Science and Technology:
¶ “FeatherEdge Serration ‘Cuts Turbine Noise'” • German developer Schierloh Engineering has successfully trialled a new noise-reduction technology on one of its Enercon E-160 E3 turbines. The project involved replacing the turbine’s standard serrations with FeatherEdge, a blade-edge retrofit developed by Canadian firm Biome Renewables. [reNews]
Wind turbine with new technology (Schierloh Engineering)
World:
¶ “Most New Build Homes Must Have Solar Panels – Miliband” • Builders will be required to fit solar panels to the “vast majority” of new homes in England under changes coming this year, said Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. He said this was “just common sense” adding that solar panels would save the typical household £500 per year on energy bills. [BBC]
¶ “Action Needed Before Wildfire Season, LFB Urges” • Fire breaks should be built in open areas to prevent wildfires this summer, the London Fire Brigade has said. Spring is likely to be one of the driest on record, according to the Met Office, and landowners and councils are being asked to play their part to reduce the risks. [BBC]
Burnt land (LFF image)
¶ “EVs At 63.2% Share In Sweden” • May’s auto sales saw plugin EVs at 63.2% share in Sweden, up year-on-year from 53.6%, though only slightly above May 2023’s share (61.9%). Overall auto volume was 25,675 units, fractionally up YOY. The improvement is rather marginal, however. The Volvo XC40 was the best-selling battery EV. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Another Electric Vehicle Benefit: No Motor Oil Leaks” • Cars that burn fossil fuels use motor oil, and unfortunately, many of them leak their oil onto driveways, garage floors, parking lots, roads, highways, and interstates. They can also leak oil into dirt roads, gravel roads, off-road, and into our waterways. EVs don’t have such problems. [CleanTechnica]
EV charging at LA Auto Show (Oxana Melis, Unsplash)
¶ “Egypt To Rely On Renewable Energy To Ensure Supply Security” • Egypt plans for the renewable energy within its electricity mix to be 42% by the year 2035. The nation is actively expanding its capacity through solar and wind energy initiatives. Renewable power capacity in the country is expected to reach 31.6 GW in 2035. [Power Technology]
¶ “Bold Climate Action Needed To Avoid ‘Hothouse Destination’” • Australia must act urgently to cut emissions and transition to clean energy or risk catastrophic climate and biodiversity losses, Matt Kean, chair of the Climate Change Authority has warned. He said governments must ignore fossil fuel lobbyists and “act in the national interest.” [reNews]
Matt Kean (Climate Change Authority Australia)
¶ “India’s Clean Energy Must Now Be Round-The-Clock” • India is working to generate 500 GW of renewable power, a move that supports climate goals and fuels industrial growth, urbanisation, and national progress. Delivering this power reliably, constantly, and economically at all hours is the real challenge in achieving this goal. [BW Businessworld]
¶ “Neoen Opens Portugal’s Largest Solar Park” • Neoen opened Portugal’s largest solar park, a 272-MW facility comprising the Rio Maior and Torre Bela solar farms. Together, the two solar farms will generate over 500-GWh of electricity each year, equivalent to the consumption of 110,000 households, according to the French developer. [reNews]
Solar farm (Neoen image)
¶ “China Has Significantly Cut Power Outages, Energy Authority Says” • China made connecting to the power grid easier and less expensive, Song Hongkun, a National Energy Administration official, told a news conference. The average power outage time for urban users decreased by 28% last year, compared to 2020. For rural users, the time fell 44%. [China Daily]
¶ “EnBW Selects Lautec For Tracking Vessels” • Lautec signed a contract with German energy company EnBW to provide digital tracking of crew transfer vessels at its operational offshore wind farms. EnBW will deploy Lautec’s Daily Progress Reporting, WindGIS, and Analytics modules to improve real-time visibility of vessel movements and offshore logistics. [reNews]
Offshore wind vessel (EnBW x Lautec image)
¶ “Russia Cannot Safely Restart Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant – Ukraine” • Russia cannot safely restart the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. According to First Deputy Energy Minister of Ukraine Yurii Sheiko, Russia is simply using such statements as a means to blackmail Ukraine and the international community. [MSN]
US:
¶ “Ford F-150 Is Top Selling Electric Truck In USA – In May And All Time” • Ford reached out with the news that the Ford F-150 Lightning is the best selling electric pickup truck in the US again. That’s for both the month of May and across all time. In total, the F-150 Lightning has sold a lot more units than the #2 Rivian R1T and the #3 Tesla Cybertruck. [CleanTechnica]
F-150 Lightning (Historicalunit1857, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)
¶ “How Cuts To The Inflation Reduction Act Will Hurt Everyday Americans” • If the Republican-dominated House has its way, the Inflation Reduction Act will be terminated. Cuts to the IRA will take the wind out of the Biden–Harris administration’s clean energy plans, as popular programs like incentives for EVs and solar panels are eliminated. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Latest AAA Survey Casts A Shadow Over The EV Revolution” • Every year, AAA surveys Americans to find out what cars they plan to buy, and why. Most recently, AAA found that “only 16% of US adults report being ‘very likely’ or ‘likely’ to purchase a fully electric vehicle as their next car, the lowest percentage recorded of EV interest since 2019.” We look at why. [CleanTechnica]
Have a sufficiently cool day.
geoharvey 