Opinion:
¶ “Why And How Solar Production Will Accelerate Over The Next Few Years” • Costs solar and battery storage are going down in cost at an astounding 18% and 19% annual rate, respectively. This is significantly faster than two historically famous events, the ramp of the Ford Model T and production of US aircraft during World War II. [CleanTechnica]
Solar, growing faster than Model T (Harry Shipler, public domain)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Firsthand Fieldwork: Getting Mangroves Into Coastal Models For Better Climate Prediction” • To better understand important dynamics at play in flood-prone coastal areas, ORNL scientists working on simulations of Earth’s carbon and nutrient cycles paid a visit to experimentalists gathering data in a Texas wetland to learn about mangroves. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Oil Prices Rise Following Hamas Attack On Israel” • Oil prices jumped by 4% on Monday on concerns that conflict in Israel and Gaza could disrupt output. The Israel and Palestinian territories are not oil producers, but the Middle Eastern region accounts for almost a third of global supply. West Texas Intermediate, the US benchmark, rose to over $86 a barrel. [BBC]
Palestinian Rocket (Fars News, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “Baltic Sea Gas Pipeline Between Finland And Estonia Is Shut Down Over A Suspected Leak” • Finland and Estonia said the undersea Balticconnector gas pipeline running between the two countries across the Baltic Sea was temporarily taken out of service due to a suspected leak. Operators, said they noted an unusual drop in pressure. [ABC News]
¶ “Drought In Brazil’s Amazon Is Sharpening Fears For The Future” • Extreme drought is sweeping across Brazil’s Amazon. The historically low water levels affect hundreds of thousands of people and wildlife. Experts predict the drought could last until early 2024, and the problems stand to intensify. One man noted, “Without water, there is no life.” [ABC News]
Amazon drought of 2010 (NASA and JPL-Caltech)
¶ “Banks Group Sells 2.9-GW UK BESS Project” • The Banks Group sold its 2,900-MW South Yorkshire battery energy storage system project to West Burton Energy. The project is part of the reclamation and restoration of part of the former Thorpe Marsh power station. West Burton Energy already operates a power station and BESS in Nottinghamshire. [reNews]
¶ “RWE Successfully Implements New Technologies For More Sustainability In Wind Power” • RWE has constructed a 5.7-MW onshore wind turbine. It tested two innovative technologies to reduce environmental impact during the plant’s construction phase on the one hand and greenhouse gas emissions during its subsequent operation on the other. [RWE]
RWE test turbine (RWE image)
¶ “Soon-To-Be World’s Largest Joint-Venture Offshore Wind Farm Now Powering Millions Of Homes” • What will reportedly soon be the world’s largest offshore wind farm marked its first major milestone in September with the completed installation of a pair of 13-MW turbines, according to Electrek. The completed wind farm will have 277 turbines. [Yahoo News]
US:
¶ “A Nevada Lithium Mine Leads To ‘Green Colonialism’ Accusations” • In the high Nevadan desert lies an enormous deposit of lithium, a metal that is essential in the production of electric car batteries. Environmentalists and native people cannot agree on whether a new rush for this “white gold” should be supported or fiercely opposed. [BBC]
Thacker pass (Courtesy of Lithium Americas)
¶ “Governor Newsom Stands Up To Big Oil” • In a strong move to hold oil companies responsible for the economic and public health dangers of oil wells left idle and unplugged, Governor Gavin Newsom signed the “Orphan Well Prevention Act,” into law. It is to require a bond covering the full cost of site cleanup when an oil well is sold. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Vermont’s Flood-Damaged Capital Is Slowly Rebuilding” • Nearly three months after severe flooding in Vermont’s capital city, Montpelier businesses launched an event with food trucks, music, and street performers to celebrate how much they’ve rebuilt. They remind the public not to forget them as they struggle to make a complete comeback. [ABC News]
July flood of Montpelier (NASA Applied Sciences)
¶ “How Efforts To Restrict Democracy In Ohio Also Make It Harder To Fight Climate Change” • Ohio’s recent adoption of gerrymandered voting district maps is the latest in a series of anti-democratic measures that thwart action to address climate change, critics say. Data show a majority of Ohioans worry about climate change. [Ohio Capital Journal]
¶ “US Construction Costs Dropped For Solar, Wind, And Natural Gas-Fired Generators In 2021” • In 2021, average construction costs for US natural gas-fired generators fell by 18% from what it was 2020, though the costs of combined-cycle base-load plants increased 8%. Costs fell by 5% for wind turbines, and by 6% for solar PV systems. [CleanTechnica]
Construction costs (US Energy Information Agency image)
Please click on the image to enlarge it.
¶ “California’s Solar Power Will Plummet During Saturday’s Near-Total Solar Eclipse. But Your Lights Will Stay On.” • On Saturday morning a solar eclipse lasting about three hours will obscure most of the sun across the full expanse of the state and beyond. The eclipse will eliminate much of our solar power, but the grid is unlikely to fail. [Palo Alto Online]
¶ “Holtec Sets August 2025 Target Date For Restarting Michigan Nuclear Plant” • The Florida-based energy company Holtec International has formally begun the process of seeking federal reauthorisation to restart the single-unit Palisades nuclear power station in Michigan. It is planning a date for repowering set in August, 2025. [NucNet]
Have a truly inspired day.
geoharvey 
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