Science and Technology:
¶ “Steel’s Declining Demand Sharpens Focus On Molten Oxide Electrolysis” • Molten oxide electrolysis is, at its core, a method of electrochemical smelting. Instead of chemically reducing iron ore with carbon-based reductants like coal, coke, or natural gas, it reduces iron oxide to metallic iron using electrons provided through electrical current. [CleanTechnica]
Traditional steel making (yasin hemmati, Unsplash)
¶ “Could Electrified Biomethane DRI Make Steel Production Carbon-Negative?” • Unlike traditional blast furnaces, DRI plants don’t rely on coal and coke, instead making iron by removing oxygen from iron ore with hydrogen-rich gases. When emissions of CO₂ from biomethane are captured and sequestered, the result can be net-negative. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Expedite Work On Renewable Energy, Says Telangana Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka” • Deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka told officials to expedite preparatory work for Singareni Collieries Co Ltd’s renewable energy projects. They include 800 MW of floating solar, 500 MW of wind, and 500 MW of pumped storage. [Times of India]
Wind turbine (Vasilios Muselimis, Unsplash)
¶ “Genesis Energy Partners With Desert Technologies To Expand Renewable Energy Access In Africa” • Under the terms of the agreement, Genesis’s Solar and Storage products subsidiary will serve as DT’s Preferred Partner for the African market, working to distribute and implement highly efficient Solar PV and Battery Storage Systems. [Champion Newspapers LTD]
¶ “Vietnam Unlocks Offshore Wind Power Potential For Green Future” • Under the national power development plan for 2021–2030, the Party and State of Vietnam have set a target to install 6 to 17 GW of offshore wind power capacity between 2030 and 2035. Numerous studies show that Vietnam has vast potential for offshore wind power. [Báo VietNamNet]
Jack-up barge (Rob Webbon, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “Adif To Invest €1.33 Billion In Renewable Rail Energy” • Adif, the Spanish state-owned railway infrastructure manager, will open a €1.33 billion tender for green electricity supply from 2026 to 2030, giving Spanish rail operators 100% renewable power and improved energy pricing options, according to the railway news portal Railway Supply. [Railway Supply]
¶ “New Global Energy Report Offers Path Forward On Fossil Fuel Phaseout, Just Transition, Renewable Energy Models” • The Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network published a report on effective and equitable community-led energy solutions to address challenges to just transition away from fossil fuels. It spotlights scalable community initiatives. [MSN]
Wind turbines (Micah Giszack, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “Iran Could Again Enrich Uranium ‘In Matter of Months’: IAEA Chief” • UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi says Iran likely will be able to begin to produce enriched uranium “in a matter of months,” despite damage to several nuclear facilities from US and Israeli attacks, CBS News said. The US had bombed three key Iranian nuclear facilities. [The Defense Post]
US:
¶ “As Senate Debates, Elon Musk Calls Trump’s Big Bill ‘Utterly Insane And Destructive’” • Billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk criticized the latest version of Trump’s sprawling tax and spending bill, calling it “utterly insane and destructive.” Musk said, “It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future.” [The Guardian]
Elon Musk (Gage Skidmore, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)
¶ “Ford Battery Factory In Michigan Fights For Survival” • Ford is working hard to build a battery factory in Michigan. It will make LFP cells, a first for Ford and arguably a key step forward for the Blue Oval brand, one that will make it possible to lower the cost of its future electric cars. But given politics, whether it gets completed is up in the air. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “LG Energy Solution Opens New LFP Battery Cell Lines In Michigan” • LG Energy Solution’s new lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery plant in Holland, Michigan, marks a significant step for clean energy in the US. The facility was opened in early May to produce batteries for EVs or, when demand for EVs cools, for grid storage systems. [CleanTechnica]
LG energy manufacturing plant in Holland, Michigan
¶ “Updated Senate Bill Shrinks Wind And Solar Incentives While Adding A New Tax” • An updated draft of the Senate’s megabill text slashes tax incentives for wind and solar energy, while adding a tax on future wind and solar projects. The renewables lobby slammed the changes as hampering the sector, calling them punitive. [The Hill]
¶ “Republicans Move To Revive Trump’s ‘Beautiful Clean Coal Industry'” • The House Energy and Commerce Committee is set to revive the National Coal Council and “reinvigorate America’s beautiful clean coal industry,” as Donald Trump put it. Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky, said the legislation will have a good chance of passing the full House. [MSN]
Have an especially relaxing day.
geoharvey 