Opinion:
¶ “Individual Actions You Can Take To Address Climate Change” • Humans are driving climate change, and humans can change our trajectory. While governments and businesses have key roles in reducing planet-heating emissions, individual actions matter, too. The NPR Network has been reporting on individual actions that can make a positive impact. [NPR]
Community garden (Filip Urban, Unsplash)
¶ “Political Megaprojects Lower Our Living Standards” • Often, policies that should aid society and the economy, do just the opposite. Money is spent on massive projects that show little advantage. Nuclear power plants take up money that could built projects with much smaller environmental footprints while generating more power. [Frontier Centre For Public Policy]
Science and Technology:
¶ “BMW Lends EV Batteries To Weird New Diesel-Killing Electric Vehicle” • EVs can be used as mobile energy storage devices. A US company, Dannar, developed a series of wheeled electric workhorses to knock out diesel generators and other equipment. They may look weird, but they have packs of powerful BMW EV batteries from BMW. [CleanTechnica]
Mobile Power Station with BMW i3 EV batteries (Dannar image)
World:
¶ “Pakistan Weighs Early Closure Of Some Gas, Diesel Power Plants Under ADB Scheme” • Pakistan is exploring the possibility of shutting down some of its power plants fueled by gas or diesel oil before their economic lifetime ends, as part of a low-carbon energy transition supported by the Asian Development Bank, a think tank said. [The News International]
¶ “World EV Sales Are Now 18% Of World Auto Sales” • Global plugin vehicle registrations were up 45% in August 2023, YOY, rising to 1,238,00 units. In the end, plugins represented 18% share of the overall auto market (with a 13% BEV share alone). This means that the global automotive market is firmly in the Electric Disruption Zone. [CleanTechnica]
BYD Qin Plus DM-i (Jengtingchen, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)
¶ “UK Risks Losing Out To Europe In Hydrogen Energy Race” • In 2021, the UK set itself a goal to become a ‘global leader in hydrogen’ by 2030. Britain’s target for 10 GW of hydrogen would make it one of Europe’s top producers. Two years later, delivery is falling short and it’s dropped behind European rivals jostling for a piece of the market. [Mining.com]
¶ “Iberdrola Supplies Wind Energy To Global Brake Giant TMD” • Iberdrola and the world’s largest manufacturer of brake materials, TMD Friction Services, signed a contract for supply of clean electricity for 15 years. The utility will supply around 50 GWh per year, which will cover more than 50% of TMD’s total demand in Germany. [REVE News]
Wind turbines (insung yoon, Unsplash)
US:
¶ “EPA Takes Two Big Steps To Curb Climate-Warming HFCs” • The US EPA released two regulations, one final, one proposed, aiming to curb the use and climate-warming hydrofluorocarbons emissions. Together, the rules will avoid HFC emissions that are equivalent to up to one billion metric tons of carbon dioxide cumulatively through 2050. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Energy Efficiency And Electrification Take Center Stage In New Jersey” • The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities expanded funding for utility energy efficiency programs and created the first building electrification programs. There will be $1.6 billion in annual energy efficiency investment by NJ utilities for each of the next three years. [CleanTechnica]
New Jersey State House (Marion Touvel, public domain)
¶ “Climate Change Wake-Up Call: San Antonio’s Hottest Summer Yet” • San Antonians are finally enjoying cooler, wetter weather. The metro area and its nearly 2.5 million people have survived the hottest summer on record, with 74 days of temperatures of 100°F or more. That’s 15 more days than the previous record of 59 days set in 2009. [San Antonio Report]
¶ “Silicon Ranch, SSVEC Celebrate Opening Of New Solar Farm In McNeal” • Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative hosted a ribbon cutting Saturday to formally recognize the start of solar and battery “farm” with more than 60,000 panels in McNeal, Arizona. SSVEC has constructed a new substation to replace one built in 1940. [Sierra Vista Herald]
McNeal, Arizona (Ken Lund, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)
¶ “California Governor Gavin Newsom Signs Law Requiring Big Businesses To Disclose Emissions” • Businesses in California that make over $1 billion will have to disclose a wide range of planet-warming emissions under a bill Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law on Saturday. It is the most sweeping mandate of its kind in the nation. [Spectrum News]
¶ “Natural Gas Prices Forecast: Bullish Wave Amid Supply Disruptions And Weather” • The US natural gas market shows a blend of bullish factors as futures hit an eight-month peak. This uptrend is primarily fueled by lower output, greater exports, and anticipation seasonal heating demand. Labor unrest is adding complexity to market dynamics. [FX Empire]
Have a charmingly breezy day.
geoharvey 