Opinion:
¶ “It Is The Best Of Times, It Is The Worst Of Times For Offshore Wind In America” • The Biden Administration just approved a plan to install up to 176 wind turbines off the coast of Virginia. But in New York, the developers of four proposed offshore wind farms recently asked the state for more money before moving forward. [CleanTechnica]
Block Island Wind Farm (Gary Norton, US DOE)
Science:
¶ “Why Grazing Bison Could Be Good For The Planet” • The American bison were hunted almost to extinction by European settlers. Their loss was devastating to the prairies. Now they are making a comeback, and they could help reverse the damage. In Kansas, thirty years of bison grazing in tallgrass prairie has been shown to increase native plant species richness. [BBC]
World:
¶ “Olive Oil Prices Skyrocketing In Europe” • Olive oil has increased by about 75% since January 2021, and in Spain, the world’s biggest olive oil producer, prices jumped a massive 115% since August 2021. Spanish farmers and experts primarily blame the nearly two-year drought, with higher temperatures affecting flowering of the trees. [ABC News]
Olive tree (Carlos Zurita, Unsplash)
¶ “How An American Meat Broker Fuels Amazon Deforestation” • China has become the world’s biggest beef importer, and Brazil is China’s biggest supplier, according to UN data. More beef moves from Brazil to China than between any other countries. But the Brazilian cattle industry is a major driver of destruction of the Amazon rainforest. [ABC News]
¶ “Wuling Bingo And BYD Seagull Excel In China, Selling Over 150,000 Units Each” • Two small EVs, the Wuling Bingo and the BYD Seagull, are selling like hotcakes right now in China. These small, affordable 5-door EVs show that it really is possible now to develop a small affordable EV and scale production in decent numbers in a short time. [CleanTechnica]
BYD Seagull (BYD image)
¶ “Coal Free By 2070? India’s Push Toward Renewables Won’t Stop Coal Reliance For The Next Two Decades” • India’s leaders have been optimistic about its path to net zero, making bold claims that 50% of its electric power will come from renewables by 2030, and 100% by 2070. But the use of coal goes on and is likely to continue doing so. [NBC Bay Area]
¶ “Vestas Expands Its Wind Technology Energy Offering In Germany” • Developer Uhl Windkraft was first to order Vestas’ new V172-7.2 MW wind turbine, the latest addition to Vestas’ EnVentus Platform. Six turbines will be supplied to the Hoßkirch wind project, which is in cooperation with the Comital House of Koenigsegg-Aulendorf. [Energy Digital Magazine]
Vestas wind turbines (Vestas image)
US:
¶ “Fifteen Injured In Fire And Building Collapse Following Gas Line Rupture In New York State” • Fifteen people were injured, including five of the first responders, after a gas line rupture in Wappingers Falls, New York, a village near Poughkeepsie. The rupture lead to a massive fire and collapse of a multi-family building, according to officials. [ABC News]
¶ “Electrifying Trucks: Tackling Inflation And Saving Americans Money” • Truck electrification combats inflation partly because electric trucks are two to five times as efficient as diesel trucks, but also, electricity is dramatically less expensive. Depending on use and other specifics, running on electricity rather than diesel oil can reduce fuel costs by 40% to 60%. [CleanTechnica]
Tesla Semi (Courtesy of Frito-Lay)
¶ “DOE Announces Up To $440 Million To Install Rooftop Solar And Batteries In Puerto Rico’s Most Vulnerable Communities” • The DOE announced a slate of solar companies and nonprofits selected to install rooftop solar and battery storage systems for vulnerable households in Puerto Rico, through the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Harvesting Sunshine: Solar Is America’s Newest Cash Crop” • Agrivoltaics, the combination of agriculture and solar energy, is one of the fastest-growing applications of solar. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that there are 2.8 GW of agrivoltaic sites in the US, and more projects are coming online every week. [CleanTechnica]
Regenerative farming (Courtesy of Silicon Ranch via Cision)
¶ “Public Power Is On The Ballot In Maine. Will Voters Take A Leap Of Faith?” • Two utilities, Central Maine Power and Versant, distribute 97% of Maine’s electricity. Question 3 on Maine’s ballot asks voters to decide whether they want to oust CMP and Versant and replace them with a nonprofit, publicly owned utility called Pine Tree Power. [Grist]
¶ “Longroad Energy Starts Construction On 377-MW Arizona Solar Projec” • Longroad Energy, a renewable energy developer based in Massachusetts, announced the financial close and start of construction of Sun Streams 4. The project, in Maricopa County, Arizona, has 377 MW of solar panels and a 300-MW, 1,200-MWh battery system. [pv magazine USA]
Longroad solar project (Longroad image)
¶ “Vermont Lawmakers Want To Require Utilities To Source 100% Renewable Electricity By 2030” • Vermont lawmakers will take up their next big piece of climate legislation next year in the form of a bill that would require electric utilities to get more of their power from renewable sources. Vermont Democrats are set to override a veto. [Vermont Public]
¶ “No Easy Solutions For Removing San Onofre’s Spent Nuclear Fuel” • The San Onofre nuclear power plant hasn’t generated any electricity in more than ten years. But even as the iconic plant is being dismantled, it is still generating controversy over what to do with some of the radioactive material on the site. Some highly radioactive waste has nowhere to go. [KTLA]
Have a fundamentally soaring day.
geoharvey 
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