World:
¶ “’Virtually Certain’ That 2023 Will Be Warmest Year After October Record” • This year’s heatwaves, floods, and fires have been deadly. Now it is “virtually certain” that 2023 will be the warmest on record, after October temperatures were 0.4°C above the previous high of October 2019. It was the fifth month in a row of record warmth. [BBC]
November (Ruvim Noga, Unsplash)
¶ “Global Wine Production Falls To 62-Year Low In 2023” • Poor weather globally is likely to cause global wine production to fall to a six-decade low this year. The International Organisation of Vine and Wine says that wine production around the world is likely to be about 7% lower in 2023 than last year. Such a yield would be the worst since 1961. [BBC]
¶ “Essen: Germany’s ‘Ugly Duckling’ City Success” • In the heart of western Germany’s long-time Ruhr region, the city of Essen spent much of the past 150 years marred by pollution, tainted by filthy mines, factories, and poisoned waterways. But a striking transformation has seen Essen go from being Germany’s ugly duckling to one of Europe’s greenest cities. [BBC]
Elisabethkrankenhaus, Essen (Wiki05, public domain)
¶ “Why Cheetahs Will Be Especially Vulnerable To Climate Change” • Cheetah populations are especially vulnerable to rising temperatures because hotter days are forcing them to hunt at night more, putting them in greater competition with nocturnal predators such as lions and African wild dogs, according to a study in the journal Biological Sciences. [ABC News]
¶ “Musk Makes The Move To Bring An Affordable Tesla To The European Market” • Finally, Tesla revealed plans to manufacture an affordable EV. It will enter the market as a €25,000 ($26,838) EV produced at Tesla’s gigafactory near Berlin. Elon Musk made the announcement as he visited the Tesla factory in Gruenheide and chatted with staff. [CleanTechnica]
Giga Berlin, which looks like every other Giga (Tesla image)
¶ “The Nasty Drought In Syria, Iraq And Iran Would Not Have Happened Without Climate Change, Study Finds” • A three-year drought that has left millions of people in Syria, Iraq, and Iran with little water would not have happened without human-caused climate change, a study by World Weather Attribution found. The drought started in July of 2020. [El Paso Inc]
¶ “Energy Vault’s Gravity Storage To Power 1.16 GWh Of Chinese Projects” • Energy Vault Holdings said that five systems using its EVx gravity energy storage technology and totalling 1.16 GWh will be built in China. Together with two other sites, they have a combined capacity of 3.26 GWh, and representing over $1 billion (€937 million) of project value. [Renewables Now]
Energy Vault system (Business Wire image)
US:
¶ “Virginia Governor Declares State Of Emergency As Crews Fight Wildfires” • Firefighters are battling several blazes in forests of Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Wide swaths of those states face moderate to severe drought conditions and warmer than normal temperatures. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has declared a state of emergency. [ABC News]
¶ “Air Force Asks Congress To Protect Nuclear Launch Sites From Wind Turbines” • The Air Force’s underground nuclear missile silos are rarely disturbed by more than the occasional wandering cow. But the service is now asking Congress to help with another unexpected danger: towering wind turbines, which are edging closer to the sites each year. [ABC News]
Wind farm (rachelalienergy, public domain)
¶ “US Steel Pioneers Battery-Powered Locomotives, First In North America” • The debut of two all-electric locomotives in the Pittsburgh area, replacing two built in 1964 and 1974, strikes a chord of history. With clean trains and green steel, grandpa must be beaming about what this means for his progeny and all living things around his old hometown. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Biden-Harris Administration Advances Fifteen Onshore Renewable Energy Projects With Potential To Power Millions Of Homes” • During remarks at the Western Governors Association Winter Meeting, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced that the Interior Department is advancing fifteen onshore renewable energy projects across the West. [CleanTechnica]
Wind project (Interior Department image)
¶ “Redwood Materials Helps To Recycle Kauai’s Stationary Energy Storage Systems” • In Hawaii, the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative currently has a 4.6-MWh battery storage system that is ready to be decommissioned. So KIUC is getting the help of Redwood Materials for the decommissioning process as well as recycling the batteries. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “2025 RamCharger Raises The Electric Truck Bar” • Ram Trucks took the wraps off its 2025 RamCharger hybrid pickup truck. Packing 663 HP electrified horsepower and 615 lb-ft of torque, this is a big, fast, and powerful pickup with a 14,000 lb. tow rating, a 2625 lb payload capacity, and it does 0-60 MPH in four seconds. [CleanTechnica]
2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger Limited (Courtesy of Stellantis)
¶ “PG&E Deploys Its First 100% Renewable Remote Grid In Push To Mitigate Wildfires” • Pacific Gas and Electric Company put into service its first fully renewable remote grid in its growing fleet of standalone power systems. PG&E’s Wildfire Mitigation Plan describes remote grids that provide utility service using local energy resources. [Smart Energy International]
¶ “Advocates Fear NH Clean Energy Proposal Would Pit Nuclear Against Solar, Wind” • New Hampshire clean energy advocates say a proposal to define nuclear power as clean energy could undercut renewable energy. A NH House bill would allow nuclear power generators, such as Seabrook Station, to receive payments for generating clean energy. [The Keene Sentinel]
Have a widely appreciated day.
geoharvey 