World:
¶ “Italian Scientists Relying On Octopuses To Get Blue Crab Populations In Check” • Italian scientists have become octopus breeders in the latest battle of a long war against invasive blue crabs. The crabs, with are estimated to have caused €200 million worth of damage to the fishing industry, thrive in waters made warmer by climate change. [Euronews]
¶ “Europe’s Warmer Seas Appeal To Swimmers, But What Makes Them Warm Is ‘Alarming’, A Study Warns” • Climate change is the main driver of Europe’s rising sea temperatures, according to a study. Climate change has added around 2°C of warming in the Mediterranean this summer and severely impacted ecosystems, researchers found. [Euronews]
¶ “Europe’s Gas Prices Have Doubled, With The Worst Yet To Come” • Europe is in another summer heatwave, part of the reason the coming winter is likely to be expensive. The heat pushes up electricity demand just as drought and heat curb hydro and nuclear generation. That forces gas power plants to use gas just when it should be stored. [Euronews]
¶ “2-GW HVDC Is Becoming Standard. The Rest Of The Grid Isn’t” • The European market is converging on 2-GW, 525-kV HVDC as a repeatable building block, with common converter configurations and bipolar designs. Other regions are developing their own patterns, including 3-GW projects in the United States and India. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “SolarAnywhere® Supports Solar PV And Unmanned Flight!” • SolarAnywhere® says its solar irradiance data powers a lot more than solar plants. Prof Piotr Lichota of the Warsaw University of Technology is using SolarAnywhere to figure out when to launch solar-assisted Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and how long they can realistically stay in the air. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Hungary Targets Tenfold Expansion in Wind Power Capacity by 2030” • The government of Hungary is targeting an increase from the country’s current roughly 330 MW of installed wind capacity, which has remained largely unchanged since 2016, to at least 4,000 MW of new grid connection capacity, an analysis by Taylor Wessing shows. [Budapest Business Journal]
¶ “Sif Completes Baltyk 2 And 3 Monopile Load Outs” • Sif has loaded out the last of 100 monopile foundations for Equinor and Polenergia’s 1.44-GW Baltyk 2 and 3 offshore wind farms off Poland. The Dutch fabricator made the equipment as well as 100 transition pieces for the project. Construction of the wind farm in the Polish Baltic Sea is now underway. [reNews]
¶ “India’s Under-Construction Renewable Pipeline Surpasses 150 GW” • Rating agency ICRA expects renewable energy, including large hydropower, to account for more than 35% of India’s total electricity generation by 2029-30, up from 22% in 2024-25. The renewable energy project pipeline remains strong, with over 150 GW under construction. [pv magazine Global]
¶ “PACE Secures Lassington Solar Approval” • Pathfinder Clean Energy secured planning permission for the 40-MW Lassington Solar and Battery Energy Storage System in Gloucestershire. The site will remain in agricultural use throughout the project’s life, with sheep grazing among the panels and the wider farm still producing beef. [reNews]
¶ “The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Has Recorded Its 27th Blackout Since The Occupation Of The Plant Began” • On the night of August 20, the 27th blackout hit the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The plant switched to power from diesel generators. The situation heightened the risks to nuclear and radiation safety. [UA News]
US:
¶ “Trump Signals Economic Pressure In Iran Conflict As Talks Stall” • The Trump administration appears to be indicating it favors economic warfare in its approach to the conflict with Iran, touting its naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and sanctions still to be announced. The president has suggested the US might attempt a longer-term squeeze. [ABC News]
¶ “The North American Electric Reliability Corporation And NLR Launch Partnership To Advance North American Grid Reliability” • The National Laboratory of the Rockies and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation announced a partnership to advance the reliability of the North American bulk power system. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Famous US Automaker Faces The Music As Million-Dollar Vote Scheme Goes South” • In the run-up to Election Day 2024, Elon Musk promised to gift $1 million each to some randomly selected voters in Pennsylvania. The selection was not so random after all, and a federal judge has decided that a lawsuit seeking damages from Musk can move forward. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Translucent Solar Starts Producing Solar Panels In South Carolina” • There’s been a push for several years to get more cleantech products made in the US. One of the key targets is solar panels, as well as the various components of solar panels. A new Translucent Solar panel assembly facility has just gone into operation in South Carolina. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Tennessee Republican Balks At Nuclear Campus, Waste Storage” • East Tennessee Republican lawmaker Ed Butler is challenging Republican governor Bill Lee’s support for bringing a massive nuclear facility to East Tennessee. Rep Butler says the risk of storing nuclear waste would be greater than any potential economic benefits. [Tennessee Lookout]
Have an intensely comfy day.
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