Science and Technology:
¶ “Hydrogen Fuel Cell Aircraft Attracts US Army, Navy, And Air Force” • The US military has been scouting electric aircraft for new opportunities to improve performance and operational resiliency. Along with battery-electric aircraft, hydrogen fuel cell technology is also in play, as demonstrated by a small business startup called Hydroplane. [CleanTechnica]
Hydrogen fuel cell powered plane (Courtesy of Hydroplane)
¶ “Could Bacteria Eat Away At Plastics And Help To Mitigate Our Pollution Problem?” • We tend to think of wastewater as the disgusting but necessary result of human life and living. Well, it seems that bacteria commonly found in wastewater may be able to break down a variety of plastics to turn them into food sources. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Entrion Wind Bags US Patent For FRP Base” • Entrion Wind has won a US patent for its Fully Restrained Platform monopile. Entrion Wind’s design of the FRP foundation extends the range of traditional monopile technology to water depths of up to 100 meters, while offering improved economics compared to other foundation systems. [reNews]
Entrion Wind system (Entrion wind image)
World:
¶ “Turkey Unveils Offshore Wind Roadmap” • The World Bank Group, with Turkey’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, has launched an offshore wind roadmap for the country. The government has set a target of 5 GW of installed capacity for offshore wind power by 2035, but the potential offshore wind resource estimated to be 75 GW. [reNews]
¶ “Hurricane Rafael Knocks Out Cuba’s Power Grid And Heads Into The Gulf On A Much Different Path” • Hurricane Rafael pulled away from Cuba after hitting the island as a Category 3 hurricane. It took down Cuba’s entire power grid for about 24 hours. A significant shift in the storm’s forecast track increases its threat for Mexico’s Gulf Coast. [CNN]
Tree uprooted in Havana (Presidencia de Cuba)
¶ “EVs Take 30.2% Share in the UK – Near Record High” • The October auto market saw plugin EVs take 30.2% share in the UK, up from 24.9% year on year. Both battery EVs and plugin hybrid EVs grew in volume, whilst the overall auto market shrank. The UK’s leading BEV brand in August was Volkswagen, with 9.6% share of the BEV market. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “World’s First AI-Defined Vehicle? XPeng’s Bold Claim” • The P7+ is XPeng’s newest EV model. Xpeng has been consistently focused on identifying its own tech leadership and “smart” capabilities. Apparently, with this new model, it is taking this approach to the next step by claiming the XP7 is the “world’s first AI-defined vehicle.” [CleanTechnica]
XPeng P7+ (XPeng image)
¶ “Bloom Energy Announces World’s Largest Fuel Cell Install in History” • Bloom Energy is a leader in stationary fuel cell and power generation with 1.3 GW deployed worldwide. It said that it is to deliver fuel cells to the largest single-site installation to date. The 80-MW project, developed with SK Eternix, will power two ecoparks in South Korea. [Business Wire]
¶ “The World Never Invested So Much Money In Solar Before” • The global solar sector is expected to reach about 2,000 GW of installed capacity in 2024, and global investment in solar power could reach $500 billion by the end of the year. Indian Minister of New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi said solar is the most affordable energy in many regions. [Fakti.bg]
Solar power (Oskar Kadaksoo, Unsplash)
¶ “Nuclear Waste Management Could Add Billions To Electricity Supply Costs” • Handling and storing nuclear waste could add big costs to Australia’s future energy bills, an inquiry heard, just as Canada is set to spend $26 billion to store depleted fuel from its reactors safely. The cost and time to build nuclear plants in Australia also in still a mystery. [RenewEconomy]
US:
¶ “Hours After Trump’s Election, Biden Moved To Limit Oil Drilling In Arctic National Wildlife Refuge” • A Trump-era law requires an oil lease auction in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by the end if this year. Now the Biden administration is offering the least acreage allowed under that law, limiting oil drilling so as to do the least damage. [CNN]
Owl (Zdeněk Macháček, Unsplash)
¶ “California Brush Fire Explodes Over 20,000 Acres, Newsom Declares State Of Emergency” • A wind-whipped brush fire in Southern California exploded to over 20,000 acres in about 24 hours, destroying homes and prompting mass evacuations. It remains out of control, as Gov Gavin Newsom rallied state and federal resources to battle it. [ABC News]
¶ “Biden Will Visit The Amazon Rainforest As Part Of Six-Day Trip To Latin America” • President Joe Biden will become the first sitting president to visit the Amazon rainforest later this month when he travels to Brazil as part of a six-day trip to Latin America for a pair of international summits, according to the White House. [ABC News]
An area deforested by criminals (Ibama, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “Fossil Gas Shortage Tells Us Alaska Should Turn to Renewable Energy” • Alaska’s Railbelt electric grid is facing a natural gas challenge, as it is already impacting the people and a serious shortfall is expected as soon as 2027. The Railbelt grid serves about 75% of the state’s population, and it is being advised to turn to renewables and diversify. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “The Success Of Artificial Islands Strengthens Resilience From Coastal Storms” • Artificial islands can be nesting areas for a wide variety of birds, but that not why they are built. They protect us from storms and king tides. They have been put up along the East Coast of the US to provide barriers for ocean waves since such hurricanes as Sandy struck. [CleanTechnica]
Have an amazingly peachy day.
geoharvey 