Opinion:
¶ “Reality Check: The IEA Busts Ten Myths About The Energy Transition” • There is a lot of naysaying about the clean energy transition. The excuses spread by detractors, pessimists, and companies trying to protect their polluting businesses abound. A recent report from the International Energy Agency puts a lot of the myths to rest. [CleanTechnica]
Solar manufacture (Courtesy of Boviet Solar)
¶ “Houston Wants Feds To Waste Billions On Dike To Protect It From Climate Change” • Texas wants the US government to put up money for a massive dike for Houston. Ike’s Dike’s already massive budget projection just ballooned to $57 billion. If it gets approved, it will be the biggest civil engineering project in US history. But does it make sense? [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Bangladesh’s Worst Ever Dengue Outbreak Has Now Killed More Than 1,000 People” • Over 1,000 people have died from dengue in Bangladesh’s worst outbreak on record, official data shows, with rising temperatures due to the climate crisis driving the ongoing spread as more cases are reported away from dense urban centers for the first time. [CNN]
Dhaka, Bangladesh (Simon Reza, Unsplash)
¶ “EVs Take A Record 29.3% Share In France – Tesla Leads” • September saw plugin EVs take a record 29.3% of the French auto market, up from 24.2% year on year. Full electrics alone took close to 20% of the market, also a new record high. Diesels hit a record low, at 8.5% share. The Tesla Model Y remains France’s bestselling electric vehicle. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Zambia Proposes Removing Customs Duty On Battery-Electric Vehicles And Charging Systems” • Good news from Zambia: Presenting the 2024 national budget, Hon Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane, the Minister of Finance and National Planning, announced removing customs duties on battery EVs and their necessary accessories. [CleanTechnica]
Charging an EV in Zambia (Courtesy of ZEMIA)
¶ “Orkney Offshore Project Files Consent Application” • The West of Orkney Windfarm submitted comprehensive offshore consent applications to Scottish Ministers for its proposed 2-GW offshore wind project, secured under ScotWind. The project will have up to 125 turbines on fixed foundations and aims to deliver first power in 2029. [reNews]
¶ “Masdar Enters Tajikistan Market With Plans To Explore 500 MW Of Clean Energy Projects, Including Floating Solar” • MW Energy, a joint venture of Masdar and W Solar Investment, has signed an agreement with Tajikistan’s government to explore at least 500 MW of clean energy capacity, including floating solar power and hydropower. [ZAWYA]
Lake in Tajikistan (Encal Media, Unsplash)
¶ “Egypt Unveils Ambitious Subsea Solar Energy Export Plan To Europe” • The Copelouzos Group, a Greek conglomerate, and Infinity Power, a joint venture of Masdar and Egyptian company Infinity, lead the GREGY interconnector project. This project is to transmit 3,000 MW of renewable energy from Infinity Power to Greece through a subsea cable. [Greek City Times]
¶ “Fukushima Study Links Low-Dose Radiation To Diabetes” • Research to be presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes, suggests that exposure to low doses of radiation may contribute to increased risk of diabetes. It considered over 6,000 emergency workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. [Mirage News]
Diabetes test (isens usa, Unsplash, cropped)
US:
¶ “Enhanced Geothermal And Offshore Wind Energy Gain Earthshot™ Support” • To support DOE’s Energy Earthshots™, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will lead two Energy Earthshot Research Centers. These centers build upon PNNL’s expertise in the science underpinning geothermal energy and floating offshore wind energy. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “DOE Issues $3 Billion Conditional Loan Guarantee For Virtual Power Plants Program” • The US Department of Energy Loan Programs Office announced, that it had issued a conditional loan guarantee to Sunnova Energy for its Project Hestia. The money will be used to create virtual power plants that benefit 75,000 to 115,000 US homeowners. [CleanTechnica]
Project Hestia (US DOE image)
¶ “Smart Electric Power Alliance Brings 25 Utility Companies Together To Pursue Lower Emissions” • 25 investor-owned and municipal utility companies, including some of the largest, have organized the Smart Electric Power Alliance, whose members pledge to cut their carbon emissions by 80% compared to 2005 levels no later than 2030. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Renewable Energy And Reducing Energy Waste Met 25% Of The State’s Electricity Needs Last Year” • Renewable energy and reducing energy waste met 25% of Michigan’s electricity needs last year, according to a report from the Michigan Public Service Commission. Renewable energy includes wind, solar, hydro, biomass, and landfill gas. [Michigan Radio]
Hydropower (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)
¶ “Massachusetts Can Expand Solar Without Chopping So Much Forest, Report Says” • Massachusetts has had a solar energy boom since 2008. But that has come at a cost: more than half of solar farms built in the state during the last decade required clear-cutting forest; another 16% covered workable farmland. A report says it doesn’t need to be this way. [WBUR]
¶ “NorthStar’s Organization Denied License To Build Interim Storage” • Demolition of the Vermont Yankee nuclearplant is on schedule and within budget. But finding a resting place for the plant’s highly radioactive waste still in Vernon became uncertain when a federal court ruled that the NRC did not have authority to grant a critical permit. [Brattleboro Reformer]
Have a cheeringly useful day.
geoharvey 
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