Opinion:
¶ “Small Reactors Don’t Add Up As A Viable Energy Source” • The nuclear industry is offering Small Modular Reactors, SMRs, as an alternative to large reactors as a possible solution to climate change. When evaluated on the basis of cost per unit of power capacity, however, SMRs are actually far more expensive than the very expensive large reactors. [Cosmos Magazine]
San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (Jelson25, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
World:
¶ “EVs Take 91.0% Share In Norway – Volvo EX30 Grabs Top Spot” • The April auto market saw plugin EVs take 91.0% share in Norway, roughly flat from 91.1% year on year. Battery EVs took 89.4% share, up from 83.3% YOY. Overall auto volume was 11,241 units, up 25% YOY, a recovery over recent months. April’s best selling battery EV was the Volvo EX30. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Hydrostor Plans Two Large Compressed Air Storage Facilities, One In Australia And One In California” • Hydrostor, based in Toronto, has a plan to construct two massive long-term energy storage facilities. One is a 200-MW, 1,600-MWh facility near Sydney, Australia. The other is a 500-MW, 4,000-MWh plant in Kern County, California. [CleanTechnica]
Rendering of Silver City Energy Centre (Hydrostor image)
¶ “China’s Fresh Wind Power Bid Shows Huge Prospects In Bangladesh” • Power China, the builder of Bangladesh’s first 60-MW capacity wind power plant, is considering building two new similar plants with a combined capacity of 260 MW near one in Cox’s Bazar, showing substantial prospects of such renewable energy in the country. [The Financial Express]
¶ “Why Scotland Is Leading The World In This Essential Type Of Alternative Energy” • It is by a quirk of geography that the Orkney Islands, off the northern tip of Scotland, are unusually well-positioned to bear witness to the ocean’s might. On the islands’ western shores, waves crash ceaselessly. The Orkney Islands are ideally suited for research. [Inverse]
Orbital Marine Power generator (Orbital Marine Power image)
¶ “North Korea Risking Another Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster Which Threatens Millions” • North Korea could be close to a new disaster that could threaten 100 million lives, a report warns. Safety shortcuts and poor maintenance are increasing concerns that the secretive regime is putting millions across Asia in ‘mortal danger.’ [Yahoo Life UK]
US:
¶ “178 People Rescued Amid Texas Flood Watch’” • A flood watch remains in effect for more than 11 million people in Texas and Oklahoma as numerous flood warnings were issued and residents are urged not to drive on flooded roads. The Trinity River, to the northeast of Houston, is forecast to be higher than it was during Hurricane Harvey in 2017. [ABC News]
After Hurricane Harvey (Jill Carlson, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)
¶ “Three Groups Are Suing New Jersey To Block An Offshore Wind Farm” • Three groups opposed to wind power filed suit in appellate court challenging a determination by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection that the Atlantic Shores wind farm project meets the requirements of a federal coastal protection law. [ABC News]
¶ “US EV Sales Up 170% In First Quarter vs First Quarter Of 2021” • Is the hype about EV sales drooping true? Well, a little, maybe. Compared to Q1 2023, EV sales are up only a little bit in the first quarter of 2024, just 2%. However, if you look back two years, EV sales are up 71%, and if you look back three years to Q1 2021, EV sales are up 170%! [CleanTechnica]
EV charging (Chuttersnap, Unsplash)
¶ “Tyson Foods Is Dumping Millions Of Pounds Of Pollutants Into American Waterways” • An investigation by the Union of Concerned Scientists reveals that Tyson Foods has dumped 371 million pounds of pollutants, including nitrogen, phosphorus, chloride, oil, and cyanide, into American waterways in the past five years. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “New Study Uncovers Major Equity Gap In Clean Energy Generation” • A Stanford University study shows a renewable energy generation gap between wealthy and disadvantaged communities, despite the clear benefit from cheaper power for the latter group. “We were astonished to see there is still such a large difference,” its lead author said. [The Cool Down]
Have a jovially convivial day.
geoharvey 
Leave a comment