Opinion:
¶ “Technologies To Enhance The Power Grid Exist, We Just Need To Deploy Them” • The Inflation Reduction Act is pushing the US toward a clean energy future. Unfortunately, our existing transmission system limitations threaten to undermine the law’s clean energy potential. Thankfully, new technologies are poised to integrate more renewable capacity. [MSN]
Transmission lines (Andrey Metelev, Unsplash)
Science and Technology:
¶ “How Wind Can Help Us Breathe Easier” • Windpower gives us energy that does not contribute to global warming or pollute the air. But what is the monetary value of this benefit? Multiplying CO₂ avoided by the social cost of carbon results in a benefit of $99/MWh for wind generation. That exceeds the value of the same energy from fossil fuels. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Zika, Dengue Transmission Expected To Rise With Climate Change” • There were 1,016 deaths in Brazil due to dengue hit a record high in 2022, in four digits for the first time. The sobering number is expected to be even higher in 2023. Transmission of arboviruses could increase by 20% over the next 30 years due to climate change. [The Good Men Project]
Protection from mosquitoes (Aarón Blanco Tejedor, Unsplash)
World:
¶ “A Losing Battle To Save The Lungs Of Athens As Wildfires Grip Greece” • Fires are raging across Greece, and with so many frontlines there are simply not enough firefighters in the country to stop them. You can feel them in the parched air scratching at your throat and stinging your eyes. Breathing is hard and the air is thick with acrid smoke. [CNN]
¶ “The Indigenous Groups Fighting Against The Quest For ‘White Gold’” • “Our land is drying up and our water is polluted,” said a protester at a roadblock in the village of Purmamarca, high in the Andes. The village is in what has become known as the “lithium triangle,” a stretch of mountains that holds the world’s biggest reserves of lithium. [BBC]
Purmamarca (Telmo Filho, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “38% Of New Cars Now Plugin Cars In Netherlands!” • The Netherlands saw an increase in plugin registrations to 10,922 units in July, with the Dutch plugin vehicle market reaching 38% last month. That kept the year-to-date score at 42%. That’s mostly thanks to pure electrics (25% of new vehicle sales), which jumped 43% year over year. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “EV Fast Charger Integration At Car Dealerships” • Jule, a North American EV charger manufacturer, offers auto dealers a way to lower their total cost of ownership for the EV chargers they install. The Jule EV charging systems include an on site storage battery that minimizes utility upgrade costs and helps avoid the demand charges. [CleanTechnica]
Chargers at a dealership (Courtesy Jule)
¶ “Hydropower In Africa Faces An Uncertain Future” • Africa’s reliance on hydropower could be headed for trouble as rapidly falling costs of solar and wind power and the impacts of climate change make the viability of future projects questionable, a study says. It shows 67% of future hydropower plants in the continent may not be worth the investment. [ZAWYA]
¶ “Brazil Has 189 GW Of Offshore Wind Power In The Pipeline” • Brazil has 189 GW of offshore wind projects currently under license at Ibama. Power generation from offshore wind is a still unexplored market in the country, but companies expect it to develop rapidly once the regulatory framework is approved and the first auctions begin. [Evwind]
Offshore wind farm (Ørsted image)
US:
¶ “As Young Conservatives Try To Get Climate On The Agenda In 2024, Denial Takes The Spotlight Instead” • During the debate, a young voter asked Republican candidates about the climate crisis. The answers showed candidates were out of touch with the 55% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who say human activity is changing the world’s climate. [CNN]
¶ “Unlocking Hydropower’s Potential” • Hydropower has been around a while. The first commercial hydropower plant was operating in California in 1893. But hydropower’s consistency, flexibility, and dispatchability have made it essential to the grid and to our clean energy transition. Today NREL researchers are maximizing its value. [CleanTechnica]
Small hydro dam (Scott DeNeale, ORNL, US DOE)
¶ “Court Finds That Southeast Market Transmission Scheme Protects Monopolies” • In the US South, powerful utilities created an energy trading market in 2021 that favored their expensive, carbon-intensive resources over the clean energy produced by independent generators. A court found it violates rules against monopolies. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “ERCOT Issues Conservation Request Saturday Ahead Of Expected Tight Grid Conditions” • ERCOT and the Public Utility Commission of Texas asked Texans to reduce their use of energy, if they could do so safely, on Saturday afternoon. Emergency operations were avoided due to Texas residents and businesses conserving energy. [NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth]
Texas landscape (Alyssa Kibiloski, Unsplash)
¶ “Homeowners Are Having To Pay Higher Insurance Premiums; Here’s Why Climate Change Is To Be Blamed” • A report said around 17% of homeowners’ insurance policies in Louisiana were canceled last year, and over two-thirds of policies had higher costs compared to other states. In climate-vulnerable states, some insurers went bankrupt. [Market Realist]
¶ “State Of Texas Wins Ongoing Battle With The NRC” • Texas brought a suit against the NRC over a license it issued for nuclear waste storage. The court ruled, “The Atomic Energy Act does not confer on the Commission the broad authority it claims to issue licenses for private parties to store spent nuclear fuel away-from-the-reactor.” [Newswest 9]
Have a charmingly entertaining day.
geoharvey 
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