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Opinion:

¶ “Dutton Confirms Nuclear Push And Climate Denial Go Hand In Hand: The Pretence Has Gone” • Let there now be no doubt or confusion: Australian opposition leader Peter Dutton confirmed that his Coalition’s push for nuclear energy is firmly linked with his party’s rigid denial of climate science. The pretence that it is anything else is now gone. [RenewEconomy]

Nuclear plant (Jametlene Reskp, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Nuclear Tech Like Bill Gates’ Terra Power Can Be ‘Easily Weaponized’” • An analysis conducted by scientists in the US has found that contrary to popular belief, high-assay low-enriched uranium, touted as the fuel for the next generation of small nuclear reactors, can be easily weaponized. The scientists used material in the public domain for the study. [MSN]

World:

¶ “Diesel Prices Jump 56% As Malaysia Revamps Decades-Old Fuel Subsidies” • Diesel price in Malaysia jumped by more than 50% on Monday as part of a revamp of decades-old fuel subsidies to tighten government spending and save billions of ringgits annually. The restructuring eliminates blanket energy subsidies and redirects them to the needy. [ABC News]

Smog over Kuala Lumpur (Meriç Dağlı, Unsplash)

¶ “As The Need For Copper Rises, Cable Manufacturers Recycle More” • In an industrial suburb of Montreal, a mill owned by Nexans, a cable-making company, has made copper rod from ore for nearly a century. Now it makes an increasing amount of it from used copper, with the rods containing some 14% recycled metal. It hopes to get to 20%. [ABC News]

¶ “EVs Take 24.1% Share In France – Popular BEVs Hit By Stop In Incentives” • May’s auto sales saw plugin EVs take 24.1% share in France, roughly flat from 24.3% year-on-year. The battery EV share was up, while the plugin hybrid share fell. Overall auto sales volume was 141,298, down by 3% YOY. The Peugeot e-208 has a strong lead among battery EVs. [CleanTechnica]

Peugeot e-208 (Miloslav Rejha, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Elli Enters the Industrial Energy Storage Business” • The Volkswagen Group is entering a new business segment with the Elli charging and energy brand, to develop, build, and operate large storage systems together with partners along the value chain. Elli’s storage systems will supply customers and be for arbitrage transactions. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Wind Farms Have Generated More Than A Third Of Ireland’s Electricity So Far This Year” • Wind farms generated 35% of Ireland’s electricity in the first five months of this year. The May Wind Energy Report from Wind Energy Ireland has highlighted how renewable energy had powered thousands of Irish homes and businesses. [The Irish Independent]

Wind turbines in Ireland (RTG, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Gulf And AIS To Build Solar-Power Stations For Mountain Villages” • Thai energy company Gulf Energy Development announced on Friday it has launched an initiative with local telco AIS and the Highland Research and Development Institute to build up solar-powered infrastructure in Thailand’s remote mountainous regions. [Developing Telecoms]

¶ “Swiss Approve Law Boosting Renewable Energy Generation” • Switzerland approved a law aimed at accelerating development of renewable energies, as part of the country’s bid to attain carbon neutrality by 2050. Official results showed that just under 69% of Swiss voters backed the law on “a secure electricity supply based on renewable energies.” [MSN]

Solar power in Switzerland (Dominique.bugmann, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

US:

¶ “Base Power Will Install A Residential Storage Battery For $2,000. What’s The Catch?” • Base Power sells batteries cheaply so it can create a vast network of batteries that it can tap into. Its software monitors the fluctuations in energy prices so it can fill up the batteries when energy is cheap and draw from them when it’s expensive. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Agrivoltaics Hitches A Ride On The Community Solar Train” • The SunSmart Ames Community Solar Project in Ames, Iowa, is a good example of a community solar project that incorporates agrivoltaics for additional benefits. SunSmart was commissioned in 2020. Since that time, it has started to employ fifty sheep to keep the grass down. [CleanTechnica]

Agrivoltaics in Hawaii (Merrill Smith, US DOE, public domain)

¶ “State Senator Pitches Bill That Would Expand Access To Solar Power” • In Pennsylvania, state Senator Dan Laughlin (R-49) has reintroduced legislation that would expand access to solar power through a local voluntary program while ensuring adequate ratepayer protection. Senate Bill 1227 would create the PA Local Solar program. [PennWatch]

¶ “Engineers Deploy Off-Grid Solar Tracking Technology To Power EV Charging Station” • A new solar-powered electric vehicle charger installed at Dartmouth College is helping drive us toward a cleaner, healthier future, according to Electrek. This innovative off-grid charging station was designed by Solaflect Energy. [The Cool Down]

Have a radically gorgeous day.

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Interview:

¶ “Climate Scientist Susan Solomon: ‘Let’s Not Give Up Now – We’re Right On The Cusp Of Success’” • MIT professor Susan Solomon is the author of three books, the latest of which, Solvable: How We Healed the Earth, and How We Can Do It Again, applies lessons from past environmental successes to the climate crisis. [The Guardian]

Susan Solomon in 2004 (NOAA, public domain)

World:

¶ “Indigenous Communities Are Increasingly Teaming Up With Scientists To Conserve Marine Ecosystems” • Scientists turn to Indigenous communities increasingly for marine conservation. Indigenous peoples make up only 6% of the global population, but they safeguarde 80% of the planet’s biodiversity, a report by The World Bank says. [ABC News]

¶ “In Mexican Heat Wave, Monkeys Are Still Dying And Birds Are Getting Air Conditioning” • A heat dome is still blocking clouds from forming, causing extensive sunshine and hot temperatures all across Mexico and into the US. Howler monkeys are falling out of the trees with heatstroke, and over 250 have probably died. Some birds have been rescued. [ABC News]

Howler monkey (Rafael Saldaña, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “Falling Sales? Global EV Sales Grow 25% In April!” • Global plugin vehicle registrations were up 25% in April 2024 compared to April 2023. There were 1.2 million registrations. Battery EVs were up by 14% YOY, while plugin hybrids jumped 51% YOY. In the end, plugins represented 18% share of the overall auto market (12% battery EV share alone). [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Hitachi Energy Pledges $4.5 Billion For The Electrification Movement” • Fossil energy stakeholder doom is clearer, as well-heeled legacy engineering firms jump into the electrification field. The latest is Hitachi Energy, with a 3-year, $4.5 billion pledge to accelerate essential elements of the net-zero economy of the future. [CleanTechnica]

Advanced EV charging station (Courtesy of Hitachi Energy)

¶ “Baku’s Renewable Push Gains Momentum With New Solar And Wind Projects” • Azerbaijan launched the country’s biggest renewable energy investment project to date: the construction of two solar plants and a wind power plant. It marks a major step in Baku’s ambitious plan to generate 30% of its power needs with renewable sources by 2030. [OilPrice.com]

¶ “World’s First In-Flight Study of Commercial Aircraft Using 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel” • Results from the world’s first in-flight study of the impact of using 100% sustainable aviation fuel in both engines of a commercial aircraft show a reduction in soot particles and formation of contrail ice crystals compared to using conventional fuel. [CleanTechnica]

Airbus A350 and DLR Falcon (Airbus and S.Ramadier)

¶ “MSP’s Claim Of Support For Nuclear Power In Highlands Challenged” • An anti-nuclear campaigner hit out at a claim by Highland MSP Edward Mountain that people in the region want nuclear power. Tor Justad, chair of Highlands Against Nuclear Power, challenged the claim that a meeting’s support for nuclear reflected public opinion. [John O’Groat Journal]

US:

¶ “Renewable Energy Will Be The Predominant Power Source For Data Centers, Nextracker CEO Says” • The surging power needs of artificial intelligence and data centers will be primarily met with renewable energy and not fossil fuels, according to the CEO of Nextracker, a solar company. He cited the low cost and rapid deployment of solar power. [MSN]

Solar array (Nextracker image)

¶ “Follow in the Footsteps of Communities With Working Solar Deployment” • The Solar Energy Innovation Network is run by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The SEIN program helps communities learn how to build from insights developed by a SEIN project team, based on blueprints already developed fully in similar places. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Agrivoltaic Solar Arrays Will Win The Rural Solar War, With Insects” • The war against solar power is erupting in rural areas across the US, but evidence increasingly supports agrivoltaics as an effective way to benefit crops and preserve insect populations, too. New York State has seen enough evidence to kickstart an agrivoltaic revolution. [CleanTechnica]

Tomatoes under solar panels (Asurnipal, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “USDOT Finalizes New Fuel Economy Standards for Model Years 2027–2031” • The US DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued new fuel economy standards that will save Americans over $23 billion in fuel costs while reducing pollution. Light vehicles should reach 50.4 miles per gallon by model year 2031. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Over 300,000 Alaska Residents May See 10%-20% Savings On Energy Bills” • The Alaska legislature approved a bipartisan bill that will bring affordable, nonpolluting energy to thousands of renters and low-income residents. Senate Bill 152 is expected to make community solar power available to over 339,000 Alaskans below the federal poverty line. [The Cool Down]

Have an impressively pensive day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Estimating The Growth Of Electric Vehicles And Tesla Sales, An Exploration Of S-Curves” • Some say EV growth has stalled. Others acknowledge growth, but imagine that it’s linear, when in fact it’s exponential. Over-zealous advocates, on the other hand, assume that exponential growth will last forever, which of course is also not true. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model 3 (Vlad Tchompalov, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Thermal Energy Storage To Beat Natural Gas In Northeast US” • Israeli startup Brenmiller made an agreement with the New York firm Rock Energy Storage, aimed to deploy its thermal battery to push natural gas out of the industrial energy market in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Bidirectional On-Board Chargers: Smaller, Faster, Cheaper” • Fraunhofer IZM managed to bring together some innovative ideas for a new generation of on-board chargers. Twice the performance at half the size, bidirectional capabilities, and efficiently made: The result is the economical ticket to the fast lane into the future. [CleanTechnica]

IZM on-board charger (Volker Mai, © Fraunhofer IZM)

World:

¶ “EV Sales in Australia Show Slight Improvement” • EV sales in Australia showed a slight improvement in May. Although, the battery EV penetration of the market was steady at about 8% in May in a rising market for all vehicles. There were 8,974 battery EV sales, up from April’s 6,194 units sold and also greater than May 2023 (8,124 units sold). [CleanTechnica]

¶ “EVs Take 25.7% Share of the UK” • May saw plugin EVs take 25.7% of the UK auto market, up from 23.1% YOY. Most of the gain was from plugin hybrids, whilst battery EVs barely improved. Overall auto volume was 147,678 units, up by some 2% YOY, and still below pre-2020 norms (~175,000). The UK’s leading battery EV brand in May was Tesla. [CleanTechnica]

Electric car (myenergi, Unsplash)

¶ “Adani Group To Invest Over $1 Billion In Sri Lankan Wind Projects” • Adani Group is set to invest over $1 billion in Sri Lanka, marking the nation’s largest foreign direct investment and its biggest power project to date. Sources say that Adani Green Energy Ltd, a subsidiary of Adani Group, plans to build two wind farms in Sri Lanka. [News Track]

¶ “Clean Energy Investment Set To Run At Double Fossil Fuel Spending” • Investment in clean energy technologies will climb to $2 trillion this year, almost double the amount spent on fossil fuels, the International Energy Agency has said. The $1 trillion that will go to coal, gas and oil is far too much to conform with global climate goals. [Mining.com]

Wind turbines (Image from Pxhere, CC0)

¶ “TotalEnergies, Air Products Ink Hydrogen Deal” • Air Products and TotalEnergies signed a 15-year agreement to supply Europe with 70,000 tons of green hydrogen annually starting in 2030. This first long-term deal follows TotalEnergies’s call for tenders for the supply of 500,000 tons per year of green hydrogen to decarbonize its European refineries. [reNews]

¶ “RWE Inaugurates 44-MW Nouvions” • RWE has inaugurated its 44-MW Nouvions onshore wind in the Aisne department of Hauts-de-France. The array features 11 turbines, each with a capacity of 4 MW and will meet the annual electricity needs of around 19,000 households. The N149 hardware are the first of their kind to be installed in France. [reNews]

Wind turbines (Nordex image)

¶ “Dutton’s Climate Target Opposition Labelled ‘Disaster’” • Australian Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says a Coalition government would dump Australia’s legally binding climate target to cut emissions by 43% from 2005 levels by 2030. The move follows his vow to deploy nuclear energy to reach net zero by 2050. [Yahoo]

US:

¶ “New Steps to Advance Offshore Wind Progress in Maryland” • The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the State of Maryland to support the coordinated development of wind energy generation offshore Maryland, the Department of Interior announced. [CleanTechnica]

Offshore windfarm (Jesse De Meulenaere, Unsplash)

¶ “Robyn Denholm Warns Musk Might ‘Step Back’ If Pay Package Is Not Restored” • On June 13, 2024, the world as we know it may be profoundly altered. That’s the day Tesla shareholders will decide whether to reinstate the $55.8 billion pay package for Elon Musk that Chancellor Kathaleen St Jude McCormick of Delaware invalidated four months ago. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Washington Wants To Hear Rural Communities’ Thoughts On Renewable Energy” • Washington officials had an online meeting to find out what rural residents think about renewable energy development. People from across the state asked questions about tax rates, farm and forest land use and views they said could be obstructed. [Northwest Public Broadcasting]

Windfarm (royharryman, Pixabay)

¶ “NV Energy Enters Power Purchase Agreement On $2.3 Billion 700-MW Solar Project” • Utility-scale solar developer Arevia Power signed a power purchase agreement with NV Energy, a Nevada utility, for one of the largest solar and energy storage projects in the state. The utility will buy power generated by the 700-MW Libra solar project. [pv magazine USA]

¶ “US May Revive Some Shut Nuclear Plants To Help Meet Goal For Emissions” • The US could revive some of its recently retired nuclear power plants or add reactors to existing sites to help meet rising demand for zero-emissions electricity, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said. The industry is hindered by the high cost of new construction. [MSN]

Have a gorgeously restful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Opposition’s Nuclear-Energy Policy Would Increase Defence Risk” • The Australian Liberal-National opposition’s proposal to build nuclear power stations on the sites of old coal-fired plants is misguided. It would perpetuate Australia’s concentration of electricity generation and worsen our vulnerability to air and missile attack. [The Strategist]

Coal-burning plant (Jason Mavrommatis, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “The Mysterious X Factor Behind A Year Of Unbelievable Heat” • As 2023 began, climate scientists at four organizations forecast that the year would be marginally hotter than the year before, with the consensus falling around 1.2°C of warming (2.2°F) above preindustrial temperatures. But it reached an estimated 1.5°C (2.7°F), and they don’t know why. [Grist.org]

World:

¶ “Seabird Populations At Risk Amid Increased Hurricanes And Extreme Weather: Study” • As the frequency and intensity of hurricanes increase, seabird species suffer, researchers warn. A study published in Nature examines the aftermath for seabird populations after Cyclone Ilsa, which hit Bedout Island, Western Australia in 2023. [ABC News]

Gull (henry perks, Unsplash)

¶ “The History of Carbon Dioxide Emissions” • Carbon dioxide emissions from human activities are now higher than at any point in our history. In fact, recent data reveals that global CO₂ emissions were 182 times higher in 2022 than they were in 1850, around the time the industrial revolution was underway. How did we arrive here? [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Two-Thirds of European Green Shipping Fuel Projects At Risk: Analysis” • E-fuels could power about 4% of European shipping by 2030, a study by Transport & Environment shows. But just a third of these projects are guaranteed as fuel suppliers fear a lack of demand. Two-thirds of European green shipping fuel projects are at risk. [CleanTechnica]

Container ship (Borderpolar Photographer, Unsplash)

¶ “Clean Energy Council Releases Quarterly Report” • Australia’s Clean Energy Council released its Renewable Projects Quarterly Report for Q1 2024, highlighting positive signs for renewables recovery and storage projects. Q1 2024 was the best quarter for financial commitments for large renewable energy generating capacity since the end of 2022. [Energy Magazine]

¶ “AMEA Power Closes South African Solar Financing” • Middle Eastern developer AMEA Power has reached financial close on its 120-MW Doornhoek solar project in South Africa. AMEA Power partnered two companies owned by African women on the $120 million project. It will be the company’s first operational asset in the country, when it is commissioned. [reNews]

Solar panels (Chelsea, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Aluminium Smelter Power Supply Deal Paves Way For Second Largest Wind Farm In NZ” • One week after Rio Tinto sealed a groundbreaking electricity deal to power its New Zealand Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, which will keep it from being shut down, plans to build a new 155-MW wind farm have been given the all-clear. [RenewEconomy]

¶ “Almost 60% Of Germany’s Public Electricity Supply Came From Renewables In Early 2024” • Nearly 60% of all electricity fed into the German grid in the first three months of 2024 came from renewable sources, data from the country’s statistical office shows. Renewable power production grew to a first-quarter share of 58.4%, a record. [RenewEconomy]

Sunset at a wind farm (Filipe Resmini, Unsplash)

¶ “Mercury Expands Kaiwera Downs Wind Farm After Tiwai Deal” • Power company Mercury is expanding its Kaiwera Downs wind farm near Gore, New Zealand. It comes after last week’s long-term agreement to provide power for the New Zealand Aluminium Smelters at Tiwai Point. Mercury said it would spend $486 million on the wind farm project. [RNZ]

¶ “Viking Achieves First Power” • First power has been produced at the 443-MW Viking wind farm on Shetland island, Scotland. The milestone comes as Shetland gears up to be fully connected to the GB electricity transmission grid for the first time. The 260 km Shetland High Voltage Direct Current subsea cable project is to be energized later this summer. [reNews]

Viking wind farm (SSE Renewables image)

US:

¶ “Dangerous Heat Wave Hits California, Arizona, Nevada And More” • An early season heat dome is bringing life-threatening temperatures to 30 million people from Texas to California, and north as far as Oregon. The hottest temperature in the US on Wednesday was recorded in Death Valley, California, where it reached a scorching 118°F. [ABC News]

¶ “USA Solar Panel Manufacturing Capacity Soared 71% In Q1 2024” • A record 11 GW of solar module manufacturing capacity came online in the US during Q1 2024. It was the largest quarter of solar manufacturing growth in US history. The total solar module manufacturing capacity in the US now exceeds 26 GW annually, a report says. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “Solar Power Is Booming As End Of US Tariff Pause Puts Developers Under Pressure” • On June 6, 2024, the two-year pause on tariffs for imported solar panels put in place by Pres Biden expired. US warehouses are bulging with 35 GW of solar panels, but they must be installed within 180 days to avoid the tariffs. Then costs will go up. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “GM Says Second-Gen Chevy Bolt Will Be Most Affordable EV In The US” • Marissa West, General Motors senior vice president and president of the GM global markets leadership team, said, “We’re really excited to get the Bolt with the Ultium architecture underpinnings to have the most affordable vehicle on the market by 2025.” [CleanTechnica]

Have a totally copacetic day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Making Electric Motors More Efficient And Affordable By 3D-Printing Magnets” • Electric motors are responsible for more than half of the world’s electricity consumption, according to the International Energy Agency. A $2.6 million project led by the University of Michigan is researching ways to improve efficiency with 3D-printed magnets. [CleanTechnica]

Rotor with printed magnets (Image from University of Michigan)

World:

¶ “Ban Fossil Fuel Ads To Save Climate, Says UN Chief” • The world’s fossil fuel industries should be banned from advertising to help stop climate change, UN Secretary General António Guterres said. He called coal, oil, and gas corporations the “godfathers of climate chaos” who had distorted the truth and deceived the public for decades. [BBC]

¶ “Climate Officials At World Environment Day Announce Twelve Months Of Record High Temperatures” • New climate warnings have been announced by the World Meteorological Organization. One of them says the planet  has experienced its warmest May ever, making it the twelfth month in a row to set such a record, the WMO report says. [ABC News]

Crystal ball on a hot day (Melvin, Unsplash)

¶ “EV Sales Boom In Nepal, Helping To Save On Oil Imports, Alleviate Smog” • Nepal’s abundant hydroelectric power is helping the Himalayan nation cut its oil imports and clean up its air, thanks to a boom in sales of EVs. The country is quickly expanding charging networks and imports of EVs have doubled in each of the past two years. [ABC News]

¶ “Women Leading The Way: Channeling Female Leadership For Sustainable Land Management In Kenya” • Kenya is a nation where land is not only a precious resource but also a cultural heritage. Sustainable land management and conservation are pivotal for preserving Kenya’s natural wealth. Women are at the forefront of these efforts.  [CleanTechnica]

Solar array (Photo from Power Africa)

¶ “South Africa Gets A Duck Curve!” • South Africans have been ramping up installations of distributed solar greatly to shield themselves from frequent electricity rationing cycles. Now it seems that they have now installed a significant amount of solar generating capacity, and we are starting to see the early signs of a prominent duck curve. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “India To Spend Up To $385 Billion To Meet Renewable Energy Target, Moody’s Ratings Estimates” • India will have to invest up to $385 billion to meet its target of 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030, but coal will remain a key source of electricity for the decade, Moody’s Ratings said. India aims to ramp up renewables at 50 GW per year. [Yahoo News Singapore]

Solar and wind (Adani Green Energy Limited)

¶ “Queensland Promises $26 Billion Renewables Splurge In State Budget” • Australia’s largest renewable energy investment, $26 billion, will be unveiled in Queensland’s budget. Premier Steven Miles said his only option was to make the record injection, with almost 100,000 job losses forecast if Queensland wavered from its renewables path. [RenewEconomy]

US:

¶ “Volvo Cars Starts Production of Fully Electric EX90 SUV in Charleston, South Carolina” • Volvo Car Group said, “We are in a celebratory mood this week, as our factory outside Charleston, South Carolina has now started building our new electric flagship SUV, and the first customer deliveries are scheduled for the second half of this year.” [CleanTechnica]

Volvo EX90 SOP (Volvo Car Group)

¶ “Electric Shuttle Buses, Wireless Charging, And Autonomous Service: Next Steps In Support Transport” • The US EPA awarded nearly $900 million in rebates to help over 500 school districts buy about 3,400 clean school buses, 92% of which are electric. But it is not just schools that are switching to electric buses. They are going to airports and cities. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The US Is Putting Enough Solar To Power 70,000 Homes On Old Nuclear Weapons Sites” • The US DOE hopes to repurpose sites previously used in the nuclear weapons program into solar farms. DOE is negotiating leases with two developers for a total of 400 MW of solar farms within the 890-square-mile Idaho National Laboratory site. [Electrek]

Former nuclear site at Idaho National Laboratory (US DOE)

¶ “Virginia Gov Says State Will Abandon California Emissions Standards By End Of Year” • Gov Glenn Youngkin announced that Virginia will abandon California’s stringent rules on vehicle emissions, which aim at reducing carbon pollution, at the end of the year when that state’s current regulations expire, citing an attorney general opinion. [ABC News]

¶ “Airiva Vertical ‘Fence’ Wind Turbine Aims To Make Wind Power More Accessible” • The Airiva is a modular vertical wind turbine set to be available for commercial installations in 2025. Airiva, a US-based company founded  in 2022, created the wind fence to help the world reduce fossil fuel dependency and make wind power energy more accessible. [MSN]

Airiva wind energy system (Airiva image)

¶ “US Solar Installations Hit Quarterly Record, Making Up 75% Of New Power Added, Report Says” • Solar accounted for 75% of electricity generation capacity added to the US power grid early this year as installations of panels rose to a quarterly record, according to a report published by Wood Mackenzie and the Solar Energy Industries Association. [Reuters]

¶ “US May Revive Some Shut Nuclear Plants To Help Meet Emissions Goal, Energy Chief Says” • The US could revive some of its recently retired nuclear power plants to help meet rising demand for zero-emissions electricity, or it could add reactors to existing sites, according to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in an interview. [MSN]

Have a miraculously wonderful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Australia Wants To Become A Renewable Energy Superpower. Can It?” • Australia aims to be a “renewable energy superpower” by investing in homegrown green industries. The prime minister said, “We have to get cracking. We have unlimited potential, but we do not have unlimited time.” But some experts the effort might not be enough. [BBC]

Alpha HPA scientists (Alpha HPA image)

Science and Technology:

¶ “How Do Wind Turbines Survive Severe Storms?” • June starts hurricane season, an unsettling time for some people living near our nation’s shorelines. Strong winds also put America’s growing fleet of wind turbines to the test. Wind turbines need to protect themselves just as our communities do during tropical storms, hurricanes, and tornadoes. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Mass Production Of New All-Electric Explorer Starts At Ford’s EV Assembly Plant In Cologne” • Ford started mass production of the new all-electric Ford Explorer at its first dedicated EV manufacturing plant in Europe, after a $2 billion investment transformed a historic plant into a factory of the future. The first cars are already rolling out. [CleanTechnica]

Ford Explorer in the assembly plant (Ford image)

¶ “Fortum Battery Recycling Oy And Marubeni Corporation Sign MOU Demand For Recycled Raw Materials” • Fortum Battery Recycling has entered into a preliminary agreement and signed a memorandum of understanding with Marubeni Corporation to build a sustainable lithium-ion battery recycling chain, focusing on graphite recycling. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “EV Makers Hitting Targets For Petrol-Free Car Sales In UK” • New AutoMotive credits itself with advocating for passage of the UK’s world-leading ban on internal combustion engines. The law requires automakers to phase out sales of new cars with internal combustion engines in the UK by 2030, with a phaseout of new hybrids in 2035. [CleanTechnica]

BMW EV (Courtesy of BMW Group)

¶ “Philippines Considers Securing ₱31 Trillion In Renewable Energy Investments By 2040” • To support the country’s clean energy goal, the Philippines is considering getting up to ₱31 trillion ($527 billion) in renewable energy investments by 2040. The country’s goal is 10% EV adoption, 5% energy savings, and 50% renewable energy by 2040. [Power Philippines]

¶ “China Commissions 5-GW Solar Project, World’s Largest” • China commissioned the world’s largest solar project, a massive 5-GW facility in the north-west of the Xinjiang region. China now holds the world’s three largest solar projects by capacity, as the Ningxia Tenggeli and Golmud Wutumeiren projects each have a capacity of 3 GW. [PV Tech]

Solar array in western China (GCL New Energy image)

¶ “Experts Want More Big Solar Projects, Less Nuke Talk” • The Australian governments and industry bodies need to stop getting distracted by debates over nuclear power and start investing in large-scale solar projects to keep up with electricity demand, the Clean Energy Council’s Australian Large-Scale Solar and Storage Summit was told. [Katherine Times]

US:

¶ “US Invests $9.5 Million to Study the Social Dynamics of Large-Scale Solar Siting And Permitting” • The US DOE has invested $9.5 million in four new projects supporting social science research that examines the ways that siting practices can influence public attitudes toward and permitting of large-scale solar facilities. [CleanTechnica]

Solar power (Antonio Garcia, Unsplash)

¶ “Eversource Ready To Begin Geothermal Heat Pump Trial In Massachusetts” • This week, Eversource, the city gas utility that supplies Framingham, Massachusetts, will begin operating a first in the nation underground thermal energy network. The $14 million project includes a one-mile loop of pipes to will heat buildings in the city. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Edison Birthplace Goes Solar, Thanks To SolarEdge And Meyer Burger” • Thomas Edison was born in Milan, Ohio in 1847. Solar power was not available when he started his experiments with electricity, but to honor his forward thinking, SolarEdge and Meyer Burger have installed solar panels at the house where Edison was born. [CleanTechnica]

Thomas Edison birthplace, 1934 (Carl Waite, public domain)

¶ “Colorado Co-op Tri-State Buying Two Solar Power Projects” • Colorado-based electric cooperative Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association purchased renewable energy projects that will provide power for its members for the first time. It is buying two solar projects in western Colorado with a combined capacity of 255 MW. [POWER Magazine]

¶ “Offshore Wind To Save New England Families $630M On Electricity Annually” • Offshore wind is critical to achieve New England’s climate goals, reduce local energy costs, and protect New Englanders from volatile gas prices, a report authored by Synapse Energy Economics, Inc says. It examined developing 9 GW of offshore wind by 2030. [Sierra Club]

Block Island Wind Farm (Dennis Schroeder, NREL)

¶ “ICC Adopts Illinois’ First Renewable Energy Access Plan” • The Illinois Commerce Commission adopted the state’s Renewable Energy Access Plan, an actionable roadmap to ensure Illinois meets its policy requirements for an equitable, reliable, and cost-effective clean electricity system. It is a tool to encourage faster development of transmission systems. [WSIU]

¶ “Plant Vogtle Cost Overruns May Worsen Energy Poverty In Georgia” • Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle has come under fire since beginning construction in 2009. A new report criticizes the role of the Georgia Public Service Commission, which allowed the nuclear plant to move forward. It also questions the impact of the plant on consumers. [WUGA]

Have an altogether elated day.

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Opinion:

¶ “The Fossil Fuel Industry Puts Future Generations At Risk” • We need to take radical action to save ourselves from extinction, but will we do so in time? Based on our behavior, the odds are clearly against us and getting longer by the hour. So we have a choice. Either we adopt a “failure is not an option” approach to addressing the climate crisis, or we die. [CleanTechnica]

Warm land masses (NASA Earth Observatory)

¶ “If Regional Communities Don’t Want Windfarms, Why Would They Accept A Nuclear Power Station?” • Here’s the thing about the Coalition’s latest nuclear policy. It tries to use one of the most contentious issues in rural areas, the rollout of renewables and electric power transmission lines, to push nuclear power, which is even more controversial. [The Guardian]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Flower Turbines And The Potential Of Small-Scale Wind” • One major difference between the large wind turbines and those that could be used in a city is the type of turbine. The small, vertical axis wind turbines such as those Flower Turbines makes can produce energy efficiently and can be used on city buildings as well as residences. [CleanTechnica]

Newly made turbines (Photo by Flower Turbines)

¶ “Hurricanes And Heat – It Isn’t Nice To Fool With Mother Nature!” • Warmer air holds more moisture, so today’s more powerful hurricanes can dump more rain. The hurricanes move more slowly they did than in the past, so the heavy rain lasts longer. And our cities have insufficient provisions to manage all that stormwater. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Nissan Demonstrates Autonomous-Drive Mobility Services Progress on Public Roads” • Nissan has begun demonstrations of a prototype vehicle equipped with its own in-house-developed, autonomous drive technologies, showcasing progress in its goal towards rolling out autonomous mobility services within fiscal year 2027. [CleanTechnica]

Nissan prototype on the road (Nissan image)

¶ “Masdar, Azerbaijan Ink 1-GW Renewables Deal” • Masdar and State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan have signed a Shareholder Agreement for three wind and solar projects totaling 1 GW in capacity. The projects are part of a 10-GW pipeline that Masdar took on to support Azerbaijan’s goal for 30% of its energy capacity to be renewable by 2030. [reNews]

¶ “Renewables Plans Must Match COP28 Goal” • An International Energy Agency’s report, “COP28 Tripling Renewable Capacity Pledge: Tracking countries’ ambitions and identifying policies to bridge the gap”, found very few countries have 2030 targets for installed capacity in the Nationally Determined Contributions, under the Paris Agreement. [reNews]

Fatih Birol (IEA image)

¶ “Coal To Power: SSE Transforms Former Plant With Batteries” • SSE Renewables‘ Ferrybridge battery storage project in West Yorkshire s poised to become SSE Renewables’ second battery storage facility and will be three times larger than its first battery asset in Salisbury. The former coal site will accommodate 136 battery storage units. [Energy Live News]

¶ “Solar Power Could Generate 54 Times More Profits Than Palm Oil: Maybank” • Large-scale solar ventures will allow palm oil producers to generate up to 54 times more operating profits per hectare compared to oil palm, Maybank Investment Bank said. One plantation has already made its renewable energy ambition public with a 1-GW capacity target. [The Edge Malaysia]

Palm oil plantation in Malaysia (Craig, public domain)

¶ “Great British Energy To Close Door On Putin” • The leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, is to warn of the national security threat to Britain that comes with the nation’s continued dependence on energy from rogue foreign states. His position is that with Labour, Britain will close the door on overseas fossil fuel dependency. [reNews]

¶ “Eraring Deal Signals Death Of Baseload Power In Australia, And Dutton’s Nuclear Fantasy” • Australia’s Coalition, led by Peter Dutton, came out in support of nuclear small modular reactors before it dawned on them that these sorts of machines don’t actually exist, and when they do, they are likely to be terribly expensive. [RenewEconomy]

Eraring power plant (CSIRO, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

US:

¶ “Kia Georgia Begins Assembly of the 2025 Kia EV9 All-Electric SUV” • A historic milestone arrived at Kia Georgia’s assembly plant in West Point, Georgia, as Kia team members gathered to celebrate the start of assembly of the battery-electric 2025 EV9 three-row SUV. The car is the first saleable EV to be assembled in the state of Georgia. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “A 200-MW Solar Power Project Is Completed In Wisconsin, Energy Storage To Follow” • The Grant County Solar Project, with its 200-MW capacity, has over 430,000 solar panels on more than 1,400 acres of land, including almost 350 acres of native pollinator habitat. The array has about 10% of Wisconsin’s solar power capacity. [CleanTechnica]

Solar project in Wisconsin (Alliant Energy image)

¶ “US Industrial Natural Gas Consumers Could See 56% Higher Bills With Methane Leak Price” • Remarkably, in 2022 the USA managed to get a greenhouse gas price through Congress. It was not on carbon dioxide, but rather on methane, our number two greenhouse gas problem. It is put explicitly on gas produced by the oil and gas industry. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Macquarie Injects $85 Million Into The US Solar Pipeline” • Macquarie Asset Management entered into an $85 million debt investment agreement with US developer Sol Systems to support of the construction and operation of solar projects in Illinois and Ohio. Construction of the five projects agreed on is expected to be complete by the end of 2025. [reNews]

Have an amazingly successful day.

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World:

¶ “Mexico Elects Claudia Sheinbaum As The Country’s First-Ever Female President” • A left-leaning climate scientist, Claudia Sheinbaum, has secured enough votes to become Mexico’s first-ever female president. Sheinbaum had previously worked as a contributing author to a report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. [CNBC]

Claudia Sheinbaum (Claudia Shein, public domain)

¶ “Thousands Of Children In Afghanistan Are Affected By Flash Floods, UNICEF Says” • Tens of thousands of children remain affected by ongoing flash floods in Afghanistan, especially in the north and west, the UN children’s agency said. UNICEF said the extreme weather has all of the hallmarks of the intensifying climate crisis. [ABC News]

¶ “Dual Harvest: Agrivoltaics Boost Food And Energy Production in Asia” • In China’s Dongying City, PV panels were installed several meters above the water, helping to generate an annual 260 GWh of energy, enough to power 113,000 local households. Since its completion and grid connection in 2021, farmers have also gained many benefits. [CleanTechnica]

Flowers and solar panels (Argonne National Laboratory)

¶ “Scaling Up: Lopez-Led First Gen Sets $9 Billion Plan To Quadruple Capacity In Six Years To Stay ‘Relevant’” • The largest renewable energy producer in the Philippines needs to raise its capacity to 13.14 GW to stay ‘relevant’ under the government plan for renewables to generate 35% of the nation’s electricity by 2030. Its capacity is 3.6 GW now. [Bilyonaryo Business News]

¶ “EU Wind, Solar Grow 65% In Four Years” • Since the current European Commission took office in 2019, EU wind and solar capacity has grown by 65%, adding 188 GW, displacing fossil fuel generation, and driving down emissions, according to analysis from Ember. Solar capacity has grown even faster, up 113% to 257 GW, Ember found. [reNews]

Wind turbines (Thomas Reaubourg, Unsplash)

¶ “BayWa re Signs MOU with Hankuk Paper For Onshore Wind Project In South Korea” • BayWa re announced that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hankuk Paper. Part of the MOU is a land deal that will pave the way to develop BayWa re’s 60-MW onshore wind power project in the Gyeongsangbuk-do province. [Energetica India Magazine]

¶ “Terminal 3 Of Delhi Airport Reduces Power Consumption Per Passenger By 57%” • Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport reduced electricity consumption per passenger by 57%. GMR group’s Delhi International Airport Limited said that the electricity consumption, which was 5.18 kWh per person in 2010, fell to 2.21 kWh in 2023. [India Today]

Terminal 3 (Bharatahs, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Southeast Asia Gas Expansion Threatens Green Transition: Report” • Southeast Asia is on track to vastly expand its gas-fired power plant and liquid natural gas import capacity, threatening its green energy transition, a Global Energy Monitor report warns. The region’s existing plans project a doubling of gas-fired power capacity. [Japan Today]

¶ “South Australia Is Turning To Solar Energy For Its Economic Survival” • Australia is rapidly developing its solar generating capacity and gaining support from landowners all across the country. In South Australia’s Riverland region, many landowners are finding it extremely difficult to earn revenue from land on which nothing will grow. [OilPrice.com]

Solar array in SA (Leanne Davis, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “India Launches 2.4 GW Of Renewables Tenders” • SECI has started accepting bids to set up 1.2 GW of solar projects on a build-own-operate basis. The project can be located anywhere in India and must connect to the interstate transmission system. SECI will sign 25-year power purchase agreements with the successful bidders. [pv magazine International]

¶ “Why State MPs Are Knocking Logan Nuclear Plans On The Head” • Stockleigh, Queensland has been named as a “possible” site to house two nuclear power plants by one of Australia’s leading nuclear advocacy groups. But the Minister for Energy and Clean Economy Jobs, and Springwood MP, Mick de Brenni, said he wouldn’t support nuclear. [MyCity Logan]

Small Modular Reactor Building (GE Hitchi)

US:

¶ “Two Firefighters Injured As Wildfire Spreads To 14,000 Acres Near San Francisco” • Two firefighters were injured and over 100 homes were evacuated as the Corral Fire spread to 14,000 acres of mostly dry grassland in San Joaquin County, California, close to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, about 50 miles from San Francisco. [ABC News]

¶ “California Wildfires Altering Ecosystems, Disrupting Wildlife Habitats” • US forest fires are becoming more intense, frequent, and widespread, climate scientists and wildfire experts said in a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The fires that burned large swaths of land in California are reshaping wildlife ecosystems. [ABC News]

Burned land (Intricate Explorer, Unsplash)

¶ “Solar Passes 100% of Power Demand in California! [UPDATE]” • For 55 days in a row, electricity from solar, wind, and water power exceeded 100% of power demand on California’s main grid for part of the day. Also, going back further, that has been achieved in 80 out of the last 87 days. That is since early March, late winter. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “ESS And Burbank Water & Power Celebrate Commissioning Of First Iron Flow Battery System On BWP EcoCampus” • Local elected officials and business and community leaders were on hand to celebrate the installation and commissioning of a 75-kW, 500-kWh Energy Warehouse iron flow battery on the BWP EcoCampus. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Have a generously sustaining day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Director of NREL’s Alaska Campus Ice Breaker: Q&A With Director of NREL’s Alaska Campus” • Originally a mechanical engineer, Bruno Grunau is the regional director of Applied Research for Communities in Extreme Environments at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Alaska Campus. Here, he is the subject of an interview. [CleanTechnica]

Bruno Grunau (Photo from Bruno Grunau, NREL)

¶ “Big Oil’s Climate Deception: A Tale Of Disinformation And Doublespeak” • The oil industry’s reputation has taken another hit with recent discoveries exposing decades of climate change misinformation. The discoveries reveal the industry’s persistent denial and disinformation campaign, even as scientific consensus on climate change has solidified. [MSN]

Science and Technology:

¶ “EVs Don’t Catch On Fire As Frequently As Gas-Powered Cars Do” • The media is full of stories about EVs that catch on fire, but research doesn’t support that claim. In fact, data shows that EVs are much less likely to burst into flames than vehicles powered by internal combustion. The IIHS says it never had an EV catch fire in crash testing. [CleanTechnica]

Burning car (Matt Hearne, Unsplash)

¶ “Driving On Electricity Is Now Much Cleaner Than Using A Gasoline Car” • Replacing gasoline with electricity reduces the carbon emissions from driving greatly. Driving the average EV in the US can produce global warming emissions equal to a 94-mpg gasoline car, or less than a third of the emissions of the average new gasoline car. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Paris Aims For Most Sustainable Olympics Yet; Organizers Say Plan Isn’t Perfect” • Of all the decisions that the Paris Olympics organizers made about where to hold each sport, sending surfing competitions to the other side of the world – in the Pacific waters of Tahiti – provoked the strongest reactions. But the decision was based on climate goals. [ABC News]

Surfing at Tahiti (Fabe collage, Unsplash)

¶ “At Least 19 Injured As Russia Hits Ukraine’s Power Grid With Fresh Barrage” • Russia pounded Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with a large-scale drone and missile attack, injuring at least 19 people, local officials said. The strikes were part of a series of sustained attacks by Russia against Ukraine’s power grid, which has been ongoing since March. [ABC News]

¶ “Panama Prepares To Evacuate First Island In Face Of Rising Sea Levels” • On a tiny island off Panama’s Caribbean coast, about 300 families are packing their belongings. The Gunas of Gardi Sugdub are the first of 63 communities along Panama’s coasts that officials and scientists expect to be forced to relocate by rising sea levels in the coming decades. [ABC News]

Gardi Sugdub (Cotopaxi5897, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “China Merchants-Backed Green Hydrogen Equipment Maker To Quadruple Capacity” • CM Xiageng Hydrogen Energy Tech, a green hydrogen equipment start-up, has plans to quadruple its output. It is rushing to feed a global market which is growing at a searing pace of 40.7% annually and is forecast to be worth $70 billion by 2034. [South China Morning Post]

¶ “Budweiser Adjusts Its ‘Misleading’ Renewable Energy Claim From Website Following Watchdog Complaint” • Following a complaint from Irish authorities, brewing giant Budweiser has been impelled to amend statements on its website claiming it uses 100% renewable electricity. A footnote leads to a statement that its electricity is offset by green energy. [MSN]

Budweiser (Maarten van den Heuvel, Unsplash)

¶ “Green Light For Aurora Offshore Wind Power Plant Off The Coast Of Sweden” • The Gotland County Administrative Board has decided to recommend that the Government grant a permit, in accordance with the Swedish Exclusive Economic Zone Act, for the Aurora offshore wind farm, developed by OX2 and Ingka Investments. [evwind.es]

¶ “IAEA: Restarting Europe’s Largest Nuclear Power Plant, Which Is Occupied By Russians, Impossible” • International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said restarting the Zaporizhzhya NPP under the current conditions is not possible. It is the largest nuclear facility in Europe, but it is occupied by Russia and the target of attacks. [uatv.ua]

Director General Rafael Grossi (IAEA image)

US:

¶ “On the Road to Increased Transmission: Flexible Alternating Current Transmission Systems” • Just like busy roads, the US transmission system can experience congestion, leading to the electricity moving inefficiently. But even if larger transmission lines are added, the electricity will not automatically take the new, less-congested route. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “How a Battle Over Solar Power Tore A New York Community Apart” • “We are not climate deniers, nor are we NIMBYists,” one resident said. “We believe in the need for renewable energy, and we just want to have a say in how it’s done…” So a solar project, which is supposed to supply enough renewable power for 15,000 households, has stalled for years. [Mother Jones]

Solar power (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)

¶ “Clean Fuels Are Still A Long Way From Domestic Adoption” • New York and San Francisco have banned gas hook-ups to new buildings in the hope of phasing out gas-fuelled heating and cooking. However, some of the alternatives being promoted, such as green hydrogen, are far from ready for a commercial rollout. But how far? [OilPrice.com]

¶ “State Leaders, Regulators Push For Solar On Former Mine Lands At Greene Twp Event” • Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection published a report showing that nearly 169,000 acres of abandoned mine lands statewide could host solar facilities, including 27,000 reclaimed and 142,000 unreclaimed acres. [Ellwood City Ledger]

Have an honestly exuberant day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Texas Gigafactory Might Have An Oft-Overlooked Pollution Problem” • Common thinking dictates that you need lots and lots of light at night for safety, security, efficiency, and comfort. So, when a new manufacturing facility is built, it gets some serious lighting to turn night to day as needed. But light pollution is a serious environmental problem. [CleanTechnica]

Light pollution map (From LightPollutionMap.info)

World:

¶ “Orange Shortages Send Juice Prices Soaring, Prompt Possible Changes” • Orange production in two top growing regions has been plagued by diseased fruit and bad weather, prompting all-time high prices. Amid more frequent and intense heatwaves, a citrus organization cited climate change as a key factor in the dramatic orange crop reduction. [ABC News]

¶ “Net Zero By 2050 Is Now Anticipated To Cost Nearly 20% More – Can Anything Be Done?” • The folks that hold the wallets of governments and shareholders need to fork over trillions of more dollars toward the clean energy transition, and that money needs to start flowing now in order to to reach net zero by 2050, according to BloombergNEF. [CleanTechnica]

Wind and sunflowers (Gustavo Quepón, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “25 Rural Towns’ Solar Power Plan Project Reaches 61%” • The performance of the 25 rural towns’ solar power plant project, which is being built by the Ethiopian Electricity Utility, reached 61%. The project includes the installation of 68.7 km of medium-voltage and 233.3 km of low-voltage lines that can carry a total of 8 MW electric power. [MSN]

¶ “Avaada Energy Wins 1.05-GW Solar Project In India From NTPC” • Indian renewable energy company Avaada Energy was awarded a 1.05-GW solar project in an auction by the National Thermal Power Corporation’s Renewable Energy Implementing Agency. The project, won at a competitive tariff of 3.2¢/kWh, is set for completion by 2026. [Power Technology]

Solar power (Thomas Coker, Unsplash)

¶ “FPCCI Calls For A Shift To Wind Power Projects” • President Atif Ikram Sheikh of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry has urged authorities to prioritize the immediate offtake of power from existing, operational, and cheapest 12 wind projects, which produce electricity at a cost of Rs14.5 per unit (5.2¢/kWh). [The News International]

¶ “Mauritius Inaugurates BESS” • In line with the government’s vision to promote renewable energy in the electricity mix to 60% by 2030, a 20 MW grid scale battery energy storage system has been inaugurated in the presence of the Minister of Energy and Public Utilities, Georges Pierre Lesjongard. The system is at the Amaury Sub-station. [Energy Global]

Buildings in Mauritius (Ritesh Innovador, Unsplash)

¶ “Nuclear Plan A ‘Distraction’ As Coal Town Transitions” • In Australia, the federal coalition has plans to add nuclear energy to the power grid by building reactors at sites where there are coal or gas-fired power stations. One coal town that could be a site for a nuclear station says the plan is a distraction as it works to ditch fossil fuels. [Michael West Media]

US:

¶ “Vermont Becomes First State To Mandate That Fossil Fuel Companies Pay For Climate Damages” • A new law in Vermont — the first of its kind in the US — will require fossil fuel companies to pay for a share of the costs of weather disasters fueled by climate change. Republican Gov Phil Scott allowed the bill to become law without his signature. [NBC News]

Champlain Valley (KADM Creations, Unsplash)

¶ “Applications Open For $1.3 Billion In Funding To Expand National Electric Vehicle Charging Network” • The Biden-Harris Administration opened applications for a $1.3 billion funding opportunity for EV charging and alternative-fueling at sites in urban and rural communities and along designated highways, interstates, and major roadways. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “How Dominion Energy Killed A Rooftop Solar Plan In Fairfax County, Virginia” • Four years ago, Fairfax County, Virginia, unveiled an ambitions program that would bring rooftop solar systems to many schools, community centers, and park buildings in the county. Dominion stopped the process by demanding high connection fees in 2022. [CleanTechnica]

Allume rooftop solar array (Courtesy of Allume)

¶ “Power Grids Under Pressure: US Areas At Risk Of Blackouts During The Summer” • A seasonal grid reliability assessment from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation highlights regions of North America that could face grid reliability issues because of too little supply of or too much demand for power. [CNET]

¶ “Arizona Is Advancing In Renewable Energy With Federal Investments” • Arizona is on the frontline for up-and-coming solutions for climate change thanks to federal investments for renewable energy. Since 2021, Arizona has received $10.5 billion for clean energy through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. [AZPM]

Arizona desert (Dulcey Lima, Unsplash)

¶ “Outlook ‘Surprisingly Positive’ For US Offshore Wind” • The market outlook for US offshore wind “surprisingly positive,” says a recent report by consulting firm Intelatus Global Partners. Even with ongoing issues, the firm says, “the fundamentals are looking surprisingly positive in the context of what has taken place over the last 12 months.” [Offshore Magazine]

¶ “US Energy Secretary Calls For More Nuclear Power While Celebrating $35 Billion Georgia Reactors” • US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm called for more nuclear reactors to be built in the US and worldwide. But the CEO of the Georgia utility that built the reactors at a cost of nearly $35 billion says his company isn’t ready to pick up that baton. [MSN]

Have a movingly placid day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “ClearPower Solar Windows Could Transform The Building Environment” • ClearPower has a new type of solar window. The company says its ClearPower window not only produces power at an efficiency and power density comparable to PV modules, but also provides solar heat gain control to reduce air conditioning and heating costs. [CleanTechnica]

Solar window vs solar panel (ClearPower image)

¶ “Nuclear Reactors Still Expensive, Slow And Risky” • A new report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis found that small modular reactors are expensive, too slow to build, and too risky to play a significant role in moving away from fossil fuels in ten to fifteen years. They could delay the transition away from fossil fuels. [Environment America]

¶ “Electrifed Firebricks May The Answer To Low Carbon Process Heat” • Daniel Stack and Joey Kabel found that by slight changes to the recipe of the metal oxides used to make firebricks, they could make bricks that would conduct electricity and generate heat. They founded Electrified Thermal Solutions to bring their invention to market. [CleanTechnica]

Bricks (Marek Studzinski, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Labour Outlines Great British Energy Vision” • Labour leader Keir Starmer outlined more details of his plans for Great British Energy, a publicly owned company that will develop renewables projects. Launching the website for Great British Energy, he said that if a Labour government is elected, it will get working within months to build clean power across the UK. [reNews]

¶ “The Global Automaker Rating 2023: Who Is Leading The Transition To Electric Vehicles?” • The International Council on Clean Transportation released its annual assessment of progress by automakers in the transition to zero-emission vehicles. It is still accelerating, with growing sales, improving performance, and more ambitious visions. [CleanTechnica]

Woman and her Hyundai (Hyundai Motor Group, Unsplash)

¶ “UK Energy Production Decreases, Consumption Stabilises” • Recent government data spanning January to March 2024 reveals shifts in the UK’s energy sector compared to the same period a year earlier. Electricity generation by major power producers saw declines in coal (0.7%), gas (4.9%), and nuclear (16%). Renewables increased by 5.8%. [Energy Live News]

¶ “Behind Spain’s First Agri-PV Solar Park By BayWa RE” • The first agri-voltaic solar park in Spain is ushering in a new era for sustainability. The 54-MW PV park by BayWa re integrates renewable electricity production, agriculture and biodiversity. It is also a step towards VELUX Group achieving its 100% renewable electricity goal. [Energy Digital Magazine]

Agrivoltaics in Spain (BayWa re image)

¶ “Landmark Renewable And Storage Tenders Open Amid Amid Questions Over Duration” • Two landmark renewable energy tenders opened in Australia, with the federal government seeking a record 6 GW of new solar and wind capacity, and NSW seeking offers for up to 1 GW of long duration storage capacity. Similar tenders will come every six months. [RenewEconomy]

¶ “42% Of Electricity In Ireland Came From Renewables In 2023” • A total of 42% of electricity in Ireland came from renewables in 2023, according to EirGrid’s annual report for 2023. The report also announced the first Offshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme auction. The EirGrid Group is responsible for operating and developing the Irish power grid. [BreakingNews.ie]

Dublin (Gregory Dalleau, Unsplash)

¶ “Finland Awarded $30 Million To Expand Solar Power” • The European Union’s renewable energy financing mechanism has awarded €27.5 million ($30.1 million) to seven solar power projects in Finland. These seven projects have a combined capacity of 212.99 megawatts-peak (MWp). They range in size from 7.8 MWp to 40.16 MWp. [Rigzone]

US:

¶ “California Heat Pump Partnership Aims For Six Million In Six Years” • The newly launched California Heat Pump Partnership has a solution to heating and cooling without fossil fuels. And they are not kidding around, with the power of a partnership that includes companies covering more than 90% of the consumer heat pump market. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “Cut Gas Line At Center Of NTSB Investigation Into Deadly Ohio Explosion” • The National Transportation Safety Board said a cut to an inactive but still pressurized gas line will be a central focus of their investigation into what caused an explosion that rocked downtown Youngstown, Ohio. One question is why an abandoned service line was pressurized. [ABC News]

¶ “Texas Town Deploys Snow Plows After 50°F Temperature Swing And Two Feet Of Hail” • Severe weather: The temperature in the village of Marathon, Texas, fell over 50°F tumbled from around 105°F to the mid-50s in about one hour on Wednesday afternoon. This was followed by hail so deep they had to deploy snow plows to clear the streets. [ABC News]

Marathon Texas (Talshiarr, CC-BY-SA 2.5, cropped)

¶ “These Abandoned Oil Wells Near Bakersfield Could Store Enough Solar Power For 300,000 Homes” • When a small firm leased an oil field in California’s Central Valley six years ago, it quickly realized that drilling for oil wasn’t going to be viable. But its team discovered that it could use old oil wells for a different purpose: storing solar power. [Fast Company]

¶ “Alliant Energy Completes The Grant County Solar Project” • Alliant Energy announced the completion of its 200-MW Grant County solar project in Potosi, Wisconsin. It can generate enough electricity to provide the annual needs of over 50,000 homes. The project is the culmination of Alliant Energy’s buildout of twelve utility-scale solar projects. [WKOW]

Have an utterly untroubled day.

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Opinion:

¶ “The Alleged Electric Car Sales Slowdown Is A Fiction – The EV Revolution Is Alive And Well” • “The EV revolution is over! We must run and tell the king!!” Hogwash, Bloomberg says in market analysis. Six of the ten biggest EV makers in the US saw sales grow at a scorching pace compared to a year ago. EV sales were up 86% at Ford. [CleanTechnica]

Ford Mustang Mach-E (Alexandre Prevot, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “EV Sales Are Outpacing The Growth Of EV Chargers” • The US needs to build out its EV charging capacity to reach the point where everyone who wants to drive an EV has the electrification to do so – on urban and rural roads, in busy communities and suburbs, in nearly any major intersection where you’d expect to find a gas station. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Wildfire Near Canada’s Oil Sands Hub Under Control, Alberta Officials Say” • A wildfire that forced thousands of residents from their homes in western Canada’s oil sands hub of Fort McMurray earlier this month is now under control, Alberta officials said. In 2016, wildfires forced a mass evacuation of the city and burned more than 2,000 homes. [ABC News]

Fort McMurray wildfire in 2016 (DarrenRD, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Volkswagen Group Launches Project for €20,000 All-Electric EV” • The Board of Management of the Volkswagen Group has decided to make all-electric entry-level mobility more popular. The Brand Group Core will bring affordable EVs from Europe, for Europe, into the market. The world premiere for €20,000 models is scheduled for 2027. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Volvo EX30 Ends April in 2nd Place – Europe EV Sales Report” • Some 219,000 plugin vehicles were registered in Europe in April, up 11% year over year. And while Tesla isn’t helping, with deliveries down 2% YOY in April, the plugin tally from Volvo, Volkswagen, and Peugeot, among others, is pulling the market upwards. [CleanTechnica]

Volvo EX30 (Rutger van der Maar, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “Empowering Tomorrow: UK Energy Storage Ready To Plug-In” • Earlier this year, the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero conducted a consultation on Long Duration Energy Storage. Through the consultation, the government detailed a “cap and floor” mechanism to make LDES projects attractively financeable. [Environment Journal]

¶ “Offshore Wind Farms Could Have Averted The Fukushima Disaster” • A review conducted at the University of Surrey found that offshore wind farms could have averted the Fukushima nuclear disaster by maintaining the cooling systems to prevent a meltdown. The study shows that wind farms are less vulnerable to earthquakes than nuclear plants. [Energy Live News]

Turbine foundations in port (Einsamer Schütze, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Australia:

¶ “Spain’s X-Elio Proposes 350-MW Solar Plant With 120-MW, 240-MWh Big Battery In Queensland” • Spanish renewables developer X-Elio applied for environmental approval to build a 350-MW solar farm with a two-hour big battery of 120 MW. The Sixteen Mile solar farm and battery, would be in the Western Downs region of Queensland. [ETN News]

¶ “Australian Developer Plans 2 GW Renewables Project” • The Australian developer Squadron Energy filed documents with the New South Wales planning authority for its proposed Koorakee Energy Park. The project is to have 1 GW of PV capacity, 1 GW of wind capacity, and a battery system with a capacity of up to 1 GW and up to 12 hours of storage. [pv magazine International]

Land in New South Wales (Squadron Energy image)

¶ “Australia Unveils Ambitious National Battery Strategy To Power Clean Energy” • The Australian government unveiled the country’s first National Battery Strategy. Some key elements of the strategy are building battery systems to bolster renewable generating capacity and leveraging industry expertise to develop safer, more secure batteries. [CarbonCredits.com]

US:

¶ “US Floating Offshore Wind Industry To Tackle Maine” • The big news for Maine comes with the environmental review for a new offshore lease area. A statement by the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced that a Final Environmental Assessment was awarded for a research-scale offshore wind site southeast of Portland, Maine. [CleanTechnica]

Screenshot from Maine Offshore Wind Roadmap February 2023

¶ “Nearly $900 Million for 3,400 Clean Electric School Buses” • With the 2023 Clean School Bus Program rebates, the EPA chose roughly 530 school districts, in nearly all states, several Tribes, DC, and territories for nearly $900 million in funds to replace older, diesel-fueled school buses that harm the health of students and surrounding communities. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Increasing Use Of Renewable Energy In US Yields Billions Of Dollars Of Benefits” • By increasing its use of renewable energy, the US has not only reduced its planet-warming emissions but also improved its air quality, yielding hundreds of billions of dollars of benefits, a report published in the journal Cell Reports Sustainability has found. [The Guardian]

Solar array (Raphael Cruz, Unsplash)

¶ “CPUC’s Revised Proposed Decision Could Ruin California’s Community Solar Market” • The Community Renewable Energy Act was sponsored by the Coalition for Community Solar Access and supported by a large number of solar and environmental organizations. But the California Public Utilities Commission opposed the bill. [pv magazine USA]

¶ “New Law With Bipartisan Support Weans American Power Plants From Russian Uranium” • Signed by President Joe Biden after a year of delays in Congress, the bill bans the import of Russian-enriched uranium. Despite many setbacks, the bill passed unanimously, the New York Times reported. The delays were because of political gameplaying. [Yahoo]

Have an appropriately valuable day.

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Opinion:

¶ “All The Ways Cars Harm The World” • CleanTechnica has many articles showing love for EVs. But here, two authors show how cars, even EVs, are harmful to people and communities. The psychologist Carl Jung said everything has a “shadow” or dark side, and cleantech authors explore the big-time shadow of the pervasive automobile. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla in Canada (Jp Valery, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Satellite To Probe Mystery Of Clouds And Climate” • A joint European-Japanese satellite was launched to measure how clouds influence the climate. Some low-level clouds cool the planet, others at high altitude act as blankets. The Earthcare mission will use a laser and radar to probe the atmosphere to see precisely where the balance lies. [BBC]

World:

¶ “Lion Electric Unveils the Groundbreaking Lion8 Tractor, An All-Electric Class 8 Commercial Truck” • The Lion Electric Company, a maker of all-electric medium and heavy-duty urban vehicles based in Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, unveiled the Lion8 Tractor, an all-electric Class 8 commercial truck, at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo. [CleanTechnica]

Lion Electric truck (Lion Electric image)

¶ “BYD Unveils Plug-In Hybrid With 1,305 Miles Of Total Range” • BYD’s plugin hybrid technology, now in its fifth generation, gets a record low fuel consumption of 2.9 liters per 100 km (62.1 miles), even after the batteries have been depleted. Google says that translates to 0.776 gallons. Divide that into 62 miles and you get 80 miles per gallon. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “EDF Starts Work On Stranoch Wind Farm” • EDF Renewables UK is starting construction on the 102-MW Stranoch wind farm in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. I&H Brown was awarded the contract to complete the civil engineering works for the construction phase. Located between New Luce and Barrhill, the site comprises twenty turbines. [reNews]

Wind farm (EDF Renewables image)

¶ “France’s Second Offshore Wind Farm Commissioned” • Ailes Marines, an Iberdrola subsidiary, announced completion of the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm, making it the second offshore wind farm to operate in France. The project’s 62 wind turbines have a total capacity of 496 MW to contribute to the French renewable energy goals. [Energy Live News]

¶ “In The Largest Windfarm In The Southern Hemisphere, ‘Renewable Energy Farmers’ Look To The Future” • For ten Queensland landowners, the MacIntyre windfarm is a financial lifeline. It is the largest onshore windfarm south of the Equator and covers about 36,000 hectares of rocky grazing country south of the rural town of Karara. [The Guardian]

Train station at Karara, Queensland (Mattinbgn, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “CSIRO Stands By Nuclear Power Costings That Contradict Coalition Claims” • The CSIRO says it stands by its analysis on the costs of future nuclear power plants in Australia after the Coalition attacked the work. CSIRO analysis contradicted the Coalition’s claims reactors would provide cheap electricity and be available within a decade. [The Guardian]

US:

¶ “$179 Million For Innovative Water Reuse And Drought Resilience Projects From Investing In America Agenda” • The Interior Department announced a $179 million investment for innovative water reuse projects to support four projects in Utah and California to help communities create new sources of water to support water reliability. [CleanTechnica]

Lake Mead at Hoover Dam (US Bureau Of Reclamation)

¶ “19 Model Year 2023 Light-Duty EVs Have a Driving Range of 300+ Miles” • Model year 2023 had 19 light-duty EV models from 11 different manufacturers with an EPA certified driving range of 300 miles or more. Model Year 2016 had only one, and the number grew slowly until 2022 when 14 models exceeded that range. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Feds Offer $90 Million For Vast Solar Array On Pennsylvania Mine Land” • The US government is offering up to $90 million to a renewable energy developer to build Pennsylvania’s largest solar farm on 2,700 acres of reclaimed coal-mining land. The $800-million Mineral Basin Solar Project would have a capacity of 402 MW. [Bay Journal]

Coal-mining site (Swift Current Energy)

¶ “New Jersey And Wind Farm Developer Ørsted Settle Claims For $125 Million Over Scrapped Offshore Projects” • Danish wind farm developer Ørsted will pay New Jersey $125 million to settle claims over the company’s cancellation last year of two offshore wind farms. The amount is a little over a third of what Ørsted was once required to pay. [ABC News]

¶ “Renewables Provided Almost 30% Of US Electrical Generation In March” • Renewables are now the second-largest source of US electrical generation behind natural gas, which averaged a 40.5% share during Q1 2024 but fell to 39.4% in March. Electric energy from all renewables grew from 26.3% in March of 2023 to 29.2% in March of 2024. [Electrek]

Wind turbines (Zbynek Burival, Unsplash)

¶ “Ballot Initiative To Reverse Law On Siting Renewable Energy Projects Short On Signatures” • A group working to reverse a state law on siting renewable energy projects says its ballot initiative won’t be on the November ballot. Citizens for Local Choice does not have enough signatures for the initiative to be put on the 2024 ballot. [Michigan Public]

¶ “Five Biggest Solar Projects In The US” • There are now more than five million solar installations in the US, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. While most of these are small-scale plants, there are some that are very large. Here are descriptions of five of the largest five. We should note that other large projedts are coming. [Newsweek]

Have a significantly lovely day.

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World:

¶ “Geely Becomes A Top 10 Automaker Globally” • Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, which includes Volvo Cars, has become the 10th best selling automaker in the world. That’s noteworthy in part because more than a third of its sales are now plugin vehicle sales, and the company could be a 100% plugin vehicle company by 2030. [CleanTechnica]

Geely Zeekr in New York City

¶ “IONITY Lowers Charging Prices in 12 European Countries” • IONITY, the leading pan-European HPC network for EVs of all brands, is making High Power Charging up to 350 kW affordable. It is introducing country-specific tariffs to cater to its customers’ charging needs and reducing IONITY DIRECT charging prices in twelve European countries. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Rio Tinto And BHP Collaborate On Battery-Electric Haul Truck Trials In The Pilbara” • In an industry first, Rio Tinto and BHP will collaborate on testing large battery-electric haul truck technology in the Pilbara, Western Australia. The two companies will work with Caterpillar and Komatsu to conduct trials of their battery-electric haul trucks. [CleanTechnica]

Komatsu battery-electric haul truck (Komatsu image)

¶ “China’s Emissions Fall As Renewable Energy Capacity Grows, But Coal Investments Blight Carbon Outlook” • China’s carbon dioxide emissions fell in March for the first time since economic activity reopened after the pandemic, an analysis shows. This suggests emissions may have peaked, but coal-burning power plants are still going up. [Hong Kong Free Press]

¶ “Port Of Tyne Enters HVDC Cable Factory Talks” • Port of Tyne in the UK and LS Eco Advanced Cables UK are negotiating for a long-term lease for a cables factory. LS EAC is interested in potential for a high voltage DC factory on the Tyne Renewables Quay site in the north-east of England. It would be worth an investment of £923 million. [reNews]

Port of Tyne (Port of Tyne image)

¶ “German Energy Giant Presses Go On Australia’s First Eight-Hour Big Battery” • The 50-MW, 400-MWh Limondale battery will be built next to RWE’s 249-MW Limondale solar farm near Balranald, New South Wales. It will be the first eight-hour battery in Australia after being the surprise winner of the state’s first long duration storage tender. [RenewEconomy]

¶ “Energy Giant RWE To Build Two New Wind Farms Off The German Coast” • Germany’s largest power producer, RWE AG, announced it is to construct 1.6 GW of offshore wind capacity in the North Sea. It took the decision despite ongoing supply-chain challenges and soaring costs that have halted some offshore wind projects in the UK and the US. [Euronews.com]

Offshore wind turbines (Waldemar, Unsplash)

¶ “Italy’s Solar Power Capacity Rises To 32 GW, Large Projects Jump In Q1” • Italy’s solar power capacity rose by 1.7 GW in the first quarter to 32 GW thanks to a jump in the development of large projects, according to the country’s association for the PV sector. Capacity of large-scale additions is up 373% from last year’s first quarter. [Reuters]

¶ “Hinkley Point C Nuclear Power Station Delayed And Costs Rise” • Hinkley Point C is set to be delayed and costs are likely to be £500 million more than previously thought, according to EDF, the energy giant behind it. Also, the start of electricity generation from Unit 1 is expected in June 2026, six months later than projected. [Yahoo Movies Canada]

Model of Hinkley Point C (gov.uk, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Russia To Build Central Asia’s First Nuclear Power Plant In Uzbekistan” • Russia will build a small nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan, the first such project in post-Soviet Central Asia, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Uzbekistan is also interested in buying more oil and gas from Russia. [Reuters]

US:

¶ “Well Done Foundation Helps People Adopt Orphan Wells” • A favorite tactic of the Oil & Gas industry is to sell the orphan wells to an under-capitalized shell company. If pressed to clean up a well, the company files bankruptcy and sticks the taxpayers with the bill. That might sound like a crime, but it is business as usual for Oil & Gas companies. [CleanTechnica]

Abandoned well (Steve Hillebrand, USFWS, public domain)

¶ “Net Metering 3.0 Rules Create Chaos In Rooftop Solar Market In California” • The California Public Utilities Commission, with support of the state’s largest investor-owned utilities, eviscerated the net metering regulations last year. The new plan, NEM 3.0, reduces the amount the utilities have to pay their rooftop solar customers by 75%. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “BOEM Releases Final Environmental Statement On Offshore Wind Farms” • The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is continuing its efforts to push forward with the review of US offshore wind projects. In the latest step, they are releasing the final Environmental Impact Statements approving two New Jersey projects. [The Maritime Executive]

Offshore wind farm (US Department of Interior image)

¶ “3M Knew Its Fluorochemicals Were Toxic Decades Ago And Likely To Cause Cancer” • ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. It recently released a 8,000 word exposé on how 3M knew that its PFAS chemicals were in people’s bodies. 3M had been testing human blood for PFOS contamination since 1997. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Hawaii Gas sets its sights on new renewable energy projects on Oahu” • Hawaiʻi Gas has announced the selection of two projects from its 2023 RFP for green hydrogen and renewable natural gas, key resources that will enable the company to shift away from its reliance on fossil fuel. Both projects will produce gas on Oʻahu. [Hawaii Business Magazine]

Have an acceptably splendid day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Australia’s Low Cost Solar PV Goal Could Change Everything About The Grid” • The CSIRO GenCost report published last week has sparked a new polemic about the cost of generating technologies, with the critics in the nuclear camp not liking the country’s main scientific research agency stating that nuclear is really expensive. [RenewEconomy]

Solar parking shade (Flicker02, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Less Carbon, More Chill Novel Refrigeration Approach Uses PCMs To Freeze, Cool Perishables” • A technology developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory works to keep food refrigerated with phase change materials, or PCMs, while reducing carbon emissions by 30%. PCMs store and release energy when changing between solid and liquid states. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Twelve People Injured When Plane Hits Turbulence” • Twelve people were injured when a Qatar Airways plane flying from Doha to Dublin hit turbulence, airport authorities said. Some meteorologists note that reports of turbulence encounters have been increasing and point to the potential impacts that climate change may have on flying conditions. [ABC News]

Airplane (riikkeary, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “44% Plugin Vehicle Market Share In China – April 2024 Sales Report” • Plugin vehicles are all the rage in the Chinese auto market, with plugins scoring 703,000 sales in a 1.6-million-unit overall market. That’s up 27% year over year. Plugin vehicles hit 44% market share! Full electrics battery EVs alone accounted for 26% of the country’s auto sales. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “DHL Expanding Charging Infrastructure For Electric Trucks In Germany, New EV Center In Shanghai” • DHL Group and energy provider E.ON entered a partnership to expand the electric charging infrastructure for heavy commercial vehicles. Fast-charging infrastructure will be established at DHL Group locations in Germany. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “Queensland Government Passes Renewable Energy Laws” • The Clean Economy Jobs Act 2024 and the Energy (Renewable Transformation and Jobs) Act 2024 put Queensland at the center of a global energy transition. They set a target of 80% renewable energy generation in the state by 2035 and are expected to create over 100,000 jobs. [Energy Magazine]

¶ “Government Aims For 40% Of Primary Energy Mix To Come From Re Sources By 2035” • Malaysia aims to ensure that 40% of the country’s primary energy mix comes from renewable energy sources by 2035, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof. This would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 10 million tonnes annually. [The Edge Malaysia]

Kuala Lumpur (Wengang Zhai, Unsplash)

¶ “India Sets Sights On Global Renewable Ammonia Market, Takes Strides Towards Sustainable Energy Leadership” • India is positioning itself as a key player in the renewable ammonia market with several international trade agreements already inked and more in the works. The country hopes to secure a 10% share of the global trade by 2030. [The Economic Times]

¶ “Chinese Renewables Exports Up 35%” • Chinese renewables product exports grew 35% from 2019 to 2023, due to competitive prices and production capacity domination, the new ‘Looking overseas’ report from Wood Mackenzie says. In the last four years, batteries surpassed solar PVs to become China’s primary renewable energy export product. [reNews]

D-cell batteries made in Hong Kong (Joe Haupt, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Moving Nuclear Waste Through Traditional Territories Could Face Opposition, Ontario First Nation Says” • A First Nation in southwestern Ontario says even if the community votes yes for a $26 billion nuclear waste dump within their traditional territory, it would likely be opposed by other First Nations, through whose territories millions of spent fuel rods would pass. [CBC]

US:

¶ “How Federal Clean Energy Dollars Are Supporting First Responders” • The brand new Public Safety Center in McFarland Wisconsin, a village of 9,400 roughly 10 miles from Madison, is spacious, well-lit, and modern. It was designed to have net-zero emissions, though twelve months of utility data are required to be officially listed as such. [CleanTechnica]

Electric fire engine (Courtesy of REV Group)

¶ “Rivian Partners With Pivot Energy To Advance Renewable Energy Commitments” • EV maker Rivian announced a strategic collaboration with Pivot Energy aimed to bolster its renewable energy initiatives. As part of the agreement, Rivian will acquire renewable energy certificates and subscribe to a segment of a community solar project. [SolarQuarter]

¶ “Survey Says Isle Residents Support Expanding Renewable Energy In Hawaiʻi” • More than 90% of island residents support more alternative energy in the Hawaiian Islands, according to a comprehensive survey commissioned by the Ulupono Initiative. The study was released during the 11th Annual Hawaiʻi Energy Conference on Maui. [Maui Now]

Have a sensationally relaxing day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Is The Chevy Equinox The Affordable EV We’ve Been Waiting For?” • Paul Fosse: “I think Chevy has a winner on its hands with the Equinox EV 1LT, which has an amazing value. I think the higher trims may have to offer some incentives to gain share in this ultra-competitive segment, since Tesla, Hyundai, and Kia offer compelling vehicles for similar prices.” [CleanTechnica]

Chevrolet Equinox EV (Chevrolet image)

¶ “Biden’s 100% China EV Tariff Fails History 101” • Biden might have forgotten when America’s big cars became just expensive symbols of conspicuous consumption, in 1973, when he entered Congress. America and its car companies faced almost exactly the same situation as they face now. Their response was different, but it succeeded. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Helping Farmers Easily Access Future Climate Projections” • Many Australian farmers are experts at using weather data. But they tend to be less familiar with long-term climate projections. My Climate View is a project to help Australian farmers and producers better understand the risks and opportunities they face over the next 50 years. [Cosmos Magazine]

Australian farming (CSIRO image)

World:

¶ “Role Of Solar Energy In Rural Electrification In India” • Access to electricity, a pillar of modern life, remains a distant dream for millions living in remote Indian villages. Amidst such challenges, solar energy presents a promising avenue for rural electrification, offering a sustainable solution to bridge the gap between urban and rural regions. [The Sunday Guardian Live]

¶ “Locals Concerned Over SunCable Proposal To Manufacture Subsea Cable In Northern Tasmania” • Local people have raised concerns over a proposal to build a subsea cable manufacturing facility for a renewable energy project on the bank of the Tamar River. The project will include a 200-metre-high tower essential for the manufacture of the cable. [ABC]

Rendering showing tower (SunCable image)

¶ “Decarbonising Southeast Asia Through Solar And Pumped Hydro” • In 2023, around 84% of new global generating capacity was from solar and wind power. The increasing affordability of solar, with a growing population, energy consumption, and emissions, place Southeast Asia on the cusp of a major energy transition led by solar PVs. [East Asia Forum]

¶ “World’s First Hydrogen-Powered Yacht Set To Compete In The Ocean Race” • Phil Sharp, inventor of the Hydrogen Power Module and co-founder of Genevos, a leading developer of marine fuel cell systems, plans to compete in The Ocean Race with the world’s first hydrogen-powered racing boat, showcasing benefits of renewable energy. [Interesting Engineering]

Volvo Ocean Race (Maurits & Marjol, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “Coalition’s Brave Nuke World A Much Harder Sell After New CSIRO Report” • In Australia, the Coalition’s pitch on nuclear energy says the electricity will be cheap and it could be deployed within a decade. The CSIRO latest report on nuclear says a first plant would deliver power “no sooner than 2040” and could cost over A$17 billion ($11.27 billion). [The Guardian]

US:

¶ “Bill McKibben Thinks Climate Change Is The Key To A Biden Win In November” • Bill McKibben, the committed climate activist who has been educating us about the dangers of climate change for decades, has some advice for Joe Biden as the next presidential campaign heats up: Hit the topic of climate change early and often. [CleanTechnica]

McKibben, 2012 (Dave Brenner, SNRE, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “Redwood Partners with Ultium Cells” • Redwood’s process involves sourcing end-of-life batteries, production scrap, and raw materials, then recycling, refining, and remanufacturing these feedstocks into critical battery materials for North American cell manufacturers at gigafactory-scale. Redwood is now working with Ultium Cells LLC. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New Solar Will Help Keep Power On During Scorching Summer, Report Says” • NOAA says there’s a 99% chance that 2024 will rank among the five warmest years on record. Analysis by the North American Electric Reliability Corp painted a rosier picture than last year’s report, however, partly because of solar power development. [Louisiana Illuminator]

Have a sensibly superior day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Super-Bacteria Are Scaling Up To Attack The Petrochemical Industry” • The green chemistry movement has been gathering steam since the early 2000s. Now bio-based breakthroughs may help pull the rug out from under the petrochemical industry. Bio-based substitutes for plastic products are becoming more common, but that’s just the start. [CleanTechnica]

Super-bacteria (Courtesy of Cellugy)

¶ “Researchers Claim Batteries With Iron Cathodes Outperform Traditional Materials” • Researchers at Oregon State University, in collaboration with colleagues at three other universities and two national laboratories, announced that they have found a way to substitute iron for nickel and cobalt in lithium-ion battery cathodes, reducing costs. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Nearly 175 Arrested As Climate Protesters Target France’s TotalEnergies And Key Investor” • The head of TotalEnergies has told shareholders that new oilfields have to be developed to meet global demand, as the annual meetings of the French energy giant and one of its biggest shareholders were picketed. Police arrested 173 protesters. [The Guardian]

Nodding donkey (Zbynek Burival, Unsplash)

¶ “Hull To Buy 40 Electric Buses” • Following a successful bid to the Government to fund electric buses, the Hull City Council’s Cabinet approved plans to enable purchase of 40 electric buses and allocation of circa £2 million of funding from the authority for installation of charging infrastructure to support the rollout of the vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Tootbus Unveils End-To-End Renewable Power For Its Electric Fleet With VEV Solar Panel Project in Wandsworth” • Tootbus, the world’s first low-emissions sightseeing bus company, has secured approval for plans to install roof-mounted solar panels on their Wandsworth depot, working in collaboration with VEV, an electric fleet provider. [CleanTechnica]

Tootbus (VEV image)

¶ “New Energy-Storage Industry Booms Amid China’s Green Drive” • US carmaker Tesla broke ground on a mega factory in Shanghai to produce its energy-storage batteries Megapack. This is an example of growth of China’s new energy-storage industry, which is backed by its commitment to developing renewable energy and a green economy. [Xinhua News]

¶ “Uzbekistan Teams Up With The Russian Energy Company Zarubezhneft For Solar Power Initiative” • Uzbekistan and the Russian energy company Zarubezhneft agreed to build a solar facility with a total capacity of 100 MW. Valued at $100 million, this initiative marks a substantial investment in the region’s renewable energy sector. [Daryo.uz]

Bukhara, Uzbekistan (Evgeny Matveev, Unsplash)

¶ “Amazon Reaches Nearly 3 GW Of Renewable Energy Capacity In Spain By Enabling Twelve New Projects” • Amazon is enabling twelve new renewable energy projects in Spain, with a combined capacity of 596 MW. These energy agreements raise Amazon’s renewable capacity in Spain to over 2.9 GW, totaling 79 wind and solar projects. [About Amazon Europe]

¶ “Freak April Heatwave In Southeast Asia ‘Virtually Impossible’ Without Climate Crisis” • The brutal heatwaves sweeping across Asia this year were made much more extreme due to the human-induced climate crisis, a study has found. This is the third year in a row that billions of people in Asia experienced brutal heatwaves that shattered records. [Yahoo News UK]

India (Charlie Costello, Unsplash)

¶ “Russia And China Tighten Grip On Global Nuclear Energy Supply” • Kazakhstan is the world’s largest uranium producer and a major source of the US’ nuclear energy. Russia and China have been moving to increase their stakes in Kazakh uranium production, impacting global energy security and highlighting allegations of corruption. [Newsweek]

US:

¶ “‘Kitty Cat’ Storms Hitting US Heartland Are Growing Threat To Home Insurance” • Insurance companies are threatened by hurricanes made worse by climate change, but the problem is becoming a crisis that stretches far inland. Another, less-talked-about disaster has wreaked havoc on states in the midwest and the Great Plains. [The Guardian]

Bad weather (Lucy Chian, Unsplash)

¶ “US Cities Leading The Way To Electric Cars And Trucks” • Many cities, towns, and counties in the US have adopted plans to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions, believing that they have a duty to their citizens to provide them with an environment that will allow them to survive. Nationwide, they own and operate 4 million vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Bronzeville Unveils Community Solar Power Micro-Grid Array To Provide Electricity In Emergencies” • Chicago and state leaders said the Bronzeville solar power micro-grid will power its neighborhood in the event of a major power outage. Hundreds of solar panels packed into multiple ground arrays will provide community-level energy resilience. [ABC Chicago]

Have a unstoppably uplifting day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Seabird Study Shows How They Might One Day Share The Air With Offshore Wind Turbines” • Researchers from the US DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and from H T Harvey & Associates published results from a study to find out how high seabirds fly and whether they might interact with wind turbines in Frontiers in Marine Energy. [CleanTechnica]

Birds and offshore wind turbine (J Bartholmai, PNNL)

World:

¶ “Brazil Races Ahead, Bringing 1,100% Battery EV Growth in April” • When Brazil’s EV sales went rampant in late 2023, there were fears the growth would be a temporary due to coming tariffs. This wasn’t the case, and growth has been exponential, reaching 1,120% increase in April for battery EVs, YOY, and 210% growth for plugin hybrids. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Renewable Energy Projects Predicted To Drive $20 Billion Construction Boom” • Renewable energy will be the largest area of growth in Australia’s construction sector over the next three years, with annual activity reaching A$20 billion ($13.3 billion) in FY 2026, a report from Macromonitor, an industry forecasting company, says. [pv magazine Australia]

Battery system (Synergy image)

¶ “National Grid Taps Shareholders To Help Fund £60 Billion Low-Carbon Energy Switch” • National Grid, the energy grid company, announced a £6.8 billion rights issue. Shareholders are being offered new shares to provide fresh funds for investment in thousands of miles of cables to connect homes with renewable energy projects. [The Guardian]

¶ “Battery Bonus Switched On After Coal-Plant Lifeline” • A New South Wales offer to subsidise batteries for homes with rooftop solar systems is a key plank in the shift to renewables as the state defends its lifeline for Australia’s biggest coal-fired power plant. The plan will save up to $2,400 for over a million households with solar panels to install a battery. [Yahoo]

Eraring power station (CSIRO, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Renewable Energy Booming In Major Economies” • Data from two of the largest economies in the world shows renewable energy accounts for an increasing share of energy at the expense of fossil fuels. India’s coal usage is plummeting, and less than half of India’s electricity is generated using coal. Meanwhile, German solar power rapidly increasing. [MSN]

¶ “Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Faces Blackout Threat” • Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is facing a blackout threat once again. An external overhead line has been disconnected, according to the Energoatom Telegram channel. Right now, the only source of electricity for the Russian-held nuclear plant is Ukrainian. [MSN]

Zaporizhzhia plant (IAEA Imagebank, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

US:

¶ “Massive Wind Farm Proposal In Washington State Gets New Life From Governor Jay Inslee” • Plans for the Horse Heaven wind farm include up to 222 wind turbines across 24 miles (38.6 km) of hillsides in the Tri-Cities area of eastern Washington, plus three solar arrays covering up to 8.5 square miles (22 square km). Gov Inslee rejected a size reduction. [ABC News]

¶ “NOAA Predicts Record Hurricane Season For 2024” • NOAA’s forecast of the upcoming hurricane season says all categories of storms are expected to exceed the typical number seen every year. Warming of the surface ocean temperatures from human-induced climate change is likely fueling more powerful tropical cyclones and extreme precipitation. [ABC News]

Hurricane (Mike Trenchard, NASA, public domain)

¶ “New Port Electrification Handbook Features Microgrids” • Maritime ports, bustling hubs of global trade, are emerging as the new frontier for electrification. Advances in clean energy, such as microgrids and batteries, are enabling electrification of port infrastructure and heavy-duty vehicles traditionally thought hard to electrify. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Atlantic Shores 1 And 2 Seal FEIS” • Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind has announced the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has released its Final Environmental Impact Statement for the 2,800-MW Atlantic Shores Project 1 and 2, off the coast of New Jersey. The schemes are a 50:50 partnership between Shell and EDF Renewables. [reNews]

Offshore wind turbines (EDF image)

¶ “Democrats Urge DOJ Investigation Of Fossil Fuel Companies” • Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Representative Jamie Raskin have sent a joint letter to the US Attorney General urging the Department of Justice to initiate an investigation into the fossil fuel industry, which they claim has been committing illegal acts for decades. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Alaska’s New ‘Green Bank’ Hopes To Improve The Financial Case For Renewable Energy” • Alaskans looking to invest in solar panels or other renewable energy projects for their homes may have new options in the next few years. The state is setting up a new “green bank” to help Alaskans keep power costs down and switch to renewable energy. [Alaska Public Media]

Alaska (Joris Beugels, Unsplash)

¶ “Phil Scott Vetoes Vermont Lawmakers’ Priority Energy Bill” • Gov Phil Scott vetoed a bill that would require Vermont utilities to buy more renewable energy at a faster pace, with most utilities purchasing all of their energy from renewable sources by 2030. Scott supports an alternate plan, which includes increasing the state’s dependence on nuclear power. [VTDigger]

¶ “RWE Signs PPAs With Microsoft For Texas Wind Power” • RWE has signed two 15-year PPAs with Microsoft, under which Microsoft will purchase electricity from two onshore Texas wind farms. The company’s Peyton Creek II wind farm and Lane City project will have a combined capacity of 446 MW. They will have 4.5-MW turbines from Vestas. [CNBC]

Have an especially enjoyable day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Biodiversity Is A Global Asset That Should Be Factored Into Investment Strategies” • You may be interested in technology and decarbonization. But do you think much about biodiversity? We all are completely dependent on healthy, vibrant ecosystems for our water, food, medicines, clothes, fuel, shelter, and energy. Biodiversity is a valuable asset. [CleanTechnica]

The Biodiversity Plan (Graphic courtesy of UN)

¶ “With The Coalition’s Nuclear Fantasy Demolished By CSIRO, Labor Must Get Cracking On Renewables” • The CSIRO finds that even if we started in 2025, Australia could not realistically have a nuclear plant operational until 2040 at the earliest, small or large. This is too late. We need to act now to reduce emissions and energy costs. [RenewEconomy]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Is Climate Change Making Turbulence Worse?” • A Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore experienced severe turbulence that resulted in the death of British man. Last year scientists from Reading University found that severe “clear air” turbulence had increased 55% between 1979 and 2020 in the North Atlantic. [BBC]

Singapore Airlines B777 (Amayagan, CC0 1.0)

World:

¶ “Brazil’s Flooded South Sees First Deaths From Disease, As Experts Warn Of Coming Surge In Fatalities” • Two deaths from waterborne bacterial disease were reported in southern Brazil, where floodwaters were slowly receding. Health officials warned additional fatalities were likely. Reportedly, the floods resulted partly from climate change. [ABC News]

¶ “Mercedes Orders CMBlu Energy Flow Battery For Its Plant In Rastatt, Germany” • Mercedes-Benz AG ordered an 11-MWh CMBlu Organic Solidflow battery for its Rastatt, Germany plant. The battery utilizes recyclable materials and non-flammable aqueous electrolytes. It will be used to store electricity generated by the plant’s PV solar panels. [CleanTechnica]

CMBlu flow batteries (CMBlu Energy image)

¶ “Big Batteries: Squeezing Out The Gas In Australia” • Electricity from gas peaker plants is Australia’s most costly. Gas is the main driver of the price hikes that have happened in Australia. Battery power is already replacing gas in the evening peaks, especially in Victoria. Batteries are squeezing out the gas and reducing power prices for all. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Draft National Targets Put EU Just Short Of REPowerEU” • National Energy and Climate Plans are the principal documents produced by EU Member States to detail their climate targets. National ambition is nearing what’s needed for the EU’s energy targets, but a further push is needed to close the remaining gap and accelerate deployment. [Ember]

Wind turbines (News Oresund, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Energy Industry Urges Focus On Renewables In July Election” • The Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology has embraced the Prime Minister’s announcement of a July 4 general election, viewing it as a pivotal moment for advancing the renewable energy agenda. “This general election will be make or break for the countryside.” [Energy Live News]

¶ “Extending Life Of Australia’s Biggest Coal-Fired Power Station Is ‘Deeply Disappointing’” • Environmental groups say they are “deeply disappointed” by the New South Wales government’s decision to extend the life of Australia’s biggest coal-fired power station for at least two more years. They cited consequences for renewable energy investments. [The Guardian]

Eraring power station (CSIRO, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “US Investing $3.8 Billion To Meet India’s Renewable Energy, Infrastructure Goals” • US Ambassador Eric Garcetti said the US International Development Finance Corporation is investing $3.8 billion to meet India’s renewable energy and infrastructure goals. He said the US is also supporting agricultural, healthcare, and financial services. [The News Mill]

¶ “Berlin’s Oldest Passenger Vessel Enters A New Green Era Powered By Torqeedo” • The historic vessel Kaiser Friedrich was built in 1886. The 30-meter steamship has returned to service in central Berlin. In a bid to preserve its legacy, its owners refitted the historic vessel with a modern, emission-free electric drive system by Torqeedo. [CleanTechnica]

Kaiser Friedrich (Image from Torqeedo)

US:

¶ “The Electric Car Revolution Is Still On Track, Cox Automotive Says” • Cox Automotive published its 2024 Path To EV Adoption study, which finds the electric car revolution is alive and well, despite a spate of naysayers who have been saying the opposite lately. The company says its latest research took place in the first quarter of this year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Entergy Louisiana Approved For ‘historic’ 3-GW Of Solar Development” • Entergy Louisiana’s proposal to add up to 3 GW of economic solar power to its generation portfolio has been approved by the Louisiana Public Service Commission, marking what the utility calls the largest renewable power expansion in the state’s history. [Power Engineering]

Solar farm (Entergy Louisiana image)

¶ “50 States of Power Decarbonization Q1 2024” • The NC Clean Energy Technology Center released its Q1 2024 edition of the 50 States of Power Decarbonization. The Q1 2024 report finds that 48 states, DC, and Puerto Rico, took a total of 507 actions related to electric power decarbonization and resource planning during the quarter. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Judge Rules Exxon Can Sue Activist Shareholder Over Climate Proposal” • A federal judge in Texas said Exxon Mobil can sue to bar a climate change proposal from an activist investor, in a case that raised concerns about future shareholder resolutions. The proposal for the annual shareholder meeting calls for quicker carbon dioxide emissions reductions. [CNBC]

Have a fondly presented day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “DuraMAT Forecasts How New PV Module Technologies Might Perform Over 20, 30, Or 50 Years” • The photovoltaic industry is innovating so quickly that the future performance of today’s fielded modules is no longer always reliable. To address this state of affairs, DuraMAT introduced a new focus on forecasting PV reliability in 2023. [CleanTechnica]

DuraMAT researchers conducting test (Courtesy of NREL)

World:

¶ “It’s So Hot In Mexico, Howler Monkeys Are Falling Dead From The Trees” • At least 138 howler monkeys, known for their loud vocal calls, were found dead in the state of Tabasco since May 16, according to the Biodiversity Conservation of The Usumacinta group. Temperatures as high as 47°C (117°F) result partly from climate change. [ABC News]

¶ “UN Maritime Tribunal Says Countries Are Legally Required To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Pollution” • A UN maritime law tribunal, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, found that countries are legally required to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, a victory for small island nations that are on the front lines of climate change. [ABC News]

Sunrise in the Maldives (Saud Edum, Unsplash)

¶ “EV Transition Targets Out Of Reach Without More Copper Mines: IEF Secretary General” • Targets for 100% EV adoption by 2035 cannot be achieved without an unprecedented acceleration in copper mining, according to Joseph McMonigle, Secretary General of the International Energy Forum. More copper must be mined than has been in history. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Cityshuttle’s Six-Wheeled E-Cargo Bike System Is Like A Pedal-Powered Semi Truck” • It looks like a tiny semi-truck and trailer, with the driver sitting in an enclosed cab, but instead of burning fossil fuels for power, the Cityshuttle ePack is pedaled. This zero emission light goods vehicle could have an important place in a low-carbon future. [CleanTechnica]

Cityshuttle ePack 4 e-cargo bike (Courtesy of Cityshuttle)

¶ “Uzbekistan Is To Get Central Asia’s First Renewable Energy Facility With Utility-Scale Battery Storage” • The World Bank announced that it will support a 250-MW solar PV plant with a 63-MW battery energy storage system in Uzbekistan. It will be central Asia’s first utility-scale renewable energy facility with a battery storage component. [ETN News]

¶ “India to Boost Wind Energy Capacity by 25 GW by 2028” • India is on track to add nearly 25 GW of wind capacity in fiscal years 2025 through 2028, compared to about 9 GW added 2021 through 2024, according to Crisil Ratings. This expansion is expected to involve capital investments of up to to ₹2 lakh crore (₹2 trillion, $24 billion). [Construction World]

Indian wind turbines (Iamvrt46, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Large-Scale Nuclear Power Station Planned For Anglesey In Wales” • UK ministers have earmarked north Wales as the site of a large-scale nuclear power plant, as part of plans to resuscitate Britain’s nuclear power ambitions. Wylfa on Anglesey has been named as the preferred site for the UK’s next major nuclear power plant [The Guardian]

¶ “Saudi Arabia Sets World Record For Lowest Cost Of Electricity From Wind Power” • Saudi Power Procurement Company signed two power purchase agreements with a consortium led by Japan’s Marubeni Corporation for a total of 1.1 GW of wind projects. One PPA set a record low cost of wind energy with a levelized cost of energy at 1.565¢/kWh. [ZAWYA]

Wind turbines (ArticCynda, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

US:

¶ “SolarEdge’s Annual Sustainability Report Highlights That 40 Million Metric Tons of CO₂e Are Avoided Annually” • SolarEdge Technologies, Inc released its 2023 Sustainability Report. One of its highlights is the fact that that 40 million metric tons CO₂e are avoided annually through the use of SolarEdge DC-optimized PV systems. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Swap Your Lawn For A Garden And Feed Your Neighbors” • In Los Angeles, Crop Swap LA is teaching urbanites how to replace their lawns with gardens. Once that process is complete, they can enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables themselves or share them with neighbors. Many live in “food deserts” where fresh produce is not easily available in stores. [CleanTechnica]

Garden vegetables (CropSwap image)

¶ “Maryland Energy Administration Announces Bold Effort To Help More Marylanders Cut Energy Bills And Carbon Pollution Through Solar Energy” • The Maryland Energy Administration announced the launch of an important new program to provide major incentives for income-eligible Maryland households to install solar panels. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “California Exceeds 100% Of Energy Demand With Renewables Over A Record 30 Days [Update]” • May 21 update: Stanford professor Mark Z Jacobson is tracking California’s renewables performance. Jacobson reports that California has exceeded 100% of energy demand with renewables at times over a record 45 days straight, and 69 out of 75. [Electrek]

Solar on Palm Desert Walmart (Walmart Corporate, CC BY 2.0)

¶ “WoodMac: $1 Trillion At Risk For Clean Energy Investments Under Trump” • A second Trump presidency could place a huge part of renewable energy investments at risk, increase carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes more by 2050 and delay peak fossil fuel demand by 10 years, energy analytics firm Wood Mackenzie has predicted. [OilPrice.com]

¶ “Climate Funding Helps US Farmers Reduce Their Energy Bills” • After reeling from soaring energy costs in 2022, when diesel prices in the US hit a record high, American farmers are taking advantage of provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act from the same year that help small farms install solar power at virtually no cost. [OilPrice.com]

Have a playfully casual day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Unpacking The New 1300-Page FERC Transmission Line Ruling” • The new FERC rule requires local utilities and regional grid operators to look beyond their own parochial interests to plan how the nation’s electrical grid should be structured in the future. The goal is to ensure we all have plenty of electrical energy available when it is needed. [CleanTechnica]

Transmission lines (Courtesy of Heimdall Power)

Science and Technology:

¶ “NREL’s Open-Source Vehicle And Mobility Tools Offer Routes To Reduce Transportation Energy Use And Emissions” • Energy efficiency and on-road performance are central to the future of transportation and the clean energy transition. The US DOE’s NREL produced modeling and analysis tools that target barriers to technology advancement. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Waste Heat From Google Data Center To Warm A Town In Finland” • Data centers use as much as 1.5% of all of the world’s electricity, a number that is expected to increase dramatically. One question is what to do with the heat. Google plans to send the waste heat from its data center in Hamina, Finland, to its district heating system. [CleanTechnica]

Aerial view of Hamina (Ville Hyvönen, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Citroën Wins Contract For 1,000 ë-C3s In India” • Citroën has just taken a new step in its commitment to sustainable mobility by announcing a major partnership with OHM E Logistics. The brand will gradually supply 1,000 ë-C3 electric vehicles to the Indian logistics company, strengthening their fleet dedicated to shared mobility services. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “First New Turbine Powers Up At The Tummel Bridge Power Station” • The first new turbine at the Tummel Bridge Power Station in Perthshire has commenced generating renewable electricity following its successful installation and energization. The project aims to increase the station’s potential output from 34 MW to 40 MW. [Energy Live News]

Tummel Bridge Power Station (SSE Renewables)

¶ “Three States Are At Risk Of Blackouts In Coming Years, But There’s A Solution Within Reach” • People living in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, could be at risk of blackouts in the coming years unless new renewable energy projects are completed and connected to the grid quicker than what the national operator expects. [9News.com.au]

¶ “Wind Power And Photovoltaic Generation Will Soon Surpass Nuclear And Hydroelectric Generation” • The International Solar Energy Society explained how solar and wind energy dominate new global capacity additions. In the last decade, PV capacity increased nine-fold, wind generation tripled, natural gas grew 3%, and nuclear and coal were each up 1%. [evwind.es]

Solar farm (Harisankar, Unsplash)

¶ “Nuclear-Free Councils Hit Out At ‘Mad Delusion’ Of New Reactor” • Calls for a nuclear revival in Scotland are dismissed as “mad delusion” by Scottish Nuclear Free Local Authorities, a group of councils opposed to nuclear power. They insist that renewables “represent the only way forward to achieve a sustainable, net-zero future.” [John O’Groat Journal]

¶ “China National Nuclear Power Starts Work On The Nation’s Largest Offshore Solar Farm” • China National Nuclear Power has kicked off construction of the nation’s largest offshore solar farm, as part of efforts to boost low-carbon energy supply and decarbonise the economy. The 2-GW solar farm is referred to as a “pilot project.” [South China Morning Post]

Work on solar farm on mud flats (Image from handout)

US:

¶ “US Electricity Consumption from Light-Duty Vehicles Likely Surpassed Rail in 2023” • According to estimates in the Energy Information Administration’s Electric Power Monthly, light-duty vehicles used more US electricity than rail systems for the first time in 2023. Rail has long been the largest electricity end-use category in transportation. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “City of Arvin, California And Veolia North America Break Ground On Innovative Solar Energy Installation” • The City of Arvin, California and Veolia North America broke ground on a solar energy installation that will meet all the power needs of the city’s wastewater treatment plant and eliminate emissions from power generation. [CleanTechnica]

Solar installation (Courtesy of Veolia North America)

¶ “Toyota Launches Class 8 Tern 100% Electric Truck At US Market” • Toyota is launching a “Tern” Class 8 heavy duty electric truck for the US market. This is a big move considering that Toyota has been notoriously late to the 100% battery-electric party. The new Tern electric truck comes under the umbrella of Toyota Group’s Hino branch. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Solar Reaches 87% New US Capacity In Q1” • A review by the SUN DAY Campaign of data just released by FERC reveals solar provided nearly 87% of all new capacity in the first quarter of 2024. In March, 99.7% of capacity added was solar, marking the seventh month in a row with solar adding more capacity than any other source. [reNews]

Solar array (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)

¶ “SCE, Lotus Win California Grid Upgrade Gig” • Southern California Edison and Lotus Infrastructure Partners won a tender to deliver transmission capacity in California to enable more renewables. Lotus will lead the project’s development and upon completion and regulatory approval, SCE will buy it and lease 25% of its transmission capacity to Lotus. [reNews]

¶ “Michigan Regents Approve $70 Million Solar Power Project” • The University of Michigan’s Board of Regents has approved a $70 million plan to construct solar power arrays on its campuses. Radial Power, a sustainable energy firm based out of Houston, was chosen to design and build the installations with combined capacities of 25 MW. [WOODTV.com]

Have a notably comfortable day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Dutton’s Nuclear Would Spike Electricity Bills When (If) They Start In The 2040s” • We know Australia’s Coalition is split over nuclear power. You would have thought that two nuclear reactors coming into operation in the US would encourage those favoring nucear. They aren’t. The reactors were $20 billion over budget and seven years late. [Crikey]

Original two reactors at Vogtle (NRC, public domain)

World:

¶ “Renault Group To Launch An Ambitious Level 4 For Public Transportation” • Renault Group is to collaborate with WeRide, an expert in autonomous driving, for commercial deployment of vehicles capable of managing driving situations on their own, within an operational defined domain, with remote supervision, but without an on-board operator. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Dirt Cheap Batteries Enable MW-Scale Charging Without Big Grid Upgrades Right Away” • Battery prices keep plummeting. In 2022, 1 kWh of battery capacity cost $159. In 2023, $136. At the beginning of 2024, batteries were available for $95 per kWh. And CATL recently announced that it would be shipping batteries for $56/kWh at the end of 2024. [CleanTechnica]

Battery facility in Switzerland (Kecko, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Bosch Ventures Amplifies Commitment to Cleantech With Two Battery Recycling Investments” • Bosch Ventures, the unit of the Bosch Group concerned with corporate venture capital, has announced two major investments in the battery recycling sector in the same week. They are significant steps towards sustainable technology development. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Parkwind, ESB To Submit Plans For Irish Project” • Oriel Wind farm will lodge an application with An Bord Pleanala for its proposed 375-MW offshore wind farm in the North Irish Sea. The project will be built off the north County Louth coast and will have 25 turbines. The application also includes the electricity substations and transmission cables. [reNews]

Offshore wind farm (Parkwind image)

¶ “Hydrogen Storage Could Reduce Renewables’ Costs” • In a recent study, Turkish researchers suggest that hydrogen storage can store renewable energy at large scales and relatively low cost. The model suggests that if Germany increased use of hydrogen storage at renewable energy plants nationwide, this would result in roughly 60% lower costs. [IEEE Spectrum]

¶ “Loch Ness To Get £3 Billion Hydro Power Boost” • Glen Earrach Energy Limited has revealed plans for a £3 billion hydroelectric project at Balmacaan Estate near Loch Ness. The project is designed to provide extended energy storage capacity, integrating renewable energy into the grid and reducing local carbon emissions by 10%. [Energy Live News]

Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness (Ramon Vloon, Unsplash)

¶ “Surging Solar Power Dampens Demand For Generators, UPS” • While citing industry sources, the news outlet Dawn reported that the increased import and falling prices of solar panels, in particular those from China, have encouraged consumers across Pakistan to install solar power systems to offset their high electricity bills. [Aaj English TV]

US:

¶ “Company Receives Pentagon Contract To Investigate Potential Site For ‘Dry Rock’ Geothermal Power Plant” • Houston’s Sage Geosystems won a contract to analyze the potential for a mostly subterranean power storage system at Fort Bliss. The setup would make it possible for renewably generated energy to be stored and discharged for 12 hours or more. [The Cool Down]

Drilling rig (Sage Geosystems image)

¶ “GM Energy Has A Broad Vision Including Vehicles, Stationary Storage, Solar, And VPP” • GM Energy, a new GM business unit, focuses on offering batteries, EV chargers, and software. The company has introduced the Ultium Home product suite, which includes energy storage, solar panels, and bi-directional charging equipment. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US Competition Selects Finalists In Floating Offshore Wind Technologies” • The US DOE selected finalists in its competition to promote technologies for floating offshore windpower. Studies suggest that floating turbines could produce 2,800 GW in the US alone, which would be more than double current US electricity consumption. [The Maritime Executive]

Glosten platform technology PelaStar (Glosten image)

¶ “Puerto Rico’s Rooftop Solar Boom Is At Risk, Advocates Warn” • In Puerto Rico, residents turn to rooftop solar and batteries for a more reliable and affordable alternative to the power grid. But a political challenge by a powerful government entity threatens to slow that progress, local solar advocates and some Democratic members of US Congress say. [Canary Media]

¶ “Warmer, Wetter Climate In Maine Impacts Human Health, Infrastructure” • Scientists said Maine’s climate is warmer and wetter, with implications for human health and infrastructure. Data show the ten warmest years have all been since 1998, with 2023 ranking as the second warmest. And increased warmth has led to more extreme weather. [Public News Service]

Have a gracefully moving day.

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Opinion and Commentary:

¶ “Can Hydrogen Help Combat The Climate Crisis?” • Hydrogen is the most plentiful element in the universe, and it’s a building block for a burgeoning clean energy industry, because using it for energy doesn’t emit any greenhouse gases. These facts make it pretty attractive for energy. But the promise of so-called green hydrogen has been largely out of reach. [NRDC]

Hydrogen (Dan Matutina for NRDC)

World:

¶ “Parts Of Northern India Scorched By Extreme Heat With New Delhi On High Alert” • Parts of northwest India sweltered under scorching temperatures, with reports of up to 47.1°C (116°F) from New Delhi. A study by World Weather Attribution found that a searing Asian heat wave in April was made at least 45 times more likely by climate change. [ABC News]

¶ “BYD Launches Its First Pickup Truck, The BYD SHARK, In Mexico” • BYD launched its first pickup truck, the BYD SHARK, in Mexico. Positioned as a intelligent luxury electric pickup, BYD SHARK features the DMO Super Hybrid Off-road Platform, the latest addition to BYD’s product portfolio. BYD developed it for the global market. [CleanTechnica]

BYD SHARK (Image provided)

¶ “CATL Shenxing Battery Strikes Fear Into The Hearts Of Governments And Automakers” • CATL said it has improved on the Shenxing LFP battery it introduced just last year. CATL said its latest battery, the Shenxing PLUS, can charge at 4C, add 600 km of range in ten minutes using a DC fast charger, and power a car for up to 1000 km. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Mercedes Latest German Automaker To Pull Back On Its Electric Car Plans” • Mighty Mercedes now says it miscalculated when it said it would sell only electric cars by 2030. Now it says it will continue to manufacture cars with “electrified internal combustion engines” well into the next decade, according to a report by Handelsblatt. [CleanTechnica]

Mercedes EQS (Mercedes image)

¶ “Back Up Power Line To Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Restored After Facility Was Disconnected From Grid” • A back up power line has been restored to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, after it was disconnected from the country’s grid. The plant was disconnected from the grid last week as a result of fighting in the area. [Yahoo Lifestyle Canada]

¶ “Labour To Equip Scotland With ‘Renewable-Ready Ports’ To Scale Up Green Energy Ambitions” • The Labour Party says when it comes to power with Keir Starmer leadership, it will equip Scotland with a fleet of “renewable-ready ports” to boost the county’s renewable energy future by injecting £1.8 billion of investment within five years. [The Scotsman]

Port of Nigg (SSE image)

US:

¶ “Chefs Want To Continue To Cook With Gas – Gas Companies Help With Disinformation” • A coalition of gas companies and their supporters partnered with restaurant associations to ensure the right for chefs to cook with gas. It has made headway in some communities and is now planning to confront rules in the West to limit installations of gas stoves. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “State Legislators Pass New Measures Making Affordable Solar Program More Accessible To Virginian Region” • Virginia is gearing up to harness the power of solar energy like never before with the launch of shared solar programs across the state. The General Assembly approved measures to make solar energy more accessible to residents. [Yahoo]

Wind turbines in West Virginia (Famartin, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Appalachian Power Seeking Proposals For Renewable Energy And Battery Energy Storage” • Under Virginia’s Clean Economy Act, Appalachian Power must meet annual escalating Renewable Energy Portfolio requirements. Now the company is also looking for bids for solar and battery energy storage resources in West Virginia due to Senate Bill 583. [WV MetroNews]

¶ “As Fossil Fuel Plants Face Retirement, Puerto Ricans Push For Rooftop Solar” • In a would-be tropical paradise, Puerto Rican communities struggle with high power costs and pollution from power plants fueled with gas and coal. The plants are scheduled to retire, and local residents envision a cleaner future with solar PVs as the best alternative. [Grist.org]

Have a decidedly merry day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Carbon-Capture Batteries Developed To Store Renewable Energy, Help Climate” • Researchers at the US DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are developing battery technologies to fight climate change in two ways: by expanding the use of renewable energy and capturing airborne carbon dioxide. The batteries can hold ten hours worth of electricity. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it. (Andy Sproles, ORNL)

¶ “Two New Blade Technologies From Edinburgh University Researchers Aim For Renewable Energy Efficiency” • Edinburgh University scientists developed two technologies to enhance the potential of tidal energy. They enable the passive morph of the blade, each aimed at increasing energy yield and reducing capital and operational costs. [Offshore Energy]

World:

¶ “Volkswagen ID.7 Receives Historic Top Score In ADAC Vehicle Test” • The flagship model from the all-electric Volkswagen ID. family is now also top scorer in the prestigious ADAC vehicle test. The Volkswagen ID.7 has become the first ever vehicle to achieve an average score of 1.5 and thus an overall rating of ‘very good’ in the independent test. [CleanTechnica]

Volkswagen ID.7 (Image supplied)

¶ “Volkswagen Pulls Back On Electric Car Plans” • Volkswagen’s leadership has been reshuffled. The Volkswagen brand is now headed by Thomas Schäfer, who told the press that the brand is pulling back on its electric car initiative to focus more on plug-in hybrids. He said customers “want plug-in hybrids now, including in China and the US.” [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Over 4 Million Plugin Vehicles Sold Globally in 2024” • Global EV sales reached 1.1 million units in April 2024, according to EV research-house, Rho Motion, bringing year-to-date sales to 4.3 million, 22% greater than the same period in 2023. Battery EVs represent 64% of units sold so far in 2024. The remaining 36% are plug-in hybrids. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Seagull production, courtesy of BYD

¶ “Why Climate Migration In Brazil Has Become A Global Crisis” • Persistent rains and destructive flooding in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul left 150 people dead, 2.1 million affected, 620,000 residents displaced and 807 people injured, according to civil defense officials. The floods are the most severe climate catastrophe to impact the region. [ABC News]

¶ “Nuclear Option Costs ‘Six Times More’ Than Renewables, Study Finds” • Building nuclear reactors would cost six times more than wind and solar power firmed up with batteries, an independent report released by the Clean Energy Council shows. The industry body’s chief executive said taxpayers need to know the costs of nuclear power. [RenewEconomy]

Solar farm with sheep (NextTracker image)

¶ “Cuba Relies On Renewable Energy Sources” • For sixty years, Cuba has suffered from a lack of fuel because of an embargo by the US government. Cuba is planning to develop over 2 GW of renewables, relying on developing renewable energy sources, such as wind, PVs, and biogas, to address the electricity shortages caused by the lack of fuel. [Cuba Si]

¶ “GEE Unveils Scottish Hydro Plans” • Glen Earrach Energy has announced plans to develop what it says will be the UK’s most efficient pumped storage hydro project. The 2-GW project at Balmacaan Estate, Scotland will represent an investment of more than £2 billion and create at least 600 on site construction jobs in Scotland over a six-year period. [reNews]

Hydro Dam (SXC image)

¶ “Japan Starts Sixth Discharge Of Fukushima Wastewater” • Japan started the sixth round of the release of wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean. About 7,800 tonnes of nuclear-contaminated wastewater is being discharged from about a kilometer off the coast between now and June 4. [CGTN]

US:

¶ “Resilience at the Edge: City of Eastport Considers Harnessing Tidal Power for Island Microgrid” • Eastport, Maine, on an island at the easternmost point in the continental US, is connected to the mainland by a single causeway. It faces powerful Atlantic Ocean winds and is susceptible to power outages. It could get a microgrid powered by tides. [CleanTechnica]

Eastport (Jack Sullivan, Island Institute, NREL)

¶ “Big Banks Take Part In A Climate Scenario Exercise – The Results Are Unsettling” • The US Federal Reserve just released the results of a pilot climate scenario analysis exercise they conducted in 2023 to learn about big banks and their climate risk-management practices and challenges. The results of the analysis were unsettling. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US Lawmakers Sound Alarm Over Threat To Rooftop Solar In Puerto Rico” • Over twenty members of the US Congressional Democratic Caucus urged safeguarding affordable access to rooftop solar power in Puerto Rico by protecting net metering, which the lawmakers called essential to the island’s clean energy goals and economic growth. [Common Dreams]

Rooftop solar installation (Barrio Eléctrico image)

¶ “New Endangered Listing For Rare Lizard Could Slow Oil And Gas Drilling In New Mexico And West Texas” • Federal wildlife officials declared a lizard in the Permian Basin of southeastern New Mexico and West Texas an endangered species, citing future energy development, sand mining, and climate change as the biggest threats to its survival. [ABC News]

¶ “New Jersey’s Three Nuclear Power Plants Seek To Extend Licenses For Another Twenty Years” • New Jersey is pushing hard to become a leader in offshore wind. But three power plants run by PSEG Nuclear LLC provide nearly half of the electricity for New Jersey, and a licensing extension is claimed to be a hedge against insufficient wind projects. [MSN]

Have a reasonably sane day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Sublime Systems Is Leading The Transition To Low Carbon Cement In Boston” • Sublime Systems, a spin-off from MIT, is focused on reducing the carbon emissions from making cement. On May 16, 2024, it announced the first commercial application of its low carbon Sublime Cement™ is being used for the indoor public space of One Boston Wharf. [CleanTechnica]

Pouring Sublime Cement™ (Courtesy of Sublime Systems)

World:

¶ “Offshore Wind Could Create 770,000 South Korean Jobs” • The construction of offshore wind farms could introduce over 770,000 job opportunities in South Korea, a Global Wind Energy Council report shows. South Korea’s goal is 14.3 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030, which would require investments of 87 trillion won ($64 billion). [reNews]

¶ “VinFast Receives 27,649 Pre-Orders for VF 3 in Vietnam, 66 Hours After Accepting Deposits” • VinFast Auto announced that it received a record-breaking number of 27,649 non-refundable, non-transferable pre-orders for the mini-SUV VF 3 within 66 hours, showing the appeal of the VF 3 and its potential to be a “national car” in Vietnam. [CleanTechnica]

Mini SUV VF 3 (Courtesy of VinFast)

¶ “India To Add 14.5 GW Of PV Per Year In Fiscal 2025 And Fiscal 2026” • India Ratings and Research said it expects India’s annual renewable capacity additions to remain at 15 GW to 18 GW in fiscal 2025 and fiscal 2026. It said 75% to 80% of India’s annual installations, or up to 14.5 GW, will come from solar and around 20% from wind. [pv magazine International]

¶ “Porsche Celebrates The Start Of Electromobility At Its Leipzig Factory” • Porsche celebrated the official start of electromobility at its production site in Saxony. In recent years, the sports car maker has invested around €600 million to expand the factory to produce the electric Macan. Now production of the new EV is being ramped up. [CleanTechnica]

Porsche factory in Leipzig (Porsche image)

¶ “Registrations Open For 6-GW Renewable Energy Tender” • Registration is open for the first national tender in the Australian government’s Capacity Investment Scheme. The overall scheme is seeking 32 GW of additional renewable energy generation and dispatchable storage capacity by 2030 to support the nation’s clean energy transition. [pv magazine Australia]

¶ “South Australian Teams With California On Clean Energy Ambitions” • The state governments of South Australian and California have signed an agreement that will see them work together on transitioning to clean energy and integrating renewable energies, including green hydrogen, into their respective grids. [pv magazine Australia]

Solar array (Santos image)

¶ “China Sparks Radiation Leak Fears With Nuclear Reactors Plot In The South China Sea” • The US military has issued a warning about China’s reported work to develop floating nuclear reactors in the South China Sea, raising concerns about regional security and environmental risks. The risk of any radiation leaks is also a serious concern. [Daily Express]

US:

¶ “Zum Provides First US School District with 100% Electric V2G School Bus Fleet in Oakland” • Zum announced that Oakland Unified School District will be the first major US school district to have a 100% electrified school bus system with vehicle-to-grid technology. Zum is providing a fleet of 74 electric school buses and bidirectional chargers. [CleanTechnica]

Buses and chargers by Zum (Image supplied)

¶ “Biden-Harris Administration Announced Investment To Advance American Solar Manufacturing And Development” • The US DOE announced a $71 million investment in research, development, and demonstration projects to grow the network of US manufacturers in the solar energy supply chain, addressing its capacity gaps. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The Floating Offshore Wind Turbines Are Coming Home” • The US DOE put a lot of work into support for floating platforms for offshore wind turbines, only to see the benefit go to Europe where public policy support for offshore windpower runs strong. Now that the US is finally getting its act together, floating wind platforms are coming home. [CleanTechnica]

Floating turbine base (Courtesy of Principle Power)

¶ “New York Gives Empire Wind The Green Light” • Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the New York State Public Service Commission has granted Equinor’s Empire Offshore Wind its final approval, authorising construction on the 810-MW offshore wind farm to begin. Its two 230-kV submarine AC transmission cables will make landfall in Brooklyn. [reNews]

¶ “Studies Highlight Offshore Wind Energy Potential In The Gulf Of Mexico” • The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management released two studies on offshore wind energy on Gulf waters. One looks at hurricane risk to wind turbines operating in the Gulf. The other discusses opportunities and challenges for offshore wind energy development there. [Offshore Engineer Magazine]

Gulf of Mexico (Robert Woeger, Unsplash)

¶ “Surge In Solar Installations Eases Energy Costs In Missouri” • A report by the Solar Energy Industries Association showed more than half of all US solar installations came online since 2020, with more than 25% installed since the Inflation Reduction Act passed almost two years ago. Missouri’s residents and businesses have benefitted. [Public News Service]

¶ “Record Solar Installations Come As Good News For Avoiding Summer Power Outages” • As parts of the US face an elevated risk of energy shortages this summer, the country has also hit a record number of solar installations. Hitting a milestone for solar intallations could turn out to be good news for avoiding seasonal power outages. [CNET]

Have an extraordinarily fun day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Scientists Generate 1832°F Heat With Solar Power To Cook Cement And Steel” • Researchers at ETH Zurich demonstrated the use of solar energy to reach temperatures of 1,832°F (1000°C), a feat formerly achieved using fossil fuels. The approach paves the way for using solar energy for applications that have been carbon-intensive. [Interesting Engineering]

Old-style blast furnace (yasin hemmati, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “As Zambia Schools Take On Climate Change, One Teen Is Spreading The Word In Sign Language” • Bridget Chanda, 18, is intent on helping educate Zambia’s deaf people about climate change. As the southern African nation suffers from increasingly frequent extreme weather, its government has more education on climate change in its schools. [ABC News]

¶ “Wildfire Smoke Could Impact US Again As Canada Braces For Another Summer Of Fires” • With numerous wildfires burning across Canada, including about forty that remain out of control, meteorologists said conditions are getting set for a replay of last year’s fire season, when thick smoke wafted to the US, making air hazardous as far as New York City. [ABC News]

Wildfire in Alberta (Government of Alberta)

¶ “EV Charging Emissions Reduced By Up To 89% By New Technology” • The level of emissions from charging an EV depends on the carbon intensity of the electricity of the grid. New technology optimises the time at which an EV is charged, reducing the average EV emissions figure of 81g CO₂e per mile to as low as 9g CO₂e per mile. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “BYD’s New Shark PHEV Pickup Could Be A Good Option For Some African Markets” • The BYD Shark launched in Mexico is an interesting addition to the plug-in hybrid pickup segment in Africa. The BYD Shark pickup has a 1.5 liter engine paired with two electric motors. Energy is stored in a 29.58-kWh battery for an all-electric range of 100 km. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Shark PHEV pickup (Courtesy of BYD)

¶ “UK Police May Get Portable EMP Device To Shut Down E-Bikes And Scooters” • To take a bite out of crimes committed on e-bikes or electric scooters, a device is being developed for UK police that can shut down electric motors. The Guardian reports that the Defence Science and Technology Lab is putting it in a “Ghostbusters-style” backpack. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Views Sought On 740-MW UK PV Giant” • Ørsted and PS Renewables have presented updated proposals for a 740-MW solar project in central England. The developer partnership is bringing forward proposals for One Earth Solar Farm, which also includes associated battery storage and infrastructure, located primarily in Nottinghamshire. [reNews]

Solar array (Sungrow EMEA, Unsplash)

¶ “Fecamp Hits Full Power” • The 500-MW Fecamp offshore wind farm off the coast of Normandy is now fully operational. The developer consortium of the wind farm commissioned the asset as the Minister Delegate for Industry and Energy Roland Lescure watched. Turbines in the wind farm were connected to the national grid as they were added. [reNews]

¶ “UK Plans For Nuclear Reactor In Scotland … After The SNP Are Voted Out!” • Plans are being drawn up for a nuclear reactor in Scotland, once the SNP government is ousted. The Government of the UK wants to build one of its eight small reactors north of the Border and is including Scotland in their plans with hopes the SNP will lose power in 2026. [MSN]

Closed Scottish plant (James T M Towill, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

US:

¶ “DeSantis Signs Florida Bill Making Climate Change A Lesser State Priority” • Climate change will be given a lesser priority in Florida, and it will largely disappear from state statutes, under legislation signed into law by Florida Gov Ron DeSantis. The law also bans power-generating wind turbines offshore or near the state’s lengthy coastline. [ABC News]

¶ “Sixty New Electric Buses to Operate in Queens, Staten Island, And Brooklyn” • Governor Kathy Hochul introduced sixty new electric buses o operate in routes in Queens, Staten Island, and Brooklyn. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the New York Power Authority are building critical infrastructure to power a zero-emissions bus fleet. [CleanTechnica]

MTA worker (Marc A Hermann, MTA)

¶ “New Hope Lifts US Offshore Wind Sector Out Of Doldrums” • Resolution is in sight for the service vessel shortfall and other issues, and the curse of the mid-Atlantic is already beginning to become an old memory. Maryland is a case in point. In January, it seemed to be on the point of losing from the 966-MW Skipjack project, but no longer. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “First Steel In The Water For Ørsted At Revolution” • Ørsted has reached the “steel in the water” milestone on its 704-MW Revolution Wind project off the coasts of Connecticut and Massachusetts. The company announced that it has installed the first turbine foundation, a few weeks after a judge rejected a last minute effort to delay the project. [reNews]

Wind tower base (Ørsted image)

¶ “Chevrolet Is Releasing Silverado EV RST Soon, The First Legacy Electric Pickup Designed From Scratch As An EV” • The 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV RST offers a 450-mile range and 10.2-kW onboard power. It competes with other electric pickups like the Ford F-150 Lightning and the Rivian R1T, with hopes to make an impact on the EV market. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “JEA Announces Three Solar Energy Sites For Florida” • Solar sites with a combined available output of 200 MW will be built in Jacksonville, officials said. They could provide power for more than 37,000 households. JEA said it’s the equivalent of avoiding nearly 200,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions yearly or removing nearly 47,000 passenger vehicles. [News4JAX]

Have an intensely soothing day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Automakers Continue To Lobby For Global Heating, Against EVs” • The nonprofit think tank InfluenceMap found that except for Tesla, every one of the world’s largest automakers “actively advocated against at least one policy promoting electric vehicles.” And even Elon Musk has spoken out against some EV subsidies and policies. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it (Courtesy of InfluenceMap)

¶ “Choosing Nuclear Over Renewables And Efficiency Will Make Climate Crisis Worse” • “Carbon-free power is necessary but not sufficient; we also need cheap and fast,” says Lovins, co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute, now known as RMI, and who has spent half a century advising governments and companies on energy efficiency. [RenewEconomy]

Science and Technology:

¶ “‘Magical Thinking’: Hopes For Sustainable Jet Fuel Are Not Realistic” • There is currently “no realistic or scalable alternative” to standard kerosene-based jet fuels, and the touted “sustainable aviation fuels” are well off track to replace them in a timeframe needed to avert dangerous climate change, according to a report by the Institute for Policy Studies. [The Guardian]

Contrails (Fr Daniel Ciucci, Unsplash)

¶ “Making Batteries Takes A Lot Of Lithium. Some Of It Could Come From Wastewater” • An analysis based on Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection data suggests that lithium from the wastewater of Marcellus shale gas wells could supply 40% of the country’s demand, if it could be extracted with complete efficiency. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Heat Exposure Of Older People Across World To Double By 2050, Finds Study” • Compared with today, there will be up to an extra 250 million people aged 69 or above who are exposed to dangerous levels of heat, defined as 37.5°C, according to a study that highlights the combined risk posed by a heating world and an ageing population. [The Guardian]

Seaside (sk, Unsplash)

¶ “‘Impossible’ Heatwave Struck Philippines In April, Scientists Find” • A record-breaking heatwave that scorched the Philippines in April would have been impossible without the climate crisis, scientists found. Temperatures above 40°C (104°F) struck across Asia in April, causing deaths, water shortages, crop losses, and widespread school closures. [The Guardian]

¶ “Volkswagen Announces 2025 ID. Buzz Offer Structure” • Volkswagen of America, Inc, announced the offer structure for the 2025 ID. Buzz, the electric reincarnation of the Microbus. The ID. Buzz will be offered stateside in three trims: Pro S and Pro S Plus, and a launch-only 1st Edition. It will have a 91-kWh battery and 282 to 335 horsepower. [CleanTechnica]

Volkswagen 2025 ID. Buzz and Microbus(Volkswagen image)

¶ “Tata Power Renewable Energy Commences Solar Module Production In Tamil Nadu” • Tata Power Renewable Energy has begun production of solar modules at a new plant in Tamil Nadu, with solar cell production slated to begin next month. The plant will bolster capacity additions that require locally manufactured products. [Manufacturing Today India]

¶ “Surge In India’s Renewables Tendering Set To Keep Coal’s Share Below 50% In Total Installed Capacity” • India is emerging as a renewable energy powerhouse with a surge in both capacity addition and tendering to add more plants. This is seen in a suite of new research reports showing a trend to a more sustainable future for India’s electricity sector. [IEEFA]

Solar array (Binu jayakrishnan, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Australia Budget Commits AU$22.7 Billion To ‘Renewable Energy Superpower’ Plan” • The Australian federal government’s 2024-2025 budget includes a major investment in clean energy manufacturing and an energy bill rebate for households. It covers fiscal policy for a decade and addresses the cost-of-living and investment. [Energy-Storage.News]

US:

¶ “Trump Pledges To Scrap Offshore Wind Projects On ‘Day One’ Of Presidency” • Donald Trump vowed to immediately halt offshore wind energy projects “on day one” of a new term as US president, in his most explicit threat yet to the industry and the latest in a series of promises to undo key aspects of the transition to cleaner energy. [The Guardian]

Offshore wind turbines (Marcel Strauß, Unsplash)

¶ “Green Hydrogen Tentacles To Spread Across US” • The ink is still wet on the contract, but the US DOE is so excited about its new green hydrogen project that they announced it anyway. The deal involves a conditional loan guarantee of up to $1.66 billion aimed at kickstarting the construction of six new green hydrogen electrolyzer facilities. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Maryland Signs New Offshore Wind Law” • The state of Maryland has signed new legislation aimed at keeping the state’s offshore wind goals on track. The law allows qualified offshore wind developers to apply for outstanding Offshore Renewable Energy Credits created as a result of changes in the market and to add additional capacity to existing projects. [reNews]

Base of a tower (Maryland Energy Administration)

¶ “Cemex Adopts Solar Power At Its Clinchfield, Georgia Cement Plant” • Through a long-term agreement with Georgia Power, the Clinchfield Cement Plant will secure close to 25% of its electricity from solar facilities beginning in 2025. This agreement supports Cemex’s Future in Action program, with the goal of emitting net-zero CO₂ by 2050. [World Cement]

¶ “Maine Utility Regulators Are Restarting The Process Of Building Renewable Energy In Northern Maine” • Last year, the Maine PUC terminated an agreement on the construction of a 1,000-MW wind farm in Aroostook County and a high-voltage transmission line from northern Maine to the New England power grid. Now, it’s looking for new bids. [Maine Public]

Have an honestly friendly day.

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World:

¶ “European Made Batteries Could Be 60% Less Carbon Intensive Than Chinese: Analysis” • Onshoring the EV supply chain to Europe would cut the emissions of producing a battery by 37% compared to a China-controlled supply chain, analysis by T&E shows. This carbon saving rises to over 60% when renewable electricity is used. [CleanTechnica]

EV battery production (Image from SKODA)

¶ “An Industrial Blueprint For Batteries In Europe” • A year ago, as T&E estimated that two-thirds of Europe’s announced battery plans were at risk, the EU announced a raft of measures it would take in response to the US Inflation Reduction Act. Now, T&E has a report that shows progress. Europe can become self-sufficient in battery cells by 2026. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “47% Of New Cars Sold In Netherlands Now Plugin Cars!” • In a negative month in the overall Dutch automobile market (down 4% to 28,432 units), April saw plugin registrations increase by 11% YOY, to 13,274 units. So the Dutch plugin EV market reached 47% last month, in line with the year-to-date average. Pure electrics took 32% of new vehicle sales. [CleanTechnica]

Volvo EX30 (Alexander-93, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “ReNew Signs 5 PPAs; Expands Portfolio To 15.6 GW” • ReNew, a renewable energy company in India, announced that it signed five PPAs totaling about 2.2 GW of renewable capacity. This expands its fully contracted renewable energy portfolio to 15.6 GW. ReNew also received additional Letters of Award for 5.8 GW of renewable capacity. [Construction World]

¶ “Volkswagen Group Africa Emphasises Commitment To Renewable Energy” • Recognising the effect of fossil fuels on climate change, VWGA is striving to minimise dependence on them. As South Africa celebrates Energy Month in May, VWGA highlights its commitment to become carbon neutral in vehicle and component production by 2030. [ArriveAlive]

Cape Town (Tobias Reich, Unsplash)

¶ “Australia Risks Being ‘World’s Nuclear Waste Dump’ Unless Aukus Laws Changed, Critics Say” • Australia risks becoming the “world’s nuclear waste dump” unless the Albanese government moves to rewrite its proposed Aukus laws, critics say. An inquiry called for the legislative safeguard to rule out taking high-level nuclear waste from the US and UK. [The Guardian]

¶ “’Hugely Expensive’ Nuclear A ‘Trojan Horse’ For Coal, NSW Liberal Says, Exposing Energy Policy Rift” • A senior New South Wales Liberal Party figure says nuclear power is too expensive and a “Trojan horse” for the coal industry in his state, prompting the former state government to reject it. He is at odds with his federal colleagues pushing the technology. [ABC]

Nuclear plant in Belgium (Jonas Denil, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “US Is Experiencing More Tornado Outbreaks, Despite Fewer Tornado Days Overall, Researchers Say” • The number of days there is a tornado in the US is decreasing, but the average annual number of tornadoes has remained roughly the same. So there are more of them on the days they happen. Climate change may be affecting tornado behavior. [ABC News]

¶ “The General Motors 2023 Sustainability Report With Mixed Results, Disappointments” • GM released its 2023 Sustainability Report, showing its initiatives to accelerate EV adoption, forge strategic supply chain partnerships, and support development of a future-ready, renewably powered grid. Its message sounds nice, but the meat’s not there. [CleanTechnica]

Image from GM 2023 Sustainability Report

¶ “Nearly $55 Million to Clean Up Legacy Oil & Gas Pollution in North Dakota And West Virginia” • The Interior Department gave $54.2 million to North Dakota and West Virginia for polluted site cleanup. ND will get $25 million to plug 46 orphaned oil and gas wells and reclaim polluted sites. WV own $29.2 million to plug about 200 oil and gas wells. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Cape Cod Canal Site Gets Federal OK To Test Water-Powered Turbines” • Cape Codders and Islanders know about harnessing offshore windpower to create renewable energy. Now Cape Cod may be on the cusp of being a national trail blazer for another green technology, one that uses the power of the ocean tides to make electricity. [Cape Cod Times]

Cape Cod Canal Train Bridge (Astoddard73, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Scientists Engage Moms To Help Fight Climate Change On Behalf Of Kids” • Moms in a nonpartisan climate science group are gearing up for summer, getting the word out to Pennsylvania families on how more frequent and extreme weather events can affect children. Last year, the US experienced 28 weather and climate disasters. [Public News Service]

¶ “Landmark Transmission Reform Could Dramatically Speed US Energy Transition” • FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, issued a sweeping reform to transmission grid planning, one that proponents say is a major, much-needed win for the effort to transition the country’s power sector away from fossil fuels. [Canary Media]

Transmission lines (Ernest Brillo, Unsplash)

¶ “Meta Signs Deal For 210 MW Of Renewable Energy From New Solar Projects In Indiana” • Renewables developer Solarpack has announced energy purchase agreements with Meta, enabling the construction of two new solar projects in Indiana, totalling 210 MW. Meta has set a target to reach net zero emissions across its value chain by 2030. [ESG Today]

¶ “US Bans Russian Uranium Imports, Crucial For Nuclear Fuel Supply” • President Joe Biden has signed a ban on imports of Russian enriched uranium to US, the White House announced. The move is being touted as Washington’s endeavor to disrupt President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, but waivers could make the law toothless. [WION]

Have a graciously civil day.

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World:

¶ “Ethiopia Shows Us Just How Fast The Transition To Electric Mobility Can Happen In Africa” • Ethiopia had a ten-year target to see 148,000 electric cars and close to 50,000 electric buses on Ethiopia’s roads by 2030. It has made amazing progress. The Ministry of Transport and Logistics said it has 100,000 EVs in just the first two years! [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it. (Courtesy of AfricaNEV)

¶ “G7 Energy Ministers Achieve Breakthroughs on Unabated Coal Phaseout, Global Energy Storage, and Phasing Out Harmful Non-CO2 Pollutant” • When energy and climate leaders met in Turin on for the G7 Ministerial Meeting on Climate, Energy and the Environment, they reached consensus on a range of energy and climate actions. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The Man Who Took On The Coal Industry To Save A Forest And Won” • When Alok Shukla saw the forest called the lungs of Chhattisgarh, he quickly knew two things: First, this forest, home to thousands of tribespeople and rare animals and plants, was a place of rare beauty. And second, he would dedicate his life to protecting it from coal interests. [BBC]

Alok Shukla (Goldman Environmental Prize)

¶ “Progress On World’s First Artificial Energy Island Revealed” • Construction of the world’s first artificial energy island, that will serve as an energy hub for collecting and disturbing energy from offshore windfarms, is underway in the Belgium North Sea. Each concrete caisson weighs about 22,000 tonnes and takes close to three months to build. [Riviera Maritime Media]

¶ “Renewable Energy Averages 95% Share In Portugal In April” • The first four months of 2024 saw “historic” levels of renewable energy generation in Portugal, culminating in an “historic” 94.9% of consumption being met by renewables in April. It is the fourth consecutive month that has seen renewable energy values cover over 80% of demand. [RenewEconomy]

Solar farm in Portugal (muffinn, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “Qld Gov Announces $75 Million Hydrogen Expansion For Barcaldine Power Station” • The Barcaldine Power Station is to get a 30-MW hydrogen-ready generator as part of a $75 million upgrade investment from the Queensland Government. The generator would add to the existing 37-MW gas turbine. It could produce zero-emission electricity. [Energy Magazine]

¶ “Solar And Wind Could Replace Diesel At South Pole Station” • Argonne National Laboratory researchers have concluded that renewable energy could partially replace diesel fuel to provide heat and power at the South Pole. They proposed a solar, wind, and energy storage hybrid system that could reduce the use of diesel by 95%. [pv magazine International]

South Pole Station (Jonathan Berry, NSF, public domain)

¶ “French Nuclear Safety Authority Greenlights Commissioning Of Flamanville Power Plant” • After a 12-year construction delay, France’s first ‘EPR’ power plant has been approved for operation by the French nuclear safety authority. The decision will enable project owner EDF to begin loading nuclear fuel into the reactor, to produce 1,600 MW by the end of 2024. [Euractiv]

US:

¶ “First-Ever American-Built Offshore Wind Service Operations Vessel” • America’s offshore wind energy supply chain is marking a milestone, with the launch of the first wind service operations vessel built, owned, and crewed by Americans. It will play a key role in enabling domestic energy production and strengthening America’s energy independence. [CleanTechnica]

The ECO EDISON (Ørsted image)

¶ “BP Casts Covetous Eyes On Tesla Supercharger Assets” • The Tesla Supercharger network is recognized as the gold standard that all other charging companies aspire to match if they can. BP now says it is eager to snap up charging sites across the US, along with the employees who made Tesla’s sites possible and were just fired by Elon Musk. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ribbon Cutting At 85-MW US Array” • SMUD, the utility that provides Sacramento, California with electricity, is hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its 85-MW Solano 4 Wind Project in Rio Vista, California. The 19-unit site is a crucial component of the company’s 2030 Zero Carbon Plan to remove all carbon emissions from the utility’s power supply. [reNews]

Have an undeniably superlative day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Domestic US Automakers Still Need To Prepare For Chinese Competition” • Recent news is that the Biden administration plans to raise import taxes up on Chinese EVs from the current 25% to 100%. This would put a high price of Chinese EVs, which are not be eligible for major federal tax credits. But automakers still need to prepare. [CleanTechnica]

Chevy Bolt (Greg Gjerdingen, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Scientists Have Figured Out How To Make Algae-Based Plastic That Completely Decomposes” • Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, and materials company Algenesis may have found the answer to making plastics products that break down without forming into microplastics, tiny pieces of plastics that can linger for millennia. [ABC News]

¶ “Eight Things To Know About Electric School Bus Repowers” • Repowering existing school buses with a new electric drivetrain shows promise to provide school bus operators with a lower cost and more sustainable vehicle compared to buying a brand-new electric school bus. Here are eight things people should know about that. [CleanTechnica]

Repowering buses (Unique Electric Solutions image)

World:

¶ “Poor Kenyans Feel Devastated By Floods And Brutalized By The Government’s Response” • Floods and mudslides in Keyna, worsened by climate change, killed at least 267 people and impacted more than 380,000. To save lives in the future, the government ordered evacuations and demolition of homes built illegally too close to rivers. [ABC News]

¶ “Flash Floods Kill Hundreds And Injure Many Others In Afghanistan” • Flash floods from unusually heavy seasonal rains in Afghanistan have killed more than 300 people and destroyed over 1,000 houses, the The World Food Program said. The UN agency said it is distributing fortified biscuits to survivors of one of the floods that hit Afghanistan. [ABC News]

Afghanistan (EJ Wolfson, Unsplash)

¶ “125-MW Energy Storage Facility To Be Built Near Woodstock” • A renewable energy company based in Quebec, Boralex Inc, announced it was awarded a contract to build a battery system in South-West Oxford by Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator, the corporation that manages Ontario’s electric power system. [London Free Press]

¶ “Solar Prices Drop Up To 25%” • Solar prices in Pakistan have dropped by 15% to 25% due to widespread imports and increased supply relative to consumption in the country. Market sources suggest that one reason for the decrease in the prices of solar panels is the halt in imports of solar panels from China to the US, the EU, and India. [The Express Tribune]

Solar panels in New Zealand (Thomas Coker, Unsplash)

¶ “KRG, Iraqi Officials Convene Symposium On Drought And Climate Change Impacts” • A symposium on the critical issues of drought and climate change impacts convened in Erbil, drawing the participation of key officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government and Iraq, including Iraq’s President Latif Rasheed and KRG President Nechirvan Barzani. [Kurdistan24]

US:

¶ “US Coal-Fired Electricity Generation Decreased In 2022 And 2023” • Electricity generation from units that primarily consume coal in the Lower 48 states decreased for all hours of the day by about 23% between 2021 and 2023, according to our Form EIA-930, Hourly and Daily Balancing Authority Operations Report. The decline was mostly in 2022 and 2023. [CleanTechnica]

Coal-fired power plant (Sam LaRussa, Unsplash)

¶ “Largest Virtual Power Plant in USA Supports California’s Grid with 16,200 Home Solar-Plus-Storage Systems” • Sunrun, the leading US provider of clean energy as a subscription service, has networked over 16,200 customers’ solar-plus-storage systems to support the California electric grid during the summer months, using its CalReady power plant. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “More Electric Trucks Coming To US, But China Still Leads” • In the US, the transition to electric trucks is picking up speed, especially in Southern California. SoCal is where the majority of products manufactured in foreign countries enter the US, and the exhaust from all those diesel trucks in the area is a really oppressive burden. [CleanTechnica]

Volvo electric trucks (Courtesy of Amazon)

¶ “The Energy Transition Is Happening In Texas. Here’s One Example” • It’s not just the Texas legislature. When the CEO of ERCOT gave an update in late April, he mentioned the Inflation Reduction Act bringing more renewable energy to Texas. One of the programs will get more solar panels on top of North Texas homes and businesses. [NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth]

¶ “US Nuclear Power Regulator Seeks Documents On NuScale’s Protection Against Quakes” • An official with the US NRC has ordered staff to supply documents that could lead to a review of a 2020 approval of NuScale’s small modular reactors after an engineer raised concerns about its ability to resist earthquakes, documents showed. [Yahoo Movies Canada]

Have a sensationally tranquil day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Nuclear Energy: The New Geopolitical Battleground” • The West has had considerable success imposing energy sanctions on Russia, but the Russian nuclear exports are hard to kick. Now, as more western nations get serious about cutting Russia out of their nuclear energy supply chains, they push economic and geopolitical power off to China. [OilPrice.com]

Isar nuclear plant (E.ON Kernkraft GmbH, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Storing Renewable Energy Brings Reliability, Flexibility And Resilience For The Grid” • When paired with energy generated from renewable energy sources, battery storage can save money for consumers, help increase the efficiency of the electric grid, reduce carbon emissions and air pollution, and support good paying American jobs. [Lightsource bp]

¶ “Enhanced Geothermal Energy Could Be A Zero-Carbon Hero” • Recent advancements in geothermal technologies appear ready to expand geothermal’s reach significantly. These new methods, referred to as engineered, enhanced, or advanced geothermal systems, have made strides in scalability and could play a major role in the clean energy transition. [JD Supra]

Geothermal plant in Iceland (Tommy Kwak, Unsplash, cropped)

World:

¶ “Floods In Eastern Congo Causing Hardship To Almost Half A Million People” • The World Food Program said floods caused by heavy rains in eastern Congo caused hardship for over 470,000 people. WFP also said that it lacked the resources to respond to the needs of the people in flood areas. It attributed the heavy rains to climate change. [ABC News]

¶ “Renewable Energy Takes Market Share Away From Thermal Generation” • The Ember report says “The world is now at a turning point where solar and wind not only slow emissions growth, but actually start to push fossil generation into decline.” Global power emissions would have fallen in 2023, but drought reduced hydropower output. [CleanTechnica]

Annual electricity data (Courtesy of Ember)

¶ “The BYD Dolphin Is Now The Lowest Priced EV In South Africa” • BYD has introduced the Dolphin in South Africa. It will be the lowest priced battery EV in the country. The BYD Dolphin is about R150,000 ($8,000) cheaper than the Great Wall Motor Ora 03, the most affordable battery EV in South Africa before the Dolphin came along. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Amazon Enables Its First Wind Energy Projects In Poland” • Amazon agreed to buy 53 MW of clean energy capacity from two wind farms located in Jastrowie and Okonek, in Wielkopolskie Voivodeship in Poland. This initiative is its first investment in wind power in Poland. It had invested earlier in a PV farm in Miłkowice. [About Amazon Europe]

Windfarm (From Amazon)

¶ “Documents Suggest Alberta’s Renewable-Energy Pause Not Requested By AESO Head” • Internal emails show Alberta’s moratorium on renewable-energy projects was political and not requested by the system operator as the premier said. Newly uncovered documents show the CEO of the Alberta Electric System Operator opposed it. [CTV News Calgary]

¶ “Coal And Gas Supplied Just 21% Of Europe’s Power Last Month” • Together, coal and gas generated only 21% of electricity in the EU last month. The buildout of wind and solar in Europe is continuing apace, while hydropower is recovering from an extended drought. These sources produced 49% of electricity in the EU in April, data from Ember shows. [Yale E360]

EU electricity by source (Ember, please click on the image)

¶ “The Last Three German Nuclear Power Stations Will Cease On Saturday” • The German Government announced that it is disconnecting Germany’s last three nuclear plants: Emsland, Isar 2, and Neckarwestheim 2. Germany’s decision to stop its nuclear power was taken in 2002, an accelerated process in 2011 after the Fukushima Disaster. [Argia]

US:

¶ “Hawaii Officials Outline Efforts To Prevent More Devastating Wildfires Ahead Of A Dry Season” • As Maui continues to recover from the deadliest US wildfire in over a century, Hawaii officials are looking at preventing more disasters. Climate change has been causing more drought in Hawaii, and wildfires, once rare, are more frequent. [ABC News]

Maui, not a good place for a drought (Katie Musial, Unsplash)

¶ “Americans Burn 50% Less Fossil Fuel In Their Homes Than They Did 50 Years Ago” • Americans burn much less fossil fuel in their homes on average and use much more electricity than they did half a century ago. This means American homes had been electrifying everything long before the “Electrify Everything” movement came along. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Trump Promises Oil & Gas Execs Free Rein, If They Put $1 Billion Into His Campaign” • At a Mar-A-Lago meeting with fossil fuel executives in April, Trump suggested they get together and donate $1 billion to get him re-elected. Giving $1 billion would be a “deal,” Trump said, because of the taxation and regulation they would avoid. [CleanTechnica]

Donald Trump (Liam Enea, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “US Department Of Defense Catches Green Hydrogen Fever” • The US Department of the Defense pushed the market for solar power during the Obama administration, emerging as an early adopter powerhouse and large-scale buyer of PV technology. Now the Pentagon is getting ready to pivot into the hydrogen fuel cell microgrid field. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Oceantic Network Applauds Passage Of Maryland Offshore Wind Bill” • The Oceantic Network applauded the signing of bill Maryland HB 1296 by Governor Wes Moore, setting up a future offshore wind solicitation and allowing MarWin and Momentum Wind developer US Wind to renegotiate the offtake agreements it currently has. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Have a truly magical day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Fixation On UK Nuclear Power May Not Help To Solve The Climate Crisis” • With researchers at Oxford and elsewhere agreeing that the UK could easily become entirely powered by wind and solar, with no fossil fuels required, it seems an anomaly that nuclear power is still getting the lion’s share of subsidies to keep the ailing industry alive. [The Guardian]

Wind turbine in the UK (Andrew Tryon, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Lithium-Sulfur EV Batteries To Be Tested By Automakers” • The crowded field of next-generation EV batteries is getting more crowded by the minute. New solid-state technology has been catching much of the attention, but lithium-sulfur formulas have also attracted innovators and investors. Sulfur is a low cost, non-toxic, abundant, material. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “2.5ºC Is Now The Best Case Scenario, Climate Scientists Tell The Guardian” • Recently, The Guardian reached out to every lead author or review editor of IPCC reports since 2018 to ask them how the fight against global heating was going. Of the 380 people who responded, many expect climate havoc to unfold in coming decades. [CleanTechnica]

San Francisco after 2020 fires (Patrick Perkins, Unsplash, cropped)

World:

¶ “What Falling Sales? Global EV Sales Grow 19% in March!” • Global plugin vehicle registrations were up 19% in March 2024 compared to March 2023. There were 1.3 million registrations. Battery EVs were up by 7% year over year, while plugin hybrids jumped 50% YOY, to be the second best month ever. Plugins took a 19% share of the auto market. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Norway Is Continuing To Lead The Transition To A Green Economy” • Two reports show how well Norway’s push to lower its carbon emissions is working. Of the 2.8 million registered cars in Norway, a quarter are EVs. No other country in the world has such a high share of EVs. In total there are about 715,000 electric cars on Norwegian roads. [CleanTechnica]

ASKO truck boarding a ferry (ASKO image)

¶ “BC Transit Bringing 66 Electric Buses to More Locations” • More communities in British Columbia are about to benefit from electric buses. Sixty-six electric buses are on order from Nova Bus and New Flyer, both pre-qualified suppliers. And there are nine communities in BC with transit electrification infrastructure projects getting started. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Southern States Guaranteed 1.7 GW In National Renewable Energy Tender” • The Australian government has confirmed that Victoria will have at least 1.4 GW of renewable energy projects and Tasmania will get at least 300 MW in the first Capacity Investment Scheme tender. The tender is expected to open for bids on 31 May 2024. [pv magazine Australia]

Ross River Solar Farm (CEFC Image)

¶ “Energy Vault And ACEN Australia To Develop 200-MW, 400-MWh Battery Storage Projects” • Energy storage provider Energy Vault Holdings Inc and ACEN Australia, a leading Australian energy producer, have entered into a contractual agreement for the deployment of two battery storage projects with a combined energy capacity of 400 MWh. [ETN News]

¶ “Labor’s Gas Strategy: What Is It And Why Do Critics Call It ‘Back To The Future’?” • Australia’s Albanese government has finally released its gas strategy. It says gas will remain a central part of Australia’s energy and export sectors to 2050 and beyond. Climate groups say it will be ‘devastating’ to Australian emissions reduction targets. [The Guardian]

Gas-fired power plant (OLU, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “104,000 Panel Solar Farm Set To Power The University Of Manchester” • The University of Manchester signed a deal that will see up to 65% of its electricity demand supplied through a renewables project. Once complete, Medebridge Solar Farm will comprise 104,000 solar panels across 175 acres of low-grade agricultural land. [Envirotec Magazine]

¶ “Companies Partner To Boost Biodiversity At UK Renewable Energy Sites” • Two companies are working together on five solar+battery projects in the UK to ensure that each site meets its biodiversity net gain targets. The targets require improvements in the habitat as part of The Environment Act 2021 that came into force this year. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Solar site (Courtesy of Queequeg Renewables)

US:

¶ “Chevrolet Malibu Heads For The Junkyard As GM Shifts Focus To Electric Vehicles” • The Chevrolet Malibu, the last midsize car manufactured by a Detroit car maker, is heading to the junkyard. General Motors confirmed that it will stop making the car, which came out in 1964, as the company focuses more on EVs. GM sold just over 130,000 Malibus last year. [ABC News]

¶ “Eli Opens Reservations For Its $12K ZERO Electric Microcar In The US” • If you’ve been waiting for a super-cheap EV that can handle all of your daily driving needs, you’re in luck. Eli Electric Vehicles is taking reservations in the US for its flagship vehicle, the $12,000 ZERO microcar, and sales are expected to begin in the third quarter of this year. [CleanTechnica]

Eli ZERO (Courtesy of Eli)

¶ “Vanadium Flow Batteries Are Coming For Your Gas Power Plant” • Back in 2020, the US DOE issued the $20 million Energy Storage Grand Challenge, aimed at supporting innovations that reduce the cost of manufacturing flow batteries. Technical issues and manufacturing are being addressed, and improved products are coming to market. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Colorado Legislature Passes Crucial Bill Advancing Renewable Energy Siting, Helping State Meet Ambitious Decarbonization Goals” • Colorado passed a key bill that takes a first step toward expediting the deployment of clean energy infrastructure, which is essential for driving the state toward its ambitious targets for decarbonization. [Clean Air Task Force]

Have an etherially alluring day.

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