Opinion:
¶ “Nuclear Energy: The New Geopolitical Battleground” • The West has had considerable success imposing energy sanctions on Russia, but the Russian nuclear exports are hard to kick. Now, as more western nations get serious about cutting Russia out of their nuclear energy supply chains, they push economic and geopolitical power off to China. [OilPrice.com]
Isar nuclear plant (E.ON Kernkraft GmbH, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Storing Renewable Energy Brings Reliability, Flexibility And Resilience For The Grid” • When paired with energy generated from renewable energy sources, battery storage can save money for consumers, help increase the efficiency of the electric grid, reduce carbon emissions and air pollution, and support good paying American jobs. [Lightsource bp]
¶ “Enhanced Geothermal Energy Could Be A Zero-Carbon Hero” • Recent advancements in geothermal technologies appear ready to expand geothermal’s reach significantly. These new methods, referred to as engineered, enhanced, or advanced geothermal systems, have made strides in scalability and could play a major role in the clean energy transition. [JD Supra]
Geothermal plant in Iceland (Tommy Kwak, Unsplash, cropped)
World:
¶ “Floods In Eastern Congo Causing Hardship To Almost Half A Million People” • The World Food Program said floods caused by heavy rains in eastern Congo caused hardship for over 470,000 people. WFP also said that it lacked the resources to respond to the needs of the people in flood areas. It attributed the heavy rains to climate change. [ABC News]
¶ “Renewable Energy Takes Market Share Away From Thermal Generation” • The Ember report says “The world is now at a turning point where solar and wind not only slow emissions growth, but actually start to push fossil generation into decline.” Global power emissions would have fallen in 2023, but drought reduced hydropower output. [CleanTechnica]
Annual electricity data (Courtesy of Ember)
¶ “The BYD Dolphin Is Now The Lowest Priced EV In South Africa” • BYD has introduced the Dolphin in South Africa. It will be the lowest priced battery EV in the country. The BYD Dolphin is about R150,000 ($8,000) cheaper than the Great Wall Motor Ora 03, the most affordable battery EV in South Africa before the Dolphin came along. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Amazon Enables Its First Wind Energy Projects In Poland” • Amazon agreed to buy 53 MW of clean energy capacity from two wind farms located in Jastrowie and Okonek, in Wielkopolskie Voivodeship in Poland. This initiative is its first investment in wind power in Poland. It had invested earlier in a PV farm in Miłkowice. [About Amazon Europe]
Windfarm (From Amazon)
¶ “Documents Suggest Alberta’s Renewable-Energy Pause Not Requested By AESO Head” • Internal emails show Alberta’s moratorium on renewable-energy projects was political and not requested by the system operator as the premier said. Newly uncovered documents show the CEO of the Alberta Electric System Operator opposed it. [CTV News Calgary]
¶ “Coal And Gas Supplied Just 21% Of Europe’s Power Last Month” • Together, coal and gas generated only 21% of electricity in the EU last month. The buildout of wind and solar in Europe is continuing apace, while hydropower is recovering from an extended drought. These sources produced 49% of electricity in the EU in April, data from Ember shows. [Yale E360]
EU electricity by source (Ember, please click on the image)
¶ “The Last Three German Nuclear Power Stations Will Cease On Saturday” • The German Government announced that it is disconnecting Germany’s last three nuclear plants: Emsland, Isar 2, and Neckarwestheim 2. Germany’s decision to stop its nuclear power was taken in 2002, an accelerated process in 2011 after the Fukushima Disaster. [Argia]
US:
¶ “Hawaii Officials Outline Efforts To Prevent More Devastating Wildfires Ahead Of A Dry Season” • As Maui continues to recover from the deadliest US wildfire in over a century, Hawaii officials are looking at preventing more disasters. Climate change has been causing more drought in Hawaii, and wildfires, once rare, are more frequent. [ABC News]
Maui, not a good place for a drought (Katie Musial, Unsplash)
¶ “Americans Burn 50% Less Fossil Fuel In Their Homes Than They Did 50 Years Ago” • Americans burn much less fossil fuel in their homes on average and use much more electricity than they did half a century ago. This means American homes had been electrifying everything long before the “Electrify Everything” movement came along. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Trump Promises Oil & Gas Execs Free Rein, If They Put $1 Billion Into His Campaign” • At a Mar-A-Lago meeting with fossil fuel executives in April, Trump suggested they get together and donate $1 billion to get him re-elected. Giving $1 billion would be a “deal,” Trump said, because of the taxation and regulation they would avoid. [CleanTechnica]
Donald Trump (Liam Enea, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “US Department Of Defense Catches Green Hydrogen Fever” • The US Department of the Defense pushed the market for solar power during the Obama administration, emerging as an early adopter powerhouse and large-scale buyer of PV technology. Now the Pentagon is getting ready to pivot into the hydrogen fuel cell microgrid field. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Oceantic Network Applauds Passage Of Maryland Offshore Wind Bill” • The Oceantic Network applauded the signing of bill Maryland HB 1296 by Governor Wes Moore, setting up a future offshore wind solicitation and allowing MarWin and Momentum Wind developer US Wind to renegotiate the offtake agreements it currently has. [Renewable Energy Magazine]
Have a truly magical day.
geoharvey 