Science and Technology:
¶ “NREL Reimagines Next-Generation Drivetrain Technologies For Offshore Wind Turbines” • Studies leveraging conceptual designs of offshore wind turbines point to how their drivetrains could soon be changed to produce more power at lower cost, a paper by the US DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and General Electric Research shows. [NREL]
Block Island Wind Farm (Suzanne Tegen, NREL)
World:
¶ “Weather That Drove Eastern Canada’s Devastating Wildfires Made Twice As Likely By Climate Change” • The weather conditions that fueled record-shattering wildfires in eastern Canada earlier this summer and sent plumes of hazardous air into the US were made more likely and more intense by the climate crisis, according to a report. [CNN]
¶ “Heat Pump, Solar, And Battery Use Exploding In The UK” • Heat pumps and solar panels rule in the UK this June. In fact, it has been a bumper year for all green energy upgrades, batteries included, a 62% increase over 2022. According to The Guardian: “On average, more than 17,000 households installed solar panels every month this year.” [CleanTechnica]
Rooftop solar in the UK (Mtaylor848, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “India Aims For 65% Renewable Energy Share By 2030, Beating Previous Targets” • Speaking at an event to launch a book by Sumant Sinha, Chairman of ReNew Power, R K Singh, India’s Union Power Minister, revealed that India is poised to achieve a remarkable 65% share of renewable energy in its energy mix by the year 2030. [SolarQuarter]
¶ “Better Energy Picks Up Danish PV PPA” • IT infrastructure supplier Atea signed a 10-year PPA with Better Energy for energy from a new solar project in Denmark. The project will be connected to the grid later this year. It is expected to deliver 70 GWh per year of energy. The PPA will provide one-third of the electricity used by Atea in Denmark. [reNews]
Solar power and bee festival (Better Energy image)
¶ “Shell And BP Among Oil Firms Accused Of Greenwashing Over Renewable Energy” • Shell and BP are among twelve oil firms accused of greenwashing over the amount of renewable and low-carbon energy they produce. They generated just 0.02% and 0.17% of energy from renewable sources in 2022 respectively, the analysis claimed. [The Independent]
¶ “Investment In New Australian Wind And Solar Farms Stalls Amid ‘Raft Of Barriers’, Report Finds” • Investment in new wind and solar farms has all but stalled in Australia, as developers face a “raft of barriers” despite strong political support, says the latest Clean Energy Council quarterly report. Just 348 MW of projects were funded in the first half of 2023. [The Guardian]
ESA antenna and PVs (European Space Agency, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “New Research Shows Renewables Are More Profitable Than Nuclear Power” • Researchers from the European Environmental Bureau, the Stockholm School of Economics, and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research questioned recent efforts to increase investments in nuclear power, especially in the EU and the US. [pv magazine India]
US:
¶ “Solar Up 20X, Fossil Fuel Use Down In California” • According to data from the California Energy Commission, the state made significant strides to meet goals to develop a resilient grid, attain 100% clean electricity, and meet its carbon neutrality objectives. In the last decade, solar generation grew from 2,609 GWh to an astounding 48,950 GWh. [CleanTechnica]
Please click on the image to enlarge it. (CEC image)
¶ “Biden-Harris Admin Approves 4th Major Offshore Wind Project” • The Interior Department announced its approval of the Revolution Wind project. Located about 15 nautical miles southeast of Point Judith, Rhode Island, the project will have an estimated capacity of 704 MW, which is enough power for nearly 250,000 homes. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “86% Of New US Electric Utility Generation Capacity Coming From Non-Fossil Fuels In 2023” • Efforts to decarbonize the US power grid are evident in planned additions and retirement of utility-scale generating capacity. For 2023, new capacity will be primarily from solar (52%) and wind (13%), while batteries for stored energy will provide 17%. [CleanTechnica]
Please click on the image to enlarge it. (US EIA image)
¶ “Growing The Geothermal Energy Workforce – 1st Cohort In US DOE’s INTERN Program” • The US DOE and the National Science Foundation announced the first cohort of geothermal interns in the NSF INTERN program. The collaboration is the first activity coordinated under a NSF-DOE Memorandum of Understanding. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Dominion And Dulles Break Ground On Nation’s Largest Renewable Energy Project At An Airport” • Dominion Energy and Virginia officials broke ground at Dulles International Airport for a solar, battery, and EV project they said will be largest such project at an airport. It will have 100 MW of solar capacity and a 50 MW battery. [Virginia Mercury]
Dulles International Airport (Tripod, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “Micron Vs New York Energy Policy” • Computer chip maker Micron revealed that by the 2040s its Onondaga County plants will be sucking up enough electricity to power New Hampshire and Vermont combined. All of it is supposed to be renewable energy, but as yet, the state has no plan for providing that much renewable power. [Empire Center for Public Policy]
¶ “Governor Hochul Signs Legislation To Protect Hudson River” • Earlier this year, a nuclear power plant announced a plan to dump over a million gallons of radioactive wastewater into the Hudson River. New York State lawmakers passed legislation to prohibit such a release of nuclear materials. Governor Hochul has now signed it into law. [Erie News Now]
Have a significantly peachy day.
geoharvey 