Science and Technology:
¶ “Texas Gigafactory Might Have An Oft-Overlooked Pollution Problem” • Common thinking dictates that you need lots and lots of light at night for safety, security, efficiency, and comfort. So, when a new manufacturing facility is built, it gets some serious lighting to turn night to day as needed. But light pollution is a serious environmental problem. [CleanTechnica]
Light pollution map (From LightPollutionMap.info)
World:
¶ “Orange Shortages Send Juice Prices Soaring, Prompt Possible Changes” • Orange production in two top growing regions has been plagued by diseased fruit and bad weather, prompting all-time high prices. Amid more frequent and intense heatwaves, a citrus organization cited climate change as a key factor in the dramatic orange crop reduction. [ABC News]
¶ “Net Zero By 2050 Is Now Anticipated To Cost Nearly 20% More – Can Anything Be Done?” • The folks that hold the wallets of governments and shareholders need to fork over trillions of more dollars toward the clean energy transition, and that money needs to start flowing now in order to to reach net zero by 2050, according to BloombergNEF. [CleanTechnica]
Wind and sunflowers (Gustavo Quepón, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “25 Rural Towns’ Solar Power Plan Project Reaches 61%” • The performance of the 25 rural towns’ solar power plant project, which is being built by the Ethiopian Electricity Utility, reached 61%. The project includes the installation of 68.7 km of medium-voltage and 233.3 km of low-voltage lines that can carry a total of 8 MW electric power. [MSN]
¶ “Avaada Energy Wins 1.05-GW Solar Project In India From NTPC” • Indian renewable energy company Avaada Energy was awarded a 1.05-GW solar project in an auction by the National Thermal Power Corporation’s Renewable Energy Implementing Agency. The project, won at a competitive tariff of 3.2¢/kWh, is set for completion by 2026. [Power Technology]
Solar power (Thomas Coker, Unsplash)
¶ “FPCCI Calls For A Shift To Wind Power Projects” • President Atif Ikram Sheikh of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry has urged authorities to prioritize the immediate offtake of power from existing, operational, and cheapest 12 wind projects, which produce electricity at a cost of Rs14.5 per unit (5.2¢/kWh). [The News International]
¶ “Mauritius Inaugurates BESS” • In line with the government’s vision to promote renewable energy in the electricity mix to 60% by 2030, a 20 MW grid scale battery energy storage system has been inaugurated in the presence of the Minister of Energy and Public Utilities, Georges Pierre Lesjongard. The system is at the Amaury Sub-station. [Energy Global]
Buildings in Mauritius (Ritesh Innovador, Unsplash)
¶ “Nuclear Plan A ‘Distraction’ As Coal Town Transitions” • In Australia, the federal coalition has plans to add nuclear energy to the power grid by building reactors at sites where there are coal or gas-fired power stations. One coal town that could be a site for a nuclear station says the plan is a distraction as it works to ditch fossil fuels. [Michael West Media]
US:
¶ “Vermont Becomes First State To Mandate That Fossil Fuel Companies Pay For Climate Damages” • A new law in Vermont — the first of its kind in the US — will require fossil fuel companies to pay for a share of the costs of weather disasters fueled by climate change. Republican Gov Phil Scott allowed the bill to become law without his signature. [NBC News]
Champlain Valley (KADM Creations, Unsplash)
¶ “Applications Open For $1.3 Billion In Funding To Expand National Electric Vehicle Charging Network” • The Biden-Harris Administration opened applications for a $1.3 billion funding opportunity for EV charging and alternative-fueling at sites in urban and rural communities and along designated highways, interstates, and major roadways. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “How Dominion Energy Killed A Rooftop Solar Plan In Fairfax County, Virginia” • Four years ago, Fairfax County, Virginia, unveiled an ambitions program that would bring rooftop solar systems to many schools, community centers, and park buildings in the county. Dominion stopped the process by demanding high connection fees in 2022. [CleanTechnica]
Allume rooftop solar array (Courtesy of Allume)
¶ “Power Grids Under Pressure: US Areas At Risk Of Blackouts During The Summer” • A seasonal grid reliability assessment from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation highlights regions of North America that could face grid reliability issues because of too little supply of or too much demand for power. [CNET]
¶ “Arizona Is Advancing In Renewable Energy With Federal Investments” • Arizona is on the frontline for up-and-coming solutions for climate change thanks to federal investments for renewable energy. Since 2021, Arizona has received $10.5 billion for clean energy through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. [AZPM]
Arizona desert (Dulcey Lima, Unsplash)
¶ “Outlook ‘Surprisingly Positive’ For US Offshore Wind” • The market outlook for US offshore wind “surprisingly positive,” says a recent report by consulting firm Intelatus Global Partners. Even with ongoing issues, the firm says, “the fundamentals are looking surprisingly positive in the context of what has taken place over the last 12 months.” [Offshore Magazine]
¶ “US Energy Secretary Calls For More Nuclear Power While Celebrating $35 Billion Georgia Reactors” • US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm called for more nuclear reactors to be built in the US and worldwide. But the CEO of the Georgia utility that built the reactors at a cost of nearly $35 billion says his company isn’t ready to pick up that baton. [MSN]
Have a movingly placid day.
geoharvey 
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