World:
¶ “Central Asian Nations Meet To Protect The Caspian Sea And Biodiversity” • The Regional Ecological Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, secured joint positions and actions on a range of environmental challenges facing Central Asia. The summit’s main outcome was a joint declaration on Environmental Solidarity of Central Asia. [Euronews]
Drilling rig on the Caspian Sea (dragonoil.com, CC BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “Fertilizer Crisis Caused By Iran War Sparks Global Food Security Fears” • The Iran war is threatening international food security as production costs jump and vital export routes are severed. In particular, a supply squeeze on fertiliser has already caused farmers’ affordability to reach a four-year low, a World Bank report says. [Euronews]
¶ “Are Oil Companies Profiting From The Iran War? Experts Explain” • Some people assume oil companies have increased profits due to the Iran War, but earnings issued by some of the world’s largest oil companies in recent days presented a more complicated picture. While some had windfall profits, others reported surprising profit declines. [ABC News]
USCG Cutters, Strait of Hormuz (Spc Noah Martin, US Army)
¶ “Record Month for EV Sales in Europe!” • Thanks to a number of factors (new, cheaper and/or better models, record high gas prices, mass arrival of Chinese models, etc), EVs have risen to record highs in Europe, with over half a million plugin vehicles being registered in Europe in March. Of those, 349,000 are full battery EVs. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “UN Shipping Deal Lives To Fight Another Day, As US Fails To Derail Negotiations” • Negotiations at the International Maritime Organization ended with the Net Zero Framework intact, despite a week of pressure and delay tactics from the US. The US and its allies successfully pushed for a tactical delay of the discussion until autumn. [CleanTechnica]
BYD Jinan (BYD image)
¶ “Ireland Approves Final Offshore Mapping Phase” • Ireland’s government approved the final phase of the INFOMAR program to map the country’s offshore territory. The Department of Climate, Energy, and the Environment said the program will cover the remaining 125,000 square kilometres in the years 2027 through 2029. [reNews]
¶ “Africa’s Cellphone Towers Turn To Solar As Diesel Costs Surge” • Diesel, which powers the majority of Africa’s roughly 500,000 telecommunications towers, is more expensive and sometimes harder to secure in recent weeks as global fuel markets tightened following the conflict in Iran. A conversion to solar power is seen as urgent. [ABC News]
Lattice cell tower ( Wikideas1, CC0 1.0)
¶ “China’s 10-MW Truck-Mounted Nuclear Power Bank Claims Energy For Decades Without Recharge” • A research team from China, led by Wu Yican from the Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology at the Hefei Institute of Physical Science, identified a new nuclear system as a 10-MW vehicle-mounted nuclear power unit. [MSN]
¶ “Start-up Produces Green Hydrogen from Just Sun and Water” • Green hydrogen could be a key to transforming our industries and energy systems, but so far it has been expensive, complex, and tied to grid infrastructure. Now photreon has developed a photoreactor panel that generates hydrogen directly from water and sunlight. [Renewable Energy Magazine]
Solar panels generating hydrogen (KIT image)
US:
¶ “Solar Ranch In Tennessee Aims To Prove Grazing Cattle Under The Panels Is A Farmland Win-Win” • Silicon Ranch, which owns the 40-acre farm in Christiana, outside of Nashville, believes cattle-grazing is the next frontier in agrivoltaics, which involves growing crops or grazing sheep beneath the panels. The project debuted this week. [ABC News]
¶ “Can This Swedish Automaker Change Americans’ Attitudes On EVs?” • Longtime automotive exec Håkan Samuelsson, who returned to Volvo last year as its CEO, has overseen the Swedish brand’s global expansion and push into electrification. In the US, his job is to persuade consumers that EVs are better for both the world and their wallets. [ABC News]
Volvo EX60 (Volvo image)
¶ “Sierra Club And Its Allies Applaud Approval of Accelergen’s East Side Energy Storage For Wyandotte County” • The Unified Government of Wyandotte County approved Accelergen’s East Side Energy Storage project by an 8-2 vote. With a 300-MW capacity when complete, it will be among largest energy storage systems in Kansas. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “EPA Says Oil & Gas Operators Can Continue To Flare Past Long-Set Deadline” • The US EPA released guidance that will allow oil and gas operators to continue routine flaring, a harmful practice that unnecessarily releases dangerous pollutants into the air. Routine flaring was set to be phased out by May 7th after years of preparation. [CleanTechnica]
Flaring (Hezekiah Samaila, Pixabay)
¶ “Rivian Emerges Victorious As Trump’s War On EVs Flops” • President Donald Trump swept into office last year on a mission to nip the vehicle electrification movement in the bud. Why? Who knows? But like all things Trump, the effort was half-baked and ultimately ineffectual. Now the DOE is lending Rivian up to $4.5 billion to make EVs in Georgia. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “SC Nuclear Plant Didn’t Maintain Key Safety Equipment For Years, Feds Say” • The VC Summer nuclear power plant north of Columbia failed for years to maintain a turbine-driven cooling pump, a key piece of safety equipment, that could help the plant continue running properly during an emergency, according to federal records and inspectors. [AOL.com]
Have a prancingly moving day.
geoharvey 