geoharvey

Opinion:

¶ “Imagining Peak Car: Can We Live Without The Private Automobile?” • An article in the Washington Post says only 8.4% of US households have no car, and 33% have just one. None of the alternatives to vehicle ownership has made a dent. Going without a car may be a difficult choice for transportation, but the choice has rewards. [CleanTechnica]

Traffic (Dennis Schroeder, NREL)

¶ “What It’s Like To Go Through A Climate-Induced Hurricane” • Vice President Kamala Harris says climate change is a thing we must combat as an “existential threat.” Former President Donald Trump dismisses it as a “hoax.” Well, I just came out the other side of hunkering down in a hurricane, and I can say that the climate crisis is very real. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “The Nature Conservation Index Is A New Tool For Policy Development And Biodiversity Protection” • Species do not exist in isolation; they are interconnected. Addressing environmental problems involves addressing nature conservation at its core. The Nature Conservation Index comes in at a point when we ask how we can be more effective. [CleanTechnica]

Nature to be conserved (Provided by BioDB)

¶ “Superhot, Superdeep Rock Miles Below Could Create A Clean, Renewable Energy Source” • Laboratory data reported in the journal Nature Communications confirm the potential for the goal of geothermal energy: tapping into the superhot, superdeep rock miles below our feet. It could be an energy source to replace a significant amount of fossil fuels. [Mining.com]

World:

¶ “VinFast Leads Way In EV Battery Optimization” • VinFast’s approach to advancing battery technology includes vehicle optimization, strategic partnerships that encompass both popular and emerging battery technologies, and investments of millions of Euros in facilities to enhance its growing in-house expertise. [CleanTechnica]

Battery factory worker (Courtesy of VinFast)

¶ “Tesla Maximum Range Rear Wheel Drive Model 3 Appears On Configurators In Germany And The UK” • Electrive reports a new version of the Tesla Model 3 appeared on the company’s online configurators in Germany and the UK. The Model 3 Maximum Range RWD uses 12.5 kWh per 10 km and has a range of 702 km (436 miles). [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Latvenergo Unit Starts Building 176 MW Of Solar Parks In Lithuania” • Elektrum Lietuva, a unit of Latvian state-owned utility Latvenergo AS, announced the start of construction works on three solar parks in Lithuania with a combined capacity of 176 MW. The three sites are expected to be operational by no later than September 2025. [Renewables Now]

Worker at a solar array (EBRD image)

¶ “Amazon Prefers Renewables In Asia As Nuclear Still Elusive” • Amazon is only looking at wind and solar to offer green power for projects in Asia, even as global technology companies begin examining nuclear generation to supply energy-hungry data centers. This is in contrast to the US, where tech titans want to fuel them with nuclear energy. [The Japan Times]

¶ “Poland Renewable Energy Association Calls For Bold Climate Action Following Floods, Droughts” • Droughts and floods that have simultaneously affected Poland in recent weeks are a clear signal that energy transformation cannot wait, a major renewable energy group in Poland has said. The absence of effective action on climate is costing Poland a lot. [ceenergynews]

Krakow (dimitrisvetsikas1969, Pixabay)

¶ “Greece’s New Climate Plan Sets More Ambitious Renewable Energy Goals” • Greece set more ambitious targets for expanding solar and wind power to cut greenhouse emissions by 2030 under a revised energy and climate plan. Athens will aim for an 82% share of renewables in electricity generation by 2030 versus a 66% target in its previous 2019 plan. [Reuters]

¶ “UK Secures £225 Million Investment For Teesside Renewables Industry” • The UK Government announced £225 million of funding in Teesside’s renewables sector, via collaboration with Korean investors. UK Export Finance and the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation enabled SeAH Steel Holding to expand an offshore wind factory. [Energy Live News]

Teesside (Net Zero Teesside image, cropped)

US:

¶ “US Hourly Electricity Demand Peaked In July With Extended Heatwaves” • Last summer, US electricity demand in the Lower 48 states was greatest at 6:00 PM EDT on July 15, 2024, when it reached about 745 GWh, based on data in our Hourly Electric Grid Monitor. US electricity demand tends to peak in July or August as AC use ramps up. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New Hampshire’s Low-Income Community Solar Program Is Finally Nearing The Starting Line” • More than seven years after the New Hampshire regulators first approved the idea of using community solar to create savings for low-income households, electric bill discounts are finally appearing on the horizon for the first batch of participants. [CleanTechnica]

Community solar array (Stephen Coffrin, US DOE)

¶ “Form Energy Secures $405 Million To Speed Development Of Long-Awaited 100-Hour Battery” • Form Energy, a company that is beginning to produce a longer-lasting alternative to lithium batteries, announced that it hit a milestone of $405 million in funding. The money will allow Form to speed up manufacturing and continue R&D. [The Well News]

¶ “Legislature Will Consider Potential To Store High-Level Nuclear Waste In Wyoming” • A committee of the Wyoming Legislaturepassed draft legislation that could lead to allowing groups to use the state for temporary storage of high-level radioactive fuel waste created by nuclear power plants. It is going to the full legislature. [Cowboy State Daily]

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