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.
geoharvey 