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World:

¶ “What We Know About The Floods That Killed Thousands In Libya” • Over 6,000 people have died as of Wednesday morning, according to the health ministry undersecretary of the Unity Government in Tripoli, one of two rival governments operating in the country. Storm Daniel caused floods that broke two dams, destroying much of the city of Derna. [CNN]

Derna, now largely destroyed (Syed Wali Peeran, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Volvo Tops Premium C-SUV Electric Vehicle Sales In First Half Of 2023 In South Africa” • Sales of EVs in South Africa are starting to gain some significant traction. In the first half of this year, Volvo Cars South Africa led the sales charge in the local market’s fully electric premium C-SUV segment, far outselling every other brand in this space. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Conditions On Earth May Be Moving Outside The ‘Safe Operating Space’ For Humanity, Dozens Of Scientists Say” • Human actions have pushed the world into the danger zone on several key indicators of planetary health, threatening to set off dramatic changes in conditions on Earth, according to analysis by 29 scientists in eight countries. [CNN]

Pollution (Marek Piwnicki, Unsplash)

¶ “BMW Decides To Build Electric MINIs In The UK And Not Just China” • Years ago, BMW announced that it was going big on building future electric MINI vehicles in China. But, as media outlets have been pointing out, US sales would run into a huge tariff. Fortunately, MINI now has plans to build at least some of the vehicles in the UK. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Kroll Study Shows Stronger Investment Returns For Firms With High ESG Ratings” • Kroll, an independent global risk and financial advisor, analyzed data on over 13,000 companies across industries around the globe and found that companies with high Environmental, Social, and Governance ratings outperformed those with lower ratings. [Kroll]

Doing business (sps universal, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “The Tube Could Run Entirely On Renewable Energy By 2030” • In just seven years, London could emit ‘net zero’ carbon, to be one of the world’s greenest cities. Mayor Sadiq Khan said the UK capital is getting one step closer to achieving this goal, as it makes progress on a plan to have the tube run on entirely renewable energy by 2030. [TimeOut]

¶ “World Heading For 2.5°C Global Warming” • The world is on a 2.5°C warming trajectory according to Wood Mackenzie’s Energy Transition Outlook report. If transformative action is not taken now, the Paris Agreement goal to limit the average temperature increase to below 1.5°C will very likely be missed, the report concluded. [reNews]

Wind turbines (BP image)

¶ “Germany Advises Against Nuclear Power In Uganda” • The Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Matthias Schauer, has advised against plans by Uganda to invest in nuclear power plants. Schauer, whose country supports Uganda’s clean energy policies, said nuclear power is both environmentally sensitive and costly. [The Independent Uganda]

¶ “Ukraine Eyes 1-GW Chernobyl Wind Potential” • Officials of the Ukrainian government, the transmission system operator Ukrenergo, and Notus energy signed a joint declaration of intent on the development of a wind farm in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. A feasibility study shows that the area offers the potential for 1 GW of wind power. [reNews]

Wind turbine (Notus image)

US:

¶ “SB 253 Scope 3 Emissions Disclosure Bill Passes In California” • The California legislature this week approved SB 253, a bill that requires any business with annual revenues of $1 billion or more that does business within the state to report all of its greenhouse the emissions related to its business, not just those attributable directly to its operations. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “California Legislation Can Cut Carbon From Building Materials” • The carbon emissions associated with building materials are estimated to contribute up to 11% of all global energy-related carbon emissions. A report says California is one of the first states in the country to take meaningful steps toward reducing them. [CleanTechnica]

Glass facades (Dennis Schroeder, NREL)

¶ “Terra CO₂ Is Building A Low Carbon Concrete Factory In Texas” • Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials on Earth. It has been made with Portland cement, which accounts for about 8% of global CO₂ emissions. Terra CO₂ announced it is building its first full-scale factory in Texas to cement with lower emissions. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Utilities In New Hampshire Unexpectedly Back Solar Net Metering” • Eversource, Unitil, and Liberty Utilities surprised clean-energy advocates with joint testimony to state regulators endorsing the state’s current net-metering structure. The system credits customers roughly 75% of the standard rate for electricity they send to the grid. [Canary Media]

Rooftop solar system (New England Clean Energy image)

¶ “First Solar And Longroad Energy Extend Partnership With 2-GW Module Order” • In a significant development for renewable energy, Longroad Energy, a prominent US-based renewable energy developer, has extended its collaboration with First Solar, Inc and increased its procurement of advanced US thin film solar modules by 2 GW. [SolarQuarter]

¶ “Entergy To Power 300-MW Green Hydrogen Project In South Louisiana” • Entergy will provide power for a Monarch Energy green hydrogen project in South Louisiana, according to a long-term MOU. As part of the agreement, Entergy supply renewable power to Monarch’s 300-MW electrolyzer project near the city of Donaldsonville, Louisiana. [Power Engineering]

Have a wonderfully fun day.

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World:

¶ “Renowned Conductor Allows Climate Activists To Address Crowd At Swiss Music Festival” • A famed Russian conductor allowed climate protesters who disrupted a performance at a classical music festival in Switzerland to address the crowd. Two protesters from Renovate Switzerland were pushing the Swiss government to declare a climate crisis. [CNN]

Protest (Renovate Switzerland image)

¶ “Huge Bushfire Sweeps Through Central Australia Near A Popular Tourist Town” • A huge bushfire raging for over a week in central Australia has come dangerously close to the popular tourist town of Tennant Creek, as authorities warn that changing wind conditions could pose a risk to residents. Tennant Creek is home to about 3,000 people. [CNN]

¶ “Stellantis Opens New Battery Development Facility, Aims For 50% Lighter Battery Packs” • Stellantis marked the opening of its inaugural Battery Technology Center at the Mirafiori complex in Turin, Italy. The €40 million investment strengthens Stellantis’ designing, developing, and testing high-voltage cells, modules, battery packs, and software. [CleanTechnica]

Battery Technology Center (Stellantis image)

¶ “Greece’s Agricultural Heartland Is Underwater” • In early September 2023, Greece endured a four-day storm that dropped 910 mm (3 feet) of rain on central parts of the country. The record rainfall triggered deadly flooding and inundated towns and farm fields in Thessaly, a region that includes Greece’s agricultural heartland. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Solar Power Europe Predicts EU Will Reach Its Renewable Energy Goal Three Years Early” • The 2023 annual report from Solar Power Europe comes to a startling conclusion. It says the EU will reach the renewable energy goal it set for 2030 three years early. The report is 148 pages long, and this article provides a summary. [CleanTechnica]

Solar array (Arizona Public Service image)

¶ “Ørsted unveils plans for first UK solar farm” • Ørsted unveiled its first solar project in the UK, a 740-MW scheme with associated battery storage located in Nottinghamshire. One Earth Solar Farm is being co-developed with PS Renewables. Subject to local and stakeholder consultation, a development consent order submission is planned for 2025. [reNews]

¶ “Gone With The Wind: Fossil Fuel Loses Ground In UK’s Energy Mix” • New analysis from Imperial College London for Drax Electric Insights has found that for the first time ever, the installed wind capacity has surpassed gas, reaching 27.9 GW in June compared to the 27.7 GW installed capacity for gas generating capacity. [Drax Group]

Offshore windpower (Drax Group image)

¶ “Ocean Winds Makes South Korean Floater Pact” • Ocean Winds and South Korean Ulsan Metropolitan City have signed a letter of intent to drive forward the 1200-MW floating offshore wind energy project KF Wind. The KF Wind project is a joint venture of Ocean Winds (66.7%) and Mainstream Renewable Power (33.3%). [reNews]

¶ “Brazil Hits 10.4 GW Of Centralized PV Solar Power” • Installed capacity of solar power plants in Brazil reached 10.4 GW on August 31, or 5.27% of total power granted (196GW), according to latest figures by electric power watchdog Aneel. There were 18,100 PV solar generating plants in operation, counting only centralized plants. [BNamericas]

Solar farm (Raphael Cruz, Unsplash)

¶ “China’s Solar Boom: Capacity Set To Hit 1 TW By 2026” • The Chinese solar sector is set to break records in the coming years . When installed capacity crosses the 500 GW mark by the end of 2023, it will have taken 13 years to reach that milestone. That total, however, will be doubled to 1 TW in just three additional years, by the end of 2026. [Oil Price]

US:

¶ “Wave Energy Gets Ready For A Big First” • Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory will help four promising wave energy devices prepare to survive a big first. The four will be the first technologies to face the waves at PacWave South, a new grid-connected wave energy test site off the Oregon coast that opens in 2025. [CleanTechnica]

Water power researchers (Joe DelNero, NREL)

¶ “A Wind Power Assist For Spectacular Wildlife Filmmaking” • Wildlife filmmaker Bertie Gregory is continuing a spectacular run of projects with the new Animals Up Close With Bertie Gregory series. The new show caught the CleanTechnica eye because Bertie and his crew also relied on centuries-old wind power harvesters, aka sails, to make the magic happen. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Big News For Big Trucks – Cummins, Paccar, Daimler Launch Battery JV” • In what could be a decisive strategic move for North American clean trucking, Cummins’ accelera brand announced a joint venture with fellow trucking giants Daimler and Paccar to make battery cells for commercial EVs and industrial, heavy equipment applications. [CleanTechnica]

accelera battery

¶ “Apple Unveils Its First Carbon Neutral Products” • Apple has announced its first carbon neutral products in the all-new Apple Watch lineup, as innovations in design and clean energy have driven reductions in product emissions. This milestone marks a major step toward Apple’s 2030 goal to make all of its products carbon neutral by the end of the decade. [Apple]

¶ “Palisades Nuclear Plant To Restart In Deal With Power Co-Op” • The company that owns the Palisades nuclear plant announced that it will restart the 800-megawatt power plant in a deal with Wolverine Power Cooperative. The facility stands to become the first decommissioned nuclear plant to be fired back up in the entire United States. [MLive.com]

Have a genuinely splendid day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Robots Are Trained To Help Revive Coral Reefs” • Coral reefs are sensitive to heat and acidification. As the oceans have grown warmer and more acidic, corals have become prone to disease and death. Startup Coral Maker hopes that a partnership with San Francisco-based software firm Autodesk will produce robots that can help humans restore reefs. [BBC]

Developing robots to restore coral (Autodesk image)

¶ “High Levels Of Particulate Air Pollution Associated With Increased Breast Cancer Incidence” • Researchers at the National Institutes of Health found that women living in an area with high levels of particulate air pollution have increased rates of breast cancer. The study is one of the largest to look at the relationship of particulates and breast cancer. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Heat Pumps Up To Three Times More Efficient In Cold” • A study from Oxford University and the Regulatory Assistance Project used data from seven field studies. It shows that heat pumps are two to three times as efficient as combustion or resistive electric heating technology, even in temperatures approaching -30°C (-22ºF). [CleanTechnica]

Helsinki in winter (Tapio Haaja, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Thousands Feared Dead As Flooding Sweeps Libya” • After a powerful storm triggered ruinous flooding in Libya, thousands of people are feared dead. The head of the east Libyan government, which is not recognised internationally, said that deaths exceed 2,000 and thousands of people are missing. Storm Daniel made its landfall on Sunday. [BBC]

¶ “Sun Cable Plan To Bring Solar Power To Singapore Is Back On” • Sun Cable, formerly known as PowerLink, is an ambitious idea that involves sending solar power via an undersea cable 4,200 km (2,610 miles) from Darwin, Australia, to Singapore. Delays in approvals and disagreements held the project up. Now it is under way again. [CleanTechnica]

Cable route – Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “Malaysia’s Gentari Aims To Operate Up To Eight Gigawatts Of Renewable Energy In Australia By 2030” • Gentari, the clean energy unit of Malaysian oil and gas giant Petronas, aims to operate as much as 8 GW of renewables in Australia by 2030, a goal that would make it one of the largest electricity suppliers by then, if achieved. [The Guardian]

¶ “’Seismic Shift:’ Energy Crisis Helped Wind And Solar Stretch Cost Advantage Over Fossil Fuels” • In 2010, the cost of solar PV was eight times as high as the cheapest source of fossil fuels, with a levelised cost of energy of 44.5¢/kWh. An IRENA report says the LCOE of PVs fell to 4.9¢/kWh in 2022, making it 29% cheaper than the cheapest fossil fuel option. [Renew Economy]

Solar array on a farm (NextTracker image)

¶ “Renewable Electricity Imports From Indonesia” • The Energy Market Authority of Singapore granted Conditional Approvals to five projects to allow imports of a total of 2 GW of low-carbon electricity from Indonesia into Singapore. These projects mark a significant step toward Singapore’s goal of importing 4 GW of low-carbon electricity by 2035. [SolarQuarter]

¶ “Minister Ryan Announces Energy Cooperation Agreements With United Kingdom” • Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, signed two Memorandums of Understanding with Claire Coutinho, the UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, increasing cooperation between the countries. [Government of Ireland]

Wind turbines in Ireland (David Dixon, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “What, No Nuclear? Vestager Promotes Hydrogen In Race To Head EU’s Bank” • Top EU official Margrethe Vestager name-checked wind, solar, and hydrogen as forms of renewable energy that should get funding from the European Investment Bank, which she hopes to lead after stepping down from her role as Europe’s top antitrust enforcer. [POLITICO.EU]

US:

¶ “Number Of Billion-Dollar Weather Disasters In US Blows Through Annual Record With Four Months Left In The Year” • With four months left in the year, the US has had 23 disasters that each cost at least $1 billion, NOAA data shows, surpassing the previous record of 22 events in 2020. Together, 2023’s disasters have done $57.6 billion in damages. [CNN]

Hurricane (Pixabay, Pexels)

¶ “Study Says Tesla Poised To Disrupt Insurance Market Just As It Did The Auto Market” • Tesla’s EVs have already disrupted global automotive markets. Now, a study from MarketWatch suggests that the company’s pioneering use of advanced telematics in assigning insurance risk may disrupt the insurance industry just as much. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Record US Small-Scale Solar Capacity Added In 2022” • The Energy Information Administration estimates that the US added a record 6.4 GW of small-scale solar capacity in 2022. Capacity grew from 7.3 GW in 2014, the first year of estimates, to 39.5 GW in 2022. Small-scale solar makes up about one-third of the total solar capacity in the US. [CleanTechnica]

Rooftop solar system (Vivint Solar image)

¶ “BOEM Completes Environmental Analysis For Proposed Wind Project Offshore New York” • The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has completed its environmental review of the proposed Empire Wind Farm Project off New York. The project is a step toward the US goal of deploying 30 GW of offshore windpower capacity by 2030. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “BlueWave Gains $91 Million to Support Agrivoltaic Solar Development” • BlueWave received $91 million in financing for long-term ownership and management of its growing solar portfolio, including five agrivoltaic projects in Massachusetts. The B Corp will use the land for both solar development and agricultural use. [Environment+Energy Leader]

Have a totally copacetic day.

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(, CC-BY-SA 3.0) km² CO₂ NH₃ CH₄ ₹ NOₓ ‽ ♦♦♦♦♦

Opinion:

¶ “Nuclear Energy Remains Weapon Of Choice For Climate Deniers And Coal Lobby” • Australia’s National Party and its Liberal Party coalition partners are in furious agreement: They are not the slightest bit serious about strong climate action. SMRs and nuclear power are a perfect tool to use for deferring action on climate change for years. [Renew Economy]

Change the politics (Tania Malréchauffé, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “State-Level Building Electrification Factsheets” • Over just a few years, electrification has become crucial to effective building decarbonization policy. Momentum has been increasingly driven by economics (especially for new construction), improved carbon savings from grid and technology improvements, and climate change. Here are factsheets. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Revolutionizing Lithium Production On A String” • Princeton researchers have developed an extraction technique that greatly reduces the amount of land and time needed to produce lithium. They say their system can be used to improve production at lithium facilities, unlocking sources seen as too small or diluted to be worthwhile. [CleanTechnica]

Researcher Meiqi Yang (Bumper DeJesus, via Princeton University)

World:

¶ “Could Cleaner Air Reduce The Risk Of Suicide?” • A new frontier of potentially preventative research on suicide is rising that might, at first, seem unrelated: improving air quality. Over the past few years, various studies have identified associations between raised levels of air pollution and increased suicide risk. What should we make of this evidence? [BBC]

¶ “Island States Seek Climate Protection From Law Of The Sea” • Tuvalu and Antigua and Barbuda are both small island nations that face ongoing impacts from rising sea levels. Their prime ministers will appear at legal hearings at an international court in Hamburg, to seek an advisory opinion on the obligations of countries to combat climate change. [CNN]

Road on Funafuti, Tuvalu (Davidarfonjones, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Bringing Clean Deliveries To India” • In India, on-demand transportation and deliveries are convenient but polluting. The “final mile” in e-commerce ofton accounts for over 50% of the logistics cost. The Shoonya initiative seeks to create a market for zero-emissions deliveries by giving buyers data on the carbon pollution their purchases produce. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The Hottest Electric Vehicles Are In China” • There are 138 automakers in China, the No 1 auto market in the world. At least 40 of the 138 are purely electric companies, according to JD Power. In 2022, EV sales in China totaled 6.9 million units, an increase of 93.4% from 2021, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. [ABC News]

Zeekr 009 (Navigator84, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Octopus Launches 50-MW Scottish Wind Farm” • Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust opened a 50-MW onshore wind farm in South Lanarkshire. The £75 million project has a PPA with Kimberley Clark. The power supplied to the personal care giant’s facilities in the UK will make up almost 80% of the power needs for three factories. [reNews]

¶ “Enercon Reaches 60-GW Wind Milestone” • Enercon has announced it has reached 60 GW of onshore wind capacity installed worldwide. More than 32,000 wind turbines have been planned, produced, and commissioned in 50 countries since the company’s foundation in 1984. This capacity is about what would be in 60 conventional power plants. [reNews]

Wind farm (Enercon image)

¶ “Former Rubbish Dump In Essex Becomes UK’s Third Largest Solar Farm” • The largest solar farm in Europe to be built on a closed landfill is begun generating electricity from a former Essex rubbish dump. The Ockendon solar farm, the third largest in the UK, has over 100,000 solar modules covering 70 hectares (173 acres) of land. [The Guardian]

¶ “GreenGo Makes 500-MW German PV Pact” • GreenGo Energy entered the German market with a 500-MW solar partnership with Encavis AG. The developer already has a market presence in USA, Europe and Northern Africa. GreenGo said the partnership in Germany adds to the company’s existing 600-MW late-stage project portfolio in Denmark. [reNews]

Solar farm (Encavis and GreenGo)

¶ “Investors And Unions Press Labor To Invest $100 Billion To Compete In Global Green Economy” • The Australian federal government is being pushed to provide an extra $100 billion over 10 years to boost jobs and reduce emissions including through investments in clean industries and manufacturing of renewable energy components. [The Guardian]

US:

¶ “How Biden Is Bringing More Environmental And Climate Justice To The US” • This past year, the EPA invested $3 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act in the new Environmental and Climate Justice Grant Program to accelerate environmental justice efforts, address pollution, and support a more equitable future for communities. [CleanTechnica]

Brooklyn neighborhood (Redd F, Unsplash)

¶ “Lithium Deposit In Extinct Nevada Volcano Could Be Largest In The World” • A paper in the journal Science Advances reports the discovery of what may be the largest lithium deposit known to exist, inside the caldera of an extinct volcano in Nevada. This could have a major impact on America’s ability to make batteries without relying on Chinese sources. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Appalachian Power Is To Purchase More Solar And Wind Energy” • Appalachian Power Co will buy electricity from six solar farms as it shifts to all-renewable energy by 2050. The State Corporation Commission approved its latest renewable energy plan, which details the company’s plans provide 100% green energy to Virginia customers. [Roanoke Times]

Have a good-old glorious day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Underwhelming G20 Skates Over The Big Issues Of Poverty, Inequality, And Climate” • The G20 has failed to meet the huge challenges our world faces, said Oxfam. The G20 continue to stumble away from taking the bold actions necessary to tackle poverty, inequality, and climate issues at an uninspiring Summit in India this weekend. [Oxfam America]

Earth (NASA image)

¶ “Oregon Hasn’t Said Never To Nuclear Power, But It Should” • Recently, editorials have appeared across Oregon in a number of newspapers. They are remarkably similar, and subtly deceptive in their content, as if a Nuclear Pied Piper is in town once again, playing music for a great revival if only you will follow it down its unforseen road once again. [Bend Bulletin]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Hurricane Lee Becomes Rare Storm Rapidly Intensifying From Cat 1 To Cat 5 In 24 Hours” • During the satellite era, very few hurricanes have intensified by 85 mph or more in 24 hours. Lee was a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph on Thursday. Twenty-four hours later, it was Category 5 hurricane with 165 mph winds. [ABC News]

Hurricane Lee (NOAA image)

¶ “Hurricane Lee Is Rewriting Rules Of Meteorology, Experts Say” • Hurricane Lee is rewriting the old rules of meteorology, leaving experts astonished at how rapidly it grew into a goliath Category 5 hurricane. Because they can intensify more rapidly, hurricanes may be stronger in higher latitudes and threaten areas that are farther inland. [ABC News]

World:

¶ “World EV Sales 15% Of World Auto Sales” • Global plugin vehicle registrations were up 41% in July 2023 compared to July 2022, rising to 1,104,00 units. In the end, plugins represented 16% share of the overall auto market (11% for battery EVs). This means that the global automotive market is firmly within the Electric Disruption Zone. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model Y (Alexander Migl, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Toyota Plunges Into Crowded Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck Pool, With A Bang” • Signs that a fuel cell truck revolution is coming to the US have been few and far between. Nevertheless, activity is finally beginning to pick up. Toyota has just jumped into the pool with both feet first, but the company better not look back. There might be something gaining on it. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Half Of The World’s Glaciers Will Vanish With 1.5 Degrees Of Warming” • A January 2023 study in the journal Science that projects that the world’s glaciers could lose as much as 40% of their mass by 2100. The study predicts how they will be affected by global temperature increases of 1.5°C to 4°C (2.7°F to 5°F) from pre-industrial levels. [CleanTechnica]

Glacial lake in Nepal (James Chou, Unsplash)

¶ “Group Of 20 Countries Agree To Increase Clean Energy But Reach No Deal On Phasing Out Fossil Fuels” • The Group of 20 leaders agreed on Saturday to triple renewable energy and try to increase the funds for climate change-related disasters. They have maintained the status quo, however, with regards to phasing out carbon spewing coal. [ABC News]

¶ “NSW Govt Makes Contentious Decision Over Fears Blackouts Would Derail Renewable Transition” • The NSW government announced it would enter commercial negotiations with Origin Energy which would see the government pay to keep the Eraring coal-fired power station open past its scheduled closure date, which had been 2025. [The Mercury]

Sidney, NSW (Jamie Davies, Unsplash)

¶ “IAEA Warns Of Nuclear Safety Threat As Combat Spikes Near Ukraine Power Plant” • The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency warned of a potential threat to nuclear safety from a spike in fighting near Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine, whose forces continued pressing their counteroffensive on Saturday. [PBS]

US:

¶ “How Frontline Communities Can Take Advantage Of The Inflation Reduction Act To Advance Local Priorities” • The IRA has a J40 provision that directs 40% of the overall benefits and investments to Disadvantaged Communities, defined based on indicators from the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool or by a common condition. [CleanTechnica]

Rural America (Jonathan Singer, Unsplash)

¶ “Elon Musk Biography Reveals Internal Tesla Battle Regarding $25,000 Car And Robotaxis” • An upcoming biography of Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson says Musk was obsessed with robotaxis so much that he repeatedly vetoed his own plan for a $25,000 electric car in favor of them, until skeptical Tesla executives got him to hedge his bet. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “176 New EV Fast Charging Ports Will Be Installed In Illinois” • Texas-based Universal EV Chargers recently announced that the company was selected by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to receive grants to install 176 new DC fast charging ports throughout the state of Illinois. The state currently has about 1,000 fast chargers. [CleanTechnica]

Universal EV Charger (Courtesy of Universal EV Chargers)

¶ “Dallas Love Field Is Generating Electricity From Airplane Takeoffs” • The airport Dallas Love Field is using the wind from jets to generate electricity. It partnered with Jetwind to install the turbines on its grounds as part of a trial program to prove the viability of a system that generates power from man-made wind sources such as planes, trains, and cars. [Simple Flying]

¶ “Ørsted Threatens To Abandon US Offshore Wind Projects” • The largest offshore wind farm developer is preparing to walk away from US projects unless it can be guaranteed more support, Bloomberg reported. Under the Inflation Reduction Act, Ørsted gets upwards of 30% tax credits, but a financial crisis is unfolding in the offshore wind power industry. [Oil Price]

Have a tolerably flawless day.

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Opinion:

¶ “COP28: A Chance To Course-Correct On The Global Clean Energy Transition” • Leaders of COP28 write that the world is not on track to meeting the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement, and the global clean energy transition is dangerously off-course. But there is hope. We can still get back on track by taking urgent action now. [POLITICO.eu]

Windpower (Karsten Würth, Unsplash)

¶ “The EU Won The First Round Against The Russian Energy Extortion. But Can It Keep Up The Fight?” • Before its invasion of Ukraine, Russian supplied 40% of the EU’s natural gas, 25% of its crude oil, 40% of road diesel, and 30% of hard coal. When the EU sanctioned Russia for the invasion, Russia reduced supplies. The EU managed, but can it keep it up? [Atlantic Council]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Lee Adds To A Growing Trend Of Intense Hurricanes Powered By Warmer Oceans” • Hurricane Lee rapidly intensified at a historic pace into a Category 5 storm Thursday night, adding to a spate of extremely intense hurricanes this year and in recent decades. Experts say the strength and rapid growth of storms are symptoms of the climate crisis. [CNN]

Hurricane Lee ( CIMSS, public domain)

¶ “Argonne National Lab Improves Lithium-Sulfur Battery Performance” • The search for lighter, smaller, more powerful, and less expensive batteries is going on at research institutes all around the world. Argonne National Lab is one of them. Sulfur batteries can be cheaper than other types, and they can offer a significant improvement in range. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “World Isn’t Moving Fast Enough To Cut Pollution And Keep Warming Below 2°C, UN Scorecard Says” • In the eight years since the landmark Paris Climate Agreement, the world’s nations have not done enough to cut pollution and avert catastrophic warming, according to the first UN scorecard since Paris. It shows the world is seriously off-track. [CNN]

Refinery (Robin Sommer, Unsplash)

¶ “Tesla Rules In Europe – Europe EV Sales Report” • Some 234,000 plugin vehicles were registered in July in Europe. This is an increase of 48% year over year, the market’s highest growth since August 2021. Unfortunately, the overall market also grew fast, 17%, as it is finally recovering from a couple of bad years. The Tesla Model Y is the best-seller. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “38% Plugin Vehicle Share In China! – China EV Sales Report” • Plugin vehicles are all the rage in the Chinese auto market. Plugins scored over 658,000 sales last month, up 31%, year over year. That pulled the year-to-date tally to over 3.9 million units. July showing another great performance, plugin vehicles hit 38% market share! [CleanTechnica]

BYD Song Pro EV (Jengtingchen, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Coalition Of World Leaders Calls For Tripling Renewable Energy” • In an article published online, EC President Ursula von der Leyen, Kenya’s President William Ruto, and Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley called for the world to set global goals to triple renewable energy capacity and double annual savings of energy use by 2030. [POLITICO.eu]

¶ “Hitachi Energy Wins Order To Support Grid Integration Of 300-MW Solar Project” • Hitachi Energy India won a contract from Ayana Renewable Power, a private-sector power producer in India, to provide a grid connection for a 300-MW solar PV power plant in Rajasthan. The plant is to be commissioned in March 2024. [pv magazine India]

Solar power (Nuno Marques, Unsplash)

¶ “Amid Energy Price Spike, 86% Of New Renewable Electricity Was Cheaper Than Fossil Fuels Last Year” • Renewable power was already rapidly replacing fossil fuels as the cheapest source of electricity. Thanks to rocketing fuel prices last year, it is now the clear winner when it comes to cost-effectiveness. The transition has accelerated significantly. [Singularity Hub]

¶ “IAEA: Increased Military Activity Observed Near Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant” • Signs of “increased military activity” in the areas around the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant pose a possible danger to nuclear security at the site, the International Atomic Energy Agency wrote in its September 8 report. [Yahoo News]

Control room at Zaporizhzhia (IAEA Imagebank, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

US:

¶ “US Clean Energy Projects Need Public Buy-In. Community Benefits Agreements Can Help” • The US is entering a clean energy boom thanks to investments made under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. In just seven months they have come to over $150 billion. Actually breaking ground can be a challenge, however. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ford Takes The Mustang Off-Road With Upcoming Mach-E Rally Car” • One look at the Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally, and you can see that it’s not the standard crossover that many other auto manufacturers are offering. This EV takes the freedom and fun of Mustang onto dirt roads, showcasing a different direction for electric vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally (Ford image)

¶ “Clean Power Alliance Board of Directors Approves Six Power Purchase Agreements for its Power Share Program” • The Clean Power Alliance Board of Directors approved six 20-year Power Purchase Agreements to expand its community solar program. The additional capacity will provide customers 100% renewable energy at a 20% bill discount. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ “Entergy And Monarch Energy Collaborate To Advance South Louisiana Green Hydrogen Infrastructure” • Entergy Louisiana and Monarch Energy, a company known for its green hydrogen and electro-fuels projects, have signed a memorandum of understanding to help advance the energy infrastructure in South Louisiana. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Have an altogether exemplary day.

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World:

¶ “Kenya’s Hard Won Gains Against Malaria Threatened By Surging Temperatures” • Fourteen million Kenyans live in areas where malaria is endemic. Malaria is thought to kill 10,000 people in Kenya each year. The first mosquito vaccine raised hopes malaria could one day be eradicated, but the disease is spreading due to climate change. [CNN]

Kilimanjaro (Sergey Pesterev, Unsplash)

¶ “Planet-Warming Pollution Made Summer Heat Twice As Likely For Nearly All Of Humanity” • Researchers from Climate Central mapped the influence of climate change on heat in over 200 countries and territories. They found that in June through August, 98% of the global population faced heat made at least twice as likely by climate change. [CNN]

¶ “Has Australia Cleaned Up Its Act On Climate?” • Though long considered a laggard, Australia would now cut emissions, become a renewable energy powerhouse and force the biggest polluters to clean up their act, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared. It is now a year since he legislated Australia’s first ever emissions reduction target. Emissions are down, slightly. [BBC]

Australian (Graham Holtshausen, Unsplash)

¶ “Hong Kong And Southern China Battle Widespread Flooding From Record Rains” • Hong Kong and southern Chinese cities are battling widespread flooding as the region endures some of its heaviest rainfall on record. The weather bureau said the downpour, which began on Thursday, is the biggest to hit the city in nearly 140 years. [BBC]

¶ “20,000 Communities Demand Local Wind Turbines” • The arguments against wind power are running out of steam as costs drop and ratepayers chase after the savings. A ratepayer-driven, pro-wind revolution is brewing in the UK, and it could head to the US soon. Octopus Energy is behind the ratepayer-driven wind revolution. [CleanTechnica]

Onshore wind turbines (Courtesy of Octopus Energy)

¶ “EVs Take 37% Share In Germany” • August saw plugin EVs take 37% share of Germany’s auto market, up from 28.5% year on year. Full electrics had significant pull-forward sales, ahead of the tightening in incentives from September 1st. Overall German auto volume was 273,417 units, up some 37% YOY mainly thanks to the pull-forward. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Wind Turbine Generates Enough Energy In A Day To Power 170,000 Homes” • The world’s largest wind turbine has smashed the record for the most power produced by a single turbine in a day. Offshore from Fujian Province, China, the giant Goldwind GWH252-16MW produced 384.1 MWh in 24 hours, enough to power roughly 170,000 homes. [Euronews]

Largest wind turbine

¶ “G20 Members Agree To Phase Down Unabated Coal Power At Sherpa Meet” • The G20 members agreed to make an effort towards the “phasedown of unabated coal power,” staying with the text of the Bali declaration on the issue. This was decided at the Sherpa-level deliberations that aim to finalise the text for the Leaders’ Declaration. [Outlook Business]

¶ “A warning shot: One city in the Himalayas shows why climate change is a top priority at the G20” • Shimla proudly sits 2,200m (7,200ft) in mountains that are the foothills of the Himalayas. Shimla was once the summer capital of the British Raj, known as the Queen of the Hills. But the Queen is crumbling, and she’s a warning shot to the rest of us. [Sky News]

Shimla (Laurentiu Morariu, Unsplash)

¶ “Residents File Suit To Halt Wastewater Release From Nuclear Plant” • About 150 local residents went to court to halt the release of treated radioactive water from the ruined Fukushima nuclear plant. In the first lawsuit of its kind, they said the water discharge threatens citizens’ right to live safely and hinders the local fishing businesses. [Kyodo News]

US:

¶ “Hurricane Lee Becomes First Category Five Storm Of Atlantic Season” • Hurricane Lee has powered up to a category five storm, packing wind speeds of up to 160 mph (260 km/h) as it churns through the Caribbean. It could cause dangerous conditions on the US east coast on Sunday, according to information from the US National Hurricane Center. [BBC]

Hurricane Lee (NOAA image)

¶ “20,000 Tesla Universal EV Chargers Are Coming To Hilton Properties In North America” • Hilton is the second largest hotel chain in the world, with 6,200 hotels and 980,000 rooms in 118 countries. Hilton announced it has reached an agreement with Tesla to install EV charging equipment at its properties in the US, Canada, and Mexico. [CleanTechnica]

¶ The Climate Crisis Is Wreaking Havoc On The Insurance Industry“” • Senators Elizabeth Warren (MA), Chris Van Hollen (MD), and Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet L Yellen and Federal Insurance Office Director Steven Seitz, pointing out that insurance companies have reduced coverage in disaster-prone areas. [CleanTechnica]

Microburst (NOAA image, Unsplash)

¶ “US Solar Installations In 2023 Expected To Exceed 30 GW For First Time In History” • The US solar industry expects to add a record 32 GW of new capacity in 2023, a 52% increase from 2022, according to the US Solar Market Insight Q3 2023 report just released by the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Farmers Branch Moves Closer To Being Texas’ First Self-Sustaining City” • When Texas grid operator ERCOT left the state in the dark and cold in 2021, Farmers Branch city leaders started looking into what they could do locally. They found the answer in a shut down, capped landfill, where twenty acres of solar panels could be installed. [WFAA]

Have an enjoyably rewarding day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Community Engagement Is Fundamental To The Solar And Wind Permitting Process” • This summer will long be recalled for its cascading climate disasters. Amid the dispiriting news, there’s reason for hope: We’re on the cusp of a transformation to clean energy that could greatly reduce carbon pollution from the nation’s dirtiest power plants. [CleanTechnica]

Community solar array (Courtesy of CLEER)

Science and Technology:

¶ “3D-Printed “Living Material” Could Clean Up Contaminated Water” • Researchers at the UC San Diego developed a new type of material that could offer a sustainable way to clean pollutants from water. It is a 3D-printed structure of a natural polymer and bacteria that produce an enzyme to transform various organic pollutants into benign molecules. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ag Tech Can Cut Billions Of Tons Of Greenhouse Gas Emissions” • A study published in PLOS Climate demonstrates that state-of-the-art agricultural technology and management can reduce growth in agricultural emissions to the point of eliminating it by generating net-negative emissions – reducing more GHGs than food systems add. [CleanTechnica]

Greenhouse gas reductions (Almaraz, Houlton, et al)

World:

¶ “The World Just Experienced The Hottest Summer On Record, By A Significant Margin” • June to August was the warmest such period since records began in 1940, according to data from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Also, according to the Copernicus data, August of 2023 was the warmest August since record keeping began in 1940. [CNN]

¶ “International Report Confirms Record-High Greenhouse Gases And Global Sea Levels In 2022” • Greenhouse gases, global sea levels, and ocean heat content reached record highs in 2022, the 33rd annual State of the Climate report says. The report is a comprehensive update on Earth’s climate indicators, notable weather events, and other data. [CleanTechnica]

Sea (frank mckenna, Unsplash)

¶ “Australian Billionaire Wants Submarine Cable To Export Solar Power To Singapore And Beyond” • Billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes is making new progress on plans to export clean energy from Australia to Singapore through a 4,200-kilometer (2,610-mile) submarine cable after he completed the acquisition of SunCable from administration. [Time]

¶ “Encavis And GreenGo Make Progress On A 132-MW Danish Solar Park” • GreenGo Energy and Encavis have reached ready-to-build status concerning a 132-MW solar project in Denmark. The Nørhede-Hjortmose project near Ringkøbing will be one of the largest in Denmark once operational in 2026. The project has been in planning for several years. [reNews]

Solar project (Courtesy of Encavis and GreenGo)

¶ “As Africa Climate Summit Promotes Solar, Off-Grid Power Ramps Up Below The Sahara” • African families and businesses are choosing off-grid solar in the face of an unreliable grid. The World Bank says the number of minigrids, solar systems that support a cluster of homes or businesses, has grown in from 500, 23 years ago, to 3,000 today. [ABC News]

¶ “August ‘Sets New Record’ For Irish Wind Generation” • Wind generation in Ireland hit a new record for August according to Wind Energy Ireland’s latest monthly report. The amount of electricity generated in August 2023 was up by 71%, compared with August 2022 the Wind Energy report found. The month’s strong winds led to the record. [reNews]

Irish wind turbines (Nordex image)

¶ “Ukraine Strains To Safely Operate Nuclear Power Plants While Under Russian Invasion” • The head of Ukraine’s nuclear energy utility, Energoatom, says his country is trying to do something never before attempted: operate a large fleet of nuclear plants in the midst of a full-scale war. Nuclear plants have never before been targeted or captured. [Jefferson Public Radio]

US:

¶ “Climate Change Is Hurting Six Flags, Seaworld, And Disney World” • When intense rain and flooding stranded more than 70,000 people at Burning Man in the Nevada desert, it was just the latest example of how extreme weather, made far worse by climate change, has impacted major North American attractions this summer. [CNN]

Disney World (Brian McGowan, Unsplash)

¶ “Environmental Groups Sue Utah Over Failure To Protect Great Salt Lake From Brink Of Collapse” • Utah is being sued by a coalition of environmental groups and conservationists for its alleged misuse of water and failing to protect the Great Salt Lake from the brink of “ecological collapse.” Scientists had warned that the lake was facing “unprecidented danger.” [CNN]

¶ “Biden Administration Cancels Years-Long Attempt To Drill In Alaska National Wildlife Refuge” • The Biden administration said it will cancel seven Trump-era oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and protect more than 13 million acres in the federal National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, stymieing a years-long attempt to drill in the region. [CNN]

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (US FWS, public domain)

¶ “Hurricane Lee Could Become ‘Extremely Dangerous’” • Lee is expected to intensify into an “extremely dangerous” category 4 storm by the weekend, the National Hurricane Center says. It has already become a category 1 hurricane, with 75 mph (120 km/h) winds. The NHC said it was too early to tell whether it might make landfall in the US. [BBC]

¶ “Up To 35% Of US Manufacturing Sectors Could Supply All Their Own Power” • Some manufacturing processes have high electricity demands that cannot be entirely met by rooftop solar systems. Nevertheless, analysis revealed that, on average, rooftop solar PVs could supply all power needs of 5% to 35% (seasonally) of US manufacturing sectors. [Energy Post]

Have a delightfully comfortable day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Solar Along Nation’s Highways Can Avoid NIMBY Concerns” • The Ray is a solar power advocacy group that has a novel idea. It points out the various state transportation departments own and maintain significant amounts of land along highways. “Right-of-way” areas are attractive sites for developing renewable energy for many reasons. [CleanTechnica]

Solar array along a road (Courtesy of The Ray)

¶ “US Oil Demand Will Drop Too Fast To Justify New Offshore Leasing” • US demand for oil will fall dramatically over the next three decades, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act and other state and federal transportation policies, new modeling shows. It makes clear that the US does not need new offshore oil and gas leasing to meet our energy needs. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Forget The Rosebank Oil Field. Labour’s Renewable Energy Plans Could Save £93 Billion For UK Households” • Change is needed, but if the UK Government approves the huge Rosebank oil field off the coast of Shetland, and its potential to deliver 500 million barrels of oil, we can say goodbye to any serious hope of tackling the climate emergency. [The Scotsman]

Offshore oil platform (Divulgação Petrobras, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Biden’s Horse-Trading On Nuclear Technology And Fuels” • Considering this growing demand for nuclear weapons, an essential policy to avert proliferation is to block the supply of the necessary fissionable materials. The Biden administration has instead taken four steps that would foster proliferation of the materials. [Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Aluminum Materials Show Promising Performance For Safer, Cheaper, More Powerful Batteries” • A team of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology is using aluminum foil to create batteries with high energy density and great stability. A report in Nature Communications shows that the batteries could hold more energy and be cheaper to make. [CleanTechnica]

Solid-state battery (Georgia Institute of Technology)

¶ “Linking Two Solar Technologies Is A Win-Win For Efficiency And Stability” • Researchers from Princeton University and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology connected the well-established silicon solar cell with the newer perovskite in a tandem solar cell to not only boost overall efficiency, but also to strengthen stability. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Good News For Toyota” • The Toyota BZ4X is starting to show up in the top 20 charts in reports from Scandanavia. Posts at CleanTechnica make it clear that the Toyota EV is at number 20 in Sweden and number 5 in Norway. And Toyota’s Australia sales and marketing boss says Toyota expects to deliver thousands of EVs in Australia in 2024. [CleanTechnica]

Toyota BZ4X (Nissangeniss, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Volvo And Evergo Team Up To Expand Charging In Mexico” • Volvo Cars has partnered with Evergo, a leading charging station platform for EVs in Mexico, as part of its electrification strategy. This alliance aims to accelerate the connectivity of cities and provide Volvo customers in Mexico and Latin America with an extensive network of chargers. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Africa’s Energy Investment Needs To Double By 2030 To Meet Development And Climate Goals” • Energy investment in the continent needs to more than double by 2030 to meet African ambitions and climate goals, with nearly two thirds going to clean energy, the International Energy Agency and the African Development Bank Group said. [The National]

Wind farm in South Africa (Warren Rohner, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

US:

¶ “Pipeline Operator Enbridge Inc Will Buy Three Natural Gas Utilities From Dominion Energy For $9.4 Billion” • Canadian pipeline operator Enbridge Inc announced plans to acquire three gas distribution companies from Dominion Energy. The deal is valued at $14 billion, of which $9.4 billion is cash and $4.6 billion is debt, Enbridge said. [CNN]

¶ “US DOT Finally Suspends LNG-By-Rail Rule!” • The US Department of Transportation suspended a rule arising from the Trump epoch that allowed the transport of liquefied natural gas by rail across the country without a special permit. This is a huge victory for the planet and for those living in the potential blast zones of these rail lines. [CleanTechnica]

After a gas explosion in New York City (Adnan Islam, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Redwood Materials Raises Over $1 Billion” • Tesla co-founder and board memeber JB Straubel’s Redwood Materials raised over $1 billion in a recent funding round, according to a Forbes report. The company does recycling for lithium materials, then turns that material into anode and cathode materials to be reused in EV batteries. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Residents Tell Lorain County Commissioners They Support Solar And Wind Power Facilities” • Numerous people showed up at a Lorain County Board of Commissioners meeting to discuss the future of solar and wind energy in Lorain County, Ohio. All were in favor of the economic and clean energy benefits of solar and wind power. [Chronicle Telegram]

Solar energy in Ohio (MSgt. Beth Holliker, public domain)

¶ “Puerto Rico’s Solar Rooftop Revolution” • Early this year, Oilprice asked, “Puerto Rico Has Big Plans For Renewables, But Can It Deliver?” Six months later, it seems safe to say that the answer is a resounding yes. After the territory saw its power grid collapse due to hurricanes in 2017, it’s gone all-in on a bold plan for renewable energy production. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ “New Solar Array Going In Near Albany International Airport” • The New York Power Authority and Albany County are joining forces on a new energy project near Albany International Airport. The solar array will be maintained by Siemens and is part of the county’s “green county” push. County Executive Dan McCoy says the project will benefit residents. [WAMC]

Have a relaxingly cool day.

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Opinion:

¶ “How Much Is The German Auto Industry Under Threat?” • German carmakers such as BMW, Volkswagen, and Mercedes face the prospect of cheap, quality imports coming into Europe to erode the market share of stalwarts. They also face falling market share in the domestic Chinese car market. What is their economic future? [CleanTechnica]

Mercedes-AMG EV (Damian B Oh, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Illinois Legislators Have A Lot To Learn About Nuclear Power” • It is important for legislators to actually know about what they advocate or vote for. It is clear that Illinois legislators lacked the knowledge they needed about proposed nuclear reactors before financially binding the state to a pro-nuclear future. Governor Pritzker’s veto is 100% correct. [Chicago Sun-Times]

World:

¶ “Invasive Species Cost The World $423 Billion Every Year And Are Causing Environmental Chaos, Un Report Finds” • Invasive species cost the world at least $423 billion every year as they drive plant and animal extinctions, threaten food security, and exacerbate environmental catastrophes across the globe, a major UN-backed report found. [CNN]

Kudzu (Scott Ehardt, public domain)

¶ “Real Renewables Avoid Burning 32 Million Tonnes Of Wood In UK” • It’s claimed that the UK needs to burn American and Canadian forests in its power stations to stop the lights going out. But analysis by NRDC shows that real renewables like wind and solar are already alleviating the need to burn millions of tonnes of wood in UK power stations. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Air Pollution And Its Threat To Health Are Unequally Spread Throughout The World” • As global pollution edged upward in 2021, so did its health burden, data from the Air Quality Life Index shows. If the world permanently reduced fine particulate pollution to meet the WHO’s guideline, life expectancies would increase by 2.3 years. [CleanTechnica]

Pollution (Jacek Dylag, Unsplash)

¶ “Kenya’s President Drives Himself From State House In EV To Open Africa Climate Summit” • The African Climate Summit is on this week in Nairobi. At the summit, leaders of the African countries will be called on to make pledges and commitments. One leader promoting an ambitious climate agenda is Kenya’s President, William Ruto. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Weekly Data: The Global Power Sector Saved $521 Billion In 2022 Thanks To Fuel Savings From Renewables” • A report from the International Renewable Energy Agency shows that in 2022, renewable power deployed globally since 2000 saved countries an estimated $521 billion in avoided fossil fuel costs in the electricity sector. [Energy Monitor]

Solar array (Chelsea, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Philippines To Launch 100-MW Floating Solar Farm In Cadiz City” • A 100-MW floating solar power facility, the first in Visayas and Mindanao, is set to be constructed in Cadiz City, northern Negros Occidental. The facility, Zonal Renewables Corp and property owner AM Hijos Inc will be located on a 90-hectare fishpond. [SolarQuarter]

Australia:

¶ “Sunshine State Shows Its Wind Power Promise After Charting Best Month Ever” • Queensland has notched up its best month on record for wind energy generation, producing a new high output of 258 GWh over the month of August, beating the record of 247 GWh set in May. Queensland has 1.7 GW of windpower under construction. [Renew Economy]

Kennedy Energy Park construction (Supplied photo)

¶ “Queensland To Hit 50% Renewables Two Years Early, But Warns Energy Wars Only Just Begun” • The Queensland state government says it will meet its 50% renewable energy target two years early, in 2028 rather than 2030. It credits state ownership of energy assets and transmission lines for the progress. In 2018, 90% of its electricity was from coal. [Renew Economy]

¶ “Cheaper And Quicker: Distributed Networks Put Case To Host Wind And Solar” • John Cleland, the head of Essential Energy, which covers 95% of the land area of New South Wales, says that connecting new wind and solar farms into existing local networks will be “several times” less expensive than connecting into the transmission network. [Renew Economy]

Solar on Essential Energy’s network

US:

¶ “Burning Man Attendees Make A Mass Exodus After A Dramatic Weekend That Left Thousands Stuck In Nevada Desert” • Over 70,000 thousand Burning Man attendees made their exodus after intense rain over the weekend flooded camp sites and filled them with thick, ankle-deep mud, stranding them as they waited for the Nevada desert to dry out. [CNN]

¶ “Of Course EVs Are Appropriate For The Military!” • The US military is, without fanfare, starting to take some responsibility for its role as a major polluter, as reflected in its 2024 budget, which calls for systemic changes that would move it toward zero emissions. Some US House Republicans, however, want to stall the military decarbonization. [CleanTechnica]

The Pentagon (MSgt Ken Hammond, public domain)

¶ “$4 Billion For EV Battery Recycling And An Answer To The Question: Whatever Happened To JB Straubel?” • Co-founder JB Straubel left Tesla Motors in 2019 to pour his energy into an EV battery recycling startup called Redwood Materials. Four years and $4 billion later, there’s a lot of talk about Redwood and EV battery recycling. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ohio Utilities’ Efficiency Programs Among The Worst In Wake Of Corrupt Utility Law, Report Says” • Though its bailouts were repealed, an Ohio law intended to save failing nuclear plants – the product of a massive corruption scandal – is still on the books. It eliminated most efficiency programs, and it did damage to Ohio’s utilities. [Ohio Capital Journal]

Have an elegantly expressed day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Did Gaia Punish Burning Man For Ignoring Climate Protests?” • Climate protesters blockaded the road to Burning Man prior to the festival’s kickoff a week ago. Burning Man polluts pretty badly. For last year’s Burn, Gaia created some of the worst dust storms the event has ever seen. She increased her objections with with floods this year. [CleanTechnica]

Celebrating by burning, 2014 (BLM Nevada, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Science and Technology:

¶ “How Much Power Is 1 Gigawatt?” • At the end of 2022, there were over 144 GW of wind power and 110 GW of solar PVs in the US. To help put this number in perspective, it’s important to know just how big 1 GW is. We might envision 2.469 Million PV Panels, or 310 utility wind turbines, or 1.3 million horses, or even 2,000 Corvette Z06s. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “The World’s Highest Navigable Lake Is Drying Out” • Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world and the largest lake in South America. Its water levels are dropping precipitously after an unprecedented winter heat wave. The shocking decline is affecting tourism, fishing, and agriculture, which locals rely on to make a living. [CNN]

Lake Titicaca (Guille Álvarez, Unsplash)

¶ “UK’s Largest Lithium Deposit Is Being Developed” • A new business deal promises to help develop the UK’s largest deposit of lithium. This is good for cleantech business worldwide. At present, China is an important source, but so are Chile and Argentina. But lithium is found worldwide. (Please note: Lithium is not a rare earth element.) [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New Tech Boosts Dutch Drive For Sustainable Farming” • The Netherlands is the second biggest exporter of agricultural goods, but producing for such a large export market put pressure on the nation’s environment. The Farm of the Future was started at Wageningen University four years ago after biodiversity declines due to climate change were seen. [BBC]

Farm land in the Netherlands (Wageningen University)

¶ “EBRD Provides Funds For Building New Wind Power Plant In Zhambyl Region” • Aiming to support Kazakhstan in its efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2060, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development provides financial support for building a new 100-MW wind power plant Shokpar in the Zhambyl Region. [The Astana Times]

¶ “Clean Energy Hub Coming In Queensland” • The 1,460-MW Stanwell Power Station is near the coast of Queensland, between two potential ‘renewable energy zones.’ Stanwell Corporation is repurposing the site and, is installing a 1-MW, 10-MWh iron flow battery at the site to pilot the technology for medium duration energy storage. [Power Engineering International]

Stanwell Power Station (Queensland Government)

¶ “Thailand’s Public Health Ministry Goes Green With Solar Power Adoption” • The Public Health Ministry of Thailand is moving toward sustainability by embracing solar power and EVs to reduce costs and address global warming. The ministry’s permanent secretary expects annual electricity savings of 904.35 million baht ($25.7 million). [SolarQuarter]

¶ “Singapore Expands Study Nationwide To Assess Geothermal Energy As Potential Power Source” • Singapore is expanding its study nationwide on geothermal energy, the Energy Market Authority said. The authority is seeking proposals for a scientific study to assess Singapore’s deep geothermal resource potential for power generation. [CNA]

Singapore (Kelvin Zyteng, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Set To Face Major Delay In Commissioning” • The deadline for commencing the operation of the 1200-MW first unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is July 2024, but officials in the power sector are flagging concerns over severe lags in implementing the essential transmission infrastructure-related projects. [New Age]

¶ “China Makes A ‘Major Strategic Decision’ That Will Impact The Whole World: ‘Based On Our Sense Of Responsibility’” • The Good News Network reported that the government of China outlined its intention to install 100 GW of renewable energy, particularly solar and wind in the desert regions, by 2026 in its recent Five-Year Plan. [Yahoo News]

Renewable energy (Katie Moum, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Roads Out Of Burning Man May Reopen Monday For The Tens Of Thousands Of People Still Trapped There After Rain Deluged The Area With Mud” • Roads out of the Burning Man festival may reopen Monday for the tens of thousands of people trapped for a third day in the Nevada desert after heavy rains covered the grounds with deep mud. [CNN]

¶ “These Tiny Creatures Are Losing Their Battle To Survive. Here’s What We Can Do To Save Them” • Rufous Hummingbirds are magical. The male’s iridescent throat glows brighter than a shiny copper penny and it whizzes through the air curiously hovering right in front of humans who ponder them. It has lost two-thirds of its population since 1970. [CNN]

Rufus hummingbird (VJAnderson, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Mapping Clean Energy In The US West” • The Southwest has an enormous opportunity to accelerate the shift from fossil to clean power. Utilities in the region can use new tax credit adders to make clean energy more affordable, especially in historically underserved communities whose workforce relies on extracting and burning fossil fuels. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Nuclear Energy Touted At W Chamber Forum, But Key Cost, Oversight And Waste Management Questions Linger” • West Virginia political and business leaders made clear during the state Chamber of Commerce annual summit they see a big role for nuclear power in the state’s energy future. But key questions are still unanswered. [herald-dispatch.com]

Have a splendidly alluring day.

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geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

Science and Technology:

¶ “How Much Wave Energy Is In Our Oceans?” • In a recent study published in Renewable Energy, researchers from the US DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory present a more comprehensive and accurate methodology to measure the wave energy available in ocean sites around the world. [CleanTechnica]

Measuring global wave energy (Taylor Mankle, NREL)

World:

¶ “The Extreme Summer Weather That Scorched And Soaked The World” • Heat. Wildfires. Torrential rain. Typhoons and hurricanes. Much of the northern hemisphere was battered by extreme weather this summer. In the past few weeks, significant meteorological records have been broken in quick succession. Here is a look at some of what happened. [BBC]

¶ “Mapping Australia’s Hidden Lithium Reserves” • Up to recent times, Australia’s lithium exploration has been predominantly centered in Western Australia. But now, research indicates the potential of other Australian regions, including Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria, that display elevated predicted lithium densities. [CleanTechnica]

New South Wales (Tarryn Myburgh, Unsplash)

¶ “EVs At 90% Share In Norway – Tesla Model Y Best Seller” • August saw plugin EVs at 90.0% share in Norway, up from 86.1% a year ago. Full electric vehicles continued to gain ground, taking a 83.5% share. Overall auto volume was 11,083 units, down over 10% year on year. In August, the best selling vehicle in Norway was the Tesla Model Y. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “How The Scottish Highlands Are Becoming A Renewable Energy Powerhouse” • Scotland’s Highlands and Islands have long been known for its sparse population and less favored farm land. However, with renewable energy, the region has undergone a shift in fortunes, to become a thriving hub of innovation and opportunity. [Microgrid Media]

Skye (v2osk, Unsplash)

¶ “SK Secures Land For $15 Billion Canadian Green Hydrogen Project” • The renewable energy unit of South Korea’s SK Inc secured a site to develop a $15 billion green hydrogen project in Canada. SK ecoplant Co received approval to use 1,078 km² (670 mi²) of Canada’s state-owned property for a wind farm to power the project. [Financial Post]

¶ “Scholz Says The Nuclear Energy Issue Is ‘A Dead Horse’ For Germany” • “Nuclear energy is over,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said. “The issue of nuclear energy in Germany is a dead horse. Anyone who wanted to build new nuclear power plants would need fifteen years and would have to spend €15 to €20 billion ($16.2 to $ 21.6 billion) each.” [DW]

Dounreay nuclear plant (John, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “Terrorism Fears As Security Breaches Among Britain’s ‘Nuclear Police’ Hit Eight Year High” • Security breaches among Britain’s “Nuclear Police” are at an eight- year high, the Sun on Sunday can reveal. The Civil Nuclear Constabulary, which guards power stations from terrorists, reported 37 cases last year. Many breaches were thefts of items in vehicles. [The Sun]

US:

¶ “These Five Cities Could Be One Natural Disaster Away From A Catastrophic Water Crisis” • At the rate our climate is changing, America’s water infrastructure is not equipped to handle coming threats, according to Erik Olson, the senior strategic director for health and food with the National Resources Defense Council. Here are five examples. [CNN]

Buffalo (simon***, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Tens Of Thousands At Burning Man Told To Conserve Water And Food After Heavy Rains Leave Attendees Stranded In The Nevada Desert” • Attendees saw their campsites transformed by thick, ankle-deep mud and organizers halted vehicles from going in or out of the festival after heavy rains started soaking the area on Friday evening. [CNN]

¶ “Storm Idalia: Biden Pledges Support To Help Florida Recover” • US President Joe Biden vowed to give Florida any support it needs to rebuild in the wake of destruction by Tropical Storm Idalia. Mr Biden was speaking during a visit to the state, where at least two people are known to have died after the storm made landfall on Wednesday. [BBC]

Storm surge of Idalia (Andrew Heneen, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Tesla Virtual Power Plants Get Approval In Texas” • As Tesla’s energy business continues to grow, backup power generation will remain at its center. Texas residents with Tesla Powerwalls and solar panels recently had the opportunity to be a part of a backup power pilot program that lets users get money for sending extra electricity to the grid. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Powered By Wind, This $10 Billion Transmission Line Will Carry More Energy Than The Hoover Dam” • As CEO of Pattern Energy, Hunter Armistead said breaking ground on the SunZia transmission line marks a major milestone. The US needs to bolster its already swamped power grids as demand increases and weather events get more extreme. [KJZZ]

Power lines (frank pereira, Unsplash)

¶ “Lawmakers Use Power Bill Increase To Target Renewable Energy” • Rocky Mountain Power has testified that volatile fossil fuel pricing, including a spike in December that boosted Wyoming’s revenue outlook, is the primary driver behind its staggering 30% rate hike proposal. But some lawmakers say renewables are to blame. [Oil City News]

¶ “Ørsted Delays First New Jersey Wind Farm Until 2026; Not Ready To ‘Walk Away’ From Project” • Ørsted, the global wind energy developer, says its first offshore wind farm in New Jersey will be delayed until 2026 due to supply chain issues, higher interest rates, and a failure so far to garner enough tax credits from the federal government. [CBS News]

Have a satisfyingly pacific day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Wyoming Could Reap More Than $7 Billion If It Takes Full Advantage Of The IRA But There Are Many Challenges” • All of Wyoming’s representatives in Washington DC voted against the Inflation Reduction Act. A recent analysis by RMI shows that Wyoming could get more than $7 billion dollars by making use of it. Here is an interview. [Wyoming Public Media]

Wind turbines in Wyoming (CGP Grey, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Focus On Renewables, Not Nuclear, To Fuel Canada’s Electric Needs” • Nuclear power is certainly in the running for providing electricity, but it’s not Canada’s best option. Refurbishing aging CANDU reactors and investing in unproven nuclear technology, such as SMRs, will waste money that could otherwise be invested in renewable energy. [Policy Options]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Scientists Say They’ve Found A Direct Link Between Planet-Warming Pollution And Polar Bear Survival ” • Scientists say they have found a link between human-related greenhouse gas emissions and polar bear reproduction and survival rates for the first time in a new study, potentially overcoming a barrier to protecting the species. [CNN]

Polar bear (Erinn Hermsen, Polar Bears International)

¶ “The Energy Technology Revolution Will Drive Renewable Energy Prices Even Lower” • A report put out by RMI, formerly known as the Rocky Mountain Institute, claims that renewable energy – wind and solar – is on track for exponential growth that will lead to disruption of the electricity sector worldwide during this decade. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “New BYD Dealership Opens In Manila, Signals Bigger Things With Ayala Group As Distributor” • BYD opened a dealership in Quezon City, Philippines. This is the second BYD dealer in the country. It opened under Mobility Access Philippines Ventures, Inc, a new company under the automotive arm of the Ayala Group of Companies. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Dolphin (BYD image)

¶ “EVs Take Over 60% Share In Sweden – Tesla Model Y Top” • August saw plugin EVs take over 60% share in Sweden, notably up from 46% year on year. Full electrics alone took over 40% of the market, with plugin hybrids almost 20%. Overall auto volume was 23,871 units, up some 16% YoY. The Tesla Model Y was the best selling vehicle in August. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Philippines’ Largest Inland Lake To Host Large-Scale Floating Solar Projects With Up To 1,800 MW Capacity” • Up to 2,000 hectares (4,942 acres) of the 91,170 hectare (225,308 acres) inland lake were allocated to floating solar projects auctioned off by the Laguna Lake Development Authority. The total capacity of the fifteen contracts is 1,880.5 MW. [CleanTechnica]

Laguna Lake (Ramon FVelasquez, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “How All-Renewable Microgrids Can Help Regional Australia Face Climate Change” • Australia’s focus has turned towards renewable energy sources and innovative energy distribution systems. An intriguing development in this landscape is the emergence of renewable microgrids as a potential solution for powering regional areas. [Energy Matters]

¶ “Global Wind Turbine Orders Rose 12% In H1 2023 As Demand Surged” • Global wind turbine orders rose by 12% in the first half of 2023, driven by strong demand from outside China and North America, Wood Mackenzie said. North American orders jumped by over four times to 7.7 GW, with two offshore orders making up nearly half of the total. [The National]

Wind turbines (Nitin Sharma, Pexels)

US:

¶ “US Solar Panel Shipments Set Record High In 2022” • In 2022, solar photovoltaic panel shipments in the US increased 10% from 2021, which had been the previous record year. Shipments for 2022 were 31.7 million peak kW, based on the EIA’s latest data. In 2022, about 88% of US solar panel shipments were imported, primarily from Asia. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “In Historic Vote, California Becomes Largest Economy In World To Call For Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty” • In a historic move, a resolution calling on the State of California to endorse the call for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty passed in the State Assembly, making California the largest economy in the world to support the proposal. [CleanTechnica]

Golden Gate Bridge (Joseph Barrientos, Unsplash)

¶ “US Gas Prices Rising Going Into Labor Day” • On the Monday before the Labor Day weekend, the average retail price of regular gasoline in the US $3.81/gal. Over the past five weeks, production cuts by Saudi Arabia, low US gasoline inventories, and refinery maintenance have increased the regular gasoline retail price by 6%, or 22¢/gal. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Fossil Fuels Failed Kentucky Utility Customers During Winter Blackouts” • Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities implemented rolling blackouts for more than 50,000 customers on the coldest day of the year last winter. They had blamed the forced outages on a natural gas supply disruption, but testimony reveals coal power failed too. [WKMS]

Winter in Kentucky (Jason Pack, public domain)

¶ “USDA And DA Sign An Agreement On Renewable Energy And Energy Improvement” • Puerto Rico’s Department of Agriculture (DA, by its Spanish acronym), signed an agreement with the US DOA to provide farmers with resources to maximize their efforts through the REAP program, which seeks to assist in their rural businesses. [The Weekly Journal]

¶ “Groundbreaking of SunZia Transmission Line” • Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Presidential Advisor John Podesta joined federal, state, and community leaders for the SunZia Transmission Project’s groundbreaking. The project will transmit up to 4,500 MW of mostly renewable energy from New Mexico to Arizona and California. [US DOI]

Have a uniquely picturesque day.

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Opinion:

¶ “You Probably Shouldn’t Be Afraid To Buy A Two-Wheel Drive EV” • Next year, the cheapest front-drive Equinox EV will start at around $30,000, and the tax credit will become a point-of-sale credit you can taket off the price at the dealer. Many people may be turned off at the idea of buying a front-wheel drive crossover. They probably shouldn’t be. [CleanTechnica]

2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV 3LT (Chevrolet image)

¶ “California Is Addicted To Aliso Canyon Natural Gas. New Power Lines Could Break The Habit” • California continues to rely on Aliso Canyon’s natural gas to stabilize the power grid. Utility regulators should instead be looking to transmission line projects that link Southern California to planned solar and wind farms, helping reduce its dependence on gas. [CalMatters]

¶ “Building Energy Transmission Takes Time. Batteries Can Fill the Gap” • California’s grid cannot store, transmit, and deliver the state’s considerable renewable energy when and where it is needed. We can build out transmission to meet the needs. SATA, Storage-as-a-transmission asset, can meet the needs of the grid much more quickly. [POWER Magazine]

Transmission tower (Artem Labunsky, Unsplash, cropped)

World:

¶ “Scientists Are Asked If Humans Have Broken The Earth’s Climate” • Is 2023 the year humans finally broke the climate? The Guardian recently asked 45 climate scientists. In general, they said that, despite feeling events have taken a frightening turn, the global heating seen to date is entirely in line with three decades of scientific predictions. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Meet Daisy, The Split Screen VW T1 Camper Transformation” • Why do I keep following what Kit Lacey at eDub? Because the honesty of his passion is shining through. There are plenty of very passionate builders out there, but Kit is so easygoing that it is soothing to follow his endeavors. Also, his electric conversions of old VW campers are epic. [CleanTechnica]

Daisy (eDub Conversions)

¶ “Electric Trucks From Mercedes-Benz Are Cleaning Up In Denmark” • Urbaser is a global leader in waste management that focuses on environmental solutions and building up a circular economy. It has added five eEconic battery-electric waste hauling trucks from Mercedes-Benz to its fleet to serve the needs of the Danish city of Aarhus. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Skyborn drafts in Windcarrier to finish delayed Yunlin” • Fred Olsen Windcarrier has been drafted in to complete foundation installation at Skyborn’s delayed 640-MW Yunlin wind farm off Taiwan. Windcarrier will report for duty in February 2024 on a 200-day contract. The Yunlin wind project was originally due to be completed in 2022. [reNews]

Blue Wind jack-up (Fred Olsen Windcarrier image)

¶ “A Symbol Of Courage And Invincibility: DTEK Completes Wind Farm Despite War” • DTEK Group is the largest private investor in Ukraine’s energy sector, and DTEK Renewables manages its renewable energy assets. After Russia invaded, staff worked to build a six-turbine wind farm in bullet-proof vests. Now they have completed it. [POWER Magazine]

US:

¶ “How Idalia’s Final Moments Dramatically Altered Its Impact On Florida And Prevented A Worse Disaster” • Hurricane Idalia caused “significant damage” as it ripped into Florida’s Big Bend with 125 mph winds and a record storm surge. But the storm’s evolution before landfall, and lucky timing with the tides, likely prevented an even worse disaster. [CNN]

Hurricanes Idalia and Franklin (NOAA-NESDIS image)

¶ “New Tesla Model 3 Highland Improvements And Specs!” • The new Tesla Model 3 Highland is here at last, after spending a long time as just a rumor. Does it live up to expectations? It depends on what you expected from Tesla’s first full Model 3 refresh. Let’s stroll through what’s new to see if it’s better or worse than what you anticipated. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Colorado Grant Programs To Fund Electric School Buses And Low-Zero-Emission Fleets” • Colorado’s Department of Public Health and Environment announced projects for two grant programs for clean vehicles. One helps schools and nonprofits get zero-emission vehicles to transport kids. The other helps fund low-emission fleet vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

New electric school bus

¶ “Lawmakers Want Safety Data Posted At Battery Storage Sites” • A fire burned for more than four days in July involving four of the trailers at the Convergent Energy & Power site in Lyme. The fire raised concerns among residents in the rural area about air safety. Legislators have introduced bills requiring that safety data be posted for battery sites. [Post Journal]

¶ “Arizona Public Service Signs PPA For CO Bar Solar Power And Battery Storage” • Clenera, a company specializing in solar farms and energy storage, signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Arizona Public Service, Arizona’s largest utility, for 258 MW of solar and 824 MWh of battery storage at the CO Bar complex outside of Flagstaff. [Solar Industry]

Route 180, near Flagstaff (Richie Nolan, Unsplash)

¶ “Alaska’s Biggest Solar Farm” • Alaska’s largest solar farm was unveiled in the city of Houston, an hour north of Anchorage, as project owners and officials cut a gold ribbon with a giant pair of scissors. Matanuska Electric Association CEO Tony Izzo said the utility is trying to increase its renewable energy sources without increasing rates. [Alaska Public Media]

¶ “Georgia Power, State Regulators Agree To Division Of Vogtle Nuclear Plant Costs” • The Public Interest Advocacy Staff of Georgia Public Service Commission and Georgia Power reached an agreement that could result in Georgia Power customers not being saddled with $2.6 billion in overrun capital costs for the Plant Vogtle expansion. [Georgia Recorder]

Have a truly worthwhile day.

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Opinion:

¶ “What’s A Fair Tax On EV Drivers? It’s Debatable, But Texas Is Definitely Gouging Us” • Road construction and maintenance is largely funded by gasoline taxes, so a car that uses no gasoline is not paying its fair share of costs. In Texas, a one-time $400 fee when an EV is purchased plus an annual $200 fee going forward covers this – and then some. [CleanTechnica]

Road work (Robert Linder, Unsplash, cropped)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Songbirds In The Hot Seat As Climate Change Impacts Alarm Calls” • An international study predicted that high temperatures caused by climate change will impact the ability of the common songbirds great tits (Parus major) to sound the alarm and scare off predators, potentially impacting the species future. The birds are sensitive to heat. [The University of Western Australia]

¶ “The Race Is On To Tap A Source Of Clean Energy Beneath Our Feet” • Hot, dry rocks lie below the surface everywhere on the planet. And by using advanced drilling techniques developed by the oil and gas industry, some experts think it’s possible to tap that larger store of heat and create geothermal energy almost anywhere. [The Japan Times]

Monkey in a hot spring (Steven Diaz, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Kia Announces Efforts To Clean Up Oceans And Better Inform The Public About EVs” • Recent press releases from Kia tell two stories of the company’s environmental work. Kia is supporting efforts to remove plastics and other garbage from the ocean, and has an upcoming event it’s attending to help educate the public about EVs. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Fisker Expands In Canada And Three European Countries, Showing It Understands The Truck Market” • Three different stories about Fisker give us a look into the company’s plans for global expansion, and we also see that the company “gets it” when it comes to the Alaska truck (which should be a good seller in the States). [CleanTechnica]

Fisker Ocean Force E (Fisker image)

¶ “Government Greenlights Plans To Build A Massive, $700 Million ‘Water Battery’ That Will Help Prevent Power Outages” • The energy company Drax Group has the Scottish government’s go-ahead to build a £500 million ($634 million) “water battery.” The pumped storage hydro plant is part of a plan to strengthen the UK’s power grid. [Yahoo News]

¶ “Newfoundland Picks Four Wind Projects To Power Hydrogen Plants” • Canada’s gusty Atlantic province of Newfoundland and Labrador selected four companies to develop wind farms to supply power for new hydrogen plants, conditional on further approvals. They would help Canada fulfill a pledge to supply green hydrogen to Germany by 2025. [Reuters]

Houses in Newfoundland (Erik Mclean, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Deadly Tropical Storm Idalia Floods Parts Of South Carolina After Pummeling Florida” • Idalia weakened to a tropical storm as it dumped heavy rain, unleashed strong winds and knocked out power in parts of southern Georgia and the Carolinas, just hours after pummeling Florida’s west coast and inundating communities there with floodwater. [CNN]

¶ “The Ways Hurricane Idalia Made History” • Hurricane Idalia made history, proving to be a once-in-a-lifetime storm for parts of Florida. After rapid intensification over warm Gulf waters, it was the most powerful hurricane to make landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region in more than 125 years. And it set records for storm surge from Tampa to the Big Bend. [CNN]

Flooding from Hurricane Idalia (Andrew Heneen, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “TEMPO Instrument Captures Its First Images Of Air Pollution Over Greater North America” • The first images, collected once per hour over a six-hour time window August 2, give a preview of TEMPO’s ability to track nitrogen dioxide on an hourly basis in geographic areas as small as four square miles, about the size of the National Mall in Washington, DC. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Hope In Michigan: One Policy, Big Impact” • The Michigan legislature appears to be pursuing a clean energy standard that requires 60% of utility electricity be from renewable or nuclear energy by 2030, and 100% by 2035. This is more ambitious than what was first proposed, and Governor Gretchen Whitmer said she will support that effort. [CleanTechnica]

Marquette, Michigan (Gary Meulemans, Unsplash)

¶ “Motiv Power Systems Introduces New Electric Truck Series” • California-based Motiv Power Systems introduced the its Argo Series electric trucks. They can be used for various applications, such as shuttle buses, box trucks, step vans, and refrigerated vehicles. Motiv Power Systems CEO Tim Krauskopf provided some insights. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Alliant Energy Reports Over 50% Of Energy From Renewable Sources” • Alliant Energy, the third-largest windpower operator in the US, increased production by 25% from 2021 levels. Its Iowa utility increased the share of renewable energy to its customers by double digits, raising the percentage of renewable energy for retail customers to 52.7%. [Corridor Business Journal]

Iowa wind turbines (Drew Hays, Unsplash)

¶ “Hochul Inks Indian Point Bill But Radiological Waste Debate Rages On” • The owners of the shuttered Indian Point nuclear plant planned to dump a million gallons of radiological water into the Hudson River. State Senator Pete Harckham introduced a bill to make such a discharge illegal. Now the bill is passed, and Governor Hochul has signed it into law. [Yahoo News]

¶ “Xcel Energy Seeks License Extension For Monticello Nuclear Plant” • The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission granted Xcel Energy approval to extend operations of the Monticello nuclear plant through 2040, increasing the storage of spent nuclear fuel at the site. The utility is also asking the NRC to extend the plant’s license. [Power Engineering]

Have a reassuringly fulfilling day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “The Bacteria That Can Capture Carbon” • Scientists have recently discovered a microbe, a type of cyanobacteria, off the coast of a volcanic island near Sicily, that eats carbon dioxide “astonishingly quickly.” The microbes found in September 2022 are “hyper-efficient at taking up CO₂ through photosynthesis,” one scientist said. [BBC]

Cyanobacteria (Luke Thompson and Nikki Watson, CC1)

¶ “Kia And Wallbox Partner For Bidirectional EV Charging” • This article shares some news from Kia and Wallbox America about their plan to offer bidirectional charging, as they are collaborating to introduce bidirectional charging to Kia’s EV9 customers. But the start gives readers unfamiliar with V2X technology a quick primer on it. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Chinese People Are Living Two Years Longer Thanks To ‘War On Pollution,’ Report Says” • Ten years ago, China’s capital was often covered in thick yellow and gray smog. The air quality was so bad that Chinese leaders launched a multibillion-dollar “war against pollution.” A decade on, China’s pollution levels had fallen 42%. [CNN]

Great Wall (Hanson Lu, Unsplash)

¶ “China Promised Climate Action. Its Emissions Topped US, EU, And India Combined” • China produces about 30% of the world’s total emissions – more than the US, the EU and India combined, according to Global Carbon Budget 2022. More than any other country, China holds the power to make or break global efforts to prevent a climate catastrophe. [Al Jazeera]

¶ “Still Enormous Coal Use And Growth In China And India” • China and India together consumed 67% of total global coal production in 2022, as China burned 52% and India accounted for 15%. Although both countries are also installing massive amounts of renewables, their consumption of coal is unlikely to decline for some time. [CleanTechnica]

Burning coal (Juan Encalada, Unsplash)

¶ “Oz First Nations Player Signs Solar, Storage Agreements” • Desert Springs Octopus, a majority Indigenous owned and operated company backed Octopus Australia, has announced renewable energy Benefit Sharing Agreements with Northern Territory community organisations for a total of 160 to 230 MW of solar PVs with battery backup. [reNews]

¶ “Fossil Fuels’ Share In EU Power Mix At Lowest Level Since Records Began” • Fossil fuels produced just 33% of EU power in the first half of 2023, the lowest share in records going back to 1990, think tank Ember said. The main reason was lower demand for electricity, which meant the rising renewable energy output could meet more of the demand. [Reuters]

Hallstatt, Austria (Joss Woodhead, Unsplash)

¶ “Chris Bowen’s Five Reasons Why Nuclear Is Wrong For Australia” • After 10 years of denial and delay on climate action, Chris Bowen, the Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy, says he is not interested in more years of distraction by nuclear energy, an energy source that “clearly doesn’t stack up for our country.” [Proactive Investors]

US:

¶ “EPA Reduces Federally Protected Waters By More Than Half After Supreme Court Ruling” • The Environmental Protection Agency and US Army released a new rule that reduces federally protected water by over half. A Supreme Court decision in May had rolled back protections for US wetlands. By acerage, 63% of US wetlands could be impacted. [CNN]

Wetlands (p j, Unsplash)

¶ “Hurricane Idalia Is Expected To Hit Florida As A Category 4 Storm. Officials Warn Of ‘Potential For Death And Catastrophic Devastation’” • The National Hurricane Center warned Hurricane Idalia could hit Florida’s west coast as an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm on Wednesday morning, as Idalia continued to intensify and churn toward the state. [CNN]

¶ “What Is A Storm Surge And Why Is It Deadly?” • As Hurricane Idalia barrels towards Florida, over 1.5 million people in 28 counties have been asked to evacuate due to its potential storm surge. The “life-threatening” coastal flood could bring ocean water up 10 to 15 feet (3-5 m) above ground level, the National Weather Service said. [BBC]

Hurricane approaching (Craig Cameron, Unsplash)

¶ “Biden DOJ Tells Court There Is No Constitutional Right To A Stable Climate” • Our Children’s Trust developed a legal theory that a lack of government action on climate change infringes on rights to life, liberty, and equal protection as set forth in the 14th Amendment. The DOJ said “there is no constitutional right to a stable climate system.” [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US Department Of The Treasury Releases Guidance On Inflation Reduction Act Provision” • The US Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service released proposed rules on key provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act to ensure clean energy jobs are good-paying jobs with a robust, diverse pipeline of workers. [CleanTechnica]

Worker on the job (IWSI America image)

¶ “There’s A Vast Source Of Clean Energy Beneath Our Feet, And A Race To Tap It” • In a sagebrush valley full of wind turbines and solar panels in western Utah, a drilling rig transplanted from the oil fields of North Dakota. But the softly whirring rig was not searching for fossil fuels. It was drilling for heat, which could be just as powerful for fighting climate change. [Yahoo]

¶ “Biden-Harris Administration Holds First-Ever Gulf Of Mexico Offshore Wind Energy Auction” • The Interior Departmentheld the first offshore wind auction for the Gulf of Mexico region. RWE Offshore US Gulf, LLC won the Lake Charles Lease Area, with a potential to generate approximately 1.24 GW of offshore wind capacity. [US Department of the Interior]

Have a cheeringly lovely day.

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Opinion:

¶ “We Need A Cash For Stinkers Program” • Like the Cash for Clunkers program of the financial crisis, we need a ‘Cash for Stinkers’ program to battle the climate crisis. Its goals would be to slow climate change, create a more just subsidy policy, and get ICE stinkers off the road, while making EVs more affordable for owners of the most polluting vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

Tired car (david latorre romero, Unsplash)

¶ “Automakers Try To Dodge Their EV Commitments” • Car commercials and public pronouncements sure make it sounds like automakers are all in on EVs. But contrary to their public commitments, automakers are trying to head off new federal standards that could bring about the transition to EVs that they claim to support. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Did Hunting Mammoths To Extinction Kick Off Climate Change?” • For most people interested in climate change, it all started with the industrial revolution, but that’s only when it went into overdrive. The rise of agriculture, mass deforestation, and the destruction of native species had already led to smaller but still significant changes in the climate. [CleanTechnica]

Steppe Mammoth (April Pethybridge, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Schools Egged, Businesses Harassed: Japan Suffers Chinese Backlash Over Fukushima Release” • Online harassment and vitriol directed at Japanese people following the release of treated radioactive wastewater from Fukushima has sent tensions between Japan and China soaring, prompting Tokyo to summon the Chinese ambassador. [CNN]

¶ “Chevron: Workers At Major Australia Gas Facilities To Strike” • Workers at two large liquefied natural gas plants in Australia, operated by US energy giant Chevron, are set to go on strike from 7 September, in a move that could drive up global prices. The Wheatstone and Gorgon sites produce more than 5% of the world’s LNG. [BBC]

Chevron LNG tanker (Chevron image)

¶ “Climate Change Has Ravaged India’s Rice Stock. Now Its Export Ban Could Deepen A Global Food Crisis” • Last month, India announced a ban on exporting non-basmati white rice in a bid to calm rising prices at home and ensure food security. India has since followed with more restrictions on its rice exports, triggering fears of global food shortages. [CNN]

¶ “Drought Threatens Shipping On World Waterways” • Today, 90% of all goods travel by ship at some point. But thanks in part to emissions from ships, drought conditions in several parts of the world have lowered the water level in many rivers and canals to the point where ships can no longer carry some cargoes to their destinations. [CleanTechnica]

Panama Canal (Wellington Luck, Panama Canal Authority)

¶ “Toyota Corolla Killer? The BYD Dolphin!” • With a price point of less than A$40,000 ($25,780) and 410 km of range, the BYD Dolphin is not only competing with its fellow triplets (the MG 4 and the ORA Cat) but also with similarly sized ICE cars. We now have a full battery electric car that is cheaper than the hybrid Toyota Corolla! [CleanTechnica]

¶ “World’s Largest Floating Offshore Wind Farm Officially Opened” • The Hywind Tampen wind farm was opened recently by Crown Prince Haakon of Norway. Gullfaks and Snorre are the first oil and gas fields in the world to receive power from offshore wind, reducing CO₂ emissions. The Hywind Tampen wind farm has a capacity of 88 MW. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Crown Prince Haakon (Ole Jørgen Bratland, Equinor)

¶ “$3 Billion Rewiring The Nation Deal To Power Wa Jobs And Growth” • The governments of Australia and Western Australia signed an agreement to further Western Australia’s growth of affordable and more secure renewable energy. The deal will bolster WA’s energy security by expanding and modernising the electricity grids. [Prime Minister of Australia]

US:

¶ “Tropical Storm Idalia Is Expected To Rapidly Intensify As It Aims For Florida’s Gulf Coast, Threatening To Hit As A Category 3 Hurricane” • Florida is bracing for “major impact” as Tropical Storm Idalia is expected to strengthen rapidly into a Category 3 hurricane aiming for its Gulf Coast, threatening dangerous storm surge and winds, authorities said. [CNN]

Expected path of Idalia (NOAA image)

¶ “FEMA Announces $3 Billion For Climate Resiliency As Time Runs Low For Congress To Replenish Its Disaster Fund” • In a year that is breaking records for disasters, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has announced nearly $3 billion to help communities build resiliency against climate change-fueled extreme weather. [CNN]

¶ “California Gas Utility Settles With AG After Greenwashing Allegations” • In 2019, Southern California Gas Company made multiple claims falsely portraying its natural gas as “renewable,” when 95% of  it was fossil natural gas. Recently, the California Attorney General reached a settlement, which included a fine and retraction statement. [CleanTechnica]

Aliso Canyon natural gas plant (Scott L, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “After Blistering Summer, Texas Voters To Decide If Billions Should Go To Power Plants” • Grid operator ERCOT barely kept up with record electricity demands in the summer heat in Texas. Voters will decide whether the state government should set up a multi-billion dollar program to encourage construction of more traditional power plants. [NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth]

¶ “Convicted Ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder Moved To Oklahoma Prison To Begin His 20-Year Sentence” • Larry Householder was one of those convicted in March of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise involving bribery and money laundering in a $1 billion bailout for a nuclear plant. Now he is in Oklahoma. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Have a nicely ordered day.

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(, CC-BY-SA 3.0) km² CO₂ NH₃ CH₄ ₹ NOₓ ‽ ♦♦♦♦♦

Opinion:

¶ “Can California Cropland Be Repurposed For Community Solar?” • When you think of solar power, California undoubtedly comes to mind. But surprisingly, its community solar programs haven’t been able to gain traction. Out of the 5,700 MW of all installed community solar in the country, less than 1% of that is in California. That may change. [CleanTechnica]

Solar array (Courtesy of Argonne National Laboratory)

¶ “Too Reliant On Natural Gas, Florida Needs A Plan For Energy Security” • Florida temperatures are breaking records, and heat indexes have hit 110°F in some areas. As Florida grapples with intense temperatures and increasing energy demands, we must prioritize the development of an affordable and reliable energy security plan for the state. [Tampa Bay Times]

Science and Technology:

¶ “We Reviewed More Than 150 Papers On Water Management. Here’s What We Learned” • Hydroeconomic modeling is a tool for water management. It gets complicated when you balance water use by people, agriculture, ecosystems, energy production, and recreation. Now add flood management, politics, economics, and climate change! [CleanTechnica]

Snake River, Grand Tetons (Elton Menefee, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “The Other ‘Niño’ That Fuels The Most Destructive Atlantic Hurricanes” • Scientists are starting to study closely a weather phenomenon they had know about for years. Called the “Atlantic Niño,” it may have an outsized influence on a hurricane season’s destructive potential, since they fuel some of the Atlantic Oceans’ most intense storms. [BBC]

¶ “China’s Summer Of Climate Destruction” • China’s summer this year has seen both extreme heat and devastating floods, which struck areas where such weather has been unheard of. Scientists, who blame climate change, warn that the worst is yet to come. The crop loss in Heilongjiang Province alone had major impacts on the country’s food supplies. [BBC]

Farm field in Heilongjiang Province (Jay Fang, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Schneider Electric And FAS Form A Partnership To Bring Renewable Energy To Communities In The Amazon” • Schneider Electric and Fundacão Amazonia Sustentável agreed to identify and implement ways for indigenous and riverside communities to gain access renewable energy to reduce carbon emissions in the Legal Amazon region. [MarketScreener]

¶ “Suzlon Picks Up 201.6-MW Indian Order” • Suzlon Group has secured an order of more than 201 MW for its 3-MW series of wind turbines from Teq Green Power XI Private, part of O2 Power Private. The agreement will see Suzlon install 64 of its largest wind turbine generators with a Hybrid Lattice Tubular tower and a capacity of 3.15 MW. [reNews]

Suzlon turbine (Suzlon image)

¶ “How Solar Power Is Heralding The Global Energy Revolution” • This year, the world will install as much solar power as existed globally in 2017. Next year, 2018’s total will be added to existing levels. In these two years, worldwide solar capacity will almost double. If Bloomberg NEF is correct in their forecasts, an energy revolution is under way. [The National]

¶ “European Energy To Build 65-MW Solar Plant In Lithuania” • European Energy, a Danish renewable energy company, plans to build a 65-MW solar project in Anyksciai, Lithuania. Considered to be one of the largest solar farms till date in the Baltics, the new plant is expected to be operational in the fourth quarter of this year. [Power Technology]

Solar farm (European Energy image)

¶ “French Energy Regulator: Nuclear Alone Not Enough For Carbon Neutrality” • If France is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, it must integrate renewables into its energy mix, according to the head of the country’s energy regulator, RTE, who believes nuclear power alone will not be enough to do it. France needs to diversify further its energy mix. [EURACTIV.com]

US:

¶ “The Kia EV9 Might Be The 3-Row EV For The Rest Of Us” • If you have four or five kids, the options for EVs are not great, and nothing is cheap. That’s why the Kia EV9, which the company announced recently, is exciting. Though the company has not yet released the price, it will almost certainly be less expensive than a large Tesla or Rivian. [CleanTechnica]

Kia EV9 (Kia image)

¶ “Agrivoltaics To Save US Farmland From Buildings” • Partly fueled by misinformation about climate change, some people argue that solar power is not a proper use of farmland, missing the more significant loss of land to development. Agrivoltaics, the dual use of farmland with solar arrays, can be the solution to farmland loss, not the cause. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Maui Fires: Upcoming Bankruptcy Spikes Visitor Costs To All Islands Except Kauai” • Many expect the behemoth Hawaiian Electric Company to be forced into bankruptcy by the recent Maui wildfires. HECO supplies all of Hawaii’s electricity, except for what is used on the island of Kauai, which has its own power company and uses renewables. [Beat of Hawaii]

Remembering Maui (Benjamin Rascoe, Unsplash)

¶ “US Launches Marine Energy Research Fund” • The US Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office is to provide multi-million dollar funding to support marine energy research in the country. WPTO expects to release this funding opportunity in fall 2023 in partnership with DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office. [reNews]

¶ “Texas Launches ‘Virtual Power Plants’ To Strengthen Electric Grid” • The Public Utility Commission of Texas announced two virtual power plants are now able to provide power to the electric grid. These virtual power plants are bundles of small devices, like backup generators and EV chargers, owned by consumers, many customers with Tesla Electric. [KVII]

Have a perfectly pleasant day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Technologies To Enhance The Power Grid Exist, We Just Need To Deploy Them” • The Inflation Reduction Act is pushing the US toward a clean energy future. Unfortunately, our existing transmission system limitations threaten to undermine the law’s clean energy potential. Thankfully, new technologies are poised to integrate more renewable capacity. [MSN]

Transmission lines (Andrey Metelev, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “How Wind Can Help Us Breathe Easier” • Windpower gives us energy that does not contribute to global warming or pollute the air. But what is the monetary value of this benefit? Multiplying CO₂ avoided by the social cost of carbon results in a benefit of $99/MWh for wind generation. That exceeds the value of the same energy from fossil fuels. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Zika, Dengue Transmission Expected To Rise With Climate Change” • There were 1,016 deaths in Brazil due to dengue hit a record high in 2022, in four digits for the first time. The sobering number is expected to be even higher in 2023. Transmission of arboviruses could increase by 20% over the next 30 years due to climate change. [The Good Men Project]

Protection from mosquitoes (Aarón Blanco Tejedor, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “A Losing Battle To Save The Lungs Of Athens As Wildfires Grip Greece” • Fires are raging across Greece, and with so many frontlines there are simply not enough firefighters in the country to stop them. You can feel them in the parched air scratching at your throat and stinging your eyes. Breathing is hard and the air is thick with acrid smoke. [CNN]

¶ “The Indigenous Groups Fighting Against The Quest For ‘White Gold’” • “Our land is drying up and our water is polluted,” said a protester at a roadblock in the village of Purmamarca, high in the Andes. The village is in what has become known as the “lithium triangle,” a stretch of mountains that holds the world’s biggest reserves of lithium. [BBC]

Purmamarca (Telmo Filho, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “38% Of New Cars Now Plugin Cars In Netherlands!” • The Netherlands saw an increase in plugin registrations to 10,922 units in July, with the Dutch plugin vehicle market reaching 38% last month. That kept the year-to-date score at 42%. That’s mostly thanks to pure electrics (25% of new vehicle sales), which jumped 43% year over year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “EV Fast Charger Integration At Car Dealerships” • Jule, a North American EV charger manufacturer, offers auto dealers a way to lower their total cost of ownership for the EV chargers they install. The Jule EV charging systems include an on site storage battery that minimizes utility upgrade costs and helps avoid the demand charges. [CleanTechnica]

Chargers at a dealership (Courtesy Jule)

¶ “Hydropower In Africa Faces An Uncertain Future” • Africa’s reliance on hydropower could be headed for trouble as rapidly falling costs of solar and wind power and the impacts of climate change make the viability of future projects questionable, a study says. It shows 67% of future hydropower plants in the continent may not be worth the investment. [ZAWYA]

¶ “Brazil Has 189 GW Of Offshore Wind Power In The Pipeline” • Brazil has 189 GW of offshore wind projects currently under license at Ibama. Power generation from offshore wind is a still unexplored market in the country, but companies expect it to develop rapidly once the regulatory framework is approved and the first auctions begin. [Evwind]

Offshore wind farm (Ørsted image)

US:

¶ “As Young Conservatives Try To Get Climate On The Agenda In 2024, Denial Takes The Spotlight Instead” • During the debate, a young voter asked Republican candidates about the climate crisis. The answers showed candidates were out of touch with the 55% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who say human activity is changing the world’s climate. [CNN]

¶ “Unlocking Hydropower’s Potential” • Hydropower has been around a while. The first commercial hydropower plant was operating in California in 1893. But hydropower’s consistency, flexibility, and dispatchability have made it essential to the grid and to our clean energy transition. Today NREL researchers are maximizing its value. [CleanTechnica]

Small hydro dam (Scott DeNeale, ORNL, US DOE)

¶ “Court Finds That Southeast Market Transmission Scheme Protects Monopolies” • In the US South, powerful utilities created an energy trading market in 2021 that favored their expensive, carbon-intensive resources over the clean energy produced by independent generators. A court found it violates rules against monopolies. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “ERCOT Issues Conservation Request Saturday Ahead Of Expected Tight Grid Conditions” • ERCOT and the Public Utility Commission of Texas asked Texans to reduce their use of energy, if they could do so safely, on Saturday afternoon. Emergency operations were avoided due to Texas residents and businesses conserving energy. [NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth]

Texas landscape (Alyssa Kibiloski, Unsplash)

¶ “Homeowners Are Having To Pay Higher Insurance Premiums; Here’s Why Climate Change Is To Be Blamed” • A report said around 17% of homeowners’ insurance policies in Louisiana were canceled last year, and over two-thirds of policies had higher costs compared to other states. In climate-vulnerable states, some insurers went bankrupt. [Market Realist]

¶ “State Of Texas Wins Ongoing Battle With The NRC” • Texas brought a suit against the NRC over a license it issued for nuclear waste storage. The court ruled, “The Atomic Energy Act does not confer on the Commission the broad authority it claims to issue licenses for private parties to store spent nuclear fuel away-from-the-reactor.” [Newswest 9]

Have a charmingly entertaining day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Oz Is Just Barmy About Hydrogen: Smart Energy Council Presentation Q&A” • Michael Barnard spoke at a Smart Energy Council webinar with over 300 mostly Australian participants. He made predictions about transportation, saying almost all of it would electrify. He followed this with a question and answer session with the participants. [CleanTechnica]

Electric aircraft (Evia Aero, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Partnering With Beavers To Adapt To Climate Change” • To mitigate climate change and adapt to a warming planet we need as many partners as we can get. This includes embracing nature as a key ally. Estimates suggest that nature-based solutions can provide 37% of the mitigation needed to keep climate warming to less than 2°C. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “The Rival To The Panama Canal That Was Never Built” • The Panama Canal is essential to global trade, but a recent drought has left large numbers of ships waiting to pass along it, raising questions about whether an alternative route between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans is needed. The idea about a different route is coming up again. [BBC]

Ship in the Panama Canal (Paul Harrison, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Four Million Children In Pakistan Have No Safe Water, A Year After Deadly Floods” • One year after floods devastated swathes of Pakistan, UNICEF, the UN children’s agency, said it estimates that eight million people living in flood-affected areas of the country are still living without clean water. Around four milliion of them are children, [CNN]

¶ “PEI Asserts Its ‘Clear Authority’ Over Wind Farms And Solar” • The Prince Edward Island government has made regulatory changes under the Renewable Energy Act to give itself “clear authority” to issue permits for solar and wind farms, including within municipal boundaries. The move will allow projects to go ahead even if the local council is opposed. [CBC]

Wind turbine at PEI (Sktaxpayers, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “24% Of New Cars In France Now Plugin Cars” • Plugin vehicles continue to rise in France, with last month’s plugin registrations at 31,275 units, divided between 17,218 battery EVs (13% share of the overall auto market) and 14,057 plugin hybrids (11% share of the market). The former jumped 46% year over year, while the latter were up by 30%. [CleanTechnica]

US:

¶ “Colorado Makes Buildings More Livable, Less Polluting” • Colorado has passed nation-leading standards that will reduce climate-damaging emissions from large buildings. The Building Performance Standard will decrease greenhouse gas emissions from large commercial and residential buildings 20% by 2030, so Colorado can meet its climate goals. [CleanTechnica]

Denver (Logan Bonjean, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Green Mountain Power Expands Residential Storage Plan To All” • Vermont utility Green Mountain Power is one of the most progressive utilities in America. In 2015, it started a small pilot program that made Tesla Powerwall residential storage batteries available to a limited number of customers. Now, the program has been expanded. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “‘Thank You, Big Oil’ Campaign Targets Fossil Fuel Companies” • This week, drivers traveling on highways in Phoenix, Austin, and Fresno will see prominent billboards displaying a map of record-breaking temperatures that have been recorded across the US this summer. Its words read, “Brought to you by Big Oil,” by ThankYouBigOil.com. [CleanTechnica]

ThankYouBigOil bilboard (Bill McKibbon, via Twitter)

¶ “Governor Hochul Announces New York’s First State-Owned Energy Storage System Is Operating” • Governor Kathy Hochul announced that New York’s first state-owned battery project is operating in Franklin County. The 20-MW facility installed and operated by the New York Power Authority connects into the state’s electric grid. [Governor Kathy Hochul]

¶ “Clean Power Increases, Fossil Fuels Decline In California” • California Energy Commission’s System Electric Generation report reveals massive increases in generation by solar and wind power, decreased natural gas generation, and a nearly complete phase-out of coal in the state’s power mix. Solar had the greatest increase. [Environment+Energy Leader]

Solar array (California Energy Commission)

¶ “Biden’s Climate Bill Brings Investments And Jobs To Many Gop Strongholds” • It’s become commonplace to find workers installing solar PV panels on the roofs of homes in states like California or Arizona. But in West Virginia, it’s still a rare sight. That’s slowly changing, however, partly due to President Biden’s signature climate law. [Louisville Public Media]

¶ “Residents And Elected Officials Blast Utility Over Historic Wyoming Rate Hike” • Rocky Mountain Power proposed to hike power rates in Wyoming by an average of 29.2%. Extreme cold, heat, and drought last year spiked demand for electricity, forcing the utility to purchase natural gas, coal, and power at premium prices. Of course, critics blame renewables. [WyoFile]

Wind turbines in Wyoming (CGP Grey, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “USDA Officials Tout Solar Projects In Minnesota” • Federal officials made a stop at the Minnesota State Fair to tout new pilot projects combining solar power and agriculture in what is termed “agrivoltaics.” It puts solar electricity generation on the land alongside farming. Two projects are examples, one in Big Lake, and another in Ramsey. [Twin Cities Business]

¶ “TVA Reverses Course, Won’t Sell Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant; Future Use For Facility Undecided” • Seven years after voting to sell its Bellefonte nuclear plant site, the Tennessee Valley Authority decided to keep the Jackson County, Alabama, power plant for another potential use. The use they intend is not clear. [Chattanooga Times Free Press]

Have a grandly gorgeous day.

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Opinion:

¶ “My Descent Into A Nuclear Waste Grave” • Erika Benke wrote of her experience of Onkalo, where Finland will begin depositing spent nuclear fuel underground in a few years. Onkalo, which lies 450 m (1,480 ft) below the Earth’s surface, is made  up of tunnels hewn in living rock to store highly radioactive waste for 100,000 years. [BBC]

Onkalo Deep Repository (Posiva.fi, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Science and Technology:

¶ “A Sustainable Solution: Compostable Wind Turbine Blades” • Polymer composites expert Valeria La Saponara, a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UC Davis, has a vision to develop compostable, ecologically sound wind turbine blades from bamboo and mycelium, the fungal rootlike system. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Huge Colonies Of Emperor Penguins Saw No Chicks Survive Last Year As Sea Ice Disappears” • In the Bellingshausen Sea, four out of five emperor penguin colonies analyzed saw no chicks at all survive last year as the area experienced an enormous loss of sea ice, according to a study in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment. [CNN]

Penguins (Michael Van Woert, NOAA NESDIS, ORA)

¶ “Maritime Wind Energy Plot Thickens As UK Startup Applies F1 Know-How” • A time for oceanic wind power is returning. The “hard sail” era is dawning and cargo shippers are already starting to put the ball in motion. They will have one more option to choose from if all goes according to plan for the UK startup GT Green Energy Technologies. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “UK Renewables Industry Rejects Market Reform Proposals” • The cost of electricity will “inevitably rise for consumers” if plans for an overhaul of the market go ahead, say three UK trade associations representing over 800 renewable energy companies. The scheme would mean that the wholesale price of electricity would vary across Great Britain. [reNews]

Solar panels (EDF image)

¶ “Winds of Change” • The Kipeto Wind Power Project is about 30 miles southwest of Nairobi. It has sixty turbines that together generate 100 MW, enough to power tens of thousands of homes. Local vulture populations have been declining due to poisons, but concerns that the wind farm will harm them have been allayed. [The Nature Conservancy]

US:

¶ “Houston Issues Mandatory Water Restrictions Due To Intense Heat, Worsening Drought” • Faced with a fast-spreading, extreme drought and blistering heat, Houston public officials announced that outdoor water restrictions are now mandatory across the city as water pressure drops. Scientists say heat and drought are both linked to climate change. [CNN]

Part of the water supply (Alexander Hatley, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “Maui County Sues The Utility Hawaiian Electric Over Wildfire Negligence” • Maui County is suing Hawaiian Electric, saying it failed to turn off electric equipment before wildfires started on the island. If power lines had been switched off for exceptionally high winds and dry conditions, the destruction could have been avoided, the lawsuit said. [BBC]

¶ “Republican Debate: What They Said (And Didn’t Say) About Climate” • One of the Republican debate’s most illuminating moments came 20 minutes in. The reaction to it was swift and – among some young people and scientists – angry. Nikki Haley was the only candidate who said climate change was real, in the short discussion on the subject. [BBC]

Nikki Haley in 2021 (Glenn Youngkin, public domain)

¶ “El Niño Means An Even Floodier Future Is On The Coastal Horizon” • High-tide flooding in the US, which is measured by NOAA tide gauges that continuously record surrounding water levels, occurs nearly three times as often today as it did in 2000, and the frequency is accelerating along most Atlantic and Gulf Coast locations. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “At Last, The Vision Of The Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition Is Realized” • When Grand Canyon National Park was established in 1919, Indigenous Peoples were forced off their land. Since that time, tribes in the region have been working to regain access to and greater protections for their ancestral homes. Now that goal is being achieved. [CleanTechnica]

Grand Canyon (Omer Nezih Gerek, Unsplash)

¶ “For First Time, 50% Of California Diesel Fuel Is Replaced By Clean Fuels” • California hit an important milestone in its shift away from polluting fuels, with clean fuels replacing over 50% of the diesel oil sold in the first quarter of this year. California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard requires fuel producers to reduce the carbon intensity of fuels. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Anchorage Will Likely See Higher Bills With LNG Imports, But Some Say Renewables Could Delay That” • Alaska utilities that use natural gas from Cook Inlet to heat homes and generate electricity will, in the future, need to look elsewhere, as supplies of accessible gas will decline. Conservation and renewable energy could delay that. [Alaska Public Media]

Transmission lines in Anchorage (Chugach Electric)

¶ “Construction Of A Photovoltaic Plant Starts In Texas To Supply Solar Power To Facebook” • Iberdrola’s US subsidiary Avangrid has begun construction of the 240-MW True North PV plant in Falls County, Texas. It will supply electricity to power the operations of Meta, the parent company of the social network Facebook, in the region. [Evwind]

¶ “US Department Of Energy Projects Strong Growth In US Wind Power Sector” • The US DOE released three annual reports showing that wind power is one of the fastest growing and lowest cost sources of electricity in America and is set for rapid growth. Wind power accounted for 22% of generating capacity installed in the US in 2022. [Department of Energy]

Have a wholly meritorious day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Two New Approaches To Wind-Powered Ships” • Cargill chartered the The Pyxis Ocean to carry a cargo of grain from China to Brazil. The ship was recently retrofitted with wing sails at a shipyard in Shanghai. Also, Odfjell says it is partnering with bound4blue, a pioneering developer of wind-assisted propulsion technology. [CleanTechnica]

Odjfell tanker (Image courtesy of Odjfell)

¶ “Got Climate Change? Methane-Eating Bacteria To The Rescue!” • Researchers at California University Long Beach have studied this subject and determined there are certain bacteria that thrive in methane-rich environments. They eat methane, or CH₄, and turn it into biomass and carbon dioxide, CO₂. And CO₂ is much better than CH₄. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “BYU Professors Use Special Bacteria To Turn Waste Into Renewable Energy” • Anaerobic digesters convert cow manure into biogas fuel, but they are limited to a modest efficiency of 30% to 40%. Now, research led by a team of BYU professors is making the process faster and more efficient by pretreating the waste with special bacteria. [BYU News]

Cows (Andy Kelly, Unsplash)

Fukushima Waste Water Release:

¶ “Japan Begins Releasing Treated Radioactive Water From The Fukushima Nuclear Plant Into The Sea” • The operator of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power says it has begun releasing treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean. The controversial wastewater dumping project is expected to last for decades. [NBC Chicago]

¶ “China Bans Seafood From Japan After Tokyo Begins Releasing Treated Radioactive Water” • China announced it was banning all seafood from Japan in response to Tokyo’s decision to start the release of treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, dramatically escalating an already tense feud between the two neighbors. [CNN]

Seafood (Max Mota, Unsplash)

¶ “What Are The Concerns Over Waste Water Release?” • Since the Fukushima disaster, TEPCO has been pumping in water to cool the nuclear reactors’ fuel rods. Every day the plant produces contaminated water, which is stored in massive tanks. Releasing treated waste water into the ocean is a routine for nuclear plants, but this is on a far bigger scale. [BBC]

World:

¶ “Parts Of The Tropical Rainforests Could Get Too Hot For Photosynthesis, Study Suggests” • Some leaves in tropical forests from South America to South East Asia are getting so hot they may no longer be able to photosynthesize, with big potential consequences for the world’s forests, a study says. Photosynthesis can fail at around 46.7°C (116°F). [CNN]

Tropical forest (Martin Zangerl, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Ecuador Rejects Oil Drilling In National Park” • Ecuador’s voters resoundingly supported referendums to block oil drilling in a biodiverse rainforest and gold mining in the Chocó Andino on Sunday. With more than 90% of ballots counted, 58% of Ecuadorians voted to ban new oil drilling in Yasuní national park in the Amazon rainforest. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Construction Has Started At Africa’s First Dedicated Gigawatt-Hour Battery Factory In Cape Town” • Over the past ten years, South Africa has imported over $10 billion worth of solar panels, inverters, and battery materials. A quarter of that was imported in the first half of 2023. A battery plant is being built in South Africa to help meet demand. [CleanTechnica]

Solar MD site in Cape Town (Courtesy of Solar MD)

¶ “Renewable Energy Manufacturing In Southeast Asia Can Generate $90 Billion To $100 Billion In Revenue By 2030” • The Southeast Asian region could lose up to 30% of its gross domestic product by 2050 due to increases in heat and extreme weather events. Bolstering the region’s renewable energy manufacturing capacity could improve its outlook. [PR Newswire]

¶ “Slow Expansion Of Wind Power In Southern Germany Is ‘Depressing’ – Scholz” • German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called the sluggish rollout of wind power in the south of the country “depressing” and warned that the three southern states – Hesse, Baden-Wurttemberg, and Bavaria – must act quickly to increase installations. [Clean Energy Wire]

Bavaria (Markus Spiske, Unsplash)

¶ “‘Takes Longer’ And ‘Costs More’: Treasurer Snubs Nuclear Energy As A Viable Option” • Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers has snubbed nuclear power as a viable option, saying it “takes longer” and “costs more.” Mr Chalmers claimed Australia is better suited for renewables and has more options in clean energy. He said renewable energy is cheapest. [Sky News Australia]

US:

¶ “Battery-Electric Fishing Vessel Marks A Sea Change For Small Commercial Fishers” • This fall, a 46-foot commercial fishing boat will cruise into Sitka, Alaska, and cut its diesel engine. An electric motor will whir to life, marking a sea change for Sitka’s small-boat commercial fishing industry: a transition to energy-efficient commercial fishing. [CleanTechnica]

Fishing boat to have hybrid system (Eric Jordan via NREL)

¶ “Extreme Heat Makes Electricity More Expensive, More Polluting, And Less Reliable” • Extreme heat has hit hard lately from coast to coast this year. The direct health impact of heat stress is bad enough, and dangerous. But extreme heat also hits our electricity system in ways that make it more expensive, more polluting, and less reliable.  [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Avangrid Announces Its First Solar Project In California” • Avangrid has confirmed a decision to build its first solar project in California. The 44-MW Camino Solar project will be built by Cupertino Electric in Kern County, next to Avangrid’s 189-MW Manzana Wind farm. Avangrid already operates over 500 MW of wind power in California. [reNews]

Have an impressively peaceful day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “NREL Reimagines Next-Generation Drivetrain Technologies For Offshore Wind Turbines” • Studies leveraging conceptual designs of offshore wind turbines point to how their drivetrains could soon be changed to produce more power at lower cost, a paper by the US DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and General Electric Research shows. [NREL]

Block Island Wind Farm (Suzanne Tegen, NREL)

World:

¶ “Weather That Drove Eastern Canada’s Devastating Wildfires Made Twice As Likely By Climate Change” • The weather conditions that fueled record-shattering wildfires in eastern Canada earlier this summer and sent plumes of hazardous air into the US were made more likely and more intense by the climate crisis, according to a report. [CNN]

¶ “Heat Pump, Solar, And Battery Use Exploding In The UK” • Heat pumps and solar panels rule in the UK this June. In fact, it has been a bumper year for all green energy upgrades, batteries included, a 62% increase over 2022. According to The Guardian: “On average, more than 17,000 households installed solar panels every month this year.” [CleanTechnica]

Rooftop solar in the UK (Mtaylor848, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “India Aims For 65% Renewable Energy Share By 2030, Beating Previous Targets” • Speaking at an event to launch a book by Sumant Sinha, Chairman of ReNew Power, R K Singh, India’s Union Power Minister, revealed that India is poised to achieve a remarkable 65% share of renewable energy in its energy mix by the year 2030. [SolarQuarter]

¶ “Better Energy Picks Up Danish PV PPA” • IT infrastructure supplier Atea signed a 10-year PPA with Better Energy for energy from a new solar project in Denmark. The project will be connected to the grid later this year. It is expected to deliver 70 GWh per year of energy. The PPA will provide one-third of the electricity used by Atea in Denmark. [reNews]

Solar power and bee festival (Better Energy image)

¶ “Shell And BP Among Oil Firms Accused Of Greenwashing Over Renewable Energy” • Shell and BP are among twelve oil firms accused of greenwashing over the amount of renewable and low-carbon energy they produce. They generated just 0.02% and 0.17% of energy from renewable sources in 2022 respectively, the analysis claimed. [The Independent]

¶ “Investment In New Australian Wind And Solar Farms Stalls Amid ‘Raft Of Barriers’, Report Finds” • Investment in new wind and solar farms has all but stalled in Australia, as developers face a “raft of barriers” despite strong political support, says the latest Clean Energy Council quarterly report. Just 348 MW of projects were funded in the first half of 2023. [The Guardian]

ESA antenna and PVs (European Space Agency, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “New Research Shows Renewables Are More Profitable Than Nuclear Power” • Researchers from the European Environmental Bureau, the Stockholm School of Economics, and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research questioned recent efforts to increase investments in nuclear power, especially in the EU and the US. [pv magazine India]

US:

¶ “Solar Up 20X, Fossil Fuel Use Down In California” • According to data from the California Energy Commission, the state made significant strides to meet goals to develop a resilient grid, attain 100% clean electricity, and meet its carbon neutrality objectives. In the last decade, solar generation grew from 2,609 GWh to an astounding 48,950 GWh. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it. (CEC image)

¶ “86% Of New US Electric Utility Generation Capacity Coming From Non-Fossil Fuels In 2023” • Efforts to decarbonize the US power grid are evident in planned additions and retirement of utility-scale generating capacity. For 2023, new capacity will be primarily from solar (52%) and wind (13%), while batteries for stored energy will provide 17%. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it. (US EIA image)

¶ “Growing The Geothermal Energy Workforce – 1st Cohort In US DOE’s INTERN Program” • The US DOE and the National Science Foundation announced the first cohort of geothermal interns in the NSF INTERN program. The collaboration is the first activity coordinated under a NSF-DOE Memorandum of Understanding. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Dominion And Dulles Break Ground On Nation’s Largest Renewable Energy Project At An Airport” • Dominion Energy and Virginia officials broke ground at Dulles International Airport for a solar, battery, and EV project they said will be largest such project at an airport. It will have 100 MW of solar capacity and a 50 MW battery. [Virginia Mercury]

Dulles International Airport (Tripod, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Micron Vs New York Energy Policy” • Computer chip maker Micron revealed that by the 2040s its Onondaga County plants will be sucking up enough electricity to power New Hampshire and Vermont combined. All of it is supposed to be renewable energy, but as yet, the state has no plan for providing that much renewable power. [Empire Center for Public Policy]

¶ “Governor Hochul Signs Legislation To Protect Hudson River” • Earlier this year, a nuclear power plant announced a plan to dump over a million gallons of radioactive wastewater into the Hudson River. New York State lawmakers passed legislation to prohibit such a release of nuclear materials. Governor Hochul has now signed it into law. [Erie News Now]

Have a significantly peachy day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Black Mass, Black Gold, And The Truth About EV Battery Recycling” • Detractors are quick to point out the shortcomings of EVs, not the least of which being the massive carbon cost of mining metals needed for them, such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese. But those detractors are missing a critical bit of information: battery recycling. [CleanTechnica]

Battery materials (Courtesy of RecycLiCo Battery Materials)

¶ “Georgia’s New Nuclear Reactors A Cautionary Tale” • Electric monopoly Georgia Power hailed the recent Vogtle construction as an “American energy success story.” While nuclear energy is impressive, the Vogtle project has been an absolute mess. It’s less of an American success story and more of a boondoggle that should serve as a cautionary tale. [R Street Institute]

¶ “The US And China Must Unite To Fight The Climate Crisis, Not Each Other” • Climate change is a global crisis and cannot be solved by any one country alone. If the US, China, and other industrialized countries do not come together to dramatically decrease greenhouse gas emissions, the world [will become] uninhabitable. [Senator Bernie Sanders]

Wildfire (Tim Mossholder, Pexels)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Peer Reviewed Research Confirms ClearVue Solar Window Benefits” • ClearVue, based in Perth, Australia, makes PV solar windows. In a two-year study of ClearVue windows installed in the roof and vertical walls of greenhouse at Murdoch University, researchers found that ClearVue’s clear solar glazing produces consistent energy generation. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Multi-Day Energy Storage Increases Grid Capacity By Factor Of Ten” • Form Energy announced it has been awarded a $12 million grant from NYSERDA for a 10-MW, 1000-MWh pilot battery project in New York by 2026. This will be Form Energy’s first grid-scale project in New York. Similar projects are going up in Colorado and Minnesota. [pv magazine USA]

Form Energy battery (Form Energy image)

World:

¶ “Japan Will Start Releasing Treated Radioactive Water This Week. Here’s What We Know” • After months of controversy and anticipation, Japan is set to begin releasing treated radioactive wastewater from its Fukushima nuclear plant later this week despite fierce objections from some countries. The plan has been in the works for years. [CNN]

¶ “Kelowna: Cooler Weather Brings Hope As Firefighters Make Progress” • Officials said firefighters have made some progress aided by cooler weather but the “battle is not over.” Blazes from hundreds of fires have driven over 30,000 people from their homes. Some firefighters are working even after discovering that they have lost their homes to the fires. [BBC]

Kelowna in 2019 (Lewin Bormann, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Volkswagen Begins ID.7 Production At Upgraded Emden Factory” • In a press release on August 21, 2023, Volkswagen announced the symbolic start of production of the ID.7 at the company’s newly revamped and upgraded factory in Emden, a city in the northwest corner of the country not far from the border with the Netherlands. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Zimbabwe Declares That Load-Shedding Has Ended, But There Is Still A Lot Of Work To Do!” • After a very frustrating period of prolonged load-shedding, providing electricity only from midnight to 4:00 am, Zimbabwe  declared the end of electricity rationing. This follows construction of two 300-MW coal-powered plants. [CleanTechnica]

The Kariba Dam (Courtesy of Zambezi River Authority)

¶ “Fukushima: Wastewater From Ruined Nuclear Plant To Be Released From Thursday, Japan Says” • Japan is to start release of wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on August 24, in defiance of fishing communities, China, and some scientists. The plan has caused controversy because the water contains tritium. [The Guardian]

US:

¶ “In Maui And Across America, Climate Change And Extreme Weather Are Hurting Housing Affordability” • For people on Maui and across the US, climate change is making the affordable housing crunch worse. In many cases, Americans have sought affordable homes in areas that are in greater risk of hurricanes, floods, extreme heat and wildfires. [CNN]

Lahaina (MSgt Andrew Jackson, US National Guard, public domain)

¶ “Tropical Storm Harold Is Heading Toward South Texas, Threatening Floods And Dangerous Storm Surge” • A tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico has strengthened into a tropical storm as it continues to churn towards South Texas, where residents were bracing for heavy rain, flooding, powerful winds, and dangerous rip currents. [CNN]

¶ “Storm Hilary: Flooding Cuts Off Palm Springs” • Hilary, the first tropical storm to hit southern California in 84 years, cut off the desert city of Palm Springs after dumping a year’s worth of rain. Flooding closed major roads in and out of Palm Springs after 3.18 in (8 cm) of rain fell. Death Valley National Park got a full year’s worth of rain in one day. [BBC]

Predicted Flooding (Andrew Orrison, Weather Prediction Center)

¶ “Biden Tours ‘Overwhelming’ Hawaii Wildfire Damage” • Pres Joe Biden toured wildfire damage in Hawaii, arriving in Maui on Monday, 13 days after the deadliest US wildfire in over a century. He told survivors the nation “grieves with you.” As Mr Biden and First Lady Jill Biden toured the charred ruins, at least 114 people have died and 850 people are missing. [BBC]

¶ “‘Adding Insult To Injury:’ RI Needs Renewable Energy” • We recently hit a snafu when Rhode Island Energy rejected Ørsted’s proposal for the 880-MW Revolution Wind 2 project because costs “were ultimately deemed too expensive for customers to bear.” Just a few days later, Rhode Island Energy announced a 24% hike in electricity rates. [ecoRI News]

Have a quintessentially flawless day.

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Opinion:

¶ “From Highways To Healthy Communities, Transforming How California Invests In Transportation” • California is long overdue to overhaul racist highway-building practices that exacerbate the nation’s worst air pollution in mainly low-income communities of color and threaten its climate goals. It’s a systemic problem. Systemic solutions are needed. [CleanTechnica]

Los Angeles (Denys Nevozhai, Unsplash)

¶ “Truckers’ Health And The Rise Of Zero-Emission Trucks” • Diesel emissions release harmful pollutants like nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) into the atmosphere. It is a public problem, but it is also a problem for the truck drivers. In-cabin pollution is one of the most significant daily exposures to air pollutants for drivers. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “The Weird Wind That Can Supercharge Heatwaves And Wildfires” • In German, “Föhn” means hairdryer, but can also be a wierd hot wind. The Föhn effect is a hot, dry wind that sweeps down a mountainside, baking everything in its path. It can take place anywhere on Earth, and it can cause local temperatures to rise by over 28°C (50°F) in one hour. [BBC]

Föhn clouds over La Palma (Tigerente, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

World:

¶ “Canada Wildfires: At Least 30,000 Households In British Columbia Told To Evacuate” • About 30,000 households have been ordered to evacuate in Canada’s British Columbia province, where nearly 400 wildfires are raging. Travel to the waterside city of Kelowna has been restricted, and smoke from nearby fires hangs over Lake Okanagan. [BBC]

¶ “Canada’s Northwest Territories Set A Record For Its Hottest Temperature” • With a Saturday temperature of 37.4C, Fort Good Hope in the NWT saw “the hottest temperature recorded that far north in Canada,” says Environment Canada meteorologist Jesse Wagar. She added that the new records smashed the previous ones “often by several degrees.” [BBC]

Wildfire in BC (British Columbia Wildfire Service)

¶ “Climate Change Impacts Increase In South-West Pacific” • The State of the Climate in the South-West Pacific in 2022 report provides a snapshot of climate indicators including temperatures, sea level rise, ocean heat and acidification, and extreme weather events in 2022. It also highlights the socio-economic risks and impacts on key sectors like agriculture. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Green Light For Largest Solar Project At Lakeside North Harbour” • Set to be one of the largest solar parking canopy projects in the UK, a solar PV and battery project at Lakeside North Harbour in Portsmouth was given a go-ahead. Panels will be installed on five buildings and as parking canopies, for a total capacity of 4.462 MW. [Portsmouth City Council]

Rendering of the solar project in Plymouth

¶ “Kenya Launches Tender For Off-Grid Solar Plants” • Kenya Power and Lighting Company Plc has issued a tender for the deployment of off-grid solar power plants in remote regions. The microgrids will be in eight communities. Kenya Power said the selected developers will have to build the facilities and provide O&M services for seven years. [PV Magazine]

¶ “Cambridge Completes Australian First Install Of Modular Solar Solution” • Cambridge Energy said the first Australian deployment of its Nomad system has been completed at Norton Gold Fields’ Binduli mining operation near Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. The system has solar PV tracking technology in a prefabricated, modular design. [PV Magazine]

Nomad system (Cambridge Energy image)

¶ “Signal: ‘Europe’s Largest’ Virtual Storage Solution Reflects Renewables Growth” • The announcement by Sonnen that it plans to build “Europe’s largest virtual home battery storage solution” is reflective of the energy transition, its CEO has said, and that is supported by research from GlobalData, Energy Monitor‘s parent company. [Energy Monitor]

¶ “France’s EDF Takes 1.3-GW Nuclear Reactor Offline Amid Heatwave” • French power company EDF said it took its 1.3-GW nuclear reactor Golfech 2 offline citing environmental reasons as the country goes through a spell of excessively hot weather. The plant is close to the southern town of Toulouse, which expects to have 40°C (104°F) temperatures. [Reuters]

Golfech nuclear plant (John Seb Barber, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

US:

¶ “Two Dead, Many Structures Lost As Wildfire Threat Grows In Washington State” • Two wildfires in Spokane County have burned over 20,000 acres and left at least two people dead. As of Sunday night, the Oregon Road Fire and the Gray Fire had each burned over 10,000 acres according to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. [CNN]

¶ “Floods Hit Death Valley As Storm Hilary Peaks In California” • Hilary is the first tropical storm to hit California in 84 years. It has brought record rains, flooding Los Angeles and desert areas like Palm Springs and Death Valley. Experts say recent abnormal weather events hitting the US and other countries are influenced by human-caused climate change. [BBC]

Death Valley (Photographersnature, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Tesla Now Offering Cheaper Model S And X ‘Standard Range’” • Ahead of the release of the Cybertruck and an expected debut of the simplified Model 3 Highland, Tesla has also shared new trim offerings for its Model S and X in the US. The automaker has added a third “Standard Range” trim for both its premium sedan and SUV with reduced prices. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “North Carolina Offshore Wind Leases Blocked” • The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management recently announced that two out of the six offshore wind sites located off Eastern North Carolina will not be leased due to objections from the US Department of Defense. The issue is that wind turbines can interfere with radar systems. [Offshore Magazine]

Have an abundantly fruitful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Batteries Available For Rapid EV Transition In USA Thanks To IRA” • David Waterworth: “Earlier this year, I predicted that the majority of all vehicles produced globally would be battery electric by 2027, but there was doubt expressed at how this could occur due to battery supply constraints.” Now an EDF report shows that the batteries may be there. [CleanTechnica]

States that benefit most from battery investment(EDF image)

¶ “Biden’s Dangerous Climate Hypocrisy” • President Joe Biden announced a number of measures in response to dangers of weather events brought on by climate change. But unfortunately, even as the Biden administration announces some relief for the problems, it continues to greenlight the fossil fuel projects that are driving it. [Hawaii Tribune-Herald]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Revolutionizing Energy Storage: Researchers Unveil 2D Carbon Nitride Solar Battery” •  Researchers from the University of Cordoba and the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research collaborated to design a groundbreaking solar battery. It uses a plentiful, non-toxic, and easily synthesizable material composed of 2D carbon nitride. [Microgrid Media]

UC campus (Américo Toledano, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

World:

¶ “Vedanta Aluminium Commits To Green Future, Secures 1335 MW Renewable Energy Dea” • Vedanta Aluminium, based in Mumbai, announced that it signed agreements for 1,335 MW of renewable energy to power its operations. The long-term power agreements will see Vedanta Aluminium use a mix of both solar and wind energy. [The Financial Express]

¶ “Discussions Held With Indian Company On Manufacturing Solar Panels In Sri Lanka” • Sri Lankan Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera Saturday held a discussion with the Managing Director of Surana Solar Company of India to explore the possibility to make the solar panels needed for renewable power generation in Sri Lanka. [ColomboPage]

Sri Lanka countryside (Dylan Shaw, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “US-Philippines Energy Policy Dialogue” • The United States and the Philippines launched the inaugural US-Philippines EPD on August 17. The EPD aims to advance commitments by the US and the Philippines to deepen cooperation on energy security, energy access, and the clean energy transition, as was agreed in November 2022. [State Department]

¶ “Fast Food Chain Harnesses Power Of The Sun” • With a 22% renewables share, the Philippines is still far from the 35% goal. Coal dominates the energy capacity with nearly 60%. With this challenge, fast-food giant McDonald’s Philippines has been intensifying its shift to environment-friendly and sustainable operations. [Inquirer Business]

McDonald’s Arayat Pampanga (Contributed photo)

¶ “Japan’s Nuclear Plants Are Short Of Storage For Spent Fuel” • The Japanese government is promoting nuclear power as a low-carbon energy source, though Japan’s nuclear plants are running out of storage capacity. The small town of Kaminoseki agreed to a geological study to examine its suitability as an interim storage site for spent nuclear fuel. [Manufacturing.net]

US:

¶ “Tropical Storms Like Hurricane Hilary Could Significantly Change Southern California’s Coast” • Experts say that over a year’s worth of rain could fall within a couple of days in some areas of Southern California this weekend. Southern California hasn’t had a tropical storm since 1939, but if more are coming, they could alter the coast. [CleanTechnica]

Hurricane Hilary (Lauren Dauphin, NASA Earth Observatory)

¶ “Appeals Court Derails Uinta Basin Oil Train Plan” • There’s a lot of oil and gas in the Uinta Basin, east of Salt Lake City. Since there are no roads, developers wanted US taxpayers to fund a railroad. A US Court of Appeals ruled that a 2021 environmental impact statement and biological opinion were rushed and violate federal laws. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Agrivoltaics Is Making Friends Across Partisan Lines, Thanks To Farmers” • US farmers are warming up to agrivoltaics, which co-locates solar arrays with grazing fields, row crops, pollinator habitats, and other forms of agricultural activity. The rise of this dual-use movement comes at a good time for both farmers and solar advocates. [CleanTechnica]

Agrivoltaics (Werner Slocum, NREL)

¶ “Berkeley-Led Carbon Management Project Would Study Alternatives To Oil Companies’ Efforts” • A study will examine a community-based model for managing carbon. The resulting operation would be community-owned, no oil companies would be involved, and it might not even inject supercritical CO₂ deep underground. [The Bakersfield Californian]

¶ “US Can Cut Building Emissions By Up To 91%, Saving $100 Billion Per Year In Energy-Related Costs” • In a paper publishied in the journal One Earth, a team of researchers found that the US can achieve its climate goals, decrease building emissions by 91% from their 2005 peak, and save over $100 billion each year on energy costs. [Eurasia Review]

Have a sufficiently lighthearted day.

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Opinion:

¶ “US Commerce Department’s Solar Tariff Decision Imperils Clean Energy Boom” • The US Commerce Department issued a final determination that certain companies in Southeast Asia are circumventing duties imposed on Chinese solar products. Here is a statement from Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association. [CleanTechnica]

Solar panels (Asia Chang, Unsplash)

¶ “New Superfast Charging EV Battery From CATL Slams The Door On Gasmobiles” • EVs can help stop catastrophic climate change. Shifting transportation modes to walking, biking, and mass transit would help more, but car culture seems to be here to stay. The new 4C superfast charging EV battery from CATL could accelerate the EV trend. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Olive Oil Is In Trouble As Extreme Heat And Drought Push The Industry Into Crisis” • There is a crisis brewing in the olive oil industry. The scorching temperatures that swept southern Europe this summer claimed lives and led to intense wildfires, but they’re also very bad news for olive trees. Olive industry experts warning of potential shortages. [CNN]

Olive grove (David Boca, Unsplash)

¶ “Canada Wildfires: British Columbia Declares Emergency” • A state of emergency has been declared in Canada’s western British Columbia province, as a fast-moving wildfire threatens to burn more homes in the area around the city of West Kelowna. The McDougall Creek wildfire grew from 64 hectares (158 acres) to 6,800 hectares (168,000 acres) in 24 hours. [BBC]

¶ “25 Countries And 25% Of World Population Face Extremely High Water Stress” • Data from WRI’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas show that 25 countries face extremely high water stress yearly, using up almost their entire available water supply regularly. About 4 billion people live in a highly water-stressed state for at least one month of the year. [CleanTechnica]

25 countries exposed to extreme water stress

¶ “Toyota Tsusho To Construct 25-MW Solar Power Plant In Benin” • Toyota Tsusho announced that it signed a contract with the Beninese Electricity Production Company, operating under Benin’s Ministry of Energy and Water, to establish a 25-MW solar plant. The project will be the first large renewable energy project in West Africa by a Japanese entity. [SolarQuarter]

¶ “Ukraine’s Roadmap To Renewable Energy” • Many of the old coal-burning power plants in Ukraine have been bombed beyond repair, and the country wants not to rely on Russian fossil fuels in any event. So Ukraine will close all its coal plants by 2035 and transition to solar, wind, and heat pump technologies for a cost-effective and secure response. [Evwind]

Dunayskaya solar station (Activ Solar, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Business Rejects Coalition Fight Against ‘Reckless’ Renewables Rollout” • Business leaders and Australia’s three biggest energy companies will not back the Coalition’s push for the Albanese government to abandon its 2030 clean energy target as, David Littleproud and Peter Dutton attack the rollout of wind and solar across the country. [The Sydney Morning Herald]

¶ “Japanese Rally Against Ocean Discharge Of Contaminated Wastewater” • “It is morally wrong to discard one’s waste in another’s backyard,” said Tomoko Abe, a member of the Japan’s House of Representatives. Speaking of nuclear-contaminated wastewater, he argued that the vastness of the ocean doesn’t equate to an absence of impact. [Xinhua]

Anti-nuclear rally in 2011 (保守, public domain)

¶ “The Secret Nuclear Power Plant That Poisoned Russians For Decades” • It is a real safety threat when a dishonest or negligent government runs nuclear plants under desperate circumstances. A secret Russian site called Mayak is a monument to the dangers of nuclear power in the wrong hands. Two-thirds of the people in one village had radiatioin sickness. [Big Think]

US:

¶ “Hurricane Hilary Sparks Rare Storm Watch For California” • A Category 4 storm called Hilary is predicted to first make landfall in Baja California on Saturday morning. Forecasters say it will move on towards southern California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah as a tropical storm. It would be the first tropical storm to hit California in over 80 years. [BBC]

Hurricane Hillary rainfall forecast (NOAA image)

¶ “Feds Determine Five Chinese Solar Panel Companies Have Been Skirting US Tariffs” • After an investigation lasting over a year, officials concluded that five Chinese solar PV makers were skirting US tariff laws by routing their operations through four other Southeast Asian countries. Higher tariffs will be delayed until 2024 so installers can find other sources. [CNN]

¶ “NYC Rideshare Vehicles Must Be Either Zero-Emission Or Wheelchair Accessible By 2030” • New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission’s David Do announced proposed rules for “Green Rides.” They would transition the city’s rideshare fleet to either zero-emission or wheelchair accessible by 2030. [CleanTechnica]

EVs in a garage (Upgraded Points, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Regulators Approve GMP Request To Expand Home Energy Storage Program” • Green Mountain Power customers will have greater access to seamless, cost-effective home battery backup power after an order by the Vermont PUC. GMP may to lift the enrollment caps on its Powerwall and Bring Your Own Device home battery programs. [Vermont Business Magazine]

¶ “New York State Increases Clean Energy Storage Research Incentives” • Climate and renewable energy advocates suggest the New York State Build Public Renewables Act can help ensure New York achieves economy-wide carbon neutrality by the middle of this century. That scheme includes the construction of a green transmission grid. [pv magazine USA]

Have a famously fabulous day.

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Opinion:

¶ “From Policy To Prosperity: Solar Is Supercharging American Communities After One Year Of Energy Incentives” • Just twelve months after the Inflation Reduction Act became law, solar and storage companies have announced over $100 billion in private sector investments for over 155 GW of new solar capacity. This is just the tip of the iceberg. [CleanTechnica]

Agrivoltaic landscape (Courtesy of Lightsource BP)

Science and Technology:

¶ “What Rapid Intensification Means For Hurricanes” • Heat provides fuel for storms. Higher sea surface temperatures and high ocean heat content play huge roles in rapid intensification. The climate crisis is forcing up ocean temperatures, which leads to rapid intensification. This leads to more major hurricanes, of Category 3 or higher. [CNN]

¶ “How Canada’s Wildfires Are Warming The Stratosphere” • Research has shown that wildfires’ likelihood and intensity have already increased due to human-caused global warming. There is still a lot we don’t understand about these powerful phenomena, however. Not least is the ability of wildfires to alter and disrupt climate systems long after they die out. [BBC]

Wildfire (Mike Newbry, Unsplash)

¶ “A Study With 300,000 Workers In The Nuclear Industry Suggests An Increased Risk Of Death From Cancer” • Prolonged exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation is associated with a higher risk of death from cancer than was previously thought, according to a study of nearly 310,000 nuclear industry workers in France, the UK, and the US. [EL PAÍS English]

World:

¶ “Snake season starts early as unusually high temperatures hit Australia” • Snakes are active in warm weather, and as Australia’s east coast experiences one of its warmest winters on record, snake season appears to have started early. The Australian Reptile Park has issued an “urgent warning” for people to be on the look out for venomous snakes. [CNN]

Venomous snake (Courtesy of the Australian Reptile Park)

¶ “Xi Jinping Is Building A Dream City. Devastating Floods Raise Questions About His Plan” • In 2017, China announced Xi’s plan of “1,000-year significance” to transform an area of crop fields and polluted wetlands 100 km (62 miles) south of Beijing into an eco-friendly, high-tech hub, Xiong’an. The area can flood, and some are questioning the plan. [CNN]

¶ “Yellowknife Evacuees Turned Away From Full Flights” • Angry residents of Yellowknife, who had waited in hours-long queues to board flights out on Thursday, were told by officials to try again on Friday or Saturday, the day the wildfire could reach the city. Canada’s two major airlines are also facing criticism over soaring air fares and rescheduling fees. [BBC]

Yellowknife (Gordon Leggett, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Himachal Pradesh Floods: More Rain, Less Snow Are Turning Himalayas Dangerous” • A study found that mountains across the globe, including the Himalayas, are seeing increased rainfall at elevations where it has mostly snowed in the past. Worsened by unabated construction, heavy rains are frequently triggering disasters in India’s Himalayan region. [BBC]

¶ “Ford And SK On To Build $1.2 Billion Battery Materials Plant In Quebec” • Ford and China’s CATL made an unconventional deal on battery technology, but Ford is not placing all its eggs in one basket. It has forged ties with SK On, a South Korean battery company, to build a number of battery factories in the US, and at least one plant in Quebec. [CleanTechnica]

Quebec plant (Courtesy of Ford)

¶ “AGL Signs Up To Power Victorian Smelter As State Races To 95% Renewables” • AGL Energy signed a nine-year contract to supply aluminium giant Alcoa Australia with electricity for a smelter in Victoria. AGL is to supply roughly 50%, or 300 MW, of the power needed to run the smelter over a period from July 2026 until July 2035. [Renew Economy]

¶ “Baltic Power Secures Offshore Construction Permits” • Baltic Power has secured three building permits relating to 1200 MW of offshore wind capacity it is developing off the coast of Poland. The Pomeranian Voivode Dariusz Drelich issued a permit for the construction of 76 turbines in the Baltic Sea. Baltic Power also got two other permits. [reNews]

Offshore wind turbines (Vestas image)

¶ “France To Reduce Nuclear Power Generation Due To Heat Wave” • Two nuclear plants along the Rhone River in France may have to reduce power generation beginning this weekend due to a persisting heatwave, an official said. The high temperatures have increased the river water temperature above the thresholds for use in cooling. [La Prensa Latina]

US:

¶ “America’s Richest 10% Are Responsible For 40% Of Its Planet-Heating Pollution” • America’s wealthiest people are also some of the world’s biggest polluters, not only because of their massive homes and private jets, but because of the fossil fuels generated by the companies they invest their money in, a study published in the journal PLOS Climate shows. [CNN]

Rich (Charles C Collingwood, Unsplash)

¶ “Kentuckians Call On Regulators To Consider Climate Impacts Of LG&E’s Natural Gas Plants” • LG&E and Kentucky Utilities plan to retire nearly a third of their coal generation by 2028 and replace it with a mix of natural gas, solar, and battery storage. At a meeting, every commenter but one opposed plans to build new fossil fuel infrastructure. [Louisville Public Media]

¶ “Why electric bills are going up due to Vogtle” • You may have noticed a jump in your electric bill recently. The weather and higher fuel costs definitely play a role, but some of the hike is to pay for the expansion of Plant Vogtle near Waynesboro. Plant Vogtle’s new Unit 3 is operating, and Unit 4 is to be online soon. But they are billions over budget. [WRDW]

Have a comprehensively enchanting day.

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Opinion:

¶ “EVs Can Support Power Grid Reliability And Reduce Costs. Here’s How” • With so many recent power outages, the US grid does not inspire confidence. It’s natural to wonder how the grid will hold up as the country electrifies its economy. The California legislature is tackling this issue head-on with a bill that would help integrate EVs with the grid. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it. (UCS image)

¶ “What does Georgia’s just-opened nuclear reactor say about the industry’s future in the US?” • According to Georgia Power, Unit 3 at Vogtle can supply 1,100 MW, providing power to 500,000 homes and businesses. But because the reactor was so lavishly expensive, customers will soon be seeing their electric energy bills increase. [Yahoo News]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Transformational Fast-Charging LFP Batteries – Coming Soon” • The world’s largest battery producer, CATL, announced that it will soon to start productioin of an LFP battery that can charge at a superfast rate of 4C, the fastest ever for an LFP battery. The Shenxing battery and it will go into mass production by the end of 2023. [CleanTechnica]

Shenxing battery announcement (CATL)

¶ “ITM Launches 20-MW Electrolysis Module” • ITM Power has launched a 20-MW core electrolysis process module suitable for scaling up into large-scale electrolyser and green hydrogen projects. The Poseidon module has been engineered by ITM as a standardized module incorporating “real-world lessons learned from commercial projects.” [reNews]

World:

¶ “Hundreds Of Wildfires That Rage In Canada’s Northwest Territories Prompt Evacuations In What Officials Are Calling A ‘Crisis Situation’” • Hundreds of wildfires raging in parts of Canada’s Northwest Territories have prompted officials to issue evacuation orders and declare a state of emergency as the blazes threaten the capital city of Yellowknife. [CNN]

Firefighters (Government of the Northwest Territory)

¶ “Race To Evacuate City As Blaze Approaches” • One of the largest cities in Canada’s far north is being evacuated amid warnings that a wildfire could reach it by the weekend. The 20,000 residents of Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, have until noon Friday to leave. Scientists say climate change increases the risk of wildfires. [BBC]

¶ “Mainstream, Ocean Winds Partner On Second Scots Floater” • Mainstream Renewable Power and Ocean Winds partnered to develop a site east of Shetland, bringing the total capacity of the Arven offshore wind farm to 2300 MW. The partnership is to develope one Arven site, with a capacity of 1,800 MW. Ocean Winds is developing the other alone. [reNews]

Floating offshore wind turbines (Ocean Winds image)

¶ “EVs Make The Mainstream News In Australia: 385% Growth In Pure EV Sales!” • You know EVs are making an impact when they feature on a national finance report. ABC News reported that battery EV growth in Australia is 385% higher than last year, plugin hybrids are up 24%, plugless hybrids remain stable, sales of combustion cars are down. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Hysata To Build Next-Generation Hydrogen Electrolyser” • A pioneering, all-Australian hydrogen electrolyser technology is getting a chance to prove itself at a commercial scale. If it works, the project could alter the economics of renewable hydrogen production. The concept arose in a laboratory at the University of Wollongong. [Australian Renewable Energy Agency]

Old-style wind+hydrogen power (Longershanks, public domain)

¶ “Big Potential For Green Hydrogen In North Africa: Report” • By 2050 North Africa could become a leading exporter of green hydrogen with Europe its main market, according to a recent report from accounting consultancy Deloitte. The report projects the future of an industry still in its infancy, but it is growing because of the climate crisis. [France 24]

US:

¶ “Significant Impacts Of The Inflation Reduction Act And Bipartisan Infrastructure Law” • The Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are revitalizing the US energy system by investing in American energy supply chains, clean energy job creation, emissions reduction, and consumer energy savings. [CleanTechnica]

Investment in America (From energy.gov)

¶ “2022 Was Another Big Year For Hybrid Power Plants in the US, Especially PV Plus Storage” • Improving battery technology and the growth of variable renewable generation are driving a surge of interest in “hybrid” power plants that combine. Examples include wind and solar generating plants that are co-located with batteries. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US Energy Jobs Have Increased In Nearly Every County” • The DOE released county-level data on energy employment across the country. The data show that energy jobs grew in nearly every US county in 2022. The release comes on the first anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, which has already spurred over $110 billion of clean energy investments. [CleanTechnica]

Ute solar workers (GRID Alternatives Tribal Program)

¶ “BPU Bumps Up Community Solar From Pilot To Full-Fledged Program” • With the aim of expanding access to solar energy, a New Jersey state agency made a pilot program created to make cleaner energy available to all households permanent . The Board of Public Utilities established the community solar program unanimously. [NJ Spotlight News]

¶ “Texas Counties Don’t Have The Power To Ban Solar Farms, Attorney General Finds” • The Texas attorney general’s office dealt a blow to a rural county that has been searching for ways to keep solar farms away. Residents in Franklin County had pushed county commissioners last year to impose a 180-day moratorium on commercial solar development. [The Texas Tribune]

Have a movingly gorgeous day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Americans Want Sustainable Transportation Options, Not More Highways” • Americans want more sustainable choices for transportation, not more highways. A survey on Americans’ attitudes revealed strong interest in transportation options that prioritize walkable, bikeable, and transit-connected communities over highway expansions. [CleanTechnica]

Traffic jam (Aleksandr Popov, Unsplash)

¶ “Nuclear Facilities As Military Targets – The Zaporizhzhia Case An Overview” • For the first time in history, a nuclear plant is a military objective in a war. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is being contested as a target in the war in Ukraine. It is a new and unprecedented situation for which the international community is unprepared. [Katoikos]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Sodium-Ion Battery Market To Surpass 2899 Million By 2030 Drives Due To Rising Industrial Use” • Global sodium-ion battery market is gaining traction as the focus shifts towards eco-friendly energy storage solutions. Sodium-ion batteries offer a sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries, reducing reliance on scarce resources and environmental harm. [Yahoo Finance]

Sodium-ion battery researcher (Tavo Romann, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

World:

¶ “Army Airlifts Hundreds To Safety From Fires In Northwest Territories” • More than 6,500 people were ordered to evacuate in parts of the Northwest Territories due to 236 active wildfires in the region. Some residents in the town of Hay River were forced to evacuate for the second time this summer. Others were in Hay River to shelter from Fort Smith. [BBC]

¶ “Multitrillion-Dollar Carbon Bubble? Climate Chief Warns World Leaders Over Fossil Fuel Plans” • The head of the IPCC says world leaders face a multitrillion-dollar threat by pushing plans for fossil fuel production. The UN climate panel estimated that fossil fuel investors could be at risk of losing $1 trillion to $4 trillion if governments limit global warming. [CNBC]

Offshore oil rig (Jan-Rune Smenes Reite, Pexels, cropped)

¶ “Europe Space Chief Warns Over Political Wavering On The Climate” • Europe’s top space official urged wavering politicians not to abandon European leadership on climate change. Josef Aschbacher, director general of the European Space Agency said record heatwaves and wildfires are “really alarming” evidence of the pace of global warming. [Reuters]

¶ “Crude Oil Prices Will Increase Through 2024 As Demand Rises Above Supply, US EIA Says” • The US Energy Information Administration forecasts higher crude oil prices in the second half of 2023 and into 2024 in its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook due to moderate but persistent inventory drawdowns with demand exceeeding supply. [CleanTechnica]

Past and expected Spot oil prices (EIA image)

¶ “Plan For How Indonesia Will Spend $20 Billion To Transition To Cleaner Energy” • A plan for Indonesia to spend $20 billion to transition to cleaner energy was submitted to the government, its authors said. It aims to use the funds over the next three to five years to accelerate retirement of the nation’s coal plants and switch to renewable energy. [AP News]

¶ “Pacific Flicks Switch On 6-MW Solar Farm As Hybrid Plant Powers Up” • Pacific Energy has delivered a hybrid power station incorporating a 6 MW solar array fitted with 11,088 PV panels, a 2.4-MW battery energy storage system, and a 9.5-MW gas-fuelled power plant at Westgold’s Tuckabianna mine site near Cue in Western Australia. [PV Magazine]

Ribbon cutting (Pacific Energy image)

US:

¶ “News Outlets Went All In On Maui Fire Coverage. But Did They Miss A Key Part Of The Story?” • News media have given a lot of coverage to climate change. But research by the watchdog Media Matters shows only 4% of television news segments about the disaster, during a two-day period starting August 9, tied the catastrophe to climate change. [CNN]

¶ “Feds Ease Water Cuts On Colorado River After Blockbuster Winter” • Federal officials are easing water restrictions on the Colorado River next year, after above-average winter snowpack helped lift water levels at the nation’s two largest reservoirs. Lake Mead has shown “significant improvement” because of the good winter and water conservation efforts by states. [CNN]

Colorado River (Westwind Air Service, Unsplash)

¶ “Maui Wildfires Leave Trail Of Death And Destruction” • About 2,000 housing units have been secured to house thousands of Maui residents who lost homes. Hawaii Gov Josh Green said 402 hotel rooms and 1,400 Airbnb units will be available. Another 160 residents have volunteered to shelter displaced people, and 222 displaced families are already in housing. [CNN]

¶ “Electrify America Opens Solar Plant To Offset EV Charging” • Electrify America announced that a project has gone online: a solar power plant that puts enough renewable energy into the grid to more than make up for its EV charging sessions. The 75-MW Electrify America Solar Glow™ 1 solar PV project is in San Bernardino County, California. [CleanTechnica]

Solar farm (Electrify America image)

¶ “Switching To EVs And Clean Electricity Could Result In 89,300 Fewer Premature Deaths In The US” • The American Lung Association recently released “Driving to Clean Air: Health Benefits of Zero-Emission Cars and Electricity.” The report foresees America running on clean, renewable electricity and driving all-electric vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US Launches Program To Provide Electricity To More Native American Homes” • The US Interior Department unveiled a program to bring electricity to more homes in Native American communities, as the Biden administration looks to funnel more money toward climate and renewable energy projects. It will be funded by an initial $72.5 million. [ABC News]

Have an overwhelmingly happy day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “From Cradle To Grave, EVs Have Fewer Greenhouse Gas Emissions Than Gas Vehicles” • Cradle-to-grave greenhouse gas emissions for a small gasoline SUV in 2020 were estimated to be 429 grams of CO₂ equivalentper mile, while the same size EV with 300 miles of range had 48% fewer GHG emissions, Argonne National Laboratory analysis shows. [CleanTechnica]

Comparing emissions (energy.gov)

World:

¶ “Alberta Will Never Comply With Federal Clean Power Grid Plan, Premier Vows” • Alberta will never comply with a Canadian government plan to phase out carbon emissions from power generation by 2035, Premier Danielle Smith said. She said a net zero power grid by 2050 would be too costly and carry the risk of blackouts. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ “Back To The Future For India’s Rice Farmers” • One farmer said, “Most of the people from the village are farmers but with major climatic changes we started facing a lot of problems. Our crops got destroyed because of unseasonal rains or scarcity of water.” Hybrid rice and heavy use of fertilizer make things worse. Some farmers are going back to old ways. [BBC]

Himachal Pradesh Rice field (7018412375, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “NASA Clocks July 2023 As Hottest Month On Record” • On average, July 2023 was 0.43°F (0.24°C) warmer than any other July in NASA’s record, and it was 2.1°F (1.18°C) warmer than the average July between 1951 and 1980. The primary focus of the GISS analysis is long-term temperature changes over many decades and centuries. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “BasiGo Introduces The E9 Kubwa Electric Bus, Which Is Specifically Designed For The Kenyan Marke” • After a successful pilot program supplying twenty K6 electric buses to public transport operators in Nairobi, BasiGo announced that it will introduce a 36-seater electric bus custom designed for the Kenyan market. [CleanTechnica]

BasiGo bus (BasiGo image)

¶ “Models Suggest Dropping Costs Of Solar And Wind Power In Africa May Make Hydro Power Obsolete” • A team of scientists affiliated with several institutions in Europe found, via modeling, that building dams to generate hydroelectricity in Africa may be not be a cost-effective approach in light of falling costs for solar and wind power. [Tech Xplore]

¶ “Solar Power Surges In Europe And Is Set To Double By 2030” • The EU is moving fast to deploy solar power in response to the energy crisis. A report by the lobby group SolarPower Europe found the bloc would have over 400 GW of solar power installed by the end of the decade, almost double the 208 GW of solar power produced today. [ZME Science]

Solar panels in Italy (Sungrow EMEA, Unsplash)

¶ “Sri Lanka To Provide Solar Power To 25,000 Low-Income Households” • The Sri Lankan Cabinet approved a proposal to provide solar power to 25,000 low-income households, an official said. the National Housing Development Authority has selected 11,000 partially completed houses in fifteen housing projects to provide free solar power. [Xinhua]

US:

¶ “Montana Judge Hands Young Plaintiffs Significant Victory In Landmark Climate Trial” • A Montana judge handed a significant victory to more than a dozen young plaintiffs in the nation’s first constitutional climate trial, as extreme weather gets more deadly and scientists warn the climate crisis is eroding our environment and natural resources. [CNN]

Montana (Tony Reid, Unsplash)

¶ “How Much Water Is Left In The Colorado River? Scientists And Officials Are Scrambling To Find Out” • With a phenomenal winter snowpack, water levels on the Colorado River are going up for the first time in years. Some water restrictions are being lifted, but officials, farmers, and tribes are bracing for difficult negotiations to come on water rights. [CNN]

¶ “Biden’s Climate Law Has Led To 86,000 New Jobs And $132 Billion In Investment, New Report Says” • A year after Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act, it’s leading to a surge of clean energy projects and job creation, a report from Bank of America says. Over 270 new clean energy projects have been announced, creating more than 86,000 jobs. [CNN]

Wind turbines (Bastian Pudill, Unsplash)

¶ “Solar And Storage Companies Add Over $100 Billion To US Economy As A Result Of The Inflation Reduction Act” • Since the Inflation Reduction Act passed one year ago, US solar and storage companies have announced over $100 billion in investments, bolstering the US economy, analysis made by the Solar Energy Industries Association shows. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “$50 Million To Enhance Water Infrastructure In The Upper Colorado River Basin” • The Interior Department announced $50 million over five years to improve water infrastructure and drought data collection in the Upper Colorado River Basin. This year, $8.7 million will support drought mitigation in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. [CleanTechnica]

Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Wyoming (Patrick Hendry, Unsplash)

¶ “California’s Power Grid Operator Prepares For Heat Wave, Possible Tight Conditions” • Another round of extreme heat is in the forecast, but will the hot temperatures stress California’s power grid? In short, California ISO, the grid operator, said no, but there could be scenarios where Californians may be asked to cut back on electricity usage. [CBS News]

¶ “Nuclear Plant Moratorium Bill Heads To Veto Session Fight In Illinois” • The veto of a law to end a moratorium on new nuclear power plant construction in Illinois sets up a battle in the fall veto session. In his veto message, Gov JB Pritzker appears to be saying the bill isn’t quite ready for prime time. Clearly people take their different sides and disagree. [WGLT]

Have a deservedly grand day.

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Opinion:

¶ “UK Biomass Strategy Won’t Stop The Destruction Of North American Forests” • The growing wood pellet industry, driven by UK demand, is damaging some of the most important forests on the North American continent, and the biodiversity they support. The UK government has a new Biomass Strategy, but it has very little in it to improve the situation. [CleanTechnica]

Deforestation (Sebastian Pichler, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Nearly 40% Of Tesla’s Battery Material Suppliers Come From China” • Of the ten best selling plugin vehicles in the world, eight are Chinese models. The other two are Teslas, which can also be produced and sold in China. A lot of the EV battery minerals of the world are mined or at least processed in China. Here, we take a look at the implications. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “As The Earth Gets Hotter, Can Our Cities Get Cooler?” • Most years, lately, heat is the deadliest disaster. It kills an average of 490,000 people globally and causes severe health problems for many more. Deaths from heat are expected to grow by 50% by 2050, according to the World Health Organization. It can be at its worst in poor urban areas. [CleanTechnica]

One Solution to heat (CHUTTERSNAP, Unsplash)

¶ “Micron Technology Initiates Major Rooftop Solar Project In Singapore For Sustainable Operations” • Micron Technology, a prominent memory chip maker, is installing 36,000 solar panels on the roof of its Singapore plant and carport. This sustainable initiative aims to use renewable energy to reduce the company’s carbon footprint. [Solar Quarter]

¶ “Vestas Turbine Sets World Record” • Vestas’s V236-15 MW prototype wind turbine set a world record for the most power output by a single unit. The Danish manufacturer’s wind turbine racked up 363 MWh in 24 hours. The prototype was installed at the offshore Østerild National test center for large wind turbines in Denmark, in December 2022. [reNews]

V236-15 MW turbines (Vestas image)

¶ “Vehicle-To-Grid Tech Put To Test In SA Trial” • Flinders University has brought ten V2G chargers online, working with the Australian arm of French renewables developer Engie. They allow compatible EVs to be used as mobile batteries that can store and supply energy directly to the grid during periods of high demand. [pv magazine Australia]

UK:

¶ “UK Homes Install ‘Record Number’ Of Solar Panels And Heat Pumps” • British households are making more green energy upgrades than ever before, installing a record number of solar panels and heat pumps. Industry figures show there were more green energy installations in June alone than in any six-month period in previous years. [The Guardian]

Housing in Bristol (Louis Reed, Unsplash)

¶ “‘Change Is Needed’: Ofgem Chief Calls On Ministers To Rethink Energy Price Caps” • In what could herald a shake-up of Britain’s energy market, Ofgem’s Jonathan Brearley is calling on ministers to rethink the “very broad and crude” price control used to keep bills in check for the past four years, to find whether it is still fit for it purpose. [The Guardian]

¶ “Risks Of Further Delays At Hinkley Point C, EDF Warns” • EDF has admitted there is a risk of further delays to two nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point C due to construction setbacks. The French energy giants behind the new nuclear power station along the Somerset coast remarked last year that the plants may start 15 months late. [Somerset Live]

Hinkley C nuclear station (Gov.uk, Open government licence 3.0)

US:

¶ “When A ‘Fire Hurricane’ Hit, Maui’s Warning Sirens Never Sounded” • Dozens of survivors shared their stories of escape and loss with the BBC. Their stories help for piecing together a picture of the tragedy that unfolded when fires moving at a mile per minute consumed the town. Lahaina’s wildfires are the deadliest in the US in over a century. [BBC]

¶ “The US Passed A Major Climate Law One Year Ago. Here’s How It’s Going” • A year ago this week, the Inflation Reduction Act, the first major federal climate legislation in US history, was signed into law. The act is just the first step on the way for the US to meet its climate goals. But it has kicked off a stunning boom in clean energy. [Canary Media]

Wind turbines (Anna Jiménez Calaf, Unsplash)

¶ “Automakers Pursue Energy Reduction Efforts In Shift To Renewable Energy” • The Detroit Three automakers have taken actions to reduce their energy consumption to conserve on costs and help ensure a reliable energy supply as they move toward running their operations fully off renewable electricity sources in the coming years. [The Detroit News]

¶ “UAlbany, UConn And Utilities To Research Weather, Power Grid Needs” • One of the challenges in shifting to a carbon-free power grid is the weather. Researchers at Universities of Albany and Connecticut hope to get answers to questions about weather and energy through a consortium using expertise from both academia and utility companies. [Times Union]

Brandford House, UConn (Tomas Martinez, Unsplash)

¶ “Why Haven’t Summer’s Extreme Heat Waves Caused Any Blackouts?” • Florida is set to experience heat index values of up to 115°F this week. Persistent, scorching temperatures covered much of the Southwest, expanding into the Midwest and Northeast in July. Record after record was broken, but so far, the grid has not failed. Why? Renewables. [USA Today]

¶ “One Congregation Offers Case Study As Episcopal Church Works Toward 2030 Carbon Neutral Goal” • When the heat went out, so did the reluctance to end the dependence on fossil fuels at St Martin’s Episcopal Church in Davis, California. By 2021, St Martin’s had become carbon neutral, as certified by Interfaith Power & Light. [National Catholic Reporter]

Have a spectacularly easy day.

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