Opinion:
¶ “A Refreshed Bolt Is Exactly What GM Needs Right Now” • In GM’s recent Q3 earnings call, CEO Mary Barra revealed some interesting new details about the return of the Chevy Bolt. Based on what she said and some of the headwinds the EV market has been facing recently, it seems pretty clear that a new Chevy Bolt is exactly what GM needs. [CleanTechnica]
2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV 2LT (Kevauto, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “In Michigan, Clean Energy And Agriculture Are Allies, Not Enemies” • The Michigan legislature is trying to make building clean energy in rural areas easier. Some opponents claiming that bills to do this amount to “war” being declared on agricultural districts. This framing is not just inaccurate. It is the opposite of the truth. [Bridge Michigan]
¶ “Is Crisis At Siemens Energy Symptom Of A Wider Wind Power Problem?” • One of the biggest wind turbine makers has reignited concerns over the headwinds facing the industry. It lost billions in market value this week. The rising costs of financing and building windfarms made headwinds for those building offshore windfarms worldwide. [The Guardian]
Wind turbines (Anna Jiménez Calaf, Unsplash)
Science and Technology:
¶ “US Aims To Launch First Nuclear Thermal Rocket Into Space” • US defense and space agencies are moving quickly toward the world’s first in-orbit demonstration of a nuclear thermal rocket. Two US agencies, DARPA and NASA, are colaborating on the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations, between the Earth and the moon. [Environment News Service]
World:
¶ “Acapulco Residents Are Fending For Themselves In Absence Of Aid” • In a city without water, electricity or gasoline, desperate people have been allowed, even encouraged, to take essential goods from wrecked stores since Hurricane Otis hit Acapulco. The goods they can take include water, food, and other the things necessary to support them. [ABC News]
Hurricane Otis (MarioProtIV, public domain)
¶ “Tesla’s Giga Berlin Expansion Set To Kick Off In Early 2024 Amid Controversy” • Tesla revealed its hope to start its Giga Berlin expansion project in the first half of 2024. This news comes against the backdrop of ongoing public debates about the project’s scope and impact. For example, where does the water for the plant come from? [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Volvo Will Build The EX30 Compact SUV In Ghent Factory” • In a response to the strong demand for Volvo Cars’ upcoming new EX30 compact crossover, the company has decided to start building the new fully electric Volvo EX30 in its Ghent, Belgium plant from 2025, expanding production capacity for the hotly anticipated new vehicle. [CleanTechnica]
Volvo Ghent factory (Volvo image)
¶ “Decoding The Chaos In The Market For Electric Cars” • EV makers are unhappy. Mercedes described today’s marketplace as “subdued,” but CFO Harold Wilhelm said “we are beyond the worst” when it comes to inflation and energy pricing. However, he did add, “I can hardly imagine the current status quo is fully sustainable for everybody.” [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Solar Power Is Expected to Dominate Electricity Production By 2050” • We put the latest world technological and economic data into a macroeconomic model. Our findings suggest that the solar revolution has, indeed, arrived. Solar energy is on track to make up more than half of global electricity generation by the middle of this century. [FlaglerLive]
Solar energy (Andreas Gücklhorn, Unsplash)
US:
¶ “Gas Prices Drop As Some States Fall Below $3 A Gallon” • The average US gas price fell about 35¢ per gallon from a 2023 peak in mid-September, to $3.52, AAA data shows. That is a decline of over 9%. In Georgia and Mississippi, where gas prices are lowest, the average price per gallon dipped below $3. In Californias, the average price fell 57¢ to $5.30. [ABC News]
¶ “BP Places $100 Million Order For Tesla’s Ultra-Fast EV Chargers” • BP (sorry, bp) wants to do its part to save the planet by becoming a major player in the EV charging industry. It has looked around at all the charger manufacturers, done its due diligence, and placed a $100 million dollar order for Tesla Superchargers. [CleanTechnica]
bp pulse (courtesy of bp pulse)
¶ “New York’s Rideshare Cars Are Returning To The City’s Electric Roots” • New York City is requiring all rideshare vehicles to be fully electric by 2030. Mayor Eric Adams unveiled the “Green Rides” rule, which mandates that the rideshare fleet in the city must transition to either zero-emission or wheelchair accessible vehicles by 2030. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Texas Surpasses California With Most Installed Solar Power” • Texas now has the most solar power installed on its power grid in the country, knocking California out of its longtime reign. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the grid operator for 90% of Texas, had 18,364 MW of solar capacity installed on its grid as of September 30, ERCOT data shows. [Governing]
Solar array (Jason Blackeye, Unsplash)
¶ “Regulators Authorize Solar Power Plant In Mason County” • The Public Service Commission of West Virginia has approved a solar power plant project that will have more than 220,000 solar panels and create 319 construction jobs. According to the PSC, New Haven PV I applied to build the 100-MW solar facility on August 18. [WOWK]
¶ “DOE Issues Draft Plan For Grid Interconnections” • The DOE released a draft road map for transforming grid interconnection processes, a major hurdle to the Biden administration’s goal of decarbonizing the power sector by 2035. About 2,000 GW of mostly renewable generation and energy storage are in queues waiting to connect in the US. [Smart Cities Dive]
Have a comfortably positive day.
geoharvey 