World:
¶ “Recent Droughts Are A ‘Slow-Moving Global Catastrophe'” • From Somalia to mainland Europe, the past two years have seen some of the most ravaging droughts in history, made worse by climate change, according to a UN-backed report. It describes drought as a “silent killer” which “creeps in, drains resources, and devastates lives in slow motion.” [BBC]
Drought (Daniel Mizrahi, Unsplash)
¶ “Scorching European Heatwave Turns Deadly In Spain, Italy And France” • A wildfire in Spain and high temperatures in other parts of Europe have claimed another six lives as the continent swelters in temperatures topping 40°C (104°F). The UN’s climate agency said such heat waves are becoming more frequent due to “human-induced climate change.” [BBC]
¶ “Catholic Bishops From Asia, Africa, Latin America Demand Climate Justice” • Catholic bishops from Asia, Africa, and Latin America demanded climate justice for the parts of the world most affected by rising temperatures and rejected what they said were the “false solutions” promoted by wealthy countries. They advocated abandoning fossil fuels. [ABC News]
Procession of bishops (Stebunik, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)
¶ “Europe EV Sales Report: King Volkswagen Rules In A Fast Growing (+34% YoY) EV Market” • EVs are picking up in Europe, with some 305,000 plugin vehicles being registered in Europe in May. That’s up 34% year over year, its fastest growth rate since August 2023. This is a particularly positive sign considering that the overall market is stagnant. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Global Coalition Calls For No Further Weakening Of EU Batteries Due Diligence Rules” • A coalition of over 30 global civil society organisations, labour organisations, investors and businesses have called on the European Parliament to prevent any further weakening of the due diligence requirements of the EU Batteries Regulation. [CleanTechnica]
BlueOval City, March 10, 2023 (Courtesy of Ford)
¶ “Criminalize Fossil Fuel Disinformation, Says UN Rapporteur” • A report from Elisa Morgera, the UN special rapporteur on human rights and climate change, combines all the wisdom of Tony Seba, Mark Z Jacobson, and Project Drawdown to explain why the need to transition away from fossil fuels is urgent. And it is a call for action. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “WindEurope Urges Annual EU Renewables Targets” • EU member states were called on by WindEurope to set annual build-out targets for renewables from 2031 to 2040 to ensure the bloc’s proposed 90% emissions reduction target are met. Last year the EU installed just 13 GW of new wind capacity, far below the 30 GW needed to meet goals. [reNews]
Wind farm (Anastasia Palagutina, Unsplash)
¶ “Norway Exempts Solar Power Sharing In Industrial Zones From Grid Fees” • The government of Norway announced it has defined planned regulatory changes to allow surplus renewable energy from plants up to 5 MW to be shared within industrial areas. The provisions exempt related renewable energy systems from grid fees. [pv magazine International]
¶ “Dieppe-Le Tréport Substation Installed Off France” • Ocean Winds installed the offshore electrical substation for its 496-MW Dieppe-Le Tréport wind farm in the English Channel. Chantiers de l’Atlantique designed and built the topside, and the jacket was supplied by Navantia. Heavy-lift vessel Gulliver, operated by DEME, carried out the installation. [reNews]
Offshore substation (EMDT image)
¶ “Renewables To Account For Above 50% Of Brazil’s Grid Power In 2035” • The majority of Brazil’s annual power generation is hydro. However, overdependence on hydro has made Brazil vulnerable to droughts. To overcome this challenge, it is rapidly developing other renewable capacity. It plans for renewable power to increase to 50.7% in 2035. [Yahoo]
¶ “Historic England Confirms The Botley West Solar Farm Will Do No Harm To Blenheim Palace” • Historic England confirmed that the Botley West Solar Farm project will not have an adverse impact on Blenheim Palace or its surrounding setting. Photovolt Development Partners designed the project to avoid impact on the world heritage site. [Renewable Energy Magazine]
Blenheim Palace (Einar H Reynis, Unsplash)
US:
¶ “How Has US Energy Use Changed Since 1776?” • When the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, wood, a renewable energy source, was the largest source of energy in the US. Used for heating, cooking, and lighting, wood remained the largest US energy source until the late 1800s, when the leading resource started to change quickly. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “US Space Force To Test New Tough-As-Nails Solar Array” • The US Space Force is putting up $2 million to test a lightweight, redeployable LightWing orbiting solar array from the materials startup Atomic-6, which claims four times more power per kilogram than conventional arrays. A number of organizations are adding to the effort. [CleanTechnica]
Space solar array (Screenshot courtesy of Atomic-6)
¶ “US Clean Energy Groups Slam Senate Bill” • Clean power advocates have criticized a reconciliation bill passed by the US Senate, claiming the legislation will drive up energy prices, stifle manufacturing growth and cost hundreds of thousands of jobs. The American Clean Power Association said the package “is a step backward for American energy policy.” [reNews]
¶ “Trump Fired Hanson Over a ‘Conflict of Visions'” • In what some have deemed an illegal move, President Trump last week abruptly fired Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Christopher Hanson. An irate Hanson threatened legal action, claiming his firing violated federal law and longstanding precedent. And he justified his work at the NRC. [RealClearEnergy]
Have an understandably magnificent day.
geoharvey 