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World:

¶ “Storm Daniel: Greek Farmers Fear They May Never Recover” • During Storm Daniel, one of the worst hit parts of Greece was the Thessaly plain, an important agricultural area. Fruit trees, corn, and around a fifth of the cotton crop were destroyed and over 200,000 animals and poultry killed. The short-term cost could be up to €5 billion ($5.3 billion). [BBC]

Storm Daniel, three days of deluge (NASA, public domain)

¶ “Half Of UK Drivers See E-Bikes As Viable Alternative For Shorter Trips” • According to recent consumer research by Auto Trader UK, British car owners are increasingly considering the practical option of e-bikes for shorter journeys. Almost half (47%) view the e-bikes as a viable alternative. Nevertheless, the pace of growth is slow. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “50 New Electric Buses Will Soon Be Operating In Edinburgh” • Lothian Buses, a public transit provider in Edinburgh and the Lothians, ordered 50 new electric Volvo BZL buses for its fleet. The 50 double-deck buses cost over £24 million. They have zero direct emissions and will help improve air quality. They will start operating in 2024. [CleanTechnica]

Electric bus in Edinburgh (Volvo Bus UK & Ireland)

¶ “Renewable Energy Jobs Soared To 13.7 Million In 2022, Says Report” • Worldwide employment in renewable energy reached 13.7 million in 2022, an increase of one million since 2021 and up from a total of 7.3 million in 2012, according to a report by the International Renewable Energy Agency and the International Labour Organization. [The Business Standard]

¶ “Green Energy In Uzbekistan: Prospects Of Solar And Wind Power Plants” • According to the estimates of the International Energy Agency and the UN Economic Commission for Europe, Uzbekistan has a potential to produce 2,091 billion kWh per year from solar and windpower. That is thirty times as great as the country’s annual consumption. [Gulf Times]

Masdar solar farm in Uzbekistan

¶ “Solar-Powered Pump Charges Water Changes In Ethiopian Village” • The village of Gol’Anod has a pump to provide its water. There was a time when the pump was driven by a diesel engine, but now, it is solar-powered. But it was upgraded by Oxfam in 2022 with the installation of a set of solar panels as an alternative power source. [Oxfam America]

¶ “Atlas Renewable Energy commissions 600 MW Of Solar PV In Brazil” • Latin America-focused solar developer Atlas Renewable Energy has commissioned 600 MW of solar PV in Brazil. Sited in the eastern state of Minas Gerais, the two solar plants, Lar do Sol and Casablanca, have installed capacities of 239 MW and 359 MW, respectively. [PV Tech]

Casablanca solar plant (Atlas Renewable Energy image)

¶ “IAEA Demands Russia Immediately Leave Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant” • The International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference has adopted a resolution on the immediate return of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant under Ukraine’s full control. There were 69 countries in support of the resolution. [Energy Central]

US:

¶ “Biden Administration Approves More Offshore Drilling In Bid To Expand Wind Energy” • The Biden administration revealed plans for as many as three new oil and gas drilling lease sales in federal waters over the next five years. The Interior Department was required by law to create the plan, but the number of leases offered is the smallest in history. [CNN]

Offshore oil rig (Kayden Moore, Pexels, cropped)

¶ “Record Rain In New York City Generates ‘Life-Threatening’ Flooding, Overwhelming Streets And Subways” • Record-setting rain overwhelmed New York City’s sewer system, sending a surge of floodwater coursing through streets and into basements and subways. A month’s worth of rain fell in Brooklyn in just three hours in a deluge worsened by climate change. [CNN]

¶ “Sea Lion Escapes From Central Park Zoo Pool Amid Severe New York City Flooding” • A sea lion escaped from its pool at the Central Park Zoo amid the severe flooding that’s pounding New York City, officials said. The sea lion never beached the zoo’s secondary perimeter, however, and has been returned to its familiar exhibit in the zoo. [ABC News]

Flooded sea lion habitat (New York City Police Department)

¶ “Gasoline Prices In California Are Up 80¢ In A Month” • The average price of a gallon of gas in California reached $6.08, up some 80¢ or 15% since a month ago, according to data compiled by AAA. At some gas stations in Los Angeles, prices are hovering around $7.00 a gallon. The high cost is partly due to a surge in the cost of crude oil. [ABC News]

¶ “$500 Million For Electric School Buses That Reduce Pollution, Save Money, And Protect Health” • The US EPA announced the availability of at least $500 million in funding from the Clean School Bus rebate competition. The program is transforming school bus fleets across America and protecting children from air pollution. [CleanTechnica]

Boston Public Schools electric buses (Blue Bird image)

¶ “New Transit Service Funding In California – How States Can Find More” • California has responded in part to advocates’ calls to support public transit, though State leaders stopped short of using historic federal funding to help avert an imminent ‘fiscal cliff.’ But the $1.1 billion in new funding falls well short of the $5 billion transit advocates sought. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Maine’s Largest Dairy Farm Demonstrates The ‘Power’ Of Cow Poop” • Flood Brother’s Farm is Maine’s largest dairy farm. It is one of seven farms that provide 170,000 gallons of manure a day to the state’s first community renewable natural gas dairy digester. The digester generates methane from the manure and injects it into a natual gas pipeline. [WMTW]

Have a soothingly restful day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “New Study Definitively Confirms Gulf Stream Weakening” • The Gulf Stream transport of water through the Florida Straits has slowed by 4% over the past four decades, according to a study published in Geophysical Research Letters. The study says there is a 99% certainty that this weakening is more than expected from random chance. [CleanTechnica]

Gulf Stream (NOAA SciJinks)

World:

¶ “How Renewable Energy Is Transforming Global Electricity” • Two senior NREL researchers recently published an article in the Journal of Photovoltaics tracking changes to the world’s electricity supply over the past several years. They show that a majority of electricity is still generated using fossil fuels, but new capacity is dominated by renewable energy. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Nissan: No New ICE Cars For Europe, All-EV By 2030” • In a recent press release, Nissan announced that starting now, there will be no new combustion-powered vehicle models for the market, and by 2030, the company wants all new Nissans to be “100% electric.” We can take a quick look at the announcement and review what it means. [CleanTechnica]

Nissan concept car (Nissan image)

¶ “Fuel cell power for electric vehicle charging” • Hydrogen and fuel cells represent an opportunity for EV charging. Hydrogen can store and release energy efficiently, and by use of highly efficient PEM fuel cells, it offers a constant and sustainable hydrogen-powered EV charging solution while reducing the strain on the grid. [Ballard Power Systems]

¶ “Sterling And Wilson Renewable Energy Wins Order Worth ₹1,535 Crore” • Sterling and Wilson Renewable Energy Ltd has received an award from NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd for the 300-MW EPC project at Khavda RE Power Park, Rann of Kutch, in Gujarat, a company statement said. The order is worth ₹1,535 Crore ($184.76 million). [BQ Prime]

Solar and storage (Sterling and Wilson Renewable Energy)

¶ “‘Deep Concern’: Shell Employees Urge CEO To Rethink Shift From Renewables In Rare Letter” • After Shell CEO Wael Sawan announced plans to scale back investments in renewable energy, Shell employees sent him an open letter stating they are “deeply concerned” by the turn the fossil fuel giant is taking away from renewables. [Euronews.com]

¶ “Rise Of Wooden Towers: A Green Solution For Wind Turbines” • Swedish startup Modvion AB is revolutionizing the wind turbine industry by building towers made of wood instead of steel. This innovative approach aims to reduce the carbon footprint of wind power by over 90%. The world’s tallest wooden turbine tower is currently under construction. [EnergyPortal.eu]

Construction of wind turbine (Modvion AB)

US:

¶ “Warren Buffett Plans To Invest $3.9 Billion In Wind And Solar Power Projects” • Warren Buffett, the renowned chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, is set to make a substantial commitment to allocating $3.9 billion toward wind and solar power projects. And two promising startups share similar trajectories of innovation and potential. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ “Hualapai Indian Tribe: Solar-Plus-Storage Equals Savings Of $450,000 Per Year At Grand Canyon West” • At Grand Canyon West, the Hualapai Indian Tribe installed a solar photovoltaic array and battery system to help withstand short-term outages and rising energy costs. The system is capable of providing 50% of the annual energy for GCW. [CleanTechnica]

Hualapai Tribe PVs (Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs)

¶ “Updated Report And Data Illustrate Distributed Solar Pricing And Design Trends” • The US DOE  released the latest edition of Berkeley Lab’s Tracking the Sun annual report. It describes price and design trends for grid-connected, distributed solar PV and PV-plus-storage systems, based on data from roughly 3.2 million systems in the US in 2022. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Six Massachusetts School Districts To Acquire Electric School Buses” • The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center awarded grants to six Massachusetts school districts to electrify their school bus fleets. The grants are up to $2 million per fleet. They include funds for new buses and technical assistance to make them operational. [CleanTechnica]

GreenPower electric school bus (GreenPower Motor Company)

¶ “Ørsted Completes 200-MW Wind Farm In Kansas” • Ørsted announced the start of operations for Sunflower Wind, a wind farm in Marion County, Kansas. To celebrate this achievement in clean energy development, Ørsted hosted a gathering attended by partners, landowners, community members, and local and state elected officials. [PR Newswire]

¶ “US Solar Power Soars, Chases Wind And Beats Hydropower” • In July, solar power in the US showed strong growth, according to data from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Energy Information Administration. FERC reported that solar accounted for 67.2% of new US capacity in July, bringing its share of total capacity to 7.12%. [Energy Live News]

Solar panels over a canal (Solar AquaGrid)

¶ “Governor McKee Announces Opportunity To Bring 1200 MW Of New Offshore Wind to Rhode Island” • Governor Dan McKee announced that Rhode Island Energy, the state’s leading energy utility, will be issuing a new Request for Proposals to solicit about 1200 MW of new offshore wind to help power the state’s clean energy needs. [Governor Dan McKee]

¶ “New Legislation Aims To Expand US Nuclear Fuel Programs” • US Representatives Bob Latta (R-OH) and Jim Clyburn (D-SC) this week reintroduced the Nuclear Fuel Security Act, HR 5718, hoping to drive new investments in domestic energy production. The bill, seeks to create a Nuclear Fuel Security Program under the US DOE. [Daily Energy Insider]

Have a beneficially consequential day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Autonomous Long Haul Trucking Is Key To Real Emissions Reductions” • The long haul autonomous trucking dream is a bit difficult to translate to reality. What’s the equation that will take their large size and the heavy weight of batteries to move heavy cargoes long distances? Where is the necessary fast charging infrastructure coming from? [CleanTechnica]

Autonomous truck (Torc image)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Researchers Using AI To Aid Disaster Response And Recovery” • At the US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, researchers are advancing AI and exploring its ability to accelerate scientific discovery, deepen our understanding of complex issues, and improve overall operations and emergency response. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Britain Approves Huge, Controversial Oil And Gas Field In The North Sea” • The UK government approved development of a huge oil and gas field in the North Sea, sealing its commitment to keep producing fossil fuels for decades. The Rosebank field, northwest of Shetland, has the potential to produce 500 million barrels of oil. [CNN]

Offshore oil rig (Zachary Theodore, Unsplash)

¶ “Coal Makes A Quiet Resurgence In The Clean Energy Era” • As momentum is shifting toward clean energy, and big banks like Goldman Sachs have pledged to divest from the dirty energy source, reports that coal power is dying appear to be premature. Smaller funds have popped up to fill the void in coal investing, so coal has some unexpected staying power. [CNN]

¶ “EU Truck Industry Could Lose 11% Of Sales To Tesla And BYD” • European truckmakers could lose 11% of the EU market to international electric rivals by 2035, Boston Consulting Group said in a study commissioned by Transport & Environment. BCG finds EU demand for zero-emission trucks will surge to 55% of sales by 2030, as prices fall. [CleanTechnica]

BYD electric trucks (Courtesy of BYD)

¶ “26% Of New Cars In France Now Plugin Cars” • Plugin vehicles continue to rise in France, with last month’s plugin registrations ending at 29,184 units, divided between 19,657 battery EVs (17% share of the overall auto market) and 9,527 plugin hybrids (8% of the market). The former jumped 60% year over year, while the latter were up by 55%. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Oslo To Replace Almost All Diesel Buses With Electric Buses By Year’s End” • Norway makes no apology for its seeking to electrify its transportation sector as quickly as possible. Its clean transportation initiative includes the public sector, as Oslo and other Norwegian cities covert their public transportation systems to electric buses. [CleanTechnica]

Buses in Oslo (Eirik Skarstein, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Indian Solar Power Market Size To Increase By $273.82 Billion Between 2022 And 2027” • The Indian Solar Power Market size is expected to grow by $273.82 billion, accelerating at a CAGR of 34.24% during the forecast period, according to Technavio. The increasing investments in renewable energy are notably driving the solar power market in India. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ “Saudi Arabia Forms Joint Venture With Greece To Link Power Grids” • Saudi Arabia has signed a deal with Greece to establish a jointly-owned company to link up the two countries’ power grids with the goal of supplying Europe with clean energy, according to Reuters. Greece’s energy mix is 40% renewable, and the country is seeking to boost this. [Oil Price]

USNS Zeus (T-ARC 7) cable layer (USN, public domain)

¶ “Greenpeace Warns Over Safety Of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant” • International regulators are not able to monitor safety at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant properly, a critical dossier compiled by Greenpeace says. The dossier, which is being sent to western governments, says too few inspectors are facing too many restrictions. [The Guardian]

US:

¶ “Projects Could Power 18 Million US Homes With Offshore Wind Energy” • The US offshore wind energy development pipeline reached a potential generating capacity of 52,687 MW at the end of May 2023, according to a NREL analysis. If fully developed, these projects could power over 18 million American homes. [CleanTechnica]

Offshore wind farm (Mitchell Orr, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “JD Power Report Indicates Some States Will Lag Far Behind Others On EV Adoption” • A recent report from JD Power makes it pretty clear that the transition to EVs will not be as simple as we had hoped. Instead of climbing one hill in the US, it’s going to be more like climbing fifty different hills simultaneously. We will climb some faster than others. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Renewable Power Helped The US Survive Hottest Summer Ever” • This summer, the US endured the two warmest months ever recorded, yet the system held. Despite years of messages trying to raise doubts about whether renewables have a place in grid reliability, there’s no doubt now that wind and solar power and battery storage held their own. [NRDC]

Solar worker (Ken Oltmann, CoServ)

¶ “City Council Reviews Report On Ways To Achieve 100% Renewable Energy In Ann Arbor” • The Ann Arbor City Council convened for a work session to discuss a study by a team led by 5 Lakes Energy on ways the city of Ann Arbor can meet its 100% renewable energy goal. The council requested a feasibility study last September. [The Michigan Daily]

¶ “USDA Sees Record Demand to Advance Clean Energy in Rural America Through President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda” • US Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the USDA received record demand for funding to advance affordable and reliable clean energy in rural America under the Inflation Reduction Act. [USDA]

Have a grandly tranquil day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “The Potential Of Solar Cars In The World” • The integration of photovoltaic modules into EVs, solar cars, can contribute to the reduction of emissions in the transportation sector, reducing CO₂ emissions associated with electricity generation, along with charging costs and frequency, with benefits for users and the electrical grid itself. [CleanTechnica]

Aptera EV (Aptera image)

¶ “Trump Falsely Claims Wind Turbines Lead To Whale Deaths By Making Them ‘Batty’” • Donald Trump launched a largely baseless attack on wind turbines for causing large numbers of whales to die, claiming that “windmills” are making the cetaceans “crazy” and “a little batty.” Trump has a history of making false claims about renewable energy. [The Guardian]

World:

¶ “‘Not Nearly Enough’ IEA Says Fossil Fuel Demand Will Peak Soon But Urges Faster Action” • Global demand for oil, natural gas, and coal is likely to peak by 2030. It is an “encouraging” development but “not nearly enough” to limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5°C, according to the International Energy Agency. [CNN]

Coal-burning power plant (Sam LaRussa, Unsplash)

¶ “‘Truly A David And Goliath Case’: Six Young People Take 32 Countries To Court In Unprecedented Case” • The European Court of Human Rights will hear an “unprecedented” lawsuit, brought by six young people against 32 European countries for failing to tackle the human-caused climate crisis. The case was fast-tracked due to urgency. [CNN]

¶ “The Autopax Air Yetu Shows Us That Small EVs Have The Potential Increase Capacity Of Vehicle Assembly Plants In Africa” • The Autopax Air EV Yetu is a fascinating car, and an interesting development for Kenya. That is because it is actually a rebadged Wuling Air by SAIC-GM-Wuling. The Air Yetu EV will soon be assembled in Thika, near Nairobi. [CleanTechnica]

Autopax Air EV Yetus (EMAK and the Green Africa Foundation)

¶ “Masdar And PLN NP Agree To Triple Size of ASEAN’s Largest Floating Solar Plan” • Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC – Masdar and PLN Nusantara Power, agreed to develop Phase II of the Cirata floating photovoltaic power plant in Indonesia by up to 500 MW, in a major expansion to Southeast Asia’s largest FPV plant. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

US:

¶ “The Goats Fighting Fires In Los Angeles” • Factors such as hotter, drier conditions due to climate change are key drivers in increasing the risk and severity of the fires, research shows. But land management can play an important role, as the build-up of dead trees and dry shrubs creates dangerous fuel that can lead to big, severe fires. Goats can help with that. [BBC]

Goats at work (City of West Sacramento)

¶ “BOEM Completes Environmental Review Of Proposed Wind Project Offshore Virginia” • In support of the US government goal of deploying 30 GW of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management completed its environmental review of the proposed Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind commercial project. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Louisiana’s Saltwater Problem Shows Us How Climate Change Can Have Complex, Unanticipated Consequences” • Southern Louisiana is having some serious problems with water that are only going to get worse in the coming weeks. Salty water from the ocean is finding its way up the Mississippi River, and it is polluting drinking water. [CleanTechnica]

USACE briefing (Ryan Labadens, DOD, public domain)

¶ “Southern Power Acquires Its First Wyoming Solar Facility” • Southern Power, a wholesale energy provider and subsidiary of Southern Company, acquired its 30th solar project, the 150-MW South Cheyenne Solar Facility, from Qcells USA Corporation. The project is expected to achieve commercial operation in the first quarter of 2024. [Solar Industry]

¶ “$1.4 Billion For 70 Projects That Will Improve Rail Safety, Strengthen Supply Chains, And Add Passenger Rail Service” • The Federal Railroad Administration of the US DOT announced that it has invested more than $1.4 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law into seventy rail improvement projects in 35 states and Washington, DC [CleanTechnica]

Union Pacific Railroad electric train (Courtesy of Progress Rail)

¶ “US Energy Storage Capacity Additions Rise 161% In Q2, Set New Record” • The US energy storage industry added 1,680 MW, 5,597 MWh in the second quarter of 2023, marking the strongest quarter on record and reversing two straight quarters of stalled growth, said a report by Wood Mackenzie and the American Clean Power Association. [Utility Dive]

¶ “MidAmerican Announces Renewable Energy Milestone” • According to a news release, MidAmerican Energy delivered 100% renewable energy to serve its Iowa customers’ electricity usage in 2022. MidAmerican’s Iowa wind fleet generated more than 27,000 GWh, which it delivered to its Iowa customers at very low rates. [Storm Lake Radio]

Wind farm in Iowa (Drew Hays, Unsplash)

¶ “Texas Power Grid Will Be Impacted By The October 14 Solar Eclipse, ERCOT Says” • The Electric Reliability Council of Texas is bracing itself for yet another challenge to the state’s power grid this year: The October 14 annular solar eclipse. Officials recently confirmed that the rare celestial event is expected to have major impacts on solar power production. [Chron]

¶ “JEA Is Proposing A Rate Hike And Multi-Billion Dollar Debt Ceiling” • In Jacksonville, Florida, utility JEA is proposing a rate increase in 2024 as part of its efforts to offset nearly $5 billion in costs associated with the Plant Vogtle nuclear power plant in Southeast Georgia. The rate increase would be the third in the last three years. [Action News Jax]

Have a surpassingly gorgeous day.

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Opinion:

¶ “EU’s Guidance For Carbon Price Through 2050 Is Staggering” • Pricing carbon aggressively is a conservative, market-oriented fiscal policy that puts costs on negative externalities, following in the well-precedented paths of pricing tobacco and alcohol. The US and Canada aren’t pricing carbon high enough. Europe is doing it the best. [CleanTechnica]

Retired oil rigs (Ben Wicks, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Ukraine Needs Renewable Energy And Action, Not Empty Promises” • Global leaders convened at the Climate Ambition Summit just as innocent lives in Ukraine are tragically lost daily due to Russian-led attacks. This juncture demands swift action to develop clean-energy solutions for the turmoil caused by Russia’s reliance on fossil fuels. [Counterpunch]

World:

¶ “Extreme Heat Scorches Large Parts Of South America As Winter Ends” • Just as spring began in the Southern Hemisphere, it felt like the peak of summer across several countries in South America, where highs pushed above 40°C (104°F). Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil have all experienced record September temperatures. [CNN]

Lima, Peru (Creators Brand, Unsplash)

¶ “Paired Rural Dams And Super Pits As Alternative Batteries” • Australia still has a large agricultural industry (in between the mines), and all of these properties have dams, for irrigation of crops and for watering livestock. Around the various dams, there is a lot of space. What if these dams could be used to generate and store electricity? [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Wuling Bingo Sales Have Hit 100,000 Units In China Since Launch!” • The Wuling Bingo is a cool, small 5-door hatchback launched earlier this year in China. It also starts at the low price of an appetizing $8,681.51. Wuling recently announced that the Bingo has now passed the 100,000 units mark in sales in China in just about 6 months. [CleanTechnica]

Wuling Bingo (Wuling image)

¶ “Wind And Solar Power May Vastly Surpass The UK’s Energy Demand” • Britain’s energy needs could be met entirely by wind and solar, according to a policy brief published today by Oxford’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. Wind and solar can provide significantly more energy than the highest energy demand forecasts for 2050. [Mirage News]

¶ “‘Staggering’ Green Growth Gives Hope For 1.5°C, Says Global Energy Head” • The prospects of the world staying within the 1.5°C limit on global heating have been made brighter in the past two years owing to the “staggering” growth of renewable energy and green investment, according to Fatih Birol, the chief of the world’s energy watchdog. [The Guardian]

Installing a solar system (Bill Mead, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Australian Households On Track To Add Near-Record Rooftop Solar Capacity To Electricity Grid” • Australian households are on track to add 3 GW of rooftop solar capacity to the electricity grid this year, though investment in large-scale wind and solar projects remains all but stalled, according to the country’s Clean Energy Regulator. [The Guardian]

¶ “Techno-Fixes To Climate Change Aren’t Living Up To The Hype” • The IEA updated its road map for the energy sector to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It doubles down on the need to switch to renewable energy swiftly while minimizing the use of technologies that are still unproven, such as carbon capture and hydrogen fuels. [The Verge]

Protest against carbon capture (Matt Hrkac, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Ukraine Purchased Diesel Fuel For Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant After Its Occupation” • “Ukraine and Energoatom purchased and transported [fuel] through Russian checkpoints. We asked to agree on a corridor to supply it so that when there was a blackout seven times, we would not have an accident,” Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said. [Yahoo]

US:

¶ “EV Penetration Exceeds 30% In Four California Counties” • According to registration data used as a proxy for sales, there were four counties in the US with EV market penetration above 30% last December, all in California. Santa Clara County stood highest at 35%, Marin County was at 34%, and Alameda and San Mateo Counties were at 32% each. [CleanTechnica]

Ford Mustang Mach E (PooleHarbour, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “DOE Funds Nine Technologies for Long-Duration Energy Storage” • Energy storage is growing. In 2020, California had 500 MW of battery storage. Now, it has 5,000 MW. And the US DOE announced it has selected nine proposals for long-duration energy storage test projects. Its goal is for costs for long-duration storage drop 90% by this decade’s end. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Farm Aid 2023 Aimed To Encourage Congress To Improve Agricultural Sustainability” • Farm Aid is an annual benefit concert held in the US to support American farmers. The event aims to raise awareness and funds for family farms and promote a sustainable, family farm-centered system of agriculture in America. [CleanTechnica]

Farm Aid (Farm Aid)

¶ “Deloitte Report Details Importance Of Energy Storage To US Power Grid” • A new report from Deloitte, “Elevating the role of energy storage on the electric grid,” provides a comprehensive framework to help the power sector navigate renewable energy integration, grid flexibility and reliability, and electrification and decentralization support. [POWER Magazine]

¶ “Dominion Proposes A Pilot To Test Longer-Lasting Battery Storage” • Dominion Energy is seeking regulatory approval for a battery storage pilot that would be capable of discharging stored power over longer periods of time than its current technology allows, a development seen as a key component of the transition to renewable energy. [Virginia Mercury]

Have a magnificently easy day.

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Opinion:

¶ “There’s No Reason To Keep Riding A Gas Price Rollercoaster” • A recent article at USA Today tells the woeful tale of gas prices rising, again. This year has been a tough one for people at the gas pumps. We could say, ‘I told you so!’ But instead, let’s look at how bad it is, and what’s behind the rising gas prices, and then look at some ideas to save gas. [CleanTechnica]

Gas pump (Khamkéo Vilaysing, Unsplash, cropped)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Farmers Turn To Tech As Bees Struggle To Pollinate” • Thai Sade, based on a collective farm in central Israel, is the founder of tech firm BloomX. He says that the company has technology to mechanically pollinate crops in a similar way to bees. The bees are unable to do the job, due to factors such as climate change, habit loss and the use of pesticides. [BBC]

World:

¶ “Pepsi Isn’t The Only Company Hauling Sodas With Electric Trucks” • In some ways, electric trucks form a corner of the EV industry where it’s possible to be ahead of Tesla. Not only can other truck makers do this, but a recent partnership between Volvo and Coca-Cola Canada shows that there’s competition among soda brands, too! [CleanTechnica]

Volvo electric truck (Volvo image)

¶ “Electric Car Rules Could Cost Carmakers Billions” • New Brexit trade rules covering EVs could cost European makers £3.75 billion over the next three years, an industry body has said. The rules are meant to ensure that EU-produced electric cars are largely made from locally sourced parts. But they could reduce output in the EU by 480,000 vehicles. [BBC]

¶ “Vattenfall Starts Construction Of Tützpatz Agrivoltaic Project” • Vattenfall has started the construction of Germany’s largest agrivoltaic project to date, Tützpatz, in the north-eastern part of the country. The design of the 79-MW project makes it possible to combine solar power production and sustainable farming in the same area. [Energy Global]

Fraunhofer agrivoltaic pilot project (Tobi Kellner, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “India To Achieve 500-GW Renewables Target Before 2030 Deadline: RK Singh” • Union Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister RK Singh said India will achieve its 500-GW renewable energy target before 2030. His comment was in an address to FICCI’s India Energy Transition Summit 2023. India now has 424 GW of capacity of all types. [Zee Business]

¶ “Baltic Power Reaches Financial Close” • Northland Power has announced that its 1100-MW Baltic Power offshore wind project in Poland has met all conditions and reached financial close non-recourse green financing. Baltic Power’s estimated total capital cost is $6.5 billion. A consortium of 25 financial institutions is supporting the project. [reNews]

Offshore wind farm (Pixabay)

¶ “Renewable Fuel Market Size Expected To Hit $2034.6 Billion By 2031” • According to a report published by Allied Market Research, the renewable fuel market was valued at $955 billion in 2021, and is expected to reach $2034.6 billion by 2031. The renewable fuel market is growing owing to initiatives by both private and government players. [EIN News]

¶ “Solar Power And Storage Prices Have Dropped Almost 90%” • Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change released a study showing declines in the cost of solar power by 87%, and of battery storage by 85%, in the last decade. These price drops make the global energy transition cheaper than had been expected. [Interesting Engineering]

Energy Storage (Sandia National Laboratories, public domain)

¶ “Rooftop Solar Alone provides 101% Of South Australia’s Electricity” • South Australia at one point supplied 114% of its electricity from rooftop solar. Some power inputs had to be switched off or the the excess exported, or stored in the state’s 150-MW battery. As of early July 2023, the state had 379,860 rooftop solar systems. [Informed Comment]

¶ “Building Irish Nuclear Plants ‘Does Not Make Economic Sense’, Claims Eamon Ryan” • Building nuclear energy plants in Ireland does not make economic sense and would result in people paying even higher electricity bills, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said. He said building nuclear plants would be too expensive for Ireland. [Irish Examiner]

Nuclear power plant (Frédéric Paulussen, Unsplash)

¶ “Austria Opposes Slovenian Nuclear Plant Expansion” • The Austrian region of Carinthia plans to take legal steps against neighbouring Slovenia’s project to expand the Krsko nuclear power plant, Austrian media reported. Carinthia plans to resort to all legal and political means at all levels to prevent the expansion of the Krsko plant. [SeeNews]

US:

¶ “Residents Prepare To Return To Sites Of Homes Demolished In Lahaina Wildfire” • Authorities will begin allowing the first residents and property owners to return to their properties in Lahaina’s fire zone, many for the first time since it burned down nearly seven weeks ago, on August 8, by the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century. [ABC News]

Lahaina (Dominick Del Vecchio, FEMA, public domain)

¶ “Deep Red State Fights Blue-Green Algae Blooms, With A Carbon Sequestration Twist” • The politically red state of Utah is about to host a new method for acting on toxic blue-green algae blooms that bedevil lakes across the country. The project will also demonstrate algae remediation can also serve as an effective carbon sequestration tool. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Aroostook Wind Megaproject Is First In Maine To Need Legislative Approval. It Got It Upfront.” • LS Power asked the Maine Legislature in March to approve a transmission project, and by June they received it. The approval was required under provisions of the citizen initiative that had aimed, unsuccessfully, to derail another project. [Bangor Daily News]

Have a distinctly favorable day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Our Greatest Sin Is Emissions: We Must Repent For Climate Change” • Let us courageously acknowledge that the greatest sin we bear in this yet-another-hottest-year-in-history is the sin of emissions. Our species, and so many other miraculous living testaments to God’s majesty, are in a physical state of emergency due to our spiritual failings. [The Jerusalem Post]

Lake in the mountains (Rob Morton, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Benefit Breakdown: 3D Printed Vs Wood Molds” • Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers conducted a comprehensive life cycle, cost, and carbon emissions analysis on 3D-printed molds for precast concrete used in building construction and found that the method is economically beneficial compared to conventional wood molds. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Deserts As Carbon Sinks? Study Shows Potential For Greening Arid Regions” • A team of plant scientists has introduced a novel method to sequester carbon dioxide by “re-greening” arid areas, without competing with agriculture or food production. Their report, published in the journal Trends in Plant Science, suggests developing deserts for carbon sinks. [Earth.com]

Green area in a desert (Halima Bouchouicha, Unsplash, cropped)

World:

¶ “The Ominous Signs Pointing To Extreme Heat And Fire In Australia This Summer” • It’s only early spring in Australia and the country is already grappling with heat and fire, sparking fears of a potentially devastating summer. Dozens of bushfires have broken already out in the country, with more than 60 burning in New South Wales. [CNN]

¶ “How Climate Change Threatens Some Of The World’s Most Coveted Real Estate” • The upscale homes of Hong Kong’s Redhill Peninsula sit on a hill with views of the South China Sea. They offer wealthy people a quiet place to live. When more than 600 mm (23.6 inches) of rain fell on Hong Kong, the hill lost some stability, puting some at risk. [CNN]

Redhill Peninsula (Robin Hickmott, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “At UN, Horn Of Africa Nations Urge Global Solidarity And Real Reform” • As the UN General Assembly’s general debate continued Saturday, Horn of Africa nations made a strong plea for action to rescue a world teetering on the precipice of climate catastrophe and struggling under the weight of an outdated and unfair global financial system. [UN News]

¶ “Ford Sides With EVs, Tells UK Prime Minister Not To Fear The Strong Headwinds” • With the UK’s 2030 ban on the sale of new internal combustion engine coming up, automakers have been investing in UK facilities to make EVs. As the deadline nears, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak decided to postpone the ban. Some car makers are not happy. [CleanTechnica]

Ford EV (Ford UK image)

¶ “Community Solar Project Shining A Light On Australia’s Renewable Energy Transition” • As Australia prepares for a transition to renewable energy, some residents are banding together to create their own energy infrastructure. The New South Wales community of Bannister hopes these projects can educate others about renewable energy. [SBS]

¶ “How Germany, France, And Italy Compare On Net Zero Emission Targets” • Germany, France and Italy have pledged to hit net zero emissions around the middle of the century in a bid to stop weather from growing more extreme. Germany and Italy are both relying on renewable energy. France will get half its energy from nuclear plants. [The Guardian]

Distant nuclear plant (Timo Volz, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Saltwater Intrusion In Mississippi River Could Impact The Drinking Water In Louisiana” • New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell signed an emergency declaration over an intrusion of saltwater into the Mississippi River that officials say could impact the region’s water supply. River volume is expected to fall in the next several weeks to historic lows. [ABC News]

¶ “New York Bus Electrification Is Moving Forward With 53 Overhead Bus Chargers” • New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that construction is progressing on 53 state-of-the-art overhead electric bus chargers at Metropolitan Transportation Authority depots in Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island and Brooklyn. [CleanTechnica]

Overhead bus charger (ABB image)

¶ “Con Edison Says Region Is Warming Quickly As Climate Change Impacts Accelerate” • Temperatures in the New York City region are rising quickly due to climate change, so Con Edison must accelerate its investments to keep electric service reliable and resilient for customers, Con Edison’s 2023 Climate Change Vulnerability Study shows. [Con Edison]

¶ “Flamingos In Wisconsin? Tropical Birds Visit Lake Michigan Beach In A First For The Northern State” • Five flamingos that showed up in Wisconsin to wade along a Lake Michigan beach attracted a crowd of onlookers. The sighting was unexpected but not a shock because of recent reports of flamingos in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. [ABC News]

Flamingos, not in Wisconsin (Lex Melony, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Green Farming Is Growing, And Growing” • Green farming makes use of different practices to decrease detrimental impact on the environment. According to NuFarming, an agricultural resource, farming operations can have significant impacts on climate change. Simply adopting some new practices can lessen that impact. [Jacksonville Journal-Courier]

¶ “California Utility Will Try To Store Renewable Energy In Iron-Flow Batteries” • Battery manufacturer ESS announced that it delivered six Energy Warehouse iron-flow battery systems to the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, which serves a population of 1.5 million people and relies on carbon-free sources to supply about 50% of its energy. [Freethink]

Have a sufficiently cheery day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “80% More US Wind Energy Potential This Decade From Tech Innovation” • While much of the US has great wind resources, some areas are less windy and have not seen much wind energy development. But new technologies could make it possible to profitably capture winds blowing higher above the ground across much of the US. [CleanTechnica]

Wind turbine (Ian Van Landuyt, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Climate Action: Group Of Young People Take 32 Countries To Court Over Human Rights” • Six young people aged 11-25 are taking 32 countries in Europe to court over climate change. They say that countries aren’t doing enough to fight climate change, and that violates their human rights. They were inspired to act by wildfires in Portugal in 2017. [BBC]

¶ “How Medellin Is Beating The Heat With Green Corridors” • In Medellin, Oriental Avenue is a typical large street with traffic and local commerce. But because of decisions on local greenery, it is also covered with large fruit trees, shrubs and flowers. The area feels enjoyable all year and the air is noticeably fresher than areas that do not have green cover. [BBC]

Medellin (Eddnaranjo, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Ice Pops Cool Down Monkeys In Brazil At A Rio Zoo During A Rare Winter Heat Wave” • In the last week of winter, a heat wave has engulfed Brazil. It is causing humans and animals alike to eagerly greet any chance of cooling down. Black spider monkeys in the zoo were excited to be given ice pops as part of their well-being program. [ABC News]

¶ “Candela Sets 24-Hour Distance Record For Electric Boats – 777 Kilometers!” • Candela CEO Gustav Hasselskog wanted to prove that the C-8 could handle long-distance cruising, so he set up a 20 nautical mile loop. During one 24-hour period, the C-8 test boat covered 777 km (483 miles). The previous record was 79 miles covered in 20 hours. [CleanTechnica]

Candela C-8

¶ “Renewable Energy Production In Spain Will Reach 50% In 2023” • Spain is expected to produce over half of its electricity from renewable sources this year, according to research from Rystad Energy. If this happens, it will become the first of the five largest European countriesin terms of electricity demand. Spain is on the path to decarbonization. [Digital Journal]

US:

¶ “Arizona’s Sweltering Summer Could Set New Record For Most Heat-Associated Deaths In Big Metro” • Public health officials in Maricopa County, home to Phoenix, said 289 heat-associated deaths were confirmed as of Sept. 16, with another 262 deaths under investigation. Last year, there were 80 heat-related deaths confirmed. [ABC News]

Phoenix (Chris Tingom, Unsplash)

¶ “Energy Department Announces $325 Million For Batteries That Can Store Clean Electricity Longer” • The US DOE has announced a $325 million investment in new battery types to backup solar and wind energy. The funds will be distributed among 15 projects in 17 states and the Red Lake Nation, a Native American tribe in Minnesota. [ABC News]

¶ “25 States Agree To Quadruple The Number Of Heat Pumps In America” • The 25 states that are part of the US Climate Alliance agreed this week to promote policies that will speed up the installation of heat pumps in their states. Combined, those states account for 60% of the US economy and are home to more than half of all Americans. [CleanTechnica]

Air-spirce heat pump heating cycle (State Of Rhode Island)

¶ “US Electric Car Sales Up 147% Since 2021 – CleanTechnica Report” • The US electric car market continues to grow strongly. Yes, Tesla still dominates (that’s not changing anytime soon), but several other automakers are also seeing fast-growing full battery EV sales, and the number of battery EV options on the market has exploded in recent quarters. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Peacham, Vermont, Celebrates Community Solar With A Solarbration” • Peacham, Vermont, population 731, is holding a Solarbration on September 24, 2023 to welcome the Peacham Community Solar installation. At just 150 kW, it may be small compared to other community solar projects, but it will have a big impact on the town. [CleanTechnica]

Peacham community solar project (Image via YouTube)

¶ “Federal Rule Aims To Ease Connection Between New Power And Grid” • A new rule from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission aims to cut a backlog of energy projects. Among its measures are studying new generators in groups, instead of one-by-one, and letting the first-ready connect to the grid, instead of waiting in line behind slower projects. [StateImpact]

¶ “US Energy Storage Deployments To Exceed 10 GW This Year” • Energy storage, both at home and at the grid-scale, is scaling up. A report from Interact Analysis shows that the US is expected to reach 49.5 GW of installed and operational energy storage capacity. Over 10 GW is expected to be added to the cumulative total in 2023 alone. [pv magazine USA]

Battery energy storage system (Castillo Engineering image)

¶ “This Huge Minnesota Solar Farm Is About To Get Super-Sized” • Minnesota’s largest utility, Xcel Energy, is expanding its Sherco Solar project. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission unanimously approved adding a 250-MW array to the 460 MW solar farm currently being built. The 710 MW project is expected to come online at the end of 2025. [Electrek]

¶ “DOE-Developed Rail Car For Spent Nuclear Fuel Undergoes Final Testing” • The DOE has been busy testing the Atlas rail car, designed to transport spent high-level radioactive waste and nuclear fuel to disposal sites. The US DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy says the specially designed, 12-axle rail car could be ready for use by the end of this year. [FreightWaves]

Have an enchantingly beautiful day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Energy Storage Could Be Revolutionized By A New, Cost-Effective Catalyst That Is Effective In Achieving Its Goals” • At City University Hong Kong, scientists developed and tested a catalyst for producing hydrogen with Imperial College London collaborating on the project. Platinum is used for the catylist, but the amount is very small. [List23]

Platinum nuggets (Aram Dulyan, public domain)

World:

¶ “Airports Are Confronting The Reality Of The Climate Crisis” • Airports around the world find themselves resolved to adjust to the effects of climate pollution against a backdrop of worsening weather conditions and projected climate abnormalities. Each airport must produce its own comprehensive plan of action to mitigate climate risk. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “ABB To Provide Hydrogen Fuel Cell Propulsion Systems For Container Ships” • ABB announced that it will collaborate with Samskip Group, a shipping company based in the Netherlands which plans to be net zero by 2040, and India’s Cochin Shipyard to build two 135-meter container ships. They will be powered by 3.2-MW ABB hydrogen fuel cells. [CleanTechnica]

Container ship powered by fuel cell (ABB image)

¶ “Study Finds 98% Of Europeans At Risk From High Levels Of Fine Particulates” • A study conducted by The Guardian and the Expanse program found 98% of Europeans are exposed to higher levels of PM2.5 than is considered safe. Those elevated pollution levels are linked to as many as 400,000 deaths all across Europe each year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Global Wind Power Capacity To Hit 2.38 TW By 2032” • Wind power capacity is expected to grow 10.1% annually to hit 2.38 TW globally by 2032, driven by increased activity in western markets and Africa. This long-term growth in installed capacity in wind power will take place despite short-term challenges, according to Wood Mackenzie. [The National]

Wind turbines (Rabih Shasha, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Legal Advisers Plug Green Power Efforts” • The success of new offshore wind farms to be built in Portuguese waters depends on the structure of the auctions and companies’ ability to put forth bids that comply with labyrinthine national and EU laws governing marine protection, permitting, land rights, and grid connections. [Financial Times]

¶ “Finnish Wind Energy Shatters Records, Sets The Stage For Unprecedented Sustainable Journey” • Finland built a record amount of wind power in 2022. New capacity of 2.4 GW was brought online. This puts Finland in the top three of Europe’s most dynamic wind power builders, right on the heels of Germany and Sweden1. [Hitachi Energy]

Vatunki wind farm, Finland (Teemu Vehkaoja, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Tata Motors To Transition To 100% Renewable Electricity Across Operations By End Of The Decade” • As part of its vision to move towards Net Zero, Tata Motors developed a roadmap to transition to 100% renewable electricity across its operations by the end of the decade. India’s largest commercial vehicle maker set a net zero goal for 2045. [Autocar Professional]

¶ “As Russia Hits Ukraine’s Energy Facilities With A Deadly Missile Attack, Fear Mounts Over Nuclear Plants” • Ukrenergo, Ukraine’s grid operator, said a missile barrage was Russia’s first successful attack on energy facilities in months. It reported partial blackouts in five different regions across the country. There is fear for nuclear plants. [CBS News]

Nuclear Plant (Дьяков Владимир Леонидович, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

US:

¶ “1.5 Million People Asked To Conserve Water In Seattle Because Of Statewide Drought” • Seattle Public Utilities is asking about 1.5 million customers in the Seattle area to use less water as drought conditions continue throughout most of the state. Among other things, residents were asked to stop watering lawns and to reduce shower time. [ABC News]

¶ “Ocean Infinity Is Going To Use Underwater Drones To Help Build Offshore Wind” • On land, surveyors can walk around a site and fly over it to get all of the information they need for construction. The deep waters off the Pacific coast requires new methods. Ocean Infinity will conduct an extensive site survey for one new offshore site. [CleanTechnica]

Ocean Infinity mapping drone (Ocean Infinity image)

¶ “Wyoming Rejects Proposed Moratorium On Renewable Energy” • The Joint Corporations Committee addressed a proposed bill that sought to impose a moratorium on renewable energy in Wyoming. The deliberations were guided by a wave of support from concerned citizens and advocates of renewable energy. The bill was rejected. [Wyoming News Now]

¶ “Enel Secures PPA For Part Of Solar-Plus-Storage Project In ERCOT With 104-MW BESS” • The North American arm of Italy-based energy firm Enel has secured a PPA with Boston Properties for part of a solar-plus-storage project in the ERCOT, the Texas market. The hybrid plant has a 104-MW battery energy storage system. [Energy-Storage.News]

Enel Green Power solar-battery plant (Enel Green Power)

¶ “Enfinity Global Swoops On 546-MW US Solar” • Enfinity Global has acquired 546-MW of solar assets under development from CS Energy. The assets are three solar farms currently under development in Colorado. This deal allows the company to make further progress in the implementation of its long-term business strategy in the US. [reNews]

¶ “Nuclear Panel To Meet Monday To Discuss Spent Fuel Transportation” • The Federal Nuclear Waste Policy Committee of the Vermont Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel will meet on Monday, September 25, 2023 from 12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM. This meeting will be webcast, and a link is given to join the it. [Vermont Business Magazine]

Have a really ideal day.

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World:

¶ “UN Chief Warns ‘Humanity Has Opened The Gates To Hell’ As He Convenes Climate Summit” • UN Secretary General António Guterres issued a stark warning as he gathered world leaders for a high-level summit on the climate crisis: “Humanity has opened the gates to hell.” He said, “Climate action is dwarfed by the scale of the challenge.” [CNN]

António Guterres giving address (UN News)

¶ “Volvo Cars Says It Will Cease Production Of All Diesel Models Starting Early 2024” • In a bold move towards sustainability, Volvo Cars has unveiled an ambitious roadmap to sell only fully electric cars by 2030 and become a climate-neutral company by 2040. This ambitious plan shows that Volvo is a pioneer among legacy car manufacturers. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Panama Taps Solar Energy To Heat Water And To Reduce Deforestation” • Alongside countering deforestation, solar hot water heating can help Panama cut its reliance on fossil fuels, particularly petroleum gas. Termosolar Panama says the fuel is used to heat most of the over 30 million litres of hot water Panamanians use daily. [UNEP]

Boiling water for school meals (UNEP image)

¶ “SBM Installs French Floating Wind Platform” • SBM Offshore installed the first floating wind unit to the Provence Grand Large floating wind project 17 km off the coast of Marseille. The anchor piles and moorings lines were pre-deployed in August 2023. In September SBM Offshore completed the hook-up of the first floater and its 8.4-MW turbine. [reNews]

UK:

¶ “UK Smashes Low Carbon Record With Wind Power” • On 18th September at 2pm, the grid achieved a new low carbon intensity record, hitting just 27 g/kWh, National Grid ESO said. A record set earlier this year was 33 g/kWh. Wind power accounted for 48% of the electricity supply on that day, with nuclear energy second at 18.9%. [Energy Live News]

Whitelee wind farm (Rosser1954, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “The UK Is Delaying The Switch To Electric Cars. Automakers Are Furious” • The UK government said it would delay a ban on the sale of new gas and diesel cars by five years. The move has angered carmakers who warned it undermines their efforts to switch to EVs. The PM claimed he wants to avoid “unacceptable costs on hard-pressed British families.” [CNN]

¶ “Rishi Sunak’s Plans To Delay Climate Targets Attacked, As UK Government Pushes Anti-Green Drive” • Britain will delay a series of key climate targets, its beleaguered Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said at a hastily organized press conference. The move angered businesses and political allies and intensified the UK government’s assault on green policies. [CNN]

Rishi Sunak (HM Treasury, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

US:

¶ “Biden Administration Announces $4.6 Billion Grant Program To Reduce Planet-Warming Pollution” • Competitive grants totaling $4.6 billion were revealed by the Biden administration. States, cities, and tribes can apply for grants to reduce the planet-warming pollution that is fueling the climate crisis. The grants program will be managed by the EPA. [CNN]

¶ “DeSantis Unveils Energy Agenda From Texas Oil Country” • Flanked by two oil rigs in West Texas, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis shared his vision for America’s energy sector, with an emphasis on ending efforts to fight climate change. He wants to greenlight more pipelines and allow mining and extraction of oil, gas, coal, uranium, and other minerals on federal lands. [CNN]

Ron DeSantis (Tom Williams, public domain)

¶ “Highway Traffic Pollution Puts Communities Of Color At Greater Health Risk, Data Analysis Shows” • More than 49 million Americans live within a mile of a highway and face startling health risks from traffic pollution, according to an ABC News data analysis done in collaboration with ABC-owned television stations. [ABC News]

¶ “Working Remotely May Have Significant Carbon Reduction Benefit” • A study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that working from home can reduce the carbon footprint of an individual employee by more than 50%. It sheds light on factors that influence environmental effects of different work models. [CleanTechnica]

Work from home (Ian Harber, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Wave Energy Legislation Unanimously Passes California Legislature” • The California State Senate passed California Senate Bill 605 unanimously. The bill directs the California Energy Commission to evaluate the feasibility, costs, and benefits of using wave and tidal energy across the 840-mile California coastline. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “Xcel Energy Proposes $15 Billion Plan To Add Renewable Energy To Its System” • Xcel Energy proposed a $15 billion plan to add an “unprecedented” amount of renewable energy over the next seven years to double the amount of renewable energy on the system. Xcel hopes to get $10 billion in tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act. [Denver Gazette]

Wind turbines in Colorado (Jeffrey Beall, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Wolverine Power Agrees To Buy Palisades Nuclear Power” • The shuttered Palisades Nuclear Power Plant met the first step on the long road to reopening when Wolverine Power Cooperative, a Michigan-based nonprofit power company, signed a long-term agreement with Holtec International to buy power when the plant reopened. [MITechNews]

¶ “Citizens Advisory Panel Hears Update On Vermont Yankee Decommissioning” • The Vermont Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel met Monday evening to hear updates on the status of decommissioning the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant. The power plant in Vernon was shut down at the end of 2014. [WAMC]

Have an interestingly resplendent day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Free electricity: Is it really fair?” • Free electricity? It sounds too good to be true, but that’s what two companies are offering in a bid to shift demand to when power is plentiful. As solar and wind farms grow all the time, our electricity grid is increasingly complex, and the solar and wind farms are paid to shut down. Two companies are working on an alternative. [BBC]

Wind turbines (Luke Thornton, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “A Climate Week To Advance Urgent Change” • As the hottest summer on record winds to a close, the window to hold global warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F) is rapidly closing. We need to act now to confront a widening climate crisis that is intersecting with, and exacerbating, a global biodiversity crisis, a global food crisis, and a crisis of global injustice. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Insurance Majors Held Fossil Fuels Assets While Cutting Coverage Due To Climate Risks” • A report shows that the US insurance sector held $536 billion in fossil fuel-related assets in 2019, despite some insurers citing climate-related risk and natural disasters as factors in raising premiums or dropping coverage in high risk regions. [CleanTechnica]

Wildfire (Mike Newbry, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “A Haunted Australia Stares Down Bushfire Disaster Again” • As Australia edged into spring in 2019, former fire brigade chief Greg Mullins warned the country was disastrously primed to burn. Over and over, he begged to be heard, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. His warnings, however, came true. Now, he is sounding the alarm again. [BBC]

¶ “Horrific Libya Flooding Made Up To 50 Times More Likely By Planet-Warming Pollution, Scientists Find” • The World Weather Attribution initiative, a team of scientists that analyze the role of climate change in extreme weather events, found that planet-warming pollution made the deadly rainfall in Libya up to 50 times more likely to occur and 50% worse. [CNN]

Storm Daniel approaching Libya (NOAA, public domain)

¶ “The World Just Sweltered Through Hottest August On Record” • August 2023 was Earth’s hottest August in NOAA’s 174-year climate record. The month also wrapped up the Northern Hemisphere’s warmest June-August summer period and the Southern Hemisphere’s warmest June-August winter on record, an analysis by NOAA scientists shows. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “45% Of New Cars In Netherlands Now Plugin Cars!” • In the Netherlands, 45% of new car sales were plugin car sales in August. Furthermore, 33% were full electrics, which jumped 58% year over year. The overall market is also rising, although at a slower rate (+19% YOY). We expect the final plugin share for 2023 to end close to 50%.[CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model Y (Michal Lauko, Unsplash)

¶ “Ormat Secures Contract With Mercury New Zeleand To Construct And Supply New 56-MW Geothermal Power Plant” • Ormat Technologies, Inc announced that it signed contracts with Mercury NZ Limited for supply and Engineering, Procurement and Construction of a new 56-MW geothermal power plant in New Zealand. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ “Sanikiluaq Wind Project Represents Major Shift In Nunavut Renewable Energy Policy” • A lone windmill in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut, which is expected to produce enough power to cut the community’s reliance on diesel fuel by half, is all but a done deal as the Qulliq Energy Corporation and the Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corporation are set to sign an agreement. [CBC]

Wind turbine in Nunavut (Tugliq Energy)

¶ “Germany On Track To Meet Over 50% Of Energy Demand With Renewables This Year” • Germany is likely to generate enough energy from renewables to meet more than 50% of its energy demand by the end of this year, as Robert Habeck, the country’s Economy Minister, announced at a conference held by the Heinrich Böll Foundation. [EcoWatch]

¶ “Renewable Energy Accounts For 46% Of Dutch Electricity” • Almost half the electricity generated in the Netherlands in the first six months of this year came from natural sources such as the wind and sun, national statistics office CBS said. In total, 46% was generated from renewable resources, a rise of 16% on the same period in 2022. [DutchNews.nl]

Amsterdam (Azhar J, Unsplash)

¶ “Possibly Contaminated Iron Scraps From Near Fukushima Plant Sold” • Workers at a demolition site near the meltdown-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant took and sold iron scraps from waste possibly contaminated with radioactive materials, according to officials in the Japanese Environment Ministry. [The Japan Times]

US:

¶ “Heatwaves claim tens of thousands of lives each year. Now a US mapping project is revealing those most at risk so they can get the help they need” • NOAA’s heat maps are helping policy makers and families understand the real-life impact of heat waves with new clarity, by combining satellite imagery, air temperature, and humidity data. [BBC]

Cooling off (Leonid Antsiferov, Unsplash)

¶ “Homeowners Face Rising Insurance Rates As Climate Change Makes Wildfires More Common” • An increasing number of Americans are finding it difficult to afford insurance on their homes, a problem only expected to worsen because insurers and lawmakers have underestimated the impact of climate change, a new report says. [ABC News]

¶ “New Roadmap To Accelerate Offshore Wind Transmission In US” • As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the Interior and Energy Departments released An Action Plan for Offshore Wind Transmission Development in the US Atlantic Region to promote offshore windpower, bolster the US supply chain, and create good-paying jobs. [CleanTechnica]

Have an absurdly delightful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “A Bright Spot At The Intersection Of Farming, EVs And Solar Energy” • Across the US, more than 30 million acres of farmland is devoted to growing corn for ethanol. NREL calculated that we could power the country’s entire electricity demand with 10 million acres of solar panels. Solar panels pay taxes. Corn doesn’t. We can go on. [Virginia Mercury]

Corn field (Taylor Siebert, Unsplash, cropped)

Science and Technology:

¶ “The Turbo-Charged Plants That Could Boost Farm Output” • UN Food and Agriculture Organization says almost 30% people around the world went short of food in 2022, with more than 10% severely short. Improving plant yields is one way to cut the shortfall, and there have been great advances, though they come with increased water usage. [BBC]

¶ “A (Virtual) Deep Dive Into Marine Energy’s Capabilities” • Big energy is lying under the waves that crash on our shores and in the tides that come in and out each day like clockwork: so much power that, if we tapped all the marine energy we have access to, it would be equivalent to nearly 60% of the United States’ power generation in 2019. [NREL]

Wave (Jeremy Bishop, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “VinFast To Set Up Shop In Indonesia, Plans To Expand In Seven More Markets In Asia” • Vietnamese automaker VinFast is making good its announcement to enter Southeast Asia. It plans to set up shop in Indonesia in early 2024. The strategy is to first distribute vehicles to dealer-partners in the country and then build an electric car plant. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Roam Introduces The Roam Move Electric Bus In Kenya” • Roam has just unveiled a second model in its electric bus range. This time, a smaller electric bus to cater to the middle segment in the Matatu sector. The electric bus has a spacious interior with a capacity to accommodate up to 51 passengers. It is assembled entirely in Kenya. [CleanTechnica]

Roam Move electric bus (Roam image)

¶ “Japan Draws Up Whitewash Plan To Salvage Image” • Japan plans to strengthen the monitoring and analysis of information about the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean and is seeking extra funding to step up public relations efforts at home and abroad. [China Daily]

¶ “Fossil Share In Rajasthan’s Power Mix Drops To 50% As Solar And Wind Surge” • The share of fossil fuels in Rajasthan’s power generation mix hit the record-low level of 50% from April to July of this year. This is the first time that the lowest level has been sustained for over a quarter of the year, according to a new report by Ember. [pv magazine India]

Rajasthan (Sushmita Balasubramani, Wikimedia Commons)

Australia:

¶ “Australia Can Lead The Production And Utilization Of Green Hydrogen, Former Prime Minister Turnbull Says” • Australian former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said that Australia has the potential to be a world leader in the production and export of green hydrogen. He was making his keynote address at a Global Wind Energy Council Summit. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “A Picturesque Island With The Cleanest Air On Earth” • Off the rugged north-western tip of Australia’s island-state of Tasmania is a wildly remote peninsula with a bleak name: Cape Grim. This is where you’ll find some of the cleanest air on Earth, according to the local air pollution station, which is there to collect and analyze the of the air. [BBC]

Cape Grim (Ian Cochrane, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “$1 Billion Contracts Awarded For Kwinana And Collie Big Batteries” • Western Australia’s Cook Government has awarded more than A$1 billion ($650,000) in contracts to deliver massive new battery energy storage systems in Kwinana and Collie as part of its commitment to cleaner, reliable and affordable energy for the state. [Government of Western Australia]

US:

¶ “Hundreds Of Flying Taxis To Be Built In Ohio, Governor Announces” • Joby Aviation Inc was selected to build an electric air taxi manufacturing site at Dayton International Airport, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and others announced. The electric air taxi is to carry a pilot and four passengers at speeds of up to 200 mph over a range of 100 miles. [ABC News]

Joby’s prototype eVTOL aircraft (Joby Aviation image)

¶ “Three Years After Hurricane Sally, Pensacola Is Still Struggling To Rebuild” • It has been three years since Hurricane Sally struck the Gulf Coast, but the recovery is nowhere near complete for communities that experienced the most severe impacts from the storm, according to local residents and officials. Pensacola is still reeling from the impacts. [ABC News]

¶ “Vestas Toasts $40 Million Colorado Factories Boost” • Vestas is celebrating its $40 million investment in two Colorado factories, which will create up to 1,000 clean energy jobs. To celebrate the Brighton Nacelles and Windsor Blades factories, Vestas hosted an event with Governor Jared Polis, Xcel Energy, and the American Clean Power Association. [reNews]

Vestas wind turbines (Vestas image)

¶ “New Consortium To Make Batteries For Electric Vehicles More Sustainable” • A battery material called disordered rock salt could pave the way for replacing combustion vehicles with EVs faster. DRX cathodes could provide lithium-ion batteries with higher energy density than those made of nickel and cobalt, and it could make EV batteries more sustainable. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Johns Hopkins Researchers Join Push For 100% Renewable Energy Power Grids” • At Johns Hopkins, the Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute, in collaboration with partners from around the globe, has established a new center focused on helping society transition towards 100% renewable energy for power grids. [JHU Hub]

Have an honestly enchanting day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Why EV Batteries Keep Getting Cheaper And Cleaner” • We have seen battery density double every 12 years and prices drop 50% every 5 years. Wright’s Law says this should go on. By 2030 we should have a battery with nearly double the capacity at the same weight for half the price, or the same capacity at half the weight for a quarter of the price. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “Tesla May Have Perfected One-Piece Casting Technology” • Traditional manufacturing techniques use up to 400 individual stampings that then have to be welded, bolted, screwed, or glued together to make a complete unibody structure. If Tesla can get one-piece casting right, its cost of manufacturing could drop by up to 50%. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “First HVDC Undersea Power Project In The Developing World And Saudi Entry Into Exporting Renewable Power” • Private companies in India and Saudi Arabia recently signed a series of agreements. One of them covers a High Voltage Direct Current undersea line allowing power to be transmitted between the two countries, and beyond. [CleanTechnica]

Submarine cable trencher, (Friflash, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Copernicus: Record-Breaking Wildfires Throughout The 2023 Boreal Wildfire Season” • As the Northern Hemisphere comes to the end of the wildfire season, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service data on fire emissions and smoke transport associated with wildfires provides valuable insights to evaluate the most relevant wildfires. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Study Reveals Farm Dams Can Be Converted Into Renewable Energy Storage Systems” • A study published in Applied Energy, finds that agricultural ponds, could be connected to form micro-pumped hydro energy storage systems. It’s the first study to assess the potential of these small-scale systems as an innovative renewable energy storage solution. [India Education]

Brickpits fishing pond (Richard Croft, CC BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Though The Price Shocks Hurt, Renewables Installed In 2021- 2023 Saved Europe €100 Billion” • IEA data shows that without the solar and wind capacity additions of 2021-2023 Europe’s energy costs would have been €100 billion higher in that time, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and reduced output from nuclear and hydro made energy prices spike. [Energy Post]

¶ “Ørsted To Develop 400 MW Of Irish Solar” • Orsted disclosed that it is developing a 400-MW portfolio of Irish solar projects in a partnership with Irish renewable energy developer Terra Solar. The sites could power over 90,000 Irish homes. This brings further momentum to Orsted’s solar pipeline in Ireland, which now totals over 600 MW. [reNews]

Solar array (Terra Solar image)

¶ “Replacing Australia’s Retiring Coal Power Stations With Small Nuclear Reactors Could Cost A$387 Billion, Analysis Suggests” • The federal government’s Energy Department says it would cost as much as A$387 billion ($249 billion) to replace Australia’s retiring coal-fired power stations with the form of nuclear power proposed by the Coalition. [The Guardian]

¶ “Costa Rica’s Sea Turtle Decline Linked To Climate Change” • The effects of climate change are increasingly evident in various parts of the planet. The repercussions of climate change include rising sea levels, high sea temperatures, and more. Experts from the APM Terminals Turtle Conservation Program say it results in fewer sea turtle hatchlings. [The Tico Times]

Young sea turtle (Morgan Newnham, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Thousands March To Kick Off Climate Summit, Demanding An End To Fossil Fuels” • Yelling that the future and their lives depend on ending fossil fuels, tens of thousands of protesters kicked off the opening salvo to New York’s Climate Week, where leaders will try once again to curb climate change primarily caused by coal, oil and natural gas. [ABC News]

¶ “Coal-Killing ‘Extension Cord’ Brings Renewable Energy To Local Communities” • The DOE may have a lot of big programs, but it also runs some that tend to fly under the media radar for ordinary communities. One is an ongoing solar program that aims to make local solar systems more accessible and affordable for most households. [CleanTechnica]

Fairbanks, Alaska (FairbanksMike, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “Sublime Systems Receives ASTM Certification For Low Carbon Cement” • In June, CleanTechnica told readers about Sublime Systems, which makes cement without massive carbon emissions. Now, it has ASTM C1157 compliance certification, which has more stringent strength requirements than older hydraulic cement standards. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Climate Change Could Bring More Monster Storms Like Hurricane Lee To New England” • When it comes to hurricanes, New England can’t compete with Florida or the Caribbean. But scientists said the arrival of storms like Atlantic storm Lee could become more common in places such as the Gulf of Maine, as the planet warms. [Rapid City Journal]

Lobster boats in Maine (Leon Bredella, Unsplash)

¶ “How Rural Southwest Utah Is Proving The Potential Of Renewable Geothermal Energy” • There’s a new hotspot in the world of geothermal energy: a seemingly sleepy valley in Beaver County. Its secret? The valley sits on top of bedrock that reaches temperatures up to 465°F. That is enough heat to make the area really interesting for power generation. [KUER]

¶ “Renewable Power Expected To Grow As Louisiana Marks Clean Energy Transition” • Gov John Bel Edwards issued a proclamation declaring September 25-29 as Clean Energy Week in Louisiana in conjunction with the national celebration. The state’s renewable power industry is slightly behind that of most other states, but it is growing. [Louisiana Illuminator]

Have a flawlessly grand day.

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World:

¶ “Antarctic Sea-Ice At ‘Mind-Blowing’ Low Alarms Experts” • Satellite data shows the sea-ice surrounding Antarctica is well below any previous recorded winter level, a worrying new benchmark for a region that once seemed resistant to global warming. An unstable Antarctica could have far-reaching consequences, polar experts warn. [BBC]

Antarctica (Long Ma, Unsplash)

¶ “Ten Countries And Territories Saw Severe Flooding In Just Twelve Days. Is This The Future Of Climate Change?” • Greece, Lybia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Spain, Brazil, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, and the US all had severe flooding. Sadly, such things will happen again. Over 90% of global warming over the past 50 years has been in the oceans, which power storms. [CNN]

¶ “SAIC-GM-Wuling JV Is Back With Another Potentially Game Changing Product: The Wuling E10 Mini Delivery Vehicle” • In another bold move that could potentially create another new and exciting market for affordable mini delivery vehicles, the SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture has just started the wider rollout of the Wuling E10 delivery vehicle. [CleanTechnica]

Wuling E10 delivery vehicle

¶ “Carmakers Urged To Stop Prioritising SUVs Over Smaller & More Affordable Electric Cars” • The arrival of more affordable, smaller electric cars would hasten the uptake of zero-emission cars in the UK, a survey shows. 22% of new car buyers already intend to buy an electric car in the next year, but the percentage goes higher as the price goes down. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “EVs To Surpass ⅔ Of Global Car Sales By 2030, Putting At Risk Nearly Half Of Oil Demand” • Global EV sales are on track to meet or outpace even the most ambitious net-zero timelines and could account for more than two-thirds of market share by 2030, following exponential growth trends, according to three research projects by RMI. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model 3 (Martin Katler, Unsplash)

¶ “EU May Require Four Times More Workers For Wind And Solar Projects By 2030” • Demand for talent in wind and solar power projects is expected to rise by “as much as fourfold” in EU countries by 2030, McKinsey & Co said. The wind and solar industry will need 990,000 full-time workers by the end of the decade, up from with 290,000 in 2020. [The National]

¶ “Water-Starved Saudi Confronts Desalination’s Heavy Toll” • Lacking lakes, rivers, and regular rainfall, Saudi Arabia relies on dozens of facilities that transform water from the Gulf and Red Sea to make it potable, supplying cities and towns that otherwise would not survive. Desalinization is energy intensive, but the country is turning to solar power. [Yahoo News]

Jeddah (backer Sha, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Adani Wind Receives Certification For India’s Largest Turbine” • Adani Wind, the wind energy solutions division of Adani New Industries Ltd, announced that its new Wind Turbine Generator has received type certification from Wind Guard GmbH, says a press release. At 5.2 MW, Adani’s news wind turbine is the largest made in India. [Daily Observer]

¶ “G20 Leaders Commit To Triple Renewable Energy Capacity By 2030 And Achieve Global Net Zero By 2050” • In a significant move on climate change issues at G20 summit, the leaders agreed to go for rapid, deep and sustained reductions in global GHG emissions by 43% by 2030 relative to the 2019 levels to limit global warming to 1.5°C. [Mid-day]

Solar power (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)

¶ “Solar Power Five Times More Popular Than Fossil Fuels: Survey” • According to a global poll by research firm Glocalities, more than 68% of people worldwide support solar energy. Only only 14%of respondents back fossil fuels, and 24% back nuclear. The use of solar energy has been expanding rapidly on a global scale, as its costs decline. [Interesting Engineering]

US:

¶ “The Energy-Efficient Home Makeover” • The good news: Inflation is finally cooling. The not-so-good-news: Your electric bill probably hasn’t gotten the memo yet. According to the US Energy Information Administration, US households have seen their electric bills rise this summer by an average of about 2% over last summer’s bills. [CleanTechnica]

Thermostat (Dan LeFebvre, Unsplash)

¶ “US DOE Unveils New Interactive Map Showcasing Clean Energy Investments” • The US DOE released a new interactive map series showcasing, in localized detail, where clean energy investments are occurring across the US. This new interactive tool will serve as a valuable resource for tracking the industrial revitalization across the country. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Poison Ivy Is Poised To Be One Of The Big Winners Of A Warming World” • Poison ivy is poised to be one of the big winners in this global, human-caused phenomenon. Scientists expect the dreaded three-leafed vine will take full advantage of warmer temperatures and rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to grow faster, bigger, and more toxic. [NPR]

Poison Ivy (Tina Hester, Pixy.org, CC0)

¶ “The Augusta Bio-Refinery: A State-Of-The-Art Renewable Natural Gas Project” • On 8.5-acres of land in Augusta, a state-of-the art project, the Augusta bio-refinery, is under development by Renovatio Solutions LLC. The goal of the project is to convert organic wastes into renewable natural gas through anaerobic digestion. [The Augusta Press]

¶ “US Renewables Capacity Projected To Soar With The IRA” • The Inflation Reduction Act is spurring a land rush for sites for development and giving impetus to the manufacture of clean energy equipment in the US, according to Wood Mackenzie. The country could see annual renewable capacity additions triple to 110 GW in ten years. [Oil Price]

Have an entirely superior day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Time Of Use Electricity Rate Plans Explained: Challenges And Solutions To Maximize Your Savings” • The challenge of keeping the grid balanced is expressed in the “Duck Curve.” The peak of solar power drives demand from generating plants down, but it recovers in early evening. The rapid increase can be covered by battery energy storage. [CleanTechnica]

Deepening duck curve (CAISO image)

¶ “Panasonic Eyes Solid-State Batteries, But Not For EVs (Yet)” • Panasonic is the latest manufacturer to tease the technology of solid-state batteries beyond the familiar button-sized format, but don’t hold your breath for that new EV battery. The company’s near-term target consists of drones and factory robots, not street vehicles. At least, not yet. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Record-High Summer Temps Give A ‘Sneak Peek’ Into Future Warming” • Global temperatures this June and August were the warmest on record, but an analysis from Berkeley Earth found that they also likely exceeded the benchmark of 1.5°C above preindustrial levels. That means they are expected to prompt worsening impacts of global warming. [ABC News]

Sneak Peek into the future (Melvin, Unsplash)

¶ “Major UK Methane Greenhouse Gas Leak Gets Spotted From Space” • A major UK leak of the extremely potent greenhouse gas methane has been spotted by a satellite for the first time. The leak occurred over a three-month period while Wales and West Utilities were replacing the gas mains. The amount leaked could have powered 7,500 homes for a year. [BBC]

¶ “GreenMax And Tradeable Launch GreenShift Africa, A Platform Designed To Accelerate The Penetration Of EVs In Africa” • US-based GreenMax Capital Group Ltd and Tradeable, which focuses on trade in Africa, have announced a partnership to launch GreenShift Africa, a trade facilitation platform for EV promotion in Africa. [CleanTechnica]

Electric motorcycle (trenchophotography, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Pakistan To Enhance Cooperation With China To Promote Affordable Green Energy, Experts Say” • Pakistan and China enjoy close ties, and Pakistan needs to enhance cooperation with China further under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to promote affordable clean and green energy in the South Asian country, Pakistani experts said. [Xinhua]

¶ “Solar Energy And Climate Change Are Killing Future Hydro Plants In Africa” • About 1.2 billion people live in Africa, and improved standards of living, they are using more electricity. The plan on how to do that is changing, however. Power dams are getting less cost-effective, as solar gets cheaper and water made less available by climate change. [ZME Science]

Aswan High Dam (Olaf Tausch, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “China To Expand Geothermal Energy Usage” • Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing announced at a conference that China will vigorously increase the use of geothermal energy to meet its targets for clean energy generation, according to a Reuters report. Geothermal energy can be used to produce electricity and for heating and cooling. [Interesting Engineering]

US:

¶ “Interior Department Announces More Than $40.6 Million For Efforts To Conserve America’s Most Imperiled Species” • The Interior Department announced over $40.6 million in grants through the US Fish and Wildlife Service to ten states and the US Virgin Islands to support land acquisition and conservation planning projects for 65 listed species. [CleanTechnica]

Monarch butterfly (Erin Minuskin, Unsplash)

¶ “Hurricane Lee Live Updates: When Storm Will Reach New England” • As Hurricane Lee, a Category 1 storm, moves up the East Coast, tropical storm warnings are in effect along the coast from Massachusetts to Maine. Lee is hundreds of miles off the coast and is expected to make landfall in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick as a tropical storm. [ABC News]

¶ “NREL And Joby Aviation Partnership Spotlights Green Ride-Hailing Flight Services” • When Joby Aviation wanted to find the environmental impact of its future all-electric aerial ride-hailing service, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which has done years of sustainable aviation research, helped provide a technological bird’s eye view. [CleanTechnica]

Joby Aviation eVTOL vehicle (Photo from Joby Aviation)

¶ “NREL Researchers Reveal How Buildings Across US Use – And Could Use – Energy” • Buildings are responsible for 40% of total energy use in the US, including 75% of all electricity use and 35% of the nation’s carbon emissions. National Renewable Energy Laboratory researchers created a data set to detail how buildings use – and could use – energy. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Santa Barbara County Moving Steadily Toward Renewable Energy Goal” • Santa Barbara County is moving steadily toward meeting its goal of operating government facilities on 100% renewable energy by 2030. Currently, renewable sources supply 53% of county government’s energy. Supervisors generally expressed support. [Santa Maria Times]

Santa Barbara County gonvernment campus (Contributed)

¶ “California Sues Fossil Fuel Giants Over Climate Change” • The state of California is the latest to take some of the world’s largest fossil fuel companies to court, claiming in a suit that decades of deliberate disinformation about climate change have worsened it and caused major environmental, public health, and economic damages in the state. [Courthouse News Service]

¶ “Environmental Groups Urge Regulators To Shut Down Diablo Canyon Reactor Over Safety, Testing Concerns” • Environmental groups called on federal regulators to shut down one of the two reactors at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant until tests can be conducted on critical machinery they believe could fail, causing a catastrophe. [Santa Monica Daily Press]

Have a greatly appreciated day.

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World:

¶ “Climate Change Takes Habitat From Big Fish, The Ocean’s Key Predators” • This year’s marine heat waves and spiking ocean temperatures foretell big changes for some of the largest fish in the sea. Loss of habitat could largely remove some of the most important predators from the ocean, including commercially important seafood species. [ABC News]

Fisherman with albacore tuna (NOAA FishWatch, public domain)

¶ “Libya Turmoil Made Derna Flooding Even More Deadly” • Up to 20,000 people are feared to have died due to raging floods in eastern Libya. Derna, a city emblematic of a breakdown of Lybia law and order in recent years, had most of the deaths. It has had little investment for decades. An official said that one of the dams that burst was not being maintained. [BBC]

¶ “EV Sales Growing Faster Than Forecasted, Oil Demand Peaked In 2019” • RMI shows that the rapid growth of EVs means that global oil demand for cars has already peaked and will be in freefall by 2030. The new driver of change is economics. Because battery costs enjoy learning curves, total cost of ownership price parity has been reached. [CleanTechnica]

Renault Zoe (Renault image)

¶ “€25,000 Small Electric Cars On Track To Be Profitable By 2025!” • Carmakers can make a profit selling small electric cars made in Europe for €25,000, research shows. Falling production costs and battery prices would make mass market B-segment vehicles feasible to electrify by 2025, according to the study by Transport & Environment. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “French-Led Proposal For Australia’s Second-Biggest Battery Storage In Tasmania Will ‘Reduce Energy Costs’” • Tasmania could have a grid-connected battery by 2026 under a proposal from the country’s largest battery operator. Proposed by Neoen, a Paris-based energy company, the battery would add 140 MW of capacity to Tasmania’s energy network. [ABC]

Tasmanian countryside (Matt Palmer, Unsplash)

¶ “Djibouti Inaugurates Red Sea Power, Country’s First Wind Farm” • President Ismail Omar Guelleh inaugurated Djibouti’s first-ever wind farm. The Red Sea Power wind farm, near Lake Goubet, will provide 60 MW of clean energy, averting 252,500 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually, equivalent to the pollution from over 55,000 buses. [Energy Central]

¶ “Dublin Hotel Signs Wind PPA” • Flogas Enterprise signed a corporate power purchase agreement with Dublin’s Merrion Hotel to supply it with renewable electricity. The 21-month deal will allow the hotel to buy renewable electricity directly from one of Ireland’s first wind farms, Cronalaght Wind Farm in Donegal, which began operations in 1997. [reNews]

Wind turbine in Ireland (Peter Randall-Cook, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

US:

¶ “California Energy Commission Starts $38 Million Project For EV Charging In Low-Income And Disadvantaged Communities” • The California Energy Commission is opening applications for $38 million in equity-focused incentives to fund EV charging stations in low-income and disadvantaged communities in 28 counties. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Rural Puerto Rican Homes To Receive More Low-Cost Solar Power” • Last month, Barrio Electrico began installing more solar power and energy storage in a part of Coamo named Barrio Pasto. The goal is to install enough new solar and energy storage in the first year to provide low-cost electricity to up to 500 households there. [CleanTechnica]

Rooftop solar system (Image by Barrio Electrico)

¶ “California Legislature Approves Plan Allowing The State To Buy Power” • The California Legislature voted to give Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration permission to buy massive amounts of electricity. The move is aimed at avoiding blackouts by shoring up the state’s power supply while jumpstarting the offshore wind industry. [San Diego Union-Tribune]

¶ “Florida Is Now Adding More Solar Power Than Any Other State” • Florida has long ranked a distant third place behind California and Texas in installed solar, but it’s now installing more solar panels than any other state. This is despite its having a policy landscape considerably more challenging than what is found in other states. [Canary Media]

Solar array in Florida (Amer Awwad, US DOE)

¶ “Enel Brings Five New Batteries Online In Texas, Tripling Its Operational Grid Storage Capacity” • Enel North America has more than tripled its operational utility-scale storage capacity this summer by bringing five new battery energy storage systems online in Texas. The batteries add 555 MWh of energy storage to the Texas power grid. [PR Newswire]

¶ “Sunflower Solar Plant Ensures A ‘Bright Future’ For Entergy And Mississippi” • Entergy Mississippi has looked closely at solar technology for over a decade. Its Bright Future initiative kicked off in 2015, helping its engineers learn more about the feasibility of solar technology. Now, it is developing the 100-MW Sunflower Solar Project. [Entergy Newsroom]

Solar farm (Entergy image)

¶ “Air Force Set To Award Contract For Small Nuclear Reactor At Base Near Fairbanks” • The Air Force announced its intent to award a contract for a small nuclear reactor at a base in Alaska pending approval by the NRC. The contract went to Oklo Inc, of Santa Clara, California, for a small reactor at Eielson Air Force Base. [Anchorage Daily News]

¶ “New Files Shed Light On ExxonMobil’s Efforts To Undermine Climate Science ” • ExxonMobil executives privately sought to undermine climate science even after the oil and gas giant publicly acknowledged the link between fossil fuel emissions and climate change, according to previously unreported documents revealed by the Wall Street Journal. [The Guardian]

Have a profoundly amusing day.

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World:

¶ “What We Know About The Floods That Killed Thousands In Libya” • Over 6,000 people have died as of Wednesday morning, according to the health ministry undersecretary of the Unity Government in Tripoli, one of two rival governments operating in the country. Storm Daniel caused floods that broke two dams, destroying much of the city of Derna. [CNN]

Derna, now largely destroyed (Syed Wali Peeran, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Volvo Tops Premium C-SUV Electric Vehicle Sales In First Half Of 2023 In South Africa” • Sales of EVs in South Africa are starting to gain some significant traction. In the first half of this year, Volvo Cars South Africa led the sales charge in the local market’s fully electric premium C-SUV segment, far outselling every other brand in this space. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Conditions On Earth May Be Moving Outside The ‘Safe Operating Space’ For Humanity, Dozens Of Scientists Say” • Human actions have pushed the world into the danger zone on several key indicators of planetary health, threatening to set off dramatic changes in conditions on Earth, according to analysis by 29 scientists in eight countries. [CNN]

Pollution (Marek Piwnicki, Unsplash)

¶ “BMW Decides To Build Electric MINIs In The UK And Not Just China” • Years ago, BMW announced that it was going big on building future electric MINI vehicles in China. But, as media outlets have been pointing out, US sales would run into a huge tariff. Fortunately, MINI now has plans to build at least some of the vehicles in the UK. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Kroll Study Shows Stronger Investment Returns For Firms With High ESG Ratings” • Kroll, an independent global risk and financial advisor, analyzed data on over 13,000 companies across industries around the globe and found that companies with high Environmental, Social, and Governance ratings outperformed those with lower ratings. [Kroll]

Doing business (sps universal, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “The Tube Could Run Entirely On Renewable Energy By 2030” • In just seven years, London could emit ‘net zero’ carbon, to be one of the world’s greenest cities. Mayor Sadiq Khan said the UK capital is getting one step closer to achieving this goal, as it makes progress on a plan to have the tube run on entirely renewable energy by 2030. [TimeOut]

¶ “World Heading For 2.5°C Global Warming” • The world is on a 2.5°C warming trajectory according to Wood Mackenzie’s Energy Transition Outlook report. If transformative action is not taken now, the Paris Agreement goal to limit the average temperature increase to below 1.5°C will very likely be missed, the report concluded. [reNews]

Wind turbines (BP image)

¶ “Germany Advises Against Nuclear Power In Uganda” • The Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Matthias Schauer, has advised against plans by Uganda to invest in nuclear power plants. Schauer, whose country supports Uganda’s clean energy policies, said nuclear power is both environmentally sensitive and costly. [The Independent Uganda]

¶ “Ukraine Eyes 1-GW Chernobyl Wind Potential” • Officials of the Ukrainian government, the transmission system operator Ukrenergo, and Notus energy signed a joint declaration of intent on the development of a wind farm in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. A feasibility study shows that the area offers the potential for 1 GW of wind power. [reNews]

Wind turbine (Notus image)

US:

¶ “SB 253 Scope 3 Emissions Disclosure Bill Passes In California” • The California legislature this week approved SB 253, a bill that requires any business with annual revenues of $1 billion or more that does business within the state to report all of its greenhouse the emissions related to its business, not just those attributable directly to its operations. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “California Legislation Can Cut Carbon From Building Materials” • The carbon emissions associated with building materials are estimated to contribute up to 11% of all global energy-related carbon emissions. A report says California is one of the first states in the country to take meaningful steps toward reducing them. [CleanTechnica]

Glass facades (Dennis Schroeder, NREL)

¶ “Terra CO₂ Is Building A Low Carbon Concrete Factory In Texas” • Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials on Earth. It has been made with Portland cement, which accounts for about 8% of global CO₂ emissions. Terra CO₂ announced it is building its first full-scale factory in Texas to cement with lower emissions. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Utilities In New Hampshire Unexpectedly Back Solar Net Metering” • Eversource, Unitil, and Liberty Utilities surprised clean-energy advocates with joint testimony to state regulators endorsing the state’s current net-metering structure. The system credits customers roughly 75% of the standard rate for electricity they send to the grid. [Canary Media]

Rooftop solar system (New England Clean Energy image)

¶ “First Solar And Longroad Energy Extend Partnership With 2-GW Module Order” • In a significant development for renewable energy, Longroad Energy, a prominent US-based renewable energy developer, has extended its collaboration with First Solar, Inc and increased its procurement of advanced US thin film solar modules by 2 GW. [SolarQuarter]

¶ “Entergy To Power 300-MW Green Hydrogen Project In South Louisiana” • Entergy will provide power for a Monarch Energy green hydrogen project in South Louisiana, according to a long-term MOU. As part of the agreement, Entergy supply renewable power to Monarch’s 300-MW electrolyzer project near the city of Donaldsonville, Louisiana. [Power Engineering]

Have a wonderfully fun day.

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World:

¶ “Renowned Conductor Allows Climate Activists To Address Crowd At Swiss Music Festival” • A famed Russian conductor allowed climate protesters who disrupted a performance at a classical music festival in Switzerland to address the crowd. Two protesters from Renovate Switzerland were pushing the Swiss government to declare a climate crisis. [CNN]

Protest (Renovate Switzerland image)

¶ “Huge Bushfire Sweeps Through Central Australia Near A Popular Tourist Town” • A huge bushfire raging for over a week in central Australia has come dangerously close to the popular tourist town of Tennant Creek, as authorities warn that changing wind conditions could pose a risk to residents. Tennant Creek is home to about 3,000 people. [CNN]

¶ “Stellantis Opens New Battery Development Facility, Aims For 50% Lighter Battery Packs” • Stellantis marked the opening of its inaugural Battery Technology Center at the Mirafiori complex in Turin, Italy. The €40 million investment strengthens Stellantis’ designing, developing, and testing high-voltage cells, modules, battery packs, and software. [CleanTechnica]

Battery Technology Center (Stellantis image)

¶ “Greece’s Agricultural Heartland Is Underwater” • In early September 2023, Greece endured a four-day storm that dropped 910 mm (3 feet) of rain on central parts of the country. The record rainfall triggered deadly flooding and inundated towns and farm fields in Thessaly, a region that includes Greece’s agricultural heartland. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Solar Power Europe Predicts EU Will Reach Its Renewable Energy Goal Three Years Early” • The 2023 annual report from Solar Power Europe comes to a startling conclusion. It says the EU will reach the renewable energy goal it set for 2030 three years early. The report is 148 pages long, and this article provides a summary. [CleanTechnica]

Solar array (Arizona Public Service image)

¶ “Ørsted unveils plans for first UK solar farm” • Ørsted unveiled its first solar project in the UK, a 740-MW scheme with associated battery storage located in Nottinghamshire. One Earth Solar Farm is being co-developed with PS Renewables. Subject to local and stakeholder consultation, a development consent order submission is planned for 2025. [reNews]

¶ “Gone With The Wind: Fossil Fuel Loses Ground In UK’s Energy Mix” • New analysis from Imperial College London for Drax Electric Insights has found that for the first time ever, the installed wind capacity has surpassed gas, reaching 27.9 GW in June compared to the 27.7 GW installed capacity for gas generating capacity. [Drax Group]

Offshore windpower (Drax Group image)

¶ “Ocean Winds Makes South Korean Floater Pact” • Ocean Winds and South Korean Ulsan Metropolitan City have signed a letter of intent to drive forward the 1200-MW floating offshore wind energy project KF Wind. The KF Wind project is a joint venture of Ocean Winds (66.7%) and Mainstream Renewable Power (33.3%). [reNews]

¶ “Brazil Hits 10.4 GW Of Centralized PV Solar Power” • Installed capacity of solar power plants in Brazil reached 10.4 GW on August 31, or 5.27% of total power granted (196GW), according to latest figures by electric power watchdog Aneel. There were 18,100 PV solar generating plants in operation, counting only centralized plants. [BNamericas]

Solar farm (Raphael Cruz, Unsplash)

¶ “China’s Solar Boom: Capacity Set To Hit 1 TW By 2026” • The Chinese solar sector is set to break records in the coming years . When installed capacity crosses the 500 GW mark by the end of 2023, it will have taken 13 years to reach that milestone. That total, however, will be doubled to 1 TW in just three additional years, by the end of 2026. [Oil Price]

US:

¶ “Wave Energy Gets Ready For A Big First” • Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory will help four promising wave energy devices prepare to survive a big first. The four will be the first technologies to face the waves at PacWave South, a new grid-connected wave energy test site off the Oregon coast that opens in 2025. [CleanTechnica]

Water power researchers (Joe DelNero, NREL)

¶ “A Wind Power Assist For Spectacular Wildlife Filmmaking” • Wildlife filmmaker Bertie Gregory is continuing a spectacular run of projects with the new Animals Up Close With Bertie Gregory series. The new show caught the CleanTechnica eye because Bertie and his crew also relied on centuries-old wind power harvesters, aka sails, to make the magic happen. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Big News For Big Trucks – Cummins, Paccar, Daimler Launch Battery JV” • In what could be a decisive strategic move for North American clean trucking, Cummins’ accelera brand announced a joint venture with fellow trucking giants Daimler and Paccar to make battery cells for commercial EVs and industrial, heavy equipment applications. [CleanTechnica]

accelera battery

¶ “Apple Unveils Its First Carbon Neutral Products” • Apple has announced its first carbon neutral products in the all-new Apple Watch lineup, as innovations in design and clean energy have driven reductions in product emissions. This milestone marks a major step toward Apple’s 2030 goal to make all of its products carbon neutral by the end of the decade. [Apple]

¶ “Palisades Nuclear Plant To Restart In Deal With Power Co-Op” • The company that owns the Palisades nuclear plant announced that it will restart the 800-megawatt power plant in a deal with Wolverine Power Cooperative. The facility stands to become the first decommissioned nuclear plant to be fired back up in the entire United States. [MLive.com]

Have a genuinely splendid day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Robots Are Trained To Help Revive Coral Reefs” • Coral reefs are sensitive to heat and acidification. As the oceans have grown warmer and more acidic, corals have become prone to disease and death. Startup Coral Maker hopes that a partnership with San Francisco-based software firm Autodesk will produce robots that can help humans restore reefs. [BBC]

Developing robots to restore coral (Autodesk image)

¶ “High Levels Of Particulate Air Pollution Associated With Increased Breast Cancer Incidence” • Researchers at the National Institutes of Health found that women living in an area with high levels of particulate air pollution have increased rates of breast cancer. The study is one of the largest to look at the relationship of particulates and breast cancer. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Heat Pumps Up To Three Times More Efficient In Cold” • A study from Oxford University and the Regulatory Assistance Project used data from seven field studies. It shows that heat pumps are two to three times as efficient as combustion or resistive electric heating technology, even in temperatures approaching -30°C (-22ºF). [CleanTechnica]

Helsinki in winter (Tapio Haaja, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Thousands Feared Dead As Flooding Sweeps Libya” • After a powerful storm triggered ruinous flooding in Libya, thousands of people are feared dead. The head of the east Libyan government, which is not recognised internationally, said that deaths exceed 2,000 and thousands of people are missing. Storm Daniel made its landfall on Sunday. [BBC]

¶ “Sun Cable Plan To Bring Solar Power To Singapore Is Back On” • Sun Cable, formerly known as PowerLink, is an ambitious idea that involves sending solar power via an undersea cable 4,200 km (2,610 miles) from Darwin, Australia, to Singapore. Delays in approvals and disagreements held the project up. Now it is under way again. [CleanTechnica]

Cable route – Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “Malaysia’s Gentari Aims To Operate Up To Eight Gigawatts Of Renewable Energy In Australia By 2030” • Gentari, the clean energy unit of Malaysian oil and gas giant Petronas, aims to operate as much as 8 GW of renewables in Australia by 2030, a goal that would make it one of the largest electricity suppliers by then, if achieved. [The Guardian]

¶ “’Seismic Shift:’ Energy Crisis Helped Wind And Solar Stretch Cost Advantage Over Fossil Fuels” • In 2010, the cost of solar PV was eight times as high as the cheapest source of fossil fuels, with a levelised cost of energy of 44.5¢/kWh. An IRENA report says the LCOE of PVs fell to 4.9¢/kWh in 2022, making it 29% cheaper than the cheapest fossil fuel option. [Renew Economy]

Solar array on a farm (NextTracker image)

¶ “Renewable Electricity Imports From Indonesia” • The Energy Market Authority of Singapore granted Conditional Approvals to five projects to allow imports of a total of 2 GW of low-carbon electricity from Indonesia into Singapore. These projects mark a significant step toward Singapore’s goal of importing 4 GW of low-carbon electricity by 2035. [SolarQuarter]

¶ “Minister Ryan Announces Energy Cooperation Agreements With United Kingdom” • Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, signed two Memorandums of Understanding with Claire Coutinho, the UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, increasing cooperation between the countries. [Government of Ireland]

Wind turbines in Ireland (David Dixon, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “What, No Nuclear? Vestager Promotes Hydrogen In Race To Head EU’s Bank” • Top EU official Margrethe Vestager name-checked wind, solar, and hydrogen as forms of renewable energy that should get funding from the European Investment Bank, which she hopes to lead after stepping down from her role as Europe’s top antitrust enforcer. [POLITICO.EU]

US:

¶ “Number Of Billion-Dollar Weather Disasters In US Blows Through Annual Record With Four Months Left In The Year” • With four months left in the year, the US has had 23 disasters that each cost at least $1 billion, NOAA data shows, surpassing the previous record of 22 events in 2020. Together, 2023’s disasters have done $57.6 billion in damages. [CNN]

Hurricane (Pixabay, Pexels)

¶ “Study Says Tesla Poised To Disrupt Insurance Market Just As It Did The Auto Market” • Tesla’s EVs have already disrupted global automotive markets. Now, a study from MarketWatch suggests that the company’s pioneering use of advanced telematics in assigning insurance risk may disrupt the insurance industry just as much. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Record US Small-Scale Solar Capacity Added In 2022” • The Energy Information Administration estimates that the US added a record 6.4 GW of small-scale solar capacity in 2022. Capacity grew from 7.3 GW in 2014, the first year of estimates, to 39.5 GW in 2022. Small-scale solar makes up about one-third of the total solar capacity in the US. [CleanTechnica]

Rooftop solar system (Vivint Solar image)

¶ “BOEM Completes Environmental Analysis For Proposed Wind Project Offshore New York” • The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has completed its environmental review of the proposed Empire Wind Farm Project off New York. The project is a step toward the US goal of deploying 30 GW of offshore windpower capacity by 2030. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “BlueWave Gains $91 Million to Support Agrivoltaic Solar Development” • BlueWave received $91 million in financing for long-term ownership and management of its growing solar portfolio, including five agrivoltaic projects in Massachusetts. The B Corp will use the land for both solar development and agricultural use. [Environment+Energy Leader]

Have a totally copacetic day.

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(, CC-BY-SA 3.0) km² CO₂ NH₃ CH₄ ₹ NOₓ ‽ ♦♦♦♦♦

Opinion:

¶ “Nuclear Energy Remains Weapon Of Choice For Climate Deniers And Coal Lobby” • Australia’s National Party and its Liberal Party coalition partners are in furious agreement: They are not the slightest bit serious about strong climate action. SMRs and nuclear power are a perfect tool to use for deferring action on climate change for years. [Renew Economy]

Change the politics (Tania Malréchauffé, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “State-Level Building Electrification Factsheets” • Over just a few years, electrification has become crucial to effective building decarbonization policy. Momentum has been increasingly driven by economics (especially for new construction), improved carbon savings from grid and technology improvements, and climate change. Here are factsheets. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Revolutionizing Lithium Production On A String” • Princeton researchers have developed an extraction technique that greatly reduces the amount of land and time needed to produce lithium. They say their system can be used to improve production at lithium facilities, unlocking sources seen as too small or diluted to be worthwhile. [CleanTechnica]

Researcher Meiqi Yang (Bumper DeJesus, via Princeton University)

World:

¶ “Could Cleaner Air Reduce The Risk Of Suicide?” • A new frontier of potentially preventative research on suicide is rising that might, at first, seem unrelated: improving air quality. Over the past few years, various studies have identified associations between raised levels of air pollution and increased suicide risk. What should we make of this evidence? [BBC]

¶ “Island States Seek Climate Protection From Law Of The Sea” • Tuvalu and Antigua and Barbuda are both small island nations that face ongoing impacts from rising sea levels. Their prime ministers will appear at legal hearings at an international court in Hamburg, to seek an advisory opinion on the obligations of countries to combat climate change. [CNN]

Road on Funafuti, Tuvalu (Davidarfonjones, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Bringing Clean Deliveries To India” • In India, on-demand transportation and deliveries are convenient but polluting. The “final mile” in e-commerce ofton accounts for over 50% of the logistics cost. The Shoonya initiative seeks to create a market for zero-emissions deliveries by giving buyers data on the carbon pollution their purchases produce. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The Hottest Electric Vehicles Are In China” • There are 138 automakers in China, the No 1 auto market in the world. At least 40 of the 138 are purely electric companies, according to JD Power. In 2022, EV sales in China totaled 6.9 million units, an increase of 93.4% from 2021, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. [ABC News]

Zeekr 009 (Navigator84, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Octopus Launches 50-MW Scottish Wind Farm” • Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust opened a 50-MW onshore wind farm in South Lanarkshire. The £75 million project has a PPA with Kimberley Clark. The power supplied to the personal care giant’s facilities in the UK will make up almost 80% of the power needs for three factories. [reNews]

¶ “Enercon Reaches 60-GW Wind Milestone” • Enercon has announced it has reached 60 GW of onshore wind capacity installed worldwide. More than 32,000 wind turbines have been planned, produced, and commissioned in 50 countries since the company’s foundation in 1984. This capacity is about what would be in 60 conventional power plants. [reNews]

Wind farm (Enercon image)

¶ “Former Rubbish Dump In Essex Becomes UK’s Third Largest Solar Farm” • The largest solar farm in Europe to be built on a closed landfill is begun generating electricity from a former Essex rubbish dump. The Ockendon solar farm, the third largest in the UK, has over 100,000 solar modules covering 70 hectares (173 acres) of land. [The Guardian]

¶ “GreenGo Makes 500-MW German PV Pact” • GreenGo Energy entered the German market with a 500-MW solar partnership with Encavis AG. The developer already has a market presence in USA, Europe and Northern Africa. GreenGo said the partnership in Germany adds to the company’s existing 600-MW late-stage project portfolio in Denmark. [reNews]

Solar farm (Encavis and GreenGo)

¶ “Investors And Unions Press Labor To Invest $100 Billion To Compete In Global Green Economy” • The Australian federal government is being pushed to provide an extra $100 billion over 10 years to boost jobs and reduce emissions including through investments in clean industries and manufacturing of renewable energy components. [The Guardian]

US:

¶ “How Biden Is Bringing More Environmental And Climate Justice To The US” • This past year, the EPA invested $3 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act in the new Environmental and Climate Justice Grant Program to accelerate environmental justice efforts, address pollution, and support a more equitable future for communities. [CleanTechnica]

Brooklyn neighborhood (Redd F, Unsplash)

¶ “Lithium Deposit In Extinct Nevada Volcano Could Be Largest In The World” • A paper in the journal Science Advances reports the discovery of what may be the largest lithium deposit known to exist, inside the caldera of an extinct volcano in Nevada. This could have a major impact on America’s ability to make batteries without relying on Chinese sources. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Appalachian Power Is To Purchase More Solar And Wind Energy” • Appalachian Power Co will buy electricity from six solar farms as it shifts to all-renewable energy by 2050. The State Corporation Commission approved its latest renewable energy plan, which details the company’s plans provide 100% green energy to Virginia customers. [Roanoke Times]

Have a good-old glorious day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Underwhelming G20 Skates Over The Big Issues Of Poverty, Inequality, And Climate” • The G20 has failed to meet the huge challenges our world faces, said Oxfam. The G20 continue to stumble away from taking the bold actions necessary to tackle poverty, inequality, and climate issues at an uninspiring Summit in India this weekend. [Oxfam America]

Earth (NASA image)

¶ “Oregon Hasn’t Said Never To Nuclear Power, But It Should” • Recently, editorials have appeared across Oregon in a number of newspapers. They are remarkably similar, and subtly deceptive in their content, as if a Nuclear Pied Piper is in town once again, playing music for a great revival if only you will follow it down its unforseen road once again. [Bend Bulletin]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Hurricane Lee Becomes Rare Storm Rapidly Intensifying From Cat 1 To Cat 5 In 24 Hours” • During the satellite era, very few hurricanes have intensified by 85 mph or more in 24 hours. Lee was a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph on Thursday. Twenty-four hours later, it was Category 5 hurricane with 165 mph winds. [ABC News]

Hurricane Lee (NOAA image)

¶ “Hurricane Lee Is Rewriting Rules Of Meteorology, Experts Say” • Hurricane Lee is rewriting the old rules of meteorology, leaving experts astonished at how rapidly it grew into a goliath Category 5 hurricane. Because they can intensify more rapidly, hurricanes may be stronger in higher latitudes and threaten areas that are farther inland. [ABC News]

World:

¶ “World EV Sales 15% Of World Auto Sales” • Global plugin vehicle registrations were up 41% in July 2023 compared to July 2022, rising to 1,104,00 units. In the end, plugins represented 16% share of the overall auto market (11% for battery EVs). This means that the global automotive market is firmly within the Electric Disruption Zone. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model Y (Alexander Migl, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Toyota Plunges Into Crowded Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck Pool, With A Bang” • Signs that a fuel cell truck revolution is coming to the US have been few and far between. Nevertheless, activity is finally beginning to pick up. Toyota has just jumped into the pool with both feet first, but the company better not look back. There might be something gaining on it. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Half Of The World’s Glaciers Will Vanish With 1.5 Degrees Of Warming” • A January 2023 study in the journal Science that projects that the world’s glaciers could lose as much as 40% of their mass by 2100. The study predicts how they will be affected by global temperature increases of 1.5°C to 4°C (2.7°F to 5°F) from pre-industrial levels. [CleanTechnica]

Glacial lake in Nepal (James Chou, Unsplash)

¶ “Group Of 20 Countries Agree To Increase Clean Energy But Reach No Deal On Phasing Out Fossil Fuels” • The Group of 20 leaders agreed on Saturday to triple renewable energy and try to increase the funds for climate change-related disasters. They have maintained the status quo, however, with regards to phasing out carbon spewing coal. [ABC News]

¶ “NSW Govt Makes Contentious Decision Over Fears Blackouts Would Derail Renewable Transition” • The NSW government announced it would enter commercial negotiations with Origin Energy which would see the government pay to keep the Eraring coal-fired power station open past its scheduled closure date, which had been 2025. [The Mercury]

Sidney, NSW (Jamie Davies, Unsplash)

¶ “IAEA Warns Of Nuclear Safety Threat As Combat Spikes Near Ukraine Power Plant” • The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency warned of a potential threat to nuclear safety from a spike in fighting near Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine, whose forces continued pressing their counteroffensive on Saturday. [PBS]

US:

¶ “How Frontline Communities Can Take Advantage Of The Inflation Reduction Act To Advance Local Priorities” • The IRA has a J40 provision that directs 40% of the overall benefits and investments to Disadvantaged Communities, defined based on indicators from the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool or by a common condition. [CleanTechnica]

Rural America (Jonathan Singer, Unsplash)

¶ “Elon Musk Biography Reveals Internal Tesla Battle Regarding $25,000 Car And Robotaxis” • An upcoming biography of Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson says Musk was obsessed with robotaxis so much that he repeatedly vetoed his own plan for a $25,000 electric car in favor of them, until skeptical Tesla executives got him to hedge his bet. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “176 New EV Fast Charging Ports Will Be Installed In Illinois” • Texas-based Universal EV Chargers recently announced that the company was selected by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to receive grants to install 176 new DC fast charging ports throughout the state of Illinois. The state currently has about 1,000 fast chargers. [CleanTechnica]

Universal EV Charger (Courtesy of Universal EV Chargers)

¶ “Dallas Love Field Is Generating Electricity From Airplane Takeoffs” • The airport Dallas Love Field is using the wind from jets to generate electricity. It partnered with Jetwind to install the turbines on its grounds as part of a trial program to prove the viability of a system that generates power from man-made wind sources such as planes, trains, and cars. [Simple Flying]

¶ “Ørsted Threatens To Abandon US Offshore Wind Projects” • The largest offshore wind farm developer is preparing to walk away from US projects unless it can be guaranteed more support, Bloomberg reported. Under the Inflation Reduction Act, Ørsted gets upwards of 30% tax credits, but a financial crisis is unfolding in the offshore wind power industry. [Oil Price]

Have a tolerably flawless day.

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Opinion:

¶ “COP28: A Chance To Course-Correct On The Global Clean Energy Transition” • Leaders of COP28 write that the world is not on track to meeting the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement, and the global clean energy transition is dangerously off-course. But there is hope. We can still get back on track by taking urgent action now. [POLITICO.eu]

Windpower (Karsten Würth, Unsplash)

¶ “The EU Won The First Round Against The Russian Energy Extortion. But Can It Keep Up The Fight?” • Before its invasion of Ukraine, Russian supplied 40% of the EU’s natural gas, 25% of its crude oil, 40% of road diesel, and 30% of hard coal. When the EU sanctioned Russia for the invasion, Russia reduced supplies. The EU managed, but can it keep it up? [Atlantic Council]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Lee Adds To A Growing Trend Of Intense Hurricanes Powered By Warmer Oceans” • Hurricane Lee rapidly intensified at a historic pace into a Category 5 storm Thursday night, adding to a spate of extremely intense hurricanes this year and in recent decades. Experts say the strength and rapid growth of storms are symptoms of the climate crisis. [CNN]

Hurricane Lee ( CIMSS, public domain)

¶ “Argonne National Lab Improves Lithium-Sulfur Battery Performance” • The search for lighter, smaller, more powerful, and less expensive batteries is going on at research institutes all around the world. Argonne National Lab is one of them. Sulfur batteries can be cheaper than other types, and they can offer a significant improvement in range. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “World Isn’t Moving Fast Enough To Cut Pollution And Keep Warming Below 2°C, UN Scorecard Says” • In the eight years since the landmark Paris Climate Agreement, the world’s nations have not done enough to cut pollution and avert catastrophic warming, according to the first UN scorecard since Paris. It shows the world is seriously off-track. [CNN]

Refinery (Robin Sommer, Unsplash)

¶ “Tesla Rules In Europe – Europe EV Sales Report” • Some 234,000 plugin vehicles were registered in July in Europe. This is an increase of 48% year over year, the market’s highest growth since August 2021. Unfortunately, the overall market also grew fast, 17%, as it is finally recovering from a couple of bad years. The Tesla Model Y is the best-seller. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “38% Plugin Vehicle Share In China! – China EV Sales Report” • Plugin vehicles are all the rage in the Chinese auto market. Plugins scored over 658,000 sales last month, up 31%, year over year. That pulled the year-to-date tally to over 3.9 million units. July showing another great performance, plugin vehicles hit 38% market share! [CleanTechnica]

BYD Song Pro EV (Jengtingchen, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Coalition Of World Leaders Calls For Tripling Renewable Energy” • In an article published online, EC President Ursula von der Leyen, Kenya’s President William Ruto, and Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley called for the world to set global goals to triple renewable energy capacity and double annual savings of energy use by 2030. [POLITICO.eu]

¶ “Hitachi Energy Wins Order To Support Grid Integration Of 300-MW Solar Project” • Hitachi Energy India won a contract from Ayana Renewable Power, a private-sector power producer in India, to provide a grid connection for a 300-MW solar PV power plant in Rajasthan. The plant is to be commissioned in March 2024. [pv magazine India]

Solar power (Nuno Marques, Unsplash)

¶ “Amid Energy Price Spike, 86% Of New Renewable Electricity Was Cheaper Than Fossil Fuels Last Year” • Renewable power was already rapidly replacing fossil fuels as the cheapest source of electricity. Thanks to rocketing fuel prices last year, it is now the clear winner when it comes to cost-effectiveness. The transition has accelerated significantly. [Singularity Hub]

¶ “IAEA: Increased Military Activity Observed Near Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant” • Signs of “increased military activity” in the areas around the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant pose a possible danger to nuclear security at the site, the International Atomic Energy Agency wrote in its September 8 report. [Yahoo News]

Control room at Zaporizhzhia (IAEA Imagebank, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

US:

¶ “US Clean Energy Projects Need Public Buy-In. Community Benefits Agreements Can Help” • The US is entering a clean energy boom thanks to investments made under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. In just seven months they have come to over $150 billion. Actually breaking ground can be a challenge, however. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ford Takes The Mustang Off-Road With Upcoming Mach-E Rally Car” • One look at the Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally, and you can see that it’s not the standard crossover that many other auto manufacturers are offering. This EV takes the freedom and fun of Mustang onto dirt roads, showcasing a different direction for electric vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally (Ford image)

¶ “Clean Power Alliance Board of Directors Approves Six Power Purchase Agreements for its Power Share Program” • The Clean Power Alliance Board of Directors approved six 20-year Power Purchase Agreements to expand its community solar program. The additional capacity will provide customers 100% renewable energy at a 20% bill discount. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ “Entergy And Monarch Energy Collaborate To Advance South Louisiana Green Hydrogen Infrastructure” • Entergy Louisiana and Monarch Energy, a company known for its green hydrogen and electro-fuels projects, have signed a memorandum of understanding to help advance the energy infrastructure in South Louisiana. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Have an altogether exemplary day.

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World:

¶ “Kenya’s Hard Won Gains Against Malaria Threatened By Surging Temperatures” • Fourteen million Kenyans live in areas where malaria is endemic. Malaria is thought to kill 10,000 people in Kenya each year. The first mosquito vaccine raised hopes malaria could one day be eradicated, but the disease is spreading due to climate change. [CNN]

Kilimanjaro (Sergey Pesterev, Unsplash)

¶ “Planet-Warming Pollution Made Summer Heat Twice As Likely For Nearly All Of Humanity” • Researchers from Climate Central mapped the influence of climate change on heat in over 200 countries and territories. They found that in June through August, 98% of the global population faced heat made at least twice as likely by climate change. [CNN]

¶ “Has Australia Cleaned Up Its Act On Climate?” • Though long considered a laggard, Australia would now cut emissions, become a renewable energy powerhouse and force the biggest polluters to clean up their act, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared. It is now a year since he legislated Australia’s first ever emissions reduction target. Emissions are down, slightly. [BBC]

Australian (Graham Holtshausen, Unsplash)

¶ “Hong Kong And Southern China Battle Widespread Flooding From Record Rains” • Hong Kong and southern Chinese cities are battling widespread flooding as the region endures some of its heaviest rainfall on record. The weather bureau said the downpour, which began on Thursday, is the biggest to hit the city in nearly 140 years. [BBC]

¶ “20,000 Communities Demand Local Wind Turbines” • The arguments against wind power are running out of steam as costs drop and ratepayers chase after the savings. A ratepayer-driven, pro-wind revolution is brewing in the UK, and it could head to the US soon. Octopus Energy is behind the ratepayer-driven wind revolution. [CleanTechnica]

Onshore wind turbines (Courtesy of Octopus Energy)

¶ “EVs Take 37% Share In Germany” • August saw plugin EVs take 37% share of Germany’s auto market, up from 28.5% year on year. Full electrics had significant pull-forward sales, ahead of the tightening in incentives from September 1st. Overall German auto volume was 273,417 units, up some 37% YOY mainly thanks to the pull-forward. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Wind Turbine Generates Enough Energy In A Day To Power 170,000 Homes” • The world’s largest wind turbine has smashed the record for the most power produced by a single turbine in a day. Offshore from Fujian Province, China, the giant Goldwind GWH252-16MW produced 384.1 MWh in 24 hours, enough to power roughly 170,000 homes. [Euronews]

Largest wind turbine

¶ “G20 Members Agree To Phase Down Unabated Coal Power At Sherpa Meet” • The G20 members agreed to make an effort towards the “phasedown of unabated coal power,” staying with the text of the Bali declaration on the issue. This was decided at the Sherpa-level deliberations that aim to finalise the text for the Leaders’ Declaration. [Outlook Business]

¶ “A warning shot: One city in the Himalayas shows why climate change is a top priority at the G20” • Shimla proudly sits 2,200m (7,200ft) in mountains that are the foothills of the Himalayas. Shimla was once the summer capital of the British Raj, known as the Queen of the Hills. But the Queen is crumbling, and she’s a warning shot to the rest of us. [Sky News]

Shimla (Laurentiu Morariu, Unsplash)

¶ “Residents File Suit To Halt Wastewater Release From Nuclear Plant” • About 150 local residents went to court to halt the release of treated radioactive water from the ruined Fukushima nuclear plant. In the first lawsuit of its kind, they said the water discharge threatens citizens’ right to live safely and hinders the local fishing businesses. [Kyodo News]

US:

¶ “Hurricane Lee Becomes First Category Five Storm Of Atlantic Season” • Hurricane Lee has powered up to a category five storm, packing wind speeds of up to 160 mph (260 km/h) as it churns through the Caribbean. It could cause dangerous conditions on the US east coast on Sunday, according to information from the US National Hurricane Center. [BBC]

Hurricane Lee (NOAA image)

¶ “20,000 Tesla Universal EV Chargers Are Coming To Hilton Properties In North America” • Hilton is the second largest hotel chain in the world, with 6,200 hotels and 980,000 rooms in 118 countries. Hilton announced it has reached an agreement with Tesla to install EV charging equipment at its properties in the US, Canada, and Mexico. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The Climate Crisis Is Wreaking Havoc On The Insurance Industry“” • Senators Elizabeth Warren (MA), Chris Van Hollen (MD), and Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet L Yellen and Federal Insurance Office Director Steven Seitz, pointing out that insurance companies have reduced coverage in disaster-prone areas. [CleanTechnica]

Microburst (NOAA image, Unsplash)

¶ “US Solar Installations In 2023 Expected To Exceed 30 GW For First Time In History” • The US solar industry expects to add a record 32 GW of new capacity in 2023, a 52% increase from 2022, according to the US Solar Market Insight Q3 2023 report just released by the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Farmers Branch Moves Closer To Being Texas’ First Self-Sustaining City” • When Texas grid operator ERCOT left the state in the dark and cold in 2021, Farmers Branch city leaders started looking into what they could do locally. They found the answer in a shut down, capped landfill, where twenty acres of solar panels could be installed. [WFAA]

Have an enjoyably rewarding day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Community Engagement Is Fundamental To The Solar And Wind Permitting Process” • This summer will long be recalled for its cascading climate disasters. Amid the dispiriting news, there’s reason for hope: We’re on the cusp of a transformation to clean energy that could greatly reduce carbon pollution from the nation’s dirtiest power plants. [CleanTechnica]

Community solar array (Courtesy of CLEER)

Science and Technology:

¶ “3D-Printed “Living Material” Could Clean Up Contaminated Water” • Researchers at the UC San Diego developed a new type of material that could offer a sustainable way to clean pollutants from water. It is a 3D-printed structure of a natural polymer and bacteria that produce an enzyme to transform various organic pollutants into benign molecules. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ag Tech Can Cut Billions Of Tons Of Greenhouse Gas Emissions” • A study published in PLOS Climate demonstrates that state-of-the-art agricultural technology and management can reduce growth in agricultural emissions to the point of eliminating it by generating net-negative emissions – reducing more GHGs than food systems add. [CleanTechnica]

Greenhouse gas reductions (Almaraz, Houlton, et al)

World:

¶ “The World Just Experienced The Hottest Summer On Record, By A Significant Margin” • June to August was the warmest such period since records began in 1940, according to data from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Also, according to the Copernicus data, August of 2023 was the warmest August since record keeping began in 1940. [CNN]

¶ “International Report Confirms Record-High Greenhouse Gases And Global Sea Levels In 2022” • Greenhouse gases, global sea levels, and ocean heat content reached record highs in 2022, the 33rd annual State of the Climate report says. The report is a comprehensive update on Earth’s climate indicators, notable weather events, and other data. [CleanTechnica]

Sea (frank mckenna, Unsplash)

¶ “Australian Billionaire Wants Submarine Cable To Export Solar Power To Singapore And Beyond” • Billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes is making new progress on plans to export clean energy from Australia to Singapore through a 4,200-kilometer (2,610-mile) submarine cable after he completed the acquisition of SunCable from administration. [Time]

¶ “Encavis And GreenGo Make Progress On A 132-MW Danish Solar Park” • GreenGo Energy and Encavis have reached ready-to-build status concerning a 132-MW solar project in Denmark. The Nørhede-Hjortmose project near Ringkøbing will be one of the largest in Denmark once operational in 2026. The project has been in planning for several years. [reNews]

Solar project (Courtesy of Encavis and GreenGo)

¶ “As Africa Climate Summit Promotes Solar, Off-Grid Power Ramps Up Below The Sahara” • African families and businesses are choosing off-grid solar in the face of an unreliable grid. The World Bank says the number of minigrids, solar systems that support a cluster of homes or businesses, has grown in from 500, 23 years ago, to 3,000 today. [ABC News]

¶ “August ‘Sets New Record’ For Irish Wind Generation” • Wind generation in Ireland hit a new record for August according to Wind Energy Ireland’s latest monthly report. The amount of electricity generated in August 2023 was up by 71%, compared with August 2022 the Wind Energy report found. The month’s strong winds led to the record. [reNews]

Irish wind turbines (Nordex image)

¶ “Ukraine Strains To Safely Operate Nuclear Power Plants While Under Russian Invasion” • The head of Ukraine’s nuclear energy utility, Energoatom, says his country is trying to do something never before attempted: operate a large fleet of nuclear plants in the midst of a full-scale war. Nuclear plants have never before been targeted or captured. [Jefferson Public Radio]

US:

¶ “Climate Change Is Hurting Six Flags, Seaworld, And Disney World” • When intense rain and flooding stranded more than 70,000 people at Burning Man in the Nevada desert, it was just the latest example of how extreme weather, made far worse by climate change, has impacted major North American attractions this summer. [CNN]

Disney World (Brian McGowan, Unsplash)

¶ “Environmental Groups Sue Utah Over Failure To Protect Great Salt Lake From Brink Of Collapse” • Utah is being sued by a coalition of environmental groups and conservationists for its alleged misuse of water and failing to protect the Great Salt Lake from the brink of “ecological collapse.” Scientists had warned that the lake was facing “unprecidented danger.” [CNN]

¶ “Biden Administration Cancels Years-Long Attempt To Drill In Alaska National Wildlife Refuge” • The Biden administration said it will cancel seven Trump-era oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and protect more than 13 million acres in the federal National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, stymieing a years-long attempt to drill in the region. [CNN]

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (US FWS, public domain)

¶ “Hurricane Lee Could Become ‘Extremely Dangerous’” • Lee is expected to intensify into an “extremely dangerous” category 4 storm by the weekend, the National Hurricane Center says. It has already become a category 1 hurricane, with 75 mph (120 km/h) winds. The NHC said it was too early to tell whether it might make landfall in the US. [BBC]

¶ “Up To 35% Of US Manufacturing Sectors Could Supply All Their Own Power” • Some manufacturing processes have high electricity demands that cannot be entirely met by rooftop solar systems. Nevertheless, analysis revealed that, on average, rooftop solar PVs could supply all power needs of 5% to 35% (seasonally) of US manufacturing sectors. [Energy Post]

Have a delightfully comfortable day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Solar Along Nation’s Highways Can Avoid NIMBY Concerns” • The Ray is a solar power advocacy group that has a novel idea. It points out the various state transportation departments own and maintain significant amounts of land along highways. “Right-of-way” areas are attractive sites for developing renewable energy for many reasons. [CleanTechnica]

Solar array along a road (Courtesy of The Ray)

¶ “US Oil Demand Will Drop Too Fast To Justify New Offshore Leasing” • US demand for oil will fall dramatically over the next three decades, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act and other state and federal transportation policies, new modeling shows. It makes clear that the US does not need new offshore oil and gas leasing to meet our energy needs. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Forget The Rosebank Oil Field. Labour’s Renewable Energy Plans Could Save £93 Billion For UK Households” • Change is needed, but if the UK Government approves the huge Rosebank oil field off the coast of Shetland, and its potential to deliver 500 million barrels of oil, we can say goodbye to any serious hope of tackling the climate emergency. [The Scotsman]

Offshore oil platform (Divulgação Petrobras, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Biden’s Horse-Trading On Nuclear Technology And Fuels” • Considering this growing demand for nuclear weapons, an essential policy to avert proliferation is to block the supply of the necessary fissionable materials. The Biden administration has instead taken four steps that would foster proliferation of the materials. [Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Aluminum Materials Show Promising Performance For Safer, Cheaper, More Powerful Batteries” • A team of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology is using aluminum foil to create batteries with high energy density and great stability. A report in Nature Communications shows that the batteries could hold more energy and be cheaper to make. [CleanTechnica]

Solid-state battery (Georgia Institute of Technology)

¶ “Linking Two Solar Technologies Is A Win-Win For Efficiency And Stability” • Researchers from Princeton University and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology connected the well-established silicon solar cell with the newer perovskite in a tandem solar cell to not only boost overall efficiency, but also to strengthen stability. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Good News For Toyota” • The Toyota BZ4X is starting to show up in the top 20 charts in reports from Scandanavia. Posts at CleanTechnica make it clear that the Toyota EV is at number 20 in Sweden and number 5 in Norway. And Toyota’s Australia sales and marketing boss says Toyota expects to deliver thousands of EVs in Australia in 2024. [CleanTechnica]

Toyota BZ4X (Nissangeniss, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Volvo And Evergo Team Up To Expand Charging In Mexico” • Volvo Cars has partnered with Evergo, a leading charging station platform for EVs in Mexico, as part of its electrification strategy. This alliance aims to accelerate the connectivity of cities and provide Volvo customers in Mexico and Latin America with an extensive network of chargers. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Africa’s Energy Investment Needs To Double By 2030 To Meet Development And Climate Goals” • Energy investment in the continent needs to more than double by 2030 to meet African ambitions and climate goals, with nearly two thirds going to clean energy, the International Energy Agency and the African Development Bank Group said. [The National]

Wind farm in South Africa (Warren Rohner, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

US:

¶ “Pipeline Operator Enbridge Inc Will Buy Three Natural Gas Utilities From Dominion Energy For $9.4 Billion” • Canadian pipeline operator Enbridge Inc announced plans to acquire three gas distribution companies from Dominion Energy. The deal is valued at $14 billion, of which $9.4 billion is cash and $4.6 billion is debt, Enbridge said. [CNN]

¶ “US DOT Finally Suspends LNG-By-Rail Rule!” • The US Department of Transportation suspended a rule arising from the Trump epoch that allowed the transport of liquefied natural gas by rail across the country without a special permit. This is a huge victory for the planet and for those living in the potential blast zones of these rail lines. [CleanTechnica]

After a gas explosion in New York City (Adnan Islam, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Redwood Materials Raises Over $1 Billion” • Tesla co-founder and board memeber JB Straubel’s Redwood Materials raised over $1 billion in a recent funding round, according to a Forbes report. The company does recycling for lithium materials, then turns that material into anode and cathode materials to be reused in EV batteries. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Residents Tell Lorain County Commissioners They Support Solar And Wind Power Facilities” • Numerous people showed up at a Lorain County Board of Commissioners meeting to discuss the future of solar and wind energy in Lorain County, Ohio. All were in favor of the economic and clean energy benefits of solar and wind power. [Chronicle Telegram]

Solar energy in Ohio (MSgt. Beth Holliker, public domain)

¶ “Puerto Rico’s Solar Rooftop Revolution” • Early this year, Oilprice asked, “Puerto Rico Has Big Plans For Renewables, But Can It Deliver?” Six months later, it seems safe to say that the answer is a resounding yes. After the territory saw its power grid collapse due to hurricanes in 2017, it’s gone all-in on a bold plan for renewable energy production. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ “New Solar Array Going In Near Albany International Airport” • The New York Power Authority and Albany County are joining forces on a new energy project near Albany International Airport. The solar array will be maintained by Siemens and is part of the county’s “green county” push. County Executive Dan McCoy says the project will benefit residents. [WAMC]

Have a relaxingly cool day.

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Opinion:

¶ “How Much Is The German Auto Industry Under Threat?” • German carmakers such as BMW, Volkswagen, and Mercedes face the prospect of cheap, quality imports coming into Europe to erode the market share of stalwarts. They also face falling market share in the domestic Chinese car market. What is their economic future? [CleanTechnica]

Mercedes-AMG EV (Damian B Oh, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Illinois Legislators Have A Lot To Learn About Nuclear Power” • It is important for legislators to actually know about what they advocate or vote for. It is clear that Illinois legislators lacked the knowledge they needed about proposed nuclear reactors before financially binding the state to a pro-nuclear future. Governor Pritzker’s veto is 100% correct. [Chicago Sun-Times]

World:

¶ “Invasive Species Cost The World $423 Billion Every Year And Are Causing Environmental Chaos, Un Report Finds” • Invasive species cost the world at least $423 billion every year as they drive plant and animal extinctions, threaten food security, and exacerbate environmental catastrophes across the globe, a major UN-backed report found. [CNN]

Kudzu (Scott Ehardt, public domain)

¶ “Real Renewables Avoid Burning 32 Million Tonnes Of Wood In UK” • It’s claimed that the UK needs to burn American and Canadian forests in its power stations to stop the lights going out. But analysis by NRDC shows that real renewables like wind and solar are already alleviating the need to burn millions of tonnes of wood in UK power stations. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Air Pollution And Its Threat To Health Are Unequally Spread Throughout The World” • As global pollution edged upward in 2021, so did its health burden, data from the Air Quality Life Index shows. If the world permanently reduced fine particulate pollution to meet the WHO’s guideline, life expectancies would increase by 2.3 years. [CleanTechnica]

Pollution (Jacek Dylag, Unsplash)

¶ “Kenya’s President Drives Himself From State House In EV To Open Africa Climate Summit” • The African Climate Summit is on this week in Nairobi. At the summit, leaders of the African countries will be called on to make pledges and commitments. One leader promoting an ambitious climate agenda is Kenya’s President, William Ruto. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Weekly Data: The Global Power Sector Saved $521 Billion In 2022 Thanks To Fuel Savings From Renewables” • A report from the International Renewable Energy Agency shows that in 2022, renewable power deployed globally since 2000 saved countries an estimated $521 billion in avoided fossil fuel costs in the electricity sector. [Energy Monitor]

Solar array (Chelsea, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Philippines To Launch 100-MW Floating Solar Farm In Cadiz City” • A 100-MW floating solar power facility, the first in Visayas and Mindanao, is set to be constructed in Cadiz City, northern Negros Occidental. The facility, Zonal Renewables Corp and property owner AM Hijos Inc will be located on a 90-hectare fishpond. [SolarQuarter]

Australia:

¶ “Sunshine State Shows Its Wind Power Promise After Charting Best Month Ever” • Queensland has notched up its best month on record for wind energy generation, producing a new high output of 258 GWh over the month of August, beating the record of 247 GWh set in May. Queensland has 1.7 GW of windpower under construction. [Renew Economy]

Kennedy Energy Park construction (Supplied photo)

¶ “Queensland To Hit 50% Renewables Two Years Early, But Warns Energy Wars Only Just Begun” • The Queensland state government says it will meet its 50% renewable energy target two years early, in 2028 rather than 2030. It credits state ownership of energy assets and transmission lines for the progress. In 2018, 90% of its electricity was from coal. [Renew Economy]

¶ “Cheaper And Quicker: Distributed Networks Put Case To Host Wind And Solar” • John Cleland, the head of Essential Energy, which covers 95% of the land area of New South Wales, says that connecting new wind and solar farms into existing local networks will be “several times” less expensive than connecting into the transmission network. [Renew Economy]

Solar on Essential Energy’s network

US:

¶ “Burning Man Attendees Make A Mass Exodus After A Dramatic Weekend That Left Thousands Stuck In Nevada Desert” • Over 70,000 thousand Burning Man attendees made their exodus after intense rain over the weekend flooded camp sites and filled them with thick, ankle-deep mud, stranding them as they waited for the Nevada desert to dry out. [CNN]

¶ “Of Course EVs Are Appropriate For The Military!” • The US military is, without fanfare, starting to take some responsibility for its role as a major polluter, as reflected in its 2024 budget, which calls for systemic changes that would move it toward zero emissions. Some US House Republicans, however, want to stall the military decarbonization. [CleanTechnica]

The Pentagon (MSgt Ken Hammond, public domain)

¶ “$4 Billion For EV Battery Recycling And An Answer To The Question: Whatever Happened To JB Straubel?” • Co-founder JB Straubel left Tesla Motors in 2019 to pour his energy into an EV battery recycling startup called Redwood Materials. Four years and $4 billion later, there’s a lot of talk about Redwood and EV battery recycling. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ohio Utilities’ Efficiency Programs Among The Worst In Wake Of Corrupt Utility Law, Report Says” • Though its bailouts were repealed, an Ohio law intended to save failing nuclear plants – the product of a massive corruption scandal – is still on the books. It eliminated most efficiency programs, and it did damage to Ohio’s utilities. [Ohio Capital Journal]

Have an elegantly expressed day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Did Gaia Punish Burning Man For Ignoring Climate Protests?” • Climate protesters blockaded the road to Burning Man prior to the festival’s kickoff a week ago. Burning Man polluts pretty badly. For last year’s Burn, Gaia created some of the worst dust storms the event has ever seen. She increased her objections with with floods this year. [CleanTechnica]

Celebrating by burning, 2014 (BLM Nevada, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Science and Technology:

¶ “How Much Power Is 1 Gigawatt?” • At the end of 2022, there were over 144 GW of wind power and 110 GW of solar PVs in the US. To help put this number in perspective, it’s important to know just how big 1 GW is. We might envision 2.469 Million PV Panels, or 310 utility wind turbines, or 1.3 million horses, or even 2,000 Corvette Z06s. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “The World’s Highest Navigable Lake Is Drying Out” • Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world and the largest lake in South America. Its water levels are dropping precipitously after an unprecedented winter heat wave. The shocking decline is affecting tourism, fishing, and agriculture, which locals rely on to make a living. [CNN]

Lake Titicaca (Guille Álvarez, Unsplash)

¶ “UK’s Largest Lithium Deposit Is Being Developed” • A new business deal promises to help develop the UK’s largest deposit of lithium. This is good for cleantech business worldwide. At present, China is an important source, but so are Chile and Argentina. But lithium is found worldwide. (Please note: Lithium is not a rare earth element.) [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New Tech Boosts Dutch Drive For Sustainable Farming” • The Netherlands is the second biggest exporter of agricultural goods, but producing for such a large export market put pressure on the nation’s environment. The Farm of the Future was started at Wageningen University four years ago after biodiversity declines due to climate change were seen. [BBC]

Farm land in the Netherlands (Wageningen University)

¶ “EBRD Provides Funds For Building New Wind Power Plant In Zhambyl Region” • Aiming to support Kazakhstan in its efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2060, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development provides financial support for building a new 100-MW wind power plant Shokpar in the Zhambyl Region. [The Astana Times]

¶ “Clean Energy Hub Coming In Queensland” • The 1,460-MW Stanwell Power Station is near the coast of Queensland, between two potential ‘renewable energy zones.’ Stanwell Corporation is repurposing the site and, is installing a 1-MW, 10-MWh iron flow battery at the site to pilot the technology for medium duration energy storage. [Power Engineering International]

Stanwell Power Station (Queensland Government)

¶ “Thailand’s Public Health Ministry Goes Green With Solar Power Adoption” • The Public Health Ministry of Thailand is moving toward sustainability by embracing solar power and EVs to reduce costs and address global warming. The ministry’s permanent secretary expects annual electricity savings of 904.35 million baht ($25.7 million). [SolarQuarter]

¶ “Singapore Expands Study Nationwide To Assess Geothermal Energy As Potential Power Source” • Singapore is expanding its study nationwide on geothermal energy, the Energy Market Authority said. The authority is seeking proposals for a scientific study to assess Singapore’s deep geothermal resource potential for power generation. [CNA]

Singapore (Kelvin Zyteng, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Set To Face Major Delay In Commissioning” • The deadline for commencing the operation of the 1200-MW first unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is July 2024, but officials in the power sector are flagging concerns over severe lags in implementing the essential transmission infrastructure-related projects. [New Age]

¶ “China Makes A ‘Major Strategic Decision’ That Will Impact The Whole World: ‘Based On Our Sense Of Responsibility’” • The Good News Network reported that the government of China outlined its intention to install 100 GW of renewable energy, particularly solar and wind in the desert regions, by 2026 in its recent Five-Year Plan. [Yahoo News]

Renewable energy (Katie Moum, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Roads Out Of Burning Man May Reopen Monday For The Tens Of Thousands Of People Still Trapped There After Rain Deluged The Area With Mud” • Roads out of the Burning Man festival may reopen Monday for the tens of thousands of people trapped for a third day in the Nevada desert after heavy rains covered the grounds with deep mud. [CNN]

¶ “These Tiny Creatures Are Losing Their Battle To Survive. Here’s What We Can Do To Save Them” • Rufous Hummingbirds are magical. The male’s iridescent throat glows brighter than a shiny copper penny and it whizzes through the air curiously hovering right in front of humans who ponder them. It has lost two-thirds of its population since 1970. [CNN]

Rufus hummingbird (VJAnderson, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Mapping Clean Energy In The US West” • The Southwest has an enormous opportunity to accelerate the shift from fossil to clean power. Utilities in the region can use new tax credit adders to make clean energy more affordable, especially in historically underserved communities whose workforce relies on extracting and burning fossil fuels. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Nuclear Energy Touted At W Chamber Forum, But Key Cost, Oversight And Waste Management Questions Linger” • West Virginia political and business leaders made clear during the state Chamber of Commerce annual summit they see a big role for nuclear power in the state’s energy future. But key questions are still unanswered. [herald-dispatch.com]

Have a splendidly alluring day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “How Much Wave Energy Is In Our Oceans?” • In a recent study published in Renewable Energy, researchers from the US DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory present a more comprehensive and accurate methodology to measure the wave energy available in ocean sites around the world. [CleanTechnica]

Measuring global wave energy (Taylor Mankle, NREL)

World:

¶ “The Extreme Summer Weather That Scorched And Soaked The World” • Heat. Wildfires. Torrential rain. Typhoons and hurricanes. Much of the northern hemisphere was battered by extreme weather this summer. In the past few weeks, significant meteorological records have been broken in quick succession. Here is a look at some of what happened. [BBC]

¶ “Mapping Australia’s Hidden Lithium Reserves” • Up to recent times, Australia’s lithium exploration has been predominantly centered in Western Australia. But now, research indicates the potential of other Australian regions, including Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria, that display elevated predicted lithium densities. [CleanTechnica]

New South Wales (Tarryn Myburgh, Unsplash)

¶ “EVs At 90% Share In Norway – Tesla Model Y Best Seller” • August saw plugin EVs at 90.0% share in Norway, up from 86.1% a year ago. Full electric vehicles continued to gain ground, taking a 83.5% share. Overall auto volume was 11,083 units, down over 10% year on year. In August, the best selling vehicle in Norway was the Tesla Model Y. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “How The Scottish Highlands Are Becoming A Renewable Energy Powerhouse” • Scotland’s Highlands and Islands have long been known for its sparse population and less favored farm land. However, with renewable energy, the region has undergone a shift in fortunes, to become a thriving hub of innovation and opportunity. [Microgrid Media]

Skye (v2osk, Unsplash)

¶ “SK Secures Land For $15 Billion Canadian Green Hydrogen Project” • The renewable energy unit of South Korea’s SK Inc secured a site to develop a $15 billion green hydrogen project in Canada. SK ecoplant Co received approval to use 1,078 km² (670 mi²) of Canada’s state-owned property for a wind farm to power the project. [Financial Post]

¶ “Scholz Says The Nuclear Energy Issue Is ‘A Dead Horse’ For Germany” • “Nuclear energy is over,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said. “The issue of nuclear energy in Germany is a dead horse. Anyone who wanted to build new nuclear power plants would need fifteen years and would have to spend €15 to €20 billion ($16.2 to $ 21.6 billion) each.” [DW]

Dounreay nuclear plant (John, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “Terrorism Fears As Security Breaches Among Britain’s ‘Nuclear Police’ Hit Eight Year High” • Security breaches among Britain’s “Nuclear Police” are at an eight- year high, the Sun on Sunday can reveal. The Civil Nuclear Constabulary, which guards power stations from terrorists, reported 37 cases last year. Many breaches were thefts of items in vehicles. [The Sun]

US:

¶ “These Five Cities Could Be One Natural Disaster Away From A Catastrophic Water Crisis” • At the rate our climate is changing, America’s water infrastructure is not equipped to handle coming threats, according to Erik Olson, the senior strategic director for health and food with the National Resources Defense Council. Here are five examples. [CNN]

Buffalo (simon***, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Tens Of Thousands At Burning Man Told To Conserve Water And Food After Heavy Rains Leave Attendees Stranded In The Nevada Desert” • Attendees saw their campsites transformed by thick, ankle-deep mud and organizers halted vehicles from going in or out of the festival after heavy rains started soaking the area on Friday evening. [CNN]

¶ “Storm Idalia: Biden Pledges Support To Help Florida Recover” • US President Joe Biden vowed to give Florida any support it needs to rebuild in the wake of destruction by Tropical Storm Idalia. Mr Biden was speaking during a visit to the state, where at least two people are known to have died after the storm made landfall on Wednesday. [BBC]

Storm surge of Idalia (Andrew Heneen, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Tesla Virtual Power Plants Get Approval In Texas” • As Tesla’s energy business continues to grow, backup power generation will remain at its center. Texas residents with Tesla Powerwalls and solar panels recently had the opportunity to be a part of a backup power pilot program that lets users get money for sending extra electricity to the grid. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Powered By Wind, This $10 Billion Transmission Line Will Carry More Energy Than The Hoover Dam” • As CEO of Pattern Energy, Hunter Armistead said breaking ground on the SunZia transmission line marks a major milestone. The US needs to bolster its already swamped power grids as demand increases and weather events get more extreme. [KJZZ]

Power lines (frank pereira, Unsplash)

¶ “Lawmakers Use Power Bill Increase To Target Renewable Energy” • Rocky Mountain Power has testified that volatile fossil fuel pricing, including a spike in December that boosted Wyoming’s revenue outlook, is the primary driver behind its staggering 30% rate hike proposal. But some lawmakers say renewables are to blame. [Oil City News]

¶ “Ørsted Delays First New Jersey Wind Farm Until 2026; Not Ready To ‘Walk Away’ From Project” • Ørsted, the global wind energy developer, says its first offshore wind farm in New Jersey will be delayed until 2026 due to supply chain issues, higher interest rates, and a failure so far to garner enough tax credits from the federal government. [CBS News]

Have a satisfyingly pacific day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Wyoming Could Reap More Than $7 Billion If It Takes Full Advantage Of The IRA But There Are Many Challenges” • All of Wyoming’s representatives in Washington DC voted against the Inflation Reduction Act. A recent analysis by RMI shows that Wyoming could get more than $7 billion dollars by making use of it. Here is an interview. [Wyoming Public Media]

Wind turbines in Wyoming (CGP Grey, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Focus On Renewables, Not Nuclear, To Fuel Canada’s Electric Needs” • Nuclear power is certainly in the running for providing electricity, but it’s not Canada’s best option. Refurbishing aging CANDU reactors and investing in unproven nuclear technology, such as SMRs, will waste money that could otherwise be invested in renewable energy. [Policy Options]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Scientists Say They’ve Found A Direct Link Between Planet-Warming Pollution And Polar Bear Survival ” • Scientists say they have found a link between human-related greenhouse gas emissions and polar bear reproduction and survival rates for the first time in a new study, potentially overcoming a barrier to protecting the species. [CNN]

Polar bear (Erinn Hermsen, Polar Bears International)

¶ “The Energy Technology Revolution Will Drive Renewable Energy Prices Even Lower” • A report put out by RMI, formerly known as the Rocky Mountain Institute, claims that renewable energy – wind and solar – is on track for exponential growth that will lead to disruption of the electricity sector worldwide during this decade. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “New BYD Dealership Opens In Manila, Signals Bigger Things With Ayala Group As Distributor” • BYD opened a dealership in Quezon City, Philippines. This is the second BYD dealer in the country. It opened under Mobility Access Philippines Ventures, Inc, a new company under the automotive arm of the Ayala Group of Companies. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Dolphin (BYD image)

¶ “EVs Take Over 60% Share In Sweden – Tesla Model Y Top” • August saw plugin EVs take over 60% share in Sweden, notably up from 46% year on year. Full electrics alone took over 40% of the market, with plugin hybrids almost 20%. Overall auto volume was 23,871 units, up some 16% YoY. The Tesla Model Y was the best selling vehicle in August. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Philippines’ Largest Inland Lake To Host Large-Scale Floating Solar Projects With Up To 1,800 MW Capacity” • Up to 2,000 hectares (4,942 acres) of the 91,170 hectare (225,308 acres) inland lake were allocated to floating solar projects auctioned off by the Laguna Lake Development Authority. The total capacity of the fifteen contracts is 1,880.5 MW. [CleanTechnica]

Laguna Lake (Ramon FVelasquez, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “How All-Renewable Microgrids Can Help Regional Australia Face Climate Change” • Australia’s focus has turned towards renewable energy sources and innovative energy distribution systems. An intriguing development in this landscape is the emergence of renewable microgrids as a potential solution for powering regional areas. [Energy Matters]

¶ “Global Wind Turbine Orders Rose 12% In H1 2023 As Demand Surged” • Global wind turbine orders rose by 12% in the first half of 2023, driven by strong demand from outside China and North America, Wood Mackenzie said. North American orders jumped by over four times to 7.7 GW, with two offshore orders making up nearly half of the total. [The National]

Wind turbines (Nitin Sharma, Pexels)

US:

¶ “US Solar Panel Shipments Set Record High In 2022” • In 2022, solar photovoltaic panel shipments in the US increased 10% from 2021, which had been the previous record year. Shipments for 2022 were 31.7 million peak kW, based on the EIA’s latest data. In 2022, about 88% of US solar panel shipments were imported, primarily from Asia. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “In Historic Vote, California Becomes Largest Economy In World To Call For Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty” • In a historic move, a resolution calling on the State of California to endorse the call for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty passed in the State Assembly, making California the largest economy in the world to support the proposal. [CleanTechnica]

Golden Gate Bridge (Joseph Barrientos, Unsplash)

¶ “US Gas Prices Rising Going Into Labor Day” • On the Monday before the Labor Day weekend, the average retail price of regular gasoline in the US $3.81/gal. Over the past five weeks, production cuts by Saudi Arabia, low US gasoline inventories, and refinery maintenance have increased the regular gasoline retail price by 6%, or 22¢/gal. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Fossil Fuels Failed Kentucky Utility Customers During Winter Blackouts” • Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities implemented rolling blackouts for more than 50,000 customers on the coldest day of the year last winter. They had blamed the forced outages on a natural gas supply disruption, but testimony reveals coal power failed too. [WKMS]

Winter in Kentucky (Jason Pack, public domain)

¶ “USDA And DA Sign An Agreement On Renewable Energy And Energy Improvement” • Puerto Rico’s Department of Agriculture (DA, by its Spanish acronym), signed an agreement with the US DOA to provide farmers with resources to maximize their efforts through the REAP program, which seeks to assist in their rural businesses. [The Weekly Journal]

¶ “Groundbreaking of SunZia Transmission Line” • Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Presidential Advisor John Podesta joined federal, state, and community leaders for the SunZia Transmission Project’s groundbreaking. The project will transmit up to 4,500 MW of mostly renewable energy from New Mexico to Arizona and California. [US DOI]

Have a uniquely picturesque day.

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Opinion:

¶ “You Probably Shouldn’t Be Afraid To Buy A Two-Wheel Drive EV” • Next year, the cheapest front-drive Equinox EV will start at around $30,000, and the tax credit will become a point-of-sale credit you can taket off the price at the dealer. Many people may be turned off at the idea of buying a front-wheel drive crossover. They probably shouldn’t be. [CleanTechnica]

2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV 3LT (Chevrolet image)

¶ “California Is Addicted To Aliso Canyon Natural Gas. New Power Lines Could Break The Habit” • California continues to rely on Aliso Canyon’s natural gas to stabilize the power grid. Utility regulators should instead be looking to transmission line projects that link Southern California to planned solar and wind farms, helping reduce its dependence on gas. [CalMatters]

¶ “Building Energy Transmission Takes Time. Batteries Can Fill the Gap” • California’s grid cannot store, transmit, and deliver the state’s considerable renewable energy when and where it is needed. We can build out transmission to meet the needs. SATA, Storage-as-a-transmission asset, can meet the needs of the grid much more quickly. [POWER Magazine]

Transmission tower (Artem Labunsky, Unsplash, cropped)

World:

¶ “Scientists Are Asked If Humans Have Broken The Earth’s Climate” • Is 2023 the year humans finally broke the climate? The Guardian recently asked 45 climate scientists. In general, they said that, despite feeling events have taken a frightening turn, the global heating seen to date is entirely in line with three decades of scientific predictions. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Meet Daisy, The Split Screen VW T1 Camper Transformation” • Why do I keep following what Kit Lacey at eDub? Because the honesty of his passion is shining through. There are plenty of very passionate builders out there, but Kit is so easygoing that it is soothing to follow his endeavors. Also, his electric conversions of old VW campers are epic. [CleanTechnica]

Daisy (eDub Conversions)

¶ “Electric Trucks From Mercedes-Benz Are Cleaning Up In Denmark” • Urbaser is a global leader in waste management that focuses on environmental solutions and building up a circular economy. It has added five eEconic battery-electric waste hauling trucks from Mercedes-Benz to its fleet to serve the needs of the Danish city of Aarhus. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Skyborn drafts in Windcarrier to finish delayed Yunlin” • Fred Olsen Windcarrier has been drafted in to complete foundation installation at Skyborn’s delayed 640-MW Yunlin wind farm off Taiwan. Windcarrier will report for duty in February 2024 on a 200-day contract. The Yunlin wind project was originally due to be completed in 2022. [reNews]

Blue Wind jack-up (Fred Olsen Windcarrier image)

¶ “A Symbol Of Courage And Invincibility: DTEK Completes Wind Farm Despite War” • DTEK Group is the largest private investor in Ukraine’s energy sector, and DTEK Renewables manages its renewable energy assets. After Russia invaded, staff worked to build a six-turbine wind farm in bullet-proof vests. Now they have completed it. [POWER Magazine]

US:

¶ “How Idalia’s Final Moments Dramatically Altered Its Impact On Florida And Prevented A Worse Disaster” • Hurricane Idalia caused “significant damage” as it ripped into Florida’s Big Bend with 125 mph winds and a record storm surge. But the storm’s evolution before landfall, and lucky timing with the tides, likely prevented an even worse disaster. [CNN]

Hurricanes Idalia and Franklin (NOAA-NESDIS image)

¶ “New Tesla Model 3 Highland Improvements And Specs!” • The new Tesla Model 3 Highland is here at last, after spending a long time as just a rumor. Does it live up to expectations? It depends on what you expected from Tesla’s first full Model 3 refresh. Let’s stroll through what’s new to see if it’s better or worse than what you anticipated. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Colorado Grant Programs To Fund Electric School Buses And Low-Zero-Emission Fleets” • Colorado’s Department of Public Health and Environment announced projects for two grant programs for clean vehicles. One helps schools and nonprofits get zero-emission vehicles to transport kids. The other helps fund low-emission fleet vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

New electric school bus

¶ “Lawmakers Want Safety Data Posted At Battery Storage Sites” • A fire burned for more than four days in July involving four of the trailers at the Convergent Energy & Power site in Lyme. The fire raised concerns among residents in the rural area about air safety. Legislators have introduced bills requiring that safety data be posted for battery sites. [Post Journal]

¶ “Arizona Public Service Signs PPA For CO Bar Solar Power And Battery Storage” • Clenera, a company specializing in solar farms and energy storage, signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Arizona Public Service, Arizona’s largest utility, for 258 MW of solar and 824 MWh of battery storage at the CO Bar complex outside of Flagstaff. [Solar Industry]

Route 180, near Flagstaff (Richie Nolan, Unsplash)

¶ “Alaska’s Biggest Solar Farm” • Alaska’s largest solar farm was unveiled in the city of Houston, an hour north of Anchorage, as project owners and officials cut a gold ribbon with a giant pair of scissors. Matanuska Electric Association CEO Tony Izzo said the utility is trying to increase its renewable energy sources without increasing rates. [Alaska Public Media]

¶ “Georgia Power, State Regulators Agree To Division Of Vogtle Nuclear Plant Costs” • The Public Interest Advocacy Staff of Georgia Public Service Commission and Georgia Power reached an agreement that could result in Georgia Power customers not being saddled with $2.6 billion in overrun capital costs for the Plant Vogtle expansion. [Georgia Recorder]

Have a truly worthwhile day.

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