Science and Technology:
¶ “PV Floor’s Walkable Panels Put Solar Underfoot In Both Residential And Commercial Applications” • Turkey’s largest solar manufacturer, Ankara Solar, recently came out with a line of walkable solar panels, a building-integrated PV option with a durable non-slip glass surface, that can be installed in floors and open areas both inside and out. [CleanTechnica]
Screenshot of brochure (Courtesy of Ankara Solar Energy)
World:
¶ “Tap Water In Parts Of A Drought-Stricken Spanish Tourist Hot Spot Is Now Too Salty To Drink” • Tap water in parts of a Spanish tourist hot spot is so salty it’s become undrinkable. Residents and visitors having to line up for bottled or tanked-in drinking water as the region struggles with severe and prolonged drought along the Mediterranean coast. [CNN]
¶ “With $17,000 Car, Can Xpeng Reach 500,000 Sales A Year?” • Xpeng rolled out a market-shaking electric car, the M03. Simply being as sleek and premium-looking as it is and coming in at just 120,000 yuan ($16,833), one has to think it will sell in volume. It is a very affordable car from one of the leading smart EV makers in the world. [CleanTechnica]
Xpeng M03
¶ “European Oil Majors’ Wish-List For Investing In Renewable Projects” • Speaking at a conference in Norway, executives from Shell, TotalEnergies, and Equinor insisted that they could invest in renewable and low carbon projects if benchmarks of capital discipline and profitability are met and they generate adequate returns. [Latest renewable energy news]
¶ “Solar And Wind Made Up 91% Of New Power Capacity In 2023” • In 2023 wind and solar represented nearly 91% of net new power capacity additions in 2023, up from 83% the year before, according to BloombergNEF. And the renewable energy industry looks set for a similar feat again in 2024, as renewable energy projects secured similar new investments. [reNews]
Solar array (Antonio Garcia, Unsplash)
¶ “Germany’s Far Right Targets Renewable Energy In Bid For First Election Wins” • Germany’s far-right AfD party, hoping to clinch its first wins in two east German state elections on September 1, is trying to pick up countryside votes by making opposition to renewable energy projects a centerpiece of its campaign. [Voice of America]
¶ “Lightsource BP Completes And Sells UK Solar-Plus-Battery Project” • Lightsource BP completed its largest UK solar project to date. It then sold the project and co-located energy storage scheme to investment manager Schroders Greencoat. Tiln Farm is a 49.9-MW solar project near Retford in Nottinghamshire with a 25-MW, 50-MWh battery. [reNews]
Wildflowers under solar panels (Lightsource BP image)
¶ “Victorian Utility Almost Doubles Annual Energy Needs With Switch To 100% Renewables” • Victorian government-owned water corporation Barwon Water is using 100% renewables to power its drinking water, sewerage, and recycled water services. But with its investment in renewables, it is exporting the energy it doesn’t need to the grid. [pv magazine Australia]
¶ “EU Reveals 18% Gas Reduction And 46% Renewable Energy Surge In REPowerEU Success Story” • The REPowerEU Plan of the European Commission aims to transform Europe’s energy by reducing reliance on Russian fossil fuels and boosting renewable energy production. Europe is producing more electricity from renewables than from gas. [ESG News]
European wind turbine (Dietmar Rabich, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “UN Watchdog Says Fighting Poses Serious Risk To Russian Nuclear Plant” • The director general at the International Atomic Energy Agency spoke after visiting the plant in Russia’s western Kursk region, Rafael Grossi warned of the risk of an accident the Kursk nuclear plant because of fighting nearby between Russian and Ukrainian forces. [MSN]
¶ “Russia Criticises UN Nuclear Watchdog After Trip To Plant Close To Fighting” • Russia said it wanted the International Atomic Energy Agency to take a “more objective and clearer” stance on nuclear safety, a day after the head of the agency visited a Russian nuclear plant close to where Ukraine has mounted an incursion into the country. [Reuters]
Rafeal Grossi (IAEA Imagebank, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
US:
¶ “Summer Scorcher: Dangerous Heat To Head To Northeast After Slamming Midwest” • The heat index – what temperature it feels like with humidity – soared to a scorching 115°F in Chicago on Tuesday. The actual temperature hit 99°F breaking the city’s record of 97°F for the day. Now the heat will move east, hitting Washington and New York City. [ABC News]
¶ “Misinformation Clouds Legislative Hearing On Solar Energy Development In Louisiana” • The Legislature of Louisiana has been asked to consider policy to pave the way for alternative energy. This has led to some resistance from lawmakers with deep ties to oil and gas. And it has led to misinformation about solar energy for lawmakers. [CleanTechnica]
Baton Rouge (Vladimir Oprisko, Unsplash)
¶ “Investing in America: Electric Vehicle Chargers Have Doubled Since Start of Biden–Harris Administration” • The Biden–Harris Administration announced $521 million in grants to continue building out EV charging and alternative-fueling infrastructure in 29 states, two Federally Recognized Tribes, and the District of Columbia. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Valley Green Energy Launches New Programs Allowing Customers To Use 100% Renewable Energy” • Valley Green Energy will launch programs this fall that will allow customers in Amherst, Northampton, and Pelham, Massachusetts to use 100% renewable energy. The state government has approved group electricity buying programs. [WWLP]
Have a unassailably outstanding day.
geoharvey 
Leave a comment