley Point C, EDF Warns” • EDF has admitted there is a risk of further delays to two nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point C due to construction setbacks. The French energy giants behind the new nuclear power station along the Somerset coast remarked last year that the plants may start 15 months late. [Somerset Live]
Hinkley C nuclear station (Gov.uk, Open government licence 3.0)
US:
¶ “When A ‘Fire Hurricane’ Hit, Maui’s Warning Sirens Never Sounded” • Dozens of survivors shared their stories of escape and loss with the BBC. Their stories help for piecing together a picture of the tragedy that unfolded when fires moving at a mile per minute consumed the town. Lahaina’s wildfires are the deadliest in the US in over a century. [BBC]
¶ “The US Passed A Major Climate Law One Year Ago. Here’s How It’s Going” • A year ago this week, the Inflation Reduction Act, the first major federal climate legislation in US history, was signed into law. The act is just the first step on the way for the US to meet its climate goals. But it has kicked off a stunning boom in clean energy. [Canary Media]
Wind turbines (Anna Jiménez Calaf, Unsplash)
¶ “Automakers Pursue Energy Reduction Efforts In Shift To Renewable Energy” • The Detroit Three automakers have taken actions to reduce their energy consumption to conserve on costs and help ensure a reliable energy supply as they move toward running their operations fully off renewable electricity sources in the coming years. [The Detroit News]
¶ “UAlbany, UConn And Utilities To Research Weather, Power Grid Needs” • One of the challenges in shifting to a carbon-free power grid is the weather. Researchers at Universities of Albany and Connecticut hope to get answers to questions about weather and energy through a consortium using expertise from both academia and utility companies. [Times Union]
Brandford House, UConn (Tomas Martinez, Unsplash)
¶ “Why Haven’t Summer’s Extreme Heat Waves Caused Any Blackouts?” • Florida is set to experience heat index values of up to 115°F this week. Persistent, scorching temperatures covered much of the Southwest, expanding into the Midwest and Northeast in July. Record after record was broken, but so far, the grid has not failed. Why? Renewables. [USA Today]
¶ “One Congregation Offers Case Study As Episcopal Church Works Toward 2030 Carbon Neutral Goal” • When the heat went out, so did the reluctance to end the dependence on fossil fuels at St Martin’s Episcopal Church in Davis, California. By 2021, St Martin’s had become carbon neutral, as certified by Interfaith Power & Light. [National Catholic Reporter]
Have a spectacularly easy day.
geoharvey 
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