Opinion:
¶ “Air Pollution Standard Backed By MEPs Is ‘Worse Than Useless’” • The EU Parliament backed a “Euro 7” standard that fails to significantly increase air pollution protections beyond its Euro 6 predecessor. Green group Transport & Environment even suggested that EU lawmakers rename the draft vehicle emissions law as “Euro 6 F.” [CleanTechnica]
Road traffic (Mikechie Esparagoza, Pexels, cropped)
¶ “Flattening The Solar Duck: Why Households Should Also Face Negative Export Tariffs” • Australia’s rooftop solar success story has regulators and grid operators grasping for blunt instruments to re-assert control. But is this really something to panic about, or should negative prices be taken as a signal to solar households to adopt battery storage? [Renew Economy]
Science and Technology:
¶ “Success Story: New Tool Connects Multiple Microgrids to Increase Community Resilience” • An Oak Ridge National Laboratory team developed software to manage the exchange of power among multiple microgrids in a network. The team is in the final hardware testing before demonstrating their microgrid orchestrator in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico. [CleanTechnica]
Adjuntas microgrid storage units (Maximiliano Ferrari, ORNL)
¶ “Battling Desertification: Bringing Soil Back To Life In Semiarid Spain” • As the Sahara advances northward into Spain, farmers are deeply aware of the swift changes coming to their orchards, crops, and pastures. They see an average loss of fertile soil exceeding 21 metric tons per hectare per year – and the need for well-managed soil. [The Good Men Project]
World:
¶ “Tourists Are Rethinking Their Relationship With Earth” • Ecobnb, based in Italy, lists over 3,000 properties worldwide, from a vegan and organic farmhouse in Tuscany, to an eco mountain lodge in Costa Rica. Travellers can filter their search to find specific interests such as plant-based food, and EV charging stations powered by renewable energy. [BBC]
Accommodation listed on Ecobnb’s website (Ecobnb image)
¶ “Toxic Haze In India Capital After Diwali Festival” • Residents of India’s capital, Delhi, woke up to smoky skies as air quality dropped after the festival of Diwali. People in the city burst crackers late into Sunday night despite a ban on fireworks due to high pollution levels. There are a number of air pollution sources in Delhi, and schools are closed. [BBC]
¶ “Kenyans Get Tree-Planting Holiday To Plant 100 Million Seedlings” • Kenyans have been given a special holiday to plant 100 million trees as part of the government’s goal to plant 15 billion trees in 10 years. The holiday allows “each and every Kenyan to own the initiative,” according to Environment Minister Soipan Tuya. [BBC]
Kilimanjaro and insufficient trees (Sergey Pesterev, Unsplash)
¶ “Nations Gather In Nairobi To Hammer Out Treaty On Plastic Pollution” • Efforts to create a landmark treaty to end global plastic pollution are advancing in Nairobi as most of the world’s nations, plus petrochemical companies, environmentalists, and others affected by the pollution gather to discuss draft language for the first time. [ABC News]
¶ “Spinning Mega-Machines Will Safeguard The Baltic Power Grid As It Desynchronizes From Russia” • Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia recently accelerated a plan to cut the electrical chains that keep them tied to Russia. A technical lynchpin to their planned escape from the Moscow-controlled power zone is a set of synchronous condensers. [IEEE Spectrum]
Spinning machines (Siemens Energy)
¶ “Uttar Pradesh Is To Invite Bids For 7 GW Of Solar Power Projects” • Daily newspaper Business Standard reported that the Uttar Pradesh government is gearing up to tender 7 GW of solar capacity. It reported the state will invite bids for the PV capacity, with 4 GW to be tendered soon and an additional 3 GW to be auctioned subsequently. [pv magazine India]
¶ “Vattenfall delivers first power from Vesterhav” • Vattenfall has delivered first power from its 170-MW Vesterhav Syd wind farm sited off the coast of Denmark close to its 180-MW Vesterhav Nord project. The project’s 20 turbines were erected from July to September this year. Changes in plans and tough weather have delayed the power output. [reNews]
Offshore wind turbine (Vattenfall image)
¶ “Saudi Arabia Invites Developers For 3.7 GW Of Solar Projects” • Saudi Arabia is seeking to award four solar projects with 3.7 GW of combined capacity of as part of its National Renewable Energy Program. The Saudi Power Procurement Company opened the qualification process for firms interested in the development of the four solar schemes. [Renewables Now]
US:
¶ “Ramcharger Takes A Belt And Suspenders Approach To Electric Pickup Trucks” • Many prospective pickup truck buyers are skittish about buying a battery electric model. So Ram has come up with a brilliant solution: the Ramcharger 1500. It is built on exactly the same chassis as the REVolution 1500, but it has a shorter range of 145 miles. [CleanTechnica]
Ramcharger (Ram image)
¶ “Biden Moves To Reduce US Reliance On Russian Nuclear Supply Chain” • The US has enough uranium to last 100 years but lacks the fuel enrichment capacity to be self-reliant. So the US is dangerously reliant on Russian nuclear supply chains. The White House reportedly asked Congress for $2.16 billion to boost US enrichment capacity. [Oil Price]
¶ “Renewable Energy Fuels Major Economic Payoffs In Rural Indiana” • Wind and solar projects are powering a big surge for Indiana’s economy. David Loomis, president of Strategic Economic Research, said communities located near renewable-energy fields reap additional rewards. “Economic development, benefits, property taxes, jobs.” [Public News Service]
Have a perceptably insightful day.
geoharvey 
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