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Opinion:

¶ “Scientists Are Worried By How Fast The Climate Crisis Has Amplified Extreme Weather” • Until recently, climate change had been talked about as a future threat. Its frontlines were portrayed as remote places like the Arctic, where polar bears are running out of sea ice to hunt from. But in the past month, it’s been the developed world on the frontline. [CNN]

Flood in the UK (Chris Gallagher, Unsplash)

¶ “The EPA Needs To Reject Louisiana’s Regional Haze Plan Until It Complies With The Clean Air Act” • Environmental groups, including the Sierra Club and the National Parks Conservation Association, want the EPA to reject Louisiana’s regional haze plan because it doesn’t comply with the Clean Air Act. Louisiana’s plan ignores key sources of pollution. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “City Children Have Better Mental Health And Cognition If They Live Near Woodlands” • City children who have daily exposure to woodland have better cognitive development and a lower risk of emotional and behavioral problems, according to a study published in Nature Sustainability. The study tracked 3,568 adolescents at 31 London schools. [CNN]

Hyde Park, London (V2F, Unsplash)

¶ “The US Army Tried Mobile Nuclear Power At Remote Bases 60 Years Ago, And It Didn’t Go Well” • During the Cold War, the US set up a “portable” nuclear reactor in Greenland. It failed. Nearly 60 years after the PM-2A was installed and the ML-1 project abandoned, the US military is exploring portable land-based nuclear reactors again. [Tech Xplore]

World:

¶ “Zhengzhou: Twelve Dead And Thousands Evacuated In China’s Floods” • Massive floods in central China caused by record-breaking rainfall have left twelve people dead and more than 100,000 evacuated from their homes. More than a dozen cities in Henan province, including Zhengzhou, its provincial capital, are affected. [BBC]

Zhengzhou, before the flooding (Hao Zhang, Unsplash)

¶ “Renewable Projects Could Help G20 Find 22% Of 2030 Targets” • According to strategy consultancy EY-Parthenon, around 13,000 renewable energy projects in nearly 50 countries are waiting for finance. If these projects were to be carried to fruition, they could provide massive reductions in pollution, and create millions of jobs. [Consultancy.uk]

¶ “Chinese Brands Could Soon Take Over From Japanese Brands As The Most Popular Vehicles In Africa – Here’s Why” • An EV made by Great Wall Motors is at second place in one of the most popular vehicle segments in South Africa. This is significant. Consumers are starting to trust Chinese brands that are relatively new in this market. [CleanTechnica]

Xpeng EV (Xpeng image)

¶ “ReNew Power Wins 200 MW In MSEDCL Solar Auction” • ReNew Power announced that it has won a 200-MW Interstate Transmission System solar generation project in an auction conducted by the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited. ReNew Power is India’s leading renewable energy company. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ “Bangladesh’s Upper Court Tells Government To Get Serious About Renewables” • The High Court of Bangladesh responded to a Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association petition that seeks to protect the country’s wetland habitats by directing the government to prepare a master plan to make the nation 100% powered by renewables. [PV Magazine]

Chittagong landscape, Bangladesh (Tahsin Islam, Unsplash)

¶ “Peru’s Latest Renewable Energy Project Approvals Top 1 GW” • Renewable energy developers in Peru have received initial clearance to access the electricity transmission system with projects for a combined 1,071 MW. BNamericas learned that grid coordinator COES approved pre-operation studies for two solar parks and two wind farms. [BNamericas]

US:

¶ “Wildfire Smoke From The West’s Massive Blazes Stretches All The Way To The East Coast” • The huge Bootleg Fire in Oregon has scorched an area larger than Los Angeles, and it’s only 30% contained. It’s just one of the many blazes raging in the West. Eighty wildfires are considered large, and the effects of the fires stretch all the way to the East Coast. [CNN]

Sunset (Irina Iriser, Unsplash)

¶ “Police Departments Invest In Teslas To Save Fuel Costs” • At $47,740, the price tag of the new Tesla is considerably less than a Ford Police Interceptor, which runs around $58,000. EVs also have advantages in costs for fuel and maintenance. It should be no surprise that police departments across the US are buying Teslas. Even in Oklahoma. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Longroad Completes 200-MW Arizona Solar” • Longroad Energy completed its 200-MW Sun Streams 2 solar project in Arizona and closed term financing for the asset. Longroad owns 100% of the project after acquiring it from its original developer, First Solar. CIBC was the coordinating lead arranger, collateral agent, and issuing bank. [reNEWS]

Sun Streams 2 solar project (Longroad Energy image)

¶ “Charging Infrastructure Analysis Leverages NREL Data Science Expertise” • Leveraging its data science expertise and its modeling and analysis tools, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory is helping the California Energy Commission plan the number of EV chargers needed to meet the state’s ambitious vehicle and climate goals. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Governor Cuomo Announces $52.5 Million Available For Community Solar Projects For Underserved” • Governor Andrew M Cuomo announced the Inclusive Community Solar Adder program. It is to make $52.5 million available for community solar projects that support disadvantaged communities and underserved New Yorkers. [NYSERDA]

Have a shockingly copacetic day.

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Opinion:

¶ “About Those Killer Floods In Europe – We Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet!” • The Guardian and the New York Times are running stories about how global heating may be playing a role in those “nobody alive has ever seen anything like this” floods that brought massive destruction and killed more than 150 people in Europe recently. The floods should be no surprise. [CleanTechnica] 

Earth (NASA image)

Science and Technology:

¶ “The Argument For Switching Off Lights At Night” • It is estimated that between 100 million and one billion birds die every year from flying into buildings in the US, with artificial lights thought to play a major role in the death toll. But the effects of light pollution on the natural world is thought to be far greater still. [BBC]

World:

¶ “United Invests In Swedish Electric Airplane Startup” • Swedish electric airplane startup Heart Aerospace says its ES-19 will be ready to begin commercial service on flights of 250 miles or less by 2026. Unites Airlines agreed to buy 100 ES-19 electric aircraft from Heart and anticipates having them in passenger service use before the end of the decade. [CleanTechnica]

Heart ES-19 (Courtesy of Heart Aerospace)

¶ “Toyota And Panasonic Joint Venture Plans To Cut Battery Costs By 50%” • In 2020, Toyota and Panasonic formed a joint venture called Prime Planet Energy & Solutions to manufacture advanced lithium-ion batteries. PPES said in a recent statement it expects to lower the cost of batteries by 50% by the end of next year, according to Inside EVs. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Opibus Builds First Fully Electric African Mining Vehicle” • Opibus has been doing electric vehicle conversions, focused on creating products tailored for the region with quality, price, and local production in mind. But now, the Kenyan electric vehicle company has unveiled one of Africa’s first fully electric vehicles for the mining sector. [CleanTechnica]

Electric conversion of a Toyota (Opibus image)

¶ “World-Leading Certification System Guarantees ‘Renewable’ Hydrogen” • Speaking at the Queensland Smart Energy Summit, Minister for Energy, Renewables, and Hydrogen Mick de Brenni said partnering with the Smart Energy Council’s zero-carbon certification scheme would bring further investor confidence to the state. [Mirage News]

¶ “Global Investors Pump Hundreds Of Billions Into Renewables In Shift From Fossil Fuels” • Despite the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the top global debt and equity investors have continued to pour capital into the renewable energy sector, accelerating their race away from the climate-related risks posed by fossil fuel assets. [Renew Economy]

Wind turbine (Marten Bjork, Unsplash)

¶ “Mainstream Unveils 1-GW Chile Solar, Wind Platform” • Mainstream Renewable Power has unveiled a 1-GW hybrid renewable energy platform in Chile. The Nazca Renovables platform consists of six projects, three of wind and three of solar PVs, divided into three portfolios. They build on Mainstream’s 1.3 GW of earlier projects in Chile. [reNEWS]

¶ “National Grid To Lose Great Britain Electric Grid Role To Independent Operator” • The British government plans to strip National Grid of its role keeping Great Britain’s lights on as part of a proposed ‘revolution’ in the electric grid driven by smart digital technologies. National Grid has been managing the grid in England, Scotland, and Wales. [The Guardian]

Power lines (Matthew Henry, Unsplash)

¶ “Kazakhstan is the Recognized Leader of World Anti-Nuclear Movement” • The First President of Kazakhstan closed the Semei nuclear test site on August 29, 1991. It was the beginning of the country’s anti-nuclear movement. These measures then became an important decision that brought considerable benefits to the development of the country. [The Astana Times]

US:

¶ “Oregon Bootleg Fire: Evacuations As Largest Us Fire Burns 300,000 Acres” • In Oregon, the nation’s largest active wildfire has burned through more than 300,000 acres. The Bootleg Fire has prompted thousands of evacuations. Since it started on 6 July, it has already scorched an area larger than the city of Los Angeles. [BBC]

Forest fire (Matt Howard, Unsplash)

¶ “Solar And Wind Provide 99.9% Of New US Power Capacity In April, 93.9% In May” • Solar power and wind power continue to dominate new power capacity additions in the US. Almost 100% of new power capacity additions in April came from solar and wind, and 94% of new power capacity additions in May came from solar and wind. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Report: 30 Million Solar Homes Would Create 1.77 Million Jobs, $69 Billion In Energy Savings” • An ILSR report finds that installing rooftop solar panels and community solar systems to serve the equivalent of 30 million American homes would create significant economic benefits while addressing the climate crisis and historic inequities. [CleanTechnica]

Rooftop solar system (Vivint Solar, Unsplash)

¶ “Biden Clean Energy Plan Key To Restoring Industry Job Losses, Says US Official” • The US energy sector lost 10% of its workforce last year due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a DOE report. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Biden’s plan is an opportunity to revitalize the energy industry and provide jobs. [Reuters]

¶ “Judge Approves Distribution For Settlement Of $ 192 Million” • Investors who lost their property in the failure of a costly reactor construction contract in South Carolina will soon reach $192 million under a recently approved distribution. The utility abandoned the project in 2017. Customers have already lost $2 billion on it. [Pennsylvania News Today]

Have a cleverly entertaining day.

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Opinion:

¶ “BBC: Electric Cars Will Be “Biggest Revolution In Motoring” Since 1913″ • Many observers forecast a transition to electric cars much sooner than expected. Now, BBC is joining the fray. “What makes the end of the internal combustion engine inevitable is a technological revolution. And technological revolutions tend to happen very quickly.” [CleanTechnica]

Ford Mustang Mach-E (Adrian N, Unsplash)

¶ “How We’re Getting More Solar On Rooftops Across The Country” • The US goal of decarbonizing the power sector by 2035 implies a need to green the grid rapidly. To reach that goal, we need to install more rooftop solar PV systems. Unfortunately, we are still in the dark ages when it comes to permitting. A new program, SolarAPP+, addresses that. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Time Is Now To Convert Japan’s Electricity Supply Core To Renewables” • We call on those who are drafting the Japanese government’s basic energy plan not to take the easy route to the revival of nuclear power, but to focus on building a system for a stable electricity supply using renewable energy to the greatest extent possible. [The Mainichi]

Solar farm (Nuno Marques, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Tesla Patent Application Is Process To Extract Lithium From Clay Minerals” • Tesla has applied for a patent to extract lithium from a clay mineral and its composite elements. Since the 1990s, lithium has been at the forefront of many technological changes thanks to the commercialization of lithium-ion batteries and the devices they power, including EVs. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Tesla Model 3 Is The Number 1 Electric Car In Germany In June” • The German plugin vehicle market scored over 64,000 registrations last month, with sales rising fast. Plug-in hybrid car sales were up 191%, year over year, to 31,314. Battery electric vehicle sales were up 312% YOY to 33,420 cars. Last month’s plugin share ended at 24%. [CleanTechnica]

Hyundai Kona charging (Ed Harvey, Unsplash)

¶ “Making Electric Cars ‘Normal’ In Australia” • The government of New South Wales is budgeting half a billion dollars to support battery electric vehicles. As well as generous incentives for the public and businesses to purchase BEVs, they are now planning “driving experience days.” This is similar to an approach taken by the government of the UK. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Rolls-Royce Attempting 100% Electric Aircraft Speed Record, Jaguar I-PACE Offering Ground Support” • Rolls-Royce has been a familiar name in the very early electric aircraft market. Its fully electric aircraft, Spirit of Innovation, is about to attempt a new top speed record for an electric aircraft. It is aiming to fly at over 300 mph (480 km/h). [CleanTechnica]

Spirit of Innovation and Jaguar I PACE 5 (Rolls Royce image)

¶ “Wärtsilä To Deliver 100 MW Of Energy Storage For Pivot Power Projects In The West Midlands” • Wärtsilä will supply 100-MW / 200-MWh of energy storage systems to Pivot Power, part of EDF Renewables, for its next two projects in the England’s West Midlands, to support the roll-out of Pivot Power’s Energy Superhub model. [PV Magazine]

¶ “Equinor Confirms Scottish Floater Bid” • Norwegian energy developer Equinor confirmed it has bid to develop a floating offshore wind farm in the ScotWind leasing round organised by Crown Estate Scotland, while a joint venture of BP and EnBW has bid for up to 2,900 MW. BP said it would make Aberdeen a global offshore wind center of excellence. [reNEWS]

Offshore wind turbines (Equinor/Oyvind Gravas/Woldcam)

¶ “Saipem Launches Offshore Energy Green Hydrogen Plan” • Saipem has launched a technological solution for the offshore production of green hydrogen. The technology that is used to manufacture green hydrogen also can enable the conversion of oil and gas offshore facilities, which have now reached the end of their life cycle, for green purposes. [reNEWS]

¶ “G20 Urged To ‘Get Serious About Renewables'” • Officers from companies in the wind industry, including Ørsted, Siemens Gamesa, and Vestas called on G20 members to show leadership in the climate crisis by raising national ambitions and urgently laying out concrete plans for increased wind energy production to replace fossil fuels. [reNEWS]

Rotor installation (GWEC image)

¶ “No Longer Economically Rational To Build Gas Peakers In Australia” • With the growth of renewables and storage, the Integrated System Plan 2020 of the Australian Energy Market Operator doesn’t see a role for gas to replace old coal plants. The Clean Energy Council also said it is not economically rational to build gas peaker plants. [Energy Storage News]

US:

¶ “Extreme Heat Could Kill Nearly All Young Salmon In The Sacramento River, Officials Say” • California officials are warning nearly all juvenile chinook salmon in the Sacramento River could die due to abnormally hot underwater conditions as heat waves continue to bake the West. Salmon need cool water, and are being hit by heat and drought. [CNN]

Shasta Dam (Bureau of Reclamation, CC-BY-SA 2.0

¶ “Tacoma’s Shiloh Baptist Church Leads The Charge To Bring More Renewable Energy To Its Community” • Shiloh Baptist Church in Tacoma unveiled a 19.78-kW solar system funded in part by a $50,000 grant from Tacoma Power. The solar system was installed by Sphere Solar Energy, the only minority-owned solar firm in the region. [The Suburban Times]

¶ “Armed Guards Protect Tons Of Nuclear Waste That Maine Can’t Get Rid Of” • Just a few miles south of Wiscasset, Maine, thousands of tons of nuclear waste are stored at the site of the decommissioned Maine Yankee nuclear power plant. Securing the waste is an ongoing task that requires armed guards around the clock. [Bangor Daily News]

Have an enchantingly easy day.

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World:

¶ “Green Transport Can Only Succeed With A Greener Grid” • To decarbonize the UK’s roads, railways, and flight paths, more clean energy is needed. Senior energy industry sources warned that the UK’s ambitious targets to drive down carbon emissions from the transport sector will require an acceleration of green investment in the energy system. [The Guardian]

London bus (Josh Mills, Unsplash)

¶ “Nissan Announces £1 Billion EV Hub – EV36Zero” • Nissan is pumping in a considerable chunk of coin to try to regain its leadership position for EVs. Nissan chose Sunderland, where it produces the LEAF, to host its “flagship Electric Vehicle Hub,” EV36Zero. This hub is intended to launch a “360-degree solution for zero-emission motoring.” [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Eviation Rolls Out 100% Electric Airplane Alice’s Production Version” • A production version of Eviation’s Alice electric plane has been finalized. Eviation is approaching the runway! Its first flight is planned for this year, and the goal remains to deliver the first customer planes in 2022. Electric planes can cut the cost of flying planes by 90%. [CleanTechnica]

Eviation Alice electric plane (Image courtesy of Eviation)

¶ “Colombian Dairy Boosts Energy Savings With Onsite Solar Park” • Colombian dairy producer Lácteos la Esmeralda had energy savings of up to 36% after installing a 669-kW ground-mounted solar park. The Lácteos la Esmeralda’s plant consumed an average of 220 to 260 MWh per month, which was a major expense. [Power Engineering International]

¶ “X Shore Electric Boat Dubbed ‘Tesla Of The Sea'” • Writers at CleanTechnica have covered a few exciting-looking electric boats over the years. The newest one to cross our lighthouse is the X Shore Eelex 8000. Tech journalist John Koetsier called it “the Tesla of the sea.” Aside from being 100% electric, the X Shore Eelex 8000 is a “smart boat.” [CleanTechnica]

X Shore Eelex 8000 (Courtesy of CNW Group/BCI Marine)

¶ “Power Minister Rejects CEB Plan, Insists On 70% Renewable Energy Sources” • The Ceylon Electricity Board’s 20-year Long-Term Generation Expansion Plan has been turned down by Power Minister Dulles Alahapperuma, the Sunday Times learned. The Power Minister insists that the plan’s target must be 70% renewables by 2030. [Sunday Times]

¶ “LG Electronics To Transition To 100% Renewable By 2050” • LG Electronics said it will shift to renewable energy for 100% of its needs by 2050. Its had previous pledged to go carbon neutral by 2030. LG said the transition will begin at its North American headquarters in Englewood, New Jersey, which will run on 100% renewables by year’s end. [The Korea Herald]

LG Electronics’ rooftop solar farm in New Jersey. (LG Electronics)

¶ “Hydrogen: Australia’s New Liquefied Natural Gas” • Australia aims to be a leading producer and exporter of renewable “green” hydrogen by 2030. In response to the climate change challenge, Australia is emulating its own earlier LNG export success in order to position itself for a new role as a major hydrogen producer and exporter. [Atlantic Council]

¶ “Scientists Predict More Extreme Weather Events In Future” • Over 100 people are dead and many more are reported missing after deadly floods swept large parts of western Germany. Such devastating floods have not been seen in decades. Meteorologists warn, however, that extreme weather events are likely to become much more familiar in future. [DW]

Storm damage (EU image)

US:

¶ “Tesla Is Inviting Its Energy Customers In California To Join Its Virtual Power Plant” • Tesla is inviting its Energy customers in California to join Tesla’s Virtual Power Plant and help stabilize the grid. Virtual power plants aggregate the capacities of energy resources and enhance power generation along with trading or selling power on the power market. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Planning For An ‘Uncertain’ Future, Cambridge Unveils Climate Resilience Plan” • The city of Cambridge, Massachusetts released a report, the “Resilient Cambridge Plan,” detailing the effects climate change has already had on the the city and offering suggestions to increase resilience and preparedness in the future. [The Harvard Crimson]

Charles River (Michael Baccin, Unsplash)

¶ “Tesla Launches Megapack Order Page And Pricing” • Tesla has launched a new order and pricing page for its Megapack, which provides utility-scale energy storage. Tesla had been only selling them business to business. Today, however, pretty much anyone who wants one can order a Tesla Megapack. That is, anyone with the wherewithal to do it. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “American Airlines Commits To Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets By 2035” • American Airlines announced that it is the first North American carrier to seek validation from the Science Based Targets initiative, a collaboration that includes CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute, and the World Wide Fund for Nature. [Simple Flying]

American Airlines jet (Ross Sokolovski, Unsplash)

¶ “Tesla Now Offers FSD Subscription For $199 To Eligible Owners” • Tesla is now offering a Full Self-Driving subscription monthly package for $199. This gives Tesla owners a monthly option instead of just an upfront payment of $10,000. Note that the software suite is not quite to “Full Self-Driving” yet. That is its eventual target. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “In Energy Bill, Manchin Seeks To Strike Compromise In Crucial Chunk Of Biden Infrastructure Deal” • A $6 billion credit program to help keep struggling nuclear plants in business is just one of a host of things in a $100 billion infrastructure bill being considered by the US Senate. Senator Joe Manchin, D-WVa, is taking stands on the bill. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Have preposterously productive day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Advanced Clean Fleets Rule Could Transform California” • The Advance Clean Fleets rule promises to be an essential step to eliminating fossil fuel truck pollution. But as proposed by the California Air Resources Board, it  does not go far enough and would only result in a fraction of the trucks being zero emission by 2045. It needs improvement. [CleanTechnica]

Charging a truck (Image courtesy of Greenlots)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Industrialized Offshore Floating Wind Turbine Foundation Demonstration Project Is A World’s First” • The TetraSpar full-scale demonstration project is the first industrialized system for building and deploying offshore wind turbine foundations. The foundation is fully modular, and can be assembled relatively easily at the port grounds. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Wind-Assisted Ship Propulsion Can Transform Marine Transport” • Answering the call for a greening of the shipping sector, a new generation of engineers and entrepreneurs is working on feasibility of several efficient wind-assisted ship propulsion devices and the full integration with vessel trading operation and financing models. [CleanTechnica]

Maersk Pelican, with wind-assisted ship propulsion (Wikipedia)

World:

¶ “German floods: How a country was taken by surprise” • Prof Hannah Cloke, a hydrologist who set up and now advises the European Flood Awareness System – an EU program designed to provide early warnings of dangerous floods – said alerts were sent to authorities in Europe over the weekend. Some authorities failed to relay warnings to people, however. [BBC]

¶ “Record Rainfall Leaves Over 120 Dead In Western Europe, Devastating Parts Of Germany” • Catastrophic flooding has killed more than 120 people in western Europe, with hundreds more missing, authorities said. Large-scale rescue efforts continue amid rising water, landslides, and power outages. Entire villages are underwater in Germany and Belgium. [CNN]

Damage from flooding (Rhein-Erft District Bereg Köln)

¶ “Azerbaijan Oil Company Examines Floating Wind Benefits” • Azerbaijan state oil company Socar is cooperating with Technip Energies on offshore sustainable energy development, including a joint pilot project for floating wind turbines. The pilot project envisages energy supply for upstream operations in the Caspian Sea, Socar said. [reNEWS]

¶ “Volkswagen Plans To Up Its EV Game” • Volkswagen is upping its EV game again. This week, it revealed its New Auto strategy, which envisions half of all sales to be EVs by 2030. A company press release speaks of €1.2 trillion in expected sales by 2030. The plan includes a focus on “mechatronics,” whatever the heck that is! [CleanTechnica]

Volkswagen ID.4 (Image from vw.com)

¶ “Germany To Install No Offshore Turbines In 2021” • No new offshore wind turbines will be installed in Germany this year, for the first time in 10 years, according to German industry groups. The expansion gap is not an expression of a lack of interest from investors or a lack of strength from industry, but a consequence of political decisions, the groups said. [reNEWS]

¶ “Solar Supporters Split Over How To Make Electricity Grid Fairer” • In March, the Australian Energy Market Commission proposed a change to give network providers the power to charge people who export electricity into the grid at times when it is not needed. It argued this would make the system fairer. The proposal has proved divisive. [The Guardian]

Solar array (Sungrow EMEA, Unsplash)

¶ “India Sets Target Of 450 GW Of Renewable Energy Capacity By 2030: RK Singh” • Union Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy Shri Singh informed that India has already touched 200 GW of demand even when the effects of COVID-19 was still there. He said India has taken on a target of 450 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030. [Devdiscourse]

US:

¶ “Drought In The Southwest Could Be Making Monsoon Flooding Worse” • Monsoon rains brought extreme flash floods to the Southwest this week, with scenes of vehicles bobbing down neighborhood roads like rafts on class three rapids. Experts say the historic Western drought is to blame, making the soil less like a sponge and more like pavement. [CNN]

Monsoon clouds (Chaz McGregor, Unsplash)

¶ “Pipeline Operator Kinder Morgan To Buy Kinetrex Energy In Green Energy Push” • Pipeline operator Kinder Morgan Inc said it would buy renewable natural gas developer Kinetrex Energy from an affiliate of Parallel49 Equity for $310 million to expand into green energy. The company is being pressured by investors to do more about climate change. [Reuters]

¶ “NYC Buying Seven Electric Garbage Trucks” • Garbage trucks, with straightforward and clear range requirements and a lot of stopping and starting as they operate, are almost perfect vehicles to have be EVs. The New York City Department of Sanitation is going to order seven electric garbage trucks from Mack Trucks, a Volvo Group subsidiary. [CleanTechnica]

Electric garbage truck (Volvo Group image, cropped)

¶ “DOE, Storage Provider Highview Power Argue Long-Duration Storage Should Be Re-Evaluated” • Governments and utilities need to rethink the way they evaluate long-duration energy storage projects to make them more economical, according to officials from the Department of Energy and energy storage companies who were on a panel. [Utility Dive]

¶ “Eastern Idaho Nuclear Reactor Project Downsized” • The Carbon-Free Power Project was to build a set of 12 small modular nuclear reactor with a total capacity of 600 MW. Planners have reduced the size of the project down to six module reactors that could produce 462 MW total. The project’s 28 participants have committed to a total of 103 MW. [Post Register]

Have a magically beautiful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Protecting The Next Generation” • Climate change has been ignored in the Australian media (controlled by Rupert Murdoch) until recently. Now it is being mentioned, but highlighting the danger and provoking fear. Our young may be bombarded by horrific scenes of heatwaves, fires, and floods. That is something we have to be careful about. [CleanTechnica]

Sunrise in Australia (pexels & pixabay, free to use, CC0)

¶ “US Infrastructure Bills: Do They Meet The Moment?” • After years of talk about investing in infrastructure, it looks like we’re on the verge of legislation to address past neglect. But we can’t just repair what’s there and move on. We need to retool the system support solving two other crises: climate change and community inequity. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “EU Push To Green Shipping Is Positive But Risks Locking In Fossil Gas” • The EU has proposals to make the shipping sector finally pay for its pollution and to start using cleaner maritime fuels. But the world’s first “green” fuel mandate for the sector would actually boost the use of one fossil fuel, according to green group Transport & Environment. [CleanTechnica]

Wind-powered cargo ship (Image courtesy of Vale)

World:

¶ “Reports: Tesla Model Y Long Range Sold Out In US Until 4th Quarter, Made-In-China Tesla Model Y SR Sold Out Until Sept” • One Tesla watcher heard from sources that the made-in-China Model Y Standard Range RWD may be sold out for August. And Teslarati reports Tesla’s Model Y Long Range Dual Motor has sold out for Q3 2021 in the US and Canada. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “At Least 80 Dead And Hundreds Unaccounted For In German Floods” • At least 80 people have died and hundreds more are unaccounted for in Germany after some of the worst flooding in decades. Record rainfall in western Europe caused rivers to burst their banks, devastating the region. Political leaders have blamed the flooding on climate change. [BBC]

Schuld, 2009 (Ramessos, released into the public domain)

¶ “Shell Starts Trading Power From Europe’s Largest Battery” • Europe’s largest battery storage project, the 100-MW system in Wiltshire is fully operational. Controlled and optimized by Shell-owned Limejump, the battery will help balance UK electricity demand, providing a day’s electricity for up to 10,000 homes before being recharged. [PV Magazine]

¶ “Formula 1 Boss Ross Brawn Says Hydrogen Could Be Future Fuel” • Hydrogen-powered cars could be the future of Formula 1, according to F1 managing director for motorsports Ross Brawn. “Maybe hydrogen is the route that Formula 1 can have where we keep the noise, we keep the emotion, but we move into a different solution,” Brawn told the BBC. [BBC]

Formula 1 car (Abed Ismail, Unsplash)

¶ “Developing Nations Release Five-Point Plan Demanding Climate Funding Before COP26” • Nations most vulnerable to impacts of global warming called for rich countries to live up to their promise to finance the fight against climate change. Dozens of countries highlighted a “worrying lack of urgency” from G7 and G20 countries. [Firstpost]

¶ “Shell, ScottishPower Submit ScotWind Floater Bids” • Shell and ScottishPower joined forces to bid in the ScotWind leasing round to develop large-scale floating offshore wind farms in the north-east of Scotland. The partnership said it has submitted proposals to Crown Estate Scotland for the leasing round, which closed for submissions on 16 July. [reNEWS]

Offshore wind turbines (ScottishPower image)

¶ “French Battery Startup Verkor Raises $118 Million In Funding Round” • French battery startup Verkor has announced that it raised $118 million (€100 million) in a recent financing round. The financing round was co-led by EQT Ventures and Renault Group, with participation from the French government and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Japan Mulls Extending Maximum Reactor Lifespan Beyond 60 Years” • Japan is considering extending the maximum service period for its nuclear reactors beyond 60 years due to expected public opposition to the construction of new plants, sources close to the matter said. But such an extension could spur concerns about the safety of aging reactors. [The Mainichi]

Ikata nuclear plant, August 2006 (ja, CC-BY-SA 2.5)

US:

¶ “This California Firefighter Has Been On The Job 25 Years. He’s Seen Firsthand How Wildfires Have Worsened” • Fire Captain Dennis Smith is in his 25th fire season with CalFire, and he has seen fighting fires change over time. The temperatures are hotter. The fire seasons are several months longer. The blazes are bigger, and there are more of them. [CNN]

¶ “US Consults On Grid Reforms” • The changing resource mix will create new demands for grid expansion, so the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is seeking public comment on viable reforms to improve transmission planning and generator interconnection processes as the country transitions to more renewable energy sources. [reNEWS]

Transmission lines (sxc image)

¶ “Wildfires Have Scorched Almost 1 Million Acres Across 12 States” • About 1 million acres have been scorched in 71 large fires or complexes across 12 states, the National Interagency Fire Center said on its website. In Oregon, the massive Bootleg Fire – the country’s largest wildfire – has already charred more than 220,000 acres. [CNN]

¶ “The Baltimore region can be a renewable energy leader. These initiatives aim to get it there” • Many governments and private sector industries are setting a goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. In Maryland, Governor Larry Hogan has committed to a goal for the state of 50% renewable energy by 2030. Baltimore could be a leader. [Technical.ly]

Have a fully fabulous day.

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World:

¶ “EU Unveils Ambitious Climate Package As It Cools On Fossil Fuels” • Last month, the EU enshrined in law its target to reduce emissions by 55% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels, but now it has unveiled an aggressive 10-step program, titled “Fit for 55.” It is a roadmap for how the EU will achieve the reduction, and it looks to be fundamentally transformative. [CNN]

Wind turbines (RawFilm, Unsplash)

¶ “Korean Palm Oil Giant Stripped Of Sustainability Status” • The BBC had earlier found evidence that a Korean palm oil giant had been buying up tracts in Asia’s largest remaining rainforests in the Indonesian province of Papua. Now, the Korindo group has been rejected from the world’s leading green certification body in the wake of that investigation. [BBC]

¶ “GE To Expand Canadian Blade Factory” • GE Renewable Energy is partnering with the governments of Canada and Quebec for the expansion of its wind turbine blade facility in Gaspe, Canada. The parties announced their plans to jointly invest in the expansion of the facility at an event attended by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. [reNEWS]

Blade manufacturing (GE Renewable Energy image)

¶ “SK Innovation Wants To Rebrand From Carbon To Green” • SK Innovation, Korea’s first oil refining company and now its top oil refinery and chemical company, has a plan to change its corporate identity “from carbon to green.” The company made the announcement at its SK Innovation Story Day, which was held in Seoul, South Korea. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Singapore Inaugurates One Of The World’s Largest Floating Solar Farms” • Singapore inaugurated one of the world’s largest inland floating solar PV systems, developed by Sembcorp. The PV array has 122,000 solar panels on more than 110 acres. It has a capacity of 60 MW, and it is providing all power for the city’s waterworks system. [The Maritime Executive]

Sembcorp solar farm in Singapore (Sembcorp image)

¶ “Coal-Based Power Generation Rising As Renewables Fail To Keep Pace With Demand Growth: IEA” • The world is witnessing a sharp rise in the use of coal-based power as renewables are not expanding quickly enough to satisfy a strong rebound in global electricity demand this year, according to the International Energy Agency. [Energy News]

US:

¶ “Oregon And Washington Enter Top Preparedness Level As The Largest US Wildfire Scorches The Region” • Washington state and Oregon have moved into the highest level of wildfire preparedness as the largest wilfire in the US burns hundreds of thousands of acres. Now, the Oregon National Guard is fighting the Bootleg Fire, which was 5% contained. [CNN]

Wildfire (Malachi Brooks, Unsplash)

¶ “Joe Manchin Says He Finds Reconciliation Proposals On Climate Change ‘Very, Very’ Disturbing” • Senator Joe Manchin, the Democrats’ most pivotal swing vote, expressed his most serious concerns yet about one key element in their party’s $3.5 trillion economic plan: Progressive provisions dealing with climate change. [CNN]

¶ “In 2020, US Coal Production Fell To Its Lowest Level Since 1965” • US coal production was 535 million short tons in 2020, down 24% from the amount mined in 2019 and the lowest level of coal production in the US in any year since 1965. Both exports and domestic coal use declined as coal has continued to lose its ability to compete. [CleanTechnica]

Coal Production (US Energy Information Administration)

¶ “California Budget Approves Historic Clean Transportation Investments” • California’s budget includes unprecedented levels of investment in clean transportation. The funding will provide significant support for zero-emission vehicle and infrastructure programs, unlocking billions in public health, climate, and jobs benefits for all Californians. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Meet eWolf, The Little Zero-Emission, Diesel-Killing Tugboat Taking On Big Oil” • Leading US maritime firm Crowley has just announced it will build a tugboat named eWolf, which will be the first all-electric, zero-emission tugboat to ply the waters of the US. It is just one of three new diesel-reducing moves introduced by Crowley this year. [CleanTechnica]

Electric tugboat (Image courtesy of Crowley)

¶ “SCE Launches Program For 38,000 EV Charging Stations In Southern California” • Organizations in Southern California can now sign up to join Southern California Edison’s Charge Ready program. It is the largest electric passenger vehicle charging infrastructure program in the nation run by an investor-owned electric utility company. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Energy Department Seeks To Cut Cost Of Energy Storage, Boost Renewables” • The DOE is trying to decrease the cost of energy storage by 90% within a decade in an attempt to boost clean energy use. “We’re going to bring hundreds of gigawatts of clean energy onto the grid over the next few years,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said. [The Hill]

DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm (TechCrunch, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Less Coal, Lower Bills: Evergy Customers Make Demands Following Utility’s ‘Sustainability’ Plan” • Evergy’s plan to spend over $8.9 billion updating its infrastructure is too expensive and doesn’t focus enough on moving the electric utility away from coal power, says the consensus of hundreds of members of the public who commented. [Kansas Reflector]

¶ “NW Energy’s Proposed Gas-Fired Plant Disappoints Montana Cities Seeking All-Green Power” • Three Montana cities had an understanding that NorthWestern Energy would help their citizens go to 100% net renewable electricity by the end of this decade. But the utility is proposing to build a 175-MW gas-fired power plant. [Missoula Current]

Have an entirely agreeable day.

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Opinion:

¶ “New Republican-Only Conservative Climate Caucus Light On Science, Heavily Pro-Fossil Fuels” • A Conservative Climate Caucus has been formed with a roster of roughly 60 members. Their website is light on content, but it has enough to make a few early assessments. Their actions may pleasantly surprise me one day, but the start is inauspicious. [CleanTechnica]

Green landscape in a fog (Guy Bowden, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Standard Lithium Explains Its Direct Lithium Extraction Process” • Standard Lithium, near the border of Arkansas and Louisiana, shared a tour of its LiSTR Direct Lithium Extraction plant. Project engineer Will Smith explained in a guided tour on YouTube how the company built an operational, industrial-scale demonstration plant. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Record Month For Electric Vehicles In France! Tesla Model 3 Firmly At #1” • In June, the French plugin vehicle’s share of the country’s overall auto market reached 19% (11% battery electric vehicles). France set a record with 37,408 registrations of plugin vehicles, pulling the year-to-date share to a record 16% (7.9% BEV), up from 11% in 2020. [CleanTechnica]

Renault Zoe (Norbert Aepli, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “World at Peak Fossil Fuel Generation As Emerging Markets Adopt Renewables: CEEW Report” • Electricity generation by fossil fuels has peaked worldwide as emerging markets turn to low-cost renewables, according to a report published by India’s Council on Energy, Environment, and Water and the financial think tank Carbon Tracker. [The Weather Channel]

¶ “Australia’s Grid To Be Ready For Periods Of 100% Renewables By 2025 To End Asset Constraints, AEMO Boss Clarifies” • By 2025, the Australian grid needs to be capable of handling 100% renewable energy penetrations at any given time, the CEO of the Australian Energy Market Operator, Daniel Westerman, told audiences in Melbourne. [pv magazine Australia]

Daniel Westerman (AEMO and CEDA)

¶ “German 2030 Power Use Forecast Up Due To Heat Pumps, E-Cars And Hydrogen” • The German energy ministry increased the country’s estimated power needs in 2030 to meet needs of increased e-car uptake, the higher power consumption of more heat pumps, and considerably higher estimates for hydrogen production in the future. [Clean Energy Wire]

¶ “PepsiCo Achieves Renewable Its Energy Goal In Mexico” • PepsiCo, Inc announced it has achieved its goal of using 100% renewable energy across all operations in Mexico, its second largest market. The announcement comes less than a year after the company reached a similar milestone in the US, PepsiCo’s largest market. [Food Business News]

Wind turbines (PepsiCo, Inc)

US:

¶ “Car Dealers Are Going ‘All-In’ On Electric Cars” • Electric cars aren’t coming, they’re already here. That was the message sent by the Biden administration’s EV charging bill and Ford’s all-new, all electric F-150 Lightning pickup. And America’s franchise car dealers get it loud and clear, National Auto Dealers’ Association President Mike Stanton said. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Wildfires In California This Year Have Scorched 3 Times More Land Than In The Same Period Of Last Year” • California had its worst fire season in 2020, with around 4.1 million acres burned, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. So far this year, fires have burned 142,477 acres in the state, 103,588 more acres than in the same period last year. [CNN]

Airplane fighting a wildfire (Ben Kuo, Unsplash)

¶ “Hanover OKs A Power-Sourcing Plan And Keeps Its Town Manager” • The residents of Hanover, New Hampshire, voted overwhelmingly by show of hands to adopt a community power plan during Town Meeting. The plan gives municipal officials the ability to contract and bid for the energy needs of about 2,500 residential customers. [Valley News]

¶ “San Diego International Airport Goes To 100% Renewable Electricity” • San Diego International Airport may be the home base for an enormous amount of emissions from all the airplanes flying in and out, but the airport itself is becoming one of the greenest when it comes to its electricity supply. It will soon have a 100% renewable energy supply. [CleanTechnica]

San Diego International Airport (Jeff Robins, Flickr, CC BY 2.0)

¶ “New Solar Farm In Bethel Brings State Near Renewable Energy Goal” • At a ribbon cutting at Hofstee Solar Farm in Bethel, New York, Lt Gov Kathy Hochul said, “We have three gigawatts of solar installed across the state. That is a milestone we hoped to achieve. Three gigawatts of solar is enough to power half a million homes.” [Spectrum News]

¶ “Electric Airplanes For The Masses” • Emissions from the aviation industry are helping to fry the planet, but some people are actually trying to prevent things from getting worse. In the latest news, United Airlines has just signed an electric airplane deal that could bring zero emission flight to the masses, just in the nick of time. [CleanTechnica]

United Airlines electric airplane (United Airlines image)

¶ “Enel Acquires 3200-MW US Solar Portfolio” • Enel Green Power North America has acquired a 3200-MW portfolio of solar and solar-plus-storage projects spread across the US from Dakota Renewable Energy. The 24 development-stage projects include 450 MW of storage capacity. They are planned to be operating commercially beginning in 2023. [reNEWS]

¶ “GOP Representatives Are Demanding Special Treatment For A California Nuclear Plant” • Rep Devin Nunes and the other ten House Republicans from California filed a bill aiming to force their state to keep open a controversial nuclear power plant. Environmental activists have long warned Diablo Canyon is on seismic fault lines. [The American Independent]

Have an abundantly sufficient day.

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Opinion:

¶ “To Fight Ecocide, We Have To Criminalize It” • As we face the urgent crises of climate and extinction, we need every tool we can get, including the law. By identifying “ecocide” as a crime that can be prosecuted, as a panel of 12 lawyers proposed to the International Criminal Court, we can have a practical framework for tackling these emergencies. [TheHill]

Thunderstorm in Arizona (NOAA image, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Tesla Vision Sees Better Than Radar” • Not only did Tesla completely remove radar from Full Self Driving (FSD), but beta testers are now using the newest software that doesn’t have radar and they are raving. WholeMarsBlog tweeted that when he tried it on the highway for the first time, it was even better than the radar fusion system. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “What Is Happening To The Greenland Ice Sheet?” • The Greenland Ice Sheet is losing mass at an alarming rate, a study published in the journal Nature has shown. A team of scientists discovered that the current rate of melting is likely to be the highest of the last 12,000 years. By studying the history of such events, they can see implications. [CleanTechnica]

Water from melting Greenland ice (Paul Bright, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Squad Mobility, A Fleet Of Shared Solar City Cars – This Changes Everything” • A product of Squad Mobility, a startup in the Netherlands, might actually be the ultimate solution to the first/last-mile transportation issue. It is a small, affordable, low-speed car with a solar panel as it’s roof and a battery that can just be swapped out. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Technology Boosts Efforts To Curb Tree Loss In Amazon” • Technology can help indigenous groups to curb deforestation significantly, a study shows. Indigenous people living in the Peruvian Amazon were equipped by conservation groups with satellite data and smartphones. They were able to reduce tree losses by half in the first year of the project. [BBC]

On the Amazon, Peru (Deb Dowd, Unsplash)

¶ “Australian Government Tries To Duck Its Responsibility. How Does Minister Sussan Ley Care?” • In Australia, the High Court decided to hold the federal government to account. The federal environment minister must exercise a duty of care for Australia’s young people to protect them from effects of CO₂ emissions. She cared enough to appeal the decision. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “50-GW Renewable Energy Development Is Unveiled For Western Australia” • An international consortium unveiled plans for a 50-GW solar and wind project which could produce 3.5 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen or 20 million tonnes of green ammonia annually. The project is to be built in Western Australia’s Goldfields-Esperance region. [H2 View]

Leonora, in Goldfields-Esperance (Bahnfrend, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “UAE’s Masdar To Develop 440 MW Of Solar Projects In Uzbekistan” • Masdar, based in Abu Dhabi, will develop two power plants in public-private partnerships, building its presence there, the company said. Masdar has the country’s first 100-MW PPP solar project. That is only a part of the solar projects Masdar has planned for Uzbekistan. [S&P Global]

¶ “Enel Inks 104-MW Spanish Wind And Solar Offtake” • Enel Green Power has signed a pan-European virtual power purchase agreement with Johnson & Johnson for the output from 104-MW of renewable energy capacity located in Spain. The 10-year VPPA is for the supply of 270 GWh a year, from wind and solar plants, and will begin in January 2023. [reNEWS]

Wind farm in Spain (Enel image)

¶ “Solar Power Eclipses Nuclear Energy In Terms Of Costs” • For businesses looking ahead to reduce costs, solar power seems to be the way to go. Households could possibly benefit as well. A new estimate by the industry ministry on future costs of power generation found that solar power will eclipse nuclear energy in terms of costs as of 2030. [Asahi Shimbun]

US:

¶ “Western Wildfires Have Burned An Area 4 Times The Size Of NYC. Here Are Some Key Fires” • The National Interagency Fire Center says 55 large fires have burned over 768,000 acres across 12 states. The acreage, about 1,200 square miles, is about four times the area of New York City. So far this year, over 1.8 million acres have burned in 33,491 fires, the NIFC says. [CNN]

Bootleg Fire (Oregon Fire Marshall)

¶ “Western US Expecting Another Day Of High Temperatures As Over 18 Million Remain Under Heat Alerts” • Western states face another sweltering day in a record-breaking heat wave. The heat will cover southeast Oregon, northern California, the Mojave Desert, eastern California, and parts of Nevada and Utah, CNN meteorologist Michael Guy said. [CNN]

¶ “Boeing, Alaska Airlines, And NOAA Team Up To Measure Greenhouse Gases Mid-Flight” • Boeing, Alaska Airlines and NOAA have teamed up to test the use of commercial aircraft to collect data on greenhouse gases. Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator program has been researching promising and innovative technology since 2012. [CleanTechnica]

Airplane measuring greenhouse gases (NOAA image)

¶ “Climate Change Is Destabilizing The City Of Chicago. Who Knew?” • Chicago is a tribute to the indomitable human spirit that starts with the premise that people are smarter than nature. Where Chicago stands today was once a swamp. Today, climate change changes water levels so much that the city floods much more than if it were coastal. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New York To Explore Green Hydrogen For Decarbonization Goals” • New York Governor Andrew M Cuomo announced that the state plans to explore the potential role of green hydrogen as part of its decarbonization strategy. The state is collaborating with NREL and providing $12.5 million for long duration energy storage technologies. [Energy Live News]

Have a gloriously accommodating day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Experts Are Close To Generating A New Form Of Renewable Energy From Water” • Splitting water molecules to make green hydrogen requires large amounts of energy. New research suggests, however, that instead of having to use large amounts of power, the same results can be achieved using more effective and energy-efficient catalysts. [TechRadar]

Water (YUCAR FotoGrafik, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Major Names Establish Net-Zero Insurance Alliance” • Allianz, Aviva, AXA, Generali, Munich Re, SCOR, Swiss Re, and Zurich Insurance Group have teamed up to establish the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance, which is convened by the United Nations Environment Programme’s Principles for Sustainable Insurance Initiative. [Insurance Business America]

¶ “Škoda Enyaq Jumps To #1 In Netherlands” • The Dutch plugin vehicle (PEV) market is still in the fast lane, as 8,821 registrations were logged last month. Last month’s PEV share of the passenger auto market was 26% (18% battery electric vehicles, BEV), pulling the year-to-date PEV share to 20% (10% BEV) and the total tally to 32,079 units. [CleanTechnica]

Škoda Enyaq iV (Škoda image)

¶ “Super Set To Build Hybrid Power Plant” • Super Energy Corp plans to develop Thailand’s first hybrid renewable power plant with a “firm” power purchase agreement. The project has a capacity of 49 MW of on-ground solar PVs, with back-up power from a 1-MW biogas-fired power plant and a 136 MWh energy storage system. [Bangkok Post]

¶ “New Greek JV Targets 750-MW Solar Drive” • Macquarie’s Solar player Cero Generation and Wattcrop, a Greek renewables outfit, have set up a joint venture aiming to develope 750 MW of PV projects in the Greek market in the next four years. They will first co-develop Wattcrop’s existing portfolio of more than 480 MW of early-stage projects. [reNEWS]

Solar panels (APPA, Unsplash)

¶ “Project Finance Brief: Doral Energy Acquires 360 MW Of Solar Projects In Denmark” • GreenGo Energy Group, based in Denmark, said it had sold a portfolio of 360 MW of subsidy-free solar projects to Israeli developer Doral Renewable Energy Resources Group under a partnership agreement. The projects are in an early development stage. [Mercom India]

¶ “Red Rock And Eni Form ScotWind Team” • Red Rock Power and Eni formed a partnership in preparation for a joint bid for Transmission Investment in the upcoming ScotWind offshore leasing round. The companies said they will also consider future renewable opportunities in Scotland and combine wind farm development and offshore expertise. [reNEWS]

Offshore wind turbines (Carl Raw, Unsplash)

¶ “UK Needs Tougher Policies, More Public Awareness To Hit Zero Emissions, Report Says” • Britain must introduce tougher policies to make residential heating more efficient, and the UK’s consumers need to cut energy usage to meet the nation’s target of net zero emissions by mid century, according to a report from the National Grid. [Reuters]

¶ “Robots Come To The Rescue After Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster” • When three reactors failed at Fukushima Daiichi, hot fuel melted and burned through steel walls and concrete floors. To this day, no one knows exactly where in the reactor buildings the fuel is. It is so deadly, no human can go inside to look for it, so robots will do the job. [CBS News]

Robot, but not the type to be used (Marius Haakestad, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Biden’s Clean Energy Plan Would Cut Emissions And Save 317,000 Lives” • A Biden administration plan to force the rapid uptake of renewable energy would swiftly cut greenhouse gas emissions and save hundreds of thousands of lives, a report found. There is growing pressure on the White House to take major action on the climate crisis. [The Guardian]

¶ “Wildfires Rage In Western States As Temperatures Soar” • In the West, wildfires are raging as a heatwave has brought record temperatures. Some Communities have been told to evacuate as firefighters struggle to battle the blazes in the extreme heat. Fires knocked out interstate power lines, and California residents were told to reduce power use. [BBC]

California wildfire (Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue)

¶ “New Recycling And Energy Storage Plan Claps Back At Wind Turbine Critics” • The wind turbine recycling issue is a bit of a red herring. Nevertheless, public policy and consumer demand are starting to steer the global economy into a more sustainable, circular form, making wind turbine blade recycling a priority. The DOE is making progress on that. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Fort Lauderdale Considers A Bid From The Boring Company” • Traffic congestion in South Florida is a mess, and it is getting much worse, very fast. Recently, The Boring Company, Elon Musk’s brainchild that specializes in digging traffic tunnels to ease surface congestion, approached the city of Fort Lauderdale with a proposal. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla in a tunnel (Image courtesy of The Boring Company)

¶ “Bill Helps Utilities Shutter Coal Plants And Transition To Renewable Power” • Missouri utilities will be able to shutter more coal plants, speeding a transition to renewable energy, under a bill signed by the governor. The bill allows utilities to refinance debt they issued to build coal plants and close the facilities early without a financial hit. [The Joplin Globe]

¶ “Governor Murphy Signs Bills To Advance New Jersey’s Clean Energy Future” • Governor Phil Murphy signed a package of bills aimed at advancing New Jersey’s transition to clean energy. The bills further the goal of 100% clean energy by 2050. They will increase solar development and facilitate the installation of EV charging infrastructure. [Insider NJ]

Have an abundantly satisfying day.

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World:

¶ “Extreme Heat Cooked Mussels, Clams And Other Shellfish Alive On Beaches In Western Canada” • The devastating heat wave that ravaged British Columbia last week is being blamed for a massive die-off of mussels, clams and other marine animals that live on the beaches of Western Canada. The animals were exposed to the heat at low tide. [CNN]

Mussels (Gil Ndjouwou, Unsplash)

¶ “Volvo Group, Daimler, And Traton Group Pump Up Heavy-Duty Truck Charging” • Three top commercial vehicle makers, Volvo Group, Daimler Truck, and Traton Group, have reached an agreement to “install and operate a high-performance public charging network for battery electric heavy-duty long-haul trucks and coaches across Europe.” [CleanTechnica]

¶ “UN Report: Indigenous Lands Protecting Biodiversity Are Being Threatened By Incursions” • A report conducted by the UN found that Indigenous Peoples’ food systems are the most sustainable. But climate change and incursions into Indigenous lands threaten tribal food systems and our planet’s well-being, Inside Climate News reported. [CleanTechnica]

Inuits sharing frozen walrus (Ansgar Walk, CC-BY-SA 2.5)

¶ “Egypt’s President Al-Sisi Directs For Maximized Use Of Renewable Energy” • Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has directed for the maximized use of renewable energies, during a meeting with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohamed Shaker, according to a presidential spokesperson. [Daily News Egypt]

¶ “Bac Lieu Prioritises Renewable Energy” • The Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu has made renewable energy a top priority, aiming to move the economy toward sustainable development and green growth. The province proposed that the Government of Vietnam leave the Cai Cung coal-fired power plant complex out of its power development plan. [VietnamPlus]

Windpower in Vietnam (Tony Pham, Unsplash)

¶ “President Says No More Coal Power” • President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has shot down the setting up of any coal power plants, saying he has vowed to shift Sri Lanka towards renewable energy and does not want to be a joke before the world. The decision puts a proposed 300-MW extension of the Norochcholai Lak Vijaya plant in jeopardy. [Sunday Times]

¶ “Liberal Government Calls For Proposals For Low-Cost Renewable Energy Projects” • Nova Scotia gets considerable amounts of wind and sunshine, and the Liberal government has a plan to harness more of both as renewable energy sources. Premier Iain Rankin announced a request for proposals to attract low-cost and innovative energy. [SaltWire]

Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia (Tobias Negele, Unsplash)

¶ “Japan’s Plutonium Stockpile Climbs To 46.1 Tons In 2020, First Rise In 3 Years” • Japan was in possession of a total of some 46.1 metric tons of plutonium at home and abroad as of the end of 2020, the Cabinet Office reported to the Japan Atomic Energy Commission. The amount represents an increase of about 0.6 tons from the previous year. [The Mainichi]

US:

¶ “US Heatwave: California And Nevada Brace For Record-Breaking Temperatures” • Extreme heat is building in the West, with forecasts of record-breaking temperatures in California and Nevada. The new heatwave comes after the region experienced the hottest June on record. California’s Death Valley recorded a high of 54.4°C (130°F) on Friday. [BBC]

Death Valley (Julien Cavandoli, Unsplash)

¶ “Risk Managed? New Report Finds Chemical Disaster Risks From Climate Change” • The Union of Concerned Scientists, Earthjustice, and the Center for Progressive Reform released a policy brief estimating the risks posed by natural disasters, made worse by climate change, to Risk Management Program facilities and the surrounding communities. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Fire Lookouts: The US Forest Service Lookouts Watching For Fires” • As many of us struggled to adapt to home working and isolation during the coronavirus pandemic, the few remaining fire lookouts of the US Forest Service often live and work for weeks at a time on their own, scouring the horizon for any hint of smoke from remote lookout towers. [BBC]

Inside a lookout tower (Jason Rost, Unsplash)

¶ “Ten US Cities Get Low-No Grants To Help Buy Proterra Electric Buses” • The US Federal Transit Administration offers “Low or No Emission Program Grants” to buy electric buses and related technology. Proterra has announced that ten different transit agencies have just been awarded Low-No grants to buy Proterra technology. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “LIPA: Green Energy To Dominate LI Electric Grid By 2030” • According to a timeline released by the Long Island Power Authority for meeting state mandates to retire the region’s fossil-fuel power plants by 2040, nearly 70% of Long Island’s electricity will be generated by renewable sources including wind and solar energy by 2030. [Newsday]

Have a downright upbeat day.

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Opinion:

¶ “How The American South Is Paying The Price For Europe’s ‘Green Energy’” • In 2009, the EU pledged to curb greenhouse gas emissions, urging its member states to shift from fossil fuels to renewables. It classified biomass as a renewable energy source, on par with wind and solar. This incentivized burning a lot of wood from America’s southern states. [CNN]

Clearcut forest (roya ann miller, Unsplash)

¶ “How Fossils Move To Block Local Climate Action” • Local governments are making progress on protecting their people and environment. In some states, state politicians, sponsored by the fossil-fuel and utility industries, are taking that ability away from them. An insight brief from RMI examines state pre-emption of local clean energy policies. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Is 100% Renewable Energy Feasible For Entire Countries? Why, Yes Actually” • We asked 22 experts in renewable energy, engineering, and energy systems about the feasibility of going to 100% renewable energy. Most agreed that 100% renewable energy was feasible. All agreed that a big shift away from fossil fuels is not only feasible but essential. [ScienceAlert]

Wind farm (RawFilm, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Lebanon Struck By Power Cut As Major Plants Shut Down” • Both of Lebanon’s main power plants shut down when they ran out of fuel, plunging much of the country into a blackout. This is the latest in a crisis that has seen people receive just two hours of electricity a day. At the root of the problem is a lack of foreign currency to pay for imported fuel. [BBC]

¶ “GE Renewable Energy To Deliver Turbines For Lithuanian Wind Farms” • Danish wind developer European Energy has selected GE Renewable Energy as the supplier for three wind farms in northern Lithuania. Two of the farms, one in Telsiai and one in Rokiskis, will have 34 GE Cypress onshore wind turbines totaling 187 MW. [Power Engineering International]

GE Cypress turbine (GE image)

¶ “India’s Tata Power To Focus On Renewable Energy, Add 15 GW Of Capacity” • The Chairman of Tata Power has announced that his company will add 15 GW of renewable energy capacity over the next few years. The company currently has 1.8 GW of solar and wind energy capacity operational, with another 373 MW under development. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Mainstream Energises 571-MW Condor Project In Chile” • Mainstream Renewable Power has fully energised its 571-MW Condor portfolio, which is the first phase of the company’s 1350-MW Andes Renovables wind and solar power platform in Chile. The Condor portfolio has started supplying energy to Chile’s National Electricity System. [reNEWS]

Wind farm (Mainstream image)

¶ “Bridgestone To Use Renewable Electricity Sources To Power Four Domestic Tire Plants” • Bridgestone says it has switched all the electricity sourced from external providers to renewable energy sources such as hydro, geothermal, solar, and wind at four of its tire plants in Japan: Hikone, Kitakyushu, Shimonoseki, and Tosu. [Tire Technology International]

US:

¶ “Last Month Was The Hottest June On Record For The Lower 48 States” • Heat that set records in the Southwest was followed by heat that smashed records in the Pacific Northwest. Those events converged to make last month the hottest June on record for the Lower 48 states, the NOAA reported. The previous hottest June was in 2016. [CNN]

Colorado River at Fort Collins (Stefan Rodriguez, Unsplash)

¶ “The West Is Caught In A Vicious Climate Change Feedback Loop” • After climate change fueled a deadly heat wave in the Pacific Northwest in June, historic heat threatens records once again. As temperatures climb to the triple digits, the sun will bake out what little moisture there is in the ground, worsening the West’s unprecedented drought. [CNN]

¶ “Renewable Energy Continues Growth Across The Islands” • In 2020, something interesting happened in Hawai‘i’s energy scene: More than 30% of all power generation came from renewable sources, surpassing the Renewable Portfolio Standards goal set by state law for the year. In fact, Kauai’s independent co-op utility ran at over 60% renewables. [Hawaii Public Radio]

Rooftop solar system (Hawaiian Electric Company)

¶ “Green Hydrogen Game On For NY And Archrival NJ” • No sooner does New Jersey let slip that it has a new green hydrogen pilot project in the works, when here comes archrival New York right across the river with a whole truckload of green hydrogen news. And in both states, this is real green hydrogen, made with no fossil fuels in the mix. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Climate Change Is Inflaming A Long-Simmering Conflict Over Water In The Klamath River Basin” • The West is drying out as the region faces an unprecedented drought. Few places are as devastated as the Klamath Basin. Straddling the border between California and Oregon, the watershed spans 12,000 square miles. Its water is a source of conflict. [CleanTechnica]

Klamath River, 2010 (Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives)

¶ “Tesla Energy, Brookfield, And Dacra Are Developing A Large-Scale Sustainable Neighborhood In Austin, Texas” • Tesla Energy, Brookfield Asset Management, and Dacra are creating SunHouse at Easton Park, Brookfield announced. This is the first Tesla Solar neighborhood and will be America’s most sustainable residential community, the companies said. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Another Extreme Heat Wave In The West Threatens All-Time Highs” • A life-threatening heat wave is underway for the third time since the beginning of June. It is not expected to be quite as unprecedented as last week’s Pacific Northwest heat wave, but records will be challenged in major cities like Las Vegas, Fresno, and Redding, California. [CBS News]

Have an acceptably magnificent day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Climate Change Is About Greed. It’s Time For Big Oil To Pay Us Back” • Four interconnected pieces of climate change-related news from the past two weeks reveal America’s predicament. And they also show the way forward, which ultimately must include oil companies’ paying restitution for damage that they have done to the climate and humanity for decades. [CNN]

Pollution (Cristi Goia, Unsplash)

¶ “Strategic Tax Credits To Decarbonize Buildings” • To meet Biden’s ambitious climate goals of cutting GHG emissions by 50% by 2030, we must construct only zero-carbon buildings and retrofit roughly 4 million buildings each year to be all-electric, super-efficient, and grid-interactive. We must also power our buildings with clean energy. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Wireless Charging – Get On The Bus” • Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers demonstrated their wireless charging technology on an autonomous electric vehicle for the first time in a project with Local Motors, using that company’s Olli shuttle bus. The technology includes both wireless and wired charging systems. [CleanTechnica]

Local Motors’ Olli shuttle bus (Carlos Jones, ORNL, US DOE)

¶ “Methane: A Threat To People And Planet” • Methane is out of control and we need to manage it to protect people and the planet. This main component of natural gas is vastly more potent warming agent than CO₂ over short timeframes, is accompanied by highly toxic chemicals, and when leaked can be a major health and safety hazard. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Volkswagen And BMW Fined $1 Billion For Emissions Cartel” • The European Commission fined Volkswagen Group and BMW $1 billion for colluding with Daimler to avoid competition on nitrogen oxide cleaning technology. This delayed development of technology that could have reduced harmful emissions from their vehicles. [CNN]

BMW engine (Julian Hochgesang, Unsplash)

¶ “It’s ‘Inescapable’: Pacific Islanders Have Tried To Flee The Climate Crisis, Only To Face New Threats” • At least 57% of the infrastructure in the Pacific Islands will be threatened by rising sea levels during this century, a UN report says. Many Pacific Islanders leave their home islands to escape climate-related issues, but climate change is inescapable. [CNN]

¶ “Wind, Solar Growth 50% Larger Than Anytime In History” • Wind and solar energy capacity increased by 238 GW in 2020, 50% more than at any time in history, according to a report from BP. The 2021 ‘BP Statistical Review of World Energy’ said that wind, solar, and hydroelectric generation all grew last year, even though overall energy demand fell. [reNEWS]

Wind turbine (Vasilios Muselimis, Unsplash)

¶ “Even Qatar Ordering Electric Buses Now! (And Finland)” • Here is a story about two orders for electric buses. Neither order is extraordinarily large, but the interesting point isn’t the size of the orders. One is for ten buses to be delivered to Qatar, which depends on oil. The other is the first order for Finland, a country known for cold winters. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “You Can Now Get The Renault K-ZE In Ghana!” • A lot of African countries have low motorization rates. This presents an opportunity for another leapfrog event similar to the mobile phone revolution. The transition might not be driven as it could be elsewhere, by traditional dealerships and franchises, but by independent importers. [CleanTechnica]

Renault K-ZE (Image courtesy Renault)

¶ “SBI Has Provided ₹319.18 Billion In Renewable Energy Project Finance As Of FY 2021” • The State Bank of India, one of India’s largest public sector banks, declared results for the financial year 2020-2021, which said the bank approved over ₹319.18 billion ($4.26 billion) in renewable energy project finance in India as of March 2021. [Mercom India]

¶ “Eight Renewable Energy Projects Under Construction In Australia” • Global wind and solar capacity will double over the next four years and exceed that of both gas and coal, according to an International Energy Agency report. The IEA anticipates an increase in wind and solar of 1,123 GW, so they would overtake gas capacity in 2023 and coal in 2024. [Energy Matters]

Wind turbines (Raimond Klavins, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Charge It! Preparing Your Hometown For Electric Transit” • On July 28th, the webinar Charge It! Preparing Your Hometown for Electric Transit will host a variety of speakers with a focus to help rural towns and smaller communities solve the challenges they face on electrification. The webinar is free to attend. The article has a link to register. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Maine Bans Offshore Wind From State Waters” • Governor Janet Mills, who supports offshore windpower, signed a law to permanently bar offshore windpower from Maine waters in a compromise with lobstermen. The ban is the first of its kind in the US, where fishermen have been among the most strenuous objectors to the developing industry. [E&E News]

Block Island Wind Farm (Gary Norton, NREL)

¶ “US DOE Drops $52.5 Million Green Hydrogen Bomb On Natural Gas Lobby” • Hydrogen can be green, but almost all of the hydrogen in today’s market comes from natural gas, a big contributor to global warming. Well, it appears that the US DOE is determined to settle the question of where it comes from, and so far green hydrogen is winning. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Nuclear Cost Overrun Could Mean Billions In Extra Georgia Power Profit” • Consumers may end up paying for billions in cost overruns on the Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion. But Georgia Power’s profit from the project is tied largely to how much it spends, not whether it stays within budget. So it will make more money regardless. [The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

Have a properly grand day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “US-Canada Heatwave ‘Virtually Impossible’ Without Global Warming” • The searing heat that built up western Canada and the US in June was “virtually impossible” without climate change, say scientists. An international team of 27 climate researchers who are part of the World Weather Attribution network did the study, which has not been peer reviewed yet. [BBC]

Lytton, BC, after the fire (CBC image)

¶ “UCLA Researchers Pinpoint Onset Of Human Influence On Climate” • A UCLA study published in Nature Communications shows that abnormally heavy rain and snowfall events since as early as the 1980s are intensifying globally due to human-driven climate change. The study shows the human influence across a variety of water issues. [Patch]

¶ “Pathfinder Satellite Paves Way For Constellation Of Tropical-Storm Observers” • Planned for launch in 2022, the TROPICS satellites will work together to provide near-hourly microwave observations of a storm’s precipitation, temperature, and humidity, a revisit time for these measurements not currently possible with other satellites. [CleanTechnica]

Cyclone (NASA image)

World:

¶ “The Growing Gulf Rivalry That’s Pushing Up Oil Prices” • A bitter public rift between the UAE and Saudi Arabia over oil production quotas caused talks between the world’s biggest oil-producing nations to be abandoned and left energy markets in limbo, pushing oil prices to a six-year high. The problem arose because the UAE wants to pump more oil. [BBC]

¶ “The BMW i4, iX, And iX3 Are Coming To South Africa!” • With success of earlier EV models, BMW South Africa is now introducing the all new BMW i4, the iX, and the iX3. The BMW i4 M50, which is “the first fully-electric BMW with the typical M performance,” according to the BMW website, should really do well in this part of the world. [CleanTechnica]

BMW i4 (Image courtesy BMW)

¶ “Gujarat Government To Tesla: Here’s 1,000 Acres To Set Up A Plant” •The Gujarat government is offering Tesla 1,000 acres of land to set up a plant in India, News18 reports. The location of the land is both inside and outside of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones in Mundra. It’s also the home of the largest private port in India. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Solar+Battery Project Has Victorian Town On Target For 100% Renewables” • Yackandandah, a small town in northeast Victoria, is one step closer to being powered by 100% renewable energy with the state’s first behind-the-meter, community-owned solar PV and battery energy storage system added to the community’s power generating strategy. [pv magazine Australia]

Renewable transport in Yackandandah (Phillip Flores, Unsplash)

¶ “South Africa Green Energy Projects Can Plug Power Supply Gap” • About 184 “shovel-ready” renewable energy, storage, transmission, and distribution projects could collectively add 10.3 GW of capacity to plug the South African electricity supply gap and increase its total generation capacity by about 18%, a study by EY-Parthenon shows. [IOL]

¶ “GE Renewable Energy’s LM Wind Power Produces 44,444th Blade In India” • GE Renewable Energy announced that it made its 44,444th wind turbine blade at LM Wind Power’s wind turbine blade manufacturing sites in India. These blades have been made in the two factories located near Bangalore, Karnataka and in Vadodara, Gujarat. [Evwind]

Wind turbine blade manufacture (GE image)

¶ “Glass Packaging Industry Goes Electric, Adding To Growing Demand For Renewable Power” • Unlike the steel and cement industry, the glass sector has a clear path towards decarbonizing its processes: electrification. Yet renewable electricity is scarcer than the industry would like, raising concerns about its ability to meet EU climate goals. [EURACTIV.com]

US:

¶ “Biden Administration Ramps Up Environmental Justice Investment” • The EPA announced a $50 million increase in funding to enhance air pollution monitoring and improve air quality in disadvantaged and low-income communities. The new fund come as the agency ramps up spending on environmental justice initiatives. [CNN]

President Joe Biden (Gage Skidmore, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Biden Pushes For ‘Generational Investments In Human Infrastructure’ In Speech In Illinois” • President Joe Biden pushed for generational investments in human infrastructure to expand the social safety net, asserting that he’ll continue to make the case for his plans “until the job is done.” He pushed policies of the American Families Plan. [CNN]

¶ “Ørsted Announces Bid To Expand Skipjack Wind Farm” • Ørsted said it has submitted a bid to the Maryland Public Service Commission to develop Skipjack Wind 2, with a capacity of 760 MW. The Danish green energy company is already developing twelve General Electric Haliade-X 12-MW turbines off the coast of Ocean City, Md. [Delaware Business Times]

Offshore wind turbines (GE Renewable Energy image)

¶ “California’s Hydroelectric Generation Affected By Historic Drought” • With this year’s harsh drought conditions, we expect hydroelectric generation in California to be low. In the first four months of 2021, hydroelectric generation in California was 37% less than in the same four months in 2020 and 71% less than during those months in 2019. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ford “Electrified” Vehicle Sales Grow 117% In June, Mustang Mach-E Sales Up 27% Month Over Month” • Ford has published its June sales report, and it revealed an impressive 117% jump in overall electrified vehicle sales, including hybrids. Mustang Mach-E sales rose by nearly 27% since May, for 12,975 vehicles in the first half of the year. [CleanTechnica]

Have a mind-bogglingly lovely day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Why North America’s Killer Heat Scares Me” • When he saw North America’s killer heat dome, BBC environment analyst Roger Harrabin felt a “gut-tightening sense of foreboding.” It was not because new heat records were set in north-western US and Canada. That happens from time to time. It was because the old records were smashed so dramatically. [BBC]

Vancouver (Mike Benna, Unsplash)

¶ “Oil Companies Know Hydrogen Is A Dead End, But It’s A Handy Way To Hold Back Electrification” • Reasonable minds may differ on the place of hydrogen fuel cells in the clean-energy future, but it’s a fact that the fossil fuel giants have been heavily hyping hydrogen. It’s not hard to see why. Nearly all hydrogen is now produced from natural gas. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “No, A Tanker Full Of Fossil Fuels Isn’t ‘Carbon Neutral.’” That’s Not How It Works.” • Shell announced a special “carbon neutral” shipment of fracked gas to Europe. The gas is to be burned, and it will emit CO₂, but Shell and its gas supplier, Cheniere, seem to want the focus to be on shipping in a way that is carbon neutral. You can’t make this up. [CleanTechnica]

Tanker (Image by Sekau67 from Pixabay)

World:

¶ “Ten Million Renewable Jobs Are Waiting To Be Unlocked” • More than 13,000 renewable projects are set to create up to 10 million jobs worldwide and provide $2 trillion (£1.43 trillion) in investment opportunities. That is the key finding from new research by Ernst & Young, commissioned by the European Climate Foundation. [Energy Live News]

¶ “How Flooded Coal Mines Could Heat Homes” • A quarter of the UK’s homes sit above abandoned coal mines, long since flooded with water. Now, the mines are being put to a new, zero-carbon use. A heat pump can easily extract heat from the water, which comes up from the mine at 15°C (59°F), and deliver it to buildings that need it. [BBC]

Getting geothermal heat from old mines (Hunosa image)

¶ “Bringing Batteries To The Helm Of Grid Services” • India’s electricity market has been changing in recent years. With the share of renewable energy increasing, there has been a greater emphasis on reliability and stability of system operations. Such operations were provided with fossil fuels in the past, but now battery use is increasing. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Made Of Air, A Berlin Startup, Is Producing Carbon-Negative Thermoplastic From Farm Waste” • Made of Air, a startup based in Berlin, created a carbon-negative thermoplastic, using waste from forests and farms in the area around Berlin. They claim the material is 90% carbon and sequesters two tonnes of CO₂ for every tonne of plastic. [CleanTechnica]

Made Of Air plastic siding on a building (Made Of Air image)

¶ “Hyundai Motor, Kia Pledge To 100% Renewable Energy By 2050” • South Korean carmakers Hyundai Motor and Kia will join a global clean energy initiative and will transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050, according to Hyundai Motor Group, their parent firm. The automakers will submit applications to be members of the RE100. [The Korea Herald]

¶ “Carbon Savings From Use Of On-Farm Renewables ‘Must Be Recognised'” • Carbon savings from on-farm renewables must be recognised, the Ulster Farmers’ Union maintains. A government consultation’s aims are net zero carbon, affordable energy, and a 70% renewable electricity by 2030. But the UFU says agriculture is not getting the credit it deserves. [FarmingUK]

UK farm (Kai Bossom, Unsplash)

¶ “Kipeto Wind Farm Reaches Commercial Operation In Kenya” • All sixty of the turbines at the Kipeto wind farm have reached commercial operation and are providing power for the national grid. This makes the project Kenya’s second-largest wind power project. The electricity it generates is enough to supply about 250,000 households. [ESI Africa]

¶ “AGL To Shut Down Gas-Fired Power Unit As Renewable Energy Soars” • Energy giant AGL is preparing to mothball one of four units at South Australia’s biggest gas-fired power station, the Torrens B plant, as the influx of large-scale renewable energy and rooftop solar power continues to price fossil fuels out of the market. [Sydney Morning Herald]

Torrens Island Power Station (Fairv8, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

US:

¶ “Louisiana Passed Bill To Allow For Chemical Recycling, AKA ‘Advanced Recycling'” • Louisiana has unanimously passed a bipartisan bill, Senate Bill 97, that will allow advanced recycling. This term, “advanced recycling,” is another name for “chemical recycling.” Recycling plastics instead of making more sounds ideal, right? Not necessarily. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Eleven Energy-Related Inventions From Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Get More Funding” • Eleven energy-related inventions developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are getting additional funding to move them from laboratory and field tests to the marketplace. One example is cement that repairs itself within 24 hours. [CleanTechnica]

Self-healing cement (Andrea Starr, PNNL)

¶ “Dover explores joining Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire” • Dover is exploring joining the Community Power Coalition of NH, a statewide public power non-profit that is set to work out ways for municipalities and counties to collaborate and take control of their electricity supply, according to the nonprofit and Dover officials. [Foster’s Daily Democrat]

¶ “Weeks After Declaring Mission Accomplished, Abbott Orders Further Changes To Texas Grid” • Soon after saying “everything that needed to be done was done to fix the power grid in Texas,” Governor Greg Abbott ordered the Public Utility Commission of Texas to overhaul the state’s electric system, building coal, gas, and nuclear plants. [Houston Public Media]

Have a shamelessly perfect day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Fund The American Jobs Plan For The Climate Action We Need” • The time for climate action is now. The most important step we can take, as a nation, is for Congress to fund President Biden’s vision for an American Jobs Plan fully, so we can drive equitable recovery with climate action at a time when the nation urgently needs both. [CleanTechnica]

View from Tacoma (Jennifer Uppendahl, Unsplash)

¶ “Exxon Lobbyist Claims Company Has Eleven Senators In Its Pocket” • Ever since Citizens United, politicians don’t even need to listen to their constituents. It’s no surprise that ExxonMobil has lobbyists. What is surprising is to hear one of them state publicly precisely how far the company is willing to go in its efforts to protect its business model. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Red Hot Perovskite Solar Cell Field Just Got Way Redder And Hotter” • Plenty of ink has been spilled on the perovskite solar cell topic of late, and for good reason. Synthetic perovksites are relatively cheap and easy to grow, and their superior optical qualities could be behind a new generation of low cost solar cells. And they’re getting better. [CleanTechnica]

Perovskite in the lab (Science in HD, Unsplash)

¶ “Snøhetta And Saferock Turn Mining Waste Into Zero-Carbon Concrete” • Internationally renowned Norwegian architecture and design company Snøhetta has teamed up with Norwegian startup Saferock to develop a zero-carbon concrete for use in construction. Currently, cement production is responsible for 8% of global carbon emissions. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Biomass Demand ‘Could Exceed Sustainable Supply’” • A report produced by the Energy Transitions Commission sets out how the demand for bioresources could outstrip any sustainable supply, undermining climate mitigation efforts and harming biodiversity, unless alternative zero carbon options are rapidly scaled up. [reNEWS]

Biomass plant in Lincolnshire (Eco2 image)

World:

¶ “Extreme Weather Causes Huge Losses In 2020” • A study from the charity Christian Aid lists 10 events with thousands of lives lost and major insurance costs. Six of the events took place in Asia, with floods in China and India causing damages of more than $40 billion. In the US, some $60 billion in losses resulted from record hurricanes and wildfires. [BBC]

¶ “Ten Years Of EU’s Failed Biofuels Policy Wiped Out Forests The Size Of The Netherlands” • Europe’s thirst for biodiesel has likely wiped out forests the size of the Netherlands since the introduction of the EU’s green fuels law in 2010, and has greater CO₂ emissions than the fossil diesel it replaces, a Transport & Environment study shows. [CleanTechnica]

Forest (Johannes Plenio, Unsplash)

¶ “Big $300 Million Battery To Be Built Without Government Aid In Market First” • Victoria will get Australia’s first grid-scale battery built without government support by the end of 2022, according to Lumea, the commercial arm of TransGrid. The array of lithium-ion batteries would be able to supply 580 MWh of electricity. [Sydney Morning Herald]

¶ “Scatec Starts Up 55-MW Ukraine Solar” • Scatec has connected to the grid and started commercial operation of a 55-MW solar farm in the Cherkasy region of Ukraine. The Chigirin project has secured a feed-in-tariff payment and is expected to deliver about 64 gigawatt hours per year. The solar plant has a design life of more than 30 years. [reNEWS]

Solar plant (Sungrow, Unsplash)

¶ “More US Support For Polish Nuclear” • The US Trade and Development Agency announced grant funding to Poland’s Polskie Elektrownie Jadrowe for an engineering and design study that will help develop Poland’s first two nuclear power plants, facilitate a transition away from coal-fired power, and strengthen long-term security. [Nuclear Engineering International]

US:

¶ “Florida Is Getting Ready For Tropical Storm Elsa As Drought And Heat Worsen In The West ” • Tropical storm Elsa will be headed to Florida after dumping up to a foot of rain on Cuba. Meanwhile, drought conditions and heat are only worsening in the West. Climatologists say that climate change is clearly a factor in the situation. [CNN]

Drought map released July 1 (droughtmonitor.unl.edu)

¶ “Shell Could Bring EU Green Hydrogen Scheme To US Shores” • After flipping the switch on the biggest green hydrogen plant in the EU, oil & gas giant Shell looks like it could help foster the renewable H₂ revolution here in the US, as well. Global demand for hydrogen has tripled since the 1970s and there is nowhere for it to go but up. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Everything Is Bigger In New Jersey, Including Offshore Wind Power” • New Jersey just laid claim to the biggest-ever combined offshore wind power award in the USA to date. That’s quite a feat for the Garden State. It is one of the country’s smallest states, and it is best known for Jersey tomatoes, a TV show, and an endless stream of weird goings-on. [CleanTechnica]

Offshore wind lease area map (Image via US BOEM)

¶ “EDF Dropping $2 Million To Push For American Jobs Plan” • One of the best chances for the US to speed up its climate action is the American Jobs Plan. The Environmental Defense Fund is putting $2 million into ad campaigns to try to persuade the public to get more behind the American Jobs Plan and to try to get Congress behind it. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “NRC Discontinues Preparation For 40-Year Licence Renewals” • The NRC decided to discontinue considerations of regulatory and other changes which would allow NPP operators to apply for 40-year licence renewals. It recommended further evaluations to address the potential for reactor operations that could last for up to 100 years. [Nuclear Engineering International]

Have an absolutely great day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Green Dreams: Managing The Transition From Rust To Renewables” • Five years after the closure of South Australia’s last coal-fired generators, the Port Augusta region finds itself in the middle of a renewable energy boom. South Australia has a world-leading share of wind and solar, and that share is to jump even higher, as fossil fuel assets decline. [Renew Economy]

Wind turbines (Thorsten Hack, Unsplash)

¶ “Sixty Years Of Climate Change Warnings: The Signs That Were Missed (And Ignored)” • In August 1974, the CIA produced a study on “climatological research as it pertains to intelligence problems.” “The climate change began in 1960,” the report’s first page informs us, “but no one, including the climatologists, recognised it.” [The Guardian]

Science and Technology:

¶ “New Tools To Map Genetic Data Improve Marine Protection” • Maps can reveal patterns and relationships and bring together different kinds of information in an easily understandable form, helping us make sense of the world. A paper presents “geospatial genetics” for mapping genetic data so it can more readily support marine protection efforts. [CleanTechnica]

Whale, hard at work (Vipin Kumar, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Tesla And Chinese Startups Outshining Legacy Automakers In Largest EV Market” • Tesla and some Chinese EV startups are outshining such legacy automakers as Toyota and Volkswagen in the world’s largest EV market, The South China Morning Post reported. The article noted that buyers are focusing more on cutting-edge technology. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “France Is Preparing For The Arrival Of Autonomous Driving” • Europe is having a first as France makes preparations for the arrival of autonomous vehicles on its roads. For Europe, this will be a first for its road code and the code of transport. France is leading the way by establishing the regulatory framework for the inevitable: autonomous driving. [CleanTechnica]

Autonomous Driving (Image courtesy of Faurecia)

¶ “BMW Starts iX Production” • BMW’s next fully electric vehicle is now rolling off of production lines in Dingolfing, Germany, the company’s largest production facility in Europe. Production of the BMW iX is getting rolling thanks to investment of over €400 million at the factory. The BMW iX xDrive50 is an electric SUV with a range rating of 600 km. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Alpine Nimbyism Freezes Swiss Green Energy Dreams” • Switzerland has a reputation for clean energy. With abundant hydropower, less than 10% of its electricity emits greenhouse gases. But today, Switzerland’s complex regulatory process and local objections to potential eyesores mean new green projects are exceptions rather than the usual. [SwissInfo]

Solar plant at the Muttsee reservoir (Axpo image)

¶ “Renewables Groups Demand Italian Permit Overhaul” • Renewables groups called on the Italian Government to clear a permitting bottleneck by streamlining the consent system. They said Italy needs to add at least 7 GW of renewable capacity every year to meet Green Deal targets but only added 1 GW in recent years due to slow permitting. [reNEWS]

¶ “EuropeWave Project Opens Concept Development Call” • The EuropeWave project is inviting wave energy developers to apply for funding via its pre-commercial procurement program, which is open today and until 21 October. The five-year collaborative program will see several wave energy projects selected for the first stage of ‘concept development.’ [reNEWS]

Wave (Matt Paul Catalano, Unsplash)

¶ “Are China’s Banks Going Cool On Coal Power Plants In Africa?” • Coal developers in Africa may have to find alternative financing sources or shift to renewables, as Chinese lenders shy away from plants burning the fossil fuels, observers say. In recent years, African coal projects worth over $20 billion have been shelved or dropped. [South China Morning Post]

¶ “Statkraft To Support Solar In Africa To Address Energy Poverty” • European developer Statkraft is partnering with the international development charity SolarAid to address energy poverty using solar power in sub-Saharan Africa over the next three years. Statkraft will give $2.7 million in cash and equipment in that time to support SolarAid’s work. [ESI Africa]

Installing solar power (Rural Electrification Agency)

¶ “Punjab Power Crisis Deepens As Another Unit Of Talwandi Sabo Plant Goes Out Of Operation” • One unit of the Talwandi Sabo thermal plant was already under shutdown when a second unit had to be take off line. Now, the plant is generating only 610 MW electricity of the installed capacity of 1980 MW, causing a shortage of nearly 1,200 MW. [Hindustan Times]

US:

¶ “It’s All About The Lithium As GM And Albemarle Place Bets On New Technology” • To make enough batteries to power all the EVs that will be made, auto makers will need a lot of lithium. Most lithium now comes from brine deposits in Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia or from rock deposits in Australia, but sources are being developed in the US. [CleanTechnica]

Lithium extraction (Controlled Thermal Resources image)

¶ “Tesla Wins Most American-Made Car Title” • If you need a little more justification to buy a Tesla, consider this: it’s your patriotic duty. Tesla has always touted its credentials as an American company that’s creating good-quality American jobs, and now independent research confirms that a Tesla is the most American-made car you can buy. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “A Nuclear Reactor Is Proposed For Wyoming. One Small Town Hopes The Plant Will Restore Its Economic Fortunes” • Some towns would balk at the idea of having an experimental nuclear reactor built nearby. Glenrock is not one of them. Facing loss of jobs when a coal-fired plant closes, some people hope it will be chosen as a nuclear reactor site. [Casper Star-Tribune]

Have an unreservedly groovy day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Can We Trust Our Power Plants To Keep Us Cool During Dangerous Heat?” • In this week’s astonishing temperatures, reliable electricity and the air conditioning it powers were often the only thing keeping dangerous, even deadly heat at bay. But how do different types of power plants actually stand up to the soaring temperatures? [CleanTechnica]

Nighttime image of Texas cities from space (NASA image)

¶ “Living With A Never Ending Climate Emergency” • Looking back on the past few years of gigantic forest fires, temperatures in Siberia hotter than Death Valley, and parched earth because of unprecedented droughts, we can clearly see that Earth’s climate crisis has already caught up with us, and the tipping point is now in our rear view mirror. [CleanTechnica]

World:

“Canada Heatwave: Military On Standby As Lightning Triggers More Wildfires” • The Canadian military is on standby to help evacuate residents in British Columbia where wildfires linked to a record-breaking heatwave threaten communities. Emergency services say they are trying to control more than 170 fires, many triggered by lightning strikes. [BBC]

Lightning (Shlomo Shalev, Unsplash)

¶ “Norway’s Plugin EV Share Hits 85% In June, Combustion Vehicles Falling Rapidly” • Norway saw plugin electric vehicles hit 85.0% share in June 2021, up from 66.3% in June 2020. Non-plugin hybrids and old-school internal combustion engines are all fading away. In June, the Tesla Model 3 was Norway’s overall bestselling vehicle. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “38 New EV Battery Gigafactories Planned In Europe” • The gigafactory scene is really heating up in Europe. Government and industry are pushing hard to produce batteries domestically. A report from the non-profit Transport & Environment says that there were 38 battery gigafactories being built or planned in the EU and the UK, as of May 2021. [CleanTechnica]

Rendering of Tesla’s Berlin Gigafactory (Tesla image)

¶ “Renewable Energy To Spur Post-COVID Recovery, Create 43 Million Jobs By 2050: IRENA” • The latest analysis report that was released by the International Renewable Energy Agency showcases that the Agency’s 1.5°C pathway foresees the creation of up to 122 million energy-related jobs in 2050, more than double today’s 58 million. [MEP Middle East]

¶ “NTPC, ONGC To Boost Development Of Offshore Wind Energy” • State-run power giant NTPC and upstream oil firm ONGC plan to boost the development of offshore wind energy in India, which has a coastline of about 7,600 km surrounded by water on three sides and has good prospects of harnessing this clean resource. [The New Indian Express]

Wind farm (Mary Ray, Unsplash)

¶ “Taiwan On Its Path Toward Denuclearization” • The Taiwanese government shut down a generator at its Kuosheng Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City on July 1 to prepare for the unit’s full closure. The nuclear generator went online on December 28, 1981. It is being shut down early because the spent fuel pool is nearly at capacity. [Taiwan News]

¶ “Antarctica Hit Record High Temperature In 2020, Scientists Confirm” • Antarctica logged a new high temperature record of 64.94°F (18.3°C) in 2020, World Meteorological Organization scientists confirmed. The UN agency said the previous all-time high for Antarctica was 63.5°F, which was recorded on March 24, 2015, at the same research station. [The Hill]

Antarctica getting warmer (Eamonn Maguire, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “I Testified On The Risks Of Climate Change To The Financial Sector. Here’s What I Said” • The hearing could not have been more timely, as the Pacific Northwest suffers in unprecedented heat, clearly influenced by climate change, and as new evidence emerges of how Exxon has deliberately worked to undercut climate action in the US. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Spending To Help Protect Florida Wildlife Routes, Some On First Coast, Gets DeSantis’ OK” • Work to protect remnants of undeveloped Old Florida got a big-dollar boost this week when Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation steering $400 million into land conservation. Most of its focus is on protecting wildlife migration routes. [Florida Times-Union]

Singing Carolina wren (Ryk Naves, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Power Outages In New Mexico: Why Now And How To Stay Safe” • Hot days and climate-fueled disasters are the times we need reliable power most, yet all too often, that’s when we have blackouts. Here is why New Mexico is having blackouts, how to prepare and protect your family, and what your elected officials can do to keep the power on. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “A $26 Billion Plan To Save The Houston Area From Rising Seas” • In 2014, the Army Corps of Engineers partnered with the state of Texas to study Ike Dike-like alternatives for Galveston Bay. With support from the state legislature, the Corps is getting ready to deliver their recommendations to the US Congress for funding approval in September. [Ars Technica]

Have a powerfully congenial day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Decarbonizing Our Supply Chains” • Decarbonizing supply chains and mitigating the environmental footprint of global production are critical for environmental preservation and social stability. Examining the case study of Indian cotton, how will the emission reduction imperative, in turn, protect workers from changing climate? [CleanTechnica]

Cotton field (Trisha Downing, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Cows’ Stomachs Can Break Down Hard-To-Recycle Plastic, Study Finds” • Scientists of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, the Austrian Center of Industrial Biotechnology and the University of Innsbruck found that some common plastics could be broken down when exposed to gastric juices found in the stomach of a cow. [CNN]

World:

¶ “Canada heatwave: Lightning strikes fuel wildfires in British Columbia” • More than 130 wildfires – fueled by lightning strikes – are burning across western Canada following a record-breaking heatwave. Canada’s federal government said it would send military aircraft to assist emergency services in British Columbia battling to control the fires. [BBC]

Plane dropping fire suppressant (Ben Kuo, Unsplash)

¶ “Blazes Rage In British Columbia” • So far in 2021, British Columbia has already seen dangerous wildfires and heat. More than 40 wildfires were burning across the Canadian province by the end of June 2021, including a cluster of substantial blazes located about 200 kilometers northeast of Vancouver. The one at Lytton was just one of these. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Fire Explodes In Gulf Of Mexico From Gas Pipeline Rupture” • “The Gulf of Mexico is … on fire because a pipeline ruptured,” Brian Kahn, the managing editor at Earther, tweeted. He shared a video that looked like it was CGI but wasn’t. Reuters reported that it was started from a gas leak from an underwater pipeline west of the Yucatan peninsula. [CleanTechnica]

Gulf of Mexico fire (Screenshot from tweeted video, cropped)

¶ “NTPC Plans ₹2 Lakh Crore Investment In Renewable Energy” • NTPC, India’s largest power producer, will be investing close to ₹2 lakh crore ($13.4 billion) to ₹2.5 lakh crore over the next ten years for expanding renewable capacity. NTPC recently doubled its renewable power capacity addition target from 30,000 MW to 60,000 MW in 2032. [GreentechLead]

¶ “X Shore Electric Boats, The ‘Tesla Of The Sea,’ Gets Canadian Distributor” • Swedish boatbuilders X Shore recently inked a North American distribution deal with Canada’s BCI Marine. That means that prospective Canadian customers can now book a test-drive or pre-order the all-electric and connected X Shore Eelex 8000. [CleanTechnica]

X Shore boat (X Shore image)

¶ “Shell Starts Green Hydrogen Production In Germany” • Shell started producing green hydrogen at what it said is the largest PEM hydrogen electrolyzer in Europe. The plant uses renewable electricity to produce up to 1300 tonnes of green hydrogen a year. Shell said plans are under way to expand capacity of the electrolyzer from 10 MW to 100 MW. [reNEWS]

US:

¶ “Cattle Are Competing Against Grasshoppers For Food In The West’s Historic Drought. The Bugs Are Winning” • Against the backdrop of unprecedented heat waves and deadly wildfires, the West’s historic drought has ranchers fighting another problem besides water shortages: A prolific hoard of grasshoppers is competing with cattle for food. [CNN]

Grasshoppers (USDA image)

¶ “Ford Mustang Mach-E Outsells Ford Mustang Gasmobile!” • I’m sure that I once asked when the Ford Mustang Mach-E would start outselling the conventional, old-school Ford Mustang, a fairly high seller among cars. Well, June already got us there. We’ll see how the rest of the year goes, but here the numbers from June are uplifting. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “GM Pushes Up Production Start For Brightdrop EV 600 Electric Delivery Van” • General Motors announced the creation of Brightdrop earlier this year. It is a startup focused on bringing electric delivery vans to market. Now, it is speeding up its work. GM anticipates the last mile delivery segment could be worth as much as $850 billion by 2025. [CleanTechnica]

Brightdrop EV 600 Electric Delivery Van (GM image)

¶ “ExxonMobil Lobbyists Filmed Saying Oil Giant’s Support For Carbon Tax Is A PR Ploy” • Two senior lobbyists for ExxonMobil based in Washington have described the oil giant’s backing for a carbon tax as a public relations ploy intended to stall more serious measures to combat the climate crisis. They were being secretly taped by Greenpeace. [The Guardian]

¶ “Renewable Energy Projects Create Strong Tailwind For US Steel Demand” • Upcoming investments in renewable energy projects in the US, particularly offshore wind farms, represent a bullish opportunity for the US steel sector, industry executives said. Offshore wind turbines and related infrastructure require multiple forms of steel. [S&P Global]

Offshore wind turbines (Mitchell Orr, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “City Locks In Renewable Energy Supplies For Residents” • City officials announced the launch of Rochester Community Power, which is using the New York state community choice aggregation program to procure power from a supplier on behalf of about 80,000 customers who have accounts with Rochester Gas & Electric. [Rochester City Newspaper]

¶ “Court To Decide Future Of Unfinished Bellefonte Nuclear Plant” • A federal judge could decide the future of one the biggest unfinished construction projects in the US. Former Chattanooga developer Franklin Haney hopes the court will order the TVA to sell him the incomplete Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant even though he never got NRC approval. [Yahoo News]

Have a positively resplendent day.

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Opinion:

¶ “There’s Still Lead In London Air Despite Leaded Petrol Being Banned Since ‘90s – Implications Not Uplifting” • A recent study from Imperial College London showed that there’s still lead in London air from leaded petrol (gasoline) that was banned more than two decades ago. It’s quite shocking to think that lead is still lingering from that far back. [CleanTechnica]

London (Image courtesy of Pexels/Pixabay)

¶ “Big Oil & Gas Kept A Dirty Secret For Decades. Now They May Pay The Price” •  After a century of wielding great power, the US Oil & Gas industry may face a reckoning. An unprecedented wave of lawsuits, filed by cities and states across the US, aim to hold the industry to account for its environmental devastation for its covering up its damage. [The Guardian]

World:

¶ “Lytton, Heatwave Record Village In Canada, Overwhelmingly Burned In Wildfire” • A wildfire burned 90% of the village that recorded Canada’s highest ever temperature, its MP says. Brad Vis said the fire had caused extensive damage to Lytton and to critical infrastructure around it. Jan Polderman, mayor of Lytton, said he expected that little will be left. [BBC]

Lytton welcome sign (Andybremner2012, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “BASF Will Build A New Battery Recycling Prototype Plant In Southern Brandenburg” • BASF has announced plans for a new battery recycling prototype plant in Schwarzheide, which is in the southern part of Brandenburg, Germany, near the Schwarze Elster river. The new plant will be located at the site of its cathode active materials plant. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “A Bombshell Report From Closely Followed International Energy Agency” • Climate and policy experts are singing praise of a study released by the International Energy Administration. “Quite amazing,” said one. “Heartening,” said another. And a third one said it is, “one of the most important climate analyses ever published.” [Yale Climate Connections]

Meeting at the International Energy Administration (IEA image)

¶ “Volvo Recharge Concept Features Lidar And AI On All-New EV Chassis” • In a press release, Volvo unveiled its new Concept Recharge, its first EV on a dedicated electric car chassis. The current XC40 and C40 Volvo EVs are built on the company’s CMA chassis with is designed to accommodate combustion engine variants as well. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “North-West Australian Tidal Power Project In Final Stages Of Federal Environmental Approvals” • Plans to tap into Australia’s biggest tides to generate renewable energy for residents and new industries of Kimberley are expected to receive final approvals in the coming months. The plans have been decades in the making, but a federal go-ahead could come soon. [ABC]

Tidal energy (Derby Tidal Energy Project image)

¶ “Vodafone Claims It’s Hit A Renewable Energy Milestone As It Heads For Net Zero” • Vodafone confirmed that every area of its business in the UK is now 100% powered by electricity from renewable sources, such as wind, solar, and hydro. The company has its own network, data centers, retail stores, and offices, and all are running on renewable energy. [TelecomTV]

¶ “Mainstream Completes Financing For $1.8 Billion Andes Renovables” • Mainstream Renewable Power reached financial close for the third and final phase of its Andes Renovables wind and solar platform in Chile. Mainstream invested more than $1.8 billion on the entire Andes Renovables platform. It is expected to be fully operational by 2022. [reNEWS]

Wind farm (Mainstream image)

US:

¶ “Water Is Disappearing In The West – And Not Just During The Summer” • One of the West’s largest and best water reservoirs is mountain snow. Mountain snowfalls normally stay frozen to late spring, and when the snow melts, the water runs into rivers and fills reservoirs, just in time for the summer heat. But now we are in a snow drought. [CNN]

¶ “Solar-Powered EV Charging For More Americans” • Not everyone in the US can put solar panels on their roofs. In fact, most of us can’t. But there is good news for the solar-powered EV market, which is that a lot more solar-powered EV charging stations will be installed across the US via iSun, a company that is promoting them nationwide. [CleanTechnica]

Solar charging stations (Image courtesy of iSun)

¶ “Nonfossil Fuel Sources Accounted For 21% Of US Energy Consumption In 2020” • About 21% of US energy used in 2020 came from nonfossil sources, including renewables and nuclear. This is the highest share of nonfossil fuels since the early 1900s, data in the EIA’s Monthly Energy Review shows. Only renewables increased production in 2020. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Joe Biden Meets With Western Governors To Talk Wildfires” • President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris talked with a bipartisan group of Western governors in an internet-based meeting on preparations for this year’s wildfire season. The wildfires are expected to be especially severe due to an ongoing drought fueled by climate change. [CleanTechnica]

Firefighting gear (Matt Chesin, Unsplash)

¶ “US Starts 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia Review Process” • The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management published a notice of intent for Dominion Energy’s proposed 2640-MW Coastal Virginia commercial offshore wind farm in the federal register. Upcoming preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement will take about two years. [reNEWS]

¶ “Solar Power, Federal Infrastructure Funding And Colorado’s Renewable-Energy Future” • With a number of environmental groups calling for bolder action on climate change, US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm visited Colorado to promote the investments a bipartisan bill makes in clean energy and cutting greenhouse-gas emissions. [The Denver Post]

Have a uniformly outstanding day.

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Opinion:

¶ “US West Coast: Carbon Free By 2045 … Or Earlier” • HB 2021, Oregon’s “100% Clean Electricity” bill, which the legislature just approved and sent to Governor Brown for signing, puts Oregon on a path to zero greenhouse gas emissions in the grid by 2040. With commitments by California and Washington, it foresees a 100% clean west coast by 2045. [CleanTechnica]

Mt Jefferson, Oregon (Eric Muhr, Unsplash)

¶ “It’s Really, Really Hot Outside – Get Used To It” • What we are seeing today in the Pacific Northwest is a heatwave of record proportions. Climatologists did not expect to see heatwaves like this until the middle of the century. But here is one. And it is likely to be just the first of many such events, as the climate crisis keeps getting worse. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Why Microgrids Are The Key To Our Carbon-Neutral Future” • Microgrid technology offers a new power system paradigm. It enables both more efficient utility operations and grid resilience in extreme events. It removes infrastructure limitations as an inhibitor to electric power, and brings distribution of electricity into the 21st century. [POWER Magazine]

Energy storage in Alaska (Hitachi ABB Power Grids)

¶ “Renewable Energy Soars As Exxon, Shell Falter” • As many of us know, Big Oil companies suffered major losses as a result of the pandemic, when oil demand plummeted. Now, however, the prospects for the industry are looking more dismal than ever. So, what happens when Big Oil fails? Renewable energy and clean technology rise up to replace it. [Forbes]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Solar Desalination Prize Round 2 Is Seeking Innovative Desalination Technologies Combined With Storage” • The US DOE’s Solar Desalination Prize, designed to spur solutions for water desalination using solar energy, is seeking innovative concepts through a contest, now through July 15 in a second round of the competition. [CleanTechnica]

US DOE contest graphic

World:

¶ “Canada Heatwave: Hundreds Of Sudden Deaths Recorded” • Hundreds of sudden deaths, many of them suspected of being related to heat, have been reported during the record-breaking Canadian heatwave, officials say. Over the past five days, 486 fatalities were recorded in British Columbia alone, an increase of 195% on the usual number. [BBC]

¶ “World Bank Okays Project To Support 1,500-MW Of New Renewable Energy In Uzbekistan” • Uzbekistan’s Energy Ministry announced that a $380 million project to integrate renewable energy and enhance the performance of the National Electric Grids of Uzbekistan has been approved by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors. [New Europe]

Landscape in Uzbekistan (Artem Bryzgalov, Unsplash)

¶ “Car CO₂ Emissions Fall Sharply In Response To EU Targets” • Data from the EU’s environmental watchdog shows that the CO₂ emissions of new cars decreased by 12% in 2020 to 107.8 grams of CO₂ per km. According to Transport & Environment, the sharp drop showed that ambitious EU car CO₂ targets do spur auto makers to reduce climate impacts. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Vestas Picks Up 113-MW Japanese Order” • Vestas secured an order for the 113-MW Sumita Tono Wind Farm in Japan. The site is in complex mountainous terrain in the Iwate prefecture, and Vestas says the order shows it can leverage its industry-leading siting, project management and technology capabilities to deliver site-specific solutions in all conditions. [reNEWS]

Wind turbines (Vestas image)

¶ “Vestas Adds 450 MW In End-Quarter Surge” • In its usual end-quarter push, Vestas confirmed turbine orders totaling 450 MW. One 92-MW order is for a wind project in the US. Vestas will supply the undisclosed project and customer with 22 4.2-MW turbines. There are several other smaller orders, with deliveries scheduled for 2022. [reNEWS]

US:

¶ “Biden Signs Bill Repealing Trump-Era EPA Rule On Methane Emissions” • President Joe Biden signed a bill repealing a Trump-era rule that rolled back regulations on emissions of methane from the oil and gas industries. Methane is a particularly potent greenhouse gas that has allowed to escape from gas and oil wells and from pipelines. [CNN]

Flaring gas in North Dakota (Joshua Doubek, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Supreme Court Gives Pipeline Eminent Domain Go-Ahead” • In a 5-4 decision, the US Supreme Court sided with PennEast Pipeline Company in its battle with the state of New Jersey over whether its federal permit conferred the power of eminent domain and allowed it to overrule the state’s opposition to the pipeline’s construction. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Potential Electricity Disruptions In The United States This Summer” • Parts of the United States are at elevated or high risk for electricity emergencies this summer, an assessment by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation says. It notes that above-normal temperatures are expected for much of North America, increasing electricity demand. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “The US Chamber Of Commerce Has Helped Downplay The Climate Threat, A New Report Concludes” • For 20 years, the US Chamber of Commerce played a central role in campaigns to thwart ambitious legislative efforts to curb the world’s rising carbon emissions and downplay the threat of climate change, a report concludes. [Inside Climate News]

¶ “Bill To Jumpstart Renewable Energy Industry In Northern Maine Earns Janet Mills’ Signature” • Governor Janet Mills signed a bill to give Aroostook’s renewable energy industry a boost. LD 1710 looks to connect the Northern Maine energy grid to the grid supplying the rest of New England. The Legislature passed the bill with bipartisan support. [Bangor Daily News]

Have a gracefully moving day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Japan’s Nuclear Wastewater Plan Clouded By Politics” • The Japanese government’s approval of a plan to discharge treated radioactive water stored at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean stands out as a reversal of a decade of nuclear safety reform in Japan. Indeed, the issue suffers from an unfortunate lack of transparency. [Eurasia Review]

Onagawa nuclear plant (Nekosuki600, Wikipedia Commons)

Science and Technology:

¶ “The Saharan Air Layer: What Is It? Why Does NOAA Track It?” • The Saharan Air Layer can act to suppress hurricane formation and intensification. Thanks to recent advancements in satellite technology, we can better monitor and understand it, from its formation over Africa, to its effects on weather along the US Gulf coast and Florida. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “China Is Facing Its Worst Power Shortage In A Decade. That’s A Problem For The Whole World” • China is in the middle of a huge power crunch. Extreme weather, surging energy demands, and strict limits on the use of coal are delivering a triple blow to the nation’s electric power grid. It is a problem that could last for months and affect the world economy. [CNN]

Shanghai (Freeman Zhou, Unsplash)

¶ “Dozens Dead As Heatwave Shatters Records” • Dozens of people have died in Canada amid an unprecedented heatwave that has smashed temperature records. On Tuesday, Canada recorded its highest ever temperature for a third straight day – 49.5°C (121°F) in Lytton, British Columbia. Before this week, the country had never passed 45°C (113°F). [BBC]

¶ “How Eucalyptus Cuts Brazilian Beef’s Emissions” • Searching for a way to counteract the emissions from Brazil’s massive cattle herd, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation researchers have created with a certified brand of Carbon Neutral Beef. They planted eucalyptus trees on grazing land to draw down carbon and found the land could produce more beef. [BBC]

Beeves on the land (Joe Leahy, Unsplash) 

¶ “Renewables Set To Save Irish Consumers €180 Million, Energy Report Finds” • The Irish electricity sector’s carbon emissions could be cut from almost 10 million tonnes annually to less than 2 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent by 2030 and bring a €180 million price reduction for consumers, according to a report by energy specialists Baringa. [The Irish Times]

¶ “Octopus Acquires 45-MW Polish Wind Project” • OX2 sold a 45-MW wind project in Eastern Poland to Octopus Renewables. The wind farm, comprising 15 wind turbines, will be constructed in Huszlew, in the Mazowieckie province. OX2 will begin the construction phase of the wind farm immediately, with delivery expected in 2023. [reNEWS]

Wind farm (Gabriel Xu, Unsplash)

¶ “Sonnedix Acquires 300-MW Development Portfolio In Spain” • Sonnedix, an independent power producer, completed its acquisition of a 300-MW solar PV portfolio under development from international developer RIC Energy. The portfolio is made up of two 150-MW clusters with all solar plants in east-central Spain. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “Five Asian Countries Account For 80% Of New Coal Power Investment” • Carbon Tracker, a financial thinktank, has found that China, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Vietnam plan to build more than 600 coal power units, with a total capacity that is up to 300 GW, even though renewable energy is cheaper than most new coal plants. [The Guardian]

Coal-fired power plant (Sam LaRussa, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “The California Blackout That Wasn’t” • People pay a lot of attention when the power goes out, but we tend to not notice when the grid stays stable, even under trying conditions. Recent record heat led the California grid operator to call on residents to reduce power use. But the grid did not go down, as batteries and demand response did their work. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “NREL Follows Up Groundbreaking LA100 Study With New Equity Strategies Initiative” • Released in March 2021, the Los Angeles 100% Renewable Energy Study found that Los Angeles can achieve reliable, 100% renewable power as early as 2035. Now, LA100 Equity Strategies picks up where LA100 left off, to improve energy justice. [CleanTechnica]

Wind farm (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)

¶ “Wind And Solar Electricity Free Up Needed Utah Water” • Governor Spencer Cox is pleading for water conservation as the state faces what some call a worst-in-a-lifetime drought. Sadly, climate scientists say it is a preview of things to come. Coal and natural gas use a lot of water to generate electricity. Solar PVs and windpower do not. [Utah Policy]

¶ “MGM Unveils 100-MW Solar Array To Power 13 Las Vegas Resorts” • MGM Resorts International has launched its 100-MW solar array, the hospitality industry’s largest directly sourced renewable electricity project worldwide. The array now produces up to 90% of MGM Resorts’ Las Vegas daytime power needs for thirteen properties. [Solar Power World]

MGM solar array (MGM image)

¶ “Does The Southeast Need Wholesale Power Markets In Order To Hit Its Renewable Goals?” • Real-time, wholesale energy markets, especially if they can be paired with regionally planned transmission, are critical to accelerating the growth of renewable energy in the Southeast, according to a new report released by three clean energy organizations. [pv magazine USA]

¶ “The US is consuming more renewable energy than ever before. Here’s how Kansas ranks and why that matters” • Kansas produces a lot of wind energy, as it has the second-largest share of its electricity from wind. But it consumes a lot, as well. Kansas is the fourth largest consumer of windpower, following Texas, Oklahoma, and Iowa. [The Wichita Eagle]

Have a uniquely worthwhile day.

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Opinion:

¶ “EV, Schmevee: Do We Really Need So Many Cars?” • A recent article in The Conversation asks “Why do we need so many cars”? If we are serious about restraining carbon emissions so the Earth doesn’t overheat to the point that humans can no longer survive, is the private passenger car a luxury that we can no longer afford, regardless of how it is powered? [CleanTechnica]

Cars being shipped (Image courtesy of Volkswagen)

¶ “Speculation On Climate Links To Surfside Condo Collapse” • As hope fades additional survivors will be rescued and scores are feared dead in the rubble of the Champlain Towers condo that collapsed near Miami Beach, impacts due to climate change are increasingly thought to have been a possible contributing factor in the tragedy. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “The Northwest Heat Wave Is ‘Unprecedented.’ Here’s What’s Pushing It Into Uncharted Territory” • Michael E. Mann, a climate scientist at Pennsylvania State University, explained it simply: Climate change is making heat waves more frequent and more intense. “You warm up the planet, you’re going to see an increased incidence of heat extremes.” [CNN]

Seattle (Zhifei Zhou, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “European Union Enshrines Net Zero And Emissions Targets Into Law” • The European Council adopted a climate change law that legally obliges its 27 nations to reduce greenhouse emissions by 55% by 2030 from 1990 levels and have a net-zero-emissions economy by 2050. The EU has worked toward this law as part of the European Green Deal since 2019. [CNN]

¶ “Chinese City Shows Benefits Of Electric Cars Impact The Entire Community” • In the southern Chinese city of Liuzhou, EVs sell at five times the national average. As a result, the city is a quiet zone, and the daily air quality in Liuzhou has been rated excellent about 97% of the time in 2020, compared to just 76% in the capital Beijing. [CleanTechnica]

Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV (Courtesy of Wuling Hong Guang)

¶ “Statkraft To Build 234-MW Spanish Solar” • Statkraft is to build four PV projects in southern Spain with a total capacity of 234 MW. Three of the four solar plants will be installed in San Jose del Valle, in Arenosas, el Yarte and la Guita, and a fourth in Malabrigo, in Jerez de la Frontera. All of the solar PV farms are expected to be online by 2022. [reNEWS]

¶ “Voltalia Adds 211-MW Onshore Double In Brazil” • Voltalia has commissioned two more wind farms totaling 211 MW in the 2400-MW Serra Branca renewables cluster in Brazil. The French company said the 152-MW VSM3 project, comprising 44 3.5-MW turbines, and 59-MW VSM4 project, made up of 17 3.5-MW machines, have reached full power. [reNEWS]

Wind turbine (Voltalia image)

¶ “India State-Owned Power Producer NTPC Wants To Install 1,000 MWh Of Energy Storage At Power Plants” • NTPC, an Indian power producer with over 65 GW of generating capacity, wants to install 1,000 MWh of energy storage at its existing generation facilities. NTPC plans to operate 60 GW of renewable capacity by 2032. [Energy Storage News]

¶ “Kazakhstan Plans Massive 45-GW Renewable Project To Power Green Hydrogen” • Renewable energy company Svevind Energy, which has offices in Sweden, Germany, and Kazakhstan, is to partner with the Kazakh Invest National Company to construct a 45-GW renewable energy project. It is intended to produce huge amounts of green hydrogen. [Renew Economy]

Almaty Region, Kazakhstan (Dmitry Sumskoy, Unsplash)

¶ “Danes Start 428-MW Technology-Neutral Auction Process” • The Danish Energy Agency has kicked off the process for the country’s forthcoming 428-MW technology-neutral renewables tender. DEA has released the tender documents for the auction, which will be held in the Autumn. A single technology-neutral tender will be held this year. [reNEWS]

¶ “Lightsource Labs Partners On UK PV, Storage Solution” • The Lightsource BP energy technology business Lightsource Labs is partnering with renewable energy supplier Pure Planet on solar and battery storage solutions for UK homes. The partnership will use Lightsource Labs’ home energy management system, Tribe, and a cloud-based Virtual Power Plant. [reNEWS]

Solar panels (Lightsource BP image)

US:

¶ “Limiting Renewable Energy Growth Would Result In Higher US Power Costs” • Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory examined effects of various amounts of renewable energy on the cost of building and operating the electricity system. They found that putting limits on renewables growth can increase energy costs. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Codes For Climate Offers States And Cities A Path To Building Decarbonization” • New Buildings Institute and RMI announced an initiative to support the development of climate-aligned new construction codes and existing building performance standards for states and cities that are advancing beyond what the national model codes are offering. [CleanTechnica]

Lombard Street, San Francisco (Braden Collum, Unsplash)

¶ “US Utility Goes To Market For 3 GW Of Wind” • Southwestern Electric Power Company, an American Electric Power subsidiary, has issued three requests for proposals. One seeks up to 3 GW of wind capacity. The second of them is seeking bids for up to 300 MW of solar, and the third is seeking a short-term accredited deliverable capacity of up to 250 MW. [reNEWS]

¶ “NRC Special Inspection At Vogtle Could Lead To More Delays For Troubled Nuclear Project” • Independent monitors told a Georgia regulatory body that a special inspection by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission into construction at Georgia Power’s Vogtle-3 nuclear reactor could represent a “very significant” issue for the troubled project. [Utility Dive]

Have a coolly unruffled day.

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Opinion:

¶ “California PUC’s Clean Energy Order: Necessary, Timely, And Ambitious” • The California Public Utilities Commission decided to acquire 11.5 GW of mostly carbon-free electricity over the next five to seven years. This decision firmly places the state on course have a zero carbon electricity and a carbon neutral economy by 2045, without nuclear power. [CleanTechnica]

San Francisco neighborhood (Robert Bye, Unsplash)

¶ “Is Tesla The Ultimate Model For Industry Disruption?” • The Innovator’s Dilemma is that the incumbents know of inovative technologies but can’t or won’t commit to them, because they have to focus on serving their existing customers. Ford, GM, and their pals might just be stodgy incumbents, while Tesla is the epitome of a disruptive upstart. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “It’s 114° In Oregon. Time To (Productively) Panic” • This weekend, in my formerly mild, rainy, Northwest state, we’re at a broiling 114° in Portland (similar to recent temps recorded in the arctic circle, which is even more frightening). The temperatures are not just record setting. They are off the charts. The previous city record is 107°. [CleanTechnica]

Portland, Oregon (Jamison McAndie, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Hybrid Renewables: Why ‘Better For The Planet’ Doesn’t Have To Mean ‘Bad For Business’” • Hybrid power projects offer gains for developers, including helping share such key capital costs as the primary grid connection, improving the generation profile, reducing balancing costs, and making better use of land for high renewable energy densities. [Energy Storage News]

World:

¶ “Volkswagen Is #1 In Electric Vehicle Sales Across These Ten European Countries” • Looking across ten European countries, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland, the clear brand leader is Volkswagen, with 18.3% of the pure EV sales. That’s nearly one out of every five EVs sold. [CleanTechnica]

Volkswagen ID.4 EV (Volkswagen courtesy image)

¶ “Why High-Efficiency Cooling Is A Climate Priority” • This year’s G7 meeting produced a brief list of areas of agreements on climate change. Some of these had previously been overlooked. One of these in particular is to double the efficiency of cooling systems sold worldwide by 2030. It is a goal that will be critical to keeping 1.5°C within reach. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Bangladesh Scraps Ten Coal-Fired Power Plants” • Bangladesh announced that it scrapped at least ten major coal-fired power plants as it seeks to scale up its power generation from renewable energy sources. Nasrul Hamid, the state minister for power and energy, said the decision was based on technological changes and concern for the environment. [RTL Today]

Dhaka (Tanvir Islam, Unsplash)

¶ “Equinor Adopts New Investment Focus In Onshore, Offshore Renewables” • Equinor, formerly called Statoil, is a Norwegian energy giant primarily in the oil and gas business. The company has announced a new investment focus in onshore and offshore renewables, adopting hydrogen, ammonia, and biofuels, in a move to net-zero by 2050. [Oil and Gas Republic]

¶ “Enel Toasts 90-MW Russian Wind Success” • Enel Russia has officially opened a 90-MW wind farm at Azov in the Rostov region of Russia. The 26-turbine project, which is spread across 133 hectares, will generate around 320 GWh of electricity per year. Capital expenditures on the wind farm were €135 million, according to Enel. [reNEWS]

Azov wind farm (Enel image)

¶ “Adani Group To Add 5 GW Green Energy A Year For Next Decade” • Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani in a letter to shareholders said the company is aligning with India’s goal of becoming the world’s biggest player in renewable energy. The group has also set a target for itself to become the biggest solar power producer in the world. [Energy News India]

US:

¶ “Tesla Model S Plaid Defeats Cars Built To Win At Pikes Peak ” • It is “The Race to the Clouds.” The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, winds through 156 turns over 12.42 miles to the summit of Pikes Peak. Not only did the Tesla Model S Plaid win in the Exhibition class, but it won by a huge margin and defeated some cars built to win. [CleanTechnica]

Pikes Peak Highway (Joe Dudeck, Unsplash)

¶ “Oracle Commits To Powering Its Global Operations With Renewable Energy By 2025” • Oracle expanded its commitment to sustainability, pledging to power its global operations, both its facilities and its cloud, with 100% renewable energy by 2025, a press release says. Oracle’s renewable energy goal builds on its existing sustainability priorities. [The Independent]

¶ “Renewable sources provided more than a quarter of US electrical generation in April” • Renewable energy sources set a record in April 2021, generating 25.7% of total US electricity. Solar and wind’s output during April were 29.9% and 22.1% greater, respectively, than a year earlier, a SUN DAY Campaign analysis of EIA data shows. [Renewables Now]

Have a richly rewarding day.

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Opinion:

¶ “If All Goes According To (Renewable Energy) Plan, Texas Will Be Fine” • Extreme weather has been punching holes in Texas’ legendary ERCOT power, leading some to predict years of doom ahead. But Texas also has some renewable energy options up its sleeve, and new pathways for improved resiliency and stability are popping up across the state. [CleanTechnica]

Growth of renewable energy sources (US EIA, screenshot)

¶ “Explaining The Joe Biden And Congressional Agreement On Bipartisan Infrastructure Package And Cleantech And Climate Policies Coming Hand In Hand” • A lot has been made of the fact that the infrastructure bill Democrats and Republicans are ready to pass is extremely watered down. It may pass, but not as it is. Here is an explanation. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “NASA Satellite Data Used To Track Ocean Microplastics From Space” • Scientists from the University of Michigan developed an innovative way to use NASA satellite data to track the movement of tiny pieces of plastic in the ocean. The new technique relies on data from eight satellites of NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System. [CleanTechnica]

Ocean (Sean Oulashin, Unsplash)

¶ “Found In Missouri’s Wetlands, These Bacteria Could Help Scientists Combat Climate Change” • Found in wetlands from Missouri to Massachusetts, photoferrotrophs could be absorbing carbon dioxide on a large scale, underscoring the importance of conserving these threatened habitats, according to Washington University scientists. [KCUR]

¶ “Emissions Cause Delay In Rainfall” • Earth bears many signs of human influence, from warming that exceeds pre-industrial temperatures to a rising sea. Now we can add to that list the human influence on the timing of Earth’s water cycle, revealed by a study led by researchers at the US DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. [CleanTechnica]

Rain (Inge Maria, Unsplash)

¶ “Adapting To An Uncertain Climate Future, Connecticut Is Auditioning New Forests” • Working with Audubon Connecticut, the state and other experts, Avalonia Land Conservancy decided to clear five small areas to remove dead and dying trees. Two of these will be used to plant trees that are used to the new climate conditions of global warming. [The CT Mirror]

World:

¶ “Tesla’s “Recall” Of 285,000 (Or 249,000) Vehicles In China Is Just A Simple Software Update” • A recall of Tesla cars in China was reported by various news media. It is not what one might imagine, however. People do not have to return their cars or bring them to a garage for work. It is a software update, done “over-the-air.” [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model 3 (Image courtesy of Tesla China)

¶ “Only Renewable Energy A Viable Solution: Minister” • In Pakistan, Punjab Minister for Energy Dr Muhammad Akhtar Malik said the only viable solution to meet the demand of cheap electricity is renewable energy. He spoke to the media at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad during the inaugural ceremony of a solar project. [Daily Times]

¶ “Rajasthan Emerging As Renewable Energy Leader” • The Indian state of Rajasthan is emerging as a leader in renewable energy, and the need of the hour is to think constructively to move forward and capitalize on the huge potential of renewable energy in the state, said Rohit Gupta, Managing Director of Rajasthan Urja Vikas Nigam Limited. [KNN India]

Lake palace at Jaipur, Rajasthan (srikanth ingilela, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Technology Commercialization Fund Has Awarded NREL $5 Million To Bring More Tech To Market” • The DOE has funded 16 National Renewable Energy Laboratory awards through its Technology Commercialization Fund. The $5 million funded by DOE is matched with another $5.1 million of non-federal funds provided by industry partners. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Tesla Showroom In Connecticut Put On Hold Over Dealership Lawsuit” • East Hartford’s Planning and Zoning Commission put on hold a special use permit and site plan modification for Tesla’s showroom and service center. The town wants to wait for advice from its lawyer regarding the lawsuit brought on the town and Tesla by Hoffman Auto Group. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model 3 (Vlad Tchompalov, Unsplash)

¶ “Human-Caused Climate Change Likely A Factor In Southwest Heat Wave, Scientists Say” • When the Southwest baked in record heat this month, the immediate cause was what is called a heat dome, a ridge of high-pressure air. But extreme heat waves are increasing made worse by climate change, four climate scientists told the Arizona Daily Star. [Arizona Daily Star]

¶ “‘Horrible and Unconscionable Betrayal’: Biden DOJ Backs Trump Tar Sands Pipeline Approval” • The Biden administration filed a legal brief backing the Trump Administration’s approval of the Line 3 tar sands pipline project. Indigenous groups and environmental activists fighting against the Line 3 tar sands pipeline were outraged. [EcoWatch]

US DOJ building (Coolcaesar, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Oregon Lawmakers Approve Ambitious Carbon-Reduction Goals For State Energy Grid” • Oregon’s power grid will largely eliminate carbon emissions by 2040 under a bill that got final approval by state lawmakers on Saturday, setting one of the nation’s most ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector. [OPB]

¶ “Hawaii Options For Green Energy Abound” • When it comes to Hawaii’s race to 100% renewable energy by 2045, experts on energy are leaving no offshore wind possibility unexplored and no volcano unnoticed . Maui has six renewable energy projects in the pipeline, and it’s not the only island making strides toward green energy. [Maui News]

Have a totally safe day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Next IPCC Report Details Irreversible Tipping Points While Politicians Wrangle” • In the past, reports from the IPCC have been criticized for being too clinical and lacking a sense of urgency. Not this time. A draft of the upcoming report has been obtained by Agence France-Presse, according to The Guardian, and it pulls no punches. [CleanTechnica]

Cave in a melting glacier (Davide Cantelli, Unsplash)

¶ “Why Renewable Energy Stocks Will Thrive Even During A Recession” • In renewable energy, there are major tailwinds that drive growth even through recessions. The cost of renewable energy is coming down, fossil fuel costs are rising long term, there’s a political desire to build renewable energy production, and there are low interest rates. [The Motley Fool]

¶ “On Climate, Iowa Farmers Are Between A Rock And A Hard Place” • An Iowa State University poll found that among those who make their living on Iowa’s farms, 81% believe our climate is changing but only 18% accept the clear scientific evidence that humans are the cause. Why the disparity? It has to do with their political tribe. [The Des Moines Register]

Iowa farm (Kelcy Gatson, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “North American Renewable Integration Study Highlights Opportunities For A Coordinated, Continental Low-Carbon Grid” • Results of a study, given in a series of reports, show that a future low-carbon North American grid can be achieved through multiple pathways that can balance supply and demand using a variety of flexible resources. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Texas Matters: The State Of Climate Change Denial” • The climate change deniers are more than undeterred in their firmly held belief it’s is a hoax, it’s not that bad, or it’s a liberal fantasy that’s trying to take away F-150’s and cheeseburgers. But the science has never been more clear and in agreement: The planet is warming and we are in danger. [Texas Public Radio]

Warming Earth (NASA image)

¶ “Ethane proxies for methane in oil and gas emissions” •  An international team of scientists spent three years flying over areas of the US, measuring ethane in the atmosphere. Their work shows that the amounts of methane going into the atmosphere from oil and gas wells and contributing to greenhouse warming is higher than the EPA thought. [ScienceDaily]

World:

¶ “Railways In The Time Of Climate Change” • An interim report from an ongoing investigation of a railway accident in Scotland highlights the existence of a strong link between infrastructural damages and climate. Network Rail said the response to extreme weather must be improved and considerations of climate change must be embedded in standards. [CleanTechnica]

Glenfinnan Viaduct (Connor Mollison, Unsplash)

¶ “Tesla Model 3 #1 In May In Europe” • The European passenger plugin vehicle market continues on the rise, with over 178,000 registrations in April and 796,000 registrations YTD. This is up 158% year over year. Last month’s plugin vehicle share of the overall auto market was 16%, of which half are full electrics, and the Tesla Model 3 placed first. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Renewable Energy Firm Installs Its 1,000th Offshore Wind Turbine In UK Waters” • A landmark moment in UK wind energy was reached this week, when offshore developer Ørsted unveiled the finished construction of its 1,000th turbine in UK waters. The turbine itself is a part of the firm’s existing Hornsea Two project off the East Yorkshire coast. [TechRadar]

Wind turbines (Pexels image)

¶ “India’s Renewable Energy Got $70 Billion Investment In 7 Years” • Power Minister RK Singh said that as much as $70 billion (about ₹5.2 lakh crore) has been invested in renewable energy across India in the past seven years. This assumes significance in view of India’s ambitious target of having 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022. [Millennium Post]

US:

¶ “House Passes Resolution That Would Repeal A Trump-Era EPA Rule On Methane Emissions” • The House voted to repeal a Trump-era rule that rolled back methane emissions regulations for oil and gas industries, sending a resolution to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature as his administration looks to combat climate change. [CNN]

Santee Cooper (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)

¶ “Hawaii Department Of Transportation Has Fleet Of Teslas That Is Helping The State Save Money” • Hawaiian news station KHON2 had a few concerns about Hawaii’s decision to outfit its State Department of Transportation with a fleet of Teslas. A lot of people had asked about them. The DOT said it bought Teslas because they had the lowest cost. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Oil & Gas Execs Are Struggling To Attract Investors And Blaming Clean Energy For Their Woes” • The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas released its Q2 2021 Energy Survey, and it makes one thing clear: Oil and gas companies are struggling to find investors. The report included some responses that oil and gas executives gave to a survey. [CleanTechnica]

Oil rig (Photo courtesy of Pixabay/Pexels, CC0)

¶ “Environmental Science Research Project For West Virginia University Receives Funding” • The National Science Foundation awarded almost $250,000 for an environmental science research project at West Virginia University. The project uses cameras on observation towers and laser measurements to study the impact of climate change on trees. [WVNews]

¶ “‘Jaw-Dropping’ Forecast Is Warning Sign Of Climate Change’s Future Impact In Washington, Scientists Say” • It’s a forecast so hot that it left some seasoned meteorologists initially in disbelief. Weekend temperatures are expected to approach 100° in Seattle and reach 115° in Eastern Washington, threatening to set records and upend people’s lives. [Union-Bulletin] 

Have a singularly gorgeous day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Oil Companies Should Prepare For Slow Decline Instead Of Playing Stupid Games” • The best thing oil companies could be doing right now isn’t getting caught peddling useless lies. Instead of playing games they can’t win in the long run, oil companies should accept that they’re in a declining industry and figure out how to get oil’s endgame right. [CleanTechnica]

Pump jack (Granger Meador, Unsplash)

¶ “Denial Doesn’t Make It Rain” • There hasn’t been much noise from climate change deniers this week. Maybe the silence is due to the unprecedented heatwave in the West and Southwest. The photos of livestock roaming brown fields with no grass might encourage the deniers to lay low. Then there are the photos of Lake Mead. [Chattanooga Times Free Press]

World:

¶ “Britain Still Lacks A Plan To Hit Its Bold Climate Goals” • The UK will fail to meet the government’s “historic climate promises” if it doesn’t urgently consider the policies it needs to reach its goal of decarbonizing the economy, said the Climate Change Committee, the UK’s official climate watchdog, which advises the government on emissions targets. [CNN]

London (Eva Dang, Unsplash)

¶ “US Secretary Of Energy Granholm, Canadian Minister Of Natural Resources O’Regan Launch Cooperative Agreement On Clean Energy, Innovation, And Energy Justice” • The US and Canada signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation on energy at a bilateral meeting. They also released a study to inform energy stakeholders. [Department of Energy]

¶ “Vestas Secures Its Largest Wind Turbine Order Ever In France And Is Nearing 6 GW Of Wind Power In France!” • Starting the summer with some strongly positive news, Vestas Mediterranean announced that TTR Energy placed a 122-MW order for the Sud Marne wind park in Marne, France. The contract is for a total of 30 V150-4.2 MW wind turbines. [CleanTechnica]

Vestas wind turbines (Vestas courtesy image)

¶ “Zimbabwe Vows To Bring Ten Renewable Energy Projects Online By Year End” • Zimbabwe expects 100 MW of electric capacity to be added to the national grid from renewable energy projects by the end of this year, with an additional 50 MW in thermal power, a government minister said. Zimbabwe has been enduring load shedding. [News24]

¶ “Vestas Wins Arcadis Ost 1 Turbine Order” • Vestas has secured a firm order for the 257-MW Arcadis Ost 1 offshore wind project from Parkwind. The Danish manufacturer will deliver 27 9.5-MW turbines for the project. The turbines will be installed using a new floating installation method, an industry-first, instead of the typical method using a jack-up vessel. [reNEWS]

Vestas turbines (Vestas image)

¶ “India’s Reliance Industries Unveils $10 Billion Renewable Energy Push” • Indian oil-to-telecom giant Reliance Industries unveiled plans to invest $10 billion (₹41.16 billion) in renewable energy over the next three years as India struggles to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. Reliance has been primarily an oil and petrochemicals business. [The Sun Daily]

US:

¶ “Biden Backs $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Bill But Places Big Condition” • The US Senate has struck an agreement for a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, after a meeting between President Joe Biden and a cross-party group of senators at the White House. The eight-year plan includes funding for roads, bridges, the power grid, public transport and internet. [BBC]

White House (David Everett Strickler, Unsplash)

¶ “Biden Bans Certain Solar Panel Materials From Chinese Company Over Forced Labor” • The Biden administration announced it was blocking the import of certain materials used in solar panels from a company in China, over allegations of forced labor and restricting imports from five companies over human rights abuses. [CNN]

¶ “Climate Change Could Make Old Faithful Less Faithful” • A report from USGS and university scientists says climate change is driving up temperatures and reducing snowfall at Yellowstone National Park. It has seen annual snowfall drop by nearly 2 feet since 1950, and may see even less snow in the future, to the point of affecting the timing of Old Faithful. [CleanTechnica]

Old Faithful (Emily Campbell, Unsplash)

¶ “Cars.Com Names Tesla Model 3 Most American-Made Vehicle In 2021” • The Cars.com American-Made Index has crowned the Tesla Model 3 as the most American-made vehicle for 2021, from a list of 90 cars. The index has been running since 2006 and Marketwatch noted that this is the first time an all-electric car has claimed the title. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Miami Takes Another Step Into The Future With 42 Proterra Electric Buses” • Miami-Dade county has taken another step towards the electric future by adding 42 Proterra ZX5+ buses to its rapidly growing electric bus fleet, bringing the grand total of Proterra-built EVs operating in Miami to 75. Miami will also install 75 high-capacity chargers. [CleanTechnica]

Proterra buses charging (Proterra image)

¶ “San Diego International Airport To Run On 100% Renewable Energy” • San Diego International Airport announced that it had entered into a partnership with San Diego Community Power to supply the airport with 100% renewable electricity. This puts the Southern California airport way ahead of its target to run solely on renewables by 2035. [Simple Flying]

¶ “REV Celebrates Pollinator Week And Ecosystem Benefits Of Solar” • Renewable Energy Vermont’s fifteenth annual Pollinator Week, June 21-27, is an international celebration promoting the value of bees and other pollinating insects. Vermont’s solar businesses are playing a significant role in re-establishing critical pollinator habitat. [Vermont Business Magazine]

Have an outrageously delightful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “The Great EVs For USPS Debate Continues As Workhorse Sues Over Lost Contract” • It was a surprise when the contract to build a fleet of vehicles for the USPS went to Oshkosh Defense, whose bid called for a mix consisting of 90% gasoline-powered and 10% battery EVs. It is not a surprise that Workhorse is suing over that contract award. [CleanTechnica]

USPS prototype vehicle (Courtesy of Workhorse)

¶ “These Oil Pipelines Violate US Clean Water Act, Should Have Approval Withdrawn” • The Clean Water Act is meant to protect our surface waters from pollution. The law is strong, but when it comes to CWA permits for pipelines, its implementation is not where it needs to be. The Trump administration rollbacks on protections must be reversed. [CleanTechnica]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Ground Temps Reached 118°F In The Arctic Circle Yesterday” • Ground temperatures in Siberia have reached 118°F, Gizmodo reported while sharing the newly published satellite images. It should be noted that the temperature recorded is a land surface temperature, not air. But it is land where there is permafrost below the surface, and it is melting. [CleanTechnica]

Satellite image (Copernicus Sentinel-3, European Union)

¶ “New UN Climate Change Report Vindicates Biden’s Climate Infrastructure Plan” • Agence France-Presse recently obtained a draft of a new report from the UN’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the news was not good. Anthropogenic climate change is creeping toward a tipping point where society as we know it can no longer sustain itself. [MSNBC]

¶ “Climate Impacts To Hit Sooner – UN Report” • Dangerous thresholds are closer than once thought. Species extinction, widespread disease, unliveable heat, ecosystem collapse, cities menaced by rising seas – these and other devastating climate impacts are accelerating and bound to become painfully obvious before a child born today turns 30. [The Manila Times]

Weather threat (John Fowler, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Climate Change Has Pushed A Million People In Madagascar To The ‘Edge Of Starvation,’ UN Says” • The African island of Madagascar has been plagued with back-to-back droughts, which have pushed 1.14 million people “right to the very edge of starvation,” World Food Programme executive director David Beasley said in a news release. [CNN]

¶ “Gujarat Releases Comprehensive EV Policy” • The Indian state of Gujarat has just launched a progressive and future-looking EV policy. One out of every three passenger cars manufactured in India is made in Gujarat. The state’s new policy announcement will provide a fillip to the electric mobility ecosystem for the entire country. [CleanTechnica]

Road in Ahmedabad (Gufran Khan, CC-BT-SA 3.0)

¶ “Drax Kicks Off Cruachan Expansion Planning Process” • Drax Group plans to build an underground pumped hydro storage station to double the generating capacity at its Cruachan plant in Scotland. The project will support almost 900 jobs in rural areas during construction and will provide storage capacity needed for a net zero power system, Drax said. [reNEWS]

¶ “Togo Unveils Its First Renewable Energy Project” • The 50-MW Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed solar PV project, Togo’s first renewable energy facility and one of the largest PV projects in West Africa, is now operational. Togo aims to have the share of renewable energy in its energy mix at 50% by 2025 and 100% by 2030. [Power Engineering International]

PV project (Image courtesy of IRENA)

¶ “Oracle Pledges To Power Its Global Operations With 100% Renewable Energy” • Oracle announced plans to power its global operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025. The new plans include both its facilities and cloud operations. The commitment builds on the existing sustainability priorities previously pledged by the company. [ZDNet]

¶ “‘Rapid’ Rejection Of $50 Billion Renewable Energy Hub Raises Concerns” • The Western Australia government raised concerns about the federal environment department’s rejection of plans for the Asian Renewable Energy Hub, but the consortium behind the project said it will work to amend the plans so the project can go ahead. [pv magazine Australia]

Solar array (GCL SI image)

US:

¶ “DC Circuit Moves To Vacate Spire STL Certificate – Finds FERC Scrutiny Lacking” • Agreeing with the Environmental Defense Fund, a panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit decided to vacate the certificate for the Spire STL Pipeline, finding that FERC had not seriously engaged the arguments against certification. [S&P Global]

¶ “Colorado Steps Up For Healthy Homes And Good Jobs” • In Colorado, Governor Jared Polis signed the first of four cutting-edge energy laws this week to reduce climate-warming emissions as well as unhealthy pollution in homes and places of work. The new laws will put Colorado’s building sector on track to meet the state’s climate goals. [CleanTechnica]

Home with PVs and storage (Image courtesy of sonnen)

¶ “Maine Legislators Hope To Make Northern Maine A Hub Of Renewable Power Exports” • Most of northern Maine is set up separately from the ISO New England grid. A bill to connect that area to ISO New England has passed the state House and Senate, and awaits action from Governor Janet Mills. It would allow the area to export power. [The County]

¶ “Amazon To Build Two Solar Farms In The Mid-South To Meet Renewable Energy Goals” • E-commerce giant Amazon will be building two solar power farms in the Mid-South, the company announced. The move is part of Amazon’s goal to power all its activities through renewable energy by 2025 and reach net-zero carbon by 2040. [The Commercial Appeal]

Have a thoroughly fortunate day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Greener Oil Or Green Industry? Gridlock Puts Norway In A Bind” • Oslo is loath to relinquish Norway’s lucrative position as one of the world’s top oil and gas producers, accounting for over 40% of its exports. Instead it wants to make the industry greener. Critics of the plan are calling it “greenwashing,” as it flies in the face of shifting away from fossil fuels. [Reuters]

Offshore oil rig being dismantled (Kevin Harris, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Volvo Announces Plan To Develop Fossil-Free Steel” • No matter how progressive a car maker gets, no matter how seriously it takes recycling or examines its supply chain, modern cars need steel, and manufacturing steel without the use of fossil fuels is a challenge. Luckily, it’s a challenge that Volvo, at least, seems to be willing to take on. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Most New Wind And Solar Projects Will Be Cheaper Than Coal, Report Finds” • Globally, 62% of wind and solar projects built last year are able to generate cheaper electricity than even the world’s cheapest new coal plants, an International Renewable Energy Agency report says. Renewables could undercut the price of energy from 800 GW of coal plants. [The Guardian]

Wind turbines (Charl Folscher, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “12% Plugin Vehicle Share In China!” • Plugins are a hot item in China, having scored over 190,000 registrations last month and jumping 146% compared to the same month last year, with BEVs in particular growing even faster, at a 153% growth rate. Looking at May’s best sellers, Tesla models placed at numbers two and three for Chinese sales. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The Scandinavian Way To Zero-Carbon Construction” • The words quiet, clean, and green are not what you would typically use to describe a construction site. But the site at Olav Vs gate, one of the busiest streets in the heart of Oslo, was special. In a first of its kind, all the machines used there – excavators, diggers, and loaders – were electric. [BBC]

Electric equipment (Climate Agency, City of Oslo)

¶ “Senate Sinks Angus Taylor’s Plan To Allow Renewables Agency To Invest In Fossil Fuel Technologies” • The Australian Senate voted not to allow the Australian Renewable Energy Agency to expand its investments to allow it to support carbon capture and storage, generating hydrogen from natural gas, and technologies that relate to use of fossil fuels. [The Guardian]

¶ “EDF To Supply Scots Distilleries With Wind Power” • EDF has signed a four-year deal to supply UK spirits business Edrington with 100% renewable energy from October 2021. This will mean that all Edrington’s Scottish distilleries, The Macallan, Highland Park, The Glenrothes, and other sites will be supplied with electricity from wind turbines. [reNEWS]

Wind turbine (EDF image)

¶ “Corporate Demand Drives Renewables As Amazon Becomes Worlds Largest Buyer” • With the announcement of fourteen new renewable energy projects in the US, Canada, Finland, and Spain, Amazon brings its renewable energy investments to 10-GW of capacity. It also becomes the largest corporate buyer of clean energy in the US and globally. [Forbes]

¶ “As Japan Reboots Ageing Mihama Nuclear Reactor, Experts Express Concern” • The head of a major inquiry into Japan’s nuclear disaster and a former senior Cabinet adviser have sounded alarms over plans this week to restart a 44-year old reactor, saying the industry and government have not taken on board the lessons from Fukushima. [USNews.com]

Mihama nuclear plant (藤谷良秀, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

US:

¶ “Refinery That Rained Oil Shuts Down ‘Indefinitely'” • The Limetree Bay refinery that rained oil on St. Croix neighborhoods will remain shut down “indefinitely,” its private equity owners said. The EPA shut down the refinery in May for 60 days after it spewed oil onto nearby mainly Black and Latino neighborhoods twice since reoponing in February. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “California’s Historic Drought Is Causing Drinking Water To Taste Like Dirt” • Up and down California, rivers, streams and reservoirs are drying up. In Sacramento, that caused an increase in the concentration of geosmin in its drinking water, one of two organic compounds that give soil its characteristic smell. City officials say it’s still safe to drink. [CNN]

Glass of water (Manki Kim, Unsplash)

¶ “Culver City Votes To Phase Out Oil Drilling” • The Culver City Council voted 4-1 to phase out oil drilling within its portion of the Inglewood Oil Field. This vote was a bold and unprecedented step that residents and advocates have been pushing toward for many years. Phasing out the oil drilling operations is a sensible step for many reasons. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Leeward Signs Off-take For 145-MW Colorado Wind Farm” • Leeward Renewable Energy signed a power purchase agreement with Guzman Energy for its 145-MW Panorama wind farm in Colorado. Construction of the facility’s 60 Vestas wind turbines will begin this year in early July and is expected to be completed in December 2021. [reNEWS]

Wind turbines (Leeward image)

¶ “Researchers Identify Near-Term Opportunity For Heavy-Duty Electric Trucks” • Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in collaboration with two electric utilities, recently studied a promising opportunity for near-term electrification of heavy-duty trucks through depot charging. The work is detailed in a recent Nature Energy article. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Hanover, Lebanon Eye ‘Community Power’ To Offer Control Over Energy Sourcing” • Voters will decide next month whether to bring “community power” to Hanover, New Hampshire, so more environmentally friendly sources of energy are available to users. And Lebanon is also working on a proposal for ratepayers to switch to community power. [Valley News]

Have an extraordinarily amusing day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Electric Planes Are Inevitable” • Becausee airlines are one of the more carbon-intensive industries, they will start facing regulatory challenges, unless they become less carbon-intensive. That is, unless they take fighting climate change seriously and see it as something they need to do rather than as an act to simply appear green. [CleanTechnica]

Electric airplane concept (Airbus image)

¶ “How The EU’s Renewable Energy Directive Risks Destroying Europe’s Forests” • To meet their 2020 renewable energy targets, EU Member States have overseen large increases in renewables. This has included a less welcome development: a near doubling in the amount of energy derived from solid biomass, which is classified as zero carbon. [EURACTIV.com]

World:

¶ “Great Barrier Reef Should Be Listed As ‘In Danger’, UNESCO Says” • The Great Barrier Reef should be put on a list of World Heritage Sites that are “in danger” over harm caused by climate change, UNESCO says. It is urging Australia to take “accelerated action” on global warming. But the Australian government said it would “strongly oppose” the recommendation. [BBC]

Great Barrier Reef (Kristin Hoel, Unsplash)

¶ “Porsche Inks Battery Deal With Customcells, Volvo Partners With Northvolt” • The EV revolution is happening, but some worry that China will control the battery supply. Joe Biden is proposing a policy to support making more battery factories in the US, and the German government is pressuring companies to buy batteries made in Germany. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Tesla Honors The Historical Silk Road With The Longest Supercharger Route From East To West In China” • Tesla tweeted from its Tesla Greater China account that it has just opened the longest Supercharger route from east to west in China. The tweet included a stunning video and a nod to China’s historic Silk Road and efforts to modernize it. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla on the Silk Road (Tesla image)

¶ “NTPC Doubles 2032 Renewables Target To 60 GW” • Indian state-run power producer NTPC has 1,350 MW of installed renewable energy capacity. Earlier, the company announced a target to have 30,000 MW of renewable capacity by 2032, but in a recent conference call, it told investors it has doubled its target for 2032 to 60,000 MW. [Energy News India]

¶ “Albania Opens First Onshore Wind Tender” • Albania has today launched its first tender for onshore wind totaling between 100 MW and 150 MW. Individual projects with a capacity of between 10 MW and 75 MW can apply, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said. Qualification submissions are due by mid-June 2022. [reNEWS]

Installing a turbine rotor (EBRD image)

¶ “ESB To Demolish Ex-Midlands Power Plants To Build Renewable Energy Centers” • The ESB plans to redevelop the sites of two former peat-based stations in the Irish midlands and create new renewable energy centers. ESB says it considered “commercial and climate action realities,” and found no viable way to repurpose the plants. [Irish Farmers Journal]

¶ “WoodMac Sees APAC Wind And Solar Investments Topping $1.3 Trillion By 2030” • Asia-Pacific investments in wind and solar will hit $1.3 trillion this decade, according to analysts at Wood Mackenzie, more than double the level in the 2010s. The analysts project carbon emissions from the power industry to peak at 7.3 billion tonnes in 2025. [Stockhead]

Wind turbines (Thomas Reaubourg, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Republicans Want EV Owners To Pay For US Infrastructure Upgrades” • There is a popular myth that the federal tax on fuel pays for maintaining and repairing America’s roads, bridges, and tunnels. It is simply not true. Nevertheless, on Face The Nation, Senator Susan Collins (R, ME) said users of EVs were “free riders” who should be forced to pay a fee. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Volkswagen Rethinks US Sales Strategy After Biden EV Push” • According to a report by The Detroit Bureau, Thomas Ulbrich, Volkswagen’s product development officer, told the press that his company will “realign … in a massive way” its EV sales strategy in the US as a result of President Biden’s policy initiatives designed to boost EV adoption. [CleanTechnica]

Volkswagen concept bus (Image courtesy of Volkswagen)

¶ “Two US Senators Introduce Bill To Strengthen Gulf Revenue Sharing Program” • Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA) introduced the Reinvesting in Shoreline Economies & Ecosystems Act. The act would create a dedicated stream of funding from future offshore wind development for coastal protection and resiliency. [Bill Cassidy]

¶ “Greenlink Nevada Gets Green Light To Power Up” • With the Nevada state Legislature pushing the accelerator, NV Energy will ramp up its efforts on the largest extra-high-voltage transmission line project in Nevada history. The $2.5-billion Greenlink Nevada project aims to promote renewable energy development and strengthen the grid. [Engineering News-Record]

Turquoise Solar construction (Sumitomo Corp of Americas)

¶ “Feds Looking To Expand Wind Energy Offshore East, West Coast, And Gulf Of Mexico” • The Department of Interior may have paused federal oil and natural gas leasing, but it is looking to deploy 30 GW of offshore wind capacity on US coastlines by 2030. A competitive lease sale to kick things off is planned in the New York Bight. [Natural Gas Intelligence]

¶ “NRC Conducting Special Inspection Of Georgia Nuclear Plant Construction” • The NRC is starting a special inspection of the construction of Georgia Power’s Vogtle-3 nuclear reactor, after the owners reported significant cable installation errors. NRC inspectors will review why the system for electrical power cabling was not installed properly. [S&P Global]

Have an uncompromisingly merry day.

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Opinion:

¶ “The Save Our Future Act Offers Blueprint For Supporting Coal Workers And Communities” • Two US Senators introduced a solutions-oriented bill that would put a price on emissions of greenhouse gases and use the revenues to mitigate impacts of the policy on consumers, workers, and communities. The bill would help coal miners and their communities. [CleanTechnica]

Job building wind turbines (Science in HD, Unsplash)

¶ “Australia Will Likely Adopt A Net-Zero Target By COP26. It Will Be A Bad Target” • Scott Morrison has said, tens of times, that he’d like to reach net zero emissions by 2050, ’preferably.’ Here’s the thing: when you prefer something to happen, you often act like you prefer it to happen. But climate change is a real thing. It is not a political thing. [Renew Economy]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Greenest Power Source: Retrofitting Hydropower Onto Existing Dams” • A good part of the water supply dams in Africa and Asia are used for soil irrigation, drinking water, and flood control, but not to produce electricity. In some areas, only 10% to 15% of them are used for hydropower. Many could be retrofitted to do so. [The Maritime Executive]

Srisailam hydroelectric dam (Tejj, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “GEM Is A Gem In The Battery Recycling Industry That Was Inspired By A Toothpaste Experiment” • The name of GEM Co, Ltd, stands for “Green, Eco-manufacture.” It has a large battery recycling plant in China and over ten years of experience. Its chairman, Kaihua Xu, started with recycling tin from toothpaste tubes as a college project in 1985. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Indigenous Groups In Brazil Worry Covid Will Exacerbate Wildfire Smoke” • As climate change is making wildfires worse, indigenous groups in Brazil are worried the health impacts of the inescapable smoke from the upcoming fire season will be deadly just as many struggle with the after-effects of COVID-19, Thomson Reuters reports. [CleanTechnica]

Red sky (Vinícius Henrique Photography, Unsplash)

¶ “BayWa RE Continues Expansion In Ireland In Partnership With Rengen Power” • BayWa re has announced a partnership with Irish renewable energy company Rengen Power, which is headquartered in Ennis, County Clare. BayWa re and Rengen Power aim to develop and deliver 350 MW of wind capacity over the next three years. [PV Magazine]

¶ “Environment Minister Rules Huge Renewable Energy Hub In WA ‘Clearly Unacceptable’” • A 26-GW renewable energy export development in the Pilbara region of Western Australia has been declared “clearly unacceptable” by the federal environment minister due to its impact on threatened migratory species and internationally recognized wetlands. [The Guardian]

Wetland in the Pilbara (Government of Western Australia)

¶ “Australia Integrates Long-Duration Storage With Hybrid Solar-Hydro” • RayGen Resources is set to build what it claims to be the country’s first hybrid solar-hydro power plant in north-west Victoria. The demonstration project will comprise a 4-MW solar PV generation system and 3-MW / 50-MWH of storage capacity. [Power Engineering International]

¶ “IKEA, Rockefeller Foundation Collaborate To Set Up $1 Billion Global Platform” • The IKEA Foundation and The Rockefeller Foundation announced that they will join forces to set up a $1 billion platform to fight climate change and energy poverty. The platform, launching this year, aims to provide a billion people with renewable distributed energy. [MENAFN.com]

Installing solar power in Malawi (JonStrand, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

US:

¶ “Auto Dealerships Win Big In Connecticut – At The Expense Of Tesla, Rivian, And Clean Air” • In Connecticut, many people were hoping the EV Freedom Bill would pass, but it didn’t. Auto dealerships lobbied hard to fight this bill, and they won. One is even suing Tesla because they want to prevent Tesla from selling to its customers in its town. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “NREL Announces Plans To Collaborate With Georgia Institute Of Technology” • The US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Georgia Institute of Technology have signed a memorandum of understanding to bolster the interactions, collaborations, and joint scientific output of both institutions. [CleanTechnica]

Georgia Institute of Technology (NREL image)

¶ “Prysmian Swoops For 2.1-GW US Green Link” • Prysmian Group was selected as preferred supplier of high-voltage direct current cable systems for the 2100-MW SOO Green HVDC Link. The project will connect two of the largest energy markets in the US, the Midwest Independent System serving the central US to the eastern PJM Interconnection. [reNEWS]

¶ “Cold Climate Housing Research Center Completes Year 1 As NREL’s Subarctic Laboratory” • The National Renewable Energy Laboratory expanded from its sunny campus in the foothills of Golden, Colorado, to the frozen tundra of Fairbanks, Alaska, one year ago, by adding the Cold Climate Housing Research Center to its team. [CleanTechnica]

Cold Climate Housing Research Center (NREL, DOE image)

¶ “A Look At Tesla’s Conflict Minerals Report” • Tesla released its Conflict Mineral Report for the year ending December 31, 2019. One common myth about Tesla and mining is that Tesla is using child or slave labor. Tesla ensured that it obtains the minerals in its products humanely and that it doesn’t use child labor, slavery, or human trafficking. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ohio Bill To Reform Electric Rates Aims To Preserve Coal Plant Subsidies” • A new plan is on the table to phase out rate programs that have let Ohio’s electric utilities collect billions in subsidies over the past 12 years. But the bill aims to continue coal plant subsidies and is worded vaguely enough that even nuclear plants might be subsidized. [Energy News Network]

Have a truly splendid day.

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Opinion:

¶ “American West is drying out. Things will get ugly” • A depleted Lake Mead illustrates the effects of a drought brought on by climate change. Stories are popping up across the West of possible rationing, coming restrictions and looming standoffs between farmers and the government over the most precious natural resource. [CNN]

Drought in California, 2014 (Pete Souza, White House photo)

¶ “The Fully Electric Future Of Landscape Maintenance” • You have probably noticed the electric car ads on television and the news about automakers promising to go all-electric in the next 10 years. You may not have noticed the same thing happening in the world of outdoor landscape maintenance equipment, but it is, and it’s happening faster. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The Fires Of The Past Foretell The Fires Of The Future” • During the past two decades, we Coloradans have gotten used to billowing clouds of smoke over the mountains in summer. But 2020’s fires broke records. They seem to have usher in a whole new and terrifying “normal,” when the fires start before summer, and they stay around in the fall. [Sierra Club]

Smoky sunset (Kym MacKinnon, Unsplash)

¶ “Why Norway Leads In EVs – And The Role Played By Cheap Renewable Electricity” • Norway leads the world: 60% of new cars sold are EVs, compared with 2% in the US. How did they do it, and what can the rest of the world learn from Norway? Three posts explain why Norway leads in electric vehicle uptake and why the USA can be optimistic. [Forbes]

Science and Technology:

¶ “Drought And Extreme Heat In The US West – The Climate Change Connection” • The American West has been blasted with sweltering heat this week, but it is just part of a decades-long drought. Simon Wang, a professor of climate dynamics at Utah State University, commented, “As a meteorologist, of course, this isn’t a surprise.” [Digital Journal]

Dried river bed (NOAA image)

¶ “Superpedestrian Bringing ‘World’s Safest And Smartest E-Scooter’ To Sharing Service In 30 European Cities This Year” • Superpedestrian claims to use the safest and smartest electric scooter in the world, the LINK. It has 73 sensors and 5 processors. It took 8 years to develop the AI system, and 2 years to design and validate the chassis and powertrain. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Tesla Adapted Model 3 For UK Emergency Services – Police, Fire, Ambulance, Paramedics” • In the UK, Tesla made a new Model 3 police car available to emergency services. It is being used for trials as a part of the UK government’s Road To Zero strategy. The Model 3 is specially adapted to enable emergency services to transition fleets to EVs. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla police car (Photo courtesy of Tesla UK)

¶ “DP Energy Joins Forces With Spanish Giant Iberdrola To Develop Offshore Wind Projects” • From its headquarters in north Cork, DP Energy operates sustainable energy projects in Ireland, Scotland, Canada, and Australia. Now the company has partnered with Spanish energy giant Iberdrola to develop three wind projects off the Irish coast. [Business Post]

¶ “Trillions Available To Support The Global Energy Transition” • The just energy transition has already kicked off in Africa, but it is going to require the scaling up of investment in renewable energy. There is enough finance already available in the global economy, according to Dr Olufunso Somorin of the African Development Bank. [News24]

Wind turbines in South Africa (Charl Folscher, Unsplash)

¶ “€125 Million Secured For Africa Renewable Energy Fund II” • The Africa Renewable Energy Fund II had its first close at €125 million, following a joint investment of €17.5 million from The Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa and the Climate Technology Fund through the African Development Bank. AREF II invests in early-stage projects. [East African Business Week]

¶ “Belgium Court Deems Inadequate Climate Policy A Human Rights Violation” • Climate campaigners claimed a “historic victory” after a Brussels court condemned Belgium for its climate policy that breaches the country’s duty of care and human rights obligations. The verdict from the Court of First Instance followed a six-year legal battle. [EcoWatch]

Grand Place, Brussels (Stephanie LeBlanc, Unsplash)

¶ “North Korea Attempted To Hack South Korea’s Nuclear Think Tank, Lawmaker Says” • A North Korean hacker group allegedly broke into South Korea’s nuclear research center last month, marking the latest in a series of cyberattack attempts, a South Korean lawmaker said in a press briefing. A cybersecurity firm tracked the IP addresses of the attackers. [WCMY]

US:

¶ “Tesla Model S Plaid Gets EPA Range Of 348 Miles And 101 MPGe Rating” • Tesla’s new Plaid Model S has received official ratings from the EPA. It has an all-electric range of 348 miles, according to the EPA, and a 101 miles per gallon equivalency rating. A Long Range version is tailored for range, and it got a range rating of 405 miles. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Model S Plaid (Photo courtesy of Tesla)

¶ “Tesla Is At Apex Of The Used Electric Vehicle Market” • The aftermath of the pandemic, with an added global semiconductor shortage, has caused the prices of all used cars to soar. Demand for used cars is up 58% from last year. EVs have been going along for the ride, and Teslas, which have always retained value well, are keeping value best. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Small Wave Energy Power Plants Could Be Wave Energy’s Path Forward” • With funding from the US DOE’s Water Power Technologies Office, NREL researchers are developing ways for many small energy converters to be aggregated. This approach to wave energy could help energy generation from ocean waves become a reality. [CleanTechnica]

Have an effortlessly majestic day.

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