geoharvey

Opinion:

¶ “Free electricity: Is it really fair?” • Free electricity? It sounds too good to be true, but that’s what two companies are offering in a bid to shift demand to when power is plentiful. As solar and wind farms grow all the time, our electricity grid is increasingly complex, and the solar and wind farms are paid to shut down. Two companies are working on an alternative. [BBC]

Wind turbines (Luke Thornton, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “A Climate Week To Advance Urgent Change” • As the hottest summer on record winds to a close, the window to hold global warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F) is rapidly closing. We need to act now to confront a widening climate crisis that is intersecting with, and exacerbating, a global biodiversity crisis, a global food crisis, and a crisis of global injustice. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Insurance Majors Held Fossil Fuels Assets While Cutting Coverage Due To Climate Risks” • A report shows that the US insurance sector held $536 billion in fossil fuel-related assets in 2019, despite some insurers citing climate-related risk and natural disasters as factors in raising premiums or dropping coverage in high risk regions. [CleanTechnica]

Wildfire (Mike Newbry, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “A Haunted Australia Stares Down Bushfire Disaster Again” • As Australia edged into spring in 2019, former fire brigade chief Greg Mullins warned the country was disastrously primed to burn. Over and over, he begged to be heard, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. His warnings, however, came true. Now, he is sounding the alarm again. [BBC]

¶ “Horrific Libya Flooding Made Up To 50 Times More Likely By Planet-Warming Pollution, Scientists Find” • The World Weather Attribution initiative, a team of scientists that analyze the role of climate change in extreme weather events, found that planet-warming pollution made the deadly rainfall in Libya up to 50 times more likely to occur and 50% worse. [CNN]

Storm Daniel approaching Libya (NOAA, public domain)

¶ “The World Just Sweltered Through Hottest August On Record” • August 2023 was Earth’s hottest August in NOAA’s 174-year climate record. The month also wrapped up the Northern Hemisphere’s warmest June-August summer period and the Southern Hemisphere’s warmest June-August winter on record, an analysis by NOAA scientists shows. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “45% Of New Cars In Netherlands Now Plugin Cars!” • In the Netherlands, 45% of new car sales were plugin car sales in August. Furthermore, 33% were full electrics, which jumped 58% year over year. The overall market is also rising, although at a slower rate (+19% YOY). We expect the final plugin share for 2023 to end close to 50%.[CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model Y (Michal Lauko, Unsplash)

¶ “Ormat Secures Contract With Mercury New Zeleand To Construct And Supply New 56-MW Geothermal Power Plant” • Ormat Technologies, Inc announced that it signed contracts with Mercury NZ Limited for supply and Engineering, Procurement and Construction of a new 56-MW geothermal power plant in New Zealand. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ “Sanikiluaq Wind Project Represents Major Shift In Nunavut Renewable Energy Policy” • A lone windmill in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut, which is expected to produce enough power to cut the community’s reliance on diesel fuel by half, is all but a done deal as the Qulliq Energy Corporation and the Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corporation are set to sign an agreement. [CBC]

Wind turbine in Nunavut (Tugliq Energy)

¶ “Germany On Track To Meet Over 50% Of Energy Demand With Renewables This Year” • Germany is likely to generate enough energy from renewables to meet more than 50% of its energy demand by the end of this year, as Robert Habeck, the country’s Economy Minister, announced at a conference held by the Heinrich Böll Foundation. [EcoWatch]

¶ “Renewable Energy Accounts For 46% Of Dutch Electricity” • Almost half the electricity generated in the Netherlands in the first six months of this year came from natural sources such as the wind and sun, national statistics office CBS said. In total, 46% was generated from renewable resources, a rise of 16% on the same period in 2022. [DutchNews.nl]

Amsterdam (Azhar J, Unsplash)

¶ “Possibly Contaminated Iron Scraps From Near Fukushima Plant Sold” • Workers at a demolition site near the meltdown-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant took and sold iron scraps from waste possibly contaminated with radioactive materials, according to officials in the Japanese Environment Ministry. [The Japan Times]

US:

¶ “Heatwaves claim tens of thousands of lives each year. Now a US mapping project is revealing those most at risk so they can get the help they need” • NOAA’s heat maps are helping policy makers and families understand the real-life impact of heat waves with new clarity, by combining satellite imagery, air temperature, and humidity data. [BBC]

Cooling off (Leonid Antsiferov, Unsplash)

¶ “Homeowners Face Rising Insurance Rates As Climate Change Makes Wildfires More Common” • An increasing number of Americans are finding it difficult to afford insurance on their homes, a problem only expected to worsen because insurers and lawmakers have underestimated the impact of climate change, a new report says. [ABC News]

¶ “New Roadmap To Accelerate Offshore Wind Transmission In US” • As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the Interior and Energy Departments released An Action Plan for Offshore Wind Transmission Development in the US Atlantic Region to promote offshore windpower, bolster the US supply chain, and create good-paying jobs. [CleanTechnica]

Have an absurdly delightful day.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

Opinion:

¶ “A Bright Spot At The Intersection Of Farming, EVs And Solar Energy” • Across the US, more than 30 million acres of farmland is devoted to growing corn for ethanol. NREL calculated that we could power the country’s entire electricity demand with 10 million acres of solar panels. Solar panels pay taxes. Corn doesn’t. We can go on. [Virginia Mercury]

Corn field (Taylor Siebert, Unsplash, cropped)

Science and Technology:

¶ “The Turbo-Charged Plants That Could Boost Farm Output” • UN Food and Agriculture Organization says almost 30% people around the world went short of food in 2022, with more than 10% severely short. Improving plant yields is one way to cut the shortfall, and there have been great advances, though they come with increased water usage. [BBC]

¶ “A (Virtual) Deep Dive Into Marine Energy’s Capabilities” • Big energy is lying under the waves that crash on our shores and in the tides that come in and out each day like clockwork: so much power that, if we tapped all the marine energy we have access to, it would be equivalent to nearly 60% of the United States’ power generation in 2019. [NREL]

Wave (Jeremy Bishop, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “VinFast To Set Up Shop In Indonesia, Plans To Expand In Seven More Markets In Asia” • Vietnamese automaker VinFast is making good its announcement to enter Southeast Asia. It plans to set up shop in Indonesia in early 2024. The strategy is to first distribute vehicles to dealer-partners in the country and then build an electric car plant. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Roam Introduces The Roam Move Electric Bus In Kenya” • Roam has just unveiled a second model in its electric bus range. This time, a smaller electric bus to cater to the middle segment in the Matatu sector. The electric bus has a spacious interior with a capacity to accommodate up to 51 passengers. It is assembled entirely in Kenya. [CleanTechnica]

Roam Move electric bus (Roam image)

¶ “Japan Draws Up Whitewash Plan To Salvage Image” • Japan plans to strengthen the monitoring and analysis of information about the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean and is seeking extra funding to step up public relations efforts at home and abroad. [China Daily]

¶ “Fossil Share In Rajasthan’s Power Mix Drops To 50% As Solar And Wind Surge” • The share of fossil fuels in Rajasthan’s power generation mix hit the record-low level of 50% from April to July of this year. This is the first time that the lowest level has been sustained for over a quarter of the year, according to a new report by Ember. [pv magazine India]

Rajasthan (Sushmita Balasubramani, Wikimedia Commons)

Australia:

¶ “Australia Can Lead The Production And Utilization Of Green Hydrogen, Former Prime Minister Turnbull Says” • Australian former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said that Australia has the potential to be a world leader in the production and export of green hydrogen. He was making his keynote address at a Global Wind Energy Council Summit. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “A Picturesque Island With The Cleanest Air On Earth” • Off the rugged north-western tip of Australia’s island-state of Tasmania is a wildly remote peninsula with a bleak name: Cape Grim. This is where you’ll find some of the cleanest air on Earth, according to the local air pollution station, which is there to collect and analyze the of the air. [BBC]

Cape Grim (Ian Cochrane, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “$1 Billion Contracts Awarded For Kwinana And Collie Big Batteries” • Western Australia’s Cook Government has awarded more than A$1 billion ($650,000) in contracts to deliver massive new battery energy storage systems in Kwinana and Collie as part of its commitment to cleaner, reliable and affordable energy for the state. [Government of Western Australia]

US:

¶ “Hundreds Of Flying Taxis To Be Built In Ohio, Governor Announces” • Joby Aviation Inc was selected to build an electric air taxi manufacturing site at Dayton International Airport, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and others announced. The electric air taxi is to carry a pilot and four passengers at speeds of up to 200 mph over a range of 100 miles. [ABC News]

Joby’s prototype eVTOL aircraft (Joby Aviation image)

¶ “Three Years After Hurricane Sally, Pensacola Is Still Struggling To Rebuild” • It has been three years since Hurricane Sally struck the Gulf Coast, but the recovery is nowhere near complete for communities that experienced the most severe impacts from the storm, according to local residents and officials. Pensacola is still reeling from the impacts. [ABC News]

¶ “Vestas Toasts $40 Million Colorado Factories Boost” • Vestas is celebrating its $40 million investment in two Colorado factories, which will create up to 1,000 clean energy jobs. To celebrate the Brighton Nacelles and Windsor Blades factories, Vestas hosted an event with Governor Jared Polis, Xcel Energy, and the American Clean Power Association. [reNews]

Vestas wind turbines (Vestas image)

¶ “New Consortium To Make Batteries For Electric Vehicles More Sustainable” • A battery material called disordered rock salt could pave the way for replacing combustion vehicles with EVs faster. DRX cathodes could provide lithium-ion batteries with higher energy density than those made of nickel and cobalt, and it could make EV batteries more sustainable. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Johns Hopkins Researchers Join Push For 100% Renewable Energy Power Grids” • At Johns Hopkins, the Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute, in collaboration with partners from around the globe, has established a new center focused on helping society transition towards 100% renewable energy for power grids. [JHU Hub]

Have an honestly enchanting day.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

Science and Technology:

¶ “Why EV Batteries Keep Getting Cheaper And Cleaner” • We have seen battery density double every 12 years and prices drop 50% every 5 years. Wright’s Law says this should go on. By 2030 we should have a battery with nearly double the capacity at the same weight for half the price, or the same capacity at half the weight for a quarter of the price. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “Tesla May Have Perfected One-Piece Casting Technology” • Traditional manufacturing techniques use up to 400 individual stampings that then have to be welded, bolted, screwed, or glued together to make a complete unibody structure. If Tesla can get one-piece casting right, its cost of manufacturing could drop by up to 50%. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “First HVDC Undersea Power Project In The Developing World And Saudi Entry Into Exporting Renewable Power” • Private companies in India and Saudi Arabia recently signed a series of agreements. One of them covers a High Voltage Direct Current undersea line allowing power to be transmitted between the two countries, and beyond. [CleanTechnica]

Submarine cable trencher, (Friflash, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Copernicus: Record-Breaking Wildfires Throughout The 2023 Boreal Wildfire Season” • As the Northern Hemisphere comes to the end of the wildfire season, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service data on fire emissions and smoke transport associated with wildfires provides valuable insights to evaluate the most relevant wildfires. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Study Reveals Farm Dams Can Be Converted Into Renewable Energy Storage Systems” • A study published in Applied Energy, finds that agricultural ponds, could be connected to form micro-pumped hydro energy storage systems. It’s the first study to assess the potential of these small-scale systems as an innovative renewable energy storage solution. [India Education]

Brickpits fishing pond (Richard Croft, CC BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Though The Price Shocks Hurt, Renewables Installed In 2021- 2023 Saved Europe €100 Billion” • IEA data shows that without the solar and wind capacity additions of 2021-2023 Europe’s energy costs would have been €100 billion higher in that time, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and reduced output from nuclear and hydro made energy prices spike. [Energy Post]

¶ “Ørsted To Develop 400 MW Of Irish Solar” • Orsted disclosed that it is developing a 400-MW portfolio of Irish solar projects in a partnership with Irish renewable energy developer Terra Solar. The sites could power over 90,000 Irish homes. This brings further momentum to Orsted’s solar pipeline in Ireland, which now totals over 600 MW. [reNews]

Solar array (Terra Solar image)

¶ “Replacing Australia’s Retiring Coal Power Stations With Small Nuclear Reactors Could Cost A$387 Billion, Analysis Suggests” • The federal government’s Energy Department says it would cost as much as A$387 billion ($249 billion) to replace Australia’s retiring coal-fired power stations with the form of nuclear power proposed by the Coalition. [The Guardian]

¶ “Costa Rica’s Sea Turtle Decline Linked To Climate Change” • The effects of climate change are increasingly evident in various parts of the planet. The repercussions of climate change include rising sea levels, high sea temperatures, and more. Experts from the APM Terminals Turtle Conservation Program say it results in fewer sea turtle hatchlings. [The Tico Times]

Young sea turtle (Morgan Newnham, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Thousands March To Kick Off Climate Summit, Demanding An End To Fossil Fuels” • Yelling that the future and their lives depend on ending fossil fuels, tens of thousands of protesters kicked off the opening salvo to New York’s Climate Week, where leaders will try once again to curb climate change primarily caused by coal, oil and natural gas. [ABC News]

¶ “Coal-Killing ‘Extension Cord’ Brings Renewable Energy To Local Communities” • The DOE may have a lot of big programs, but it also runs some that tend to fly under the media radar for ordinary communities. One is an ongoing solar program that aims to make local solar systems more accessible and affordable for most households. [CleanTechnica]

Fairbanks, Alaska (FairbanksMike, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “Sublime Systems Receives ASTM Certification For Low Carbon Cement” • In June, CleanTechnica told readers about Sublime Systems, which makes cement without massive carbon emissions. Now, it has ASTM C1157 compliance certification, which has more stringent strength requirements than older hydraulic cement standards. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Climate Change Could Bring More Monster Storms Like Hurricane Lee To New England” • When it comes to hurricanes, New England can’t compete with Florida or the Caribbean. But scientists said the arrival of storms like Atlantic storm Lee could become more common in places such as the Gulf of Maine, as the planet warms. [Rapid City Journal]

Lobster boats in Maine (Leon Bredella, Unsplash)

¶ “How Rural Southwest Utah Is Proving The Potential Of Renewable Geothermal Energy” • There’s a new hotspot in the world of geothermal energy: a seemingly sleepy valley in Beaver County. Its secret? The valley sits on top of bedrock that reaches temperatures up to 465°F. That is enough heat to make the area really interesting for power generation. [KUER]

¶ “Renewable Power Expected To Grow As Louisiana Marks Clean Energy Transition” • Gov John Bel Edwards issued a proclamation declaring September 25-29 as Clean Energy Week in Louisiana in conjunction with the national celebration. The state’s renewable power industry is slightly behind that of most other states, but it is growing. [Louisiana Illuminator]

Have a flawlessly grand day.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

World:

¶ “Antarctic Sea-Ice At ‘Mind-Blowing’ Low Alarms Experts” • Satellite data shows the sea-ice surrounding Antarctica is well below any previous recorded winter level, a worrying new benchmark for a region that once seemed resistant to global warming. An unstable Antarctica could have far-reaching consequences, polar experts warn. [BBC]

Antarctica (Long Ma, Unsplash)

¶ “Ten Countries And Territories Saw Severe Flooding In Just Twelve Days. Is This The Future Of Climate Change?” • Greece, Lybia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Spain, Brazil, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, and the US all had severe flooding. Sadly, such things will happen again. Over 90% of global warming over the past 50 years has been in the oceans, which power storms. [CNN]

¶ “SAIC-GM-Wuling JV Is Back With Another Potentially Game Changing Product: The Wuling E10 Mini Delivery Vehicle” • In another bold move that could potentially create another new and exciting market for affordable mini delivery vehicles, the SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture has just started the wider rollout of the Wuling E10 delivery vehicle. [CleanTechnica]

Wuling E10 delivery vehicle

¶ “Carmakers Urged To Stop Prioritising SUVs Over Smaller & More Affordable Electric Cars” • The arrival of more affordable, smaller electric cars would hasten the uptake of zero-emission cars in the UK, a survey shows. 22% of new car buyers already intend to buy an electric car in the next year, but the percentage goes higher as the price goes down. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “EVs To Surpass ⅔ Of Global Car Sales By 2030, Putting At Risk Nearly Half Of Oil Demand” • Global EV sales are on track to meet or outpace even the most ambitious net-zero timelines and could account for more than two-thirds of market share by 2030, following exponential growth trends, according to three research projects by RMI. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model 3 (Martin Katler, Unsplash)

¶ “EU May Require Four Times More Workers For Wind And Solar Projects By 2030” • Demand for talent in wind and solar power projects is expected to rise by “as much as fourfold” in EU countries by 2030, McKinsey & Co said. The wind and solar industry will need 990,000 full-time workers by the end of the decade, up from with 290,000 in 2020. [The National]

¶ “Water-Starved Saudi Confronts Desalination’s Heavy Toll” • Lacking lakes, rivers, and regular rainfall, Saudi Arabia relies on dozens of facilities that transform water from the Gulf and Red Sea to make it potable, supplying cities and towns that otherwise would not survive. Desalinization is energy intensive, but the country is turning to solar power. [Yahoo News]

Jeddah (backer Sha, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Adani Wind Receives Certification For India’s Largest Turbine” • Adani Wind, the wind energy solutions division of Adani New Industries Ltd, announced that its new Wind Turbine Generator has received type certification from Wind Guard GmbH, says a press release. At 5.2 MW, Adani’s news wind turbine is the largest made in India. [Daily Observer]

¶ “G20 Leaders Commit To Triple Renewable Energy Capacity By 2030 And Achieve Global Net Zero By 2050” • In a significant move on climate change issues at G20 summit, the leaders agreed to go for rapid, deep and sustained reductions in global GHG emissions by 43% by 2030 relative to the 2019 levels to limit global warming to 1.5°C. [Mid-day]

Solar power (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)

¶ “Solar Power Five Times More Popular Than Fossil Fuels: Survey” • According to a global poll by research firm Glocalities, more than 68% of people worldwide support solar energy. Only only 14%of respondents back fossil fuels, and 24% back nuclear. The use of solar energy has been expanding rapidly on a global scale, as its costs decline. [Interesting Engineering]

US:

¶ “The Energy-Efficient Home Makeover” • The good news: Inflation is finally cooling. The not-so-good-news: Your electric bill probably hasn’t gotten the memo yet. According to the US Energy Information Administration, US households have seen their electric bills rise this summer by an average of about 2% over last summer’s bills. [CleanTechnica]

Thermostat (Dan LeFebvre, Unsplash)

¶ “US DOE Unveils New Interactive Map Showcasing Clean Energy Investments” • The US DOE released a new interactive map series showcasing, in localized detail, where clean energy investments are occurring across the US. This new interactive tool will serve as a valuable resource for tracking the industrial revitalization across the country. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Poison Ivy Is Poised To Be One Of The Big Winners Of A Warming World” • Poison ivy is poised to be one of the big winners in this global, human-caused phenomenon. Scientists expect the dreaded three-leafed vine will take full advantage of warmer temperatures and rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to grow faster, bigger, and more toxic. [NPR]

Poison Ivy (Tina Hester, Pixy.org, CC0)

¶ “The Augusta Bio-Refinery: A State-Of-The-Art Renewable Natural Gas Project” • On 8.5-acres of land in Augusta, a state-of-the art project, the Augusta bio-refinery, is under development by Renovatio Solutions LLC. The goal of the project is to convert organic wastes into renewable natural gas through anaerobic digestion. [The Augusta Press]

¶ “US Renewables Capacity Projected To Soar With The IRA” • The Inflation Reduction Act is spurring a land rush for sites for development and giving impetus to the manufacture of clean energy equipment in the US, according to Wood Mackenzie. The country could see annual renewable capacity additions triple to 110 GW in ten years. [Oil Price]

Have an entirely superior day.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

Science and Technology:

¶ “Time Of Use Electricity Rate Plans Explained: Challenges And Solutions To Maximize Your Savings” • The challenge of keeping the grid balanced is expressed in the “Duck Curve.” The peak of solar power drives demand from generating plants down, but it recovers in early evening. The rapid increase can be covered by battery energy storage. [CleanTechnica]

Deepening duck curve (CAISO image)

¶ “Panasonic Eyes Solid-State Batteries, But Not For EVs (Yet)” • Panasonic is the latest manufacturer to tease the technology of solid-state batteries beyond the familiar button-sized format, but don’t hold your breath for that new EV battery. The company’s near-term target consists of drones and factory robots, not street vehicles. At least, not yet. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Record-High Summer Temps Give A ‘Sneak Peek’ Into Future Warming” • Global temperatures this June and August were the warmest on record, but an analysis from Berkeley Earth found that they also likely exceeded the benchmark of 1.5°C above preindustrial levels. That means they are expected to prompt worsening impacts of global warming. [ABC News]

Sneak Peek into the future (Melvin, Unsplash)

¶ “Major UK Methane Greenhouse Gas Leak Gets Spotted From Space” • A major UK leak of the extremely potent greenhouse gas methane has been spotted by a satellite for the first time. The leak occurred over a three-month period while Wales and West Utilities were replacing the gas mains. The amount leaked could have powered 7,500 homes for a year. [BBC]

¶ “GreenMax And Tradeable Launch GreenShift Africa, A Platform Designed To Accelerate The Penetration Of EVs In Africa” • US-based GreenMax Capital Group Ltd and Tradeable, which focuses on trade in Africa, have announced a partnership to launch GreenShift Africa, a trade facilitation platform for EV promotion in Africa. [CleanTechnica]

Electric motorcycle (trenchophotography, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Pakistan To Enhance Cooperation With China To Promote Affordable Green Energy, Experts Say” • Pakistan and China enjoy close ties, and Pakistan needs to enhance cooperation with China further under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to promote affordable clean and green energy in the South Asian country, Pakistani experts said. [Xinhua]

¶ “Solar Energy And Climate Change Are Killing Future Hydro Plants In Africa” • About 1.2 billion people live in Africa, and improved standards of living, they are using more electricity. The plan on how to do that is changing, however. Power dams are getting less cost-effective, as solar gets cheaper and water made less available by climate change. [ZME Science]

Aswan High Dam (Olaf Tausch, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “China To Expand Geothermal Energy Usage” • Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing announced at a conference that China will vigorously increase the use of geothermal energy to meet its targets for clean energy generation, according to a Reuters report. Geothermal energy can be used to produce electricity and for heating and cooling. [Interesting Engineering]

US:

¶ “Interior Department Announces More Than $40.6 Million For Efforts To Conserve America’s Most Imperiled Species” • The Interior Department announced over $40.6 million in grants through the US Fish and Wildlife Service to ten states and the US Virgin Islands to support land acquisition and conservation planning projects for 65 listed species. [CleanTechnica]

Monarch butterfly (Erin Minuskin, Unsplash)

¶ “Hurricane Lee Live Updates: When Storm Will Reach New England” • As Hurricane Lee, a Category 1 storm, moves up the East Coast, tropical storm warnings are in effect along the coast from Massachusetts to Maine. Lee is hundreds of miles off the coast and is expected to make landfall in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick as a tropical storm. [ABC News]

¶ “NREL And Joby Aviation Partnership Spotlights Green Ride-Hailing Flight Services” • When Joby Aviation wanted to find the environmental impact of its future all-electric aerial ride-hailing service, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which has done years of sustainable aviation research, helped provide a technological bird’s eye view. [CleanTechnica]

Joby Aviation eVTOL vehicle (Photo from Joby Aviation)

¶ “NREL Researchers Reveal How Buildings Across US Use – And Could Use – Energy” • Buildings are responsible for 40% of total energy use in the US, including 75% of all electricity use and 35% of the nation’s carbon emissions. National Renewable Energy Laboratory researchers created a data set to detail how buildings use – and could use – energy. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Santa Barbara County Moving Steadily Toward Renewable Energy Goal” • Santa Barbara County is moving steadily toward meeting its goal of operating government facilities on 100% renewable energy by 2030. Currently, renewable sources supply 53% of county government’s energy. Supervisors generally expressed support. [Santa Maria Times]

Santa Barbara County gonvernment campus (Contributed)

¶ “California Sues Fossil Fuel Giants Over Climate Change” • The state of California is the latest to take some of the world’s largest fossil fuel companies to court, claiming in a suit that decades of deliberate disinformation about climate change have worsened it and caused major environmental, public health, and economic damages in the state. [Courthouse News Service]

¶ “Environmental Groups Urge Regulators To Shut Down Diablo Canyon Reactor Over Safety, Testing Concerns” • Environmental groups called on federal regulators to shut down one of the two reactors at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant until tests can be conducted on critical machinery they believe could fail, causing a catastrophe. [Santa Monica Daily Press]

Have a greatly appreciated day.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

World:

¶ “Climate Change Takes Habitat From Big Fish, The Ocean’s Key Predators” • This year’s marine heat waves and spiking ocean temperatures foretell big changes for some of the largest fish in the sea. Loss of habitat could largely remove some of the most important predators from the ocean, including commercially important seafood species. [ABC News]

Fisherman with albacore tuna (NOAA FishWatch, public domain)

¶ “Libya Turmoil Made Derna Flooding Even More Deadly” • Up to 20,000 people are feared to have died due to raging floods in eastern Libya. Derna, a city emblematic of a breakdown of Lybia law and order in recent years, had most of the deaths. It has had little investment for decades. An official said that one of the dams that burst was not being maintained. [BBC]

¶ “EV Sales Growing Faster Than Forecasted, Oil Demand Peaked In 2019” • RMI shows that the rapid growth of EVs means that global oil demand for cars has already peaked and will be in freefall by 2030. The new driver of change is economics. Because battery costs enjoy learning curves, total cost of ownership price parity has been reached. [CleanTechnica]

Renault Zoe (Renault image)

¶ “€25,000 Small Electric Cars On Track To Be Profitable By 2025!” • Carmakers can make a profit selling small electric cars made in Europe for €25,000, research shows. Falling production costs and battery prices would make mass market B-segment vehicles feasible to electrify by 2025, according to the study by Transport & Environment. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “French-Led Proposal For Australia’s Second-Biggest Battery Storage In Tasmania Will ‘Reduce Energy Costs’” • Tasmania could have a grid-connected battery by 2026 under a proposal from the country’s largest battery operator. Proposed by Neoen, a Paris-based energy company, the battery would add 140 MW of capacity to Tasmania’s energy network. [ABC]

Tasmanian countryside (Matt Palmer, Unsplash)

¶ “Djibouti Inaugurates Red Sea Power, Country’s First Wind Farm” • President Ismail Omar Guelleh inaugurated Djibouti’s first-ever wind farm. The Red Sea Power wind farm, near Lake Goubet, will provide 60 MW of clean energy, averting 252,500 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually, equivalent to the pollution from over 55,000 buses. [Energy Central]

¶ “Dublin Hotel Signs Wind PPA” • Flogas Enterprise signed a corporate power purchase agreement with Dublin’s Merrion Hotel to supply it with renewable electricity. The 21-month deal will allow the hotel to buy renewable electricity directly from one of Ireland’s first wind farms, Cronalaght Wind Farm in Donegal, which began operations in 1997. [reNews]

Wind turbine in Ireland (Peter Randall-Cook, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

US:

¶ “California Energy Commission Starts $38 Million Project For EV Charging In Low-Income And Disadvantaged Communities” • The California Energy Commission is opening applications for $38 million in equity-focused incentives to fund EV charging stations in low-income and disadvantaged communities in 28 counties. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Rural Puerto Rican Homes To Receive More Low-Cost Solar Power” • Last month, Barrio Electrico began installing more solar power and energy storage in a part of Coamo named Barrio Pasto. The goal is to install enough new solar and energy storage in the first year to provide low-cost electricity to up to 500 households there. [CleanTechnica]

Rooftop solar system (Image by Barrio Electrico)

¶ “California Legislature Approves Plan Allowing The State To Buy Power” • The California Legislature voted to give Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration permission to buy massive amounts of electricity. The move is aimed at avoiding blackouts by shoring up the state’s power supply while jumpstarting the offshore wind industry. [San Diego Union-Tribune]

¶ “Florida Is Now Adding More Solar Power Than Any Other State” • Florida has long ranked a distant third place behind California and Texas in installed solar, but it’s now installing more solar panels than any other state. This is despite its having a policy landscape considerably more challenging than what is found in other states. [Canary Media]

Solar array in Florida (Amer Awwad, US DOE)

¶ “Enel Brings Five New Batteries Online In Texas, Tripling Its Operational Grid Storage Capacity” • Enel North America has more than tripled its operational utility-scale storage capacity this summer by bringing five new battery energy storage systems online in Texas. The batteries add 555 MWh of energy storage to the Texas power grid. [PR Newswire]

¶ “Sunflower Solar Plant Ensures A ‘Bright Future’ For Entergy And Mississippi” • Entergy Mississippi has looked closely at solar technology for over a decade. Its Bright Future initiative kicked off in 2015, helping its engineers learn more about the feasibility of solar technology. Now, it is developing the 100-MW Sunflower Solar Project. [Entergy Newsroom]

Solar farm (Entergy image)

¶ “Air Force Set To Award Contract For Small Nuclear Reactor At Base Near Fairbanks” • The Air Force announced its intent to award a contract for a small nuclear reactor at a base in Alaska pending approval by the NRC. The contract went to Oklo Inc, of Santa Clara, California, for a small reactor at Eielson Air Force Base. [Anchorage Daily News]

¶ “New Files Shed Light On ExxonMobil’s Efforts To Undermine Climate Science ” • ExxonMobil executives privately sought to undermine climate science even after the oil and gas giant publicly acknowledged the link between fossil fuel emissions and climate change, according to previously unreported documents revealed by the Wall Street Journal. [The Guardian]

Have a profoundly amusing day.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

(, 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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

(, 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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

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.

geoharvey is free and without ads.
geoharvey is not tax-deductible.