Opinion:
¶ “The World Lost A Stealth Eco-Monarch With The Passing Of King Harald V ” • King Harald V of Norway died after a reign of 35 years. Over three decades, a constitutionally silent monarch quietly made green the default without ever legislating a thing. For one example, his country went through the world’s fastest, most complete shift to electric mobility. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Stranded Asset: What Happens When A Gas Car Becomes Worth Less Than Zero As Transportation?” • The author makes a five-year bet about where we’ll be in 2031. He thinks ordinary gasoline and diesel cars in the US will be worth less than the fuel, maintenance, and repairs it takes to keep them once cheap used EVs are around. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “How Europe’s scorching summers are reshaping national budgets” • The true price of the European heatwaves, drought, and the wildfires they lead to only surfaces in public accounts months later. The burden of rebuilding roads and rail, propping up health services, and compensating farmers, is outpacing government revenues and reserves. [Euronews]
¶ “What Trump’s Deal For Venezuelan Oil Means To Global Markets” • Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, said the country’s oil reserves would “cease to be an inert, cold statistic and will instead become concrete solutions.” Many questions, including how soon the reserves could be drilled and who will pay for that, are not clear. [Euronews]
¶ “Nepal-Tibet Flood Death Toll Rises To 797, Officials Say, More Than 3,000 Missing” • The death toll from last week’s flash flood disaster in the Nepal-Tibet border region rose to nearly 800 people as of Sunday, according to the latest updates from Nepali and Chinese officials. There are at least 85 Americans still among the missing. [ABC News]
¶ “Hyundai Bets Big On EREV” • Hyundai decided to jump on the Extended-Range Electric Vehicles bandwagon and bring a number of vehicles to the US market, starting with the three-row Santa Fe. According to Car and Driver, the new powertrain will have a pair of electric motors for all-wheel drive capability, and a combined range of over 600 miles. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Borkum Riffgrund 3 Enters Commercial Operation” • Ørsted and Nuveen’s 913-MW Borkum Riffgrund 3 has been put into commercial operation. Located about 72 km off the coast in the German North Sea, Borkum Riffgrund 3 covers an area of approximately 75km² and is made up of 83 wind turbines, each rated at 11 MW. [reNews]
¶ “How The US-Israeli War On Iran Is Reshaping Global Energy Use” • Six months after US-Israeli strikes disrupted fossil fuel production in the Middle East and turned the Strait of Hormuz into a naval battleground, reports show how the conflict has also been pushing governments, companies and consumers towards renewable energy. [The Japan Times]
¶ “First Japan-Made Monopile Rolls Off Production Line” • JFE Engineering completed what it says is Japan’s first domestically manufactured monopile foundation for offshore windpower at its Kasaoka factory in Okayama Prefecture. The company said that it received the foundation manufacturing and transportation contract from Kajima Corporation. [reNews]
¶ “This Is Not A Drill: Drunk Man Steals Plane, Flies It Near A Hungarian Nuclear Plant, Then Crash-Lands” • A 24-year-old man allegedly stole a small aircraft in Hungary and flew it into a restricted airspace near the country’s only nuclear power plant before crash-landing in a sunflower field. At the time, the man was intoxicated, authorities said. [News18]
US:
¶ “Dangerous Heat Is Spreading Across The Country” • The dangerous heat that has scorched the Southwest for days is now spreading to the nation’s midsection. Heat indices, which factor in humidity, will make it feel like 100°F in much of the Midwest, as the week stretches into September. But the Northeast will be largely unaffected. [ABC News]
¶ “Online Army Draws Attention To Elon Musk And The Nepal Flood Disaster” • A direct connection between Musk and the Nepal flood disaster is not obvious. However, in a thread posted on Elon Musk’s own social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), former USAID head Jeremy Konyndyk was not shy about how the dots connect. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Maryland Locks In Solar Deal Officials Say Could Save $300 Million” • Governor Wes Moore and the Maryland Department of General Services announced a 20-year agreement to purchase solar energy generated in Western Maryland. State officials say the deal could save Maryland about $300 million and expand the state’s use of renewable energy. [The Cool Down]
Have a thoroughly insightful day.
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