World:
¶ “Obsolete Electricity Grid Triggered Blackout In Portugal And Spain, Experts Reveal” • The Iberian Peninsula blackout that left 60 million people without power on April 28 resulted from cascading power spikes and the electricity grid’s inability to absorb sudden power losses automatically, according to EU technical experts. [Euronews]
Power outage in Spain (HéctorSdP, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped)
¶ “Russia Targets Ukraine’s Gas Facilities In Biggest Attack Of The War, Officials Say” • Russia launched its biggest attack of the war overnight into Friday against natural gas facilities in Ukraine run by the state-owned Naftogaz Group, officials said. Russia fired a total of 381 drones and 35 missiles in the attack, according to Ukraine’s air force. [Euronews]
¶ “VinFast Electrifies European Bus Market With Dual Debut At Busworld” • VinFast is making its move into the European public transport sector by introducing its e-bus charging strategy at the Busworld Europe show. VinFast has two zero-emission options for operators facing EU targets that include a 2030 goal for 90% of new buses to have zero emissions. [CleanTechnica]
VinFast electric bus (Newone, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped)
¶ “Logistics Giants, Transport Companies, And Power Sector Call For Zero Emission Targets For Clean Deliveries” • A group of the EU’s largest logistics, transport, and power companies, including Nestlé, IKEA, and EDF, is urging the European Commission to set binding zero-emission targets for large shippers and buyers of transport services. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “RWE Secures Consent For 60-MW Alwen Forest” • RWE has secured planning consent from the Welsh government for the 60-MW Alwen Forest wind farm in north Wales. The project will feature nine turbines of up to 200 meters in height in Conwy and Denbighshire near Alwen Reservoir, with a grid connection planned via Clocaenog Forest substation. [reNews]
Wind turbine (RWE image)
¶ “Hellenic Cables Wins On EA2 Array Cable Supply” • Cenergy Holdings’ subsidiary Hellenic Cables has secured a contract from Seaway7 to supply subsea inter-array cables for ScottishPower Renewables’ 960-MW East Anglia 2 offshore wind farm in the UK. The scope covers about 165 km (102.5 miles) of 66-kV cables and associated accessories. [reNews]
¶ “Wall Street Warns Of Nuclear Tech Bubble” • Billions of dollars are flowing into cutting-edge nuclear technologies, from nuclear fusion experiments to small modular reactors and microreactors. But after years of buzz and successful funding rounds, these Wall Street darlings have yet to produce any of their promised carbon-free energy. [OilPrice.com]
Wall Street Girl (Robert Bye, Unsplash)
¶ “Swarm Of Jellyfish Causes Stunning Issue At Nuclear Power Plant” • The BBC reported that a swarm of jellyfish went into the filters in the pumping station at the Paluel plant, causing nearly half of its capacity to be temporarily shut down. “Massive and unpredictable” swarms caused similar problems earlier at other facilities earlier this year. [The Cool Down]
US:
¶ “New Agrivoltaic Solutions Keep Bubbling Up, Despite Federal Opposition” • The North American Agrivoltaics Awards program is yet another sign that the agrivoltaic movement is transitioning from a patchwork of demonstration projects into a full fledged job-creating, farm-saving machine that adds clean kilowatts to the electricity grid. [CleanTechnica]
Solar farming (Courtesy of Rutgers University)
¶ “Dangerous Door Handle Dilemma Leads To More Lawsuits Against Tesla” • When power to the electric door handles in a CyberGruck is interrupted, the only way to exit a rear door is by pulling a cable under a pocket liner at the bottom of the storage compartment. The system resulted in people dying, and there are lawsuits, of course. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “TDK Ventures Invests In Rodatherm Energy, A Geothermal Company” • TDK Ventures, Inc, announced that it is investing in geothermal power company Rodatherm, which focuses largely on the Great Basin region in the Western US. Geothermal energy doesn’t get a lot of press, but it great potential to “fill in” where renewable energy has some gaps. [CleanTechnica]
Geothermal operation (Courtesy TDK Ventures)
¶ “San Diego Customers Can Switch To Solar And Get Paid” • After what San Diego Community Power said was a successful pilot program last year, the board expanded its solar battery project into a multi-year plan. The program was relaunched, offering financial incentives to people who install and use solar batteries inside their homes. [inewsource]
¶ “Trump Administration Cuts Nearly $8 Billion In Clean Energy Projects In States That Backed Harris” • Grants worth $7.6 billion are being cut from hundreds of clean energy projects in states that voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election. Meanwhile, the president threatens deep cuts in the government shutdown. [MPR News]
Donald Trump (Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “Maryland Renewable Energy Projects Face Uncertain Future” • In August, the Trump administration revoked hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for Maryland renewable energy projects. The state’s offshore wind and solar projects took major blows when President Trump cancelled grants for many US renewable projects. [The Star Democrat]
¶ “FEMA Must Consider Rooftop Solar For Puerto Rico’s Ailing Grid” • Conservation and community groups have won a legal challenge to federal plans to spend billions of dollars to rebuild Puerto Rico’s electric grid with a centralized status quo that depends on fossil fuels instead of investing funds in distributed renewable energy. [Center for Biological Diversity]
Have a nicely productive day.
geoharvey 