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Opinion: 

¶ “The 1977 Climate Memo That Could Have Changed The Course Of History” • The Guardian has revealed the existence of a climate memo written for president Jimmy Carter in 1977 by Frank Press, his chief science adviser. It bore the rather ominous title “Release of Fossil CO₂ and the Possibility of a Catastrophic Climate Change.” [CleanTechnica]

Jimmy Carter (National Archives & Records Administration)

Science and Technology:

¶ “New Additives To Perovskite Tandem Solar Cells Boost Efficiency, Stability” • Scientists at the US DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory demonstrated a perovskite cell that overcomes problems with stability and improves efficiency. The new cell, a tandem design with two layers of perovskites, measured a 25.5% efficiency. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Satellite Spots World’s ‘Largest’ Methane Leak In A Russian Coal Mine” • The Raspadskya Mine in Kemerovo region in remote part of southern Russia is spewing out huge amounts of methane, a very potent greenhouse gas, in what is described as the “biggest” such leak ever detected from a single facility. The leak was found by a GHGSat satellite. [CNN]

Methane leak (GHGSat image)

¶ “Rich Nations Accused Of ‘Betrayal’ At Bonn Talks” • Climate talks in Bonn headed into their final day with rich nations accused of betraying the developing world. Poorer countries say that at COP26 they were promised that their key demand on loss and damage would be honored this year, but instead the issue has been side-lined by the US and EU. [BBC]

¶ “Germany Accuses Russian Gas Giant Of Pushing Energy Prices Up” • Germany accused Russian state-controlled Gazprom of trying to push up energy prices by sharply reducing supplies. Gazprom said it was limiting the amount of gas to Germany to do maintenance on the Nord Stream pipeline, but the German economy minister said it was a political act. [BBC]

Retired offshore oil rigs (Ben Wicks, Unsplash)

¶ “Bloomberg Thinks Volkswagen Could Sell More EVs Than Tesla By 2024” • Bloomberg Intelligence thinks that Volkswagen could sell more EVs than Tesla by 2024, but that even if this does happen, Tesla will still be a key leader in the industry. One thing that seems sure is that both companies will be key leaders with EVs for quite some time. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “ROI Open For Tasmania Renewable Energy Industry” • The Tasmanian Government released an energy plan, and a Register of Interest to facilitate new energy opportunities across the state is now open. The plan is to put downward pressure on energy prices, increase the supply of reliable and affordable power, and bolster Tasmania’s economy. [Energy Magazine]

Tasmanian farm (Patrick McGregor, Unsplash)

¶ “Mekong Delta Eyes Rapid Development Of Renewable Energy” • The Mekong Delta will need to optimize its natural conditions to develop renewable energy and attract investment in the sector to mitigate the impacts of climate change, experts have said. The region has a lot of potential for renewables like wind, solar and biomass. [EIN News]

¶ “Wind Industry Urges ‘Greater Policy Ambition’” • The Global Wind Energy Coalition for COP27 has called for greater policy ambition and volumes made available to scale up to 390 GW of annual wind energy installations by 2030. On Global Wind Day the coalition is calling for the scale-up in line with a net zero trajectory. [reNews]

Work on a wind turbine (Global Wind Energy Coalition)

¶ “Renewable Power Inks 561-MW Swedish Wind Connection” • Renewable Power Capital signed a grid connection deal with Eon paving the way for up to 561 MW of new wind capacity in the Solleftea and Kramfors municipalities in Sweden. The parties agreed on the costs and the schedule for the grid connection of four wind power projects. [reNews]

¶ “US Awaits ‘Constructive’ Response From Tehran On Nuclear Deal” • The US said it awaits a constructive response from Iran on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal without “extraneous” issues, a possible reference to Iran’s demand its Revolutionary Guards be dropped from a US terrorism list. The 2015 deal was abandoned by Donald Trump. [The Algemeiner]

Tehran (Sajad Nori, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Federal Watchdog Found Oil And Gas Company Likely Defrauded Government” • A federal watchdog found that the Interior Department’s safety and enforcement branch was for years unaware that an oil and gas company regularly vented and flared a potent planet-warming gas at levels exceeding Interior Department requirements. [CNN]

¶ “Scientists Saw Yellowstone’s ‘Unprecedented’ Flooding Coming” • Scientists predicted more frequent events like this week’s flash flooding in the Yellowstone area. Just last year, one report on the future of Yellowstone concluded the climate crisis would lead to more rainfall and rapid snowmelt due to extreme spring and summer warmth. [CNN]

Road destroyed by erosion (National Park Service image)

¶ “Environmental Groups Sue Biden Administration To Block 3,500 Oil And Gas Drilling Permits” • Three environmental law groups sued the Biden administration in an attempt to block over 3,500 permit applications from energy companies to drill for oil and gas on public lands. They say issuing the permits would violate several federal laws. [CNN]

¶ “Engineers Develop Cybersecurity Tools To Protect Solar, Wind Power On The Grid” • Solar panels and wind turbines, now projected to produce 44% of America’s electricity by 2050, present cybersecurity challenges. They have sensors, controllers, actuators or inverters that are directly or indirectly connected to the internet. [Iowa State University]

Have a particularly jolly day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Vanadium Batteries Keep The Energy Flowing For The Telecommunications Industry” • The US Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, announced last year that vanadium flow batteries are “good for grid storage.” There are few places where that may be more evident than in the telecommunications industry. [CleanTechnica]

Vanadium flow battery (Image courtesy StorEn Tech)

World:

¶ “Climate Change: New Fossil Fuel Funding Is ‘Delusional’ Says UN Chief” • Spending money on new coal, oil and gas as a result of the war in Ukraine is “delusional” according to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. He says that our global energy mix is broken, and more coal will only reinforce the “scourge of war, pollution, and climate catastrophe.” [BBC]

¶ “Sri Lanka Gives Government Workers Extra Day Off A Week” • Sri Lanka is giving government officials an extra day off a week to encourage them to grow food, amid fears of a food shortage. Sri Lanka is in the worst economic crisis in 70 years and struggles to pay for critical imports such as food, fuel, and medicine as it faces a severe foreign currency shortage. [BBC]

Situlpawwa, Sri Lanka (Anusara Weerasooriya, Unsplash)

¶ “EU Parliament’s Lead Committees Vote Against Gas And Nuclear In The Green Taxonomy” • Two lead committees of the European Parliament have voted to throw out the European Commission’s sustainable investment taxonomy, which had inexplicably labeled gas as green. They voted by 76 to 62 against greenwashing gas and nuclear. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Canada Post: 14,000 Vehicles To Be Fully Electric By 2040” • Canada Post has earmarked $1 billion to reduce emissions and transform its fleet. Canada Post has 14,000 vehicles and close to 6,000 post offices. It will transform its fleet to non-emitting transportation, with commitments to reach a 50% electric fleet by 2030 and 100% by 2040. [CleanTechnica]

Canada Post vehicle (Jeangagnon, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Renewable Energy Delays In 2016 Haunt SA Today” • South Africa could have basically solved load-shedding if it had not stalled critical renewable energy projects in 2016, according to a report by energy advisory firm Meridian Economics. The report says the outlook for SA’s escalating load-shedding problem is worse than generally recognized. [ITWeb]

¶ “BP Takes Stake In Oz Mega-P2X Project” • BP agreed to take an equity stake and be the operator of a huge green hydrogen hub in Western Australia. BP has acquired a 40.5% stake in the Asian Renewable Energy Hub, which will comprise 26 GW of renewable energy capacity (14.5 GW wind and 11.5 GW solar) plus 12.5 GW of electrolyser capacity. [reNews]

Western Australia (BP image)

US:

¶ “Across The US, A Day Of Extreme Weather Prompts Heat Warnings, Severe Flooding, And Power Outages” • All entrances to Yellowstone Park are closed due to flooding. Storms in the Ohio area left hundreds of thousands without power. The heat wave in the Southwest is moving to Mid-America, putting 125 million under a heat advisory. [CNN]

¶ “Wind And Solar Power Are ‘Bailing Out’ Texas Amid Record Heat And Energy Demand” • Texans are cranking on the air conditioning this week amid an unusually early heat wave, setting new records for electricity demand in the state. But the grid is holding up well, largely because solar and windpower are covering 40% of the demand. [CNN]

Azure Sky wind farm (Enel Green Power image)

¶ “Arizona’s Pipeline Fire Has Burned More Than 20,000 Acres In Two Days” • Arizona’s Pipeline Fire, about six miles from Flagstaff, has scorched more than 20,000 acres, about four times the area it was on Monday afternoon, according to Coconino National Forest officials. It was at 0% containment as of Tuesday afternoon, a press release said. [CNN] (Please note: ‘Pipeline’ is just the fire’s name. It does not mean a pipeline is on fire.)

¶ “Nikola Gets $185,000 Incentive Boost, Way Ahead Of Tesla” • Just weeks after announcing that early customers had begun taking delivery of Nikola’s Tre battery-electric semi trucks, the brand has announced that its trucks have officially qualified for massive incentives in the State of New York. The incentives can be worth up to $185,000 per truck. [CleanTechnica]

Nicola electric truck (Nicola image)

¶ “House Approves Ruggiero Bill Requiring 100% Of RI’s Electricity To Be Offset By Renewable Energy By 2033” • Rhode Island’s House of Representatives voted in favor of legislation to increase the state’s renewable energy supply by requiring that 100% of its electricity by offset by renewable production by 2033. The Senate has passed a similar bill. [What’s Up Newp]

¶ “DOE To Support Clean Energy Transition In 12 Remote And Island Communities” • The DOE announced it will work with 12 remote and island communities to help strengthen their energy infrastructure, reduce the risk of outages, and improve their economic outlook. Among the 12 are communities in Maine and Massachusetts. [Department of Energy]

Aquinnah, Martha’s Vineyard (MV Vacation, Unsplash)

¶ “New Mexico State Land Office Triples Renewable Energy” • Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard announced that the State Land Office has tripled renewable energy leased on state trust land since 2019, bringing renewable energy production to about 1,200 MW, up from about 400 MW when she took office. [Los Alamos Daily Post]

¶ “NextEra Energy Launches Zero Carbon Ambition” • NextEra Energy has committed to eliminate carbon emissions from its operations by no later than 2045, while leveraging low-cost renewables to provide affordable energy for its customers. Reaching the goal would require “significant investment,” according to the company. [reNews]

Have a beguilingly pleasing day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Conservatives Do Want A Clean Energy Transition” • The future of clean energy can pivot with the nod of conservative political elites. Until recently, they promoted policies friendly to fossil fuels and resisted climate change efforts, but a new breed of conservatives is slowly taking hold, and a clean energy transition is patiently waiting in the wings. [CleanTechnica]

Supercell (NOAA, Unsplash)

¶ “Baby, It’s HOT Outside! Records Are Being Set Worldwide” • Much of the US is broiling in a horrible heat wave, and other parts of the world are cooking too. A half a degree here, a quarter of a degree there. Eventually, large tracts of the Earth will no longer be able to support human life. It is astonishing how many people seem to be OK with that. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Candela Cabin Cruiser Concept Takes Flight!” • The Candela P-8 Voyager cabin cruiser made its debut at the Salone Nautico show in Venice. The new craft is aimed squarely at Vencie’s water taxi business, and the company hopes it will help replace the gas and diesel motorboats that are currently used by the area’s commercial operators. [CleanTechnica]

Candela P-8 Voyager (Candela image)

¶ “Australian Company Announces More Efficient Lithium Extraction Process” • Recently, Australia’s Nuclear Science and Technology Organization joined forces with Lithium Australia to develop a technology to extract up to 95% of the lithium in spodomene ore. It can also squeeze more out of the waste of the conventional extraction process. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Norway Is Building The World’s Largest Wind Farm – To Power Oil And Gas Fields” • Norway still has a very complicated relationship with oil and gas. Now, the country will start up the world’s largest wind farm to power its offshore oil and gas fields. The project is being built by Equinor, the largest exporter of natural gas in Europe. [ZME Science]

Offshore wind farm (Equinor image)

¶ “WA Coal-Fired Power Plants To Shut By 2029” • Western Australia’s state-owned coal-fired power stations will close by the end of the decade amid a shift towards renewable energy. WA Premier Mark McGowan says coal-fired generation is becoming increasingly unviable as the uptake of rooftop solar and other renewable energy grows. [Shepparton News]

¶ “What Is Load Shedding And Why Is It A Sign That Australia’s Largest Electricity Market Is In Crisis?” • When demand for electricity exceeds capacity, the most extreme tool is load shedding, shuting down power to an area for a time. A cold snap with several large, coal-burning power plants offline threatens eastern Australia with load shedding. [ABC]

Power outage (Alexander Popov, Unsplash)

¶ “Denmark Boosts 2030 Offshore Wind Goal By 4 GW” • The Danish government has release proposals to expand planned offshore wind capacity for 2030 by a further 4 GW. This will increase total installed capacity by 2030 from 8.9 GW to 12.9 GW. Denmark’s offshore wind farms will reach a capacity of 2.3 GW in 2022. [reNews]

¶ “Corio Team Reveals 5-GW Brazilian Offshore Wind Push” • Corio Generation has revealed plans for five offshore wind farms in Brazil totaling more than 5 GW. The fixed-bottom projects, which are at early-stage development, are the 1.2-GW Costa Nordeste, the 1.2-GW Cassino and Guarita, the 1,170-MW Rio Grande and the 495-MW Vitoria. [reNews]

Boat and wind turbines (Bob Brewer, Unsplash)

¶ “‘We’re Still Recovering’: 11 Years After Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, Residents Return To Their Village” • Over 11 years after Japan’s worst nuclear disaster, the government lifted evacuation orders in part of a contaminated village, allowing residents to move back into their homes. Katsurao village is about 40 km (24 miles) from the Fukushima Daiichi plant. [MSN]

US:

¶ “California Reaching 100% Renewable Electricity At Times” • In early April, California achieved a new record at 97.6% renewable power, and on May 2 the state was able to reach 99.9%. On May 8 the record was broken yet again, with 103% of the state’s power needs being met by renewables for a few hours. Now it’s time for California to work on storage. [CleanTechnica]

Neighborhood in San Francisco (Robert Bye, Unsplash)

¶ “New Federal Rule Aims To Phase Out Residential Furnaces That Waste Natural Gas” • President Joe Biden’s DOE will propose a rule to make residential, natural gas furnaces more energy-efficient. It would be the country’s first significant update to furnace standards since the 1990s. Just over 40% of furnaces made today meet the proposed standard. [CNN]

¶ “BLM OKs Construction Of Large California Solar Projects” • The Interior Department gave notice that construction could proceed on two projects in the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan area in California. The area includes 10.8 million acres of federal lands already evaluated by the Obama administration in 2016. [E&E News]

Desert solar array (Tom Brewster Photography, BLM via Flickr)

¶ “One Out Of Every Three New EVs Registered In US In 2022 Is A Tesla Model Y” • The Tesla Model Y, which is manufactured at two Tesla US factories, accounted for nearly one out of every three new EVs registered in the US during Q1, 2022. Altogether, the four models Tesla sells in the country captured 71.7% of the US EV market. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Carmakers Push Congress To Extend EV Tax Credit” • Top executives from General Motors, Ford, Stellantis, and Toyota have lobbied Congress to lift the 200,000 sold vehicle cap on the $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit, citing higher costs to produce zero-emission vehicles, according to a letter reportedly seen by Reuters. [CleanTechnica]

Have an inconceivably satisfying day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “What The Fed District Reserve Banks Should Do About Climate” • The Federal Reserve has a lot to do, from controlling inflation to staving off recession. But one issue should move up in priority. That issue is safeguarding the economy from the growing risks posed to the financial system from the growing risks of climate change. [CleanTechnica]

Tornado (Nikolas Noonan, Unsplash)

¶ “Ford Sides With EPA On California Clean Air Standards. We Should, Too.” • Because it already had emissions rules in place, California was allowed to have clean air standards stricter then the EPA’s. Donald Trump took their waiver away. Joe Biden gave it back. Now, a number of states are suing over the issue. Ford is on California’s side. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “How To Turn Your Garden Into A Carbon Sink” • As leaders in government and companies race to reduce their emissions, there is greater interest in natural landscapes, such as forests, wetlands, and mangroves, protecting against the risks of climate change. Horticulturalists say humble gardens can serve as a powerful tools in this fight. [BBC]

Country garden (Arno Senoner, Unsplash)

¶ “Protein-Filled Cotton Sheet Can Filter Carbon Emissions” • Using a cotton textile and an enzyme called carbonic anhydrase, North Carolina State University scientists created a fabric that can effectively scoop up and capture emissions. They published their new findings in ACS Sustainable Chemical Engineering earlier this month. [Popular Science]

World:

¶ “Fiji Says Asia’s Biggest Security Threat Is Climate Change, Not Conflict” • Fiji’s defense minister said climate change posed the biggest security threat in the Asia-Pacific region, a shift in tone at a defense summit dominated by the war in Ukraine and disputes between China and the US. Low-lying Pacific islands like Fiji are especially vulnerable to climate change. [CNN]

Scene in Fiji (Jeremy Bezanger, Unsplash)

¶ “Tesla Is The Most Purchased New Car In Switzerland” • The most popular new car brand in Switzerland is Tesla, RebelinkPress reported, citing Reuters and the Association of Automobile Importers, Auto-Suisse. New car demand is slowly growing when compared with 2020, and that change is driven by increased interest in EVs. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Electric Americas Foundation Is Filming A Documentary Driving The Pan-American Highway In Two Tesla EVs” • The founders of the Electric Americas Foundation will drive from Alaska to Patagonia using Tesla EVs, filming a documentary about their drive. The trip will cover 20,000 miles in seven months, if all goes according to plan. [CleanTechnica]

Brown bear (Courtesy of Electric Americas)

¶ “Marcos ‘Dedicated’ To Sustainable, Renewable Energy In The Philippines” • President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr is “dedicated” to using sustainable and renewable energy in the Philippines, the Danish Ambassador said. Marcos has said that aside from nuclear power, there should be a strong push for more renewable energy. [GlobalNation Inquirer]

¶ “Romania Aims For Energy Independence In Response To Ukraine War” • As Russia makes war on Ukraine, the Romanian government wants to transform the country’s energy mix and infrastructure to attain energy independence. Experts warn there are still issues while environmental groups call for a bigger role for renewables. [EURACTIV.com]

Dam in Transylvania (paul mocan, Unsplash)

¶ “Nenggiri Dam Operational In Five Years, To Boost Renewable Energy Capacity” • The RM5 billion ($1.13 billion) Nenggiri Hydro-Electric Dam project, which is to be operational in the middle of 2027, will boost renewable energy electricity capacity in Peninsula Malaysia, according to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. [The Sun Daily]

¶ “Enel Exits Gas-Fired Plant To Become 100% Renewable In Brazil” • Enel Brasil has signed a deal to sell its entire stake in a 327-MW gas-fired thermal power plant to local energy firm Eneva SA, thus becoming 100% renewable in the country. The sale is part of Enel’s carbon-neutrality plan as it looks to achieve zero emissions by 2040. [Renewables Now]

Enel’s Fontes Solar 2 plant in Brazil (Enel image)

¶ “Iran ‘Dangerously Close’ To Nuclear Bomb, Israeli Prime Minister Says” • Iran is “dangerously close” to getting a nuclear bomb, Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has said. Tensions between Iran and the West have increased in the last week after UN inspectors found that officials had turned off cameras at a nuclear plant. [The National]

US:

¶ “Mandatory Evacuations After Southern California Fire Expands 20-Fold” • Mandatory evacuations are in place after a wildfire expanded steadily in Southern California’s Angeles National Forest. The Sheep Fire grew from 35 acres Sunday morning to 775 acres by the afternoon, according to InciWeb. The fire is only 5% contained. [CNN]

Earlier California wildfire (Ross Stone, Unsplash)

¶ “US Army Invests In Portable Nuclear Reactors” • To prove the concept, the US military selected BWXT and other contractors to build a generation IV transportable nuclear reactor. The design calls for a nuclear reactor that is small enough to fit in a 6 meter (19.7 foot) shipping container for easy transportation. It should also be easy to put into operation. [Ubergizmo]

¶ “45% Percent Of Americans Support Nuclear Power Plants” • A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll finds two in five Americans say they are familiar with nuclear power energy plants (43%). 45% percent of Americans say they support nuclear power energy plants, with coal-fired plants (36%) and gas-fired plants (41%) garnering less support. [Ipsos]

Have an enjoyably tranquil day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Failure Is The Only Option” • There are three criteria that identify systems that will inevitably fail in some way: One, the system is complex; two, the system is tightly interconnected with one or more other complex systems; and three, the system has the potential for catastrophic failure. The failure of a nuclear power plant is a “normal accident.” [The Manila Times]

Chernobyl nuclear plant (UN photo)

¶ “The World Bank Is Blocking The Way To Renewable Energy Transition” • World Bank made a pledge in 2013 to stop funding coal. Despite that pledge, the World Bank’s private lending arm, the International Finance Corporation, continued to help make it possible for new coal projects to get the funding they need to begin operations. [Rappler]

World:

¶ “Tesla’s 35,000th Supercharger Is A Milestone For EV Charging” • Tesla keeps expanding its Supercharger network. Tesla China has announced Tesla’s 35,000th Supercharger, a milestone for EV charging. The Supercharger opened in Wuhan, China, and Tesla China noted that Tesla owns the largest fast-charging network in the world. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Supercharger (Neo Tan, Unsplash)

¶ “Netherlands: 32% Of New Cars Sold Now Plugin Cars” • In the context of a falling overall market, down 7% year over year in May, the Dutch plugin vehicle market has continued to grow, reaching 32% last month. That’s mostly thanks to pure electrics (21% of all new vehicle sales), which jumped 48% year over year last month. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Mercedes EQV Electric RV From Tonke” • Nearly three years after the debut of the Mercedes’ EQV electric van, Dutch RV specialist Tonke has turned the innovative EV into a capable B-class camper with swiveling front seats, a pop-up dinette/game table, and a swing-out camp kitchen just as good as anything this side Volkswagen BusBox. [CleanTechnica]

Tonke electric Camper conversion (Tonke image)

¶ “Rajasthan Allots Land To Adani Firm To Set Up 1,000 MW Solar Power Project” • The Rajasthan cabinet decided to allot nearly 2,400 hectares of government land in Jaisalmer district to Adani Renewable Energy Holding Four Limited for setting up a 1,000-MW Solar Power Project. Rajasthan has installed around 13,000 MW of solar capacity. [Business Standard]

¶ “Oman Plans Projects Worth Over $ 1 Billion In Renewable Energy And Water Sector” • Oman plans to attract investments of more than 480 million rials, or $1.250 billion, for several projects in renewable energy and water sector, according to the CEO of the Oman Power and Water Procurement Company. 1,000 MW of solar power is part of the plan. [ZAWYA]

Neighborhood of Muscat, Oman (Anfal Shamsudeen, Unsplash)

¶ “Ukraine Restores Internet Link Between Occupied Nuclear Plant And IAEA, Says Energoatom” • Ukraine’s state nuclear firm Energoatom said it had helped restore an internet connection between the International Atomic Energy Agency and the servers of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which is occupied by Russian forces. [USNews.com]

¶ “Africa Turns To China For Renewable Energy Investments” • With Africa attracting only 2% of the global renewable energy investments, the continent is aspiring to increase its installed capacity but it needs capital. Chinese is among the countries Africia is turning to as its countries seek to reach sustainable development goals. [Morocco World News]

Kilimanjaro (Sergey Pesterev, Unsplash)

Australia:

¶ “Queensland Has Eight Coal-Fired Power Stations. What’s Their Future?” • As Australians across the eastern seaboard grapple with rising energy costs, unexpected outages at a handful of Queensland’s coal-fired power stations have been cited as part of the problem. Queensland has eight coal-fired power stations. Here is a look at them. [ABC]

¶ “Farmers, Renewable Energy Advocates Call For More Compensation For Hosting Transmission Lines” • To reach net-zero and bring down power bills, state and federal governments have promised to fast-track transmission lines to get more renewable energy into the grid. But farmers are calling for a rethink on compensation. [ABC]

Sheep on an Australian farm (Daniel Morton, Unsplash)

¶ “Massive Investment In Bushfire Management And Climate Change Adaptation” • The 2022-23 New South Wales Budget gives a big boost to fire management in national parks with $598 million of investment, creating 250 permanent jobs and critical infrastructure upgrades. And $93.7 million will go to the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy. [NSW Government]

US:

¶ “California Bill Wields State’s Purchasing Power For Climate Action” • The California legislature has a big opportunity to cut greenhouse gas emissions from concrete, one of the world’s most carbon-intensive products, by passing Senate Bill 778 authored by Senator Josh Becker. The bill would add concrete to the Buy Clean California Act. [CleanTechnica]

Little bit of California (Viviana Rishe, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Grand Rapids Advances 100% Renewable Goal With New Solar Array” • Grand Rapids turned on a new solar array to generate about 10% of the power needs of its Lake Michigan Filtration Plant. The 0.90-MW installation, which is expected to save the city about $200,000 annually in electricity costs, is now generating electricity. [MLive.com]

¶ “Oklahoma City Partners With Solar Panel Company To Bring More Renewable Power To Homes” • Some Oklahoma City residents have already warmed to the idea of using the sun to power solar systems in their homes, helping to pay their utility bills, and now they are encouraging others to do the same with a city-partnered promotion. [The Oklahoman]

Have a sensationally happy day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Texas Repays Tesla – Excludes It From EV Rebates” • Tesla’s new global headquarters in Texas was always weird since Texas has always had anti-Tesla laws that make it hard to buy a Tesla there. Now, as a backhanded “thanks” to Tesla for building its headquarters there, Texas is excluding the EV maker from its EV rebate program. [CleanTechnica]

Giga Texas (Tesla image)

¶ “Colorado EV Charging Readiness Bill Vetoed – Big Mistake” • Amid an otherwise positive legislative session for transportation, air quality, and climate, Colorado Governor Jared Polis vetoed a bill that would have ensured that new buildings and major renovations had the electrical wiring and capacity to host future EV charging stations. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Why Nuclear Power Is Not Viable For Our World Today” • The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in Ukraine, built between 1984-1995, is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and the ninth largest in the world. With a Russian invasion and war going on around the plant, it highlights a problem with the assumption that nuclear plants can be secure. [Colorado Daily]

Nuclear power plant (Fusun Tut, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Green Aviation Fuels Could Save 5 Million Tonnes Of CO₂ In 2030” • E-kerosene, generated by combining green hydrogen and carbon dioxide, has the potential to substantially reduce the climate impact of aviation. Transport & Environment analysis shows that the European e-kerosene market is ready for higher rates and faster scaling. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Canal-Top Solar Solutions” • Canal-top solar was pioneered in India a decade ago with a canal-top solar array in Gujarat. There are now findings from the University of California and the resulting Project Nexus that shine attention on a symbiotic application: saving water, while generating solar energy, without occupying arable land. [pv magazine India]

Rendering of Project Nexus (Solar AquaGrid image)

World:

¶ “Multi-Gigawatt Solar From The Middle East” • Azerbaijan has announced a partnership with UAE-based developer Masdar for 1 GW each of solar and onshore wind, with 2 GW on integrated offshore wind plus green hydrogen production. The fact that green hydrogen production is included is noteworthy because Azerbaijan is a gas exporter. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “World’s Tallest Timber Residential Tower To Be Built” • The world’s tallest timber residential building is set to be built in Switzerland. The project, named Rocket&Tigerli, will consist of four buildings including one that boasts a 100-meter-tall (328-foot) tower. The development will be built in the Swiss city of Winterthur, which is near Zurich. [CNN]

Rendering (Aesthetica Studio/Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects)

¶ “Energy Dome Introduces Its Carbon Dioxide Energy Storage System On Sardinia” • Energy Dome says it has the solution to energy storage, which is to use a closed system based on CO₂. Its first demonstration facility is operational on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, home to Energy Dome founder Claudio Spadacini. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “How This PEI Company Aims To Reduce Diesel Power By 50% In Remote Communities” • A company in Georgetown, Prince Edward Island, is building a new wind and energy storage system specifically designed for remote communities, with the goal of displacing 50% of the diesel fuel that communities now use for power generation. [CBC]

Remote wind turbines (Frontier Power Systems)

US:

¶ “It’s Not Your Imagination, US Summers Are Hotter Than Ever Before” • From Texas to California, most of the Southwest is experiencing scorching heat this week, with temperatures soaring above 100°F (38°C) in dozens of locations. This is part of an alarming trend. American summers are hotter than ever, research by Climate Central shows. [The Guardian]

¶ “Biden’s National EV Charging Plan Emphasizes Standards, Interoperability, And Rural Access” • The Biden administration proposed a new program entitled the National Electric Vehicle Charging Network. The program will be used to provide a minimum of four fast chargers every 50 miles along major transportation corridors. [CleanTechnica]

Shell EV charging area (Shell image)

¶ “Climate Change Keeps Creating Challenges For Michigan Farmers” • With more extreme weather conditions than we were seeing ten or twenty years ago, climate change is creating challenges for Michigan farmers. Here is a look at how that state’s farmers are adapting and how they can even help slow climate change. [FOX 47 News]

¶ “Duke Energy Florida Completes Its First Project In 750-MW Solar Plan” • Duke Energy Florida announced it has completed construction of the 74.9-MW Fort Green Renewable Energy Center. The facility is part of a plan that allows Duke customers to opt-in to sourcing a designated amount of capacity from the project on their monthly bill. [pv magazine USA]

Duke Energy technician (Duke Energy image)

¶ “Google, Facebook Stoke Wind-Farm Debate” • Microsoft, Google, and Facebook are sounding the alarm on a renewable energy project a Warren Buffet company proposed in Iowa. MidAmerican Energy’s project would cost nearly $4 billion. It asked state regulators to approve terms including a guaranteed 11.25% rate of return. [Data Center Knowledge]

¶ “Xcel Energy-Colorado Gets Green Light For $2 Billion Transmission Project” • Xcel Energy said in a statement that the Colorado Public Utilities Commission approved plans for the five segments of its Colorado’s Power Pathway, which will cost up to $2 billion. The project will upgrade the state’s high-voltage transmission system. [The Fort Morgan Times]

Have a satisfyingly magnificent day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Australia’s Energy Crisis: How Can Such An Energy-Rich Country Be So Poor?” • A decade of mismanaging the energy transition by the previous federal government has left Australia in a dire situation. The previous energy minister, Angus Taylor, pilloried South Australia for its push to renewables. Now, it has the cheapest electricity in the nation. [CleanTechnica]

South Australian wind turbines (Simon Yeo, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Reducing Local Opposition To Renewables” • Despite the climate urgency and the favorable economics, local opposition to renewable energy projects is becoming a major impediment to getting the projects up and running. One key to success is early engagement by renewable developers with communities and nearby residents. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Biden Hydrogen Hub Program Doles Out Federal Dollars To Natural Gas Industry” • Recently, US President Joe Biden issued an executive order invoking the Defense Production Act to give a big boost to clean energy and lower carbon emissions in the US. Now it turns out a lot of funding for hydrogen is going to support getting it from natural gas. [CleanTechnica]

Natural gas well – not green (ReAl, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Lithium-Ion Batteries That Last Longer In Extreme Cold” • In temperatures below freezing, cellphones need to be recharged frequently, and electric cars have shorter driving ranges. This is because their lithium-ion batteries’ anodes get sluggish, holding less charge and draining energy quickly. Researchers have come up with a solution. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Artemis Puts The Electric Foil Concept To Work” • Artemis, based in Belfast, launched its “world’s first” commercially viable electric-foil workboat. It can cut through the waves at well over 30 knots and cover up to 60 nautical miles per charge. It uses an advanced “eFoiler” propulsion system that lifts the boat out of the water using twin T-foils. [CleanTechnica]

Artemis electric foil workboat (Artemis, via New Atlas)

¶ “Decarbonization Potential Of Solar Thermal” • In a new article by SolarFlux, CEO Naoise Irwin shares how solar thermal has massive yet under-appreciated decarbonization potential. Almost 6% of US energy consumption could be decarbonized simply by using solar energy for industrial process heat applications, the article says. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Torrential rains kill dozens in southern China as climate change amplifies flood seasons” • Torrential rains in southern China have killed at least 32 people, impacted millions of residents and caused billions of yuan in economic losses, as the country grapples with increasingly devastating flood seasons fueled by climate change. [CNN]

Cloudburst (Linhao Zhang, Unsplash)

¶ “Putin: West Unlikely To Reject Russian Energy For Years” • Russian President Vladimir Putin says that Western countries will not be able to cut themselves off from Russian oil and gas for several years. His comments come after a US official admitted that Russian profits on energy may be higher now than they were before the war. [BBC]

¶ “NSW Announces $1.2 Billion Investment In Renewable Energy” • The New South Wales government has announced its single biggest investment yet in renewable energy infrastructure, committing $1.2 billion to fast-track priority transmission and energy storage projects as the energy sector continues its rapid transformation. [pv magazine Australia]

Transmission lines (CSIRO image)

¶ “Serbia’s Draft Hydrogen Strategy Envisages Production From Renewables To Start By 2025” • Serbia should start producing hydrogen from renewable energy sources by 2025 and increase production to 5,100 tons by 2035 and 20,600 tons by 2050, according to the draft Hydrogen Strategy, which focuses on green hydrogen. [Balkan Green Energy News]

¶ “Enel Starts 152-MW Canadian Onshore Project Build” • Enel Green Power Canada has started the main construction phase of the 152-MW Grizzly Bear Creek wind farm in the province of Alberta. The project, located in the counties of Minburn and Vermilion River, will consist of 34 turbines that are expected to generate 528 GWh of electricity a year. [reNews]

Wind turbines (Enel Green Power image)

¶ “Eastern Cape’s Thyspunt Nuke Power Plant Site A No-Go For Now, Says Regulator” • In South Africa, the National Nuclear Regulator has thrown out Eskom’s application for a nuclear site licence at Thyspunt in the Eastern Cape, citing “information gaps and outdated data.” The decision results from a lack of credible information provided to the NNR. [Daily Maverick]

US:

¶ “Black Fire Becomes New Mexico’s Second Largest Fire In The State’s History” • Two wildfires – the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire just northeast of Santa Fe and the Black Fire in the Gila National Forest – are both burning at the present time. Each, by itself, is larger than the Whitewater-Baldy fire of 2012, which held the record as biggest. [CNN]

Calf Canyon Fire (INCIWEB Firefighters, public domain)

¶ “SoCalGas Wins $750,000 Grant To Develop Renewable Hydrogen” • Southern California Gas Co has received a $750,000 grant from the California Energy Commission to develop a novel hydrogen production system using biogas from dairy farms, landfills, or wastewater treatment plants to create affordable and scalable renewable hydrogen. [Energy Digital]

¶ “US DOE Closes $504.4 Million Loan To Advanced Clean Energy Storage Project For Hydrogen Production And Storage” • Mitsubishi Power Americas and Magnum Development have announced getting a $504.4 million loan guarantee from the DOE’s Loan Programs Office for the world’s largest industrial green hydrogen facility. [Mitsubishi Power]

Have a wonderfully comfy day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Microplastics Found In Fresh Antarctic Snow” • Scientists have for the first time found microplastics in freshly fallen Antarctic snow. Researchers from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand collected samples from 19 sites in Antarctica and each contained tiny plastic fragments. They found an average of 29 particles per liter of melted snow. [BBC]

Antarctica (Torsten Dederichs, Unsplash)

¶ “Space-Based Solar Power Is Back On The Table” • Beaming solar power down to Earth from space? Don’t laugh. The idea, once written off as technically and financially unworkable, is being actively considered by several countries, including the US, China, Korea, Japan, and the UK. The European Space Agency is also getting involved. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Scientists Rid Rechargeable Batteries Of A Common Pitfall By Use Of Multivalent Cation Additives” • Researchers at Tohoku University have found a way to stabilize depositions of lithium or sodium in rechargeable batteries, helping keep their metallic structure intact. The discovery helps prevent battery degradation and short circuiting. [CleanTechnica]

Batteries wired in parallel (Yo-Co-Man, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

World:

¶ “EU Lawmakers Support Banning Gasoline Car Sales By 2035 In Key Vote” • Members of the European Parliament voted to ban the sale of new combustion engine cars by 2035, in what would be one of the world’s strongest laws to phase out gasoline vehicles. To go into effect, the measure must be debated and approved by the European Council. [CNN]

¶ “New Zealand’s Plan To Tax Cow And Sheep Burps” • New Zealand unveiled a plan to tax sheep and cattle burps in a bid to tackle one of the country’s biggest sources of greenhouse gases. The country would be the first to charge farmers for methane emissions from their animals. New Zealand is home to around 10 million cattle and 26 million sheep. [BBC]

Cows (Jakob Cotton, Unsplash)

¶ “Ukraine War Prompts Fossil Fuel ‘Gold Rush'” • The world is witnessing a “gold rush” for new fossil fuel projects, a report by leading climate researchers says. Soaring energy prices spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have led to new investment in oil and gas. The report by Climate Action Tracker says the world risks being locked into “irreversible warming.” [BBC]

¶ “BYD To Supply LFP Batteries To Tesla, Sakuu Announces 3C Lithium Metal Battery” • Lian Yubo, BYD’s executive vice president, said this week in an interview with CGTN, “BYD respects Tesla, and we also admire Tesla. We are now good friends with Elon Musk, and we are going to supply him with batteries very soon.” [CleanTechnica]

BYD LFP battery (BYD image)

¶ “NSW Targets Offshore Wind Projects As It Seeks Proposals For Illawarra Renewable Zone” • The government of New South Wales hopes to attract some of Australia’s first offshore wind farms to power the state’s steelmakers as it opens up registrations for the Illawarra Renewable Energy Zone. It issued a call for ‘registrations of interest.’ [Renew Economy]

¶ “Investments In India’s Renewable Energy Sector Increased 125% In One Year” • In the financial year ended March 31, 2022, a record $14.5 billion was poured into India’s renewable and new energy industry as investments are up 125% from the previous year, according to an Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis report. [Quartz]

Solar plant in Telangana (Thomas Lloyd Group, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Rio Tinto Calls For Proposals For Large-Scale Wind And Solar Power In Queensland” • Rio Tinto called for proposals to develop wind and solar power in Central and Southern Queensland to power its aluminum assets, help meet its ambitions on climate change, and further encourage renewable development and industry in the region. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ “Energy Communities Bring Renewable Power To The People” • In the face of sharp increases in energy costs, renewable energy systems under new community ownership structures are being pioneered all over the Europe. The goal is to develop cheap, clean and secure energy by bringing power generation closer to the people who will use it. [Horizon Magazine Blog]

Rooftop solar system (Giorgio Trovato, Unsplash)

¶ “Fresh Blow For EDF With Probe Into Practices At Tricastin Nuclear Plant” • French power utility EDF faces an investigation into alleged non-disclosure of safety incidents at its Tricastin nuclear power plant, according to the lawyer of a whistleblower, who was speaking to Reuters. It is another setback for the state-controlled company. [Reuters]

US:

¶ “Oil And Gas Companies Likely Underreporting Methane Emissions Leaks” • The amount of methane major oil and gas companies are emitting in the Permian Basin is likely to be significantly higher than the official numbers they are reporting to the EPA, according to a report by the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. [CNN]

Pumpjack in West Texas (Eric Kounce, Public Domain)

¶ “Bolt EV Price Cut Signals A Great Thing Happening For EVs” • The Bolt EV and Bolt EUV’s 2023 pricing has received a lot of attention in media. It has had a pretty steep price cut, and unlike earlier cuts, this one is special, because GM is now making those price drops permanent instead of frequently temporarily dropping the price. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Walmart Invests In Renewable Energy, Lower Emissions For Truck Fleet” • Walmart announced it is testing three different kinds of renewable energy to power its fleet of trucks. The fleet has over 10,000 tractors and 80,000 trailers. The retailer did not reveal costs or project timelines, but it did say it was taking advantage of tax credits. [Talk Business & Politics]

Have a magically soothing day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Climate Change, Danger Seasons And The Need For Global Action” • Deadly heatwaves, extreme drought, food and water shortages, catastrophic flooding, rapidly intensifying tropical storms, raging wildfires – around the world, climate change is exacerbating extreme conditions and their harsh toll on people and ecosystems. [CleanTechnica]

Fire in New Mexico (Kari Greer, USFS Gila National Forest)

¶ “If Australia Taxed Windfall Gas Profits We Could Invest Billions In Renewables” • The former administration did nothing to control Australia’s energy prices. Now, it would be good policy to impose a windfall gains tax on the extra gas profits that the Ukraine war is delivering to the gas companies and use the money to promote renewables. [The Guardian]

World:

¶ “Climate Crisis Costs Up Over 800% As UN Donor Nations Fail To Keep Pace, Report Says” • The amount of money needed to aid communities in the face of extreme weather-related emergencies has increased by more than 800% in the past two decades as the climate crisis also rapidly accelerated, according to Oxfam research. [CNN]

Storm (Thomas Dewey, Unsplash)

¶ “Razon’s Renewables Unit To Build The World’s Largest Solar Power Plus Storage Project” • Prime Infrastructure Holdings, a unit of Enrique Razon, is set to build the world’s largest solar power facility with a capacity of up to 3,500 MW combined with up to 4,500 MWh battery storage system boosting the supply of renewable energy in the Philippines. [Power Philippines]

¶ “Polestar 3 Electric SUV With 600 Km Range Coming Soon” • Polestar, the electric vehicle division of Volvo Cars, which itself is owned by Geely, has released the first official undisguised photo of the Polestar 3, a dual motor battery-electric SUV that will go into production simultaneously in both the US and China in the autumn of this year. [CleanTechnica]

Polestar Precept (Image courtesy of Polestar)

¶ “China Furthers Efforts In Wind, Solar Power” • China has vowed to speed up the construction of the second batch of massive wind and solar power projects in the Gobi Desert and other arid regions, according to a package of policy measures that aims to stabilize the economy. The policy was announced by the State Council. [The Star]

¶ “The Wuling Air Is Going Global!” • One of the first real mass market sub-$5,000 cars, the Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV, has been a huge success in China. It has been the top selling EV in China for a while now and in some months it has actually been the top selling car. Now, an upmarket version of the Wuling EV, the Wuling Air, is set to go global. [CleanTechnica]

Wuling Air (Wuling image)

¶ “Households, Industry Can Now Buy Green Energy” • In a major thrust to green power, the government of India gave notice of rules allowing everyone – from industry to households – to buy renewable energy from distribution companies. Power Minister RK Singh said the rules constituted a major reform to promote renewable energy. [Tribune India]

¶ “‘Chasing unicorns’: NSW Liberal minister rejects federal opposition push for nuclear power” • The New South Wales energy minister and treasurer, Matt Kean, has accused the federal Coalition of “chasing unicorns” over its push to overturn the moratorium on nuclear power in Australia. The push began when the Coalition lost power. [The Guardian]

No unicorns, but maybe a kangaroo (Fidel Fernando, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “California Seeks To Rein In Water Usage By Closing A Nearly Two-Month Gap In Getting Data From Suppliers” • Years of heat and drought have drained California’s reservoirs. To help keep track of the situation, Gov Gavin Newsom is calling on local water agencies to submit water usage data by the third business day of every month. [CNN]

¶ “Ford And Tesla Indicate EVs Might Be Selling Themselves” • A piece in Bloomberg told us that Ford is looking to do what Tesla does: not spend on advertising. Why? Because its EVs are already sold out for two years. With a second manufacturer considering ditching traditional advertising, it’s looking like EVs could be selling themselves. [CleanTechnica]

Ford EVs (Ford image)

¶ “Shell Energy Enters Texas Market With 100% Renewable Electricity Plans” • Shell announced the launch of the Shell Energy brand into the residential power market in the US. Through Shell Energy Solutions, the company is now offering 100% renewable electricity plans to eligible customers. The rollout is starting in Texas. [Irving Weekly]

¶ “State’s First 100% Renewable Multi-Customer Microgrid Is Now Up And Running In McKinleyville” • California’s first 100% renewable energy, front-of-the-meter, multi-customer microgrid is now fully operational. Located in Humboldt County, the microgrid provides energy resilience for the regional airport and US Coast Guard Air Station. [Lost Coast Outpost]

Solar array at the Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid (RCEA image)

¶ “Massive Water, Wind And Solar Idaho Energy Project Advances” • US officials have initiated a licensing process for a water, wind, and solar energy project in southwestern Idaho that could power nearly 300,000 homes. Cat Creek Energy would built the project mostly on private land in Elmore County and would create the Cat Creek Reservoir. [KTVB]

¶ “Oregon Utility Builds Nation’s First Large-Scale Wind, Solar And Battery Facility” • Portland General Electric built a first-of-its-kind facility that will use an innovative battery technology for Oregon’s renewable energy transition. The batteries allow the Lexington facility to capture and store electricity even when there’s no sun or wind available. [OPB]

Have an amusingly moving day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Four Undisputable Advantages of Wind Energy” • Windpower is among the most important sources of renewable energy, and continued improvements in technology are contributing to its rapid expansion. It has some important advantages, and these should be recognized. They make a compelling argument for further expansion of wind energy. [Earth.Org]

Wind farm (Peter Beukema, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Siemens Gamesa Begins Testing New 115-Meter-Long Wind Turbine Blades” • Siemens Gamesa, the Spanish-German wind energy giant, is ready to being testing its first B115 wind turbine blades in Aalborg, Denmark. Measuring 115 meters long, the blades will be used as part of the company’s next generation offshore wind turbine⁠. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “UK Launches Floating Wind Task Force” • RenewableUK is welcoming industry leaders, senior Government officials and other key stakeholders to the launch of a Floating Offshore Wind Task Force in London. The new body aims to ensure that the UK “stays at the forefront” of floating wind, attracting investment and creating jobs, the trade group stated. [reNews]

Offshore wind turbine (Grahame Jenkins, Unsplash)

¶ “Visible From Space: The Consequences Of Climate Change In The Alps” • Scientists from the University of Lausanne and the University of Basel, writing in the journal Science, have now used satellite data to show that vegetation above the tree line increased in nearly 80% of the Alps. Snow cover is also decreasing, albeit so far only slightly. [SciTechDaily]

¶ “Celebrating ‘Golden Decade,’ Poland Set To Reach 12 GW Of PV Capacity In 2022” • Poland’s solar PV capacity in 2022 exceeded 10 GW in May and is expected to reach 12 GW by the end of the year, according to a report published by the Institute for Renewable Energy. The country is on track to achieve 20 GW of PV capacity by 2025. [PV Magazine]

Solar farm in Poland (Lightsource BP image)

¶ “Prioritize Renewable, Not Nuclear Power” • Greenpeace International, the global environment network, is urging the incoming Philippine administration of President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos to prioritize renewable energy for the power requirements of the country instead of reviving the mothballed Bataan nuclear power plant. [The Manila Times]

Australia:

¶ “KFC Australia Forced To Swap Lettuce For Cabbage” • Fast food giant KFC has been forced to put cabbage in its burgers and wraps in Australia as the country is struggling with a shortage of lettuce. Heads of lettuce have cost over A$10 ($7.18, £5.72), three times the usual price, as a result of floods in Queensland and New South Wales. [BBC]

KFC wrap (KFC image)

¶ “Melbourne Office Building Clad Entirely In Skala Solar Power Panels” • A new office building in Melbourne, Australia will have installed solar power, thanks to architect Peter Kennon. It will be clad entirely in Skala thin film solar panels from Germany’s Avancis. The eight story building will have 1,182 solar panels as thick as a regular glass facade. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Energy Security At The Edge Of The Grid” • With experience in remote communities, Dr Andrew Mears is working on project in Australia’s Northern Territory. He founded SwitchDin, whose software will enable greater access to renewable electricity for Alice Springs by using already available solar and battery assets for a virtual power plant. [CleanTechnica]

Alice Springs (Phil Whitehouse, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

US:

¶ “Climate Groups Join For First-Of-Its-Kind, $100 Million Push To Mobilize Midterm Voters” • In an attempt to mobilize voters around the climate crisis, six climate groups are readying for the midterms with an arsenal of $100 million – the first coordinated spending of its kind. The $100 million will pay for multiple ad campaigns in battleground states. [CNN]

¶ “Biden Announces New Executive Actions To Spur Domestic Solar, Clean Energy Development” • President Joe Biden authorized the DOE to use the Defense Production Act to speed up domestic manufacture of solar panel components, heat pumps, building insulation, electric transformers and equipment like electrolyzers and fuel cells. [CNN]

Joe Biden speaking (The White House, public domain)

¶ “The US South Prepares For The EV Transition” • Electrify the South, a non-profit program of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, is leveraging research, advocacy, and outreach to push renewable energy and accelerate EV adoption across the Southeast. It is making the transition believable and part of an appealing regional mindset. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Bill McKibben Advocates For Food Security” • Activist Bill McKibben addressed the question of food security in his blog. He makes a plea to transition from fossil fuels to renewables as a way to cool the planet and increase food security. All the energy from Iowa’s corn ethanol could be replaced by covering a seventh of the land used to grow it with PVs. [CleanTechnica]

Harvesting corn (Bill Whittaker, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Cost Of Renewables Falls As Installed Capacity Increases” • Researchers Mark Bolinger, Ryan Wiser, and Eric O’Shaughnessy collected data on renewables from 908 wind farms and 822 solar operations in the US, all of them larger than 5 MW in capacity. They found that the people operating solar and wind farms are getting more efficient, reducing costs. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Hancock County To Become Home To New Solar Plant” • Mon Power, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp that services portions of the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, is working on using renewable energy. Mon Power is working on 50 MW of renewable energy and is taking subscriptions from customers who want to support that initiative. [WTOV]

Have a superbly effective day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Road To Zero Emissions Now Clear For Road Traffic” • The road to zero emissions from road traffic is becoming very clear now. That the solution is battery electric vehicles is now accepted even at most legacy carmakers. Only Toyota and a few of its friends still believe in an important role for hydrogen fuel cell technology. [CleanTechnica]

Kia EV6 (Hyundai Motor Group, Unsplash)

¶ “The Coalition Didn’t Do Much On Nuclear Energy While In Office. Why Are They Talking About It Now?” • Despite having not made a serious attempt to start a nuclear power industry in nine years as Australia’s government, the Coalition decided to argue for one as soon as it lost power. So why is it talking about nuclear energy again? [The Guardian]

Science and Technology:

¶ “This Deep Ocean Turbine Could Provide A Constant Source Of Renewable Energy” • Japanese heavy machinery maker IHI Corp has been testing a subsea turbine for over a decade. Kairyu is a 330-ton prototype anchored to the seafloor at a depth of 100 to 160 feet. It has two counter-rotating turbine fans and a system that adjusts buoyancy. [One Green Planet]

Ocean power source (Ant Rozetsky, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Bonn Climate Conference: Ukraine War No Excuse For Prolonging Coal, Kerry Warns” • The US envoy on climate change John Kerry has warned that the war in Ukraine must not be used as an excuse to prolong global reliance on coal. If countries extend their reliance on coal in response to the war, then “we are cooked,” Mr Kerry said. [BBC]

¶ “Financial Analysis: Faster Electrification Would Boost Car Company Stocks And Profits” • Car makers stand to increase their market value and profit margins by switching to EVs faster than they currently plan, according to a financial analysis of six car companies. It finds they could add €800 billion to their stock value if they transition quickly. [CleanTechnica]

VW ID. Life concept (Image courtesy of Volkswagen)

¶ “Masdar, Azerbaijan Plan 4-GW Clean Power Drive” • Masdar signed implementation agreements with the Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan to develop renewable energy projects with a total confirmed capacity of 4 GW, including offshore wind integrated with green hydrogen. The deal also includes the right to develop a 6-GW second phase. [reNews]

¶ “RWE Fires Up 60-MW Battery In Ireland” • RWE has brought online the 60-MW Lisdrumdoagh battery storage project in County Monaghan, Ireland. The facility is capable of providing the rapid delivery of electricity into the power grid to help balance intermittency in electricity generation, according to the company. [reNews]

RWE battery (RWE image)

¶ “IAEA Chief Working On Mission To Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant, Now Held By Russia” • Rafael Grossi, head of the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said he is working on sending an international mission of experts to the nuclear power plant at Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine. It is Europe’s largest nuclear plant, and it is held by Russia. [Reuters]

Australia:

¶ “Why Canberrans’ electricity bills are falling while other Australians’ power costs soar” • Australia is facing an energy crisis. Wholesale power prices are currently more than five times last year’s average price, sparking fears that some electricity retailers will collapse. But Canberra’s electricity price is going down because of renewable energy. [ABC]

Sydney Harbor (Jamie Davies, Unsplash)

¶ “Labor Needs To Double The Pace Of Its Renewable Energy Rollout To Meet 2030 Emissions Target” • Australia will need to double the pace of its renewable energy uptake to meet the 2030 emissions target set by the Albanese government, even without any increase in demand, the head of the Victoria Energy Policy Centre said. Can it be done? [The Guardian]

¶ “Why Australia Is Declaring A ‘New Era’ In The Pacific” • Many small Pacific nations have long considered Australia to be their “big brother.” But more recently, some say Australia’s approach has been tearing the family. According to them, the key problem has been the reluctance of previous governments in Australia to act on climate change. [BBC]

Coast of Tahiti (Robert Preinfalk, CC 2.0 Germany)

¶ “Supermarket Major Reaches Milestone In Rooftop Solar Rollout” • Woolworths marked a major milestone in its rooftop solar program when a store in a Canberra suburb become its 150th outlet to be fitted with solar PV panels. The company is committed to 100% renewable power for all of its Australian operations by the end of 2025. [pv magazine Australia]

US:

¶ “Elon Musk: IDRA Group’s 9,000-Ton Giga Casting Machine Is For Tesla Cybertruck Unibody” • IDRA Group is a Tesla supplier that provides the automaker with ultra-large Giga Presses or Giga Casting machines. This Italian Giga Press manufacturer has been teasing an upcoming 9,000-ton Giga Casting machine for Tesla Giga Texas. [CleanTechnica] (Too many Gigas!)

IDRA 9,000-ton Giga Press machine (IDRA Group via YouTube)

¶ “Potential Electricity Reliability Concern For Central USA” • Higher electricity demand forecasts and potential lower supply raise concerns about tight reserve margins in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator balancing authority this summer. To ensure reliability, authorities plan for more available supply for the demand. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Hit By Probe, Biden To Waive Tariffs On Solar Panels From Malaysia, Other SE Asian Countries For 24 Months” • President Joe Biden will declare a 24-month tariff exemption for solar panels from four Southeast Asian nations after an investigation froze imports and stalled projects in the US, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. [Malay Mail]

Have an uninterruptedly exquisite day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Russia’s War Is The End Of Climate Policy As We Know It” • The headlong rush across Western Europe to replace Russian oil, gas, and coal with alternative sources of these fuels has made a mockery of the net-zero emissions pledges made by the major European economies just three months before the invasion at the UN climate summit in Glasgow. [Foreign Policy]

Alternate energy – wind turbines (Feri & Tasos, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Renewables Become Leader In Grid Resilience: Decentralized Approach To Disaster Recovery” • After an outage, it could be far quicker to restore electricity with energy resources that are close to home rather than through miles of transmission lines. In fact, many outages might be avoided altogether by configuring local resources into rugged microgrids. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Restoring Degraded Peatlands To Mitigate Climate Change” • Peatlands play an important role in mitigating climate change. They store more carbon than all other vegetation types in the world combined. But in some places, peatlands are degrading and turning into carbon sources. Restoring them can help mitigate climate change. [CGTN]

Peat bog in Scotland (Michal Klajban, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

World:

¶ “COP26: Are Nations On Track To Meet Their Climate Goals?” • New targets for reducing emissions, cutting back on fossil fuels, and ending deforestation were agreed by world leaders at the COP26 summit. Nations are meeting again in Bonn to discuss progress since the Glasgow Climate Pact was signed at COP26. Here is a look at how they are doing. [BBC]

¶ “Top 20 Electric Cars In The World – April 2022” • Global plugin vehicle registrations were up 38% in April 2022 compared to April 2021, despite large declines in the overall market. Looking at the monthly best seller table, the little Wuling Mini EV won another monthly title, its first this year, followed by the BYD Song PHEV. [CleanTechnica]

Wuling Mini EV (David290, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Li-Cycle And Glencore Announce Partnership, Glencore Invests $200M In Li-Cycle” • Li-Cycle and Glencore announced a strategic partnership to provide customers with an integrated approach for both primary and recycled metal needs. This is in addition to a partnership announced earlier in May. Glencore is to invest $200 million in Li-Cycle [CleanTechnica]

¶ “France EV Share Grows In May, Fiat 500 Leads” • France, Europe’s second largest auto market, saw plugin electric vehicles take 20.9% share in April, from 17.3% year-on-year. Full battery electrics grew their share by almost 1.5 times YOY, to 12%. Overall auto volumes were down 10% YOY, and down by around a third from May 2019, at 126,811 units. [CleanTechnica]

Fiat 500 (Robin Ooode, Unsplash)

¶ “Chris Bowen Says Labor ‘Actively Managing’ Energy Crisis As Dutton Criticises Response” • Chris Bowen, Australia’s climate change and energy minister, has rejected Coalition claims that Labor is not doing enough to fix the energy crisis. He labelled its input “as effective as advice from the captain of the Titanic on navigation skills.” [The Guardian]

¶ “$1m Community Battery Unveiled In Melbourne In Move Towards More Renewable Energy” • A battery the size of four fridges installed in Melbourne’s inner north is expected to provide solar power to about 200 homes and speed adoption of renewable energy. The installation is part of Victoria’s $11 million Neighbourhood Battery Initiative. [ABC]

North Fitzroy neighborhood (Bidgee, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Nuclear Terrorism: Russian Missile Flies Dangerously Close To Nuclear Power Plant” • Energoatom, the Ukrainian agency operating its nuclear plants, said, “On 5 June, Russia carried out another act of nuclear terrorism. At 05:30, a Russian cruise missile, which might have been a Kalibr missile, flew dangerously low over the Pivdennoukrainska NPP.” [Yahoo News]

US:

¶ “As California’s Big Cities Fail To Rein In Their Water Use, Rural Communities Are Already Tapped Out” • Gov Gavin Newsom has pleaded with urban residents and businesses to reduce their water consumption by 15%, but water usage in March was up by 19% in cities compared to March 2020. In rural areas, some people have no water at all. [CNN]

Bouquet Reservoir, already low, 2008 (Kfasimpaur, public domain)

¶ “EPA’s Proposed Truck Rule Delays Justice For Communities Impacted By Freight” • Last week truck manufacturers filed a lawsuit to prevent states from enforcing protective standards on particulates. And as EPA moves forward with its own proposal to strengthen truck pollution regulations, industry has been waging an all-out war on those, too. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “At Raleigh Event, Fort Bragg Official Outlines Renewable Energy Efforts” • The largest floating solar farm in the Southeast is just one of several steps Fort Bragg has planned to increase the sprawling army facility’s use of renewable energy, the chief of Fort Bragg’s energy and utilities branch said. Renewable energy is less expensive and more resilient. [Stars and Stripes]

Have a nicely ordered day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “How China’s Lithium Leverage Affects Tesla And Other EV Makers” • China is aggressively trying to maintain its dominance in lithium and other minerals for EV batteries. China’s jump on the raw materials game will make it hard for other countries to compete at such a scale. That could mean a few things for Tesla and other EV makers. [CleanTechnica]

Spodumene lithium ore (Ivar Leidus, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “What’s Your Position On Carbon Capture For The Year 2100?” • Are carbon capture and other geoengineering technologies inevitable? The author of a new book argues that meeting those thresholds will not be the end of the climate struggle but only “the end of the beginning.” While we might well be skeptical, his argument is worth studying. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Turning High-Rise Buildings Into Batteries” • In a study published in the journal Energy, researchers at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis propose a gravity-based storage system that uses lifts and empty apartments in tall buildings to store energy by lifting wet sand containers or other high-density materials. [CleanTechnica]

New York skyline (Robert Bye, Unsplash)

¶ “More Than 40% Of Earth’s Land Surface Must Be Conserved To Stop The Biodiversity Crisis” • 44% of the Earth’s land surface must be protected to stop the biodiversity crisis, a report in the journal Science says. Some 64 million square kilometers (24.7 million square miles) needs “conservation attention” to prevent major biodiversity losses. [CNN]

World:

¶ “Toyota Residential Battery Supports Vehicle-To-Home Operation” • Toyota is entering the residential battery storage market with its new O-Uchi Kyuden system, which consists of a battery with a rated capacity of 8.7 kWh and a rated output of 5.5 kWh. That much makes it seem like a competitor to the Tesla Powerwall, but there are differences. [CleanTechnica]

Toyota O-Uchi Kyuden (Toyota image)

¶ “Norway Continues To Grow EV Share In May” • Norway, the electric transport leader, saw plugin electric vehicle share of 85.1% in May 2022, up from 83.3% year-on-year. Full electrics grew their share by 1.2 times year-on-year to over 73%, whilst plugin hybrids halved their share. Overall auto volumes were down 18% year-on-year, at 11,537 units. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Autonomous Gold Coast Smart Shuttle” • The 6-seat EasyMile Smart Shuttle has been deployed in various places in southeast Queensland for the past 3 years. After two successful phases of trials, phase three of the trial has commenced in February 2022 on the Gold Coast, where traffic patterns are more complex than they had been in earlier phases. [CleanTechnica]

RACQ Gold Coast smart shuttle (Photo courtesy of RACQ)

¶ “Norwegian Startup Lighting The Way For Sea Change In Renewable Energy Solutions” • Norwegian startup Sunlit Sea believes it has solved the challenges for floating solar power. The company has created prefabricated floating solar panels that save time, reduce risk, and require fewer personnel to assemble the modules. [Sustainable Brands]

¶ “India To Replace 30 GW Of Thermal Power With Renewables” • India aims to replace 30 GW of thermal generating capacity with renewable energy by 2026, in a move aimed at reducing emissions from coal-fired power plants. Delhi has directed 81 thermal power plants to reduce coal-fired generation and offset the decline with solar power. [Argus Media]

Solar power in India (Vinaykumar8687, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Russian-Held Nuclear Plant Faces Critical Shortage Of Spare Parts, Says Ukraine” • Europe’s largest nuclear power plant lies in Russian-occupied Ukraine. But the Zaporizhzhia plant is still operated by Ukrainian technicians. It faces a critical shortage of spare parts, threatening the safety of its operations, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency said. [News18]

¶ “Ukraine Could Shut Europe’s Largest Nuclear Power Plant If It Loses Control” • If Ukraine loses operational control at the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, at Zaporizhzhia, which is currently occupied by Russian forces, Kyiv would consider shutting down the power plant, Yuriy Boyko, an adviser to the Ukrainian prime minister, said. [Oil Price]

Three Zaporizhzhia reactors (Maxim Gavrilyuk, GNU License)

US:

¶ “Stellantis US Arm Pleads Guilty To Fraud And Conspiracy In Diesel Emissions Investigation” • The Michigan-based arm of the international automaker Stellantis has pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $300 million in penalties to settle an investigation into alleged cheating on emissions tests for diesel-powered vehicles of two models made in 2014 through 2016. [BBC]

¶ “Drought-Stricken US Warned Of Looming ‘Dead Pool'” • Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the US and provides water to 25 million people across three states and Mexico. If it continues to recede, it would reach what’s known as “dead pool,” a level so low the Hoover Dam would no longer be able to generate power or deliver water downstream. [BBC]

Lake Mead (NPGallery, public domain)

¶ “Ford Adds 6200 Manufacturing Jobs, CEO Sees EV Price Wars Ahead” • Ford Motor Company says it wants to be the Tesla of commercial EVs. To that end, it is building four new vehicle and battery manufacturing facilities in Tennessee and Kentucky. This week, it announced it will invest $3.7 billion to retool three of its factories in the Midwest. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Solar Power Is On A Roll In Minnesota” • Solar power still accounts for less than four percent of electricity generated in Minnesota, but it’s growing fast as a way to reduce carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels. Utility companies in the state are on track to get 10% of their electricity from this renewable source by 2030. [MPR News]

Have a prodigiously inspired day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “The World May Be Careening Toward A 1970s-Style Energy Crisis – Or Worse” • The world is grappling with energy price spikes on everything from gasoline and natural gas to coal. Some experts fear this may just be the beginning of a situation that may rival or even exceed the oil crises of the 1970s and early 1980s, but this time it is not just oil. [CNN]

Power plant in Hong Kong (Ben Tatlow, Unsplash)

¶ “Sweltering India Turns To Superheating Coal For Cooling” • India has had a series of unusually early and prolonged heat waves this year. To cool off, the country has leaned on coal, the fuel most responsible for the blazing temperatures. But coal also contributes to the initial problem, making heat waves are more frequent and severe. [Scientific American]

¶ “Why Hydropower Is The Forgotten Giant Of Clean Energy” • Hydropower is the largest renewable worldwide, producing over twice as much energy as wind, and over four times as much as solar. And pumped storage accounts for over 90% of the world’s energy storage capacity. Despite its outsize impact, we don’t hear much about it. [CNBC] (I think solar and wind have grown to be more than this article indicates – ghh)

Dam (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “US DOE: Slow Down To Save Fuel: Fuel Economy Decreases About 27% When Traveling At 80 Mph Versus 60 Mph” • Fuel economy for a light-duty vehicle going 80 mph is about 27% lower than when traveling at 60 mph. The best fuel economy is typically obtained when the vehicle is traveling at the lowest speed in the vehicle’s highest gear. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Chris Ramsey Will Drive A Nissan EV On An Epic Adventure From The North Pole To The South Pole” • British adventurer Chris Ramsey will be the first person to drive an EV from the North Pole to the South Pole, a press release says. The expedition is to raise awareness of the climate crisis and also to address misinformation about EVs. [CleanTechnica]

Chris Ramsey and Nissan EV (Courtesy Chris Ramsey and Nissan)

¶ “Sweden’s Plugin EV Share Keeps Growing, Up 22% YoY” • May saw Sweden’s plugin electric vehicles take 47.5% market share, up from 39.0% from May of 2021. Overall auto market volume was 26,375 units, up 9% year over year, though still 9% down from the normal seasonal level. Sweden’s best selling battery EV in May was the Volkswagen ID.4. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Siemens Mobility Finalizes Contract For 2000-Kilometer High-Speed Rail System In Egypt” • Siemens Mobility and a consortium partners signed a contract with a governmental authority under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport of Egypt. The deal means Egypt will have the sixth largest high-speed rail system in the world. [CleanTechnica]

Rendering of train (Courtesy of Siemens)

¶ “The BMW IX1 Is Coming To South Africa” • BMW has kept South Africa up to date with its EVs. Since the launch of the i3, BMW South Africa has followed that up by introducing the i4, iX, and the iX3. The iX was so well received that the first allocation for South Africa was quickly sold out. Now, BMW says that the iX1 is coming to South Africa. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Climate Agreement Between Canada And India Discusses Renewable Energy But Omits Coal” • Canada’s Environment Minister says an agreement to cooperate with India on climate action is an opportunity for Canada to export its technology for making renewable energy reliable. But the agreement does not mention coal. [Castanet]

Open pit mine (Lachlan, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “At Long Last, Hawaii Embraces Rooftop Solar Power” • Much of Hawaii’s electricity comes from burning diesel fuel refined from oil. In fact, a third of its oil imports came from Russia until Putin decided to go full rogue in Ukraine. That fact has forced Hawaiian Electric Company, HECO, to rethink its long standing opposition to rooftop solar. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Buick Resurrects Electra Brand For Future Electric Cars” • If ever there was a brand name from the past that cried out to be part of the electric car future, it is the Buick Electra, a name that replaced others in the Buick lineup from 1959. Now Buick says it will sell only electric cars from 2030 onward and they will all carry the Electra badge. [CleanTechnica]

Buick EV (Buick image)

¶ “Solar, Storage Win Big In $2.7 Billion New York Tender” • New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced awards for 22 large solar and energy storage projects. The projects are expected to deliver enough energy to power over 620,000 New York homes for at least 20 years. And they will spur over $2.7 billion in private investment in the state. [reNews]

¶ “US Department Of Energy Launches Partnership To Speed Interconnection” • The US DOE is building the Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X) to develop systems for faster, simpler, and more fair interconnection of large solar, wind, and storage projects, through “better data, roadmap development, and technical assistance.” [pv magazine USA]

Transmission lines (Ernest Brillo, Unsplash)

¶ “North of Chicago, a contaminated site will be reused for solar energy” • In the middle of a commercial and residential area of Waukegan, about 42 miles north of Chicago, are 70 acres of empty land dotted with posts bearing toxic gas monitors. But Yeoman Creek Landfill is headed toward a second life as a renewable energy facility. [WBEZ]

¶ “Governor Wants Federal Bailout Rule Change To Keep Diablo Canyon Power Plant Alive” • The California governor’s office has asked the US DOE to rewrite the rules on its nuclear power bailout program so Pacific Gas and Electric Co can apply for money to keep Diablo Canyon Power Plant operating beyond its scheduled closure date. [Lompoc Record]

Have a justifiably perfect day.

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A Note to Visitors: 

Today is this blog’s tenth anniversary. It has posted news every day since June 2, 2012. Now we are into its second decade!

World:

¶ “Germans Get €9-A-Month Travel In Response To Energy Price Rises” • For the next three months, Germans will be able to travel the country for just €9 (£7.50; $9.50) a month in a drive to tackle the soaring cost of living. All local and regional transport on trains, buses, and metro is included in the initiative, though inter-city trains are not. [CNN]

Munich U-Bahn (Florian Schütz, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Why The Ukraine War May Power Asia’s Green Energy Shift” • Climate change may be a strong reason to stop burning fossil fuels, but there is another, arguably more immediate reason for Asia to make the transition, gas and coal: money. Global energy prices have jumped since late February when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. [BBC]

¶ “NIO Chooses Onsemi Silicon Carbide Power Modules” • A Phoenix-based maker of high efficiency traction power modules, onsemi, announced that it has signed a deal to sell its batteries to NIO, a Chinese EV manufacturer with plans to expand globally (including to the US). The traction power modules increase efficiency in EVs. [CleanTechnica]

NIO EV (Image by NIO)

¶ “EU Countries Accelerate Fossil Fuel Phase-Out” • A policy study from Ember and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air shows EU national strategies are raising their ambition for renewables, resulting in a faster reduction in fossil fuel use. The latest national announcements put the EU on course for 63% of electricity from renewables in 2030. [reNews]

¶ “How Going 100% Renewables Will Shield One Part Of Australia From Surging Power Prices” • Australia’s electricity sector is in a state of crisis, with the surging cost of fossil fuels driving wholesale electricity prices to new highs. Residents of the Australian Capital Territory may be shielded by local reliance on renewable energy. [Renew Economy]

National Museum in Canberrra (Prakash Khanal, Unsplash)

¶ “Phasing Out Coal Could Generate ‘Social Benefits’ Worth $78 Trillion” • A working paper from Imperial College Business School shows that the transition from coal to renewable energy would be worth the equivalent of $78 trillion in ‘social benefits’ such as people facing less damage from climate change and less harm to their health. [Imperial College London]

¶ “China Targets 33% Renewables Power Share By 2025” • China plans to have 33% of its electricity generated by renewable power sources by 2025 in a new renewables plan. This is up from a 28.8% share in 2020. China is the world’s greatest greenhouse gas emitter, however, and the growth of renewables in China is key to addressing climate change. [Oil Price]

Wind farm in China (Xmhaoyu, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “First Look Inside Chernobyl Nuclear Plant Trashed By Russian Troops” • Photos from the Chernobyl nuclear plant reveal the reckless destruction left behind by Russians as they were forced out. Hallways overflowing with litter, broken windows, and taunting messages graffitied on walls were among the scenes left for the Ukrainian defenders to find. [Metro]

US:

¶ “Harris Unveils White House Plan To Address Global Water Security” • Vice President Kamala Harris unveiled a White House plan emphasizing the national security implications of water. Harris said the plan makes water security an “international priority” that aims to prevent conflict between nations and promote equity and economic growth. [CNN]

Kamala Harris (Gage Skidmore, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “CarMax: High Gas Prices Driving Jump In EV Interest” • In a recent report from CarMax on its EV customer interest and sales, one thing is pretty clear: EV sales are going up. And today’s nasty gas prices are definitely driving the change. EV test drives were also noticeably up in February and March of this year, at 1.5 times what they were a year ago. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Faraday Future Announces First ‘Brand Experience Center’ In Beverly Hills” • Luxury EV manufacturer Faraday Future recently announced that it is going to open its first retail location on posh Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California. The company is going to be working with the ASTOUND group to design and build the “Brand Experience Center.” [CleanTechnica]

Faraday Future store (Faraday Future image)

¶ “Rhode Island Senate Passes Commitment To 100% Renewable Energy” • The Rhode Island Senate passed a bill to accelerate the state’s commitment to a renewable energy future. The bill would require that 100% of all electricity sold in the state be generated from renewable sources by 2033 – the most ambitious timeline of any state. [Environment America]

¶ “FreeWire Shows Us How To Solve Charging Challenges In Rural America” • A company called FreeWire Technologies looks like they have a pretty good solution to something that keeps rural charging stations from happening in the US. FreeWire integrates battery storage directly into the station and plan on using a lot less continuous power. [CleanTechnica]

FreeWire charging station (FreeWire Technologies)

¶ “New York State Build Public Renewables Act Passes Senate” • The Build Public Renewables Act empowers New York Power Authority to develop a renewable, reliable, and affordable energy infrastructure that will reduce New York’s GHG emissions by 85% by 2050, and convert 70% of its power generation to renewables by 2030. [New York State Senate]

¶ “New Federal Measures Aim To Increase Production Of Clean Energy On Public Lands” • The federal government, in its quest to advance clean energy production, is taking steps to reduce rents and fees for wind and solar projects on public lands by 50% for both existing and new projects. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced the changes. [Las Vegas Sun]

Have an impressively easy day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “An Electric Train That Never Needs Charging? It’s Real!” • NBC News recently reported on an electric train never needs to be plugged in to keep running. The train goes on battery power to a mine at the top of a mountain, where it is loaded with ore. It goes down by gravity, with regenerative breaking charging the battery again. [CleanTechnica]

Ore train in Australia (Fortescue, via Jalopnik)

¶ “New Process Yields Super Strong Recycled Wood” • An article at New Scientist tells us about a process to recycle wood, but with a twist: the process not only means you can build something with it again, but it will have more strength than steel. The process uses wood that can be broken, even sawdust, to produce material that is amazingly strong. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Wooden Towers To Help Cut The Cost Of Wind Turbines, Even More” • If laminated timber can make an office tower, why couldn’t it make towers for wind turbines? Good question. The leading wood products firm Stora Enso has teamed up with the lamination experts at Modvion to make wood towers happen for wind turbines. [CleanTechnica]

Modvion wooden tower manufacture (Courtesy of Modvion)

World:

¶ “ThinkBikes Nigeria Starts Delivering Its Locally Produced Electric Cargo Tricycles To Customers” • ThinkElectric Africa, a non-profit, has a mission to accelerate Africa’s transition to sustainable transport. For-profit ThinkBikes Limited arose from it. ThinkBikes is delivering its locally produced electric tricycles to customers in Nigeria. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Big Tech CEO Fights To Curb Coal Emissions In Australia” • Mike Cannon-Brookes is a co-founder of Atlassian, an Australian software company that makes digital tools that help people collaborate. Now that he has profited from the tech boom, he is looking for ways to use his wealth to reduce the carbon emissions in Australia. [CleanTechnica]

Mike Cannon-Brookes (TedXSidney, CC BY-NC-SA)

¶ “China Sets Out Five-Year Strategy For Renewable Energy Development” • The Chinese government has laid out its latest strategy for renewables as part of the country’s current five-year (2021-2025) economic development period, with demand for renewable energy expected to be equivalent to 1 billion tonnes of coal per year by 2025. [Upstream Online]

¶ “Renewable Energy Boosts China’s Green Development In Past Decade” • Over the past decade, China’s renewable energy has made remarkable progress, promoting green development and making major contributions to the global fight against climate change. China now gets 30% of its electricity from renewable energy sources. [Macau Business]

Wind turbines in China (Chris Lim, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Sales Of Electric Cars Doubled To Record 6.6 Million In 2021” • Electric car sales doubled in 2021 to 6.6 million and remain strong in 2022, but future growth will demand greater efforts to diversify battery making and ensure critical mineral supplies to reduce the risks of bottlenecks and price rises, an International Energy Agency report says. [Energy Digital]

¶ “SNP Urge UK Government To Ditch ‘Obsession’ With Nuclear Power And Focus On Renewables” • The UK Government was urged to end its “obsession” with nuclear power and focus on renewable energy. The Scottish National Party said Scotland has plenty of renewable power sources, but nuclear power will send energy bills soaring. [The National]

Hadyard Hill windfarm (James Hearton, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Court Rules Against Restarting A Nuclear Power Plant In Hokkaido” • A Japanese court ordered three reactors at a nuclear power plant in Hokkaido to remain offline as requested by over 1,000 plaintiffs due to safety concerns, in a rare decision issued while the operator is seeking permission from authorities to restart the plant. [Japan Today]

US:

¶ “Energy Experts Sound Alarm About US Electric Grid” • The forecasts say this will be a hotter than normal summer, and electricity experts and officials are warning that states may not have enough power to meet demand in the coming months. But many of the nation’s grid operators are also not taking climate change into account in their planning. [CNN]

Transmission lines (Jay Heike, Unsplash)

¶ “Ford F-150 Lightning Reaches Its First Customers” • The Ford F-series trucks have been selling really, really well for decades, so it made sense to simply adapt an F-150, a vehicle millions have purchased, to the EV platform. Now they are being delivered. Nick Schmidt, who just got the first of the new Lightnings, shared some of his first impressions. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Californian Solar Project Powers Up” • Idemitsu Renewables’ 73-MW solar project in California has achieved commercial operation and is expected to generate clean and affordable power equivalent to the needs of over 20,000 homes in the state. The Luciana solar project, located in Ducor, provided jobs for over 200 construction workers, Idemitsu said. [reNews]

Luciana solar project (Idemitsu Renewables image)

¶ “Vermont And ISO-New England Provide An Interesting Renewable Energy Transition Case Study” • Vermont’s power system is worth taking a look at as it has undergone a notable shift toward renewable energy. About 80% of Vermont’s power comes from renewable sources. Almost no fossil-fueled plants operate in the state. [Power Magazine]

¶ “NH Delegation Welcomes $1 Million To Continuum In North Conway To Support Wood Energy” • New Hampshire legislators applauded a $1 million award to Continuum in North Conway to support the Ridgeline Assisted Living Community Wood Chip Fueled District Heating and Cooling Plant. This award will help Continuum modernize. [Senator Jeanne Shaheen]

Have a thoroughly amusing day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Stanford-Led Research Finds Small Modular Reactors Will Exacerbate Challenges Of Nuclear Waste” • Industry analysts say the advanced modular designs for nuclear plants will be cheaper and produce fewer radioactive byproducts than conventional reactors. A study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says the opposite. [Stanford News]

Work on small modular reactor (Idaho National Laboratory)

World:

¶ “Civil Society Calls On EU Policymakers To Support More Ambitious Car And Van CO₂ Targets” • Next week’s vote on EU clean car rules could help pave the way to European energy independence and make significant gains for the environment, consumers, and public health, 51 NGOs have said in a public appeal to MEPs. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New Zealand Salmon Farmer Says Climate Change Is Happening Faster Than Expected” • One of the largest producers of chinook salmon is New Zealand King Salmon. Its CEO, Grant Rosewarne, told The Guardian that 42% of the fish being raised in some of its ocean farms died this year before reaching maturity because the water is too warm. [CleanTechnica]

Salmon (New Zealand King Salmon image)

¶ “Volkswagen Is Planning An Electric Station Wagon, The ID.7 Tourer” • Unlike most manufacturers, Volkswagen still makes station wagons instead of only making crossovers. It recently filed a new trademark for the ID.7 Tourer, which is expected to be an electric station wagon. It is expected to be exported to the United States. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Power Bills Set To Rise 9.2% In Regional Queensland As Report Blames Delays In Renewable Energy Projects” • Power prices in regional Queensland are set to jump by 9.2% next financial year because of the surging cost of coal and gas. A report details how customers are ultimately paying for delays in developing large-scale renewables projects. [The Guardian]

Yallourn W Power Station (Marcus Wong, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Focus On Battery Storage Could Be A Cost-Effective Energy Goal For Albanese Government, Report Says” • The Australian government should redirect some of the $20 billion going to its Rewiring the Nation plan to support a storage goal and speed up the take-up of batteries and other power storage, according to a Victoria Energy Policy Centre report. [The Guardian]

¶ “Siemens Gamesa Lands A 110-MW Spanish Hat-Trick” • Siemens Gamesa will install three wind farms in the Spanish province of A Coruña, with a total capacity of 110 MW, for independent power producer Greenalia. The wind farms will be equipped with 22 SG 5.0-145 turbines, one of the company’s most powerful models. [reNews]

Wind turbine (Siemens Gamesa image)

¶ “Hinkley Point B Owner Says It Will Not Extend Life Of Nuclear Plant” • The French-owned EDF Energy said it will not extend the life of Hinkley Point B beyond a planned shutdown, despite officials raising concerns over the danger of blackouts in the months that follow. The plant’s two reactors are scheduled to be shut down on 8 July and 1 August. [The Guardian]

¶ “HyDeal Picks EPC Partners For PV-hydrogen Project In Spain” • HyDeal selected engineering, procurement and construction partners for the initial phases of a multi-GW solar-connected electrolyzer project in northern Spain. The expectation is that 9.5 GW of solar generating capacity will be installed along with 7.4 GW of electrolyzer capacity. [reNews]

Solar panels (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)

Russian Fossil Fuels:

¶ “Russia Could Cut Off Natural Gas For Denmark And The Netherland” • Denmark and the Netherlands could become the latest European countries to have their deliveries of Russia’s natural gas cut off because they had refused to make payments in rubles. Moscow has already cut off supplies to Poland, Bulgaria, and Finland. [CNN]

¶ “Europe’s Scramble For Gas Could Cause The Next Energy Shortage” • Europe’s scramble to find alternatives to Russia’s natural gas is pushing the world to the brink of a winter energy shortage, with the worst effects likely to be felt in poorer economies in Asia. Liquified natural gas is transported by ship, and Europe has been buying it up. [CNN]

LNG carrier (Ken Hodge, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Russian Oil: EU Agrees To Compromise Deal On Banning Imports” • EU leaders agreed on a plan to block more than two-thirds of Russian oil imports. The ban will stop oil arriving by sea but not pipeline oil, which Hungary opposed banning. European Council chief Charles Michel said the deal cut off “a huge source of financing” for the Russian war machine. [BBC]

US:

¶ “With LA’s Vote, America’s Two Largest Cities Have Said No New Fossil Gas” • The Los Angeles City Council voted to ban fossil fuels in new construction. The Council told departments to develop a plan requiring “all new residential and commercial buildings in Los Angeles to be built so that they will achieve zero-carbon emissions.” [CleanTechnica]

Los Angeles (Venti Views, Unsplash)

¶ “National Grid Is Installing Pole-Mounted EV Chargers In Massachusetts” • National Grid has a plan to address the need for EV chargers for people who can’t plug in an electric car at home. In Melrose, Massachusetts, a suburban community 10 miles north of Boston, it is installing 16 EV chargers that are mounted on light poles. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “DeLorean Previews Electric Sports Car, Plans Three New Models” • Joost de Vries, who recently acquired the DeLorean brand, plans an entire lineup of new DeLorean cars. The first of those cars is scheduled to appear at Pebble Beach later this year. He says the car will have a 0 to 60 time of 3.4 seconds and an EPA range of at least 300 miles. [CleanTechnica]

Have a splendidly comfortable day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Faster, Cleaner, Greener: What Lies Ahead For The World’s Railways” • Faster, cleaner, greener and packed with advanced technology, rail is the only transport mode currently well placed to provide the backbone of our future mobility needs. Ridership may be down due to the pandemic, but rail transportation may be headed to a new golden age. [CNN]

High speed train in Japan (tansaisuketti, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Will Rising Lithium Prices Put An End To Trend Toward LFP Battery Cells For EVs?” • With high lithium prices, lithium-iron-phosphate may not take the leading role that some predicted, but it will still have its place. All EV batteries use lithium, so the price rise affects all chemistries, and LFP is just getting hit a bit harder than the others. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Offshore Wind Could Help Save Australia From High Gas and Coal Prices” • Australians will bear yet another blow to their cost of living in July when electricity prices will surge up to 18%. The increase is due largely to global tensions and their effects on the prices of coal, oil, and gas. Investing in offshore windpower could help with that problem. [The Maritime Executive]

Proposed Star of the South wind farm (Star of the South)

¶ “Atoms And Ashes By Serhii Plokhy Review – Why Another Nuclear Disaster Is Almost Inevitable” • Atoms and Ashes: From Bikini Atoll to Fukushima by Serhii Plokhy is a grim account of the downhill slide of atomic power since its heyday in the 1950s. The book illustrates why it nuclear power can never be the solution to global warming. [The Guardian]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Cars Could Get A ‘Flashy’ Upgrade” • The average SUV has up to 350 kg (771 lb) of plastic. It could sit in a landfill for centuries but for a new recycling process. Rice University chemists and researchers at the Ford Motor Company are turning plastic parts from “end-of-life” vehicles into graphene via the university’s flash Joule heating process. [CleanTechnica]

Ford F-150 Lightning (Image courtesy of Ford)

¶ “UCI Researchers: Autonomous Vehicles Can Be Tricked Into Dangerous Driving Behavior” • Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have identified a possible risk for driverless vehicles. They can be tricked into an abrupt halt or other undesired driving behavior by the placement of an ordinary object on the side of the road. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Stellantis Wins First And Second In Europe – Plugin Vehicle Sales Report” • The overall European car market was down 21% last month for the second lowest April in 30 years. Plugin hybrids were down 14% from last year, though battery EVs grew 15%. Two cars from Stellantis, the Fiat 500e and Peugeot e-208, took first and second place. [CleanTechnica]

Fiat 500e Cabrio (Alexander Migl, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Six Million Homes Could Face Winter Power Cuts Due To Energy Shortages – Report” • UK Ministers have been warned of potential power cuts to as many as six million households this winter, according to reports. The potential arises from worse-case modelling, which is reported for a scenario in which Russia cuts off all supplies to the EU. [Sky News]

¶ “Rejecting Gas, Kosovo Eyes US Funds For Renewable Energy” • Having struck a verbal agreement in mid-May, Kosovo is expected to put pen to paper in July for a grant of over $200 million from a US foreign aid agency to increase the country’s renewable energy capacities and bring more women into the energy sector. [Balkan Insight]

Prishtina, Kosovo (Besart Ademi, Unsplash)

¶ “Mozambique’s EDM Invests $40 Million Into Windpower And Solar Plans” • EDM, Mozambique’s publicly-owned electricity company, will invest $40 million into windpower and solar plants through the Renewable Energy Auction Program. EDM’s goal is to add 600 MW of capacity by 2030, of which 200 MW would be renewables. [ESI Africa]

US:

¶ “‘In The Crosshairs’: Department Of Navy Releases Climate Change Strategy” • The Department of the Navy released its strategy on how to deal with climate change and proceed toward the government’s goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The Navy Secretary said the issue is “existential” for the Navy and Marine Corps. [Navy Times]

USS Arleigh Burke, DDG-51 (US Navy, public domain)

¶ “Mon Power, Potomac Edison Customers Can Start Purchasing Solar Energy Credits” • Customers of Mon Power and Potomac Edison can begin buying solar renewable energy credits as the utility companies move forward with five solar projects in West Virginia. The Public Service Commission has already approved construction of the projects. [WV MetroNews]

¶ “US Military Wants To Demonstrate New Nuclear Power Systems In Space By 2027” • A growing list of US government organizations are working on nuclear power in space. Defense Innovation Unit is now to be added to the list. The unit has awarded two contracts for nuclear power and nuclear propulsion on space craft. [Space.com]

Have a pleasantly uncomplicated day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “OpenOA Software Improvements Illuminate Wind Plant Performance” • The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory upgraded its Open Operational Assessment software, which helps demystify wind plant operations for operators. One new feature of version 2.3 is a wind plant layout visualization for interactive maps of wind farms. [CleanTechnica]

Wind plant (Dennis Schroeder, NREL)

¶ “Israeli-Led Study Shows Reality Of Climate Change Worse Than Expected” • An Israeli-led study found that climate change is causing winter storms in the Southern Hemisphere to intensify much faster than predicted. The study, published in the Nature Climate Change journal, indicated that such storms have reached a strength not expected until 2080. [Algemeiner.com]

World:

¶ “DHL Orders Some Volvo Electric Trucks” • Delivery company DHL has tested and used an electric truck in London since 2020, and the experience has been overwhelmingly positive. DHL has put in an order for 44 electric trucks from Volvo. The trucks will be deployed all over Europe. Four of them will be larger trucks for for long distance work. [CleanTechnica]

DHL electric truck (Volvo Trucks image)

¶ “India’s L&T Ahead Dor NEOM $6.4 Billion Hydrogen Renewables Facilities: MEED” • Saudi Arabia’s NEOM Green Hydrogen Co is understood to have selected India’s Larsen & Toubro to build solar and wind plants for supplying electricity to the city’s $6.4-billion green hydrogen-based ammonia plant, inteligence company MEED said. [Arab News]

¶ “Adani Commissions India’s First Wind-Solar Hybrid Power Plant Of 390 MW In Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer” • Adani Hybrid Energy Jaisalmer One Limited, a subsidiary of Adani Green Energy Limited, has commissioned a 390 MW wind-solar hybrid power plant in Rajasthan. It is India’s first wind and solar hybrid power generation plant. [Swarajya]

Renewable energy (AGEL image)

¶ “Sri Lanka To Implement Renewable Energy Generation Plan From June 1” • Facing a power crisis, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Power and Energy said an accelerated renewable energy plan may be implemented from June 1. A search is starting for roof spaces to install solar panels on industrial, government, hospital, and hotel roofs. [Business Standard]

¶ “Nuclear Power Has No Place In Renewables Bill, Says Activists” • Activists are urging Indonesian regulators to exclude nuclear energy development from the new and renewable energy bill, arguing that it would impede the country’s transition to green energy. “Accommodating nuclear energy in the bill would hinder renewable energy development.” [Borneo Bulletin Online]

Nuclear power plant (Avda, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Deal Signed For World-Class Green Ammonia Project In Oman” • Oman’s integrated energy group OQ, American industrial gases firm Air Products, and Saudi-based energy company ACWA Power signed a joint development agreement to set up a world-class green hydrogen-based ammonia production facility in Oman. [Muscat Daily]

US:

¶ “Soon You’ll Be Able To Buy Solar Panels At Ikea” • Starting this fall, shoppers will be able to buy solar panels at Ikea stores. The new project, according to a news release, is a collaboration between Ikea’s US branch and SunPower, a California-based company that sells and installs solar power products, including solar panels. [CNN]

Ikea sign (Zheka Kapusta, Unsplash)

¶ “Why Can’t The US Stop Soaring Oil And Gas Prices?” • Since the start of 2021, prices for oil and gas have jumped two-fold or more. Recovery from 2020 Covid lockdowns and the Ukraine war have driven the price climb. Forecasts suggest US production will increase by about one million barrels per day, but it’s, not enough to meet the rise in demand. [BBC]

¶ “Truck Manufacturers Sue To Continue Polluting” • On the Friday before Memorial Day weekend, the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association and their member companies filed a lawsuit to delay a lifesaving California clean truck regulation: the Heavy-Duty Omnibus rule. The suit claims the goals are set for dates that are too early. [CleanTechnica]

Trucking (500photos.com, Pexels)

¶ “Musk: Self Driving Cars Next Year” • Tesla is making progress on its goal of making cars that require no input from human drivers with its Full Self Driving Beta program, which has more than 100,000 testers currently in the US and Canada. Musk said the company should be able to expand the program to about 1 million Tesla owners this year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Nio May Be Planning A US Factory” • China is the leader in EV manufacturing, but few of its cars make it to the US because of high import duties. Media outlets in China are reporting that Nio, one of the largest of the new crop of Chinese EV makers, is considering a factory in the US, which would be one way to avoid some of those import tariffs. [CleanTechnica]

Nio EVs in a factory (Nio image)

¶ “Feds Approve Plan To Delay Scrapping A New England Energy Rule That Harms Renewables” • The minimum offer price rule dictates a price floor below which new power sources cannot bid in the annual forward capacity market. This makes it harder for renewable energy to engage in a New England electricity market. FERC decided to keep the rule two more years. [WBUR]

¶ “This State Produces The Most Electricity From Renewable Sources” • Some states are transitioning to renewable energy faster than others. Using data from the US Energy Information Administration, 24/7 Wall St identified the state whose electricity supply has the highest percentage from renewable sources. That state is Vermont. [24/7 Wall St]

Have an exceptionally gratifying day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “A Year After The Shell Ruling: Big Victories And Next Steps For Climate Litigation” • A year has passed since a precedent-setting court ruling in the Netherlands ordered Shell to cut its activities’ carbon emissions by 45% compared to 2019 levels to align with the Paris climate agreement. Since then, other climate litigation has followed and more is to come. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model S charging up at a Shell gas station (Shell image)

¶ “Electric Trucks Are Viable Today” • Many people think that electric trucks can’t do the job – they won’t have a long enough driving range, they will be too heavy, truckers won’t like them. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. RMI Principal Dave Mullaney said that electric trucks could effectively replace up to half of all trucks in use today. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “G7 Commits To Decarbonizing Electricity By 2035 But Leaves Wiggle Room For Fossil Fuels” • The G7, which represents the world’s seven biggest advanced economies, agreed to achieve “predominantly decarbonized” electricity sectors by 2035, a goal that experts say is of major importance to help the world avert catastrophic climate change. [CNN]

Power plant emissions (Marcin Jozwiak, Unsplash)

¶ “Dutch BEV Sales Up 98%, Tailpipe Vehicles Down 19% In April 2022” • The Dutch battery EV market continued its recovery in April as it started to do in Q1, up from weak performance in 2021. The sales nearly doubled to 4,717 battery EVs, and market share increased from 10% to 21.4%, YOY. Sales of vehicles with tailpipes were 19% lower. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Shark Lake Renewables Hub Cuts Esperance Emissions By 50%” • The green new deal announced for Esperance, Western Australia, took a big step forward when Horizon Power and Pacific Energy were joined by WA Premier Mark McGowan and Minister for Energy Bill Johnston to formally open the Shark Lake Renewables Hub. [pv magazine Australia]

Shark Lake Renewables Hub (Horizon Power image)

¶ “Renewable Energy Underpins Boost In Moroccan Electricity Production” • Morocco’s local electricity production grew by 4.1% in the first quarter of 2022. Data from the Treasury and External Finance shows a 19.9% increase in renewable energy production and an increase of 34.4% in electricity production by the National Electricity Office. [Morocco World News]

¶ “UK Developer Signs 500-MW Deal In Chad” • UK company Savannah Energy has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy of Chad to develop up to 500 MW of renewable energy projects in the North African country. The first project is a solar farm of up to 300 MW with a battery energy storage system. It will be in Kome. [reNews]

Signing the deal in Chad (Savannah Energy image)

¶ “Economically Distressed Turkey Abandons Plans To Buy Shares In Nuclear Plant Built By Russia” • Turkey will not be a shareholder in the Akkuyu nuclear plant under construction by Russia in southern Turkey, Nordic Monitor learned. Lawmakers were told that being a partner in the $20 billion nuclear power plant is not on their agenda. [Nordic Monitor]

¶ “Ukraine Nuclear Inspectorate Accuses IAEA Of Falling For Russian Propaganda” • The Ukrainian state nuclear inspectorate accused the International Atomic Energy Agency of falling for Russian propaganda that said Ukraine was building nuclear weapons. Ukraine demanded it back efforts to expel Russian forces from a major power plant. [Reuters]

Russians in Czechia protest the war (AlexVolter, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

US:

¶ “Massachusetts Court Rules Suit Against Exxon Can Move Forward” • The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled against Exxon in its bid to stop a suit filed by Attorney General Maura Healey from going to trial. Massachusetts alleges that Exxon lied about the climate crisis and covered up the fossil fuel industry’s role in it. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “What Are Geophones?” • Geothermal energy is renewable, sustainable, and carbon free. A key factor to unlocking that energy could be through innovation in subsurface seismic sensors, or geophones. The DOE is offering the $3.65 million American-Made Geothermal Geophone Prize to support developmetn of geophones. [CleanTechnica]

Pipeline at a Nevada geothermal plant (BLMNevada, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Parks Reserve Forces Training Area Increases Renewable Energy: Solar Array Ribbon Cutting Ceremony” • PRFTA is one step closer to uninterrupted access to electricity. On May 24, the Army Reserve-funded installation held a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the addition of 2 MW of renewable energy through a newly activated solar array. [DVIDS]

¶ “Entergy Mississippi To Bring Sunflower Solar Station Online” • Construction is complete on a 100-MW solar power station in the Mississippi Delta, providing energy to Entergy Mississippi’s 461,000 customers. The Sunflower Solar Station is the largest solar project in Mississippi and provides enough energy to power 16,000 homes. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Sunflower Solar Station (Entergy Mississippi image)

¶ “Plugging Into Offshore Wind Will Power Up California’s Renewable Energy” • California has a goal of transitioning to 100% clean retail electricity by 2045. Now, it is looking to its 840 miles of coastline to power its communities and economy. Soon, two new offshore wind energy areas could provide bountiful clean energy to the state. [NREL]

¶ “Interior Approves Big Power Line For Renewables In US West” • The Interior Department announced final approval to construct a 416-mile transmission line to move renewable energy across three Western states. The line is set to run from Medicine Bow, in southeastern Wyoming, through northwest Colorado, and end outside of Mona, Utah. [E&E News]

Have a charmingly lovely day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Should The War In Ukraine Spur A Nuclear Security Rethink?” • With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, nuclear facilities have been caught up in the midst of conventional warfare for the first time in history. That scenario, a nightmare that has now turned into a reality, is one of the things that few of the industry’s players had ever anticipated. [France 24]

Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant (Ralf1969, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Jeff Dahn And The 100-Year Battery” • Jeff Dahn is a world renowned scientist and researcher at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He has a contract with Tesla to do battery research. He and his researchers have published a paper in the Journal of the Electrochemical Society that suggests a battery that can last for 100 years is possible. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season Will Be Above Average (Again), NOAA Predicts” • Forecasters at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center predict a 65% chance of an above-normal season, a 25% chance of a near-normal season and a 10% chance of a below-normal season. It could be the seventh consecutive above-average hurricane season. [CleanTechnica]

Panama City Beach, Florida (Craig Cameron, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Steel Giant Comes Out Swinging Against Fossil Fuel” • Steel giant ArcelorMittal is deploying green hydrogen to cut down on the amount of natural gas used to process iron, using its plant in Canada as a test site. Last fall it announced a $9 billion renewable energy program aimed at decarbonizing its operations in India. Now, it is going further. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “UK Electric Vehicle Sales Continue To Soar In Green Revolution” • EVs have more than doubled in the north of England, the latest figures show. More than a quarter of a million EVs now travel on UK roads and sales of plug-in vehicles have reached all-time highs, with 327,000 registered last year. That is a 77% rise compared to 2020. [CleanTechnica]

Vauxhall (Image courtesy of Vauxhall)

¶ “Ontario loses out on LG Chem plant. Business groups blame Ford’s cancellation of renewable energy contracts” • The Ontario government’s decision to scrap hundreds of renewable energy projects early in Premier Doug Ford’s tenure may have cost the City of Windsor a major chemical plant and over a thousand jobs, business groups say. [Toronto Star]

¶ “Victoria Urged To Go ‘Faster, Further’ In The Race To 100% Renewables” • A parliamentary inquiry into renewable energy recommended that Victoria explore feed-in tariffs options for renewable energy exports and speed up its Virtual Power Plant pilot program. This is to enable a rapid statewide transition to renewables. [pv magazine Australia]

Melbourne (Image from Visit Melbourne)

¶ “Cancer Patients In Japan’s Fukushima Seek Damages From Nuclear Plant” • A Tokyo court began hearings on 26 May in a lawsuit seeking nearly $5 million in damages for six people who were children in Fukushima at the time of its 2011 nuclear power plant disaster and later developed thyroid cancer. They are suing the operator of the nuclear plant. [Firstpost]

¶ “Tata Power Has Commissioned A 100-MW Solar Project In Maharashtra” • Tata Power announced its subsidiary Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd commissioned a 100-MW solar project in Maharashtra. The installation has over 411,900 PV modules. It will supply power to Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd. [pv magazine India]

100-MW project in Andhra Pradesh (Tata Power Solar image)

US:

¶ “Supreme Court Allows Biden Administration To Continue Counting The Costs Of Planet-Warming Emissions, For Now” • The US Supreme Court will allow the Biden administration to continue to use a metric that estimates the real-world cost of the climate crisis while legal challenges play out. The states opposed to the metric say the estimates are speculative. [CNN]

¶ “Energy Secretary Blasts Russia For ‘Weaponizing’ Energy” • Speaking at a GE wind turbine testing facility, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Russia is “weaponizing energy, which is another reason why as a nation, we should move to energy sources that cannot be weaponized.” She pointed out that wind and solar power can’t be weaponized. [CNN]

Wind turbines (Karyatid, Unsplash)

¶ “Soaring Fertilizer Prices Force Farmers To Rethink” • Rachael Sharp, a third-generation farmer in South Carolina, saw fertilizer prices for her crops soar 320% last year. The costs are up in a time of extreme weather, transport disruptions, and now the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Some farmers aren’t planting anything due to the excessive costs. [BBC]

¶ “Alaska Utilities Plan $200 Million Investment In Grid To Boost Renewable Power, Increase Reliability” • Five electric utilities in Alaska will invest more than $200 million to upgrade the ageing transmission system from Homer to Fairbanks, in a step they say could boost low-cost renewable power opportunities in the state, benefitting ratepayers. [Anchorage Daily News]

View at Homer, Alaska (Wonderlane, Unsplash)

¶ “Stellantis And Samsung SDI To Build New Battery Factory In Indiana” • Stellantis, the parent company of Dodge, Jeep, and Chrysler, has selected Kokomo, Indiana, as the site for its next electric vehicle battery factory. The plant will be built in a partnership with South Korea’s Samsung SDI and cost between $2.5 and $3 billion. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Mayflower Wind Files PPAs For Approval” • Mayflower Wind filed 20-year power purchase agreements with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities to supply three of the state’s largest utilities for 1200 MW of electricity generated by offshore wind facilities. Mayflower Wind won bids for the electricity in 2019 and 2021. [reNews]

Have a perfectly placid day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Engie’s US LNG Reversal: Emissions Cuts Helped Clinch The Deal, But Are They Legit?” • The Financial Times reported that French energy company Engie signed a 15-year supply deal for liquified natural gas from a proposed NextDecade project in Texas. Engie rejected a similar proposal in 2020, but some things have changed since then. [CleanTechnica]

LNG storage in Massachusetts (Fletcher6, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “‘It’s Almost A Revolution’: What Labor Means For Renewables Investment” • The 2022 Australian election result will go down in history as a turning point in the country’s renewable energy transition. In his victory speech, Anthony Albanese pledged to end the climate wars and turn the country into a renewable energy superpower. [Sydney Morning Herald]

World:

¶ “Big Oil, Flush With Cash, Is Failing On Climate Pledges” • In 2020, with profits down due to pandemic and lockdowns, fossil fuel companies responded to pressure and announced bold plans to invest in clean energy. Now, with profits high and oil giants back to their pre-pandemic profitability, the push toward green reform appears to have taken a back seat. [CNN]

Oil rig (Arvind Vallabh, Unsplash)

¶ “Shell Escaped Liability For Oil Spills In Nigeria For Years. Then Four Farmers Took Them To Court And Won” • Four farmers from the Goi and Oruma communities in the country’s oil-rich but impoverished Niger Delta region said their farms were left in ruins after major spills from underground pipelines. They sued Shell and won. [CNN]

¶ “Volkswagen To Pay Out £193 Million In Another ‘Dieselgate’ Settlement” • Volkswagen is to pay £193 million to more than 90,000 drivers in England and Wales after it settled a High Court claim over the installation of emissions cheating devices in its vehicles. The group has already paid out more than €30 billion (£26 billion, $32 billion) worldwide. [BBC]

Volkswagen interior (Gabe Pierce, Unsplash)

¶ “Put Values Over Profits, NATO Chief Tells Countries” • The war in Ukraine has highlighted how countries need to put values before profits, NATO’s chief has warned. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Jens Stoltenberg said the war had shown “how economic relations with authoritarian regimes can create vulnerabilities.” [BBC]

¶ “China Electric Car Market – 29% Market Share In April!” • Plugin vehicles continue to be all the rage in the Chinese auto market. Despite the overall market being completely disrupted by Covid lockdowns (-43% year over year), plugins scored over 260,000 registrations in April, up 61% YOY. And 22% of China’s auto sales were full battery EVs! [CleanTechnica]

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

¶ “Fennovoima Withdraws Building Permit Application For Nuclear Power Plant” • Fennovoima announced it has withdrawn its application for a building permit for a nuclear power plant in Pyhäjoki, Ostrobothnia, delivering what many believe was the final blow to the project. It terminated the project because of its Russian funding and dependencies. [Helsinki Times]

¶ “Jacobs Develops Robot For Fukushima Debris Sampling” • The USA engineering group Jacobs has designed and built a remotely-operated robotic tool to investigate debris in damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. Eleven years after the meltdown at Fukushima, in March, 2011, it will be possible to get samples. [World Nuclear News]

Robot for debris collection at Fukushima Daiichi (Jacobs image)

¶ “Warming French Rivers Could Take More Nuclear Supply Offline” • An unseasonably warm May has led to high water temperatures in several rivers throughout France, putting some nuclear plants’ output at risk during a period of historically high unavailability, Refinitiv Eikon data showed. River water is often used for cooling reactors. [Reuters]

US:

¶ “Interior Department Announces $33 Million To Clean Up 277 Methane-Spewing Wells On Federal Land” • Officials from the Interior Department and the White House announced they will spend $33 million to clean up 277 orphan oil and gas wells on federal lands in nine states. States have identified over 130,000 orphan wells to work on. [CNN]

Pump jack in Texas (Eric Kounce, public domain)

¶ “Walmart To Begin Drone Deliveries In Six States” • Walmart says it will be delivering packages that weigh 10 pounds or less to customers in parts of Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Utah, and Virginia by drones that lower the packages to the ground by cable. The service will be provided in cooperation with DroneUp and should begin this year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US EV Registrations Surge For Q1 2022, Largely Driven By Tesla” • A recent article at CarScoops gives us some great news about EV sales so far in 2022! According to Experian, 158,689 EVs were registered in the US in January through March of this year. Tesla took most of these sales, with an estimated 113,882 vehicles coming from the company. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model 3 (Vlad Tchompalov, Unsplash)

¶ “Lawmakers Call For Better Clean Truck Rule” • A group of 61 federal lawmakers recently wrote a letter to the EPA asking it to finalize the strongest clean truck rules it can. They want the EPA to follow California’s lead and require a growing percentage of trucks to be zero emissions because heavy trucks tend to stay in service for decades. [CleanTechnica]
Tesla semi truck (Tesla image)

¶ “DOE Announces $38 Million To Launch Decarbonization Initiative At National Laboratories” • The US Department of Energy announced $38 million to begin decarbonizing four of its seventeen National Laboratories in support of President Biden’s goal to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions no later than 2050. [Department of Energy]

Have an outrageously relaxing day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “Australians Voted For Stronger Action On Climate Change. Will They Get It?” • Australia’s new prime minister mentioned the words “climate change” four times within two minutes of his maiden international speech. But experts say it won’t be easy to turn around a coal-powered ship that has been chugging in the wrong direction for years. [CNN]

Outback (Meg Jerrard, Unsplash)

¶ “Limits On Renewables ‘Will Keep UK Energy Bills Higher This Winter’” • Consumers will face higher energy bills than necessary next winter because of a decision by the government to limit new renewable energy generation. It is called a “missed opportunity” by the renewables industry, and “outdated thinking” by a green campaign group. [The Guardian]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Elon Musk, Alphabet, And Joe Biden (USA) Are Just A Few Investing Billions Into Carbon Removal” • As the world shifts toward clean energy in its automobiles and its energy generation tactics, experts say there’s still a lot of work to do to ensure global temperatures don’t keep rising. One costly but effective solution is carbon removal technology. [CleanTechnica]

Climeworks direct air capture plant (Photo by Climeworks)

World:

¶ “Mining Giant Pleads Guilty To UK Bribery Charges” • A subsidiary of Glencore, the mining and commodities trading giant, has pleaded guilty in a London court to seven counts of bribery. The UK’s Serious Fraud Office said it had exposed “profit-driven bribery and corruption” by Glencore Energy UK’s oil operations in five African nations. [BBC]

¶ “Vancouver Requires Gas Stations And Parking Lots Without EV Chargers To Pay $10,000 Per Year” • Vancouver’s city council approved a $10,000 annual fee for gas stations and commercial parking lots that don’t install EV chargers by January 2025. To be compliant, Gas stations must have at least one DC fast charger, and parking lots will need to have four. [CleanTechnica]

Vancouver (Mike Benna, Unsplash)

¶ “Powering Australia Under New Leadership” • For ten years, Australian states and territories have had to go it alone in the transition to renewables. Now it looks like they will have federal support for powering Australia in a clean manner. Just in time, too, as the eastern grid struggles to add more renewables and coal-fired power stations retire early. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “India’s Hindustan Salts Tenders 1 GW Of Solar Capacity” • A government-owned company has floated a tender inviting developers to set up and operate a 1-GW solar power project in the western state of Gujarat. Hindustan Salts will provide 5,000 acres of land to the successful developers and charge them an annual rent. [CleanTechnica]

Rural Gujarat (sambit nayak, Unsplash)

¶ “ReNew Power Signs Deal For ₹50,000 Crore Renewables And Storage Project In Karnataka” • ReNew Power has signed an agreement with the Indian state of Karnataka to invest ₹50,000 crore ($6.5 billion) over seven years. Ministers are authorizing contracts for about 12 GW of new renewable capacity, to start construction this year. [pv magazine India]

¶ “Italy Introduces Domestic Renewable Energy To The EU’s Common Agricultural Policy Plan” • Italy formally backed a plan to allow farmers to sell renewable energy to European power grids, following talks between Italian Agricultural Minister Stefano Patuanelli and European Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski. [China.org]

PVs in the Po Valley (Rosapicci, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Europe’s Bold New Energy Plan Will Need Wartime-Like Planning To Meet Goals, Rystad Says” • Rystad Energy, Norway’s energy intelligence group, said analysis indicates the European Commission’s cost estimate may fall short of objectives, as the plan will require at least €1 trillion ($1.07 trillion) in investment to meet its renewables objective. [Offshore Energy]

US:

¶ “Blue Bird Will Manufacture Electric Medium Duty Trucks And Vans” • A school bus is basically a truck chassis with a passenger compartment bolted on. So it should come as no surprise that Blue Bird, which currently manufactures electric school buses, is preparing to start producing medium duty Class 5 and Class 6 electric trucks. [CleanTechnica]

Blue Bird chassis (Image courtesy of Blue Bird)

¶ “Doerr Donation Will Create A Much Needed Climate School At Stanford” • Stanford University has been given a $1.1 billion endowment to fund a sustainability and climate school. The gift, by John and Ann Doerr, is the largest ever to establish a new school at a university. The Doerr donation supports climate change research and scholarship. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Middletown Taps Into Renewable Energy Program” • Ampion Renewable Energy is a community solar company connecting Middletown residents to a clean-energy subscription service from a hyper-local solar farm. When they subscribe, they receive a credit on their utility bill for the power that’s been generated into the system. [Spectrum News]

Middletown, New York (Daniel Case, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Tesla To Texas: Help Us Help You” • Tesla is pushing Texas for changes to its energy market rules so anyone with solar panels or battery storage could sell excess power back to the grid. The company wants residential owners to be able to participate in the market, including, of course, owners of the Tesla residential products, like its Powerwall. [Protocol]

¶ “Plans For Palisades Nuclear Plant Have Decommissioning Over 19 Years” • The Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan has shut down. Following the removal of used fuel from the reactor, the facility will be turned over to Holtec International, which will take over the facility to decontaminate and decommission, a task that could take nearly 20 years. [WWMT]

Have a politely ecstatic day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “What Would A Flying-Free World Look Like?” • Air travel is incredibly polluting, but what would happen if people across the world suddenly stopped flying completely? A world of no flights would present some serious logistical challenges, but could also open up the door to huge changes to other, lower-carbon forms of transport. [BBC]

Bullet train in Tokyo (Fikri Rasyid, Unsplash)

¶ “How Big Tech Companies Fund Fossil Fuel Emissions” • The Big Tech companies – such as Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google/Alphabet, – all emphasize sustainability and tout efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. But they may unwittingly be providing fossil fuel companies the money they need to go on extracting their destructive products. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Big Oil Investors Put To The Test At Annual Shareholder Meetings” • This is a week of annual shareholder meetings for some major oil and gas companies. Climate-related shareholder proposals are on the agenda for Shell, ExxonMobil and Chevron, and climate advocates are urging major investors to vote for climate action. [CleanTechnica]

Offshore oil rigs (NOAA image, public domain)

¶ “Why Nuclear Energy May Not Be The Silver Bullet In Clean Energy” • We need to decarbonize, and building nuclear plants is seen as a way to do that. But a nuclear plant typically takes ten to fifteen years or more to construct, from planning to operation. Given the pressing need to decarbonize quickly, that is clearly too slow. [News Center Maine]

World:

¶ “The Changing Face Of The North Sea Oil Industry” • Faced with the climate emergency, Aberdeen is having to move away from an industry that has created half a million jobs and brought almost incalculable wealth to north east Scotland. Some young people still count on a career in the oil industry, but others are focusing on a future in renewable energy. [BBC]

North Sea oil rigs (Ben Wicks, Unsplash)

¶ “Why Africa Couldn’t Get Urgent Global Deal On Drought” • Africa has been hit by fourteen extreme droughts in the past two years alone, and the UN is warning that some 20 million people are at risk in East Africa this year after the rains failed once more. Sadly, not much was achieved at the two-week-long meeting in Abidjan to tackle these crises. [BBC]

¶ “More Electric Semi Trucks Coming To US And Europe” • Private car owners may still be undecided about EVs, but commercial fleet managers are rushing to reap the benefits of battery-operated vehicles, with their greatly reduced costs of fuel and maintenance. Electric semi trucks are enjoying a surge of orders in both the US and Europe. [CleanTechnica]

Scania electric semi truck (Image courtesy of Scania)

¶ “India’s Acme Solar Plans 7-GW Renewable Energy Green Ammonia Plant” • Acme Solar Holdings, one of India’s leading independent solar power producers, reportedly plans to set up 7 GW of renewable power and green ammonia facilities in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The venture is expected to entail an investment of $6 billion. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “EU Oil Ban ‘In Days,’ Russia-China Closer” • The EU is likely to agree an embargo on Russian oil imports “within days”, as Moscow says it anticipates its economic ties growing with China after being isolated by the West over its invasion of Ukraine. The EU has offered up to €2 billion to central and eastern nations most dependent on Russian fuel. [Crikey]

Tanker (Fredrick Filix, Unsplash)

¶ “Contractor Quitting Puts Shell In Spotlight Over Climate” • A longtime contractor who consulted Shell on safety issues has publicly called out the oil and gas company’s climate plans, accusing the company of “double talk” by saying it wants to cut greenhouse gas emissions while working on tapping new sources of fossil fuel. [AP News]

¶ “UAE Records Largest Increase In Renewable Energy Capacity Globally In The Past Decade” • The UAE recorded the largest increase in renewable energy capacity worldwide in the past ten years, a report showed, reflecting the nation’s ambition to get to net-zero emissions. Its renewable capacity grew from 13 MW in 2011 to 2,540 MW in 2020. [The National]

Shams solar plant, Abu Dhabi (Masdar Official, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

US:

¶ “California Governor Pleads For More Water Conservation” • As the California drought goes on, Governor Gavin Newsom is warning local officials that more needs to be done to save water, and to make sure all residents realize how urgent the crisis is. If not, he said, California could face mandatory statewide water restrictions this summer. [CNN]

¶ “Solar Array Transforms Hardwick Gravel Pit Into Renewable Energy Resource” • Encore Renewable Energy and the Electric Department of Hardwick, Vermont, held a ribbon-cutting at a 1.65-MW solar array at a former Hardwick gravel pit. The system is expected to provide annual electricity needs of approximately 340 homes. [Vermont Business Magazine]

Hardwick solar array (Encore Renewable Energy image)

¶ “Solar On Pennsylvania Schools Doubles In Five Years” • The solar capacity in Pennsylvania schools has doubled in the last two years, according to a report by Generation180. The study covered solar in schools across the US. It includes a number of success stories and provides a how-to guide for any schools that have interest in installing solar PVs. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New Vistra Energy Battery Facility Designed To Increase Reliability, Value Of Renewables” • Winter weather may be what gets Texans to worry about the power grid, but its greatest strain comes during the summer. Monday, Irving-based Vistra Energy officially launched a battery facility they hope will help supply in times of need. [WFAA]

Have a magnificently fortunate day.

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World:

¶ “Canada Storms: Nearly A Million Homes Lose Power In High Winds” • Nearly 900,000 homes in southern Canada were left without power on Saturday after a severe storm hit the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Power company Hydro One, which covers Ontario, said it would take several days to reconnect every home that is without power. [BBC]

Supercell (Raychel Sanner, Unsplash)

¶ “Could Hydrogen Be The Victor In UK’s Hydrogen Vs Electric Truck Probe?” • The UK government launched a £200 million investigation into the future of its road freight. Over a three-year period, it will look to understand advantages of hydrogen and electric trucks, as well as the infrastructure needed for road freight to be decarbonized. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ireland Allocates 1.53 GW Of PV In Second Renewables Auction” • Grid operator EirGrid announced provisional results of Ireland’s second renewable energy auction. Overall, EirGrid selected 80 of the 130 projects that were submitted. The projects range in size from 0.5 MW to 104.4 MW and are mostly located in central and southern Ireland. [PV Magazine]

Ireland (Nils Nedel, Unsplash)

¶ “Eamon Ryan Rules Out Nuclear Power As An Option In The Transition From Fossil Fuel Dependence” • Irish environment minister Eamon Ryan told the Irish Examiner it would be too expensive and cumbersome for Ireland to build a nuclear industry, insisting offshore wind is a far better and less expensive way to fight against climate change. [Irish Examiner]

¶ “EDF Crew Signs Up BW Ideol For French Floaters” • BW Ideol has signed an agreement with the consortium made of EDF Renouvelables and Maple Power, a joint venture between CPP Investments and Enbridge, to cooperate on the design of floating foundations for the 500-MW AO6 floating offshore wind tender in France. [reNews]

Floating wind turbine (BW Ideol image)

¶ “Nuclear Expert Reaffirms Harm Of Dumping Contaminated Water Into Ocean” • After Japan initially approved the discharge plan last week, experts have reaffirmed that radioactive pollution will inevitably be caused by dumping nuclear-contaminated water from storage tanks at the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean. [Global Times]

Australia:

¶ “Australia Aspires To Be ‘Renewable Energy Superpower’ After Decisive Climate Change Election” • While it’s possible Labor will win a lower-house majority of at least 76 seats, it’s also likely the party will need to negotiate with the Green party and a slew of climate-warrior independent lawmakers who want more ambitious targets. [Energy Voice]

Wind turbine in Australia (Kshithij Chandrashekar, Unsplash)

¶ “EV Surge Likely After Labor Wins In Australia” • For ten years, Australia’s Liberal federal government has denied climate change science and slow-walked the transition to renewable energy. The historic defeat for this coalition will change all that and likely lead to an EV surge. The Labor government is set to introduce large tax incentives for EVs. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Outback Town Teams With CDU To Research Renewable Energy Future” • The Northern Territory town of Alice Springs is turning to renewable energy to power its isolated grid. Scientists from Charles Darwin University have announced they will help investigate how it can facilitate its transition towards a future dependent on renewables. [pv magazine Australia]

Alice Springs (ARENA image)

US:

¶ “Tesla’s 100-Stall Supercharger Oasis In The Mojave Desert Will Be The Largest In The US” • Tesla is reportedly building a 100-stall Supercharger station, which will be the largest such station in this country to date. The location is in the Mojave Desert town of Barstow, California, around 115 miles outside of Los Angeles. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “With Climate Change Fueling Wildfires, Changes Are Needed To Prevent Worse Scenarios” • A study published this month in the journal Ecology Letters found that wildfire risks are going to increase in states like New Mexico because of climate change. Scientists say humans need to make changes to prevent worse fire risks. [The NM Political Report]

Wildfire (USDA Forest Service)

¶ “Climate Change Will Force Big Shift In Timing, Amount Of Snowmelt Across Colorado River Basin” • Research by Los Alamos National Laboratory predicts that changes in mountain snowmelt will shift peak streamflows to much earlier in the year for the Colorado River Basin, altering reservoir management and irrigation across the entire region. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Palisades Nuclear Power Plant Retires Early” • Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan shut down eleven days earlier than planned. Control room operators removed the 805-MW plant’s nuclear reactor from service on May 20. The plant was originally scheduled to shut down on May 31. It will be decommissioned by Holtec International. [Power Engineering]

Have an unfathomably excellent day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “From Alternative Fuels To Rationing Trips: A Guide To More Sustainable Flying” • Aviation accounts for just 3.5% of our total planet-warming emissions. Matteo Mirolo, aviation policy officer at Transport & Environment, a European campaign group for cleaner transportation, said there are lots of solutions, but they are not ready yet. Others agree. [CNN]

Rail, an alternative to flying (Amtrak image)

¶ “Why We Can Send A Rover To Mars, But We Can’t Send An Electron From New York To California” • Space missions are a federal matter, but states determine energy policy and decisions on infrastructure. Right now, states and the federal government can choose how to define our country’s options for clean energy and plan the challenges ahead. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “What Is Biodiversity And How Are We Protecting It?” • The UN has declared Sunday, May 22, to be the International Day for Biodiversity to raise awareness of the extinction risk facing animals and plants. Nearly a third of all species are currently endangered due to human activities. Governments will meet on the issue this year in China. [BBC]

Cotton Top Tamarins (Rebecca Campbell, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Ukraine’s Natural Environment Is Another Casualty Of War. The Damage Could Be Felt For Decades” • The destruction Russian forces caused to the Ukrainian landscape here is brutal and omnipresent: Scorched earth, forest floors ravaged by missiles, and trees broken down and uprooted, and abandoned military equipment litters the ground. [CNN]

¶ “Australian Voters Deliver Strong Message On Climate, Ending Conservative Government’s Nine Year Rule” • Australian voters have delivered a sharp rebuke to the center-right government, ending nine years of conservative rule. They have voted in favor of the center-left opposition that promised stronger action on climate change. [CNN]

Sydney Harbor (Photoholgic, Unsplash)

¶ “Hyundai And Kia Plan Electric Car Ramp In Korea” • Hyundai and Kia recently confirmed that they will build a new electric car factory in Georgia at a cost of nearly $6 billion. And this week, Hyundai Motor Group announced it plans to invest $17 billion between now and 2030 to ramp up electric car production in South Korea. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Spain Heatwave Brings Record May Temperatures” • Parts of Spain are experiencing their hottest May ever with temperatures of more than 40°C (104°F) in some places, according to the state weather agency, AEMET. The agency issued heat warnings in ten regions for Saturday, saying it could be “one of the most intense” heatwaves in years. [BBC]

Madrid (Florian Wehde, Unsplash)

¶ “Sizewell C ‘May Cost Double Government Estimates And Take Five Years Longer To Build’” • The proposed Sizewell C nuclear power station could cost UK taxpayers more than double what is estimated and take five extra years to build, research by the University of Greenwich Business School shows. The plant could cost taxpayers £25.40 a year extra. [The Guardian]

US:

¶ “It’s Going To Be Hot With A Chance Of Blackouts” • In a reliability assessment for the coming summer, NERC, the regulating authority that oversees the health of the US electrical grid, predicted that excessive temperatures and ongoing drought could cause the power grid to buckle. And weather extremes are guaranteed because of the climate crisis. [CNN]

Beach (Aliko Sunawang, Unsplash)

¶ “In A Parallel Universe, Oil Companies Included In S&P 500 ESG Index While Tesla Kicked Out” • In a weird parallel universe, the S&P 500 Environmental, Social, and Governance Index dropped Tesla but added oil companies. Oh, wait, that’s this universe. Exxon and Marathon Oil were added to the index at the same time that Tesla was removed. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Emboldened By Climate Change, Ticks Are Killing Off Moose In Maine” • Outside of Alaska, Maine has the country’s largest population of moose. But Maine’s moose are under threat. In parts of Piscataquis and Somerset counties, 86% of calves tracked by scientists have died. The culprit is most often a huge number of winter ticks. [Popular Science]

Moose (Cora Leach, Unsplash)

¶ “Three Ways US Cities Broke Clean Energy Records In 2021” • After remaining undaunted in their pursuit of renewables in 2020, US cities, counties and tribal governments made 2021 another record-breaking year for renewable energy development in the United States. Here are three ways American cities are excelling. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Village Of Canton Working To Offer Renewable Energy To Residents” • The village of Canton, New York, is working to offer residents Community Choice Aggregation. Residents and small businesses could get a renewable electricity supply in this way. The program would pool local electricity demand to leverage the collective buying power. [InformNNY.com]

Have an enormously fun day.

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World:

¶ “Human-Induced Climate Crisis Is Making Japan’s Cherry Blossoms Bloom Earlier” • Japan’s world-famous cherry trees are flowering much earlier than normal due to human-induced climate change, a study has found. The cherry blossoms have special cultural importance, and the dates of flowering have been recorded for centuries. [CNN]

Cherry blossoms in Tokyo (Alan Godfrey, Unsplash)

¶ “China Needs Russian Coal. Moscow Needs New Customers” • China is buying record amounts of cheap Russian coal, even as Western nations slam Moscow with sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine. Russia has overtaken Australia as China’s second biggest supplier since last year and now accounts for 19% of its coal imports, up from the 14% share it had in March. [CNN]

¶ “Russia halts gas supplies to Finland” • Russia has halted its gas supply to Finland in the latest escalation of an energy payments row with the West. Russia’s gas giant Gazprom confirmed it had completely halted exports to Finland at 04:00 GMT on May 21. Finland said all the deliveries had stopped, but added that there would be no disruption to customers. [BBC]

Building a gas pipeline in Finland (Jukka Isokoski, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Ukraine says giant Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant can’t supply Russia” • Russia’s deputy prime minister said Russia would connect a Ukrainian nuclear plant with Russia’s energy system if Kyiv refused to pay for its electricity. Ukraine dismissed the Russian plan to connect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to the Russian electricity grid as “wishful thinking.” [BBC]

¶ “Baltic Sea Floating Offshore Wind Party Just Getting Started, But Mind That Fleet!” • Sweden, as it is getting set to join NATO, is also getting ready to park 4.75 GW worth of floating offshore wind turbines in the Baltic Sea. That same sea happens to be the stomping grounds of the Baltic Fleet of the expanding Russian Navy. What could possibly go wrong? [CleanTechnica]

Russian Missile Cruiser (LPhot Seeley, Royal Navy, OGL v1.0)

¶ “Electric Farms Are Using Solar Power To Grow Profits And Crops” • A farm in Japan is part of a global movement called agrivoltaics. It involves the simultaneous use of farmland for producing crops and generating power, and it is growing as a global push to replace fossil fuels is encouraging innovation for renewable energy. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ “175 GW Renewable Energy Goal Could Have Saved India From Power Shortage” • India could have averted the power crisis in April if progress towards the 175 GW renewable energy goal had been on track, a new analysis by think tank Climate Risk Horizons said. April’s power shortage was due to unavailability of coal supplies. [ummid.com]

Wind farm (Abby Anaday, Unsplash)

¶ “‘Torturous’ Heat Is Breaking Records And Livelihoods In India, And It’s Only Going To Get Worse.” • Millions of laborers in India and Pakistan have had to toil through the hottest spring on record. Scientists fear that the heat and drought conditions will soon regularly afflict billions across the globe and contribute to a looming food crisis. [NBC News]

US:

¶ “Harris And EPA Will Announce Schools Can Apply For $500 Million To Replace Diesel School Buses With Zero-Emissions Buses” • The Biden administration is announcing that school districts around the US can apply for the first round of funding to transition to zero emissions buses. It is $500 million out of $5 billion in the bipartisan infrastructure law. [CNN]

School bus (Denisse Leon, Unsplash)

¶ “Forest Service Officials Are Hitting A Pause On Prescribed Fires After A New Mexico Burn Escaped Containment” • The US Forest Service is pausing prescribed fire operations in all of its lands because of extreme conditions, it announced. The Forest Service will conduct a 90-day review of protocols, practices, and the decision support tools. [CNN]

¶ “Zoox Shows Off Its Battery-Electric Autonomous People Pod” • Amazon has an autonomous robotaxi division, Zoox, which is preparing to bring its battery-electric autonomous people mover to market soon. The Zoox is designed from the ground up to transport people from point A to point B as conveniently as possible. [CleanTechnica]

Zoox robotaxi (Zoox image)

¶ “Li-Cycle’s Battery Recycling Plant In Arizona Now Open” • An Li-Cycle lithium-ion battery recycling plant in Arizona is now open. This is the company’s third operational Spoke facility in North America and it has a capacity to process up to 10,000 tonnes of manufacturing scrap and end-of-life batteries, the equivalent of 20,000 EVs, annually. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Nez Perce Tribe Eyes Renewable Energy Utility Cooperative” • The Nez Perce Tribe has announced its intention of building a tribe-to-tribe solar and renewable energy utility. They hope to recruit other tribes to install solar arrays plus battery storage with the goal that each tribe be energy independent and create jobs on reservations. [Lewiston Tribune]

Entering Nez Perce Reservation in Idaho (Ken Lund, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Energy Secretary: We Must Find A Solution For Nuclear Waste” • It is critical to find a solution for storing the nation’s spent nuclear fuel, US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said during a visit to a nuclear power plant in Connecticut. Granholm was invited to tour Millstone Nuclear Power Station in Waterford by US Rep Joe Courtney (D). [Texarkana Gazette]

¶ “Entergy Shuts Down The Palisades Nuclear Power Plant Ten Days Early” • After more than 50 years in operation, Entergy Corp announced that it had decided to shut down the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in Covert Township over a week ahead of schedule. Entergy said the nuclear reactor will be removed from service for the last time on May 20. [WMUK]

Have an abundantly rewarding day.

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World:

¶ “Mitsubishi Tops EV Sales In Germany In April” • Multiple crises are raging (chips, batteries, covid, Ukraine war…), and the German car market has been hit hard. Overall, it dropped 22% last month, and even full battery EVs were down 7%, YOY. Still, the plugin maket share is growing, and a 30% result by year end seems not only possible, but likely. [CleanTechnica]

Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV (Alexander Migl, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “European Commission Plans Shift Away From Russian Coal, Oil, And Gas” • The EU assumed it would be able to rely on fossil exports from Russia during the transition to green energy. The Russian invasion of Ukraine ended that. Ursala Von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, announced a $315 billion package to speed up the shift. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “150 GW Of Wind Power From The North Sea – Deal Signed In Denmark” • Probably the most ambitious renewable energy agreement ever was signed on the harbor of Esbjerg, Denmark. The Esbjerg Declaration, which has the subtitle The North Sea as a Green Power Plant of Europe, has targets for offshore wind up to at least 150 GW by 2050. [CleanTechnica]

Building an offshore wind turbine (Rscbelgium, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “CIP To Build A Green Hydrogen Island” • Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners is looking to build an artificial island in the Danish North Sea. The BrintØ island will be able to produce around 1 million tonnes of green hydrogen per year by the end of the decade, which is about 7% of the EU’s expected hydrogen consumption in 2030. [reNews]

¶ “Renewables Restart GB Power System” • Renewable energy sources have played a role in restarting Great Britain’s electricity system after a successful world-first trial. A live trial in Scotland saw a hydro generator connected to the distribution network self-start, energize the local transmission and distribution network, and power up wind turbines. [reNews]

Hydropower plant (SXC image)

¶ “Alcoa Signs Contract For Renewable Power To Support Restart Of Aluminum Smelter” • Alcoa Corporation announced that it signed a contract for renewable energy to support the planned restart of aluminum smelting in 2024 at the San Ciprián smelter in Spain. The agreement would commence in 2024 and extend to the end of 2033. [Saur Energy International]

¶ “Europe Admits It’ll Have To Burn More Coal As It Tries To Wean Itself Off Russian Energy” • The European Commission fleshed out details of a plan to ramp up use of the EU’s renewable energy and reduce its reliance on Russian fossil fuels. As it did, it acknowledged that existing coal facilities may have to be used for “longer than initially expected.” [CNBC]

German coal-burning power plant (Bodoklecksel, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Australian Telecom Giant Announces Transition To Renewable Energy” • Optus, Australia’s second largest telecommunications company, announced its plan to rely solely on renewable energy by the end of 2025, making it the last major phone network in the nation to do so. Telecommunications companies are among Australia’s largest energy users. [Macau Business]

¶ “Hinkley Point C Nuclear Power Station Delayed A Year By Covid” • The nuclear power station being built at Hinkley Point in Somerset will start operating a year later than planned and will cost an extra £3 billion, it was announced. The delay means the first reactor unit is now scheduled to start operating in June 2027, a year later than planned. [The Guardian]

Construction of new power station at Hinkley Point
(Nick Chipchase, CC BY-SA 2.0)

US:

¶ “Energy Secretary Says Administration Is Working On Relief For Solar Industry Amid Tariff Investigation” • Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the Biden administration is “working on a few things” to help a panicked solar industry that is seeing projects grind to a halt amid a tariffs probe by the Commerce Department. [CNN]

¶ “DOE Announces Multibillion-Dollar Project To Kickstart A Carbon Dioxide Removal Industry In US” • The US DOE is announcing a massive investment in direct air carbon removal projects, in hopes of kickstarting an industry that energy experts say is critical to getting the country’s planet-warming emissions under control. [CNN]

Climeworks carbon capture (Climeworks image)

¶ “Manchin And Republican Lawmakers Grill Interior Chief Over Oil And Gas Drilling Plans Amid High Prices” • Interior Secretary Deb Haaland squared off with lawmakers at a contentious Senate hearing that addressed high gas prices, oil and gas drilling and delays in the department’s plan to hold more drilling lease sales. [CNN]

¶ “Sila Silicon Anode Batteries To Power Mercedes G Class EV” • Mercedes says a version of its battery-electric G Class will use cells from Sila, which has been working for the past 10 years on replacing the conventional graphite anodes in today’s lithium-ion batteries with silicon alternatives. Sila will open a battery facility in Moses Lake, Washington. [CleanTechnica]

Mercedes G Class EV Concept (Image courtesy of Mercedes)

¶ “Energy And Maritime Leaders To Convene For The DOE InnovationXLab Summit” • Top scientists and officials from government, academia, Alaskan Native communities, and industry are heading to the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage, Alaska, to focus on driving energy technologies for a more sustainable Arctic region. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “EIA Expects Solar And Wind To Be Larger Sources Of US Electricity Generation This Summer” • “In our Summer Electricity Outlook, a supplement to our May 2022 Short-Term Energy Outlook, we expect the largest increases in US electric power sector generation this summer will come from renewable energy sources.” [CleanTechnica]

Have an enchantingly superior day.

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World:

¶ “How Climate Is Making Australia More Unliveable” • Climate change is a key concern for voters in Australia’s election on Saturday. So is the cost of living – and these issues are coming into focus like never before. Record-breaking bushfire and flood events in the past three years have killed more than 500 people and billions of animals. [BBC]

Flooding in Queensland (Kgbo, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “EU Reveals Its Plans To Stop Using Russian Gas” • More details have come from the European Commission on how it plans to end Europe’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels and speed up its shift to green energy. Russia supplies 40% of the EU’s natural gas and 27% of its imported oil. The EU sends Russia roughly €400 billion per year in payment. [BBC]

¶ “Tesla China Exported Two Batches Of Over 4,000 EVs In One Week” • According to Kankanews, two batches of EVs were shipped from Tesla China recently. The first one had 4,767 EVs. And then this second batch was shipped within a week. This shows a rapid comeback after businesses in Shanghai were closed by the pandemic. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai export vehicles (Courtesy of Tesla)

¶ “Tesla Opens Superchargers To All EVs In Five More Countries” • Last year, Tesla announced a pilot program in which owners of EVs would gain access to Tesla Superchargers even if their cars aren’t made by Tesla. Now, Tesla has opened its Supercharger network to five more countries in Europe to encourage more people to drive EVs. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “‘Fossil Fuels Are A Dead End’: UN Chief Emphasizes Renewable Energy Projects” • United Nations general secretary Antonio Guterres, noting the global energy crises which prompted large economies to open new oil and gas fields, has proposed five critical actions to jump-start the transition to renewable energy. [Hindustan Times]

Coal-burning power plant (Sam LaRussa, Unsplash)

¶ “UN Calls For Trebling Of Renewable Energy Investment In Face Of Climate Crisis And Russia’s War” • UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres has unveiled a new five-point plan for speeding up the global energy transition, stating that renewables are “the only path to real energy security.” He called the plan “peace project of the 21st century.” [Edie.net]

¶ “Australian Rainforests Are Dying At Their Fastest Rate In Decades, Prompting A Climate Warning” • Tropical trees in the vast, green rainforests that cover northern Queensland are dying at double the previous rate since the 1980s, a study published in Nature found. The trees’ life expectancy is potentially halving with increased climate change and cyclones. [9News]

Rainforest (Ajit Singh, Unsplash)

¶ “Shell And Air Liquide Sign Ten-Year Contract For Renewable Electricity In Italy” • Shell Energy Europe Limited has signed a ten-year contract with the French industrial gas producer Air Liquide to provide 52 GWh per year of renewable electricity to power its industrial and medical gas production operations in north-east Italy. [PV Magazine]

US:

¶ “Electrify America Partners With Terra-Gen For 75 MW Of Renewable Energy” • Electrify America announced that it entered into a 15-year virtual power purchase agreement with developer Terra-Gen to build a 75-MW solar plant in San Bernardino, California. Solar Glow 1 is expected to generate 225,000 MWh per year. [CleanTechnica]

Solar Glow 1 solar power plant (Electrify America image)

¶ “Tesla Model 3 And Model Y Outsell All Other New Cars In California In Q1 2022” • Tesla Models 3 and Model Y EVs outsold all other new cars in California in the first quarter of 2022, even gas-powered vehicles. This is a major achievement for Tesla and a win for EV advocates, especially as California is the 5th-largest economy in the world. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Center Advancing Beyond-Lithium Battery Tech Generates Over 30 Patents” • Since 2013, DOE researchers have invented a diverse range of technologies in the ​“beyond lithium-ion” space. The primary focus has been on flow, lithium-sulfur, multivalent and solid-state batteries. It has yielded over 30 patents that are now available for licensing. [CleanTechnica]

Materials scientists (Image by Argonne National Laboratory)

¶ “Consumers Energy Agrees On 300-MW US Solar PPA” • In Michigan, Consumers Energy has agreed to a 300-MW PPA for two solar projects being developed in Genesee and Hillsdale counties by Chicago-based Ranger Power. The agreements are currently being reviewed by the Michigan Public Service Commission. [reNews]

¶ “NOAA Wind Forecasts Result In $150 Million In Energy Savings Every Year” • As electricity providers increasingly add renewable energy to their portfolios, a study in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy shows that more accurate wind forecasts generated by a NOAA weather model is saving large amounts of money. [NOAA Research]

Wind turbines (NREL image)

¶ “Minnesota’s High Winds This Spring Spark A Jump In Green Energy Production” • In one measure of how windy it was in Minnesota, utilities reported generating much more wind power this year. In Willmar, the gusty spring months have translated into record-breaking power production for the city power utility’s two wind turbines. [MPR News]

¶ “DOE Throws PG&E Lifeline To Keep The Aging Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Operating” • The US DOE is extending the deadline for Pacific Gas & Electric to submit required documents for getting part of a $6 billion federal fund to keep the aging Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant operating. But the lifeline may violate DOE guidance. [Common Dreams]

Have an utterly delightful day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “The ‘Lucky Country’ Is Facing A Crucial Test. The Result Will Affect Us All” • Australia is called the “Lucky Country” because of its vast resources. But it’s now sitting on the frontier of a climate crisis, with droughts and floods getting worse. The government response to climate change is among the world’s worst, and the voters are set to go to the polls. [CNN]

Australia (Graham Holtshausen, Unsplash)

¶ “How President Biden Can Win The Energy War With Russia And Lower Gas Prices” • Vladimir Putin is clearly weaponizing Europe’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels to deter support for Ukraine. This should serve as a wake-up call on energy and its connection to security, telling us why a rapid transition to clean energy is imperative. [CNN]

Science and Technology:

¶ “The Uncertain Fate Of Asia’s Monsoons” • Covid-19 slowed economic activity and decreased emissions of aerosols in India. The result was that in 2020, researchers were able to study the effects of a sharp decline in aerosols in the atmosphere, and at a broader level, map the impacts on the Indian and East Asian summer monsoons. [BBC]

Monsoon (Frankie Lopez, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Europe Is Still Confused About How To Pay Its Russian Gas Bills” • Several European gas buyers have been preparing to work around the Kremlin’s demand that gas bills be paid in rubles. But the European Commission said companies opening an account in Russia’s Gazprombank to allow conversions from euros to rubles would fall foul of EU sanctions. [CNN]

¶ “India Offered To Help Fix The Global Food Crisis. Here’s Why It Backtracked” • A month ago, as Russia’s war in Ukraine pushed the world to the brink of a food crisis, India’s prime minister Narendra Modi offered to help countries facing shortages. Now, life-threatening heat worsened by climate change is set to stunt output, putting an end to that goal. [CNN]

Indian wheat crop (Wandering Indian, Unsplash)

¶ “Climate Change Swells Odds Of Record India, Pakistan Heatwaves” • Climate change makes record-breaking heatwaves in northwest India and Pakistan 100 times more likely, a Met Office study finds. The region should now expect a heatwave that exceeds the record temperatures seen in 2010 once every three years. It should be once every 312 years. [BBC]

¶ “Ford, Volvo Cars, And Broad Industry Coalition Appeals To EU For All New Cars And Vans Are Zero Emissions From 2035” • A broad cross-industry coalition including Ford of Europe and Volvo Cars are appealing to the EU to ensure all new cars and vans in Europe are zero emission from 2035 and to establish charging infrastructure targets. [CleanTechnica]

Volvo XC40 (Image courtesy of Volvo)

¶ “It’s Now Cheaper To Switch From Coal To Renewables Instead Of Coal To Gas, Report Shows” • According to the findings of climate analytics firm TransitionZero, it is now cheaper to switch from coal to clean energy, compared to switching from coal to gas, thanks to the falling cost of renewables and battery storage, coupled with the volatility of gas prices. [CNBC]

¶ “Brazilian Community Leaders Call On EU To Stop Promoting ‘Ecocide'” • Industrial soybean farming is causing destruction and conflict in Brazil, in part driven by the EU’s biofuel policies. Community leaders from Brazil have asked the EU to stop this ecocide in a joint press release from Transport & Environment and Rainforest Foundation Norway. [CleanTechnica]

Soybean field (James Baltz, Unsplash)

¶ “Japan Nuclear Regulator Grants Initial Nod to Fukushima Water Release Plan” • Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority granted an initial approval for a TEPCO plan for releasing water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant into sea. A decision on final approval will follow after a one-month public comment period. [USNews.com]

US:

¶ “Arcimoto Announces Manhattan Pilot Program For Last-Mile Delivery Drivers” • Arcimoto and JOCO, the world’s first light EV sharing platform for delivery drivers, have announced a pilot program in Manhattan, New York City, to field test the Arcimoto Deliverator, a three-wheel EV designed by Arcimoto for local and last-mile delivery. [CleanTechnica]

Arcimoto Deliverator (Photo courtesy Arcimoto)

¶ “Ford Mustang Mach-E Is Best Overall Car For 2022 – AAA” • You know electric vehicles are going mainstream when the American Automobile Association calls one their overall best car for the year. This time, the Ford Mustang Mach-E rose to the top of AAA’s Car Guide by scoring the most points, securing the Best Overall Car spot. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Renewable Energy Industry Warns Of ‘Concerning’ Impact Of Regulatory Uncertainty” • Regulatory uncertainty could restrain the growth of the renewable energy industry in coming years, according to a report by the American Clean Power Association. It said about 10 GW of the renewable energy capacity set to go online last year was delayed. [The Hill]

Solar PVs (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)

¶ “Governor Lamont Signs Key Climate Change And Energy Legislation” • Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont announced that he has signed into law two bills that further demonstrate the state’s commitment to mitigating the impacts of the climate crisis by decarbonizing the electric sector and expanding existing renewable energy programs. [CT.gov]

¶ “Environmentalists Oppose More Life For Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant” • There are dozens of environmental and anti-nuclear organizations opposing any attempt to extend the operating life of California’s last running nuclear power plant. They say the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant is old, unsafe, and too close to earthquake faults. [KSBY]

Have an amazingly fine day.

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Opinion: 

¶ “What If States Turn Pavement Into Charging Stations?” • We are at a “What if?” moment with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. What if states use the funds to build new traffic-clogged highways? Or what if they take a share of those funds and invest it in ways that will reduce our dependence on oil and help deliver a cleaner future? [CleanTechnica]

EVgo charging station (EVgo image)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Can Gravity Batteries Solve Our Energy Storage Problems?” • For energy storage, there are some placing their bets not on chemistry, but the limitless force that surrounds us all: gravity. And there are lots of ways to store energy by gravity, including pumped storage, moving weights up and down mine shafts, and with tanks of water in big buildings. [BBC]

World:

¶ “Sri Lanka Down To Last Day Of Petrol, New Prime Minister Says” • Sri Lanka’s new prime minister says the country is down to its last day of petrol as it faces its worst economic crisis in more than 70 years. In a televised address, He said the nation urgently needs $75 million of foreign currency in the next few days to pay for essential imports. [BBC]

Bread van in Colombo (Psubhashish, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Will Swapping Out Electric Car Batteries Catch On?” • Chinese electric carmaker Nio is a new player in the EV scene in Norway, and it has a new approach to batteries. The customer buys the car and leases a battery, but instead the battery being charged, it gets completely swapped out for a new one every time it gets low. The swap takes only five minutes. [BBC]

¶ “Carbonfuture Partners With Bioenergie For 17,500 Tonnes Of Carbon Removal” • Switzerland’s Bioenergie is joining forces with Carbonfuture (the carbon removal platform) for a 17,500 tonne carbon removal delivery. The plant will take residual biomass in the form of wood and convert it into biochar through pyrolysis. [CleanTechnica]

Carbonfuture biochar (Carbonfuture image)

¶ “Altris Commits To Sodium-Ion Battery Factory In Sweden” • The cost of lithium has increased by 700% since the beginning of this year, so sodium-ion batteries are attractive. Altris, a Swedish company deeply involved in sodium-ion batteries, will build its first commercial facility at the Sandvik Materials Technology site in Sandviken, Sweden. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “African Renewable Energy To Power UK Homes With New Subsea Cable” • Octopus Energy Group and Xlinks will partner to build a subsea cable to deliver 3.6 GW of renewable energy from Morocco to the UK. Once complete, the project will be capable of supplying 8% of Great Britain’s electricity needs at £48/MWh ($59/MWh). [ESI Africa]

Morocco-UK subsea cable (Courtesy of Xlinks)

¶ “Enel Unveils Plans To Decarbonise Grid Networks” • In a meeting with industry stakeholders in Rome, Enel detailed how it intends to collaborate more generally with the industry on standards for network components that meet the criteria of efficiency, safety, quality, and sustainability, in compliance with the requirements of net zero emissions. [reNews]

¶ “How Drax Plans To Build A Massive Power Station Inside A Scottish Mountain, Creating 900 Jobs” • Bosses at Drax said plans have been submitted to expand their existing Cruachan Power Station to increase the total amount of energy the site can produce to 1.04 GW. The enlarged hydro plant will be used for pumped storage. [Yorkshire Post]

Cruachan hydro plant (Drax image)

¶ “KKR Boosts Renewable Power Presence With $2.2 Billion Deal For ContourGlobal” • US firm KKR agreed to buy London-listed power company ContourGlobal for £1.75 billion ($2.16 billion) in an effort to expand its presence in renewable energy. Under the deal, KKR will pay a 36% premium to the company’s closing price on Monday. [US News Money]

¶ “Lightsource BP To Build Aquaculture PV Plant In Taiwan” • Lightsource BP is working with Green Rock Energy on the co-development of a 150-MW project co-locating solar with aquaculture in Taiwan. The Budai project will be one of the largest fishery solar farms in Taiwan. Construction is expected to commence in June 2023. [reNews]

Floating solar power (SolarWriter, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Germany To Reject EU Green Investment Label For Nuclear Power” • Germany will oppose EU plans to include nuclear energy as a sustainable investment in its taxonomy for labelling green investments, the government said. The German position is that Nuclear energy is not sustainable and should therefore not be part of the taxonomy. [News Today]

US:

¶ “Spiral Welding Can Bring Taller Wind Turbines To The US Southeast” • The Southeast’s low wind speeds are holding back wind energy in the region. The problem could be resolved by taller wind turbines to harvest more optimal wind speeds higher off the ground. Taller turbines can be made at the site by special welding technology. [CleanTechnica]

Building taller turbines (Courtesy of Keystone Tower Systems) Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “Tesla Semi Order Books Are Open” • The Tesla Semi has had a 4-year gestation period, but customers can now place orders for the trucks. Until now, companies could reserve them but could not actually order one. The truck will have four electric motors powering the rear wheels and will be available with a range of either 300 or 500 miles. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “GM Teams Up With Red Hat For Linux Vehicle Operating System” • GM announced that it is working with a well-known Linux company, Red Hat, to work on vehicle operating systems. This could be a big deal. It means that the operating system at the core of GM’s vehicles will be based on Linux, the same OS that runs most of the internet. [CleanTechnica]

Have a sensationally pleasant day.

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Opinion:

¶ “The East Coast Diesel Crisis Highlights The Urgency For Widespread EV Adoption” • News on availability of diesel oil has some trucking companies worried, according to a report from FreightWaves. There are solutions that would help both truckers and everyone else. One critical solution is switching from diesel vehicles to EVs. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Semi (Image courtesy of Tesla)

¶ “Elon Musk On Tesla’s Aspiration Of Reaching 20 Million Cars Made Per Year By 2030” • Elon Musk shared his thoughts on his aspiration to produce 20 million electric cars annually by 2030 in an interview. The basis of the aspiration is his belief that Tesla must replace 1% of the world fleet per year to have a meaningful effect on climate change. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “How The US Can Speed Its Shift To Climate-Smart Energy” • In the US, President Biden has set goals consistent with the IPCC findings, but will the country act fast enough to meet this fast enough to have the effects we need? One thing is clear: To make the changes needed to stop global warming, we need to build a lot of infrastructure, very quickly. [CleanTechnica]

EV charging from Electrify America (Electrify America image)

¶ “Russian Energy Insecurity Fuels the Green Transition” • The last few months make it perfectly clear that overdependence on foreign energy is a national vulnerability. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said, “Nobody is under any illusions anymore.” The rush to offload Russian energy gives the offshore wind industry a powerful new argument. [The Maritime Executive]

World:

¶ “European Ministers Back CO₂ Emission Standards For Cars And Vans” • Environment Committee MEPs are in favor of a pathway towards zero-emission road mobility in 2035 for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. The plan would mitigate negative economic impact of the transition with targeted funding. [CleanTechnica]

Volvo Car charging (Image courtesy of Volvo)

¶ “Tesla’s Move Into India Is On Hold According To Reports” • Tesla’s move into India is currently on hold, Reuters reports, adding that Tesla has abandoned a search for a showroom space while reassigning some of its domestic team. This, according to three anonymous sources, is after Tesla failed to secure lower import taxes in India. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Malaysia Prime Minister Wants Tesla To Open A Plant” • Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob wants Tesla to open a plant in Malaysia. He recently invited several Fortune 500 companies to invest in his nation, but he especially mentioned Tesla. “I’ve suggested to Tesla to invest in Malaysia in producing electric cars.” [CleanTechnica]

Tesla logo (Austin Ramsey, Unsplash)

¶ “Government To Ban New Fossil Fuel Electricity Generation” • The Government of New Zealand is planning to ban electricity companies from investing in new baseload generation from fossil fuels like coal and gas. New Zealand had already banned new offshore oil and gas exploration in 2018, and committed to 100% renewable electricity by 2030. [NZ Herald]

¶ “Researcher Says $8 Million May Get Stewart Island Off Diesel Energy” • A research fellow at Victoria University of Wellington says $8 million in capital expenditure can get Stewart Island off diesel power. Dr Soheil​ Mohseni​ has designed an energy network for the island as part of his PhD studies at Victoria University of Wellington, in New Zealand. [Stuff.co.nz]

Dr Soheil​ Mohseni​ (Education NZ Think New Initiative)

¶ “Hundreds Protest Over Building Of £20 Billion Sizewell C Nuclear Plant As Government Delay Decision” • With banners reading “chaos coast coming soon”, “EDF-off” and “we don’t want to be beside the C”, a crowd of protestors marched from Leiston to Sizewell beach in Suffolk, protesting construction of the proposed £20 billion Sizewell C plant. [ITV]

US:

¶ “California Is In A Water Crisis, Yet Usage Is Way Up. Officials Are Focused On The Wrong Problem, Advocates Say” • A group advocating for affordable access to clean water, said that urban communities don’t seem to understand the severity of the water crisis in the way that rural communities do, where water could literally stop flowing out of the tap. [CNN]

Napa Valley (Fredrick Lee, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Consumers Can Soon Buy Solar Panels At IKEA: Here’s When The National Rollout Begins” • A leading furniture and home furnishings retailer is stepping up its commitment to renewable energy with a new solar panel launch. IKEA has partnered with SunPower Corporation to make home solar panels more easily accessible to US customers. [Benzinga]

¶ “Ørsted To Acquire 121-MW Illinois Wind Project” • Ørsted has agreed to acquire the 121-MW Ford County wind farm in Illinois from funds managed by the Ares Management Corporation’s Infrastructure Opportunities strategy for an undisclosed price. Ford County is contracted via power purchase agreements with Mars, Silgan Containers, and BHJ USA. [reNews]

Wind project (Ørsted image)

¶ “US Wildfire Dangers Seen Spreading East As Climate Risks Grow” • From New Jersey to Georgia, states thousands of miles from wildfire hotspots in the west face a growing risk from forest blazes as global warming makes “safe havens” increasingly rare, researchers warned. Wildfires pose at least a moderate risk to more than 30 million US properties. [Devdiscourse]

¶ “Citizen Science Shows That Climate Change Is Rapidly Reshaping Long Island Sound” • A study based on decades of student work shows how rapidly temperatures in eastern Long Island Sound have increased over the past forty years. At 0.45°C per decade, Long Island sound is warming four times faster than the global ocean. [Yahoo News]

Have an astutely guided day.

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geoharvey is not tax-deductible.