Opinion:
¶ “The Power Of Taxing ‘Untaxed Externalities’” • Economists use the term “untaxed externalities” to describe financial impacts of human behavior that are not figured into the costs of doing business. For an Oil & Gas company, that might mean making taxpayers cover the cost of capping a non-productive oil well. The EU and US are working to stop that. [CleanTechnica]
Oil rig (Jared Evans, Unsplash)
¶ “From Whale Oil To Wind Power: The Fossil Fuel Industry’s Disinformation Is An Ocean of Hypocrisy” • Oil producers are spreading disinformation about offshore wind. They are sowing distrust and doubt, directing attention away from their damage, and wasting precious time when we should be accelerating wind power development. [The Equation]
Science and Technology:
¶ “A Surge In Sea Level Rise Threatens Southern States” • Sea levels in the Gulf of Mexico have risen by six inches or more in the past 10 years. Most oceanographers expected that amount of change would not happen until the end of this century, and only if global warming was to surpass 2ºC. Scientists are scrambling to determine the cause. [CleanTechnica]
Fort Myers Beach, Florida (Nick Nolan, Unsplash)
¶ “World’s Top Climate Scientists Expect Global Heating To Blast Past 1.5°C Target” • Hundreds of the world’s leading climate scientists expect global temperatures to rise to at least 2.5°C (4.5°F) above preindustrial levels this century, blasting past international targets and causing catastrophic consequences, a Guardian survey shows. [The Guardian]
World:
¶ “EVs Take 24.7% Share In The UK – BMW Leading Battery-Electric Brand” • April’s auto market saw plugin EVs take a 24.7% share in the UK, up from 21.9%, year on year. Volume growth was modest for battery EVs, and decent for plugin hybrids. Overall auto volume was 134,274 units, up just 1% YoY. The UK’s leading battery EV brand in April was BMW. [CleanTechnica]
BMW iX (Alexander Migl, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “VinFast Officially Launches In The Philippines” • VinFast Auto announced it will officially enter the Philippine EV market in late May 2024 with its diverse and smart green vehicles. The debut affirms VinFast’s commitment to being a leader in the Southeast Asian markets and its mission to promote the electrification of transportation globally. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Kenya Ranks Among Leading African Nations In Renewable Energy Uptake ” • Kenya is among African countries that are leveraging on renewable energy adoption, only ranking behind Senegal and Morocco. The three countries each generate around a fifth (20%) of their electricity from solar and wind,” the recent Ember report says. [The Star, Kenya]
Wind farm, Kenya (Andrew Owuor, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)
¶ “Renewable Power Starts Gaining Market Share” • Renewable power long seemed stuck at 20% of global power generation. That is now changing as investment picks up and capacity turns over. Renewables, including hydropower, account for 30% of global power and look set to advance this share by 10-15 percentage points every ten years or so. [Energy Intelligence]
¶ “Aggreko Backs Modular Tech For Offgrid Solar And Storage Solution” • Energy company Aggreko completed construction of a 4.4-MW solar farm and 2-MW, 1-MWh battery storage system that will help power Australian miner Northern Star Resources’ Porphyry mine operation under a long-term power purchase agreement. [pv magazine Australia]
Solar + storage (Image courtesy of 5B)
¶ “Russia Reveals It Is Building A Nuclear Power Plant To Put On The Moon” • Russia has revealed it has started building a nuclear power plant to be put on the moon for a planned joint lunar base with China. The countries are collaborating on the International Lunar Research Station, a massive complex on the moon that is set to break ground in 2026. [MSN]
US:
¶ “Got $200K And Want To Fly Electric? This Ultralight eVTOL Ships In July And Doesn’t Require A Pilot License” • For about $200,000, you might be able to attain the ultimate in e-mobility early adopter status. The Pivotal Helix eVTOL is available for order in the US, with deliveries starting in July, and you don’t even need a pilot license. [CleanTechnica]
The Pivotal Helix light eVTOL (Courtesy of Pivotal)
¶ “The Southeast US Battery Belt Is Learning To Love EVs” • EV battery plants are reinvigorating areas of the Southeast that were left destitute by factory closings, to the point that the region has a new nickname: the Battery Belt. It’s a name for a geographic manufacturing sector that is becoming the core for the domestic cleantech supply chain. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Goleta City Facilities Move To 100% Renewable Energy” • The City of Goleta is poised to meet and exceed municipal renewable energy goals earlier than expected. The Goleta City Council unanimously approved powering all City facilities with 100% clean, renewable energy through the City’s Community Choice Aggregator, starting in July. [News Channel 3-12]
Wind turbines (City of Goleta)
¶ “Feds Target Tesla Over Autopilot And Full Self Driving Claim” • For almost ten years, regulators have been wrangling with Elon Musk over his claims that Tesla’s cars can drive themselves with little to no input from human drivers. Even the name “Autopilot” has been controversial, as many contend it lulls drivers into a false sense of security. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Oil Industry Could Help The Biden Administration Tap ‘Invisible’ Green Energy” • A report from the US DOE makes a bold statement. It points out that the nascent US geothermal industry has a ready workforce of 300,000 engineers, drillers, hydrologists, and power plant operators ready to tap right here in this country. [NPR]
Have a perfectly delightful day.
geoharvey 