Opinion:
¶ “Why Hold UN Climate Talks 28 Times? Do The Talks Even Matter?” • The Conference of Parties process gives every nation in the world, whether rich or poor, large or small, a seat at the table to discuss how climate change is impacting them and how they believe the world should confront it. And ultimately, COP is the only game in town. [ABC News]
Al Wasl Plaza (Palácio do Planalto, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “What Drives This Madness On Small Modular Nuclear Reactors?” • A key point to remember is that 55% of the budget of the US DOE is related to commercial nuclear generation. The other 45% covers dams, wind, solar, tidal, wave, biomass, biofuel and geothermal, energy. But also, small towns in decline might want to host nuclear reactors. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Energy-Rich Scotland Does Not Require Any Nuclear Power Stations” • Nuclear power consistently fails to deliver energy on time or on budget. The much-touted Small Modular Reactors don’t yet exist, depend heavily on government subsidies to come on stream, and will generate more toxic nuclear waste for which there is no safe disposal. [The National]
Small Modular Reactor meeting (NRC, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Behold The Hyundai Uni Wheel. Transportation May Never Be The Same” • The Hyundai Uni Wheel is clever, but itis also difficult to describe. It puts the drive reduction gear and flexible driveshaft components inside the wheel. So it’s not an in-wheel motor, but functions very much like one without adding the weight of the motor to the wheel. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “COP28: Poor Countries Win 30-Year Fight For Climate Cash” • In a surprise, COP28 delegates agreed to launch a long-awaited fund to pay for damage from storms and drought worsened by climate change. Such deals are normally sealed last minute after days of negotiations, but COP28 president Sultan al-Jaber put the decision on the floor on day one. [BBC]
Hot weather (Bayu Syaits, Unsplash)
¶ “2023 Set To Be Hottest Year On Record” • There may still be an entire month to go in 2023 but the UN announced that 2023 is set to be the warmest on record. New climate data shows the world is heating up at an unprecedented pace, and UN chief António Guterres called on leaders at the COP28 conference to get us out of “deep trouble.” [ABC News]
¶ “Electric Mobility Projects In Kenya Start to Show Potential For Significant Petrol And Diesel Abatement” • One big problem for many African is escalating bills for imported fossil fuels. Such bills use hard-earned and scarce foreign currency. The transition to electric mobility presents an important opportunity to reduce this dependence. [CleanTechnica]
Electric buses (Courtesy of BasiGo)
¶ “The Global Impact of Renewable Electricity On Energy Security and Economy” • According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, the adoption of renewable energy sources in 2022 resulted in a remarkable $521 billion saving, primarily by reducing the reliance on expensive fossil-fuel imports. [EnergyPortal.eu]
¶ “380-MW Australian Solar Farm To Start Construction In 2024” • Acciona Energia announced the construction of the 380-MW Aldoga solar farm on the central Queensland coast of Australia will start in the first quarter of 2024 and last eighteen months. The project comes with an associated investment of A$500 million ($331 million). [reNews]
Solar farm (Acciona Energia image)
¶ “Renewable Energy Power In China Reached Record High” • Installed capacity of China’s renewable energy power generation surpassed 1.4 billion kilowatts (1,400 GW) as of end-October, accounting for 49.9% of the country’s total, according to the National Energy Administration. This marks a year-on-year growth of 20.8%. [China Daily]
¶ “Vestas 15-MW Prototype Certified” • Vestas has received a type certificate for its V236-15MW offshore wind turbine. The turbine manufacturer installed the first prototype unit at the beginning of the year. After reaching it nominal power rating of 15 MW in April, the turbine broke the world record for power produced by one turbine in a 24-hour period – 363 MWh. [reNews]
Vestas prototype turbine (Vestas image)
¶ “Closer To Nuclear Plant Than Ever, Latest Korean Quake Renews Calls To Retire Aging Reactors” • In Korea, a magnitude 4.0 earthquake hit the city of Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang Province. As the earthquake was not far from the city’s Wolsong nuclear power plant, critics of nuclear power are becoming more vocal about safety concerns. [The Hankyoreh]
US:
¶ “Kohler Launches KDH Hydrogen Engine” • Standalone engine-builders Kohler recently unveiled a new direct injection, hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine based on its KDI 2504 TCR in a bid to reduce carbon emissions. The new Kohler engine isn’t a hydrogen fuel cell. It’s a conventional reciprocating piston engine that burns hydrogen. [CleanTechnica]
Kohler engine (Kohler Energy, via EquipmentWorld)
¶ “Connecticut Scraps 2035 ICE Vehicle Ban Plan” • When Gov Gavin Newsom announced that California would ban the sale of most internal-combustion vehicles in 2035, a number of states followed suit. But now, Connecticut governor Ned Lamont may be withdrawing proposed regulations aligning with California’s clean vehicle standards. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Tesla Cybertruck Arriving! What To Expect” • Deliveries of the Tesla Cybertruck finally starting! Today is the day. About four years after the initial unveiling event, the first buyers will get their electric Bladerunner, apocalypse-ready Tesla Cybertrucks. Surprisingly, we still don’t have full final insight into the price. That will surely come. [CleanTechnica]
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