Science and Technology:
¶ “Seabird Study Shows How They Might One Day Share The Air With Offshore Wind Turbines” • Researchers from the US DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and from H T Harvey & Associates published results from a study to find out how high seabirds fly and whether they might interact with wind turbines in Frontiers in Marine Energy. [CleanTechnica]
Birds and offshore wind turbine (J Bartholmai, PNNL)
World:
¶ “Brazil Races Ahead, Bringing 1,100% Battery EV Growth in April” • When Brazil’s EV sales went rampant in late 2023, there were fears the growth would be a temporary due to coming tariffs. This wasn’t the case, and growth has been exponential, reaching 1,120% increase in April for battery EVs, YOY, and 210% growth for plugin hybrids. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Renewable Energy Projects Predicted To Drive $20 Billion Construction Boom” • Renewable energy will be the largest area of growth in Australia’s construction sector over the next three years, with annual activity reaching A$20 billion ($13.3 billion) in FY 2026, a report from Macromonitor, an industry forecasting company, says. [pv magazine Australia]
Battery system (Synergy image)
¶ “National Grid Taps Shareholders To Help Fund £60 Billion Low-Carbon Energy Switch” • National Grid, the energy grid company, announced a £6.8 billion rights issue. Shareholders are being offered new shares to provide fresh funds for investment in thousands of miles of cables to connect homes with renewable energy projects. [The Guardian]
¶ “Battery Bonus Switched On After Coal-Plant Lifeline” • A New South Wales offer to subsidise batteries for homes with rooftop solar systems is a key plank in the shift to renewables as the state defends its lifeline for Australia’s biggest coal-fired power plant. The plan will save up to $2,400 for over a million households with solar panels to install a battery. [Yahoo]
Eraring power station (CSIRO, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “Renewable Energy Booming In Major Economies” • Data from two of the largest economies in the world shows renewable energy accounts for an increasing share of energy at the expense of fossil fuels. India’s coal usage is plummeting, and less than half of India’s electricity is generated using coal. Meanwhile, German solar power rapidly increasing. [MSN]
¶ “Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Faces Blackout Threat” • Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is facing a blackout threat once again. An external overhead line has been disconnected, according to the Energoatom Telegram channel. Right now, the only source of electricity for the Russian-held nuclear plant is Ukrainian. [MSN]
Zaporizhzhia plant (IAEA Imagebank, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)
US:
¶ “Massive Wind Farm Proposal In Washington State Gets New Life From Governor Jay Inslee” • Plans for the Horse Heaven wind farm include up to 222 wind turbines across 24 miles (38.6 km) of hillsides in the Tri-Cities area of eastern Washington, plus three solar arrays covering up to 8.5 square miles (22 square km). Gov Inslee rejected a size reduction. [ABC News]
¶ “NOAA Predicts Record Hurricane Season For 2024” • NOAA’s forecast of the upcoming hurricane season says all categories of storms are expected to exceed the typical number seen every year. Warming of the surface ocean temperatures from human-induced climate change is likely fueling more powerful tropical cyclones and extreme precipitation. [ABC News]
Hurricane (Mike Trenchard, NASA, public domain)
¶ “New Port Electrification Handbook Features Microgrids” • Maritime ports, bustling hubs of global trade, are emerging as the new frontier for electrification. Advances in clean energy, such as microgrids and batteries, are enabling electrification of port infrastructure and heavy-duty vehicles traditionally thought hard to electrify. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Atlantic Shores 1 And 2 Seal FEIS” • Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind has announced the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has released its Final Environmental Impact Statement for the 2,800-MW Atlantic Shores Project 1 and 2, off the coast of New Jersey. The schemes are a 50:50 partnership between Shell and EDF Renewables. [reNews]
Offshore wind turbines (EDF image)
¶ “Democrats Urge DOJ Investigation Of Fossil Fuel Companies” • Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Representative Jamie Raskin have sent a joint letter to the US Attorney General urging the Department of Justice to initiate an investigation into the fossil fuel industry, which they claim has been committing illegal acts for decades. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Alaska’s New ‘Green Bank’ Hopes To Improve The Financial Case For Renewable Energy” • Alaskans looking to invest in solar panels or other renewable energy projects for their homes may have new options in the next few years. The state is setting up a new “green bank” to help Alaskans keep power costs down and switch to renewable energy. [Alaska Public Media]
Alaska (Joris Beugels, Unsplash)
¶ “Phil Scott Vetoes Vermont Lawmakers’ Priority Energy Bill” • Gov Phil Scott vetoed a bill that would require Vermont utilities to buy more renewable energy at a faster pace, with most utilities purchasing all of their energy from renewable sources by 2030. Scott supports an alternate plan, which includes increasing the state’s dependence on nuclear power. [VTDigger]
¶ “RWE Signs PPAs With Microsoft For Texas Wind Power” • RWE has signed two 15-year PPAs with Microsoft, under which Microsoft will purchase electricity from two onshore Texas wind farms. The company’s Peyton Creek II wind farm and Lane City project will have a combined capacity of 446 MW. They will have 4.5-MW turbines from Vestas. [CNBC]
Have an especially enjoyable day.
geoharvey 