World:
¶ “Finnish City Starts Up 1-MW, 100-MWh Sand Battery” • The ways to store energy go far beyond using batteries. One uses sand. A really big pile of sand is heated with excess renewable electricity to around 500°C (932°F). That heat is later used to heat homes, factories, even swimming pools. The sand can stay hot for three months or more. [CleanTechnica]
Sand battery (Polar Night image)
¶ “Induction Cooking Is Gaining Acceptance With Professional Chefs” • Induction cooking is a new concept for most people. Until now, most food preparation by professional chefs has been done over a methane or propane flame. Now Bloomberg reports that some top level professional chefs are beginning to embrace induction cooking technology. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Solar Power Transforming Lives Of Indian Farmers: PM Modi” • Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his radio program ‘Mann ki Baat’, on Sunday, emphasised the growing importance of solar power in India’s farm sector. He also narrated the story of a woman from Bihar who changed “the fate of her village with a solar pump.” [Public TV English]
Solar powered pump (USDA NRCS Montana, public domain)
¶ “Jigawa Gov Unveils N1.2 Billion Solar Mini Grid” • Governor Umar Namadi of Jigawa State, Nigeria, has inaugurated a 500-kW solar hybrid mini-grid worth N1.2 billion ($786,000) in Kafin Hausa Local Government Area. The project marks a major step toward improving power supply and prospects for economic activities in the state. [Punch Newspapers]
¶ “Ethiopia Accelerates Renewable Energy Drive to Power And Connect East Africa” • Ethiopia is leveraging its potential for renewable energy to grow and interconnect East African nations, its energy minister said. Ethiopia is using its renewable resources to position itself as Africa’s energy hub, with plans to extend the supply to other countries. [MSN]
Ethiopia (Daniele Levis Pelusi, Unsplash)
¶ “Meridian And Nova To Develop Mega Solar Projec” • In New Zealand, construction of the Te Rahui solar farm in Rangitāiki is going ahead after definitive agreements between Meridian and Nova were signed. The companies will share 50/50 ownership of the project. They have secured NZ$300 million ($176.56 million) in financing for the 200-MW first phase. [Inspenet]
¶ “Poland To Build Europe’s First Of Its Kind Small-Scale Nuclear Power Plant In Włocławek” • Poland’s first small nuclear power plant will be built in Włocławek, energy company Orlen announced. It will be the first project of its kind in Europe. The Polish SMR, a BWRX-300, with a capacity of 300 MW will be the first of at least two at the site. [Euronews]
Włocławek (Rafał Jendrzejewski, CC0 1.0)
US:
¶ “Tesla Still Nearly 50% Of US EV Sales, GM Rises To 15%” • The big sales drop by Tesla year over year (and even more so going back two years), still had the US EV brand dominate US EV sales. The company accounted for 48.5% of the US EV sales last quarter. With almost 144,000 sales, Tesla had over four times as many sales as #2 Chevrolet. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “A Push For Change In The US Electoral College Gives Us Hope For Future Climate Action” • The National Popular Vote non-profit argues that the national popular vote winner should be President. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact has 209 electoral votes, and it will go into effect when states with at least 270 electoral votes have joined. [CleanTechnica]
Elephant and donkey (Kelly Sikkema, Unsplash)
¶ “The Offshore Wind Industry Is Forever (Offshore Wind Jobs, Not So Much)” • On August 29, the Trump administration yanked another rug out from under the US offshore wind industry, sending thousands of construction jobs spinning into the black hole of malevolent incompetence that passes for the US government these days. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “What To Know About Monsoon Season In The US” • The monsoon season, with its inclement conditions in the western US, is expected to last for another few weeks following a massive dust storm in the Phoenix region. In the Southwestern US, a monsoon has dry mornings and storms in the afternoons of the warm summer months. [ABC News]
Dust storm, Phoenix, 2011 (Zooey, CC BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “Sea Power Turned Into Energy At Los Angeles Port” • Floating blue paddles dance on the waves that lap a dock in the Port of Los Angeles, silently converting the power of the sea into useable electricity. This innovative installation may hold one of the keys to hastening a transition away from fossil fuels to avoid the worst effects of climate change. [Free Malaysia Today]
¶ “White House Wants Government Stakes In More Companies” • The Trump administration’s move to take stakes in companies across industries may soon have a new target: nuclear power. The DOE’s recent establishment of a consortium for nuclear fuel paves the way for the Trump administration to take stakes in companies. [Yahoo Finance]
Have a congenially raucous day.
geoharvey 
Leave a comment