geoharvey

Opinion:

¶ “Election Misinformation: How Trump And Musk Spit Out Fallacies That Undermine Democracy” • The New York Times reports that in private conversations, “Mr Musk is obsessive, almost manic, about the stakes of the election and the need for Mr Trump to win.” Yet this is the same Musk who once called Trump a “stone-cold loser.” [CleanTechnica]

Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster in orbit (SpaceX, public domain)

World:

¶ “Warming Increased Heat Deaths Among Older Adults” • The report, “2024 Lancet Countdown” shows health and economic costs of climate change are rising globally. As communities face an additional fifty days of “dangerous heat,” heat-related deaths among older adults increased by a record-breaking 167% in 2023 compared to the 1990s. [ABC News]

¶ “BYD Sales Surge To 500,000 Vehicles A Month!” • In August, BYD had 373,083 vehicle sales (all “new energy vehicles” – full battery electrics and plugin hybrids). In September, the number rose to 419,426. In October, as we just found out, BYD vehicle sales reached 502,657! That figure includes buses, but 500,526 were passenger vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

BYD EV (Tiago Ferreira, Unsplash)

¶ “China Begins Work On Kenyan Geothermal Power Plant Amid African Renewable Energy Push” • Beijing is pushing renewable energy projects in Africa. This was highlighted at a groundbreaking ceremony for a Chinese-led geothermal power plant to be built in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley. The 35-MW project is to cost $93 million. [South China Morning Post]

¶ “Deep Wind Offshore Applies For Chilean Lease” • Norwegian developer Deep Wind Offshore has applied for a area lease for one floating and one bottom-fixed offshore wind farm off the Chilean coastline. The Chilean government has set a target of 60% of the nation’s electricity to be generated from renewable sources by 2030. [reNews]

Wind turbines, on and offshore (Jian Liu, Unsplash)

¶ “UN Report Offers Roadmap For Scaling Up Adoption Of Renewable Energy” • The world has to triple renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030 to meet climate goals, the UN’s Climate Technology Progress Report says. It is a roadmap for policymakers interested in accelerating adoption of renewables. [UN Environment Programme]

¶ “Three Gorges Unveils 16.5-GW Renewable Energy Plan In China” • China’s state-owned Three Gorges Energy announced plans to invest in a massive integrated renewable energy base in the Taklamakan Desert, in the Xinjiang region. The investment for the whole project is projected to be equivalent to about $10.09 billion. [pv magazine International]

Renewable energy project (China Three Gorges)

¶ “Hundreds Are Dead In Spain’s Floods, And Scientists See A Connection To Climate Change” • It was one of the most deadly weather events in modern Spanish history. At least 205 people are dead, and dozens are missing after flood waters and mud swept through towns and cities. Scientists see a connection to human-caused global warming. [VPM]

¶ “Renewable Energy Sources Provide Over 40% Of Electricity In October” • The renewable energy sources, wind, solar, and hydro power, provided 40.4% of electricity used in Ireland in October, according to Grid operator EirGrid. Wind farms provided the largest share of renewable electricity, at just under 35% of all power used in the country. [The Irish Times]

Ireland (Aldo De La Paz, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Applications Now Open Nationwide For Community-Led Heat-Monitoring Campaigns” • As a part of President Biden’s Investing in America initiative, the Center for Collaborative Heat Monitoring started up applications on November 1, 2024, enabling communities around the US to monitor and evaluate variables influencing local heat risk. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Aptera Puts Its First Production-Intent Vehicle On The Road” • Aptera successfully drove its first production-intent vehicle, which will be used for real world validation and testing. It is a step paving the way for a fully tested, validated production EV ready for deliveries to the company’s nearly 50,000 pre-order reservation holders. [CleanTechnica]

Aptera EV (Aptera image)

¶ “Biden–Harris Admin Aims To Help Reduce Cost Of EV Battery Recycling” • As with all things, as the scale of EV battery recycling goes up, costs will come down. The US DOE has decided that it wants to help accelerate the cost cutting, and it’s putting in $45 million to help with that under the Biden administration. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Dominion Wraps Up First CVOW Installation Campaign” • Dominion Energy reported that 78 monopile foundations and four offshore substation foundations were installed for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project during the first season of installation. At 2,600-MW, CVOW is the largest offshore wind project under construction in the US. [reNews]

Installation vessel (Dominion Energy image)

¶ “DESRI Acquires 225-MW Arizona Solar Site” • Avantus has announced the sale of the Catclaw Solar and Energy Storage Project to D E Shaw Renewable Investments. The project has up to 225 MW of solar and 250 MW, 1,000 MWh of energy storage in Maricopa County, Arizona. The sale includes a long-term PPA with Arizona Public Service. [reNews]

¶ “US Regulators Reject Amended Interconnect Agreement For Amazon Data Center” • FERC energy regulators have rejected an amended interconnection agreement for an Amazon data center connected directly to a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. The officials raised concerns about a loss of supply, and how it would affect power bills and reliability. [MSN]

Have a happily developing day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Why Is China Upping Coal Power Despite Green Energy Boom?” • The world pledged to wean itself off coal to slow the pace of climate change, so why is China, already the world’s top producer and consumer of coal, upping its output? China mined a record 4.7 billion tonnes of coal in 2023 and is opening mines to produce a billion tonnes more. [Context News]

Coal-fired power plant (Kristoferb, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “Nuclear Is Not the Solution: The Folly Of Atomic Power In The Age Of Climate Change – Book Review” • Nuclear is Not the Solution is an important book that clearly presents the arguments why nuclear power is not the solution to climate change. The book’s author, MV Ramana, sets out a succinct and convincing case against nuclear power. [Counterfire]

World:

¶ “As Summers Get Hotter, Greece’s Seasonal Firefighters Demand Permanent Jobs” • Seasonal firefighters clashed with police in Greece’s Civil Protection Ministry during a protest to demand permanent positions after their contracts expire after a grueling wildfire season. They staged a sit-in protest lasting hours and refused to leave. [ABC News]

Smoke from Greek wildfire (C messier, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “China: Land of Dragons And Electric Vehicles” • The author went to see what “’53% of new cars sales in China are plugins” looked like in the flesh, so to speak. The short answer is: spectacular! ‘What do all the green number plates mean?’ the tour guide was asked repeatedly by our group. ‘Green number plates means the car is electric!’” [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Xpeng Enters Ireland” • Like a number of other Chinese EV producers, Xpeng is quickly entering one new market after another. Its latest market entrance is into Ireland. The company noted, “XPENG strengthens its European commitment with an official entry into the Irish market, another key right-hand drive market.” [CleanTechnica]

Xpeng G6 (Xpeng image)

¶ “Why Has The Term ‘Nature-Based’ Been Crucial At COP16 Convention On Biological Diversity?” • The 16th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity is well underway. The key question is how countries intend to protect at least 30% of the world’s land and water and restore 30% of the degraded ecosystems by 2030. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Voltalia Secures Funds For 126-MW PV Project” • Voltalia has signed a document with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for the financing of the 126-MW Sarimay solar power plant in Uzbekistan. EBRD’s financing package of up to $54.6 million will consist of a senior loan of up to $44.8 million and a special VAT facility. [reNews]

Solar Power Plant (Voltalia image)

¶ “EU Greenhouse Gas Emissions Fell Over 8% In 2023, Driven By Growth In Renewable Energy” • The European Commission published the 2024 Climate Action Progress Report. It shows that net greenhouse gas emissions from the EU fell 8.3% in 2023 from the previous year. It is the largest annual drop in decades, except the COVID-19 year of 2020. [Azərtac]

¶ “SANY India Solidifies Presence In India’s Wind Power Market With 1.6-GW Contract Wins” • SANY India rapidly established itself in the wind energy market of India, with wind turbine sales agreements totaling 1.6 GW. These include one of 1,324 MW with subsidiaries of the JSW Group and another of 300 MW with Sembcorp Limited. [Business News This Week]

Wind farm (SuyogJoshiPhotography, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “As Catastrophic Floods Hit Spain, Deadlier Weather Clearly Linked To Climate Change” • From drought that killed a quarter million in the Horn of Africa and heatwaves in Europe that cost 90,000 lives to the deadliest floods in Spain’s modern history, analyses draw a clear link between ever more frequent extreme weather and climate change. [Euronews.com]

US:

¶ “The World’s Largest Electric Vehicle Is Ready For Its Closeup” • EV sightings are getting to be dime a dozen in many parts of the US. It’s time for other, bigger pieces of the transportation electrification puzzle to fall into place. That includes powerful locomotives, the monstrous pieces of machinery that pull trains as long as a mile or more. [CleanTechnica]

Biggest EV (Courtesy of Progress Rail)

¶ “Evoy Vita Introduces The World’s Most Powerful Electric Outboard Motor To The US” • Evoy Vita has partnered with Axopar to launch the AX/E electric boat sub-brand in the US recreational market, beginning in 2025. This launch includes the Evoy Storm 300+ HP, the most powerful electric outboard motor in the world. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “RWE And Rivian Sign Texas Wind PPA” • RWE signed a power purchase agreement with EV maker Rivian for power from an upgraded wind project in Texas. The 15-year PPA has electricity from RWE’s 127-MW Champion Wind facility in Nolan and Mitchell Counties supply Rivian’s fast-charging network with some of the renewable energy it will use. [reNews]

Champion Wind project (RWE image)

¶ “Ford EV Plans Falter As GM EV Deliveries Surge” • The New York Times compares Ford and GM to the childhood fable of the tortoise and the hare. Ford got off to a fast start but GM has spent the last few years perfecting its EV platforms and harmonizing its battery supply. GM uses one battery architecture for many vehicles. Ford doesn’t. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Kauaʻi Achieves 60% Renewable Energy Production In 2023, Aiming For 100% With Advanced Inverter Technology” • A statement on the Governor of Hawaii’s website says about 60% of the energy produced on Kauaʻi in 2023 was from renewable sources, and the island’s utility company operated on 100% renewables for hours each day. [Hoodline]

Have an appropriately superior day.

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World:

¶ “Japan’s Mount Fuji Breaks Record For No Snow In October” • Mount Fuji, a 12,000-foot peak located on the Japanese island of Honshu, is still lacking any measurable snow, extending a record for no snow in October, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Climate change may be be a cause of the unseasonably warm temperatures. [ABC News]

Mt Fuji in August (contri, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “Extreme Flooding In Spain Kills More Than Ninety People” • The climate crisis is not a distant threat; it’s happening right now. The Mediterranean region, including eastern Spain, is frequently affected by heavy rainfall and significant flash flooding events. This recent disaster saw a year’s worth of rainfall in just eight hours. That produced floods. [ABC News]

¶ “In September, 60% Of European Automotive Sales Were Electrified ” • Some 295,000 plugin vehicles were registered in Europe in September, rising 6% YOY, which represents the EV market’s return to growth for the first time since April. This is even more significant when you consider the overall market fell by 4%, to 1.1 million units. [CleanTechnica]

Electric car (Vitali Adutskevich, Unsplash)

¶ “Gas Stoves Are Hazardous To Your Health” • A study by researchers at Jaume I University in Spain, found that residents of the EU and Britain are twice as likely to die prematurely from exposure to pollution from gas stoves than they are from a car crash. The New York Times reports that gas stoves cut about two years from the lifetimes of their users. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “PHEV Sales In China Are Skyrocketing, Led By BYD. Here’s Why” • Plugin hybrid EV sales are growing at an amazing rate in China, driving new energy vehicle market share above 53% in the largest car market. New PHEVs are being introduced, as well as new batteries designed specifically for these applications. Here, we examine why. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Qin L (Image courtesy of BYD)

¶ “NTPC Tenders 1.8 GW Of Hybrid Wind-Solar Power Projects” • NTPC Ltd invited online bids from hybrid power generators for 1.2 GW of power from wind-solar hybrid power projects with an option of additional capacity up to 600 MW. The projects are to be developed on a build-own-operate basis and can be sited anywhere in India. [pv magazine India]

¶ “RWE Bags Offshore Construction Permit For Thor” • RWE has been awarded a permit from the Danish Energy Agency (Energistyrelsen) allowing it to carry out offshore construction activity for its 1100-MW Thor project. RWE now has all the permits to start construction work at sea in spring 2025. Work on land is already well advanced. [reNews]

North Sea wind farm (RWE image)

¶ “Climate Change ‘Worsened All Ten Deadliest Weather Events In Past Two Decades’” • Climate change made the ten deadliest extreme weather events over the past two decades worse, making the deaths of over 570,000 people more likely, climate scientists said. The finding “underscores how dangerous extreme weather events have already become.” [Yahoo News UK]

¶ “280-MW Forty Mile Wind Farm Begins Power Generation” • Acciona Energia has begun injecting clean power into the grid from its Forty Mile wind farm in southern Alberta. The 280-MW project, which is progressing as planned, will be completed in the first quarter of 2025. The Forty Mile wind farm is about 50 km south-west of Medicine Hat. [reNews]

Forty Mile wind farm (Courtesy of Acciona Energi)

¶ “Rachel Reeves Pledged £2.7 Billion To Nuclear Power Station” • Campaigners opposed to the new Sizewell C nuclear power station slammed chancellor Rachel Reeves for continuing to back it in her budget. She pledged a further £2.7 billion of government funding, but campaign groups opposed to the project are “appalled.” [East Anglian Daily Times]

US:

¶ “Lightsource BP Secures Funds For US projects” • Lightsource BP secured a structured equity investment from HASI, a leading investor in climate solutions, in a 288-MW solar portfolio with two utility-scale projects in Texas. The portfolio comprises a 163-MW Starr solar project located in Starr County, and the 125-MW Second Division PV scheme. [reNews]

Solar panels with flowers (Lightsource BP)

¶ “Snow, Record Heat And Possible Tornadoes In Crazy US Weather Forecast” • As people across a large section of the US mainland broke out T-shirts and shorts in record-breaking high temperatures, several inches of snow blanketed the mountain tops of Hawaii and residents across the Great Plains were bracing for possible tornadoes. [ABC News]

¶ “Cincinnati Zoo Solar Parking Lot Goes Live” • Solar power can be co-sited with other uses. The Cincinnati Zoo found a way to do three things at the same time: provide solar power, put shade over cars, and still leave room for cars to do what they already did there: park. The array will provide annually enough power for up to 330 homes. [CleanTechnica]

Solar parking lot (Cincinnati Zoo image)

¶ “Texas Wind Energy Industry Makes Friends With Oil & Gas Producers” • Startup Nova Clean Energy is just up and running, but it already has a pipeline of 1-GW of Texas wind projects. Nova cites as an attraction of Texas a “fast-growing demand” for wind energy on the part of the state’s oil and gas industries, with the addition of petrochemicals. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ford Gets Tesla-Like Charging Navigation with Help from Google” • One of Tesla’s big advantages, the author believes, is a much superior navigation system for long road trips, including great integration of charging stops. But Ford has worked with Google to offer something that has a very similar navigation system built in. [CleanTechnica]

Have a plainly resplendent day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Ontario’s Huge Nuclear Debt And Other Things Dutton Doesn’t Understand” • Australian alternative Prime Minister Peter Dutton’s favorite topic seems to be your electricity bill. He talks so much about electricity prices, you’d think he might know a fair bit about what’s in the bills. But he doesn’t understand the debt Ontario ran up for nuclear. [RenewEconomy]

Pickering Nuclear Plant (JasonParis, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

Science and Technology:

¶ “How Much Solar Power Can You Get Out Of $250?” • When technology and production of a technology changes fast enough, even the enthusiasts can risk falling behind and not knowing just how cheap the technology is getting to be. The author shares a YouTube video she came across showing how much solar power one can get out of $250. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Is Musk’s Starlink Polluting Space? Researchers Call For The FCC To Pause Launches” • As Elon Musk’s Starlink is launching an internet network of thousands of satellites, the environmental implications are unknown without a formal review, experts warn. More satellite launches lead to more damaging gases and metals in the atmosphere. [ABC News]

Starlink satellites (Forest Katsch, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Lilium Runs Out of Money” • Lilium has been developing one of the more attractive eVTOL  aircraft over the past decade or so. It also had some positive news recently. A few months ago, the author noted that the company had logged a good chunk of future sales in the UK. Now, Lilium is out of money, though it is not necessarily the end just yet. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “BYD Launches Shark in Brazil And Song Pro in Paraguay” • BYD continues its massive expansion globally and rollout of new model after new model. It is quickly rising up the ranks when it comes to global auto sales, and each day it looks like it will rise to #1. Tesla looks like a turtle now, compared to the fast-swimming and fast-running BYD. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Song Pro

¶ “Forrest’s Squadron Energy Unveils Massive New Wind And Battery Project For NSW” • The renewable energy outfit owned by iron ore billionaire Andrew Forrest added yet another huge wind energy proposal to its project pipeline, after kicking off the application process for the Bookham Wind Farm, west of Yass, New South Wales. [RenewEconomy]

¶ “$78 Trillion Needed For Net Zero By 2050” • There is still time to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 by making $78 trillion of investments, says Wood Mackenzie’s latest ‘Energy Transition Outlook’ report, though a set of global shocks likely puts 2030 targets out of reach. The study analyses four different pathways for the energy sector. [reNews]

Things we might want to lose (SXC image)

¶ “Solar And Storage Minigrid Commissioned On Tonga, And Micronesia Seeks Minigrid Proposals” • A $53.2 million minigrid was commissioned on Niuafo’ou, Tonga’s northernmost island, to provide clean, reliable power 24 hours a day. And Micronesia’s Yap island is seeking bids on a 79-kW solar plus storage minigrid system. [Microgrid Knowledge]

US:

¶ “Hundreds Of Homes Evacuated For Colorado Wildfire As Blazes And Red-Flag Warnings Break Out Nationwide” • It may be late October, but the US wildfire season has reignited across the country as a wildland blaze threatened homes in Colorado and at least ten wildfires were burning from California to New Jersey, officials said. [ABC News]

Wildfire in Colorado (Evan Wise, Unsplash)

¶ “Lucid Gravity Starts At $80,000, Lucid Air Gets 5-Star Safety Rating” • The new Lucid Gravity is Lucid’s second model. It’s an SUV rather than a sedan, and that is expected to make it more appealing to a larger portion of the market. Now we have a few more details on the Gravity, as well as some good news about Lucid’s first model, the Air. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ohio PUC To Consider Proposed Higher Minimum Payments For Data Centers” • Data centers use huge amounts of electricity and artificial intelligence makes the situation worse. AEP Ohio wants data center operators to commit to paying for almost all of the electricity they expect to use so it can make the needed grid upgrades knowing the cost is covered. [CleanTechnica]

Data center (Google image)

¶ “Nova Seals Deals For 1 GW Of Texas Wind” • Nova Clean Energy executed interconnection agreements and related high voltage equipment supply contracts for a 1-GW portfolio of wind power projects in Texas. The move comes as the state’s power grid experiences record growth in demand. Construction will begin in late 2025. [reNews]

¶ “Cubico Fires up 132-MW Arkansas Solar Park” • Cubico Sustainable Investments has begun commercial operations at the 132-MW Crossett solar park in Ashley County, Arkansas. The project is the second PV plant to be successfully brought into operation by the London-headquartered renewables player in the past 12 months. [reNews]

Solar PV array (Cubico image)

¶ “The Future Of Wind Power Relies In Part On Who Wins The Presidency” • The Biden-Harris administration set a national goal to produce 30 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030. But Trump’s opposition to offshore wind energy projects came as permitting delays and regulatory rollbacks, while he opened federal lands for drilling. [City & State New York]

¶ “New York State Beats Its Goal For Installing 6 GW Of Solar Power” • Here’s a ray of good news. New York State has reached its goal of installing 6 GW of distributed solar – enough to power more than 1 million homes and businesses – a year ahead of the goal set out in the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. [Habitat Magazine]

Have a fascinatingly agreeable day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Seven Huge Reasons Donald Trump Should Not Be President Again” • It’s shocking that 70 people would vote for Donald Trump to be president of the US a second time around, let alone 70 million. Alas, we are completely awash with misinformation and information echo chambers these days. Here are seven big reasons not to vote for him. [CleanTechnica]

Shaking hands with Putin (White House, public domain)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Solar And Wind Cheaper And Cheaper – New Reports” • A report from Wood Mackenzie focuses on LCOE region by region. The regions are Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. The data show us that renewable energy is winning. Because it’s cheaper. It’s as simple as that. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Tesla “Full Self Driving” Drives Through Small Deer – Doesn’t Stop” • Well, this isn’t a fun one. A Tesla owner using Full Self Driving at night on a highway ended up driving straight through a young deer – without a pause, swerve, or anything. If that were the full story, that would already be something noteworthy. But that’s not quite the end. [CleanTechnica]

Small deer (Rinnie Deer, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Oil Prices Fall As Weak Global Demand Overtakes Risk Of Wider War In Middle East” • Global oil prices are falling sharply after a retaliatory strike by Israel targeted Iranian military sites rather than its energy infrastructure as had been feared. Prices for crude spiked globally on October 2 after Iran fired nearly 200 missiles into Israel. [ABC News]

¶ “More Than One In Three Tree Species Are At Risk Of Going Extinct, Analysis Shows” • The world’s trees are in critical danger, with a staggering number of tree species teetering on the brink of extinction, according to a global analysis. The decade-long project found that more than one in three tree species are in danger of extinction. [CNN]

Tree (Gilly Stewart, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Remote Communities Look To Renewable Energy To Offset High Electricity Costs” • With sky-high bills and a ten-year fight against BC Hydro’s controversial $16-billion Site C dam on the Peace River within their traditional territory, the community of West Moberly First Nations decided it was time to get energy from renewable sources. [The Globe and Mail]

¶ “Severn Trent To Turn 100k Pumpkins Into Renewable Energy” • This Halloween, Severn Trent Green Power plans to turn about 100,000 used pumpkins into renewable energy at its sites in the UK. Through a process called anaerobic digestion, the pumpkins will be broken down to create biogas, which can then be turned into clean energy. [Energy Live News]

Pumpkins for fuel (Severn Trent Green Power image)

US:

¶ “These Artificial Reefs Off A New York City Beach Help Sea Creatures” • Funded with $111 million in Sandy recovery money, the “Living Breakwaters” built about 1,000 feet (300 meters) off a beach were conceived to protect residents from storms. They also integrate “living” features of a natural breakwater to better shelter oysters, crabs and fish. [ABC News]

¶ “GM’s HMMWV (Humvee) Replacement: A Stepping Stone To More EVs” • The HMMWV is getting old. Recently, Military Times had a chance to see what GM would do if asked to replace the HMMWV, and they did a video review, much like a publication would do for any automobile! Here is a look at replacement that GM already has in mind. [CleanTechnica]

Next Gen tactical vehicle (GM Defense image)

¶ “Proposed Lithium Mine Delights EV Enthusiasts But Troubles Some Environmental Groups” • There may be 40 million metric tons of lithium in a volcanic area on the border between Nevada and Oregon. Conservationists tried to block mining it, saying it would violate environmental laws. Native American activists say the site is sacred. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Middlebury College Embraces Solar Power While Others Dither” • Vermont’s Middlebury College is a leader among American colleges and universities in sourcing electricity from renewable energy alternatives such as wind and solar power. In the meanwhile, other colleges line up to get money from the fossil fuels industry. [CleanTechnica]

Middlebury College (Credit Middlebury College)

¶ “‘Defining Moment’: East Kentucky Power Expanding Solar With Up To $1.4 Billion From Feds” • Officials of East Kentucky Power Cooperative and the US DOA joined Governor Andy Beshear at the state Capitol to tout funding that will build solar installations with 757 MW of generating capacity and improve transmission infrastructure. [Kentucky Lantern]

¶ “13-GW Gulf Of Maine Auction To Get Underway” • The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is holding a lease auction for eight areas off Maine and Massachusetts that can host a total of around 13 GW of offshore wind projects. The zones cover 827,886 acres in the Gulf of Maine, in lots ranging from 93,756 acres to 116,363 acres each. [reNews]

Map of wind project areas (BOEM image)

¶ “Meet America’s Secret Team Of Nuclear First Responders” • In a hangar at Joint Base Andrews, just outside of Washington, DC, one of the government’s most secretive groups gathered recently to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Though there were drinks, cake and speeches, right from the start, it was clear this was not an ordinary birthday party. [NPR]

¶ “An Investigation Of A Michigan Nuclear Power Plant Reveals Extensive Safety Issues” • Weeks after Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer’s announcement that the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant is set to reboot, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission continues to find alarming levels of equipment damage unexpectedly caused by the extended shutdown of the plant. [MSN]

Have a thoroughly delightful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “War Risks From Nuclear Power Plants? Look At Zaporizhzhia” • Proposals for nuclear power in Australia have to take national security risks into account. An International Atomic Energy Agency report of last September says Russia’s occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine continues to create high risk of a nuclear disaster. [The Strategist]

Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (Leo211, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

World:

¶ “Morocco’s Renewable Energy Share To Be 56% Of National Electricity Mix By 2027” • Morocco’s renewable energy capacity is set to make up 56% of the national electricity mix by 2027, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, surpassing the country’s initial 52% target set for 2030. Installed renewable capacity reached 4,607 MW in 2023. [MSN]

¶ “The New Renault 5 Is The Electric Car We Have Been Waiting For, Claims Wired” • Wired magazine does not devote a lot of time to electric cars, so when it runs a story saying the new Renault 5 EV is will be a “smash hit,” it’s time to sit up and pay attention. Wired gives the Renault 5 a rating of 8 out of 10 – good, but not perfect. [CleanTechnica]

Renault 5 EV (Courtesy of Renault)

¶ “‘We’re Not Taking On The Big Guys:’ First Indigenous Energy Retailer In Australia Opens Its Doors” • Australia’s first First Nations-owned retail energy provider, Yurringa Energy, began operating in Victoria last week, having secured the contract to power the state’s largest road project with 100% renewable power during construction. [RenewEconomy]

¶ “South Korea Opens Bidding For 1.8 GW Of Wind Power” • South Korea launched tenders for 1.8 GW of wind projects. Of that, 1 GW has been set aside for fixed bottom offshore, 500 MW for floating offshore, and 300 MW for onshore wind. Deadlines depend on division and capacity – offshore projects over 300 MW have a deadline of 78 months. [reNews]

Wind turbine (Expect Best, Pexels)

¶ “Colombia Invests $40 Billion To Phase Out Fossil Fuels And Stop New Oil Production” • Colombia halted the development of new oil and gas reserves two years ago and now wants to invest $40 billion to help with the move to independence from fossil fuels. Oil and coal account for over 50% of Colombia’s exports, but reserves will run out soon. [Notebookcheck]

¶ “Turbine Deliveries Begin At 506-MW Oz Array” • Turbine deliveries began for Cubico and Stanwell Corporation’s 506-MW Wambo wind farm in Queensland. Harrison Infrastructure Group has undertaken designs for road modifications at 38 points between the Port of Brisbane and the array site to allow delivery of the oversize components. [reNews]

Blade delivery (Harrison Infrastructure Group)

¶ “South Africans Still Saying Goodbye To Eskom” • Eskom’s sales volumes declined in the first quarter of the 2025 financial year, as companies and households continued to reduce their reliance on the utility. Eskom underwent a dramatic turnaround from regular load-shedding last year to over six months with no power cuts, but sales keep on declining. [MyBroadband]

¶ “HonuWorx Mulls Uncrewed Sub Fleet” • HonuWorx unveiled plans for a fleet of Loggerhead uncrewed submersibles for use in the energy subsea services market. Because they are uncrewed, the submersibles remove the need for large fossil-fueled surface ships to transport and deploy subsea robots such as remotely operated vehicles. [reNews]

Uncrewed submersible (HonuWorx image)

¶ “Nuclear And Renewables At Odds Over Power Bill Shock” • Rolling out nuclear power plants in Australia could add A$1,000 a year to household electricity bills, according to energy experts, and regulators should focus on lower cost, renewable power. The warning has been issued at a Smart Energy Council event. At a separate event, the advice was contradicted. [MSN]

US:

¶ “Ford’s Price Drops Are Making Electric Van Life Happen Faster!” • Folks over at Electrek made an interesting observation recently: The price of a Ford Transit van is the same whether you go for the gas or the electric version! Not only is this exciting for people who use vans to make a living, but it’s also fantastic for people who live in their vans. [CleanTechnica]

Ford E-Transit van (Courtesy of Ford)

¶ “Volkswagen ID Buzz Pricing In The US – How Much Is Too Much?” • Volkswagen teased us with the idea of an all-electric successor to the iconic Type 2 Microbus even before Elon Musk promised a self-driving car that can drive itself from LA to NYC and park without any assistance from a human driver. Now it’s finally here – but it’s not cheap. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “EV Charging Before, During, And After Hurricane Milton Struck Florida” • The nation’s public EV charging network is still in the early stages of development, and it’s already beginning to demonstrate resilience for natural catastrophes. A review by the charging analytics firm Stable confirms that resilience, compared to what fossil fuels offer. [CleanTechnica]

Hurricane Milton, about to make landfall (NOAA image)

¶ “The Biden Administration Earmarks $3 Billion For Rural Electrification And Renewable Energy Infrastructure” • Seven rural US electric cooperatives will receive $3 billion from the US Government’s coffers after the Biden Administration announced the most recent round of funding for decarbonization efforts in the US. [Proactive Investors Australia]

¶ “Iowa State Researchers Aim To Improve Renewable Energy Cybersecurity With DOE Funding” • The rise of renewable energy in power grids brings environmental benefits and new cybersecurity challenges. Manimaran Govindarasu, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, has two research projects to address these vulnerabilities. [Iowa State Daily]

Have a flawlessly wonderful day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “CATL Freevoy Battery Optimized For EREV And PHEV Vehicles” • Basically, an EREV (extended range EV) is a PHEV (plugin hybrid EV) with a big battery system to take it a long way. CATL is introducing a battery designed for EREVs and PHEVs. The Freevoy Super Hybrid Battery combines lithium-ion and sodium-ion technologies. [CleanTechnica]

CATL Freevoy battery system (CATL image)

World:

¶ “China Adds 160 GW in First Three Quarters of 2024” • China’s National Energy Administration reports that a shocking 160 GW of new solar power capacity were added in the first nine months of the year. 160 GW! That’s an incomprehensible amount of power. Also, China hit cumulative solar power capacity of 770 GW in August. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Volkswagen Group Africa Launches Multifunctional Facility In Africa With Electric Tractors” • As solar mini-grids are put up in Africa, it is possible for EVs to be powered by them. Volkswagen Group Africa announced that operations at its multifunctional facility in Rwanda have started. It will pilot modern farming with electric tractors, among other things. [CleanTechnica]

Introducing an electric tractor (Volkswagen Group Africa)

¶ “Enerco Plans For €75 Million Kilkenny Wind Farm Could Power More Than 32,000 Homes” • Enerco has applied to Kilkenny County Council seeking planning permission to develop its Briskalagh wind farm project. The proposed 49-MW project would include seven wind turbines in an area to the south of Tullaroan. [The Irish Independent]

¶ “China ‘Requests’ Its Domestic Automakers Stop Plans To Expand EU Sales” • Bloomberg reports that China is pressuring its automakers to pause expansion in the EU due to the escalating trade conflict over EVs, according to unnamed sources. Beijing is telling manufacturers to pause active searches for EU production sites, for example. [CleanTechnica]

MG Cyberster (Press Image)

¶ “Japan Struggles To Find Nuclear Waste Disposal Site” • Japan faces difficulties selecting a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste from nuclear power plants. First-stage surveys to find sites for an underground storage facility were conducted in three municipalities despite continuing anxieties among local residents. [The Japan Times]

US:

¶ “EVs And The $350,000 Celestiq: How Cadillac Is Trying To Win Back Customers” • Cadillac has struggled to connect with buyers in the last few years. Its flagship SUV, the Escalade, has been buoying the marque, but now, the company’s EVs, such as the Lyriq, are slowing winning over drivers. Cadillac has a lot riding on its all-new Celestiq. [ABC News]

Celestiq (Cadillac image)

¶ “Trick Or Treat? Several Cities On East Coast Could See Record Heat On Halloween” • Unseasonably warm air heading East next week could make for a hotter-than-average Halloween in Boston, New York, Philadelphia and down to Raleigh-Durham. Highs in those locations are forecast to be at least 15 to 20 degrees above average. [CNN]

¶ “US Renewable Output Triples Since 2014” • Environment America released its ‘Renewables on the Rise’ report, focusing on growth of the US renewable sector. The report says the US now produces over three times as much power from renewables as it did in 2014. Texas, California, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Kansas are the leading states. [Data Center Dynamics]

Wind turbines (Markus Distelrath, Pixabay)

¶ “20% of US Rooftop Solar Systems Are Sunrun Systems, 45% of New Battery Installations Are Sunrun” • Sunrun, the largest rooftop solar company in the US, hit a big milestone: one million customers. CleanTechnica sat down with Chris Rauscher, Head of Grid Services & Virtual Power Plants at Sunrun, to discuss this and related matters. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Five US Cities Most At Risk For Climate Change Disasters” • Buying a home in 2024 takes a lot more consideration than ever before. Climate risk has to be evaluated. It has become a serious factor when making a large purchase like a home, a car, and or even booking a vacation destinations. Here are five cities in the US that are at risk. [MSN]

New Orleans flooded, 2005 (Jeremy L. Grisham, USN)

¶ “Reports Reveal Massive Change In US Energy Production, But ‘Future Growth May Depend On The Results Of The November Elections'” • SUN DAY Campaign broke down encouraging data from reports from FEMA and the EIA. Renewable energy has grown to 30% of US capacity. But future growth depends on who wins the election. [The Cool Down]

¶ “Renewable Hybrid Project Tied To Amazon PPA Reaches Commercial Operations” • Amazon has signed a power purchase agreement with AES for two of its new solar-plus-storage power plants in California’s San Bernadino County. According to AES, Amazon will be the primary off-taker of the energy from the projects. [Data Center Dynamics]

Have an especially pleasing day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “The Solid-State EV Battery Journey Has Only Just Begun” • The US startup QuantumScape just passed a key development milestone with its solid state EV battery. In a shareholder letter, QuantumScape announced that it is producing B Samples of its new QSE-5 solid state EV battery cells, and shipping them to customers for testing. [CleanTechnica]

QuantumScape solid state battery (QuantumScape image)

World:

¶ “UN Report Predicts 3.1°C Average Global Temperature Increase By 2100” • The 1.5°C target set in Paris in 2015 was only possible if the nations of the world all worked together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly. But they didn’t. They focused instead on building weapons and extracting more oil and gas from more places. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Many Of The Planet’s Vital Signs Have Reached Record Levels Due To Climate Change” • Without new measures that will start delivering immediate reductions, the world is on course for increases of 2.6–3.1°C over the course of this century. “We are in the midst of a climate emergency,” says the UN, “and the window to act is closing fast.” [CleanTechnica]

New Hampshire weather (NOAA, Unsplash)

¶ “Renewable Energy Hits 147,000 Connections” • Doris Uboh, the Executive Director of the Rural Electrification Fund of Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency announced that the country’s renewable energy initiatives have achieved 147,000 connections, benefiting 700,000 homes across the six zones of the country. [Punch Newspapers]

¶ “BYD Launching About Ten Models In A Year, While Tesla Launches One” • CleanTechnica’s resident expert, José Pontes, said BYD has launched nine models this year already, and six more will be released soon. Tesla introduced the Cybertruck nearly a year ago. In that year, BYD thus will have released nine to sixteen models. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Seal (BYD image)

¶ “Cuba’s Slow Solar Energy Expansion Contributes To Its Widespread Blackouts” • October’s blackouts affected 10 million Cubans and would have been less severe with more solar energy development. Experts point to the Cuban government’s outdated policies and reliance on fossil fuels despite international interest in solar investments. [The Daily Climate]

¶ “Serbia Signs Major Deal For 1-GW Solar Power Project With Hyundai Engineering And UGT Renewables” • The contract for construction of solar power plants in Serbia will add 1 GW of new solar power capacity. It was signed with the consortium of companies Hyundai Engineering and UGT Renewables in the presence of the president of Serbia. [ceenergynews]

Belgrade (Maria Ivanova, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “$474 Million For More Grid Resilience In The USA” • In some places, electricity came back within a few hours of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. In others, it took a day or two. In places with poor grid resilience, it took a week or more! So, it’s heartening to see that another chunk of cash is being distributed by the DOE to improve US grid resilience. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “An Unprecedented Number Of Flood Emergencies Have Ravaged The US. It’s A Warning Of What’s To Come” • Flash flood emergencies are quite rare, accounting for around 1% of flash flood warnings since 2019. An unprecedented 91 flash flood emergencies have been issued by the National Weather Service this year, more than any other year. [CNN]

Flood (Chris Gallagher, Unsplash)

¶ “Yampa Valley Electric Association Selected For $50 Million In Federal Renewable Energy Funding” • The USDA is awarding six rural electric cooperatives, including YVEA, nearly $1 billion in funding through the New ERA, or Empowering Rural America. And Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association will get nearly $2.5 billion. [SteamboatToday.com]

¶ “Solar Tracker Project Supports Vermont College’s Renewable Energy Goals” • A 5-MW solar array providing power to a nearby college was commissioned in Middlebury, Vermont. With the help of Encore Renewable Energy and Greenbacker Renewable Energy, 40% of Middlebury College’s electricity is powered by solar PVs. [Solar Power World]

Kitchen House, Middlebury College (Chumash11, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Duke Energy Expands Its Green Tariff Program In North Carolina” • Duke Energy has received approval for Green Source Advantage Choice in North Carolina. GSAC is a program that allows large business customers to support renewable energy development by supplementing their power usage with 100% renewable generation. [POWERGRID International]

¶ “Pennsylvania’s Renewable Energy Growth Is ‘Abysmal’ For The Second Year In A Row” • Last year, Pennsylvania ranked 50th in the nation for solar, wind, and geothermal energy generation growth. Now, the state’s renewables are on the rise, but a report shows marginal improvement for Pennsylvania. Now it ranks 48th. [NEXTpittsburgh]

Pennsylvania (Lera Kogan, Unsplash)

¶ “DTE Energy Begins Operating Its Largest Solar Park, Sauk Solar” • Michigan’s largest renewable energy developer reported that its largest solar park, Sauk Solar, is now operational. Located in central Michigan’s Branch County, the 150-MW solar park has nearly 347,000 solar panels and generates enough clean energy to power roughly 40,000 homes. [GlobeNewswire]

¶ “Three Mile Island Owner Lays Out Reopening Timeline In Public Hearing” • The owner of the closed Three Mile Island nuclear plant hopes to have a new license – and a new name for the plant – to operate in three years. Constellation provided a timeline for restarting the plant during a public meeting with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. [NPR]

Have a totally copacetic day.

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Opinion:

¶ “A First Ride In The Navier N30 Electric ‘Flying’ Boat” • The author started keeping an eye on electric boats earlier this year and was excited when an opportunity popped up on a recent trip. He spent some time on a prototype build of the Navier N30, talking with a few of their team members. Here is his review of the boat, which “flies” on hydrofoils. [CleanTechnica]

Navier N30 speeding across the water (Navier image)

¶ “Voters In Three Swing States Love Solar – But Does It Matter” • The US Solar Energy Industries Association recently put out an interesting story. It’s a fun topic with uplifting findings, and it is always the case: most people support solar energy, and support government support for solar energy. But people tend to vote based on other matters. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “England Just Closed Its Last Coal Plant. We Can Quit Coal Power Too” • Britain is the first major economy to quit coal power, ushering in a new era of cleaner power. This change will mean cleaner air, less climate pollution, and a greener future for the country. But the US can also quit coal power soon, if we work together to make it possible. [Environment America]

Coal power (Jason Mavrommatis, Unsplash, cropped)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Monitoring Methane Better – Finally” • The Biden-Harris administration put a $162.4 million loan guarantee into helping on an issue that really doesn’t get enough attention, or solutions. It is methane emissions, and specifically not tracking them well enough in this case. The loan guarantee is going to the company LongPath Technologies. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “No Bird Collisions At Offshore Wind Site, Study Determines” • For more than two years, the floating offshore wind turbine TetraSpar at METCentre off the coast of Norway was monitored by a bird camera. The Norwegian company Spoor is responsible for the bird monitoring. No bird collisions have been recorded during that time. [CleanTechnica]

Wind turbine (Spoor image)

World:

¶ “Belgium To Prioritize Grid And Financing At NSEC” • The Belgian government has said it will focus on grid development, financing including possible creation of an offshore investment bank, public participation and the supply chain when it acquires the rotating presidency of the North Seas Energy Cooperation from Denmark in January. [reNews]

¶ “2024 On Track To Become Earth’s Warmest Year On Record Despite Slight Global Temperature Drop” • For the first time in over a year, we did not set a new monthly global temperature record. However, Earth did see its two warmest days on record globally in July, and it’s increasingly likely that 2024 will be the warmest year on record. [ABC News]

Meadow on summer day (Dakota Roos, Unsplash)

¶ “Softcar Aims For Full Circularity With Its 4-Seater Electric Microcar” • Softcar’s newly revealed 4-seater electric microcar, which is a small urban electric vehicle classified as a L7e (heavy quadricycle) in the EU, aims to lead the auto industry “fully into the circular economy” with its net-zero cars, to be built locally in net-zero micro-factories. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “DEME Wins OranjeWind Cable Job” • DEME was awarded a contract to carry out the transport and installation works for the inter-array cables and secondary steel for TotalEnergies’ and RWE’s 800-MW OranjeWind offshore wind farm in the Dutch North Sea. The Belgian contractor will transport and install a total of 114 km of wires for the project. [reNews]

Living Stone (DEME image)

¶ “Serentica Global Planning 10-GW Renewable Energy Project In Andhra Pradesh” • After meeting with the Andhra Pradesh Minister for Information Technology and Electronics, officers of Serentica Global, an affiliate of the Vedanta Group, said they are formulating plans to establish a 10-GW renewable energy project in Andhra Pradesh. [India Today]

US:

¶ “How Crops Will Fare With 45% Of The US Experiencing Drought” • About 77% of the mainland US is abnormally dry, and almost half of the country is in drought, US Drought Monitor data shows. Nevertheless, a lot of the crops in the regions that harvest in the fall had good growing conditions last summer, and the crops are already being harvested. [ABC News]

Corn field (Patrick Fore, Unsplash)

¶ “Scout Returns As An Electric Off-Roader” • It is a name that hasn’t been seen on American roads since 1980: Scout Motors. Scout CEO Scott Keogh told ABC Audio that Volkswagen had acquired the rights to the Scout name when its heavy-duty truck division bought Navistar, a descendant of the International Harvester company. [ABC News]

¶ “New And Used EV Sales Were Up In September In USA” • In its latest market report, Cox Automotive says EV sales continue to expand in the US. The latest data for September 2024, shows a year-over-year rise in sales for both new and used electric cars. September marked the sixth consecutive month in which new EV sales surpassed 100,000 units. [CleanTechnica]

2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV (Chevrolet)

¶ “Massachusetts Senators Suspend Rule To Pass Renewable Energy Bill; No Action In House” • Massachusetts state senators voted to circumvent a rule that bars branchs of the Legislature from convening for formal business after the end of the formal session on July 31. It took up the Clean Energy Siting Bill, which passed 38-2. [Worcester Telegram]

¶ “NextEra CEO ‘Not Bullish’ On SMRs As Company Assesses Potential Duane Arnold Restart” • NextEra Energy is evaluating reopening the Duane Arnold nuclear plant. But CEO John Ketchum said, “There are only a few nuclear plants that can be recommissioned in an economic way,” and newer technologies like SMRs are not among them. [Utility Dive]

Have a dashingly handsome day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “A Superconducting Aircraft Motor From Airbus And Toshiba, Thanks To Hydrogen” • Toshiba and Airbus are entering into a partnership to develop a prototype aircraft engine: Hydrogen needs to be cooled to -253ºC to turn it into a liquid. At such low temperatures, some materials become superconductors, so why not use that cold in the engine? [CleanTechnica]

Aircraft engine (Image by Airbus and Toshiba)

Opinion:

¶ “Google And Amazon Are Betting On ‘Advanced’ Nuclear. This Critic Warns It’s Not Ready” • The newest nuclear tech claims to be safer and more sustainable than traditional nuclear plants. But critics argue that “advanced” nuclear technology isn’t necessarily that advanced, and that it’s unlikely to be ready on the timeline that Big Tech wants. [Fast Company]

World:

¶ “Green Light For 100-MW Scottish Battery” • Apatura received planning consent for a battery storage project near the city of Dundee on Scotland’s east coast. It is Apatura’s fifth project to receive concent in the last twelve months. Apatura’s goal is to deliver grid-scale battery storage that supports renewable energy generation in Scotland. [reNews]

Battery storage system (Apatura image)

¶ “Megha Engineering Signs 618.1-MW Solar PPA In India” • MEIL said it signed power purchase agreements with Bangalore Electricity Supply Co to supply 618.1 MW of solar power. The company will build 76 solar plants of varying capacities to supply power under a Ministry of New and Renewable Energy solar scheme for farmers. [pv magazine International]

¶ “Atrato Opens 55-MW Solar Farm In Yorkshire” • Atrato Onsite Energy announced that it has opened a 55-MW solar farm in Yorkshire. The £39.4 million plant is the company’s largest installation investment to date and has capacity enough clean energy to power over 20,000 homes and eliminate 11,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually. [reNews]

Solar farm (Atrato image)

¶ “Alberta’s Squeeze On Renewable Energy Pushed Investment To Other Provinces” • Eight months after the government of Alberta lifted its moratorium on development of large wind and solar projects, investment has yet to return as companies choose instead to invest in other provinces. Investors are deterred by unpredictability. [Yahoo News Canada]

¶ “Global Wind Power Set To Grab Record Share Of Electricity Market” • Global wind-powered electricity generation could set a record in 2024, as winter comes in the northern hemisphere and wind speeds pick up for many of the world’s wind farms. This could help wind power grab a record-high share of the world’s electricity generation market. [Reuters]

Wind turbines (Luca Bravo, Unsplash)

¶ “Solar Farms Powering Rural Vic” • The Victorian Government said that once complete, the 250-MW Goorambat East Solar Farm will be able to supply enough renewable energy to power every household in the Rural City of Benalla and Rural City of Wangaratta twice over. And the the Winton Solar Farm has been completed and commissioned. [Energy Magazine]

US:

¶ “Electric Buses Just Got Way, Way More Interesting” • With huge batteries below and solar panels on the roof, electric buses can serve as mobile energy storage units, delivering clean energy as needed. One obstacle is the cost of installing EV charging stations, but the leading school bus firm First Student has an answer for that. [CleanTechnica]

Electric buses (First Student via prnewswire.com)

¶ “Stellantis To Demo Muscular Solid-State EV Battery In Muscle Car” • Auto industry analysts expect the solid-state EV battery of the future will appear by 2030. But Stellantis is partnering with the Massachusetts startup Factorial on a fleet of Dodge Charger Daytona EVs by 2026, fitted with Factorial’s proprietary “FEST” solid-state battery cells. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “More US Solar Manufacturing Incentivized By Biden-Harris White House” • The US is in a manufacturing revival unlike any before, due policies from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The latest news is that more of the solar industry supply chain is going to be stimulated in the US, with plants for solar ingot and solar wafer production. [CleanTechnica]

Monocrystalline PV cell (Courtesy of Suniva)

¶ “With Electricity Prices Rising, Groups Blame Slow Rollout Of Renewables” • Electric bills in Chesapeake Bay drainage states could rise as much as 24% after wholesale electricity prices hit new records. The price of reserve power for air conditioning and heating emergencies in 2025–2026 was more than nine times the previous record. [Bay Journal]

¶ “GE Vernova To Remove More Vineyard Wind Blades” • GE Vernova is to remove some blades from the Vineyard Wind offshore wind farm and strengthen others, it announced. GE Vernova and Vineyard Wind got approval to return to installing new blades on turbines once stringent safety and operational conditions were met in October. [reNews]

Debris of broken blade (Vineyard Wind image)

¶ “San Francisco Could Source About 5% Of Its Electricity From Forthcoming Wind Farm” • San Francisco will get approximately 5% of its electricity from a Merced County wind farm within two years, as part of an agreement with Colorado-based Scout Clean Energy. Officials say the PPA will accelerate the city’s transition away from fossil fuels. [San Francisco Examiner]

¶ “NextEra Considers Nuclear Restart In Iowa, While Renewable Deals Swell” • NextEra Energy is conducting engineering studies and speaking with federal regulators about the possible restart of its Duane Arnold nuclear power plant, company executives said. This interest is partly due to growing power demand from AI data centers. [Yahoo Finance]

Have an enviably creative day.

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World:

¶ “The Gulf Stream Is On The Verge Of COLLAPSING, Climate Scientists Warn” • It might have been science fiction twenty years ago, but the plot of the 2004 film ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ may be turning real. Some 44 of the world’s leading climate scientists warned that the Gulf Stream and other Atlantic Ocean currents are on the brink of failure. [MSN]

Atlantic Ocean (Jacob Buller, Unsplash)

¶ “Brazil Environmental Disaster Victims Take Case Against Mining Giant BHP To UK Court” • Victims of Brazil’s worst environmental disaster, the rupture of a tailings dam at an iron mine in 2015, took their case for compensation to a UK court. Toxic mining waste had run into a river, killing 19 people and devastating communities. [ABC News]

¶ “AI, Data Centers, Direct Air Capture, And Renewables” • Of the world’s electricity, 3% is used by data centers. That’s up from, well, zero, not too long ago. Doing a Google search uses 0.3 watts-hours, but a ChatGPT inquiry uses 10 times that, just for instance. Big tech companies are investing heavily in renewables for their data centers. [CleanTechnica]

Data center (Amazon image)

¶ “Hyundai To Build EVs And EV Components In India” • It’s no secret that India tries hard to force local manufacturing. This has been a barrier to Tesla entering India for a while. But it’s a giant vehicle market with a lot of potential, especially as we get to ever cheaper EVs. Well, Hyundai sees that India is an opportunity, and it’s jumping in. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Neoen Launches 79-MW Irish PV Project” • Neoen launched construction of the 79-MW Ballinknockane solar farm in Ireland. The developer has provided notice to proceed to Omexom and TLI Group, for the solar plant and the 110-kV onsite substation, respectively. Ballinknockane is scheduled to be commissioned in the first half of 2027. [reNews]

Solar farm with sheep (Neoen image)

¶ “A Wind Power Crisis Is Holding Back The World’s Green Energy Goal” • At the COP28 climate talks in Dubai last year, leaders from over 130 nations agreed to triple renewable power capacity by the decade’s end. While the target is achievable, the current rates of clean power deployment aren’t sufficient, and the rollout of wind turbines is lagging. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ “SunCable Gets Conditional Approval For World’s Largest Renewable Energy Infrastructure Project” • SunCable has been granted conditional approval by Singapore’s Energy Market Authority to import energy via the Australia-Asia PowerLink. AAPowerLink is set to be the world’s largest solar farm and battery project. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Celebrating AAPowerLink progress (SunCable image)

¶ “Cost Of ACT’s 100% Renewable Energy Scheme Goes Negative – Again!” • The cost of the Australian Capital Territory’s 100% renewable scheme went negative again. The results for the June quarter this year are the fourth time that quarterly costs have gone negative. The scheme dramatically reduced electricity emissions and prices. [RenewEconomy]

¶ “Saudi Arabia’s 3.7-GW Solar Tender Attracts Lowest Bid Of 1.29¢/kWh” • For the 2000-MW Al-Sadawi Solar portion of the 3.7-GW project, the shortlisted groups offered bids of 1.29¢/kWh and 1.31¢/kWh. The rest of the solar tender got bids that were somewhat higher, at up to 1.89¢/kWh, though the bids were on smaller sections. [pv magazine International]

Solar power (ACWA Power)

¶ “Sellafield Nuclear Waste Dump Costs Surge To £136 Billion, Leaving Questions Over Value” • The costs of cleaning up the Sellafield nuclear waste dump are expected to surge to £136 billion. Britain’s public spending watchdog said efforts to fix buildings at the state-owned Cumbrian site had been gripped by delays and ballooning costs. [Proactive Investors]

US:

¶ “ChargePoint Pitches Affordable Level 2 EV Charger For Commercial Fleets” • Fleet vehicles are often parked for hours overnight, making them a good fit for the leisurely pace of a Level 2 EV charger. ChargePoint got the message, and it aims to motivate fleet managers with a new commercial-scale Level 2 charger for just $699. [CleanTechnica]

Cars at ChargePoint chargers (Courtesy of ChargePoint)

¶ “West Virginia Lobs An Energy Storage Brickbat At Fossil Fuel Stakeholders” • It’s a strange position to be in, but there it is. The Appalachian state of West Virginia, known for its deep roots in the coal industry, is hosting a long duration energy storage venture that will help squeeze fossil fuels out of the US power generation profile. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “$430 Million For US Clean Energy Manufacturing In Coal Communities” • Coal power declined in the US through the Trump presidency, and has declined since. Coal power just isn’t competitive. So, people living in coal communities need new jobs in new fields. The Biden-Harris Administration has dished out $430 million for this. [CleanTechnica]

Decline of coal, growth of wind (EIA image)

¶ “Flying Taxis Move Closer To Takeoff With Issuing Of FAA Rule” • Federal regulators gave a strong push to electric air taxis by issuing a final rule for operating the aircraft and how pilots will be trained to fly them. Many companies are working to get them to market, but they had been held back by a lack of clarity over regulations governing their use. [ABC News]

¶ “Republican Opposition Could Slow The Push Toward Electric Vehicles” • The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 offered a range of incentives for producing EVs, and it offered tax incentives to individuals who buy them, and federal rules have increased fuel efficiency requirements for car makers. Both moves got sharp Republican opposition. [ABC News]

Have an amusingly agile day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Buoyant Design And Adaptable Mooring Mechanisms Help Floating Solar Stay Intact Through Hurricane Milton” • Super Typhoon Capricorn struck China as one of the worst typhoons in the region since 1949. But the floating Mibet solar panels were buoyant and sturdy. In the US, the story in Hurricane Milton was much the same. [CleanTechnica]

D3Energy floating solar panels after Hurricane Milton

¶ “How The US Can Solve Its Lithium Supply Problem In One Fell Swoop” • The soaring demand for lithium has prompted US policymakers to restart the long dormant US lithium mining industry. New lithium mining proposals provoke protests, but the US Geological Survey suggests that there may be alternative lithium supplies. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “A Model Estate Will Be Restored To Nature And Packaged As A Tradable Biodiversity Credit” • A recent media story explains how some very wealthy Brits were adding purpose-built garden water features to their properties as a kind of a wild swimming experience, within a controlled environment. (We common folks might call them “ponds.”) [CleanTechnica]

Pond (Cristina Gottardi, Unsplash)

¶ “University Of Toronto School Of Environment Says No To Fossil Fuel Money” • At the University of Toronto, the School of Environment says it will no longer accept funding from fossil fuel companies. A report by The Guardian, said it will stop taking funds for research, sponsorships, scholarships, or infrastructure from the fossil fuel sector. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “NESO To Create GB Energy Plan” • Building on work to deliver clean power by 2030, energy ministers in the Scottish, Welsh, and UK Governments have asked the newly formed National Energy System Operator to produce the first ever strategic spatial plan for energy out to 2050, across land and sea in Great Britain. [reNews]

Wind turbines (SSE Renewables)

¶ “Going Green: Lucky Cement Completes 28.8-MW Wind Power Project” • Lucky Cement, one of Pakistan’s largest cement manufacturers, completed and commissioned the 28.8-MW captive wind power project at its Karachi plant. The company announced the development in a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange. [Business Recorder]

¶ “Enercon Commissions 40-MW Turkish Array” • Enercon has announced that the 40-MW Ordu wind farm in Turkey has been successfully commissioned. All 10 of its E-138 EP3 turbines at Kalen Enerji project are now connected to the grid. Ordu wind farm is located in the Back Sea region, which is characterised by challenging site conditions. [reNews]

Wind farm (Enercon image)

¶ “Turkey Aims To Quadruple Wind And Solar Energy Capacity By 2035” • Turkey will need $108 billion of public and private investment as it aims to quadruple its wind and solar energy capacity to 120,000 MW by 2035, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said. This year’s first renewable energy tender details will be announced next week. [Reuters]

¶ “BRICS Nations Hit Clean Energy Milestone: Fossil Fuels To Drop Under 50% By End Of 2024 For First Time” • The BRICS nations are poised to see fossil fuel capacity drop below half of their installed power capacity by the end of 2024 in a major shift towards cleaner energy, according to a new report by Global Energy Monitor. [Down To Earth]

Wind turbines (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)

¶ “At UNSC, Ukraine Calls On World To Prevent Russian Attacks On Its Nuclear Power Plants” • The ongoing Russian occupation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP and its attacks on energy infrastructure in Ukraine pose serious risks to the safety of the nuclear energy infrastructure, Deputy Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya told the UN Security Council. [Ukrinform]

US:

¶ “1.3 Million US Made Solar Panels, 875 MW – Orion Solar Farm Goes Live In Texas” • SB Energy Global has announced that its Orion I, Orion II, and Orion III solar projects are ready to operate. According to Renewables Now, the three new solar farms combined have 1.3 million solar panels manufactured in America by First Solar. [CleanTechnica]

Solar farm (SB Energy image)

¶ “DOE Commits $3 Billion To Boost Sustainable Aviation Fuel Supply” • The US DOE announced support of nearly $3 billion to boost America’s output of sustainable aviation fuel. Canary Media says the DOE Loan Programs Office made conditional commitments to two companies working to turn crops and waste feed stocks into jet fuel. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ørsted Files 1.5-GW Long Island Bid” • Ørsted has submitted a finalised proposal for its 1485-MW Long Island Wind project, which would power up to one million New York homes while further strengthening the Danish developer’s Northeast Hub. The Long Island Wind project would bring several billion dollars of in-state investment. [reNews]

Wind turbines (Ørsted image)

¶ “New 2025 Ford Mustang Mach-E Offers Improvements” • Ford has rolled out info on the new 2025 Ford Mustang Mach-E. The 2025 Mustang Mach-E includes a heat pump as standard equipment, improving efficiency, especially in colder climates. There are also new colors, new wheels, and a “Sport Appearance Package” for the Premium version. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “BOEM Wraps Up New York Bight Review” • The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management completed an environmental review to assess potential wind development activities within the New York Bight area. After a review of six wind lease areas of 488,000 acres off New York and New Jersey, BOEM estimates they could generate up to 7 GW of energy. [reNews]

Have an amply cheerful day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “This Is How Electric Vehicles Win, One School Bus At A Time” • Typically, electric school buses are outfitted with smaller, less costly battery packs that are good for fast charging, because their routes are relatively short and they can recharge during the day. That is exactly the opposite pattern that energy planners aim for with V2G technology. [CleanTechnica]

Electric school buses (Highland image)

World:

¶ “Centragrid’s New 25-MW Solar PV Plant Shows A Way To Help Quickly Address Zimbabwe’s Electricity Rationing” • As an independent power producer, Centragrid was licensed to finance, construct, own, and operate a 25-MW solar power plant along with associated transmission facilities in Nyabira, Zimbabwe. It has now completed the plant. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The Extended-Range Electric Car Is Red Hot In China” • The South China Morning Post reports that extended-range electric car sales are ramping up quickly in China. With a combination of an electric motor and a gasoline engine, these cars can typically travel about 600 kilometers (370 miles) before needing to stop for recharging or refueling. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Seal in Australia

¶ “Turkey Aims To Boost Renewable Energy Share In Electricity Production” • Turkey is aiming to further boost the share of renewable energy in its electricity production to 47.8% by 2025, according to a report by the semi-official Anadolu Agency, citing the 2025 budget proposal of the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry. [News Room Odisha]

¶ “Masdar Targets 100 GW Of Wind And Solar By 2030” • Masdar is planning to expand its wind and solar capacity to 100GW by the end of the decade. In an interview with the Financial Times, chief executive Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi said the company will continue to invest significantly in the Middle East, Europe, and the US. [reNews]

Wind turbine (Masdar image)

¶ “Floating Wind Farms To Help Reach Net Zero Targets” • A renewable energy development hopes to help the UK meet its net zero targets and reduce the country’s reliance on foreign electricity suppliers. The Bristol Port Company announced it will be producing, assembling, and deploying floating wind turbines in a new deep water terminal. [Yahoo]

¶ “Statkraft Submits 2.1-GW Swedish Array Plans” • Statkraft has submitted a planning application for the Baltic Offshore Delta North fixed bottom offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea. The 2100-MW Delta North array is located in Sweden’s economic zone, approximately 100 km east of Stockholm and 55 km east of Sandhamn island. [reNews]

Offshore wind turbine (Statkraft image)

¶ “Bowen Targets 10 GW Of Renewables In Next CIS Tender Round” • Australia’s Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen has announced that the next competitive tender in the Capacity Investment Scheme will be increased in size by two-thirds to 10 GW as the government seeks to transform its coal-reliant energy system to renewables. [pv magazine Australia]

¶ “Baseload Coal And Peaking Gas Paradigm “No Longer Fit” For Modern Grid, Says AEMO Chief” • Australia Energy Market Operator chief Daniel Westerman says the traditional blend of baseload power and peaking generation is no longer fit for the modern Australian grid, as cheap renewables backed by storage take over the markets. [RenewEconomy]

Wind farm (Karsten Würth, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Two Dead, Hundreds Rescued In ‘Dangerous’ New Mexico Flash Flooding” • At least two people have been killed due to overnight rainfall and flooding in Roswell, New Mexico, State Police said. Nearly 300 people have been rescued by the National Guard, city officials say. Between 4 and 9 inches of rain fell in parts of the state. [ABC News]

¶ “Over Fifteen Million Under Fire Weather Alerts In California Amid Dry, Windy Conditions” • Over fifteen million people are under fire weather alerts in California – including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento – due to dry, windy conditions. Relative humidity is forecast as low as 5% in some places, along with wind gusts up to 55 mph. [ABC News]

Malibu fire, 2007 (Ron Reiring, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “29 New Electric School Buses Are Coming To Biloxi, Mississippi” • Biloxi Public Schools will acquire 29 new all-electric school buses and installing charging infrastructure for them. Health benefits and a reduction of climate change emissions such as CO₂ are important, and the all-electric buses will replace diesel buses. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “RWE, National Grid File 2.8-GW NY Bid” • A Joint Venture of RWE and National Grid Ventures, Community Offshore Wind, submitted a full proposal to provide up to 2800 MW of offshore wind for the State of New York. If selected, the project would be built in two phases in the developer’s federal offshore wind lease area in the New York Bight. [reNews]

Offshore wind farm (RWE image)

¶ “USDA Rural Development Funds Seven More Renewable Energy Projects In Kansas” • The US Department of Agriculture Rural Development Kansas Director Christy Davis announced awards of more than $650,000 in grants to help rural Kansans in seven communities build renewable energy generation systems or improve energy efficiency. [Salina Post]

¶ “Amazon Announces Deal With Dominion Energy To Develop A Small Nuclear Reactor” • Amazon announced that it entered into an agreement with Dominion Energy to fund development of a small modular reactor as the utility explores building one at its North Anna Power Station, a traditional nuclear power plant in Louisa County. [Energy Central]

Have a noticeably lovely day.

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World:

¶ “VinFast Announces VF 5 Pricing And Opens Reservations in the Philippines” • VF Philippines introduced a range of EVs to the Filipino market, including its VF e34, VF 5, VF 7, and VF 9 models. The VF 5 is available in a P992,000 (approximately $17,170) variant with that comes with VinFast’s unique battery subscription plan. [CleanTechnica]

Vinfast VF 5 (Photo from VinFast Auto Philippines)

¶ “Ampersand Scales Nairobi Electric Motorcycle Manufacturing Capacity To Meet the Growing Demand For Electric Motorcycles in Kenya” • Ampersand, one of Africa’s leading EV and energy tech companies, has just announced the opening of a new, larger manufacturing facility in Nairobi, tripling the capacity of the company’s production in Kenya. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Tesla Reaches 60,000 Superchargers” • Tesla gave us the notable update that it has installed its 60,000th Supercharger globally. Japan is really not a major market for Tesla, but it brought in the special occasion with its 600th Supercharger stall. The 60,000th Supercharger stall is also the location of Tesla’s first V4 Supercharger in Japan. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla’s 60,000 install

¶ “Meeting 2030 Renewable Energy Target May Push India’s Solar Equipment Imports To $30 Billion Per Year” • India’s target of installing 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030 may push solar equipment import bill to about $30 billion per year and increase dependence on Chinese goods, think tank GTRI said in a report. [NewsDrum]

¶ “Alberta Under Fire From Environmentalists For Restrictions On Renewable Energy” • The Alberta government is wary of major new wind and solar energy developments due to their potential impact on the environment. But critics say that the government is restricting green energy growth to focus on the continued production of oil and gas. [OilPrice.com]

Alberta wind farm (Mahesh Gupta, Unsplash)

¶ “Adopt Solar Panel, Power Amnesty Schemes: KPDCL Tells Consumers” • Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited has once again urged its domestic consumers to adopt the Grid-connected Roof-Top Solar plants under a heavily-subsidized scheme launched by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy earlier this year. [The Kashmir Horizon]

¶ “Huge Renewable Energy Project In Cardiff approved” • A huge renewable energy project that will add to east Cardiff’s industrial skyline will go ahead despite concerns over habitat loss. The energy park and data center development proposed for the old motocross track off Rover Way in Tremorfa will have a 1,000-MW battery storage capacity. [Herald.Wales]

Rendering of the energy park (Marshall Architects)

¶ “Millions In Cuba Are Still Without Power As A Major Outage Persists” • Millions of Cubans remain without electricity because of an outage at one of the island’s main power plants. Reports are that a malfunction Friday at the Antonio Guiteras Power Plant in Matanzas left most of Cuba in the dark. In some areas, electricity is being restored. [Anadolu Ajansı]

¶ “Greens Adopt Resolution Against New Nuclear Power Plants” • At their delegates’ meeting in Herisau, Switzerland, the Greens unanimously adopted a resolution against the construction of new nuclear power plants in the country. “It is absolutely clear to us: the time of nuclear power plants is over,” the party wrote on Platform X. [blue News]

Nuclear Protestors in 2010 (Jakob Huber, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

US:

¶ “Some NC Nursing Homes Still Without Water, Three Weeks After Hurricane Helene” • More than three weeks ago, Hurricane Helene knocked out the power and running water at the Brooks-Howell Home in Asheville, North Carolina. Today it, and others living around it, still do not have regular access to safe, running water for their daily activities. [ABC News]

¶ “Desperate Trouble In The US May Force Volkswagen To Rethink Scout Brand” • Volkswagen planned to produce 100,000 ID.4 SUVs annually in the US. But in the first three quarters of this year, it has sold only 16,400 of the cars. To make matters worse, there have been repeated recalls due to technical defects. But from there, it gets worse. [CleanTechnica]

Volkswagen ID.4 (Volkswagen image)

¶ “Clean Energy Jobs Grew Four Times Faster Than Regular Jobs In The Midwest” • In 2023, there were 761,051 jobs in clean energy and clean vehicle sectors in the twelve Midwestern states, combined. The number tops pre-COVID-19 records, according to the annual report “Clean Jobs Midwest.” In 2019, there were just over 739,000 clean energy jobs. [Daily Reporter]

¶ “Trump’s Campaign Leans On Climate Change Denial: Six Misleading Claims Debunked” • While Kamala Harris repeatedly refers to climate change as a “crisis,” Donald Trump pushes back against the existence of climate change and promotes climate science misinformation, including claims previously debunked by fact-checkers. [USA Today]

Have a perfect elated day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Unpopular Opinion: EVs Will Take Over Even Without Bans” • It seems two opposing ideas on EVs are (1) internal combustion vehicles should be banned, and (2) EVs should be discouraged strongly. The author believes EVs will thrive and dominate most of the market without government banning ICE vehicles. This is a simple financial issue. [CleanTechnica]

Freedom of speech (Norman Rockwell, fair use)

¶ “The Dangerous Consequences Of Fossil Fuels Aren’t Even Part Of The US Presidential Conversation” • As Democratic nominee for President, US Vice President Kamala Harris could take up an important role – outlining how the next four years can be a time to heighten climate action at the US federal level. But is that what she is actually doing? [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “How Well Do Rooftop Solar Systems Survive A Hurricane?” • As we went through Hurricane Milton down here in Southwest Florida, and particularly as the roofs all over my neighborhood got torn up, I and many others wondered: how well do rooftop solar systems survive in a hurricane here? My impression is that rooftop solar PV systems fared well. [CleanTechnica]

Observing what damage there was (Courtesy of Sunnova)

World:

¶ “Over A Year Of Astonishing Ocean Heat Has Given Way To The Largest Coral Bleaching On Record” • The mass bleaching of coral reefs around the world since February 2023 is now the most extensive on record, NOAA told Reuters. A staggering 77% of the world’s coral reef areas have been subjected to bleaching-level heat stress, satellite data show. [CNN]

¶ “Electric Buses Rule Down Under” • The 2024 National Bus and Coach Show in Brisbane last month featured an array of buses in all sizes and drivetrains. CleanTechnica’s readers are interested in battery EVs, and so we will focus on those. Only about 0.2% of buses on Australian roads are battery electric. That is about to change. [CleanTechnica]

Electric bus (Courtesy of NSW Transport)

¶ “Widespread Blackout In Cuba After National Electric Grid Goes Offline” • Cuba’s national electric grid went offline on Friday, resulting in a country-wide blackout. The entire Cuban grid suffered a total disconnection at 11 AM local time after the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant failed, the Cuban Ministry of Energy and Mines said. [ABC News]

¶ “France Unveils 9.2-GW Offshore Tender” • France revealed plans to tender 9200 MW of fixed-bottom and floating offshore wind. Energy Minister Olga Givernet said a process launching at the beginning of 2025 will aim for 4 GW of fixed capacity in the North Sea coast and 5.2 GW of floating turbines in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. [reNews]

Fecamp wind farm (Christophe Teyssier, EDF RE)

¶ “Wärtsilä To Deliver 150-MW Oz Battery System” • Wärtsilä was selected to deliver its second major energy storage project in South Australia, a 150-MW, 300-MWh standalone battery energy storage system. The project will be supplied to Amp Energy. It will support energy security and reliability for South Australia’s transition to renewable energy. [reNews]

¶ “Renewables Firm Asks Court To Declare State Has ‘Failed’ To Approve Enough Green Energy Projects” • A renewables firm, Coolglass Wind Farm Limited, is asking the High Court to declare that Ireland’s central planning authority has failed to approve enough green energy infrastructure projects to meet 2030 environmental targets. [BreakingNews.ie]

Coolglass Wind Farm Limited wind farm

US:

¶ “Millions Lose Power Every Year Because Of Extreme Weather. Here’s How We Could Prevent It” • The ability to transmit power from one part of the country to another is ever more important as America’s grid is pummeled by increasingly extreme weather. Thousands of customers in the Southeast are still in the dark after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. [CNN]

¶ “One Midwest Contractor Surfing The Wave Of Heat Pumps To A Thriving Business” • The author visited US Water Heating Solutions, a large water heater installer and servicer who created a thriving business around heat pump water heaters. The firm is based in Arlington Heights, Illinois, but provides service to 25 states nationally. [CleanTechnica]

US Water Heating Solutions Headquarters

¶ “A Fast-Moving Brush Fire Prompted Evacuations In Oakland Hills, California” • Dozens of firefighters worked on a large, fast-moving brush fire that threatened hundreds of buildings in Oakland, California and caused hundreds of people to evacuate amid extremely dry and gusty conditions. Quick work limited the fire to about thirteen acres. [ABC News]

¶ “Greening Wins 60-MW US Solar Gig” • Greening has been awarded the EPC contract to construct a 60MW (AC) PV power generation plant that will supply renewable energy to a major technology company at one of its facilities in the state of Indiana. The Jasper County Solar Project will cover an area of 452 acres (183 hectares). [reNews]

Solar plant (Greening image)

¶ “One Of The Largest Solar Projects In The US Opens In Texas, Backed By Google” • One of the largest solar projects in the US opened in Texas, backed by what Google said is the largest solar electricity purchase it has ever made. Google expects to spend $16 billion through 2040 globally to purchase clean energy, Google executive Ben Sloss said. [AP News]

¶ “DOE Launches $900 Million Funding For Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Projects” • The US DOE opened applications for $900 million in funds to support deployment of small modular reactor technologies. The funding aims to support the private sector in the establishment of a pathway to deploying a fleet of SMRs in the country. [Data Center Dynamics]

Have a powerfully stately day.

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Opinion:

¶ “AI Is Sucking Up So Much Electricity We’re Looking To Restart Nuclear Reactors. What Could Go Wrong?” • Google recently announced that it had signed a deal to purchase energy from yet-to-be-built small nuclear plants to power artificial intelligence. Climate and energy expert Reinhard Uhrig decried the new deal. [Red, Green, and Blue]

Kairos Power system (Kairos Power image)
Please click on the image to enlarge it.

World:

¶ “Tesla Opens Its First Superchargers In South America!” • Tesla continues to expand into new country markets. Perhaps it’s not doing so as quickly as BYD is, as the Chinese EV giant seems to be expanding into at least one new market every month, but Tesla is gradually bringing its world-leading Model Y and Model 3 to more markets. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Arctic Expedition Shows That EVs Can Conquer Almost Anything” • A video on X shows that EVs, and specifically Tesla’s Cybertrucks, can tackle the longest and the hardest journeys, sometimes far from the fast chargers. The team drive all the way to the Arctic Ocean in Canada, and they left Level 2 charging stations behind for others! [CleanTechnica]

Cybertrucks (screenshot from article’s embedded video – fair use)

¶ “Unpacking The BYD Plan To Become A Global Company” • After increasing its annual sales in China to 3 million cars in only three years, BYD exports to 95 foreign markets, including twenty new ones this year. BYD is happy to focus on emerging markets and countries with no domestic auto industry to defend. Malta is one example. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “EDF, ESB Notch First Power At 450-MW NNG” • ESB and EDF Renewables generated first power from the 450-MW Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm off east Scotland. The milestone had originally been due last year but was held up due to various challenges including on the project’s electrical system. It paves the way to full commissioning in 2025. [reNews]

Offshore wind farm (NNG image)

¶ “Galileo Seeks Suppliers For Scottish Battery” • Galileo has invited local businesses to register their interest in commercial opportunities arising from a battery system project in Scotland. The developer of the 50-MW scheme opened a formal supplier registration, allowing interested businesses across the Lothians to register interest in the project. [reNews]

¶ “Ohmium Joins 300-MW Floating PTX Project” • Ohmium International has signed a term sheet with SwitcH2 to develop electrolyzers for a 300-MW floating offshore hydrogen and ammonia synthesis project. SwitcH2’s power-to-X project will create an industrial scale floating green hydrogen and ammonia production facility. [reNews]

Floating PTX project (SwitcH2 image)

¶ “Germany Moves To Strengthen Domestic Wind Power Industry” • Germany is planning state guarantees for wind energy production, it said, as part of a package of measures to boost its wind industry. This comes amid concerns from EU governments and companies over Chinese firms gaining momentum in the sector. [Reuters]

¶ “Gold Giant Orders Biggest Off-Grid Solar Farm Yet As It Combines Renewables To Reduce Remote Mine Diesel Costs” • Australian off-grid power specialist Pacific Energy says it will deliver its biggest solar farm yet, as part of ambitious plans to power a remote Western Australia gold mine with more than 70% renewable energy. [RenewEconomy]

Examining a Solar array (Pacific Energy via LinkedIn)

¶ “Ukraine Issues Nuclear Ultimatum To NATO” • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave an ultimatum to NATO, warning that his country may pursue nuclear weapons if it is not granted membership. Zelensky had told Donald Trump when they met that Ukraine would either join an alliance like NATO or be “forced to pursue nuclear weapons.” [Newsweek]

US:

¶ “Nearly $75 Million In Federal Grants To Help Alaska Native Communities With Climate Impacts” • Nearly $75 million will be aimed at helping Alaska Native communities as they deal with the impacts of climate change. The grant is going to tribal health consortium for resilience to extreme weather and changes to the environment in coastal communities. [ABC News]

Coastal Alaska (Joshua Sukoff, Unsplash)

¶ “New York Officials Consider Criminal Charges Against Big Oil” • A growing body of evidence shows that Big Oil knew about the climate dangers of its products but promoted them to the public anyway, the authors of a 50-page document, published by Public Citizen write. “This conduct was not just amoral,” they say. “It was criminal.” [CleanTechnica]

¶ “How Solar and Battery Kept An Appalachian Farm Going” • After over a week without grid power, Erik at the Farpoint Farms YouTube channel discusses his use of solar power before, during, and after the storm. He never built his solar array to cover all of his needs off grid, but he estimates its contributions to be about ⅓ of the overall farm’s needs. [CleanTechnica]

Solar array (screenshot from article’s embedded video – fair use)

¶ “Ford Launches Tool To Help Businesses Go Electric, Save Money” • One of the biggest incentives for EVs has been lower operational costs. But it takes some math to figure out if EVs will save you money compared to something else, how much they’ll save you, and how long it will take you to see the savings. Ford has a tool to help with that. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Hochul: New York State Reaches Solar Power Benchmark Ahead Of Schedule” • Governor Kathy Hochul announced that 6 GW of distributed solar have been installed across New York state, a year ahead of the state’s goals of adopting solar energy for homes and business. The 6 GW of solar energy is enough to power more than 1 million homes. [The Daily Gazette]

Have an impressively funny day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Massive Gen 4 Wave Energy Converter” • The challenge of wave energy is to engineer a device that can keep clean power flowing economically, regardless of fierce ocean storms. All that hard work is beginning to pay off for the Swedish firm CorPower Ocean, which just nailed down a new round of Series B financing totaling almost $35 million. [CleanTechnica]

CorPower C4 wave energy device (Courtesy of CorPower Ocean)

¶ “J-POWER Introduces Earthquake-Resistant Foundation For Offshore Wind Farms” • The Electric Power Development Co, Ltd (J-POWER) worked with the University of Tokyo to develop the “Flexible Tripile,” a foundation for bottom-fixed offshore wind turbines that was designed for Japan’s topography, to provide seismic isolation. [Asian Power]

World:

¶ “Global Water Cycle Off Balance For ‘First Time In Human History,’ Threatening Half The Planet’s Food Production” • The global water cycle has been thrown off balance by human action “for the first time in human history,” fueling a growing water disaster that will wreak havoc on economies, food production, and lives, a landmark report says. [CNN]

Drought in Sri Lanka (Chamika Jayasri, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Tesla Gigafactory Expansion Approved In Germany” • The environment ministry covering the jurisdiction of Tesla’s factory in Germany (aka gigafactory) granted permission to build a new hall there, the beginning of big expansion plans for the plant. Tesla has plans to double production at the plant, and this is the next step in the process. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “BP Backs Away From Climate Goals In Quest To Maximize Profits” • BP announced plans to abandon its curbs on fossil fuel production to target several new investments in the Middle East and the Gulf of Mexico. According to Reuters, BP is currently in talks to invest in three new projects in Iraq, including one in the Majnoon field. [CleanTechnica]

BP oil rig in the Caspian Sea (BP image)

¶ “Skyborn Installs All Yunlin Turbines” • Skyborn Renewables has completed installation of all 80 turbines of the 640-MW Yunlin Offshore Wind Farm. With all 80 machines in place, plus work on 78 out of 81 cables done, the project is nearing the finish line. The project, in the Taiwan Straight, has already fed over 1.6 TWh of energy into the grid. [reNews]

¶ “Alcazar Secures Serbian Wind Farm Deal” • Alcazar Energy Partners signed an agreement with RP Global towards securing the rights for the development, construction, and operation of the 200-MW Project Celzijus 1 onshore wind power project, east of Belgrade. The deal also includes a 768-MW pipeline of wind and solar projects in Serbia. [reNews]

Wind farm (Alcazar image)

¶ “Renewables Expansion ‘Hitting New Heights'” • Clean energy is being built at an unprecedented rate, but deployment is far from uniform across technologies and markets, according to an IEA report. “World Energy Outlook 2024” shows the contours of a new, more electrified energy system are coming into focus as global electricity demand soars. [reNews]

US:

¶ “Volkswagen ID Buzz Gets Boost From Electrify America ” • If you’ve been waiting for years for the futuristic electric throwback to the iconic Volkswagen Bus, the ID. Buzz, you’ll be heartened to know it’s almost here. Volkswagen says it is to arrive in late fall 2024. And Electrify America says it will boost the experience of ownership for three years. [CleanTechnica]

Volkswagen ID Buzz (Volkswagen image)

¶ “Meteorologists Who Connect Hurricanes And The Climate Crisis Are Being Threatened” • Meteorologists’ role of delivering lifesaving weather forecasts and explaining climate science has made them targets for harassment, intimidation, and danger. This has only escalated during the trying times of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US Manufacturing Has Soared Under Biden And Harris, Was Stagnant Under Trump” • Manufacturing spending in the US stagnated under Donald Trump. Biden and Harris took office, and with Democrats controlling the House of Representatives and the Senate for a short time, they passed laws that promoted investments in manufacturing. [CleanTechnica]

Investments in manufacturing (Eric Feigl-Ding via X)

¶ “Federal Money To Help States Hit By Hurricanes Helene, Milton Nears $2 Billion” • The federal government has approved nearly $2 billion in assistance in six states to help people hit by hurricanes Helene and Milton, the White House said. FEMA’s director said about $8.5 billion remains in its emergency fund, but it may need to ask congress for more. [ABC News]

¶ “Sumitomo, CEP Solar Form JV For Renewable Energy In Virginia” • Japan’s Sumitomo Corp and Perennial Power Holdings Inc set up a joint venture with CEP Solar LLC, based in Virginia to deliver renewable energy projects in that state. The companies said the JV will help provide support for Virginia’s numerous data centers. [Yahoo Finance Canada]

Data center (RobH, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “US Commits $900 Million To Assist Next-Generation Nuclear Reactors” • The US DOE committed $900 million to support the development of Generation III+ small modular reactors. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 funds the action by making use of resources from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. [Power Technology]

¶ “Amazon Invests In Nuclear Energy, Hot On The Heels Of Google And Microsoft” • Amazon announced that it’s putting a $500 million investment into X-energy for developing small modular nuclear reactors, for carbon-free power for data centers. Amazon Web Services relies on large data centers that require huge amounts of energy. [Yahoo News]

Have a significantly grand day.

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World:

¶ “Tesla China Produces 3 Millionth Vehicle, Almost 50% Of All Model 3 + Y Cars” • Tesla has shared on social media that Tesla China made its 3 millionth car. That’s quite an accomplishment for Tesla’s second car factory. It also shows how reliant Tesla is on Chinese production. China has made nearly 50% of the Model 3 and Model Y cars. [CleanTechnica]

Celebrating the 3 millionth Tesla made in China

¶ “Tesla’s Labor Troubles Continue In Swedish District Court” • Tesla is stymied by ongoing and rancorous disputes with union workers in Sweden and neighboring countries. Other Nordic trade unions rallied around IF Metall’s strike action in 2023, believing that Tesla’s actions could put the entire regional labor model in danger. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Hyundai Says It Will Have 300 Wh/kg LFP Batteries In 2025” • Hyundai Motor Group announced it has set a goal to develop a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery with an energy density of 300 Wh/kg by the end of 2025. This move positions Hyundai to exceed the capacity of current Chinese-made LFP batteries by more than 15%. [CleanTechnica]

Hyundai IONIQ 6 (Hyundai Motor Group, Unsplash)

¶ “Root-Power Files Plans For Six BESS Schemes” • Root-Power submitted planning applications for six battery energy storage projects in the UK. The market entrant’s portfolio now exceeds 2 GW, with schemes ranging from 10 MW to 100 MW. The six planning applications, submitted last month, are for 315 MW of battery energy storage capacity. [reNews]

¶ “Tesco Signs 373-MW UK PV PPA” • Supermarket chain Tesco announced that it signed its largest UK PPA, facilitated by EDF, securing 65% of the solar power generation from the 373-MW Cleve Hill Solar Park. Cleve Hill, located on the north Kent coast, began construction in early 2023 and is set to be operational in early 2025. [reNews]

Tesco market (EDF image)

¶ “Half Of UK Households Could Save £410 Off Energy Bills With Solar Power” • A report ordered by OVO shows that over 13.7 million homes in the UK could save £5.6 billion on their total energy bills with solar panels. The analysis found that 48% of the nation’s housing stock is eligible for solar panels but currently lacks them. [Energy Live News]

¶ “Sany Powers Up 35-MW Test Bench” • China’s first and the world’s largest 35-MW Six Degrees of Freedom and Drivetrain Back-to-Back Test Bench is now operating at Sany Renewable Energy’s Wind Power Testing Center, the developer revealed. The test bench is capable of simulating the full lifecycle of wind turbines up to 35-MW. [reNews]

Test mechanism (Sany image)

¶ “Twelve EU Countries Demand Faster Progress In Renewable Energy Expansion” • Sluggish approval processes must be addressed to advance the transition to greener energy in Europe, a group of 12 EU countries said in a joint communiqué to the European Commission. Also, the European energy market must be interconnected. [Energy Central]

¶ “Shimane Nuclear Plant Set To Restart After 13-Year Halt” • The No 2 reactor of the long-idled Shimane nuclear power plant in Matsue is scheduled to restart in early December after being offline for nearly 13 years, the plant operator announced. The commercial operations are scheduled to resume in early January of the following year. [Asahi Shimbun]

Shimane nuclear plant (Qurren, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

US:

¶ “Virginia Utility Looking For 3.4 GW Of New Wind Power” • In its 2024 Integrated Resource Plan filed with Virginia and North Carolina authorities, Dominion Energy Virginia laid out options for investments to meet rising power demand with generating capacity. They include 3.4 GW of wind, 12 GW of solar, and 4.5 GW of batteries. [North American Windpower]

¶ “Education In Climate Change Now Required For UC San Diego Students” • The University of California, San Diego is the first major public college in the US to require undergraduate students across all majors to take a course on climate change. The requirement is in place now for students who will be graduating in 2028. [ABC News]

Geisel Library, UCSD (Jeremy Huang, Unsplash)

¶ “Honda Comes From Nowhere And Scores Big EV Sales In USA” • Several companies have seen soaring EV sales growth, while others have seen big drops. And some models are up a lot while others are down a lot. But one company surprised Zach Shahan a enough that he didn’t know what to make of it. That company is Honda. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Tesla Semi Passes DHL Tests, Reyes Adds 29 eCascadia Electric Trucks” • DHL, one of the largest freight-haulers on Earth, is actively engaged in finding ways to reduce its emissions. Recently, it began partnering with Tesla in the US to determine whether the battery electric Semi is the key to a new era of low-emissions long-haul trucking. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Semi with DHL trailer (DHL image)

¶ “US Hydroelectric Infrastructure Is Getting $430 Million In Upgrades” • Hydropower, the old-school method of renewable energy generation, is getting a $430 million shot in the arm for funding upgrades aiming to improve grid resilience and safety, and to facilitate “environmental and recreational improvements” at hydro facilities in 33 states. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Skipstone Converts To 100% Solar Power” • Skipstone, a sustainable Alexander Valley winery focusing on Bordeaux varieties, announced that it has switched to 100% solar energy, working with SolarCraft, a trusted leader in solar energy in California. Skipstone has long been committed to sustainability in its farming. [Wine Business]

Have an abundantly sustainable day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Nuclear Power Could Solve US Electricity Needs. But At What Cost?” • Ed Lyman, nuclear power safety director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said his instinct is that restarting old reactors is one option that is too expensive. He said, “They aren’t going to be miraculously any cheaper than when they were shut down for financial reasons.” [POWER Engineering]

Three Mile Island in 2019 (Constellation Energy, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Deb Katz: Nuclear Power? We Can Do Better Than False Solutions” • The resurrection of nuclear power as a solution for anything is a travesty. For all its claims, nuclear power is neither clean nor green. It is a dirty, toxic technology. It relies on its invisibility to keep its lies going while communities suffer the burden of its broken promises. [Greenfield Recorder]

World:

¶ “Volvo Pioneered Automotive Safety. Sustainability Is Next” • Vanessa Butani, recently joined Volvo Cars as its global head of sustainability. Her task is to make Volvo the “most sustainable automaker” in the world. Under her direction, owners of Volvo cars will be able to learn such things as where the minerals and other materials were sourced. [ABC News]

Volvo electric car (Vauxford, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Brisbane Airport Electrifies Airside Services” • How do you make a busy metropolitan airport function more sustainably? In an Australian first, Brisbane Airport is installing “a common-use ground support equipment charging system.” Some 35 chargers will be installed for a start, with plans to install over 100 more in the future. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Croatia: A Land Of Ancient Beauty With A Ramp-Up To Renewable Energy” • George Bernard Shaw once said, “Those who seek paradise on Earth should come to Dubrovnik.” Croatia imported 55% of the energy it consumed in 2021. Now Croatia is raising the stakes on clean energy with auctions for solar, wind, and hydropower projects. [CleanTechnica]

Dubrovnik (Salya T, Unsplash)

¶ “Starmer Pledges To Cut Offshore Wind Red Tape” • The UK government pledged to “rip up” red tape and bureaucracy for offshore wind developers in support of its mission to turn the UK into a ‘clean energy superpower’ by 2030. Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticised the “volume and inconsistency” of planning and regulatory hurdles. [reNews]

¶ “Windcat Launches Hydrogen-Ready CSOV” • Windcat’s first Commissioning Service Operation Vessel has been launched by Damen. It is the first of six such craft and the first of Windcat’s ‘Elevation Series’ of future-proof offshore wind farm suport and maintenance ships. The launch ceremony took place at Ha Long Shipyard in Vietnam. [reNews]

Windcat CSOV (Windcat image)

¶ “Taiwan Considers Importing Clean Energy From Nearby Countries” • Taiwan is joining a growing list of places looking to import green power to sustain industrial and economic activity while also meeting climate goals. Taiwan is considering building renewable power plants in nearby countries like the Philippines or Japan. [BNN Bloomberg]

¶ “Victoria’s Largest Wind Farm Energized” • The first energy from Stage 1 of TagEnergy’s 1333-MW Golden Plains Wind Farm has been delivered to Victoria’s electricity grid, while Stage 2 is securing new investment. The 756-MW Stage 1 of TagEnergy’s $4 billion project is expected eventually to deliver 9% of the energy used in Victoria. [Energy Magazine]

Hepburn Wind Farm, Victoria (Elekhh, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

US:

¶ “Hurricane Milton’s Lasting Health Impact Is Just Beginning, Studies Suggest” • A recent study published in the journal Nature examining nearly 500 tropical cyclones from 1930 to 2015 in the US suggested that big storms lead to thousands of extra deaths after the storms, and leave lasting impacts on public health. The reasons aren’t yet clear. [ABC News]

¶ “Washington State’s Landmark Climate Law Hangs In The Balance This Election” • The Climate Commitment Act, one of the most progressive climate policies ever passed by a state Legislature, is under fire from conservatives, who say it increased energy costs in Washington, which has long had some of the highest gas prices in the nation. [ABC News]

Mt Rainier (Stephanie Bergeron, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Sales Of 100% Fossil-Fueled Cars Are Declining In US” • A report from the Alliance for Automotive Innovation says vehicles with internal combustion engines saw the biggest loss in market share of any vehicle category in the first half of 2024, dropping by 2.3%. They still make up a majority of new car sales, but their dominance is decreasing. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Help Get More E-Bikes On Moab Trails” • The Bureau of Land Management is considering allowing e-bikes on more mountain bike trails in the deserts around Moab, Utah. Officials are only considering Class 1 e-bikes, however. There are good reasons for this, but the Bureau should consider the technical limitations on the most common bikes also. [CleanTechnica]

Moab Trails (Bureau of Land Management, Public Domain)

¶ “Earthquakes And Oil Well Blowouts In West Texas Associated With Wastewater Injection” • Permian Basin wastewater is often a toxic and briny mix of salts, water, chemicals, and naturally occurring radioactive materials. The oil and gas industry’s main method for disposing of that polluted water is injecting it into the ground. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Google Signs World-First ‘Mini Nuclear’ Deal To Power AI” • Google signed what it calls the first corporate energy deal for power from small modular reactors, in a signal that renewables face competition for data center power demand. Google agreed with Kairos Power for up to 500 MW of nuclear power in the US as soon as 2030. [Latest renewable energy news]

Have a sensibly fantastic day.

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

World:

¶ “Real Zero at Fortescue” • Fortescue is in the news a lot. Just a few weeks ago, at a UN roundtable, Fortescue’s Andrew Forrest unveiled a plan to move mining operations from “net zero” to “real zero.” He showed how Fortescue will eliminate Scope 1 and 2 emissions without voluntary carbon offsets and without carbon capture and storage. [CleanTechnica]

Electric mining truck (Fortescue image)

¶ “Polish Polenergia To Provide 100 MW Of Renewable Energy To Microsoft” • Polish energy major Polenergia said one of its units has entered into a back-to-back agreement with an arm of Canadian asset manager Brookfield under which it will offer 100 MW of renewable energy projects in Poland to Microsoft Corp in 2026. [Renewables Now]

¶ “At The 2024 Paris Auto Show, The Focus Is On Price” • At the Paris Auto Show this year, BYD will be showcasing the Yangwang U8, a luxury SUV costing around 1 million yuan ($141,509). It may be the hunkiest go anywhere, do anything backroad basher designed to go toe to toe with the best that Land Rover and Mercedes have to offer. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Yangwang U8 (BYD image)

¶ “India Passes 200-GW Renewable Energy Milestone, Heads For Green Future” • India passed a renewable energy milestone, with a renewable energy capacity of 200 GW in September, marking a big step toward sustainability. The Central Electricity Authority reported that India’s generating capacity from renewable energy now stands at 201,457 MW. [Elets eGov]

¶ “£255 Millioin Boost For UK Monopile Factory” • SeAH Wind UK has made an additional £225 million investment into its monopile manufacturing hub in Teesside, north-east England. This brings its total investment into the site at Teesworks Freeport up to £900 million. The investment was supported by backing from UK Export Finance. [reNews]

Teesworks Freeport (Teesworks image)

¶ “Nexif Ratch Energy Begins Building 145 MW Of Solar In The Philippines” • A developer based in Singapore, Nexif Ratch Energy, announced the financial close and start of construction for a 145 MWp solar project near Bacolod, the capital of Negros Island in the Philippines. Aboitiz Power Corp has 10-year PPA for the electricity. [pv magazine International]

¶ “Dongfang Unveils 26-MW Offshore Turbine” • Dongfang has unveiled a 26MW turbine. The Chinese manufacturer reveaed pictures of the machine’s giant nacelle at its factory in Fuzhou, Fujian Province. The machine has the world’s highest capacity of any offshore model. It has a blade diameter of 310 meters and hub height of 185 meters. [reNews]

Nacelle of Dongfang 26-MW turbine (Dongfang image)

¶ “OX2 Acquires 1-GW Oz Wind Farm” • OX2 has acquired its first onshore wind project in Australia, a 1-GW scheme a few hours north of Perth, in Western Australia. The site, which is in an early stage, will also include a battery energy storage system. The planned total installed capacity is about 1 GW. The scheme involves over twenty landowners. [reNews]

¶ “New Survey Reveals Doubt, And Hope, That World Will Achieve Climate Targets” • We asked authors who have contributed to the reports of the IPCC to share their best guesses about where the world is headed. The median estimate was 2.7 °C by 2100. To put it plainly, this could be a catastrophic outcome for humanity. [Phys.org]

Trees, hills, and fog (NOAA, Unsplash)

¶ “Adani Green’s Operational Capacity Up 34% In H1” • Adani Green Energy Limited reported a 34% increase in its operational capacity, reaching 11,184 MW in the first half of fiscal year 2025 from 8,316 MW in the same period last year. Of the total added capacity, AGEL said 2,418 MW came from solar plants in Khavda, Gujarat, and Rajasthan. [Asian Power]

¶ “Coalition ‘Don’t Have A Proper Plan’ For Nuclear Energy” • Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the Coalition “don’t have a proper plan” for nuclear energy, and they must be “held to account” for their nuclear proposal. Steven Miles and Anthony Albanese held a press conference in the Gold Coast for the lead-up to the state election. [MSN]

Australia (Mark Galer, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Biden Tours Hurricane-Hit Florida, Announces $612 Million In Projects” • President Joe Biden on Sunday toured areas of Florida ravaged by the back-to-back hurricanes and announced federal funding for projects to strengthen the electric grid and a “whole government” effort on recovery efforts. He announced $612 million for six DOE projects. [ABC News]

¶ “Florida Is Developing Rapidly. Will Climate Change Impede Its Growth?” • Florida has the second-highest permit-issuing state for both single-home and multifamily permits, according to the National Association of Home Builders. But destruction by hurricanes spotlighted residents’ ongoing vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. [ABC News]

House in Florida (Lo Sarno, Unsplash)

¶ “What’s Holding Back The EV Revolution In America? It’s The Charging!” • Why are well over 95% of car sales in Norway EVs, while in America, they struggle to get past the 10% mark. A 2022 study from the University of California, Berkeley, found that nearly 30% of public non-Tesla fast chargers in the San Francisco Bay Area did not work. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Grid Condition Accuracy Requires Monthly Reporting And Assurances” • The California PUC released a Proposed Decision that outlines its current thinking about the particulars within its formal ruling later this month. The Proposed Decision orders that accuracy issues be addressed, but it fails to give a deadline for the improvements. [CleanTechnica]

Have a simply magnificent day.

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World:

¶ “Brisbane Metro – The End of Diesel Buses?” • Brisbane was serviced by an efficient electric tram network until the ’70s, when it was ripped up and diesel buses took the place of trams. Now, in a retro revolution, Brisbane is set to bring in an electric Metro system, with electric “Metro” buses for clean mass transit for pollution reduction. [CleanTechnica]

Brisbane Metro (Courtesy of Brisbane City Council)

¶ “World’s Largest Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Rolls Off Production Line In China” • The world’s most powerful floating offshore wind turbine, with a generating capacity of 20 MW, has rolled off the production line in Yancheng city, in east China, Xinhua reports, citing the country’s leading train maker CRRC Corporation Limited. [Azərtac]

¶ “In Kyiv, Residents Brace For Power Outages Using Solar Energy” • The people in Ukraine are bracing for a harsh winter ahead, as more than half of the country’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed by Russian missile and drone attacks. To shield themselves at least partially from power outages, some people are turning to solar energy. [ERR]

Kyiv (Ilya Cher, Unsplash)

¶ “UPPCL Secures 500-MW Solar Power Deal To Meet Growing Demand” • UP Power Corporation Limited was approved to buy 500 MW of solar power in a 25-year agreement. The deal aims at meeting rising energy needs in Uttar Pradesh. It will be handled by competitive bidding under the Solar Inter-State Transmission System Scheme. [APAC News Network]

¶ “Renewable Energy Surge Lowers UK Blackout Risk” • The risk of blackouts in the winter months in the UK has fallen to its lowest in four years thanks to the rise of the country’s renewable energy capacity. The National Energy System Operator predicts that the UK’s winter power supplies will outpace demand by nearly 9% this year. [OilPrice.com]

UK renewable energy (Luke Thornton, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Morocco Advances Renewable Energy With 270-MW Jbel Lahdid Wind Farm Launch” • Morocco took another big step in renewable energy with the Jbel Lahdid wind farm. Launched by the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water, the Jbel Lahdid wind farm adds 270 MW to Morocco’s renewable energy capacity. [Morocco World News]

¶ “Revolutionizing Swiss Railways With Renewable Energy” • Switzerland embraces sustainability in its transportation sector through a unique initiative by the Swiss startup Sun-Ways. This project involves the integration of removable solar panels into the railway infrastructure, marking a leap towards renewable energy for transport systems. [Microgrid Media]

Swiss train (Uwe Conrad, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “As Parts Of Florida Went Dark From Helene And Milton, The Lights Stayed On In This Net-Zero, Storm-Proof Community” • Climate resiliency and storm protection were built into homes in Hunters Point. The homes have endured a few storms since people moved in around February 2023, Hurricanes Helene and Milton put those features to the test. [CNN]

¶ “Volunteers Bring Solar Power To Hurricane Helene’s Disaster Zone” • Crews from all over the US and even Canada are helping Duke Energy and local electric coops with repairs, but it’s slow going with some roads and bridges washed away. But volunteers with nonprofit Footprint Project and a local solar installer set up a solar generator. [ABC News]

Volunteers at work in 2023 (Footprint Project image)

¶ “Dangerous, Record-Breaking Heat Hits West” • Dangerous, record-breaking heat is ongoing in the West, with the Phoenix reaching the triple digits every day for the last three weeks. Phoenix climbed over a scorching 110 degrees on 80 days in 2024, which shattered the record set last year with 55 days of temperatures over 110 degrees. [ABC News]

¶ “DeSantis Foresees No Limits To Development In Areas Susceptible To Disasters” • Days after Hurricane Milton caused widespread damage to areas still rebuilding after Hurricane Ian two years ago, Governor Ron DeSantis dismissed a suggestion that the state limit development in coastal areas vulnerable to dangerous tropical storms. [CleanTechnica]

Damage by Milton to a motel (Raskuly, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Clean Energy Jobs Are Changing Lives. These Programs Are Providing Liftoff” • The Knight Green Careers Training Center focuses on 18 to 25-year-olds “critically at risk from incarceration and gun violence” to give them meaningful careers and financial stability. Students can take part in free, grant-funded programs as a step to career-pathway jobs. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The Radioactive Legacy Of The Hanford Nuclear Reservation Will Live On, Even As Plans For Cleanup Evolve” • Some 177 tanks collectively hold 56 million gallons of radioactive waste at the Hanford site in the State of Washington. Plans for how to contain and safely store that waste have been evolving and changing for years. [Oregon Public Broadcasting]

Have a greatly enjoyable day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Imagining Peak Car: Can We Live Without The Private Automobile?” • An article in the Washington Post says only 8.4% of US households have no car, and 33% have just one. None of the alternatives to vehicle ownership has made a dent. Going without a car may be a difficult choice for transportation, but the choice has rewards. [CleanTechnica]

Traffic (Dennis Schroeder, NREL)

¶ “What It’s Like To Go Through A Climate-Induced Hurricane” • Vice President Kamala Harris says climate change is a thing we must combat as an “existential threat.” Former President Donald Trump dismisses it as a “hoax.” Well, I just came out the other side of hunkering down in a hurricane, and I can say that the climate crisis is very real. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “The Nature Conservation Index Is A New Tool For Policy Development And Biodiversity Protection” • Species do not exist in isolation; they are interconnected. Addressing environmental problems involves addressing nature conservation at its core. The Nature Conservation Index comes in at a point when we ask how we can be more effective. [CleanTechnica]

Nature to be conserved (Provided by BioDB)

¶ “Superhot, Superdeep Rock Miles Below Could Create A Clean, Renewable Energy Source” • Laboratory data reported in the journal Nature Communications confirm the potential for the goal of geothermal energy: tapping into the superhot, superdeep rock miles below our feet. It could be an energy source to replace a significant amount of fossil fuels. [Mining.com]

World:

¶ “VinFast Leads Way In EV Battery Optimization” • VinFast’s approach to advancing battery technology includes vehicle optimization, strategic partnerships that encompass both popular and emerging battery technologies, and investments of millions of Euros in facilities to enhance its growing in-house expertise. [CleanTechnica]

Battery factory worker (Courtesy of VinFast)

¶ “Tesla Maximum Range Rear Wheel Drive Model 3 Appears On Configurators In Germany And The UK” • Electrive reports a new version of the Tesla Model 3 appeared on the company’s online configurators in Germany and the UK. The Model 3 Maximum Range RWD uses 12.5 kWh per 10 km and has a range of 702 km (436 miles). [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Latvenergo Unit Starts Building 176 MW Of Solar Parks In Lithuania” • Elektrum Lietuva, a unit of Latvian state-owned utility Latvenergo AS, announced the start of construction works on three solar parks in Lithuania with a combined capacity of 176 MW. The three sites are expected to be operational by no later than September 2025. [Renewables Now]

Worker at a solar array (EBRD image)

¶ “Amazon Prefers Renewables In Asia As Nuclear Still Elusive” • Amazon is only looking at wind and solar to offer green power for projects in Asia, even as global technology companies begin examining nuclear generation to supply energy-hungry data centers. This is in contrast to the US, where tech titans want to fuel them with nuclear energy. [The Japan Times]

¶ “Poland Renewable Energy Association Calls For Bold Climate Action Following Floods, Droughts” • Droughts and floods that have simultaneously affected Poland in recent weeks are a clear signal that energy transformation cannot wait, a major renewable energy group in Poland has said. The absence of effective action on climate is costing Poland a lot. [ceenergynews]

Krakow (dimitrisvetsikas1969, Pixabay)

¶ “Greece’s New Climate Plan Sets More Ambitious Renewable Energy Goals” • Greece set more ambitious targets for expanding solar and wind power to cut greenhouse emissions by 2030 under a revised energy and climate plan. Athens will aim for an 82% share of renewables in electricity generation by 2030 versus a 66% target in its previous 2019 plan. [Reuters]

¶ “UK Secures £225 Million Investment For Teesside Renewables Industry” • The UK Government announced £225 million of funding in Teesside’s renewables sector, via collaboration with Korean investors. UK Export Finance and the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation enabled SeAH Steel Holding to expand an offshore wind factory. [Energy Live News]

Teesside (Net Zero Teesside image, cropped)

US:

¶ “US Hourly Electricity Demand Peaked In July With Extended Heatwaves” • Last summer, US electricity demand in the Lower 48 states was greatest at 6:00 PM EDT on July 15, 2024, when it reached about 745 GWh, based on data in our Hourly Electric Grid Monitor. US electricity demand tends to peak in July or August as AC use ramps up. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New Hampshire’s Low-Income Community Solar Program Is Finally Nearing The Starting Line” • More than seven years after the New Hampshire regulators first approved the idea of using community solar to create savings for low-income households, electric bill discounts are finally appearing on the horizon for the first batch of participants. [CleanTechnica]

Community solar array (Stephen Coffrin, US DOE)

¶ “Form Energy Secures $405 Million To Speed Development Of Long-Awaited 100-Hour Battery” • Form Energy, a company that is beginning to produce a longer-lasting alternative to lithium batteries, announced that it hit a milestone of $405 million in funding. The money will allow Form to speed up manufacturing and continue R&D. [The Well News]

¶ “Legislature Will Consider Potential To Store High-Level Nuclear Waste In Wyoming” • A committee of the Wyoming Legislaturepassed draft legislation that could lead to allowing groups to use the state for temporary storage of high-level radioactive fuel waste created by nuclear power plants. It is going to the full legislature. [Cowboy State Daily]

Have a uniquely perfect day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Wildlife Populations Decline By 73% In 50 Years: Study” • The average size of global wildlife populations has declined by 73% in 50 years, a study by the World Wildlife Fund found. The study, the 2024 Living Planet Report, monitored wildlife populations of 5,495 species of amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, and reptiles between 1970 and 2020. [ABC News]

Kingfisher (Vincent van Zalinge, Unsplash)

¶ “The Wave Energy Dam Is Beginning To Bust Wide Open” • The power of ocean waves has been beckoning renewable energy innovators since the early 2000s, and now their work is starting to pay off. So far, it has been modest demonstrations, but the Israeli startup Eco Wave Power is looking at a 400-MW wave energy opportunity in Taiwan. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Alfa Laval To Supply First Systems For Ammonia-Fueled Marine Vessels By End Of 2025” • Alfa Laval is working hard to help the marine industry meet net zero targets. The sector accounts for nearly 3% of global carbon emissions, and it is starting to see a new fuel landscape. Ammonia may become a future low-carbon fuel. [CleanTechnica]

Ammonia powered ships (Courtesy of Alfa Laval)

¶ “AI May Not Need Nuclear Power Feeding, New Algorithm Reduces Energy Use By 95%” • A research team at BitEnergy AI has developed a promising technique to drastically reduce AI’s energy use. The new method, known as Linear-Complexity Multiplication, optimizes the mathematical operations that run AI, so AI may not need nuclear power. [MSN]

World:

¶ “UK Seals £24 Billion In Green Project Investments” • The UK government welcomed over £24 billion of private investment for “pioneering” energy projects before the International Investment Summit on 14 October. It said the cash will boost clean energy across the nations and regions and represents “a huge vote of confidence in the UK.” [reNews]

Solar farm ( UK government via Flickr)

¶ “Global Emissions Will Peak In 2024, Claims DNV In Latest Report” • In a press release, international accredited registrar DNV said 2024 will be the year of peak emissions. DNV’s Energy Transition Outlook says energy-related emissions are at the cusp of a long period of decline for the first time since the start of the industrial revolution. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “FuturEnergy, SSE File 122-MW Irish Array Plans” • SSE Renewables and FuturEnergy Ireland have submitted a planning application for the Cummeennabuddoge wind farm in Ireland to An Bord Pleanala. The renewable energy project of up to 122 MW is located on a site 5 km north-west of Ballyvourney near the boundary of Counties Cork and Kerry. [reNews]

Wind turbine (FuturEnergy Ireland image)

¶ “Mexico’s New President Has A Plan: A Cheap Mexican EV For The Masses Called “Olinia”” • Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s new president, wants to bring Mexico into the 21st century, pivoting to tech, drones, semi-conductors, and EVs. She announced she’ll make sure that, by the end of her term, Mexico owns a locally designed and built, affordable EV. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “$1.5 Trillion Needed Yearly To Hit COP28 Targets” • A report found despite unprecedented renewable energy deployment in 2023, progress still falls short to triple renewables by 2030, with current national plans and targets set to deliver only half of the required number, and an investment of more than $1 trillion per year is needed to get back on track. [reNews]

Wind turbines (Ben Jessop, Pexels)

¶ “Britain Sets Out Funding Model For Renewable Energy Storage Projects” • The UK will offer developers of renewable energy storage projects, such as pumped hydro, a guaranteed minimum income to spur investment in technologies that help the country meet its climate targets. Britain aims to decarbonize its power sector by 2030. [MSN]

US:

¶ “Ørsted And SRP Open Largest Co-located Solar And Battery Storage Project On Salt River Project Power Grid” • Ørsted and Salt River Project opened the Eleven Mile Solar Center, a 300-MW solar project with a 300-MW, 1200-MWh battery energy storage system in Arizona. Ørsted is investing $20 billion in US energy capacity. [CleanTechnica]

Pinal County’s Eleven Mile Solar System (Ørsted image)

¶ “Hurricane Milton Damage Emerges After Storm Passes Into Atlantic Ocean” • The damage that emerged after Milton struck Florida’s west coast include loss of the roof of Tropicana Field in St Petersburg, a number of deaths of people at a senior living community in St Lucie County, and destruction of a 10,000-square-foot sheriff’s facility. [ABC News]

¶ “GM Offers Another Reason To Buy An Electric Vehicle, Just In Time For The Next Power Outage” • The GM Energy branch of GM has rolled out PowerBank. The basic elements are familiar to those who follow the news about electrification, with tie-ins for EVs. Home energy storage can pave the way to rooftop solar, and virtual power plants. [CleanTechnica]

GM Energy’s PowerBank (Courtesy of GM Energy)

¶ “Report Outlines Grid Plans For US Mid-Atlantic” • A report from The Brattle Group highlighted how the US Mid-Atlantic states have multiple avenues for developing critical transmission lines that they can act on. The study was commissioned by the American Council on Renewable Energy and the Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Coalition. [reNews]

¶ “Advocacy Groups Pitch Solar Microgrids As New Orleans Power Backups” • The New Orleans City Council has voted to consider proposals for a distributed power grid across the city. Individual generator sources, such as solar PVs on a house, can be connected to each other to form a grid that gets its power from distributed sites. [Louisiana Illuminator]

Have a relaxingly unhurried day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Could Small Modular Reactors Be Used To Create Nuclear Warheads?” • The global pursuit of small modular reactor technology could feed the development of nuclear warheads. In answer a question on the subject, the best the UK’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero could do was to provide a qualified response. [New Civil Engineer]

Trinity bomb test (US Government, public domain)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Solar Desalinization System From MIT Needs No Grid Connection Or Battery Backup” • Using sunlight to power a desalinization system is fairly simple. What happens when the sun isn’t shining? Engineers at MIT say they have the answer: a desalination system that removes salt from water at the the pace of solar energy. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Berlin Gets A Flying Electric Ferry” • Candela Technology AB, based in Stockholm, has announced the sale of a Candela P-12 electric hydrofoiling ferry to charter cruises in Berlin. “Berlin is a city with a lot of water, but this is hardly used for transport. We want to open up waterways for fast, emission-free transport,” said Candela’s Brigitte Junker. [CleanTechnica]

Candela boat (Candela image)

¶ “Lithion Becomes Hyundai’s Official Partner For Collection And Recycling Of EV Batteries In Canada” • Hyundai Auto Canada announced that it has selected Lithion as its primary partner for collecting EV batteries and modules for recycling. Hyundai’s corporate vision is to collect and recycle their lithium-ion vehicle batteries. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Tesla Cybertruck May Be Too Heavy And Angular For EU Roads” • Transport and Environment reports that the owner of a Tesla Cybertruck in the Czech Republic announced that national authorities registered his vehicle for use on public roads. A group of NGOs questions the legality of the registration because the truck exceeds weight limits. [CleanTechnica]

Cybertruck (Maxim, Unsplash)

¶ “Britain Sets Out Funding Model For Renewable Energy Storage Projects” • Britain will offer developers of renewable energy storage projects, such as pumped hydro, a guaranteed minimum income to spur investment in technologies that help the country meet its climate targets. Britain aims to decarbonise its power sector by 2030. [MSN]

¶ “Sany Installs 15-MW Onshore Wind Turbine” • Chinese firm Sany Renewable Energy installed a self-developed onshore 15-MW wind turbine, the SI-270150, in Tongyu, Jilin Province. This feat set two new global records, one for the largest single-unit capacity and the other for largest rotor diameter for onshore turbines, the turbine firm said. [reNews]

Sany wind turbine (Sany image)

¶ “Guess Which Country Will Account For 60% Of Re Additions Until 2030” • China, the dominant player in renewable energy, is expected to account for almost 60% of the total clean energy to be added globally between 2024 and 2030. While Beijing adds the biggest volumes, India is growing the fastest amongst major economies, the report said. [Asian Power]

¶ “Lightsource BP Opens 50-MW Polish PV Farm” • Lightsource BP has opened the 50MW Kotuń Solar Farm, its first PV project in Poland. The Kotuń Solar Farm is a key project for Lightsource BP, marking a milestone in the firm’s contribution to Poland’s renewable energy sector while supporting the Lightsource BP energy transition strategy. [reNews]

Solar farm (Lightsource BP image)

¶ “Labor Springs Surprise Nuclear Power Committee To Call Coalition Bluff” • Australia’s Labor government surprised the last sitting of the winter parliament by creating a select committee to inquire into the viability of nuclear power. The committee is not designed to support a Labor government policy shift, but to call out a Coalition bluff. [RenewEconomy]

US:

¶ “Hurricane Milton Could Be ‘Like Nothing They Have Ever Seen Before,’ FEMA Administrator Warns” • Even as Hurricane Milton was miles southwest of Tampa, officials in Florida were doing all they could do to brace for impact at around 9 PM on Wednesday. FEMA warned that the storm could “be like nothing they have seen before.” [ABC News]

Hurricane Milton at landfall (NWS/NOAA, public domain)

¶ “How Rising Oil Prices Could Impact The Election, According To Experts” • An escalation of conflicts in the Middle East in recent weeks has triggered a sharp increase in oil prices, raising uncertainty about where costs will head in the final weeks before Election Day. Oil prices surged about 13% over an 11-day stretch ending on Monday. [ABC News]

¶ “First Electric School Bus Fleet To Serve A Sovereign Tribal Community In The US” • In Minnesota, the Red Lake School District unveiled a new electric school bus fleet. It is the first school district with an indigenous population to use funding from the EPA Clean School Bus Program. Red Lake honors their roots while using modern technology. [CleanTechnica]

Red Lake ceremony (Red Lake School District)

¶ “New Brownfield Solar Project In New Jersey Just Completed” • CEP Renewables, NJR Clean Energy Ventures and CS Energy announced that they completed a 19-MW DC grid supply Foul Rift solar project in Warren County, New Jersey. It is one of several brownfield and landfill solar projects CEP Renewables has completed in the state. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “WSU Receives $4 Million Grant For Research Converting Renewable Energy To Liquids” • A Washington State University research team has been selected to receive a $4 million US DOE grant for work in converting renewable energy to liquid fuels. The team will use renewable energy to create such hydrocarbons as oil or gasoline. [WSU Insider]

Have a serenely effective day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Electrify Everything, Eradicate Energy Poverty” • Worldwide, about 733 million people face hunger. Families don’t see how to light and heat their homes, keep a vehicle fueled, and fix meals. The Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative showed a correlation between a lack of electricity and education, poor health, and malnourishment. [CleanTechnica]

Burkina’s gold (TREEAID, CC BY 2.0)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Hurricane Milton Made Up To 800 Times More Likely By Hotter Water In Gulf Of Mexico” • A Climate Central analysis showed that the high sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, which fueled the rapid intensification of Hurricane Helene, were made between 400 and 800 times more likely by the climate crisis. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Mobile Homes & Municipalities Find Heat Pumps To Fit Their Needs” • ORNL’s Ground Source Heat Pump Screening Tool was designed for GSHP applications. It allows building owners, HVAC system designers, and installers to estimate the benefits and costs of GSHP systems in buildings at all climate zones in the US. [CleanTechnica]

Pump Up Your Savings with Heat Pumps (DOE image)

World:

¶ “How The Source Of Your Tissues And Toilet Paper Is Fueling Wildfires Far Away ” • Few people in other parts of Europe and the US would have realized that some of their everyday products may have played a role in making fires in Portugal worse. Certain paper products are made with materials from eucalyptus trees, which are grown there for paper. [CNN]

¶ “UK To Pour $28 Billion Into Carbon Capture And Storage Over 25 Years” • The UK’s new Labour government announced that it will pump £22 billion ($28.77 billion) into carbon capture and storage schemes over the next 25 years. The Guardian reports the move came after a round of high pressure lobbying by fossil fuel giants. [CleanTechnica]

Protesting carbon capture (Matt Hrkac, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Plugin Vehicles Now 22% of World Auto Sales” • Global plugin vehicle registrations were up 19% in August 2024 from August 2023. There were 1.5 million registrations. Battery EVs were up by just 6% year over year, but plugin hybrids jumped 51%, selling close to half a million units. A million battery EVs took up the remaining million registrations. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Kent Wins Substation Design For Five Estuaries” • Kent PLC signed a contract to provide a concept design study of a HVAC offshore substation platform for the RWE-led Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm in England. The Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm is the sister extension project of the existing £1.5 billion, 353-MW Galloper Wind Farm. [reNews]

Offshore wind farm substation (Courtesy of Kent)

¶ “SSE Turns Sod On 320-MW UK Battery Site” • Construction is underway on SSE’s largest battery storage project, a 320-MW installation at Monk Fryston, in North Yorkshire. Once the installation is completed in early 2026, the site could power over half a million homes for up to two hours at a time, during times of peak demand. [reNews]

¶ “Renewable Energy To Fall Short Of UN Goal To Triple By 2030, IEA Says” • Renewable energy sources are set to meet nearly half of all electricity demand by the end of the decade. Nevertheless, it will fall short of a UN goal to triple capacity to reduce carbon emissions, a report by the International Energy Agency showed. [Voice of America]

Solar park in Japan (Mark Merner, Unsplash)

¶ “Nuclear Plant ‘Will Decimate Fish Stocks'” • How many fish does a nuclear power station kill? It sounds grisly, but for the engineers building Britain’s first nuclear power station in a generation, it’s an urgent question. And for conservationists and villagers on the banks of the River Severn in Gloucestershire, it has become an urgent question. [BBC]

US:

¶ “Milton Strengthens To Category 5 Storm Again” • Hurricane Milton re-strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane Tuesday afternoon. It is taking aim at Florida’s west coast, and landfall is expected late Wednesday night as a Category 3 hurricane. Milton is closing in as Floridians are still recovering from devastation unleashed by Hurricane Helene. [ABC News]

Hurricane Milton (Matthew Dominick, NASA, public domain)

¶ “Biden-Harris Admin Announces California’s Launch of First Phase of Federal Home Energy Rebate Programs” • The US DOE announced that California is launching its first federal Home Energy Rebates program, supported by the Inflation Reduction Act. California is starting with a section on an energy efficiency improvements. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “GM Set To Walk Away From Ultium Label Amid Battery Strategy Shake-Up” • General Motors introduced its Ultium battery and EV platform technologies in 2020. Now, according to Bloomberg, the name Ultium may soon disappear at GM. It hired Kurt Kelty, who formerly worked at Tesla, to be in charge of its EV battery program. [CleanTechnica]

Chevrolet Equinox EV 3LT (Courtesy of GM)

¶ “Ohio High Court Races Will Decide Future Of State’s Energy Transition And Utility Fairness” • This fall’s election for three seats on the Supreme Court of Ohio is expected to play a pivotal role in deciding the state’s direction on renewable energy, utility accountability, and other energy issues. Candidates do not run on specific issues but have records. [Ohio Capital Journal]

¶ “Ashtrom Puts On Stream 306-MW Solar Park In Texas” • Part of construction and real estate giant Ashtrom Group, Israel’s Ashtrom Renewable Energy, brought its 306-MW, 400-MW DC Tierra Bonita solar park online, after reaching commissioning earlier than planned. The solar PV farm is in Pecos County, in the west of Texas. [Renewables Now]

Have an understandably positive day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Is Restarting Three Mile Island Really A Good Idea?” • From an emissions perspective, nuclear’s resurgence is a good thing: consuming nuclear fuel doesn’t create greenhouse gas emissions. But does a focus on nuclear power really make sense? Solar and wind power plants, with battery storage, are safe and cheaper to build and operate. [Fast Company]

Three Mile Island (Constellation Energy, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “On Army Bases, Nuclear Energy Can’t Add Resilience, Just Costs And Risks” • Sometimes, the US government offers a huge subsidy to an industry on grounds that make no sense to anyone with even basic knowledge of the subject. The Army’s Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations program to install small reactors on military bases is an example. [Breaking Defense]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Fused Molecules Are Building Blocks For Safer Lithium-Ion Batteries” • By fusing together a pair of contorted molecular structures, Cornell researchers created a porous crystal that can uptake lithium-ion electrolytes and transport them smoothly via one-dimensional nanochannels. The design could lead to safer solid-state lithium-ion batteries. [CleanTechnica]

Representational graphic (Adam Malin, ORNL, US DOE)

World:

¶ “Ukraine Strikes Russian Oil Hub As Zelenskyy Says War Is In ‘A Very Important Phase'” • Ukraine’s military said it has struck a major oil terminal in Crimea that provides fuel for Russia’s war effort as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the war has entered a key phase. Both sides are facing the issue of how to sustain their costly war of attrition. [ABC News]

¶ “Toyota Puts Nearly $1 Billion Into Electric Aviation Startup” • Toyota, still the largest automaker in the world, has announced that it is going to “invest an additional $500 million to support the certification and commercial production of Joby’s electric air taxi, with the aim of realizing the two companies’ shared vision of air mobility.” [CleanTechnica]

Hydrogen fuel cell eVOTL (Joby Aviation)

¶ “Better Energy Signs First Finnish PPA” • Better Energy signed its first power purchase agreement in Finland, to build a solar park near Hanko. Faerch will offtake enough renewable energy to cover around 70% of its annual electricity use in the country. The solar park is expected to be connected to the grid in 2026 and generate 38 GWh annually. [reNews]

¶ “Global Floating Wind Pipeline Hits 266 GW” • The global floating offshore wind project pipeline grew by 9% over the last 12 months to 266 GW, according to a RenewableUK report. A year ago, the pipeline stood at 244 GW, and it expanded by 22 GW in the past year. The number of projects increased globally during that time from 285 to 316. [reNews]

Work on a floating windfarm (Principle Power image)

¶ “Valorem Secures €200 Million Investment” • Valorem, a French renewables developer, received a firm offer to raise €200 million from a consortium of AIP Management and IDIA. The pair join existing investors via its France Investissement Energie Environnement 2 fund. Valorem has grown its holdings fivefold in eight years. [reNews]

US:

¶ “Salmon Swim Freely In The Klamath River For First Time In A Century After Dams Removed” • For the first time in over a century, just days after the largest dam removal project in US history was completed, salmon are swimming freely along the Klamath River and its tributaries. The river is a major watershed near the California-Oregon border. [ABC News]

Upper Klamath River (BLM, public domain)

¶ “Home Insurers Argue For A 42% Average Rate Hike In North Carolina” • With many western North Carolina residents still lacking power and running water from Hurricane Helene, a hearing began on the insurance industry’s request to raise homeowner premium rates by more than 42% on average, with variations depending on location. [ABC News]

¶ “100 Electric Trash Trucks, 150 Electric Buses, 30 Electric Graders: Commercial Electric Vehicles Report” • Commercial vehicle owners and fleet operators are continuing their move to EVs for one simple reason: They cost less to own and operate than conventional trucks and buses. The proof comes from Republic Services. [CleanTechnica]

Electric collection truck (Oshkosh Corperation image)

¶ “Alaska Utilities Turn To Renewables As Costs Escalate For Fossil Fuel Electricity Generation” • Last year, Renewable IPP began operating Alaska’s largest solar project, which is built on 45 acres of a fire-scarred patch of land near the Matanuska-Susitna Valley city of Houston. In June, the panels provide power up to nineteen hours per day. [Inside Climate News]

¶ “Readout of US Energy Secretary Granholm And Deputy Secretary Turk’s Conversation with Electricity Sector Leaders About Hurricane Helene Response” • US Energy Secretary Jennifer M Granholm and Deputy Secretary David M Turk joined electricity sector leaders to discuss the response and recovery effort to Hurricane Helene. [CleanTechnica]

Hurricane Helene (AOML, NOAA)

¶ “Wisconsin Utilities Plan Nearly $2 Billion In Renewable Energy Projects” • Three major Wisconsin utilities plan to spend almost $2 billion on five renewable energy projects as part of efforts to cut carbon emissions and shift to clean energy. Plans include 500 MW of solar, about 180 MW of wind and 100 MW of battery storage. [ironmountaindailynews.com]

¶ “Gila River Indian Community Turns On Power For First Ever Solar-Over-Canal Project” • The Gila River Indian Community celebrated a historic milestone in its work on water conservation and renewable energy by bringing the first-ever solar-over-canal project in the country online. The project spans over 2,700 linear feet of the Casa Blanca Canal. [Arizona Mirror]

Have a sufficiently exquisite day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “It’s Happening: See-Through Solar Windows Kick Fossil Energy To The Curb” • The age of the fossil fuels is drawing to a close, and solar windows are coming to help. A solar window is engineered to let daylight in while also catching solar energy and generating electricity. The technology is maturing and poised for widespread adoption. [CleanTechnica]

Sleek, black solar windows (Courtesy of ClearVue)

World:

¶ “Samoa Warns Of ‘Highly Probable’ Oil Spill” • A fuel spill is “highly probable” after a New Zealand navy ship grounded, caught fire, and sank off the coast of Samoa, the Pacific island nation’s acting prime minister said. All 75 people on board the HMNZS Manawanui were taken to safety on life boats. The ship is one of nine in New Zealand’s navy. [ABC News]

¶ “A New 200-kW Solar PV, 915-kWh Battery Minigrid Brings Electricity To Hakwaka Village” • We always hear that over 600 million people in Africa have no access to electricity, and that close to a billion have no access to clean cooking! With the right business models and funding, hundreds of GWh of capacity can be installed in African countries. [CleanTechnica]

Local shopkeeper (Image courtesy of UNDP)

¶ “EVs Take 29.4% Share Of The UK Auto Market” • September saw plugin EVs take 29.4% share of the UK auto market, up from 23.4% year on year. Both battery EVs (up 24%) and plugin hybrids (up 32%) grew volume, year-over-year. Overall auto volume grew 1% to 275,239 units but was still far below the pre-2020 seasonal norms of over 350,000. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “RWE, TotalEnergies Forge German Offshore JV” • RWE and TotalEnergies have agreed to develop jointly two offshore wind projects with a total capacity of 4 GW. To this end, TotalEnergies will acquire a 50% equity stake in the projects from RWE. The projects are roughly 110 km to 115 km north-west of the German island of Borkum. [reNews]

Projects on the map (RWE image)

¶ “Maharashtra Aims For 50% Renewable Energy By 2030” • Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that Maharashtra will be India’s first state to get 50% of its energy from non-traditional sources. Also the state’s energy minister, he spoke at a ceremony laying the foundation stone for a facility for integrated solar manufacturing. [Rediff Money]

¶ “TagEnergy Completes 100-MW Yorkshire BESS” • Tag Energy’s 100-MW, 200-MWh facility in Drax, North Yorkshire, became its first transmission-connected battery energy storage system, following successful completion of the commissioning switching program by the project’s onsite team and National Grid engineers. [reNews]

BESS (TagEnergy image)

¶ “71.12% Of Referendum Participants Support Construction Of Nuclear Power Plant In Kazakhstan” • Kazakhstanis supported construction of nuclear power plant in the country, as an early count showed 71.12% of voters favored it, the Central Election Commission reported. Data show 5,561,937 voters supported it and 2,045,271 opposed it. [AKIpress News Agency]

US:

¶ “Criticisms Of LNG Export Emissions Study Don’t Withstand Scrutiny” • A paper, “The greenhouse gas footprint of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exported from the United States” appeared in the journal Energy Science & Engineering. It’s a credible journal, and you wouldn’t think that this would be a subject of special contention, but it is. [CleanTechnica]

LNG carrier (kees torn, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “With Help From DOE Program, Moline Continues Planning For Solar Project” • As Moline, Illinois seeks to redevelop areas, administrator Bob Vitas says it is looking to the future, including in alternative energy sources. One way Moline is innovating is through a solar project planned on a parcel of land south of the Quad Cities International Airport. [Energy Central]

¶ “San Antonio Will Soon Be Home To A Pioneer Renewable Energy Plant” • Bexar County, New Mexico, will be home to a first-of-its-kind renewable energy plant when it opens in 2026. Ohio-based Synthica Energy broke ground on the plant on September 26. The plant is expected to divert nearly 250,000 tons of waste from local landfills each year. [MySA]

Have a genuinely incredible day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Why Are You Paying To Subsidize The Fossil Fuel Industry?” • Governments across the world now spend a total of $2.6 trillion per year on subsidies that harm the environment, jeopardizing global climate and biodiversity targets. The public should not be paying at the pump for increasing the profits of the fossil fuel industry. [CleanTechnica]

Fossil Fuel Subsidies Cancelled (John Englart, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Emissions From LNG Are Worse Than From Burning Coal” • A study published in the journal Energy Science And Engineering argues that greenhouse gas emissions associated with extracting natural gas, compressing it, and transporting it mean the entire process results in about a third more damage than burning coal at end use locations. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Rescue Teams Search For Missing After Floods, Landslides Kill At Least Sixteen In Bosnia” • Rescue teams on Saturday searched for those still missing after flash floods and landslides hit parts of Bosnia, killing at least sixteen people and injuring scores more. Climate change increases the intensity of rainfall because warm air holds more moisture. [ABC News]

Old Bridge in Mostar (Hongbin, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Why The 2035 Zero-Emission Car Target Is Crucial” • A T&E briefing outlines why the 2035 goal is so important. An analysis looked at the impact of a shift to EVs on jobs in the automotive sector and showed that those lost in the traditional fossil-fuel focused industries would be offset by new jobs in the quickly growing e-mobility value chain. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Solar Farm Plans Near University Approved” • A solar farm looks set to be built in Lancashire after councilors approved an application. Plans are in place for the site near the Bailrigg Campus of Lancaster University. The site belongs to Lancaster City Council, which said it is “committed to supporting the move to a lower carbon future.” [BBC]

Bailrigg House (Loxley, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “Trade Defence: Where To Go Next For EU’s EV And Battery Trade Policy” • Following the anti-subsidy investigation, the European Commission has proposed additional import duties on China-made battery EVs, ranging from 7.8% for Tesla to 35.3% for SAIC’s MG. Last year, one in five electric cars sold in Europe was imported from China. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “As The Era Of Coal Comes To An End, How Close Is The UK To 100% Clean Energy?” • The UK was the first in the world to generate electricity from coal. Now it is the first major economy to phase it out. Such a rapid transition is only possible due to the rise of alternative electricity sources that are capable of meeting rising demands. [The Independent]

Alternative energy (Drew Hays, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Less Than Ten Days After Helene Made Landfall, Florida Braces For Another Hurricane, Potentially A Category 3 ” • Less than ten days after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida, the state is bracing for another potentially devastating blow from a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. Tropical Storm Milton could land as a Category 3 storm. [CNN]

¶ “AV Successfully Flight Tests New Solar-Powered Aircraft” • An upgraded Sunglider™ was tested by AeroVironment, showing off improved high-altitude platform-station capabilities. The result is Horus™ A, which is a new version of Sunglider for government applications. The Horus A is capable of carrying payloads of up to 150 pounds. [CleanTechnica]

Solar-powered aircraft (Courtesy of AeroVironment, Inc)

¶ “EVgo To Receive Up To $1.05 Billion To Accelerate Buildout Of Public Fast Charging Across The US” • EVgo Inc, one of the nation’s largest public fast charging networks for EVs, announced that it received a conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $1.05 billion of debt financing, from the US DOE Loan Programs Office. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Dakota County’s Byllesby Dam Modernization To Double Renewable Energy Output, Securing Cannon Falls’ Energy Needs” • Dakota County’s Byllesby Dam, a century-old structure, has recently completed a significant upgrade that promises to double its renewable energy output, as local leaders and partners congregated to mark this milestone. [Hoodline]

Cannon Falls (CF Area Chamber of Commerce, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “New Solar Farms Look To Shine Bright In Southwestern PA” • Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and renewable energy developer Oriden celebrated the launch of three solar farms. Two are in Fayette County and will have nearly 14 MW of capacity each. One in Somerset county will have about 15 MW, so the total capacity will be 43 MW. [Herald-Standard]

¶ “Refurbished Three Mile Island Payment Structure Not Quite What It Seems” • Reactor 1 at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant, which was shut down in 2019, will be refurbished and put back into service to supply power for Microsoft. The demand for electricity is exploding, thanks to cryptomining and AI, leaving little for normal life. [CleanTechnica]

Have a fundamentally elated day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Thinking About Climate Reparations” • The idea that we might even think of making reparations for our releases of greenhouse gases fills me with horror. But what if we designed a kit that would be the basis for a solar microgrid?And what if we built them and gave them away to people all over the world? Where would that put us? [CleanTechnica]

A lot better than nothing (USAID in Africa, public domain)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Demo Project For Electric Bus With Super-Rapid 10-Minute Charging” • Toshiba Corporation, Kawasaki Tsurumi Rinko Bus Co, Ltd, and Drive Electro Technology Co, Ltd agreed to study a demonstration project on the value of a super-rapid charging battery powered by a pantograph. The project is expected to be operating in November 2025. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Mexico’s New President Promises To Resume Fight Against Climate Change” • In her first days as Mexico’s new president, Claudia Sheinbaum made a point of distancing herself from the fossil fuel reliance promoted by her predecessor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, and vowed to resume an energy transition that he had halted. [ABC News]

Claudia Sheinbaum (EneasMx, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Solar Power Companies Are Growing Fast In Africa, Where 600 Million Still Lack Electricity” • Companies that bring solar power to some of the poorest homes in Central and West Africa may be among the fastest growing in Africa, where governments struggle with some of the world’s worst infrastructure and the results of climate change. [ABC News]

¶ “EU Countries Vote To Impose Duties On China EVs Ahead Of A Deadline” • EU countries voted to impose duties on imports of EVs from China, as talks continued between Brussels and Beijing to find an amicable solution to their trade dispute before an end-of-October deadline. EU automotive powerhouse Germany and Hungary voted against it. [ABC News]

BYD EV (Farrel Atharic, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “EVs Take A Record 97.5% Share In Norway – Tesla Takes Third Of Market ” • September witnessed plugin EVs take a record 97.5% share in Norway, up from 93.0% year on year. Battery EVs took a 96.4% share, also a new record, with plugin hybrids a distant runner-up at 1.1% share. Overall auto volume was 12,966 units, up 25% YOY. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Evecon, Mirova Power 77-MW Solar PV Plant In Estonia, The Baltics’ ‘Largest’” • Estonian energy company Evecon and French asset manager Mirova reached operational status at a 77.53-MW solar park in Estonia. The companies say it is the largest solar park in the Baltics, with double the capacity what had been the largest, a PV plant in Estonia. [PV Tech]

Kirikmäe solar park (Evecon image)

¶ “BNEF Estimates $1 Trillion Per Year Investment To Triple Renewable Energy Capacity” • Despite progress, nations are not on track to meet the target of tripling global renewable energy capacity by 2030, according to the Unlocking Investment to Triple Renewables report, unveiled at the Global Renewables Summit in New York City. [GreentechLead]

¶ “PKN Orlen Completes First Onshore Link For Baltic Power” • PKN Orlen confirmed that it made the first onshore connection for the 1200-MW Baltic Power wind farm in Poland. The first of four directional drills under the coastline, beach, and seabed was successfully completed, with no direct impact on areas of high ecological value, the company said. [reNews]

Jack-up platform in the Baltic (PKN Orlen image)

¶ “Mexico City’s Municipal Solar Panels To Power The Capital’s Electric Buses” • Mexico City’s municipal public market will use its solar panels to power city buses, Bloomberg News reported. The solar PVs on Central de Abasto will help President Claudia Sheinbaum “achieve her goal of boosting clean energy in the fossil-fuel dependent country.” [Mexico News Daily]

US:

¶ “The Supreme Court Steps Into A Fight Over Plans To Store Nuclear Waste In Rural Texas And New Mexico” • Justices of the Supreme Court said they will review a ruling that found the NRC exceeded its authority under federal law in granting a license to a private company to store spent nuclear fuel at a dump in West Texas for 40 years. [ABC News]

Supreme Court (Fine Photographics, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Volkswagen ID.4 Sales Down 58% in USA ” • Last quarter, Volkswagen ID.4 sales decreased 58%, year on year! They went from 10,707 to 4,518. At a time when EV sales are going up for Ford (+12%), Nissan (+41), Chevrolet (+26%), and Cadillac (139%), one would expect that Volkswagen EV sales were going up, not decreasing by 58%. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Isolated And Alone, Texas Power Grid Shivved By Louisiana Lawmakers” • Texas chose to go its own way on the power grid. It is independent from the rest of the country. But it also went its own way on regulations, and this led to power outages. A power line linking the state to the rest of the country might help, but Louisiana could block it. [CleanTechnica]

Transmission projects (US DOE image)
Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “New York Governor Kathy Hochul Announces $24 Million Of Awards For Innovation In Multiple Clean Energy Sectors” • New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced more than $24 million in awarded contracts for 26 innovation projects in multiple clean energy sectors, joining the NYSERDA’s growing portfolio of over 200 innovation projects. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “Avangrid Wins DOE Contract To Build Maine Renewable Energy Project” • The US DOE selected Avangrid Inc for a $425 million capacity contract for its Aroostook Renewable Project to connect wind energy from Aroostook County, Maine, to the rest of the state. The Maine Public Utilities Commission will have to act on the project also. [Daily Energy Insider]

Have a totally okay day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Storms, Flooding, And Extreme Heat Will Transform The American South” • Hurricane Helene dumped 4 feet of rain on parts of North Carolina, leading to devastating floods in places like Asheville that were considered safe havens. But we should have seen it coming. The average surface temperature in the Gulf of Mexico is 90°F. [CleanTechnica]

Hurricane Helene (NOAA AOML)

Science and Technology:

¶ “New Analysis Finds Substantial Value of Adding Up to 4-Hour Duration Batteries to Solar Or Wind Power Plants In Regions Facing Transmission Congestion” • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory published a study that examines the value of adding batteries to wind and solar plants located in areas that are facing transmission congestion. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Volkswagen ID.7 Pro S Covers 794 km on One Battery Charge” • Driving the electric ID.7 Pro S, Volkswagen Team Switzerland, headed by Felix Egolf, an expert in long-distance driving with electric cars, successfully covered a total of 794 kilometres (493 miles) with a single battery charge in a driving time of 15 hours and 42 minutes. [CleanTechnica]

Volkswagen ID.7 (Volkswagen Newsroom)

¶ “Fossil Gas Crisis And EV Taxis in Colombia: A Surprisingly Promising Pair” • Recently, Columbia has gone through a series of complex changes of rain patterns, availability of natural gas, international politics, and utility company policy. The result is that taxi companies in the country are turning to electric taxis. It is a promising change. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “EVs Take 27.6% Share In France — Citroën e-C3 Arrives In A Rush” • September’s auto sales saw plugin EVs take 27.6% share in France, a drop from 29.3% year on year. Battery EV share grew modestly, while the plugin hybrid share fell. Overall auto volume was 139,003 units, down by some 11%. The Tesla Model Y was the month’s best selling Battery EV. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model Y (Eyosias G, Unsplash)

¶ “SSE Delays Completion Of Dogger Bank A” • SSE Renewables, Equinor, and Vargronn confirmed that the 1.2-GW Dogger Bank A wind farm off east England will not be in operation until the second half of 2025. The announcement was made after the project team worked with GE Vernova to assess the impact of three recent blade failures. [reNews]

¶ “UK’s Largest Operating Solar Farm Secures 20-Year PPA” • NextEnergy Capital announced that its subsidiary, NextPower UK ESG, signed a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement for the Llanwern Solar Farm, the largest operating solar farm in the UK. The agreement covers 90% of the electricity generated by the 75-MW facility. [Energy Live News]

Solar farm (Courtesy of NextEnergy Capital)

¶ “European Commission Approves €1.2 Billion Polish Storage Support” • The European Commission has approved a Polish scheme to support investments in electricity storage facilities to foster the net zero economy. The €1.2 billion scheme is to support the installation of at least 5.4 GWh of new electricity storage facilities. [reNews]

¶ “Australia’s Largest Operating Wind Farm Sends First Power To Sunshine State Grid” • Acciona Energia announced the largest operating wind farm in Australia, the 923-MW MacIntyre project in south-western Queensland, has marked a notable milestone. It has made its first export of renewable energy to the national electricity market. [RenewEconomy]

MacIntyre wind farm (Courtesy of Acciona Energia)

¶ “‘Don’t Agree On Everything’: Leaders Divided On Nuclear” • Peter Dutton has promised to build seven nuclear plants across Australia if the coalition wins next year’s federal election. But David Crisafulli, who is on track to lead the Liberal National Party to power in Queensland at the October 26 election, stands firmly against the proposal. [MSN]

US:

¶ “Why Was Flooding In Asheville So Extreme? Meteorologists Explain” • The remnants of Hurricane Helene were not the only factor that contributed to the severity of the flooding that struck Asheville, North Carolina. Other regional conditions, including a precursor rain event and the topography of the land, gave rise to deadly flash flooding. [ABC News]

Helene’s damage in Asheville (Bill McMannis, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Cryptocurrency And Data Centers Create Soaring Electricity Demand in Texas” • In the US, electricity demand is growing fastest in Texas, where ERCOT manages 90% of the load on the power grid. The growing demand for electricity is largely from computing facilities such as data centers and cryptocurrency mining operations. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US DOE Invests $1.5 Billion In Grid Schemes” • The US DOE announced funds totaling $1.5 in four transmission projects being developed by American Council on Renewable Energy members. They will enable nearly 1,000 miles of power lines and 7.1 GW of new capacity in Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. [reNews]

Transmission lines (SXC image)

¶ “Utility-Scale US Solar Electricity Generation Skyrocketing in 2024” • In August 2024, utility-scale solar electric generation averaged 63.1 GWh between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM each day in the Lower 48, 36% more than for the same hours in August 2023. Additions of solar generating capacity outpaced other resources in the US electric power sector in 2023. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US Nuclear Power Regulator Urged To Address ‘Dirty Bomb’ Risks To Society And Economy” • The US NRC, the nuclear power regulator, has not acted on recommendations to address radiological security risks to the economy and society including those from “dirty bombs,” This is according to the Government Accountability Office. [Reuters]

Have an appreciably receptive day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Andrew Forrest Scoffs At Net Zero, Calling It ‘A Proven Fantasy'” • In an interview, Forrest said it is high time for the world to walk away from the “proven fantasy” of net zero by 2050 and to embrace “real zero” by 2040. He called on business executives and politicians to make way for leaders willing to take on such a challenge. [CleanTechnica]

Ship powered by green ammonia (Fortescue Future image)

¶ “LG Chem Finds Key To Suppressing Thermal Runaway In Batteries” • LG Chem announced that its Platform Technology R&D team has developed a temperature-responsive Safety Reinforced Layer, a material designed to suppress thermal runaway. The research findings were published online in Nature Communications. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Volvo Trucks Pushes For Price On Carbon Emissions” • At present, Volvo Trucks is leading in the electric truck sector, with a 51% market share in Europe and 40% in the US. In the first half of 2024, of over 2,500 electric trucks delivered in Europe, more than half were from Volvo Trucks. The company is pushing for a carbon emissions price. [CleanTechnica]

Volvo electric truck (Volvo image)

¶ “Growing Markets for Grid-Connected Battery Storage in India” • Last summer, India’s electricity infrastructure strained to meet soaring demand and had its greatest peak power shortfall since 2010. With increasing future climate events, traditional equipment should be expected to fail. This can be addressed by battery energy storage systems. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Anesco Wins Approval For 48-MW Solar Site” • Anesco has planning permission from South Staffordshire Council to build a 48-MW solar farm in north-west England. Construction at the 143-acre site will begin in early 2025. The site will benefit from advanced biodiversity improvements designed to support local wildlife and at-risk species. [reNews]

Solar panels (Anesco image)

¶ “BrightNight Gets Permit For $480 Million Renewables Hub In Victoria” • The government of Victoria awarded development approval for a project that will add 360 MW of solar and 300 MW battery energy storage capacity. The proposal for what will be the largest hybrid renewable energy complex in Victoria was launched by BrightNight. [Renewables Now]

¶ “European Energy Turns Sod On Latvian Solar” • European Energy is beginning construction of what will be one of Latvia’s biggest solar farms at 148 MW. The solar farm will be connected to the grid by the end of 2025. Latvia has ambitious climate goals and a long history with hydropower, but its solar potential is largely untapped. [reNews]

Operational asset (Courtesy of European Energy)

¶ “Solar Central To UK Clean Power Mission” • Solar power will be a “key driving force” behind the 2030 clean power mission, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told industry during the first meeting of the government’s reactivated solar taskforce. The taskforce will “focus relentlessly” on accelerating the delivery of solar energy across the country. [reNews]

¶ “Nuclear Power Plants In France Are Threatened By Marine Submersion, Warns Greenpeace” • Greenpeace France warns of the vulnerability of nuclear power plants to marine submersion, in a report published October 3. Among the threats linked to rising temperatures: rising water levels, fueled by melting ice caps and warming oceans. [Actual News Magazine]

Nuclear plant in France (T.A.F.K.A.S., CC-BY-SA 3.0)

US:

¶ “Hurricane Helene Live Updates: Death Toll Rises To 189 Amid Search For Missing” • At least 189 people were killed by Helene, according to The Associated Press. The hurricane made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region a week ago as a massive Category 4 hurricane. It was the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the Big Bend on record. [ABC News]

¶ “Historic October Heat In The West Made Possible By Climate Change” • A record-setting late season heat wave is in effect in the West, partly due to human-caused climate change. October temperature records were broken in major cities, some with triple-digit heat. Palm Springs reached 117°F; Phoenix hit 113°F, and Tucson had 105°F. [ABC News]

Tucson (JC Cervantes, Unsplash)

¶ “Tesla Sales Up 6.4% In Third Quarter” • Tesla released its third quarter production and delivery numbers. After two quarters of dropping sales, year over year, there was much anticipation to see how much Tesla could bounce back and see sales growth in the third quarter. Tesla deliveries in Q3 2024 totaled 462,890, a 6.4% increase over Q3 2023. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “RWE Turns Sod On 450 MW Of Texan BESS Projects” • RWE has broken ground on three battery energy storage systems in Texas with a combined capacity of 450 MW. Onsite construction is now underway at RWE’s Crowned Heron 1, Crowned Heron 2, and Cartwheel 1 BESS projects in Texas. Each of the projects has 150 MW of capacity. [reNews]

RWE energy storage (RWE image)

¶ “Clearway Energy Group Starts Work On 300-MW Texas Solar + Storage Project” • Clearway Energy Group announced that it has closed financing and begun construction of the 300-MW Pine Forest solar and 200-MW Pine Forest standalone storage projects in Texas. The projects will generate enough electricity to power over 90,000 homes. [Solar Power World]

¶ “Corrosion Exceeds Estimates At Michigan Nuclear Plant Us Wants To Restart, Regulator Says” • Holtec, the company wanting to reopen the Palisades nuclear reactor, found corrosion cracking in steam generators “far exceeded” estimates, the US NRC said in a document. It found 1,163 steam generator tubes had indications of the stress cracking. [Reuters]

Have a thrillingly serene day.

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geoharvey is not tax-deductible.

Science and Technology:

¶ “This Sleek Electric Boat Flies Like An Airplane, With Fuel Cells” • Wing-in-ground effect refers to a pocket of air that forms under a boat equipped with aerodynamic wings, creating a lift effect. The vessels are classified as boats despite appearing to fly like airplanes. Activity is picking up in the field, and Sea Cheetah has added a hydrogen fuel cell. [CleanTechnica]

Sea Cheetah (Courtesy of Sea Cheetah via einpresswire)

¶ “How The Process Of De-Extinction Will Be Used To Restore This Fabled Species” • The debate over whether the ivory-billed woodpecker is actually extinct may be ongoing, but a genetic engineering company aims to restore it to its natural habitat. Colossal Biosciences, a US company, plans to bring the ivory-billed woodpecker back. [ABC News]

World:

¶ “Italy And Switzerland Have Agreed To Shift Their Shared Border In The Alps. Here’s Why” • Alpine glaciers are melting. In fact they lost 4% of their volume last year. That means the border is changing, since they mark the border between Switzerland and Italy. So the two countries agreed to redefine their border in the area of the Matterhorn. [CNN]

Matterhorn (Lukáš Konvica, Unsplash)

¶ “Record Xpeng Sales in September!” • Xpeng enjoyed a big boost in sales from the new MONA M03 in September, leading the Chinese smart EV startup to a new monthly sales record. Xpeng scored 21,352 deliveries last month, and over 10,000 of those were the MONA M03, an EV that has the potential to be a top seller globally. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Car & General To Deploy 30 CHAJI EV Charging Stations In Mombasa And Ukunda For Electric Three-Wheelers” • Three-wheelers, or tuk tuks, are an integral part of the East African public transport. We are starting to get a lot of good news around their electrification in places like Tanzania and Kenya. One bit is that charging stations are coming. [CleanTechnica]

Tuk tuks (Courtesy of Car & General)

¶ “RWE Signs Monopile Supply Deal With Steelwind” • RWE has signed a contract with Steelwind Nordenham for production of up to 300 monopile foundations for its offshore wind projects in Europe. Steelwind will reserve capacity for 320,000 tonnes of steel at its Nordenham plant over 24 months from 2027 onwards for around 200 monopile foundations. [reNews]

¶ “China Drives Record Growth In Renewable Energy Jobs” • A record 2.5 million jobs were created in the renewable energy sector in 2023, the International Renewable Energy Agency and International Labour Organization said. Nearly two-thirds of the world’s solar and wind power installations were in China, which got 1.84 million of the jobs. [Caledonian Record]

Wind turbines (Enrique, Pexels)

US:

¶ “Cadillac LYRIQ Sales Soar!” • The share of Cadillac sales that were electric (that is, LYRIQ sales) was the highest of any major automaker, 19%, in the second quarter. The LYRIQ had 7,294 sales in the second quarter. That might not seem like much, but it’ a 139% increase in sales, as the LYRIQ had 3,018 sales in the third quarter of 2023. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “NREL Researchers Survey The State Of US Smart Charge Management” • Smart charge management – managing the flow of electricity that charges EVs intelligently – can have incredible benefits for drivers, utility companies, governments, and fleets. But they have not been widely deployed nationwide, and NREL did a national survey. [CleanTechnica]

Surveying smart charge management (Dennis Schroeder, NREL)

¶ “Pfisterer To Connect Empire Wind” • Pfisterer is to provide connection technology for the Equinor 2-GW Empire Wind project off the coast of New York, and the company will connect each of the project’s 15-MW turbines. The connection system allows all of the array cable infrastructure to be tested prior to hardware installation. [reNews]

¶ “Nissan EV Sales Surge in USA – LEAF Up 188%, ARIYA Up 23%” • Nissan was once a world leader in electric vehicles, and a US leader. Its Nissan LEAF was the top selling electric vehicle in the US and worldwide for a while. Maybe it’s making a comeback now, as sales of the ARIYA are up 23%, and sales of the LEAF are up a whopping 188%. [CleanTechnica]

Nissan ARIYA EV (Nissan)

¶ “US Adds 2.7 GW Of Grid Storage In Q2” • The US grid storage market added 2773 MW in the second quarter of 2024, data from the American Clean Power Association and Wood Mackenzie shows. In their latest US Energy Storage Monitor report, every segment of the US energy storage market saw growth in Q2 over last year’s totals. [reNews]

¶ “BOEM Approves 2.8-GW Atlantic Shores Plan” • The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has approved the Atlantic Shores South project plan to construct and operate two wind energy facilities with a capacity of 2800 MW off the coast of New Jersey. This is the final approval needed from BOEM after the Interior Department’s July 2024 Record of Decision. [reNews]

BOEM director Elizabeth Klein (BOEM image)

¶ “Ameresco Celebrates Completion Of Utah’s First Floating Solar Project” • Ameresco celebrated completion of Utah’s first floating solar array. It was developed in partnership with the Mountain Regional Water Special Service District. The 587.5-kW solar project was built on a holding pond at the Signal Hill Water Treatment Plant. [Solar Power World]

¶ “Conflicted RCEA Board Passes On Nuclear Power ” • After much discussion, a divided Redwood Coast Energy Authority failed to reach a decision on whether to accept an offer of free nuclear power from the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. The agency will pass on the state-mandated offer for an allocation of free nuclear energy. [North Coast Journal]

Have a happily productive day.

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geoharvey is not tax-deductible.