Opinion:
¶ “Can Markets Stop The Climate Crisis?” • In 2020, the IEA declared that solar power had become the “cheapest electricity in history.” In 2024, renewable energy has still not supplanted fossil fuels. This is the paradox at the heart of Brett Christophers’s new book, The Price Is Wrong: Why Capitalism Won’t Save the Planet (Verso, 2024). [Sierra Club]
Wind turbines (Milada Vigerova, Unsplash)
¶ “Nuclear Plant Trips Due To Fire, And Battery Storage Steps In To Stabilises The Grid” • What happens when a giant nuclear power station suddenly goes off line? It’s a question that market operators have to ask themselves all the time, and one Australia’s Coalition might want to put should its fanciful nuclear plan every come to pass. [RenewEconomy]
Science and Technology:
¶ “New “Supercell” EV Batteries Have All The Energy Density For 20% Less Cost” • Atomic Layer Deposition is a cost-cutting factor behind Forge Battery’s new “Supercell” EV batteries. The process was primarily confined to labwork, but now the nano-materials specialist Forge Nano, Forge Battery’s parent company, has it developed commercially. [CleanTechnica]
Atomic layer deposition system (Courtesy of Forge Nano)
World:
¶ “Extended Drought Parches Sicily, And Farmers Worry About Being Forced To Sell Off Animals” • Crippling drought from a nearly rainless year, coupled with record heat, is pushing farmers to the limit. For one, every day is a struggle to find water, with frantic phone calls, long trips to far off wells and long waits for municipal tankers. [ABC News]
¶ “Lofty Sustainable Aviation Fuel Climate Goals Lose Altitude” • Today there is only enough sustainable aviation fuel available to supply about 0.5% of the demand. In addition, however, airplane manufacturers have so many orders for next generation, more fuel efficient aircraft, that it may take a decade or more to fill all the orders. [CleanTechnica]
Hydrothermal Liquefaction (Firefly Green Fuels image)
¶ “Ethiopia Says ICE Vehicle Import Ban Continues As Part Of New Economic Reforms, Only EV Imports Allowed!” • Some months ago, Ethiopia became effectively the first country in the world to ban the import of internal combustion engine vehicles. Ethiopia’s motivation? A high fossil fuel import bill of over $5 billion a year. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Philippines Announces Renewables, Energy Storage Auction” • The Philippine DOE announced it will hold a storage-focused green energy auction in the fourth quarter of 2024. The auction’s remit will cover integrated renewable energy and energy storage systems. Integration allows renewable energy plants to optimise their operations. [pv magazine Australia]
Philippine solar PVs (Beeveevee, Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
¶ “Solar Sees Brighter Full-Year Prospects” • China’s PV industry may see robust growth in installed capacity this year with new installations ranging between 190 and 220 GW, driven by the increasing electrification of energy use and the shift toward low-carbon power consumption, according to the China Photovoltaic Industry Association. [China Daily]
¶ “New England Renewable Energy Zone Scoping Report” • The Energy Corporation of New South Wales scoping report for the New England renewable energy zone [area of NSW] was released for public consultation. It will be delivered in stages to unlock a transfer capacity of 6 GW with Stage 1 to deliver 2.4 GW by 2031 and more to come. [pv magazine Australia]
New England, NSW (Kiwifruitboi, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)
¶ “Wind And Solar Power Overtake Fossil Fuels In EU” • In the EU, wind and solar energy overtook fossil fuels for the first time during the first half of 2024. Analysis from think tank Ember shows that wind and solar generated more electricity than fossil fuels during the first six months of 2024, the first time this has happened in a half year period. [RenewEconomy]
US:
¶ “One Dead In New Colorado Blaze As Containment Expanded On Huge California Fire” • California firefighters battling the largest active wildland blaze in the nation made notable progress on containing it but still have a long way to go before it is put out. The Park Fire in Northern California grew into the fifth largest wildfire in the state’s history. [ABC News]
Park Fire (Cal Fire image)
¶ “Solar Power, Electric Shuttles, And EV Chargers Project Begins In Fresno” • The Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission joined with global technology firm Nuuve to electrify its vehicles and develop solar power capacity. The system will have 56 EV chargers and use V2G technology for about 50 electric shuttles at the Fresno, California, site. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “How This Nebraska Activist Is Making Sure Rural America Gets In On The Renewable Energy Boom” • Nebraska-based activist Jane Kleeb believes rural America is where the nation’s green future will be built. She just wants to make sure that rural Americans are engaged, compensated, and celebrated during this massive infrastructure transition. [Fast Company]
Jane Kleeb founded Bold Nebraska (Courtesy of Bold Alliance)
¶ “Republican Weirdos Want To End The Weather Service” • We take the National Weather Service for granted. We get its data, often indirectly through third parties like news stations, weather apps, and cable TV. There are people who imagine getting rid of these vital services, hoping that private companies will pick up the work instead. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Renewables ‘Cheaper And Faster’ Than Methane, Says The Nation’s Largest Utility” • There has been a lot of discussion recently about the growth in power grid demand in the US, after roughly two decades of relatively small growth. The anticipated demand increase is largely driven by electricity-hungry artificial intelligence chips. [pv magazine USA]
Have a majestically serene day.
geoharvey 
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