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.
geoharvey 
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