Opinion:
¶ “Fact Checks: Have Electric Vehicles Sales Really Stalled?” • We have all heard about how the EV market is slowing. This has been going on for a year. But there is no reason to panic. The industry is following the natural product acceptance process, also known as the “adoption curve.” EV adoption rates experience highs and lows, and they are to be expected. [CleanTechnica]
BYD Dolphin (BYD image)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Battery Costs Have Plummeted By 90% In Less Than 15 Years, Turbocharging Renewable Energy Shift” • An IEA report finds that capital costs for battery storage systems are projected to fall by up to 40% by 2030. This will make combining solar and wind with battery storage more affordable than building new thermal plants in many places. [TechSpot]
¶ “Renewable Energy From The Moon Is Happening Right Now” • The idea of beaming solar power down to Earth from space has been grabbing some attention, but it’s not the only space-based form of renewable energy available. The Moon exerts a powerful force on the waters of the Earth, and new tidal energy innovators are rushing to tap into it. [CleanTechnica]
Renewable energy test bed in Massachusetts
(Courtesy of Massachusetts Renewable Energy Collaboration)
World:
¶ “This Heavy Duty E-Cargo Bike Has 2 Cubic Meters Of Payload Space And Can Haul Over 800 Pounds” • Electric cargo bikes are evolving and improving rapidly, especially on the commercial and fleet side of things, where increased payload volume and carrying capacity are key, along with stability, dependability for daily use, and safety. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “10-Minute EV Quick Charge Shown On Polestar 5 With StoreDot XFC Battery Pack” • The quest for faster EV charging reached another milestone as Israeli battery maker StoreDot demonstrated its silicon-dominant EV battery technology. In a demonstration, the prototype Polestar 5’s 77 kWh battery from 10% to 82% in just 10 minutes. [CleanTechnica]
StoreDot’s modular battery packs (StoreDot image)
¶ “UK Accelerates Connections For 8 GW Of Clean Energy Capacity” • Electricity networks in England and Wales enabled the grid connection offer dates for nearly 8 GW of clean energy projects to be brought forward. The Technical Limits program brought connection dates of over 200 projects forward by up to ten years. Their capacity totals 7.8 GW. [reNews]
¶ “Drax Invests £80 Million Into 480-MW Scottish Hydro Power Project” • Renewable energy company Drax announced a £80 million investment to refurbish its Cruachan pumped storage hydro station in Scotland. Drax appointed global hydropower technology supplier ANDRITZ as the main contractor for the Cruachan upgrade project. [Current News]
Big hydro turbines (Drax image)
¶ “Is Russia Ready For Climate Change? Mass Floods Expose Lack Of Adaptation, Campaigners Say” • Mass floods in Russia have thrown a spotlight on the country’s approach to managing the increasing risks it faces from climate change. Russia’s failures in flood management have raised important questions about how prepared the country is. [Euronews.com]
¶ “Australia’s Energy Crisis Looms” • A report from the Grattan Institute says Australia must take immediate action to reform its national energy market to avoid energy crisis. The report warns that the current National Electricity Market is ill-equipped to handle the rapid transition away from coal-fired power and towards renewable sources. [Ecogeneration]
Sydney Opera House (Liam Pozz, Unsplash)
US:
¶ “Growing Wildfire Risk Leaves States Grappling With How To Keep Property Insurers From Fleeing” • As climate change and increasing development raise the risks of wildfires and other natural disasters, insurance providers, regulators, and researchers grapple with how to keep the insurance companies in business, providing property insurance. [ABC News]
¶ “Newport, Rhode Island, Deals With The Reality Of Sea Level Rise” • Newport, Rhode Island boasts mansions from the Gilded Era, a Cliff Walk that peers out over the Atlantic Ocean, white sand beaches with gently rolling surf, and a marina area with enticing shops and restaurants. It also has increasingly frequent and violent storms. [CleanTechnica]
Newport, RI (UpstateNYer, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “Renewables Now Power More Than Half Of Minnesota’s Electricity” • Minnesota is a renewable energy leader, getting 54% of its electricity from zero-carbon sources last year, according to the 2024 Minnesota Energy Factsheet. The report comes from the Business Council for Sustainable Energy and Clean Energy Economy Minnesota. [Public News Service]
¶ “New York Wraps Up Latest Renewables Tender” • NYSERDA has concluded New York State’s seventh annual solicitation for onshore renewable energy projects. It has provisionally awarded 24 projects to support the continued development of large-scale onshore wind and solar resources toward the achievement of the New York’s Climate Act goals. [reNews]
Wind turbine (EDP image)
¶ “energyRe Secures Financing For Lone Star Solar Project And BESS In South Carolina” • energyRe has secured $155 million in project financing and $85 million in tax equity for its 108 MW (dc) Lone Star Solar project and 198 MWh bttery system in South Carolina. The project is under construction and is expected to be operational by Fall 2024. [GreentechLead]
¶ “A Massive US Nuclear Plant Is Finally Complete. It Might Be the Last of Its Kind” • A new nuclear reactor reached commercial operation in Georgia on Monday, completing a project whose delays and sticker shock helped upend the near-term prospects for nuclear power in the US. Adding two reactors cost over $30 billion, more than twice the initial estimates. [MSN]
Have a thrillingly valuable day.
geoharvey 