geoharvey

Examining the facts:

¶ “Wind Energy And Infrasound: More FUD Debunked” • In a testament to the longevity of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) and the ability of the internet to encourage stupidity, a legal action against construction of the Tilt Renewables Palmer Wind Farm has gone all the way to the South Australian Supreme Court and lost. [CleanTechnica]

Wind turbine (Jason Mavrommatis, Unsplash)

¶ “PhD Student Debunks A Dangerous Misconception About Renewable Energy: ‘You Can Make Anything Sound Scary If You Want To’” • Using International Energy Agency and US Energy Information Administration data, a PhD student shows that we harvest about 16.5 billion tons of fossil fuels yearly, 500 times what renewables need by the year 2040. [The Cool Down]

¶ “Fact Check: Did 1,200 Climate Experts Sign ‘Declaration’ Denying Climate Emergency?” • A climate-denying document, supposedly signed by 1,200 leading scientists and academics, has gone viral on social media. Investigations show that practically none of the signatories to the “World Climate Declaration” are climate scientists. [Yahoo News UK]

Scientists on a glacier (NOAA, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Electric Cars May Come To Several African Countries A Whole Lot Faster Than Most People Think” • Even though the majority of African countries start from a very low base, sales of vehicles (new and used imports combined) are growing at rates of around 10% per year, and here lies the opportunity for another leapfrog moment. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Firm Launches Platform To Revolutionise Solar Power Access” • In a bid to expand solar PV access in Nigeria, power company, Groupower, launched a solar energy platform aimed to empower Nigerian homes and industries with accessible solar power. The platform is intended to make renewable energy more inclusive and sustainable. [Leadership News]

Solar power in Nigeria (Onwuka Glory, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped

¶ “Wind And Solar To Surpass 40% Of China’s Power Capacity By Year-End” • Wind and solar are expected to account for more than 40% of China’s total installed power generation capacity by the end of the year, after exceeding coal-fired capacity for the first time in the first half, according to the country’s power trade association. [South China Morning Post]

¶ “How Renewable Energy Is Leading The Fight For Nature Conservation” • Even though fossil fuels still dominate global energy production, the movement for a changeover to cleaner forms of energy is building up. Renewables presently provide some 29% of all electricity generated, a figure bound to rise greatly in the next few years. [pv magazine India]

Wind turbines in India (Praveen pratap1, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Mozambique: Chicamba Dam Reservoir To House A Floating Solar Farm” • The company Eletricidade de Moçambique plans to build a floating solar power plant with a capacity of 100 MW on the Chicamba reservoir in Manica province, according to information from the state-owned electricity company consulted by Lusa. [Club of Mozambique]

¶ “Second-To-Last Nuclear Reactor Shut Down” • Taiwan shut down the No 1 reactor of its only active nuclear plant, poised to become the first non-nuclear country in East Asia after the last reactor’s license expires next May. Before the closing of the No. 1 reactor, nuclear power accounted for about 5% of the nation’s energy use. [Taipei Times]

Ma-anshan nuclear plant (Courtesy of Taiwan Power Co)

US:

¶ “Weird And Wacky Electric Car Deals For Those Who Live In Vermont Or Colorado” • Electric cars are too expensive, some people say. Well, that may be true in some cases. However, for a lucky few, the price of admission to the world of electric car mobility may be substantially lower, if they happen to live in Vermont or Colorado. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “RJ Scaringe: Companies Are Copying Tesla Too Much” • The editor-in-chief at The Verge recently interviewed Rivian’s CEO and founder RJ Scaringe. The big takeaway? That other EV manufacturers are copying Tesla too much. In this article, the author briefly cover the things that Scaringe said and opines on whether it’s really true. [CleanTechnica]

Rivian (Courtesy of Rivian)

¶ “Direct Pay Provision Available Through The IRA Brings Solar To Non-Profits” • With solar energy, a church in California, is set to save $184,033 on electricity costs over the next twenty years, thanks in part to the direct pay provision available through the Inflation Reduction Act. The church will also act as a resiliency hub and safety center. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Mississippi Gets Its First Ever Wind Farm” • The horizon broken by dozens of wind turbines is a common sight all across Oklahoma, but in some states, it remains a rarity, even as the wind is a growing source of renewable power. Mississippi is an example, as its first wind project, a 184.5-MW wind farm, is just starting operations. [Oklahoma Energy Today]

Have a fascinatingly beautiful day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Super Plants to Clean Indoor Air” • The Neo Px is a GMO plant that can purify indoor air. “It’s the equivalent of up to 30 regular houseplants in terms of air purification,” said Lionel Mora, co-founder of Neoplants. “It will not only capture, but also remove and recycle, some of the most harmful pollutants you can find indoors.” [CleanTechnica]

Neo Px plant

¶ “NREL Researchers Highlight Opportunities For Making Perovskite Solar Panels With A Long-Term Vision” • Solar panels made of perovskites may eventually play an important role to reduce carbon emissions. Now is a perfect time to think critically about how to design the solar panels to minimize their impact on the environment in the future. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “A Love Song to Smelly, Inconvenient, Glorious Mass Transit” • Mass transit doesn’t have a lot of cheerleaders. People love their cars, despite the harm they cause, but who loves a bus? And who sees transit as a vital decarbonization strategy when EVs steal the spotlight? Yet people who ride transit emit a lot less CO₂ than people who drive cars (even EVs). [CleanTechnica]

Flinders Street Railway Station, Melbourne (Weyne Yew, Unsplash)

¶ “Norway Stands At The Crossroad Between Fossil Fuels And The Low Carbon Future” • Norway is a green petro-state, The Guardian says. Its 5.5 million inhabitants are adopting clean technologies faster than anyone else, while its political and industry leaders drill furiously for fossil fuels to sell to their European neighbors. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Data Center Power Loads Threaten Corporate Net-Zero Goals” • The internet, cloud computing, and the use of AI all fuel demand for more and more data centers. The International Energy Agency projects that by 2026, data centers will consume more than 800 TWh annually, more than double what they used in 2022. [pv magazine International]

Rooftop solar system (Iron Mountain image)

¶ “Over 300 MW Of Solar Power To Be Generated By December 2025” • The Jammu and Kashmir government has initiated multiple projects to install rooftop solar power plants in over 40,000 buildings in the union territory, both government and residential, by the end of 2025, officials told the news agency Kashmir News Observer. [The Kashmir Monitor]

¶ “Plan For UK’s Biggest Solar Farm Will Be Biggest Test Of Government’s Anti-Nimby Drive” • The Government faces the biggest test so far of its anti-Nimby drive as it decides whether to give the green light to what would be the UK’s biggest solar farm. The Cottam Solar project would occupy 12.5 sq km (almost 8 sq mi) of farmland. [inews.co.uk]

Solar panels in the UK (Graham Hogg, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “Indian Player Plans 250-MW PV Project In Uzbekistan” • The Indian energy transition platform Jakson Green secured a credit facility to build a 250-MW solar power plant in Uzbekistan. The ₹2.96 billion (€3o million) facility from from First Abu Dhabi Bank (Mumbai) will also finance a 63-MW integrated battery energy storage system. [reNews]

¶ “First Meltdown-Proof Nuclear Reactor Passes Loss Of Cooling Test In China” • Ateam of engineers from Tsinghua University, working at China’s high-temperature reactor with a pebble-bed module claims that the reactor passed a critical cooling test. In their study, published in Joule, the group turned off external power to the reactor for two days. [MSN]

Pebble-bed reactor mockup (NRC, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “Nuclear Energy Not The Way To Go: Coalition” • Relying on nuclear power is the wrong strategy for Taiwan to achieve net zero emissions, a coalition of environmental groups said. Amid rising calls from some lawmakers and government officials in support of it, the National Nuclear Abolition Action Platform held a news conference in Taipei. [Taipei Times]

US:

¶ “Natural Gas Electricity Generation In The US Spiked With The July Heatwave” • Sadly, we’re already seeing examples of global heating leading to the burning of more fossil fuels, which of course is creating more global heating. It’s a vicious cycle, and here’s the latest example: With global warming, we use more gas, causing more global warming. [CleanTechnica]

Natural gas usage (EIA image)

¶ “Nearly $50 Million Funding Opportunity For Offshore Wind National And Regional Research And Development” • The DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office announced the Offshore Wind National and Regional R&D Funding Opportunity. It will award $48.6 million for projects that address several major areas of need for offshore wind. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Clearway Signs PPA For 315-MW US Wind Project” • Clearway Energy Group signed a 25-year PPA with Puget Sound Energy for the Haymaker wind farm, a 315-MW facility under development in Wheatland and Meagher counties, Montana. Once it is in operation, Haymaker will generate enough electricity to provide annual needs for 116,000 homes. [reNews]

Wind turbines (Clearway Energy image)

¶ “Newport, Rhode Island’s Climate Resilience Gets A Boost From IRA” • This week Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that the Department of Commerce and NOAA have recommended nearly $2 million for a project in Rhode Island to enhance the state’s coastal resilience to confront climate change and other coastal hazards. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Three Men Sentenced For Involvement In Plot To Destroy Power Grid” • Three men with connections to white supremacist groups were sentenced in federal court after plotting to destroy a power grid in the Northwest, the US Department of Justice said. Two of the men had been members of the same US Marine unit at Camp LeJeune. [ABC News]

Have an enthusiastically cheerful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Solar Doesn’t Need A Toxic ‘Friendship’ With Nuclear Power” • A report released this week by the Queensland Conservation Council reinforces what other experts are saying, that rooftop solar and nuclear cannot co-exist. It reveals just how detrimental any proposal for nuclear power would be for Queensland solar homeowners’ hip pockets. [RenewEconomy]

Solar panels (Biel Morro, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “The Volvo EX30 Leads The Way As Battery EV Sales Continue To Grow In South Africa” • In the first 6 months of this year, 749 battery EVs were sold in South Africa. A total of 931 battery EVs were sold in the whole of 2023. The Volvo XC40 was the top selling battery EV in South Africa in 2023, getting 150 sales across those 12 months. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Bonkers ‘Wall Of Floating Wind Turbines’ Not So Bonkers After All” • There is a method to the madness of a crazy-looking new floating wind turbine concept, and the outlines of the method have just come into sharper focus with a preliminary seal of approval from the independent assurance and risk management firm DNV. [CleanTechnica]

Windcatcher 40-MW floating wind turbine concept
(Courtesy of Axess Group via Wind Catching Systems)

¶ “Hottest Day On Record 3rd Day In A Row – Global Heating Is Here” • Extreme heat has been ravaging North America, Europe, and Asia this summer. We’re collecting records, yet again, and the worst thing is that we know this is only the beginning. Sunday was the hottest day on record, but Monday was hotter. And then Tuesday was hotter than that. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Sterling And Wilson Renewable Wins 1 GWh Battery Storage, 20 MW Floating Solar Projects” • Sterling and Wilson Renewable Energy Ltd, an Indian renewable EPC provider, announced that it has received the order for setting up a battery plant with a capacity of 500 MW, 1 GWh in Rajasthan and a 20-MW floating solar plant in Karnataka. [pv magazine India]

Floating solar power (Wzhkevin, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Nation Sets Example For Green Transition” • China’s installed wind and solar power capacity has overtaken its coal. China has installed 1,180 GW of wind and solar capacity as of the end of June 2024. This is only 20 GW behind the goal of 1,200 GW capacity by 2030, and it will reach the goal this year, a senior analyst for Rystad Energy said. [China Daily]

¶ “Construction Starts At Greek Solar Giant” • Ameresco Sunel Energy has started building Lightsource BP’s 560-MW Enipease solar project in Greece. The Enipeas project, co-funded by the EU through the “NextGenerationEU” fund, is in the regions of Larissa and Fthiotida and it is expected to reach completion within 18 to 24 months. [reNews]

Solar array (Chelsea, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Climate Change Is Making The UK Hotter And Wetter Met Office Reports” • Human induced climate change is causing more frequent spells of hot weather and rainfall extremes, the State of the UK Climate report says. The number of hot days more than doubled in the most recent decade, while the entire country had greater rainfall. [Yourweather.co.uk]

US:

¶ “How Can Hurricane-Proof Houses Become More Common Across The US?” • A warming climate means stronger winds, higher storm surges, and record rainfalls. Deltec Homes, a North Carolina firm, makes prefabricated circular houses with tightly sealed roofs and walls pinned to the foundations to survive hurricanes with 190 mph winds. [CleanTechnica]

Storm damage in Vermont (US Fish and Wildlife Service)

¶ “Biden-Harris Administration Advances Clean Energy Projects On Western Public Lands With Potential To Power Nearly 2 Million Homes” • The Interior Department announced that the Bureau of Land Management is advancing nine solar projects on public lands that could potentially power nearly 2 million homes with clean energy. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “California Replacing Nuclear With Solar Plus Storage” • In California, Clearway Energy has financing for the 200-MW Luna Valley Solar & Storage facility and the 113.5-MW Dagget energy storage project. These projects have signed PPAs that are among those intended to replace the potentially retiring Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. [pv magazine USA]

Solar at Phipps Bend Nuclear Plant (United Renewable Energy)

¶ “Pioneering Project To Cover Canals With Solar Panels Nears Finish” • The US is about to get its first solar-covered canal, a huge win for clean energy. Nearing completion on tribal lands in Arizona, the Casa Blanca Canal project will generate solar power while also helping preserve precious water resources, according to Canary Media. [The Cool Down]

¶ “Colorado Power Provider Will Add 760 MW Of Renewable Energy” • Platte River Power Authority’s board of directors approved the utility’s 2024 Integrated Resource Plan on July 25, including the recommended “optimal new carbon” portfolio that adds 760 MW of new renewable energy projects between now and 2030. [POWER Magazine]

Solar array in Colorado (US DOE image)

¶ “Starbucks Invests In Solar For 170 Illinois Stores” • Starbucks is partnering with Nexamp as a long-term renewable electricity purchaser, anchoring deployment of over 40 MW of solar energy in Illinois communities. The Coffee giant will purchase sufficient electricity coverage for 170 of its Illinois stores through Nexamp solar projects. [Chain Store Age]

¶ “Nuclear Power Startup Plans 6-GW Fleet of US Plants” • The Nuclear Company, based in Lexington, Kentucky, has announced plans to build a 6-GW fleet of nuclear power stations in the US, looking to take advantage of bipartisan support for nuclear power and the perceived need to build more zero-carbon, baseload sources of energy. [POWER Magazine]

Have a pleasantly reflective day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Sunday, July 21, 2024 Was The Hottest Day Ever Recorded” • Copernicus Climate Change Service said July 21, 2024 was the hottest day on Earth since at least 1940, with the global average at 17.09°C. The record is only a tiny bit hotter than the previous record of July 2023, but this July and 2023’s are a lot hotter than all previous years. [CleanTechnica]

Hottest day ever (Courtesy of Copernicus ECMWF and three others)

World:

¶ “Farmers In Africa Say Their Soil Is Dying And Chemical Fertilizers Are In Part To Blame” • Farmers in Africa blame chemical fertilizers for declines in production. Kenya hosted a soil health summit in May to discuss declining production, climate change, and other issues, and one leader advocated a return to traditional farming practices. [ABC News]

¶ “Cape Town’s Golden Arrow Bus Services And BYD Sign Major Purchase Agreement For 120 Electric Buses” • After four years of testing, Golden Arrow Bus Services says it has taken a major step towards achieving its fleet electrification by confirming its first bulk order of 120 BYD buses. Deliveries are scheduled to start late in 2024. [CleanTechnica]

BYD electric bus (BYD image)

¶ “World’s First Megawatt Charger for Electric Trucks” • With partners from industry and research institutions, the Technical University of Munich is to make battery-powered trucks viable for long-distance transport. With the megawatt charging post and truck, the battery can be charged for 4.5 hours of operation within the required rest period. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ukraine Turns Up The Heat On Renewable Energy War” • Ukraine has been plying the renewable energy levers to keep the lights on, even as Russia continues to wage a misbegotten war on Ukraine’s civilian population. Now the energy consequences are ratcheting up, as Ukraine’s vast renewable energy resources are increasingly being put to use. [CleanTechnica]

DTEK Tyligulska wind farm (Courtesy of DTEK)

¶ “The Battle For Britain’s Clean Energy Future” • A nimby response is threatening the UK’s green transition, as residents oppose wind and solar energy projects near their houses. The Labour government will have to battle UK communities if they hope to get new green energy projects off the ground and stick to their climate pledges. [OilPrice.com]

¶ “GB Energy, Crown Estate Launch Partnership” • The UK government announced a partnership between the Crown Estate and Great British Energy to lead to 20 to 30 GW of new offshore wind developments reaching seabed lease stage by 2030. GB Energy is capitalised by parliament with £8.3 billion to invest in clean power projects in the UK. [reNews]

PM Keir Starmer (UK Government image)

¶ “Could Scotland Get Free Electricity?” • Octopus Energy‘s CEO, Greg Jackson, suggested that Scotland could benefit from periods of free electricity if energy regulator Ofgem introduces certain regulatory changes. Speaking in London, he called for market reforms to optimise the use of Scotland’s renewable energy resources. [Energy Live News]

¶ “Progress At Convention On Supplementary Compensation For Nuclear Damage” • Progress is being made towards a global nuclear liability regime for nuclear damage, participants heard at the Fourth Meeting of the Contracting Parties and Signatories to the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage. [International Atomic Energy Agency]

Representatives and Signatories (IAEA image)

¶ “University Of Oregon Study: ‘Nuclear Industrial Complex’ Hindering Japan’s Green Energy Shift” • In Japan, after the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, withdrawing from nuclear to renewable energy never happened due to the influence of the nuclear industry in the government, according to two University of Oregon researchers. [India Education Diary]

US:

¶ “New Report: Coal Plants Earned $1 Billion For Knocking Cheaper Midwest Wind Offline” • A report reveals details about the impact of aging, uncompetitive coal plants taking advantage of utility and market rules to run at a loss for long periods of time while crowding out cleaner, cheaper resources in the largest grid region in the US. [CleanTechnica]

Wind turbine (Courtesy of Pecos Wind Power and DOE)

¶ “Biden-Harris Admin Advances Early Wildfire Detection By Expanding Use Of Satellites As Part Of Investing In America Agenda” • The Biden-Harris administration announced it is taking additional steps to safeguard western communities in the face of increasingly dangerous wildfires by building advanced detection abilities into satellites. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Biden-Harris Administration Announces $4.3 Billion In Grants For Community-Driven Solutions To Cut Climate Pollution” • The US EPA announced recipients of over $4.3 billion in Climate Pollution Reduction Grants to address the climate crisis, air pollution, environmental justice, and clean energy transition at the community level. [CleanTechnica]

Scientists study maps (Joe DelNero, NREL)

¶ “Wind Power Can Be A Major Source Of Tax Revenue, But Officials Struggle To Get Communities On Board” • The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University found in its June report that 395 local restrictions could effectively block wind or solar developments. This is up by 73% compared to less than a year ago. [MSN]

¶ “Madison County Project Explores Synergy Between Farming And Solar Panels” • The 180-MW Madison Fields Solar Farm is set to power 38,000 homes while exploring cultivation of crops with its 400,000 solar panels on 1,000 acres in Pike Township. Savion is experimenting with Ohio State University on the agrivoltaic project. [Environment+Energy Leader]

Have an irresistably placid day.

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

Science and Technology:

¶ “Glory Days Of Amphibious Aircraft Return, Hydrogen Fuel Cell Edition” • Amphibious aircraft have seen a comeback partly as a means of avoiding crowded airports, and partly on account of rising tensions between Taiwan and China. The Aviation Industry Corporation of China has brought a large amphibious aircraft into production. [CleanTechnica]

PBY-5A Catalina, 1943 (US Navy photo)

¶ “Researchers Claim New Process Destroys Forever Chemicals” • The scientists at Ritsumeikan, a Japanese company, say they have developed an eco-friendly way to eliminate harmful forever chemicals using visible LED light. The process has achieved a nearly complete breakdown of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at room temperature. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Deep-Sea Mining Of Rare Metals Produces ‘Dark Oxygen,’ New Study Finds” • Mining of rare metals on deep sea and ocean floors could create “dark oxygen” or cause harmful changes to the marine ecosystem, according to research. Some of the polymetallic nodules contain rare-earth elements essential to low-carbon energy technologies. [ABC News]

Polymetallic nodules on ocean floor (Philweb, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

World:

¶ “Vietnam Allows Big Companies To Buy Clean Energy Directly To Meet Their Climate Targets” • By decree, Vietnam will allow electricity-guzzling factories buy electricity from wind and solar power producers. This will help big companies like Samsung Electronics meet their climate targets and relieve pressure on the country’s overstrained grid. [ABC News]

¶ “Azerbaijan Calls For $1 Billion Fund To Address Global Warming – Is This A Joke?” • Azerbaijan, the host country for the next global climate meeting, COP 29, is asking wealthy nations and fossil fuel companies to contribute to a $1 billion fund that will help poor countries cope with the accumulating horrors of an overheating planet [CleanTechnica]

BP oil rig in the Caspian Sea (BP image)

¶ “Adani Green Begins Wind Power Generation From The World’s Largest Renewable Energy Plant” • Adani Green Energy Limited, India’s largest renewable energy company, made 250 MW of wind capacity operational at the 30,000-MW renewable energy plant at Khavda, Gujarat. So a total of 2,250 MW at the Khavda plant is on line. [Free Press Journal]

¶ “BasiGo’s Impressive Progress With Electric Buses In Kenya Illustrates Incredible Opportunity To Tackle Africa’s Transport Challenges” • BasiGo recently announced that its bus fleet has driven over 2 million kilometers! In the process, 937.2 tonnes of CO₂ emissions have been avoided, and 409,842 liters of diesel were also avoided. [CleanTechnica]

Electric buses (BasiGo image)

¶ “Egypt To Raise Electrical Capacity With Two $700 Million Renewable Energy Projects By October” • Egypt’s Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy announced plans to raise the country’s electrical capacity by 750 MW through two renewable energy projects by October 2024. The projects will require a total investment of $700 million. [Economy Middle East]

¶ “Ocean Winds forms Portuguese partnership” • Ocean Winds and Martifer Renewables & Energy formed a partnership to take joint action in Portugal’s first tender for offshore wind farms, set to take place this year. The partners will provide clean energy projects aiming to contribute to Portugal’s renewable energy targets of 2 GW by 2030. [reNews]

Floating offshore turbines (Ocean Winds image)

¶ “Small Modular Reactors Are A ‘Chimera’ For Now” • Small modular reactors won’t be fully commercially available till the late 2040s at least, an independent grouping of Australia’s top technologists says. Katherine Woodthorpe, president of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering, told AAP, “They are a chimera at the moment.” [Yahoo]

¶ “Fourteen Countries In The World Get Almost All Of Their Electricity From Renewables” • Since 2020, fourteen countries have consistently generated over 95% renewable electricity, according to Ember’s Yearly electricity data. In eight of these countries, electricity has been almost entirely renewable-based for over twenty years. [Our World in Data]

Please click on the image to enlarge it.

US:

¶ “US DOE Announces Plans For Low-Carbon Cement And Concrete Center of Excellence To Reduce Industrial Emissions” • The US DOE Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office announced its plan to create a Cement and Concrete Center of Excellence to accelerate the development of novel low-carbon cement and concrete technologies. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US Military Invests In Silicon Battery, With Possible EV Connection Emerging” • Today’s electronic military requires batteries, and plenty of them, to power the increasing load of portable electronic gear carried by soldiers. A lighter, longer lasting, more reliable battery would help ease the load. That’s where NanoGraf comes in. [CleanTechnica]

Soldiers in the field (US Army image)

¶ “UW Scientists Break Ground On Nuclear Fusion, Which Could Be The Future Of Energy” • A University of Wisconsin-Madison team of scientists made a major step toward creating a clean, reliable source of energy. It is part of a broader approach to using nuclear fusion energy that does not create large amounts of radioactive waste. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

¶ “NRC Completes Safety Review For Kairos Demonstration Nuclear Plant” • The US NRC staff has concluded after a safety review that a construction permit can be issued for Kairos Power’s Hermes 2 advanced demonstration facility at a site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The demonstration facility will have two 35-MW thermal test reactors. [NucNet]

Have a sufficiently humorous day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Kitemill Aims For Wind Energy With 90% Less Infrastructure” • The idea of sending a kite into the sky to harvest wind energy has been around for 20 years or more, and now it’s beginning to pay off. The Norwegian firm Kitemill has just got a competitive EU grant of €2.5 million to get its KM2 airborne wind energy project off the ground. [CleanTechnica]

Kitemill kite (Courtesy of Kitemill)

¶ “Elastocaloric Heating And Cooling More Efficient Than Heat Pumps” • This technology is based on a simple principle. Heat can be removed from a space by stretching wires and releasing them again. Shape-memory wires made of super-elastic nitinol absorb heat in the cooling chamber and release it to the outer environment. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Agricultural Robots – Clean Food Without Pesticides” • Weeds are the bane of all farmers. Chemical eradication has become the method of choice for controlling weeds. Farmers often spray or otherwise apply several weed-killing chemicals to their fields in a single season. Now agricultural robots that remove weeds are becoming more common. [CleanTechnica]

Farm (Courtesy of Idaho National Laboratory)

World:

¶ “EV Industry Growth In Mexico” • Mexico, a country with big EV market potential, has begun to see the takeoff of EVs thus far found mostly in Europe, China, and the US. But while Mexico offers a promising location for EV growth, adoption of passenger EVs in Mexico has thus far not been supported by significant government incentives. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “UK Solar Industry Rejuvenated By Labour Resurgence” • UK energy secretary Ed Miliband has lit a fire under the country’s renewable energy ambitions, particularly with regard to rooftop and grid-scale solar. Citing a story in The Observer, Carbon Brief reports that the newly elected Labour government has plans for a “rooftop revolution.” [CleanTechnica]

Farm used for hay production (Advanced Solar Products image)

¶ “Federal Government Targets 9,000 MW From Renewable Energy” • The Federal Government of Nigeria said it expects the renewable energy sector to contribute about 9,000 MW by year 2030 as part of a vision to end energy poverty in the country. The Minister of Power said, “The lack of grid reliability has hampered economic productivity. [Vanguard News]

¶ “Australia Rated Global Leader In Hybrid Solar And Battery Energy Solutions” • With more than 300 large-scale solar and battery storage projects in the pipeline nationally, Australia has been identified as a global leader in hybrid solar and battery systems in a new whitepaper released by global energy company Hitachi Energy. [pv magazine Australia]

Solar and battery project (Hitachi Energy image)

¶ “Shanghai Plans To Install 29 GW Of Offshore Wind Capacity” • China’s largest city, Shanghai, plans for 29.3 GW of offshore wind capacity to be installed and feeding its grid. The plan, by the Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission, aims to have offshore wind generating around 100 TWh of green electricity annually. [OffshoreWIND.biz]

¶ “Ramaphosa Reveals 22,500 MW Renewables Pipeline In South Africa” • South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his first speech since forming a coalition government in May, said the nation is experiencing a “renewable energy revolution,” with projects expected to attract around R400 billion ($21.9 billion) in private investment. [pv magazine International]

Cape Town (Tim Johnson, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Hinkley Point C Nuclear Power Station Delayed Again And At Further £3 Billion Cost” • Completion of the Hinkley Point C power station has been delayed again, puting it a decade behind its original schedule. The projected cost is now in the range of £25 to £26 billion. Originally, it was to be finished in 2017 at a cost of £18 billion. [Yahoo News Canada]

US:

¶ “Red States Shower Incentives On Coal-Killing Thin Film Solar Factories” • With their business-friendly policies, politically conservative states are sought-after locations for new factories. The latest news involves the US solar cell innovator First Solar, which has tapped Alabama and Louisiana to ramp up production of thin film solar modules. [CleanTechnica]

Solar array in Australia (Courtesy of First Solar)

¶ “US DOE Provides $65 Million For Connected Communities” • The US DOE announced Connected Communities 2.0, a funding opportunity of up to $65 million to drive innovation to manage growing building, transportation, and industrial electric loads on the grid. This FOA accelerates progress toward the goal of a clean energy economy. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Holy Cross Energy Well On The Way To Getting 90% Of Its Electricity From Renewable Sources” • Holy Cross Energy has pledged to get 95% to 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. The electric cooperative seems to be ahead of schedule. CEO Bryan Hannegan said by the end of 2023 it was using roughly 50% renewable energy. [VailDaily.com]

Glenwood Springs (Nils Huenerfuerst, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Clearway Starts Work On Two Large Renewable Projects In Southern California” • Clearway Energy Group announced that it has begun construction on two major energy projects in Fresno and San Bernardino counties in California. Luna Valley is a 200-MW solar project, and Daggett Storage is a 113.5-MW standalone battery energy storage project. [Solar Power World]

¶ “California Proposes Purchasing 7.6 GW Of Offshore Wind Over The Next Decade” • The California PUC proposed an initial need determination of up to 7.6 GW of offshore wind, up to 1 GW of enhanced geothermal systems, up to 1 GW of multi-day long-duration energy storage (LDES), and up to 1 GW of LDES with a discharge period of at least 12 hours. [Power Engineering]

Have a wholly fortuitous day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Presidential Climate Policy Report Card: Biden vs Trump” • The US is approaching an election which will be pivotal for climate action. While not ideal, the Biden-Harris administration delivered enormous movement on climate action. By contrast, Trump’s first term and promises are a sea of red, a tsunami of climate action failure. [CleanTechnica]

America (Matthew Smith, Unsplash, cropped)

Science and Technology:

¶ “ETH Zurich Heat Pump Technology For Process Heat Applications” • About 95% of process heat comes from burning fossil fuels. It accounts for 8% of global carbon emissions. A heat pump can supply heat for manufacturing up to 200ºC (392ºF), and heat pumps can supply process heat for industrial and commercial applications. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Zimbabwe Wants To Increase Rooftop Solar Adoption To Address Electricity Generation Shortfall” • In a bid to get some generation capacity online ASAP, Zimbabwe is looking to speed up adoption of solar PV. The country’s electricity transmission and distribution company called for homes and business to install more rooftop solar. [CleanTechnica]

Zimbabwe (St John Wilson, Unsplash)

¶ “Portugal Plans To Raise Share Of Renewables In Electricity Consumption To 93% By 2030” • Portugal plans to increase the amount of renewables in electricity generation to 93% by 2030, as part of its decarbonisation push, found in an updated draft of its energy and climate plan. The draft will be available for public consultation until September 5. [Yahoo Finance UK]

¶ “Renewable energy costs to see big drop: Tata Power CEO Praveer Sinha” • In India, Tata Power Company Ltd expects energy storage and green power related costs to fall “drastically” backed by technological innovations amid growing demand for uninterrupted power, chief executive and managing director Praveer Sinha told ET. [MSN]

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

¶ “Nuclear Option Would Mean Shutting Off Cheap Solar To Use Expensive Power” • A Queensland Conservation Council analysis shows that the equivalent of 45,000 Queensland household solar systems would need to be shut off daily for one nuclear station to operate in 2040. By the time we build a nuclear power plant, we won’t need it. [Queensland Conservation Council]

¶ “Residents Protest Over Power Cuts In Southern Russian City” • Residents angry over power cuts in southern Russia staged a rare public protest in the city of Krasnodar, posts on social media said. The local governor blamed a heatwave for the blackouts. Unusually hot weather led to the shutdown of a power unit at the Rostov nuclear plant. [Reuters]

Krasnodar (Alexey Komarov, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

US:

¶ “Heat-Related Texas Deaths Climb After Beryl Left Millions Without Power” • Almost two weeks after Beryl hit, heat-related deaths during the prolonged power outages have pushed the number of storm-related fatalities to at least 23 in Texas. It may be weeks or even years before the full human toll of the storm in Texas is known. [ABC News]

¶ “Where Kamala Harris Stands On Green New Deal And Climate Initiatives” • Vice President Kamala Harris has thrown her hat in the ring for the 2024 presidential race with President Joe Biden’s endorsement, following his announcement that he’s stepping aside. Harris said she will make the climate crisis a top national security priority. [ABC News]

Kamala Harris and Joe Biden (Adam Schultz, The White House)

¶ “Maine Offshore Wind Plan Splits Environmentalists” • The Maine coastal town of Searsport is a balance of tradition and tourists, of long winters and trusted neighbors. That shifted in May, when the state applied for a $456 million federal grant to build a specially designed port on about 100 acres to support a floating offshore wind industry. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Van Life Testing Shows Us That Appliances Could Be A Lot More Efficient” • A recent video at CheapRVLiving on YouTube shows us that the comforts of home don’t necessarily require a lot of electrical power to enjoy. While most people want a clothes washer with more features, people living an off-grid life have to optimize for other things. [CleanTechnica]

Washing machine (Costway image)

¶ “Puerto Rico Could Soon Build Its Biggest Solar And Grid Battery Plants” • Utility-scale solar in Puerto Rico has received a $861 million boost from the federal government. The DOE’s Loan Programs Office announced a conditional commitment to finance 200 MW of solar and 285 MWh of battery storage on the southern coast of the island. [Canary Media]

¶ “Renewable Wind Energy Blows Away Coal-Fired Power In The US” • Good news for planet Earth. According to the US Energy Information Administration, in the five years from 2019 to 2024, in March and April specifically, electricity production using wind power has almost doubled, greatly outdoing generation from coal plants in the US. [New Atlas]

Have an absolutely grand day.

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Opinion:

¶ “JD Vance And Climate Issues: Blowin’ With The Political Winds” • Remember when flip-flopping on issues was a political death knell? No more. JD Vance, US vice presidential candidate on the Trump/MAGA ticket, has vacillated about climate change many times since he entered politics. He once supported solar. Now he supports fracking. [CleanTechnica]

JD Vance (Gage Skidmore, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

World:

¶ “Uruguay EV Sales Report June: BYD Dominates, Unreal Growth Brings BEV Market Share To 15%!” • In Uruguay, battery EV market share in June 2023 was already 2.5%, relatively high for the region. But growth in June 2024 amounted to an amazing 477% YOY! So Uruguay’s EV sales went to an impressive 15% market share. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “One of Kenya’s Oldest Bus Companies Goes Electric!” • One of Kenya’s oldest public transport operators, Kenya Bus Service Management Limited, is going electric! KBS, which has operated since 1928, recently took delivery of its first electric bus, the E9 Kubwa from BasiGo. It is the first of 25 buses to be delivered to KBS by the end of this year. [CleanTechnica]

Bus interior (Courtesy of BasiGo)

¶ “Germany Held Back EU Electric Car Market in First Half of 2024: T&E Analysis” • EU electric car sales continued to grow this year, with the exception of Germany. Battery electric sales in the rest of the EU (excluding Germany) increased by 9.4% on average in the first half of the year, YOY. Including Germany, the number of battery EVs sold grew by just 1.3%. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “2024 Could Be World’s Hottest Year As June Breaks Records” • Last month could be the hottest June on record. Every month since June 2023 has ranked as the planet’s hottest since records began, compared with the corresponding month in previous years, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said in a monthly bulletin. [Yahoo]

Cooling off (Gary Cole, Unsplash)

¶ “India’s Renewable Energy Capacity Reaches 195 GW, Minister Highlights Green Hydrogen Potential” • India’s renewable energy capacity has more than doubled since 2014, reaching 195 GW, according to Union Minister Pralhad Joshi. He announced this at the inauguration of an electrolyser manufacturing facility in Doddaballapur, Karnataka. [menafn]

¶ “Indigenous Group Considers Legal Battle Over Proposed Port Augusta Nuclear Power Plant” • Earmarking Port Augusta for Peter Dutton’s nuclear plan has an Indigenous leader saying he feels so strongly about the issue that he is willing to go to court to fight the proposal. Lindsay Thomas said his community is against mining fissionable elements. [MSN]

Near Port Augusta (Peterdownunder, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “Czech Nuclear Deal Shows CSIRO Gencost Is Too Optimistic, And New Nukes Are Hopelessly Uneconomic” • In 2020, the Czech government sought tenders from three firms to build at least two, and possibly four 1000-MW reactors. Recently, it was announced that KNHP submitted the winning bid, which set the cost per GW at $8.6 billion. [RenewEconomy]

US:

¶ “US Election 2024: Land Use Climate Solutions Report Card” • In the fight against climate change, land use policies are a major factor in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing community resilience. Urban planning that promotes compact, mixed-use development can greatly cut vehicle emissions. Here is a look at political platforms. [CleanTechnica]

San Francisco (Ronan Furuta, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Electric Vehicle Market Share At 21.4% In California” • In California, 21.4% of five new car sales were full electrics in the first half of this year. That market share is just slightly down from 2023, when it ended at 21.5% market share, but interestingly, Tesla is down a lot while several others are up. Plugin hybrid sales were stable at 3.4%. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “As States Recover From Climate-Related Disasters, They Also Must Prepare For Future Ones” • This summer has brought a revolving door of climate-fueled disasters across the US. For many states, recovery is no longer just about trying to return to normal, but rather rebuilding to prepare for future disasters as climate change accelerates. [Inside Climate News]

Tracking a supercell (NOAA, Unsplash)

¶ “Minnesota Governor Signs New Law To Reform State’s Energy Permitting Process” • In a move to energize Minnesota’s clean energy future, Governor Tim Walz cut the red tape on renewable projects. He signed a law aimed at streamlining the state’s energy permitting process, potentially shortening the construction time by eighteen months or more. [The Cool Down]

¶ “Houston Embraces Solar Power Post-Hurricane Beryl, Texas Sees Surge In Residential Solar Projects” • Since Hurricane Beryl, Texas residents, especially those near Houston, have increasingly turned to residential solar power for self-reliance. Bill Swann’s solar setup kept his Hilshire Village home powered during the long power failures. [Hoodline]

Have a neatly constructed day.

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World:

¶ “BYD Launches In Senegal, Starting With The ATTO 3” • BYD is one of the few big car makers that is not ignoring the South American and African markets. Which is great, because it shows that even the smallest markets around the world will not be left behind by the EV transition. Senegal is the latest market to get BYD EVs. [CleanTechnica]

Trying out a BYD EV (BYD image)

¶ “Global Vulnerability To The Disruption Of Undersea Cables Exposed” • We tend to think that most digital intercontinental digital traffic is done via satellites, but in fact 99% of such traffic is transmitted via undersea cables. That’s a problem, because those cables are a critical for global communications but are subject to sabotage anywhere along their length. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Enbridge, First Nations And Métis Partners To Advance 200-MW Wind Energy Project In Saskatchewan” • Enbridge Inc and Six Nations Energy Development LP, a new consortium of six first nations and Métis partners, announced plans to advance development of a new wind energy project to be sited southeast of Weyburn, Saskatchewan. [CSRwire]

Near Weyburn (Gauravdeep Singh Bansal, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “EXERGY And RentCo Sign Co-Operation Agreement For Geothermal Power Project In Olkaria” • Exergy International, a provider of geothermal power plants, signed an agreement with RentCo Africa Ltd, which provides energy leasing in Kenya, for the development of RentCo’s Wellhead 67-MW geothermal project in Olkaria, Kenya. [Energy Global]

¶ “Grid Backlog Drives Innovative Approaches In Brazil” • Grid connection queues in Brazil are offering new opportunities for energy storage and hybrid systems and opening new energy business models. Renewables companies are adding solar and batteries to their wind power sites to use existing transmission capacity. [pv magazine International]

Solar farm in Brazil (CoyoteBR, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Caribbean Energy Chamber Brings Renewable Energy Into Focus” • Caribbean Energy Chamber President and CEO, Eugene Tiah, says energy is judged to be around 15% of the Caribbean’s GDP. “Energy is therefore one of the most important factors influencing Caribbean economies and by extension the lives of all Caribbean citizens.” [Loop Caribbean News]

¶ “China’s Renewable Energy Share In Power Generation Hits New High” • China’s installed power generation capacity from new energy sources is growing rapidly, as the share of electricity generated reaches an all-time high. From January to May, key national firms put over 70% of their total power investments into renewable energy generation. [巴士的報 – Bastille]

Chuanshan wind farm (Siyuwj, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Chinese Wind Turbine-Makers Move Into Europe As Trade Tensions Flare” • Chinese wind turbine-makers took their first order in Germany, adding to concern in the EU wind industry that it faces an existential threat. The European Commission has launched an investigation into whether Chinese players enjoy unfair subsidies. [Reuters]

¶ “UK Energy Secretary Slams Fearmongering Over Solar Farm Food Security” • Ed Miliband condemned the “myth” that solar farms threaten national food security. He told the House of Commons, “The biggest threat to nature and food security and to our rural communities is not solar panels or onshore wind; it is the climate crisis.” [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Solar array in England (N Chadwick, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Nearly 5,000 Workers Evacuated From Russian-Occupied Nuclear Power Plant In Zaporizhzhia” • Around 5,000 workers were rescued from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said during a press conference. The plant has been under Russian control since March, 2022. [The Kyiv Independent]

US:

¶ “Tesla Provides Intersect Power With 15.3 GWh Of Megapacks For Solar + Storage Projects” • Tesla and Intersect Power reported a contract for 15.3 GWh of Megapacks for Intersect Power’s solar + storage project portfolio through 2030. Combined with earlier agreementments, this makes Intersect Power one of the largest buyers of Megapacks globally. [CleanTechnica]

Intersect Power battery system (Courtesy of Intersect Power)

¶ “Puerto Rico Sues Fossil Fuel Companies For Damages From Global Heating” • Puerto Rico is suing fossil fuel companies, The Verge reports. The complaint claims those companies misled the public about climate change, slowing a transition to clean energy. The suit seeks $1 billion in damages to help Puerto Rico defend itself against climate disasters. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “California Residents Increasingly Pairing Battery Storage With Solar Installations” • California residents are increasingly pairing battery storage with solar installations, preliminary data in the EIA’s Monthly Electric Power Industry Report shows. In April 2024, more than 50% of residential solar PV installations were paired with battery storage. [CleanTechnica]

Have an altogether wonderful day.

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World:

¶ “Toyota Invests In Perovskite Solar Cells, And The World Will Never Be The Same” • Toyota tapped its Woven Capital branch to put a ¥5.5 billion stake into the perovskite solar startup EneCoat Technologies. That may mean the solar-powered electric car of the future is coming, because EneCoat lists mobility applications among its areas of focus. [CleanTechnica]

Toyota Prius (Courtesy of Toyota)

¶ “Will Baidu Apollo Go Be The First Profitable Robotaxi Service?” • In the USA, most discussion of robotaxis centers around Waymo, Cruise, and Tesla. And perhaps Zoox. However, on the other side of the world, there’s a different robotaxi service making a lot of progress and getting a lot of attention. That is Baidu Apollo Go. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “BYD’s Electric Car Price Cuts Upset BYD Buyers in Thailand – Investigation Ensues As Factory Inaugurated” • Thailand is to investigate sharp price cuts from BYD. This story appears to be a bit different from the ones in the US and Europe. Reportedly, the investigation wasn’t started by competitors or an auto lobby. It was started by BYD customers! [CleanTechnica]

BYD Atto 3 in Thailand

¶ “Renewable Electricity To Outstrip Coal Next Year: IEA” • The amount of electricity produced worldwide from renewable sources is set to surpass output from coal-fired plants for the first time in 2025, the International Energy Agency said. The forecast comes as electricity demand is set to rise 4% this year and next, up from 2.5% in 2023. [Tech Xplore]

¶ “176-MW NZ Array Hits Full Power” • New Zealand’s 176-MW Harapaki wind farm is fully operational, having been delivered within a month of its original completion date and inside its $448 million capital forecast. It is the country’s second-largest onshore array and is able to produce enough electricity to power 70,000 average homes. [reNews]

Harapaki wind farm (Nzwino, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “85% Of Capacity Built In 2023 Came From Renewables” • Last year, renewables made up nearly 86% of new electric generating capacity worldwide, the International Renewable Energy Agency data shows. A whopping 473 GW of renewable capacity was put up last year, up from 308 GW the year before and nearly twice the amount for 2021. [Canary Media]

¶ “Renewable Energy Key To Forging ‘Green Iron Corridor’” • Steelmaking needs to be electrified, investors warn, but that requires governments to commit to the end of coal-fired blast furnaces. An investor survey found that 59% viewed effective climate policies as crucial for “green steel,” which most said could not be produced by burning fossil fuels. [MSN]

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

¶ “Labour To Launch State-Owned Great British Energy With £8.3 Billion Market Intervention” • Labour is advancing its ambitious plan to establish a state-owned energy company, Great British Energy, supported by £8.3 billion of taxpayer funds. This represents one of the most significant market interventions in decades. [Business Matters]

¶ “Italy’s Renewable Power Output Overtakes Fossil Fuels For First Time” • Electricity produced from renewable sources in Italy in the first six months of the year surpassed the power generated from fossil fuels for the first time, the power grid operator Terna said. Italy plans to increase renewables to 63% of total electricity by the end of this decade. [MSN]

Solar system (Balfabio, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “Energy Ministers Reject Nuclear. Consumers Will Control Their Own Energy Needs” • Australia’s energy ministers agreed to the development of the national consumer energy resources roadmap to give consumers control over their energy needs, while unanimously rejecting nuclear as too expensive and too slow to meet emissions targets. [pv magazine Australia]

US:

¶ “Small-Scale Distributed Wind Projects Could Leave a Large Impact” • Distributed energy generates, stores, and manages power locally. Distributed wind energy is ideal for a wide range of customers. Installations can range from a less-than-1-kW off-grid wind turbine, or a 15-kW wind turbine at a home or small business, to over 2.5-MW. [CleanTechnica]

Small wind turbine (Joshua Bauer, Bryan Bechtold, NREL)

¶ “In Texas, CenterPoint Says Customers Must Pay Them Now AND Pay Them Later” • When Hurricane Beryl slammed into the Texas coast, 2.7 million people lost power. A week later, power has yet to be restored to many CenterPoint customers. The utility claims its infrastructure just wasn’t built for this kind of extreme weather. Of course it wasn’t. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “During Historic California Heat Wave, A Hero Emerged: Giant Solar-Powered Batteries” • In California, an investment in solar batteries may have saved the state from widespread blackouts and brownouts during a heat wave from June 23 to July 12. Palm Springs had a high of 124°F, and the extreme heat put millions of citizens in the state at risk. [CNET]

Solar plus batteries ( Bureau of Land Management California)

¶ “Biden Administration Moves To Bolster Solar Power In Puerto Rico” • The Biden administration made a pair of announcements that aim to bolster solar energy in Puerto Rico, which frequently deals with power outages. The Energy Department announced a conditional agreement to loan $861 million to finance two solar farms and batteries. [The Hill]

¶ “Company Can’t Dump Nuclear Plant Wastewater Into Cape Cod Bay” • Massachusetts’s Department of Environmental Protection shot down the plan in a final decision. According to the department, they can’t allow plant owner Holtec to discharge the water because Cape Cod Bay is protected under the state’s Ocean Sanctuaries Act. [WLIW]

Have an extraordinarily superior day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Startup Launches ‘Tabletop Nuclear Reactor’ Using Cold Fusion To Generate Clean Energy” • In Hyderabad, Hylenr says it has come up with a low-energy nuclear reactor that can be kept on a tabletop and produce enough energy to meet a household’s needs. The company says that it’s the world’s first cold fusion technology to generate clean energy. [MSN]

Hylenr technology (Hylenr image)

World:

¶ “Greece Shuts Acropolis During Hottest Part Of Day As Southern Europe Swelters” • A heat wave across southern Europe forced authorities in Greece to close the Acropolis for several hours from noon to 5:00 PM. Also, two firefighters died while putting out a wildfire in the Basilicata region in southern Italy, Italian authorities said. [ABC News]

¶ “R25 Billion Wind Farm Project Launches In South Africa” • Seriti Green has launched the first phase of its R25 billion ($1.38 billion) wind farm project in Mpumalanga. The group plans to build 900 MW of renewable wind energy projects over the next three years, with the first phase being the 155-MW Ummbila Emoyeni facility. [BusinessTech]

Wind turbine in South Africa (NJR ZA, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “Nigeria Attracts $2 Billion Investment In Renewable Energy Sector” • President Bola Tinubu disclosed that Nigeria attracted over $2 billion in investment in renewable energy, making it a fast-growing economic sector. Mr Tinubu stated this during the opening session of the African Natural Resources & Energy Investment Summit, 2024. [Daily Nigerian]

¶ “King’s Speech Launches GB Energy And Takes Leash Off Crown Estate For Offshore Wind” • King Charles III set out in Parliament the legislative agenda of the Labour government led by Keir Starmer, whose party swept to victory on the back of a highly ambitious pledge to kick fossil fuels off the UK grid by 2030. [Latest renewable energy news]

Official picture (UK Government)

¶ “Nuclear Power Plan Puts Thousands Of Farms In ‘Radiation Alert Zone’” • Nuclear energy threatens Australia’s food sources, as over 11,000 farms are near the opposition’s proposed reactor sites, the government says. The farms are within an 80 km radius of the seven earmarked sites, says a data analysis released by the federal government. [RenewEconomy]

US:

¶ “Flood Emergency Hits Arkansas After Months Of Rain Falls In A Few Hours” • Flash flooding in Arkansas and Missouri forced evacuations and washed a bridge after months of rain fell in just a few hours. Such extreme rainfall rate would be expected once in 500 years, but it is getting more common as the world warms due to fossil fuel pollution. [CNN]

Flood in Arkansas (DVIDSHUB, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “California First State To Get Federal Funds For Hydrogen Energy Hub To Help Replace Fossil Fuels” • California will be the first state to receive federal funds under a program to create regional networks, or “hubs,” that produce hydrogen as an energy source for vehicles, manufacturing, and generating electricity, officials announced. [ABC News]

¶ “US Coal Shipments Declined 8% In 2023 As Coal Use Fell Sharply” • The amount of coal transported in the US fell 8% in 2023, continuing a trend in which coal shipments generally fell over the past two decades as coal’s share of power generation has decreased. The amount of coal transported to power plants fell by more than half. [CleanTechnica]

Coal consumption and shipments (EIA image)

¶ “Twelve American Companies Will Help Expand Distributed Wind Across the Rural US” • The US DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory announced plans to award $3.15 million to 12 American component suppliers and makers of medium-sized and smaller wind turbines as a part of the 2024 Competitiveness Improvement Project. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “West Coast Summer Refinery Margins Decline Despite Reduced Capacity” • This spring, California refinery crack spreads for gasoline and diesel dipped below average despite shrinking refinery capacity on the West Coast. Crack spreads are the difference between refined product prices and an equivalent volume of crude oil. [CleanTechnica]

Reductions in margins and capacity (EIA image)

¶ “Sunrise Wind Construction Gets Underway” • At the Boys and Girls Club of Bellport on Long Island officially kicked off the start of the Sunrise Wind project. The project will support over 800 direct jobs during construction and will “spur economic benefits” from the Capital Region to Long Island, including a $700 million investment in Suffolk County. [reNews]

¶ “Intersect Power To Build $837 Million Worth Of Grid Batteries In Texas” • Intersect Power announced $837 million in financing commitments for three battery projects in Texas, totaling nearly 1 GWh of storage capacity. The financing includes portfolio-level construction debt and term debt financing from Deutsche Bank and HPS. [Canary Media]

Battery system construction in Texas (Intersect Power)

¶ “Massachusetts House Approves Bill To Boost Renewable Energy Efforts” • The Massachusetts House approved a bill that would help boost the state’s reliance on renewable energy, in part by streamlining the state and local permitting for projects that shift the state away from using fossil fuels. The Senate approved a climate bill a few weeks ago. [Caledonian Record]

¶ “Wind Power Operations Off Nantucket Island Are Suspended After Turbine Blade Parts Washed Ashore” • After some parts of a damaged turbine blade washed up on the beaches, the federal government ordered an offshore wind developer off Nantucket Island, a popular summer tourist destination in Massachusetts, to suspend operations. [ABC News]

Have a highly valuable day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Developing Countries Around World: Drop Import Duties On Electric Cars” • Zachary Shahan is not an expert in economic development for developing countries. But he says one thing is well known across the world: if you are not a big oil-producing nation, you are sending a lot of your money abroad. National costs of importing oil are immense. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Explorer No 1 (BYD image)

¶ “Many Americans Think They’re Insulated From Climate Change. Their Finances Indicate Otherwise” • Insurers are raising premiums for homeowners in many states across the country, pointing to mounting losses from natural disasters as a factor. Extreme weather and flooding raise prices for everyone at the grocery store. [NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Modern Hurricanes Are Rewriting The Rules Of Extreme Storms” • Hurricanes are fuelled by heat from ocean waters. Ocean temperatures are now breaking all records, and these “engines” are responding accordingly, cutting different paths across the ocean, slowing down, and becoming less predictable and more dangerous. [BBC]

Hurricane Beryl (Matthew Dominick, NASA)

World:

¶ “Mexico EV Sales Report: 90% Growth YOY in June Brings EV Market Share To 2.5%!” • The last three years have had consistent growth for EVs in Mexico at about 100% per year. Battery EV sales exploded at about 400% growth in 2022 and 300% in 2023. EV growth remains high in 2024. Mexico is becoming an arena for Chinese EV makers to compete. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “China’s Carbon Emissions Fall As Economy Slows, While Other Emissions Rise” • Carbon dioxide emissions in China are on track for their first annual decline since 2016, a signal the world’s top polluter may have already hit a peak in its output of greenhouse gases, Bloomberg reports. Coal use for generating power plunged last month. [CleanTechnica]

Midon 3.5-GW solar plant (China Green Development Group)

¶ “Scottish Government Funds Over £7 Million to Support Electric Vehicle Infrastructure” • The Scottish government is providing over £7 million to the Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council, The Highland Council, Moray Council and Dundee City Council to encourage private investment in the EV charging network. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “RWE Obtains Oz Offshore Wind Licence” • RWE was granted a feasibility licence from the Australian Government for the development of an offshore wind farm close to the Kent Group islands in the Bass Strait, in Victoria. This area, which RWE said has the potential to generate up to 2 GW, is the first designated offshore wind zone in Australia. [reNews]

Bass Strait, Victoria (Dietmar Rabich, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Chris Bowen Warns Nuclear Power Will Stifle Renewables Investment” • Energy Minister Chris Bowen says that a taxpayer subsidised nuclear power plant program would put investment in renewables on ice, stalling Australia’s energy transition by at least eleven years. He says Labor is already investing billions of dollars to modernise the grid. [pv magazine Australia]

¶ “Statkraft And Boralex Sign Scottish Wind PPA” • Statkraft has signed a fixed-price power purchase agreement with Boralex for a 106-MW wind farm in Scotland. The transmission-connected Limekiln wind farm, to be sited in the Scottish Highlands south of Reay, is under construction and will be commissioned by the end of 2024. [reNews]

Wind farm in Scotland (Boralex image)

¶ “Spain To Launch New $2.5 Billion Plan To Support Green Hydrogen And Renewable Industry” • Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced a new plan worth €2.3 billion to boost the country’s transition to clean energy, including subsidies for green energy industries and hydrogen made from renewable power. [Yahoo Finance UK]

US:

¶ “California Continues Its War On Solar To Please Investor-Owned Utilities” • The California Public Utilities Commission, with the active support of the state’s largest investor-owned utilities, depleted the net metering regulations last year. The plan, NEM 3.0, reduces the amount the utilities have to pay their rooftop solar customers by 75%. [CleanTechnica]

Star Charge storage (Star Charge image)

¶ “US DOE Selects Two Winners In Prize To Train Workers for Skilled Jobs In Solar Manufacturing Workforce” • The US DOE announced the winners in the first round of the American-Made Upskill Prize for the Solar Manufacturing Workforce. The two selected teams will receive up to $500,000 each to implement workforce training plans. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “238-MW Texan Solar Farm Produces First Energy” • Avangrid has begun to produce power from the 238-MW True North solar project in Texas with 20-MW commissioned so far. The site in Falls County, near Waco, will enter full production by the end of this year. It will be the largest solar asset in Avangrid’s portfolio and its first solar project in Texas. [reNews]

Solar project (Iberdrola image)

¶ “Solar, Wind Surpass 20% US Generation Capacity” • Between them, solar and wind now constitute more than one-fifth of the total available installed utility-scale generating capacity in the US. A review by the SUN DAY Campaign of data just released by FERC reveals that the mix of renewable energy sources is nearly 30% of US generating capacity. [reNews]

¶ “California’s Grid Passed The Reliability Test This Heat Wave. It’s All About Giant Batteries” • California’s power grid emerged from a nearly three weeklong record-setting heat wave relatively unscathed, and officials credit years of investment in renewable energy, especially giant batteries that store power for use when the sun is not up. [The Spokesman-Review]

Have a radically cool day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Climate Change Is Messing With Time More Than Previously Thought” • Polar ice melt caused by global warming is changing the speed of Earth’s rotation and increasing the length of each day, in a trend set to accelerate over this century as humans keep emitting planet-heating pollution, a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says. [CNN]

Time (Ales Krivec, Unsplash, cropped)

World:

¶ “VinFast Breaks Ground On EV Assembly Plant In Indonesia” • Vietnamese car maker VinFast Auto has broken ground on its electric vehicle assembly plant in Subang, West Java, Indonesia. This strategic move into one of Southeast Asia’s most promising EV markets is set to create numerous job opportunities for the local workforce. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Stellar Year For The Solar Market, At Home And Abroad” • The year 2023, according to National Renewable Energy Laboratory analyst David Feldman, was a year of historic proportions in the solar power industry. International Energy Agency reports say global PV installations increased dramatically, with up to 446 GW of direct current connected. [CleanTechnica]

Solar panels (Michael Förtsch, Unsplash)

¶ “Green Steel Can Cut Climate Impact of Car Production for Just €57 a Vehicle” • Steel made with green hydrogen and electric arc furnaces, or produced from scrap, can reduce CO₂ emissions of producing cars in Europe by 6.9 megatonnes in 2030, analysis shows. That’s equivalent to avoiding the annual emissions of 3.5 million fossil fuel cars. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “SunCable Secures Key Approval For AAPowerLink Project” • Renewables developer SunCable has announced that it has obtained principal environmental approval from the Northern Territory government and the NT Environment Protection Authority for its 800-km HVDC Australia-Asia Power Link (AAPowerLink) project. [pv magazine Australia]

Solar array and transmission lines (SunCable image)

¶ “Clean Energy Sector Rallies Against Nuclear ‘Mistruths’” • The clean energy industry has accused nuclear energy proponents of threatening the nation’s fragile hold on vital economic reform with “mistruths and outright disinformation.” The Clean Energy Council chief executive said, “The Australian public are being confused and misled.” [The Northern Daily Leader]

¶ “Record Low Fossil Fuel Power Generation” • In Europe, fossil fuel electricity generation fell to its lowest recorded level in the second quarter of 2024, a report by Montel Analytics shows. It suggests the period also saw record high solar and wind power output, leading to an increased number of negative day-ahead electricity prices across Europe. [Energy Live News]

Coal-burning plant (Sam LaRussa, Unsplash)

¶ “Ireland Surpasses 1.2 GW Of Solar Capacity” • Ireland has surpassed 1.2 GW of cumulative installed solar PV capacity, with the residential segment of the market making up 20% of the total additional capacity installed over the past six months. Ireland has more than 100,000 rooftop solar projects, adding over 400 MW to the national grid. [Power Technology]

¶ “Brazil’s Green Power Surge Leads G20 With 89% Renewable Electricity” • In a world where sustainable energy is gaining prominence, Brazil stands out as a shining example. According to the latest findings from the energy think tank Ember, Brazil achieved an astounding 89% of its electricity generation from renewable sources in 2023. [Brazil Energy Insight]

Rio de Janeiro (Agustin Diaz Gargiulo, Unsplash)

¶ “Nuclear Too Slow To Replace Coal, And Baseload ‘Simply Can’t Compete’ With Wind And Solar, AEMO Boss Says” • The head of the Australian Energy Market Operator rejected nuclear power as an option to replace the country’s ageing coal fleet. He said it is too slow and expensive, and that baseload power sources won’t be able to compete. [RenewEconomy]

US:

¶ “Southwest Airlines And Archer Aviation Agree To Develop Operational Concepts For Electric Air Taxi Network” • Southwest Airlines Co and Archer Aviation Inc have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop operational plans for electric air taxi networks to use Archer’s eVTOL aircraft at California airports where SA operates. [CleanTechnica]

eVTOL (Archer Aviation image)

¶ “North American Battery And EV Supply Chain Investment Grew To More than $250 Billion By End Of 2023” • Cumulative battery and EV supply chain investment in North America grew to more than $250 billion by the end of 2023. Investment in supply chains increased rapidly the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act passed. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Agrivoltaics Conserve Precious Water For Arizona Farmers” • Arizona farmers have a problem: too much sun and not enough water. Agrivoltaics offers some relief, however. The searing heat dehydrates crops and evaporates water the state vitally needs to conserve. Creating shade using agrivoltaics is one way to combat the problem. [CleanTechnica]

Agrivoltaics (Argonne National Laboratory image)

¶ “Texas Governor Criticizes Houston Energy As Utility Says Power Will Be Mostly Restored By Wednesday” • The majority of Houston outages that followed Hurricane Beryl should be fixed within the next two days, the city’s main utility company as Texas Governor Greg Abbott threatened to punish CenterPoint Energy even after the lights come back. [ABC News]

¶ “Severe storms with tornadoes whip through Midwest, cutting power to 460,000” • Storms spawning multiple tornadoes blew through Iowa, Illinois, including Chicago, and Indiana, downing trees and power poles and cutting power to more than 460,000 customers. The National Weather Service confirmed that Des Moines was hit by a tornedo. [ABC News]

Have a vastly contented day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Are We Seeing A Last Gasp From Oil Lovers And Apologists?” • Zach Shahan: A few recent trends got me thinking that we might be seeing a ‘last gasp’ for oil lovers and apologists as they try to cling onto their oil-related wealth and cultural inertia. … People stop buying the old tech quicker than they start buying the new tech. [CleanTechnica]

Relic (Timothy Abraham, Unsplash)

¶ “Green Energy Revolution Can Be Sabotaged And Delayed, But It Cannot Be Stopped” • The renewable energy transformation is accelerating, no matter how hard the fossil fuel industry and its supporters push back. It’s about time. A cleaner, better world is in sight, but that world can’t be realized until we leave oil, gas, and coal in the ground. [Common Dreams]

¶ “America Is Better Than This” • Jennifer Sensiba: While Trump needs to be stopped, there are obvious moral limits to what we should do to accomplish that goal. There is no justification for the violent act against former president Trump this weekend. It makes no sense at all for people to start acting as judge, jury, and executioner. [CleanTechnica]

US Army National Guard (Capt Joe Legros, Public Domain)

¶ “No Room For Nuclear Power, Unless The Coalition Switches Off Your Solar” • Before renewables came along, coal-fired power stations pumped out electricity (and carbon emissions) 24 hours a day. But baseload power is neither necessary nor commercially viable. This is one of many reasons why the Coalition’s proposed nuclear strategy is flawed. [The Conversation]

¶ “Is Earth’s weather getting weirder?” • Wherever we look, it looks like extreme weather events are getting more common. Weather events happened in the past, but the problem is now they’re happening more frequently and far more powerfully. The author spoke with climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe to find out what’s going on and what we can do to help. [Space.com]

Hurricane Beryl (NASA-JSC image)

World:

¶ “Ireland Climbs To Number Five In EY Renewable Energy Attractiveness Index” • Ireland is the fifth most attractive country in the world to invest in renewable energy projects, according to the latest EY Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index. Moves to enable large scale projects, and growth in Corporate Power Purchase Agreements were positive. [RTE.ie]

¶ “Ireland Reaches 400 MW Of Distributed-Generation Solar” • According to figures from Ireland’s distribution system operator ESB Networks, the country now has more than 100,000 rooftop solar projects, cumulatively adding more than 400 MW of clean energy to the national grid. Of that, 20% was installed in the last six months. [pv magazine International]

Dublin (Jordan Harrison, Unsplash)

¶ “Egypt And UAE Target 4 GW Of Renewable Energy On Egyptian Grid By Next Summer” • Egypt and the UAE pledged to deepen their cooperation in renewable energy, aiming to bring 4 GW of clean power onto Egypt’s grid by next summer. Both parties emphasised the importance of renewable energy for Egypt’s energy needs. [ZAWYA]

¶ “Rio Tinto Signs Up To Power Pilbara Iron Ore Operations With 80-MW Solar Farm” • Mining giant Rio Tinto has signed another solar deal with another Pilbara Indigenous group, as it slowly replaces gas power with renewables. The deal with the Ngarluma Aboriginal Corporation will allow an 80-MW solar farm next to an existing power station. [RenewEconomy]

Iron mine in Western Australia (Bäras, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Cà Mau Province Licenses Fourteen Wind Power Farms In 2024” • Fourteen wind power projects have been approved for investment in Vietnam’s southernmost province of Cà Mau so far this year. They will have a combined capacity of 800 MW. The province’s renewable energy plans envisage having sixteen wind power farms. [EIN News]

US:

¶ “The Duck Curve And Solutions For It” • In the US, the “duck curve” is a California phenomena. It’s a change to the legacy way of operating generation. There was too much solar during the middle of the day, when demand was highest. The long-awaited duck curve issue is here in a big way, with some days in spring now being 100% solar. [CleanTechnica]

Solar duck curve (Marta Victoria, CC BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Rising Seas Wiped Out An Entire US Species For The First Time” • The combined effects of sea level rise, rising tides and intense storms drove the wild Key Largo tree cactus population to extinction in its only known US location in the Florida Keys, according to the paper published in the Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas. [CNN]

¶ “Rocky Shores Of Pacific Northwest Show Low Resilience To Changes In Climate, Research Shows” • A 15-year period ending in 2020 that included a marine heat wave and a sea star wasting disease epidemic saw major changes in the groups of organisms that live along the Pacific Northwest, a study by Oregon State University scientists showed. [Del Norte Triplicate]

Research (Courtesy of Oregon State University)

¶ “Texas Governor Greg Abbott Demands Answers As Customers Remain Without Power After Beryl” • With about 270,000 homes and businesses still without power in the Houston area almost a week after Hurricane Beryl hit Texas, Governor Greg Abbott said he’s demanding an investigation into the response of the utility that serves the area. [ABC News]

¶ “Santa Barbara County Fire Grows To Over 38,000 Acres” • The largest blaze of the California wildfire season, the Lake Fire in Santa Barbara County, grew to over 38,000 acres by Friday, fueled by gusty winds and extreme heat, authorities said. The Lake Fire burning near Los Padres National Forest has burned over 38,000 acres. [ABC News]

Have a consequentially beneficial day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Signs That Scotland’s Renewable Energy Revolution Is Taking Off Must Not Be Put At Risk By Party Politics” • Recent reports provide a tantalising glimpse into a possible future for Scotland as it takes its next steps toward net zero. These examples are set out by their potential to create jobs in renewable, energy-related manufacturing. [The Scotsman]

Anstruther, Scotland (Paul Chambers, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Study Finds Health Risks in Switching Ships From Diesel to Ammonia Fuel” • It is estimated that maritime shipping makes up almost 3% of global CO₂ emissions and cause about 100,000 premature deaths each year. But in a study, researchers from MIT and elsewhere caution that burning ammonia for maritime fuel could worsen air quality. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “45% Of New Cars Sold In Netherlands In 2024 Have A Plug!” • In a negative month in the overall market, June saw plugin registrations also drop by 15% YOY, to 16,089 units. As a result, the Dutch plugin vehicle market reached 45% market share last month, in line with the year’s average. That’s mostly thanks to pure battery EVs. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model Y (Michal Lauko, Unsplash)

¶ “Lower Cost Batteries Will Move The EV Revolution Forward More Quickly” • For the past decade, we were told that someday batteries will cost less, making electric cars more affordable. Now Bloomberg says someday is here, for parts of the world. The cost of LFP battery cells in China has fallen by 51% to an average of $53/kWh since 2023. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Wind Farm Planned For Area Near Proposed Gold Mine” • EverWind Fuels hopes to build one of three wind farms it plans in Guysborough County on land not far from the proposed site of a controversial open-pit gold mine and a now-protected lake near Sherbrooke. EverWind plans to build two other wind farms, also in Nova Scotia. [Yahoo News Canada]

Wind farm (Sebastian Grochowicz, Unsplash)

¶ “Fire Breaks Out At Russian Oil Depot As Russia And Ukraine Exchange Drone Attacks” • Russian shelling of Ukraine killed four people, as the two countries exchanged drone attacks. An oil depot in Russia’s Tsimlyansky district was set ablaze in early hours following a Ukrainian drone attack, the latest long-range strike by Kyiv’s forces. [ABC News]

¶ “Sunnica £600 Million Solar Farm Approved Despite Some Objections” • A 2,500-acre solar farm has been approved by the secretary of state for energy. Sunnica’s £600 million energy farm on the Cambridgeshire-Suffolk border has been given the green light. A decision had been delayed several times, including most recently due to the UK general election. [BBC]

Solar panels in England (Partonez, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Government Proposes Scaled Down Nuclear Purchase” • The South African government is moving forward with plans for nuclear energy. Speaking at the two-day Cabinet Lekgotla held in Pretoria, Energy Minister Ramokgopa made clear that the new proposal seeks to procure 2,500 MW of nuclear energy, down from 9,000 initially proposed. [MSN]

US:

¶ “Texas Needs Money To Keep The Lights On During Extreme Weather. It’s Funding More Fossil Fuel Instead” • Houston was struck by two massive storms: A powerful derecho in May, then Category 1 Beryl. But instead of putting money into its grid so the lights and A/C stay on during extreme weather, it’s pouring billions into natural gas power plants. [CNN]

Texas (Desert Rose, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Improved EV Credits Makes The Switch Even Easier For US Drivers” • The Treasury Department and IRS recently finalized rules on federal credits applicable to new EVs, with the transfer of the new and used EV credits and mineral and battery sourcing of components included. These rules provide greater clarity for automakers, dealers, and consumers. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Offshore Wind Turbines Offer Path for Clean Hydrogen Production” • Using electricity fron offshore wind turbines as one pathway to split water to produce clean hydrogen may make economic sense, particularly along the US Atlantic Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico, say researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. [CleanTechnica]

Two configurations for generating H₂ (Alfred Hicks, NREL)

¶ “After Hurricane Beryl’s Destruction, Climate Scientists Fear For What’s Next” • Prognosticators at Colorado State University amended their already miserable seasonal tropical cyclone forecast precisely as Hurricane Beryl was filling Houston’s streets with floodwaters. Climate scientists fear for what’s to come, with “crazy” ocean heat. [The Guardian]

¶ “Was This Heat Wave Extraordinary? Climate Expert Thinks It’s A New Normal” • Most people have gone on a mission to beat the heat at some point over the past two weeks as California endured an early heat wave. The state’s climatologist says heat waves like this one are far more likely to occur now than they were in the 1960s or 1970s. [CBS News]

Have an absurdly comical day.

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

Opinion:

¶ “What Twisters Gets Right – And Wrong – About Tornado Science” • Science has an even bigger role in the plot of the new film Twisters than it had in the original of 1996, say researchers who worked as consultants for Twisters. Not only does it show advanced radar data, but it highlights links between climate change and tornadoes. [Nature]

Twister (Greg Johnson, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Ørsted Pilots New Technology Optimizing Offshore Wind Monopile Installation” • Building on marine life protections, Ørsted developed a lower-noise method that could potentially revolutionize the way offshore wind foundations are installed. The groundbreaking technology has been successfully tested in Germany. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “New QuantumScape Solid-State EV Battery Exposes EV Sales Flop Fakery, Again” • Fears of a global downslide in EV sales had the headlines just a few months ago, only to wilt in the light of actual facts. The latest example is a deal made by solid-state EV battery innovator QuantumScape and the electrification division of Volkswagen, PowerCo. [CleanTechnica]

QuantumScape is ready (Courtesy of QuantumScape)

World:

¶ “Are Electric Car Sales Slowing Or Accelerating? Audi And BMW Have Different Answers” • Audi says its electric car sales for the Q8 have cratered while BMW is crowing about its recent electric car sales success. Such divergence is perplexing, since both companies cater to basically the same clientele. But the truth is rather nuanced. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Gotland Sweden Backs “Noemi” Electric Seaplane for Zero-Emission Flights” • Elfly Group, developers of the all-electric seaplane program ‘Noemi’ (No Emissions), is partnering with the government of Gotland, Sweden, on zero-emission commercial flights to the island by 2027. The parties recently signed a Letter of Intent for collaboration. [CleanTechnica]

Noemi electric airplane (Courtesy of Elfly Group)

¶ “EV Sales H1 2024: Europe Slowest Growing Region” • Europe is the slowest region of growth for EV sales so far this year, Rho Motion, the leading research house focused on the EV market, revealed in their half yearly update. China’s sales grew 30% to 4.1 million. Compare that to sales of 1.5 million in Europe and the UK, which grew by 1%. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Japan Aligning With US, Europe Over Offshore Wind Amid China Fears” • Japan is enhancing cooperation with the US and Europe in developing floating offshore wind power, concerned over possible overreliance on China for renewable energy supply chains. It has set up an industry platform for commercializing the nascent technology. [毎日新聞 – Mainichi]

Offshore windpower (Jesse De Meulenaere, Unsplash)

¶ “As Climate Change Threatens Hydropower, Zambia And Zimbabwe Hurry Toward Solar Power” • Zambia and Zimbabwe, both heavily reliant on Lake Kariba for power, face daily power cuts of 12 to 18 hours due to dropping water levels caused by climate change. This prompted the two neighbors to speed up a move toward solar power. [Al Mayadeen English]

¶ “Rajasthan Government Aims To Produce 30 GW Of Solar Power By The End Of FY25” • The Rajasthan government aims to produce 30 GW of solar power by the end of FY25 to become self-reliant in the power and energy sector. One objective is to enhance the state’s energy security by reducing dependency on imported fuels. [Business Standard]

Solar power (Harisankar, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “When Will The Extreme Heat End? What Current Forecasts Are Saying” • Keep the air conditioners running – the extreme heat is not going anywhere soon. Portions of the country have been experiencing scorching temperatures over the past week, but significant relief from the stifling conditions will not come in the near future, forecasts show. [ABC News]

¶ “Biden-Harris Administration Invests $120 Million To Help Tribes Build Climate Resilience” • Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced the availability of $120 million in funding supported by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda for Tribal dwellers to prepare for climate-related environmental threats to their homelands. [CleanTechnica]

Deb Haaland speaking (Department of Interior image)

¶ “Trump Intends To Assemble “An Army” To Deconstruct the Administrative State And The Environment” • The editorial board of the New York Times stated this week the failures that Trump would bring to the executive office. Here’s another list which continues to chronicle the treacherous shifts in climate policy that Trump would implement. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Success Story – Working with Co-ops to Increase Community Solar Access” • Community solar projects give people who might not otherwise be able to install solar panels a chance to benefit from solar energy. Funded through the US DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office, ACCESS engaged in research, field tests, and conversations with seven cooperatives. [CleanTechnica]

Solar array (Courtesy of Anza Electric Cooperative, Inc)

¶ “Construction Begins On Largest US Transit Depot Microgrid Powered By Renewable Energy” • Work is underway on the landmark David F Bone Equipment Maintenance and Transit Operation Center. The center will feature electric bus charging and on-site green hydrogen production powered by solar and battery energy storage. [WSP]

¶ “NRC Taking The Next Step Toward A Possible Restart Of Palisades Nuclear Plant” • The effort to restart the Palisades nuclear plant in southwest Michigan took another step forward on Thursday night when the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission spent three hours listening to impassioned pleas from both sides of the issue. [Toledo Blade]

Have a significantly profitable day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Is GM Making An EV Comeback?” • GM made a press release announcing end of quarter sales numbers finally had what we’ve all hoped to see: recovering EV sales figures! But, numbers are never anything without context. So, in this article, we will cover what GM revealed and then discuss whether this means GM’s EV effort is back on track or not. [CleanTechnica]

Chevrolet Equinox EV (GM image)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Peaches, Grapes, And The Agrivoltaic Farm Of The Future” • The emerging field of agrivoltaics has come a long way in just a few years. From a focus on pollinator habitats and grazing lands, agrivoltaic stakeholders are expanding their ambitions to raise peaches, grapes, and more within the arrays of ground-mounted solar panels. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “The Absurd “Sin Tax” On Electric Vehicles In Brazil” • In an unexpected move, Brazil recently proposed a “sin tax” on EVs. The introduction of this tax has been met with mixed reactions. Environmental groups have expressed concern, arguing that such a tax could slow the adoption of EVs and undermine efforts to reduce carbon emissions. [CleanTechnica]

Wind turbines in Brazil (Vitor Paladini, Unsplash)

¶ “Scientists Want The Paris Olympics To Dump Toyota’s Mirai As An Official Car. Here’s Why” • A group of 120 scientists, engineers and academics penned an open letter calling on the Paris Olympics’ organizers to ditch Toyota’s Mirai as the official vehicle of the Games. They say the hydrogen-powered car erodes the event’s green credentials. [CNN]

¶ “Essar Unveils 125-MW UK Hydrogen Plant” • Essar Energy Transition has announced the launch of the 125-MW EET Hydrogen Power, Europe’s first hydrogen-ready combined heat and power plant. It is to be built at its Stanlow refinery, aiming to complete construction in 2027. EET Hydrogen Power will be an independent vertical under EET. [reNews]

Hydrogen plant (Essar Energy Transition image)

¶ “Microsoft 365’s Chinese Host Uses Just 4.35% Renewable Energy: Greenpeace” • China’s major cloud computing and datacenter players aren’t going green in a hurry, according to a Greenpeace study. The group found that just eight companies in the field have announced plans to operate entirely on renewable energy by 2030. [The Register]

¶ “SSE And Equinor Establish Terms Of Dogger D Seabed Lease” • SSE Renewables and Equinor, the developers of the proposed Dogger Bank D fourth phase of 3600-MW Dogger Bank Wind Farm, established commercial terms with The Crown Estate for an amendment to the Dogger Bank C seabed lease. Dogger Bank could have 2 GW of capacity. [reNews]

Dogger Bank (SSE Renewables image)

¶ “South Australia’s Renewable Triumph Is Stunning Proof That Dutton’s Nuclear Plans Are A Folly ” • When the federal and state governments were deciding on a location to announce a funding deal that will underwrite South Australia’s final leap to its goal of 100% net renewables within the next three years, Port Augusta was the obvious choice. [RenewEconomy]

¶ “Over Half Of Turbines At Taiwan’s 640-MW Wind Project Start Producing Energy” • Skyborn Renewables announced that 42 wind turbine generators (WTG) at the Yunlin Offshore Wind Farm have been connected to the grid. In a statement, it also said the installation of all 80 monopiles of the 640-MW project has been completed. [Asian Power]

Wind turbine (Expect Best, Pexels)

¶ “UN General Assembly Demands Russia Withdraw From Europe’s Largest Nuclear Power Plant In Ukraine” • The United Nations General Assembly demanded that Russia “urgently withdraw its military and other unauthorized personnel” from Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and return it to the full control of Ukrainian authorities. [MSN]

¶ “German Coal Power Production Drops To Record Low In Q2 As Renewables Soar To 65% Share” • Electricity generation from coal dropped to a record low in Germany in the spring, while renewables produced more electricity than ever. Lignite feed-in fell more than 18% YOY, while hard coal production dropped more than 38% YOY. [RenewEconomy]

Wind farm (BWE image)

US:

¶ “Devastated By Record Flooding And Tornadoes, Iowa Tallies Over $130 Million In Storm Damage” • Record flooding and powerful tornadoes ravaged parts of Iowa for weeks this spring, destroying or damaging thousands of homes, closing roads and bridges and costing over $130 million in infrastructure damage, officials said Thursday. [ABC News]

¶ “Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly $2 Billion to Support American Auto Workers, Convert Facilities For Electric Vehicles” • The US DOE announced $1.7 billion to support the conversion of eleven shuttered or at-risk auto manufacturing and assembly facilities across eight states to manufacture electric vehicles and their supply chain. [CleanTechnica]

Grant selectees (US DOE image)

¶ “Tesla’s Cybertruck Defies The Naysayers And Becomes Best-Selling Electric Truck” • It’s official — Tesla’s Cybertruck was the the best selling EV pickup truck in the US during Q2, and is among the fastest production ramps in Tesla’s history. The Cybertruck is also the best selling vehicle of any kind priced above $100,000. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US Solar And Wind Power Generation Tops Nuclear For First Time” • For the first time ever, US electricity generation from utility-scale solar and wind exceeded nuclear power plants’ power output in the first half of 2024, according to data from energy think tank Ember and quoted by Reuters columnist Gavin Maguire. [OilPrice.com]

Have an abundantly cool day.

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