World:
¶ “Why Are Petrol And Diesel So Expensive Despite Crude Oil Not Reaching Record Highs?” • Since the end of February, crude oil prices have swung up or down with the prospect of the war ending. Brent crude has traded between about $73 and $126 a barrel. But in Europe, petrol and diesel prices also reflect the cost and availability of refining. [Euronews]
¶ “Volkswagen Supervisory Board Approves Plan To Eliminate Models And Reduce Workforce By 100,000” • On September 3, Volkswagen Group announced that a plan to close four factories in Germany and eliminate 100,000 workers worldwide had been approved unanimously by the supervisory board. The plan had been turned down in June. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Eigg’s Electricity System Is Renewable” • On 12 June, 1997, the residents of the Scottish island of Eigg took ownership of the island with financial help from others. They started installing an electric grid in 2005. Now, their electric grid consists of 112 kW of hydro, 170 kW of solar and 24 kW of wind. The wind comes from four small turbines. [Space Daily]
¶ “Local Ceasefire Declared Near Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant For Seventh Time” • Another local ceasefire, the seventh, has been agreed upon around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to allow repairs to a power line. The plant has been operating on generators for many days, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. [RBC-Ukraine]
¶ “North Tipperary Renewable Energy Schemes Reach Major Milestones” • Two large north Tipperary renewable energy projects, the Upperchurch Wind Farm and the Roscrea solar farm, are at closing stages. Councillor Fiona Bonfield credited the “considerable cooperation and patience” shown by locals during construction. [Tipperary Live]
US:
¶ “Ten Facts About The Tesla Cybercab” • The Tesla Cybercab has officially been launched. What that means in the medium term is not yet clear, but there are a variety of facts we now have on our desk following the launch. We start with the fact that 45 of them have been made available to the public to hail as a robotaxi in part of Austin, Texas. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Renewable Energy And Storage Solve Massive Grid Problem In US” • Though President Trump has put a crimp in the wind industry, the killer combo of solar-plus-storage is dominating US capacity additions generally, and in Texas particularly. Utility watchers in the state are crediting the trend with enabling grid operators to avoid outages. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “America Is Betting On A New Generation Of Small Nuclear Reactors” • A microreactor is even smaller than a small modular reactor, for which a range of designs are under development in the US with the aim of launching the first versions within the next decade. The nuclear microreactors will be small enough to be transported by truck, boat, or plane. [OilPrice.com]\
¶ “Climate Scientist Says He Was Fired At West Point After Refusing To Omit Human Causes” • West Point’s only climate scientist says the academy pushed him out after he refused to omit a central point of climate science from his teaching: that human activity is causing the crisis. That is his allegation, now being laid out in a new lawsuit. [The Cool Down]
¶ “Google To Integrate Solar Power And 380 MWh Of Storage At Former Coal Mine” • A $350 million project in West Virginia will combine 86 MW of solar PV energy, 280 MWh of lithium-ion batteries, and 100 MWh of Eos’s Z3 zinc technology. Google will buy clean energy, capacity, and attributes. The deployment will run from 2028 to 2030. [CPG Click Oil and Gas]
¶ “After Nearly Two Decades Of Failed Attempts, Regulators In Maine Approved 800 MW Of Turbines And A Transmission Line Shared By Four States” • Aroostook County, at the northern tip of Maine, is blessed with some of the strongest onshore winds in New England and vast tracts of land. The state’s regulators are finally acting on that. [Energies Media]
Have a classically superb day.
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