Energy Week #479 – 7/7/2022

Visitors Please Note: This blog is maintained to assist in developing a TV show, Energy Week with George Harvey and Tom Finnell. The post is put up in incomplete form, and is updated with news until it is completed, usually on Wednesday. The source is geoharvey.com.

Within a few days of the last update, the show may be seen, along with older shows, at this link on the BCTV website: Energy Week Series.

Energy Week #479 – 7/7/2022

Minute 0: Introduction 

Thursday, June 30

Offshore wind turbine (Waldemar Brandt, Unsplash)

Minute 2 
¶ “Offshore Wind Enjoys 21 GW Of Growth In 2021” • Offshore wind enjoyed its best-ever year in 2021, with just over 21 GW of new capacity connected to the grid, according to the latest Global Offshore Wind Report from the Global Wind Energy Council. The report shows there was a three-fold increase in grid connection worldwide from 2020 to 2021. [reNews]

Ship with Norsepower sails (Courtesy of Norsepower)

Minute 5
¶ “Hard, Round, Tiltable Sails Add Wind Power To Energy Efficient Shipping” • The firm Norsepower Oy Ltd has been trying to bring wind power back to maritime shipping with sails that look like oversized smokestacks. An agreement with the Nefco, the Nordic Green Bank, will enable Norsepower to ramp up production. [CleanTechnica]

Fertilizing an Italian meadow (Etienne Girardet, Unsplash)

Minute 8
¶ “Why Green Ammonia Will Be The Workhorse Of EU’s Future Hydrogen Economy” • Europe is at a crossroads now. It has a dual objective of reaching its ambitious 2030 climate targets, while quickly reducing its dependency on Russia’s fossil fuels. These seemingly competing objectives can be achieved by prioritizing green ammonia. [EURACTIV.com]

Friday, July 1

Building in Overschild (Frank Terpstra, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Minute 11
¶ “Life inside the Dutch earthquake zone” • Gas extraction in the Dutch state of Groningen has caused over 1,000 earthquakes since Exxon Mobil and Shell began government-approved drilling there in 1963. In the village of Overschild, 80% of the buildings need to be completely demolished as they have been deemed too unsafe to occupy. [BBC]

Polluting power plants (Ella Ivanescu, Unsplash)

Minute 13
¶ “Supreme Court Limits Biden’s Power To Cut Emissions” • The Supreme Court ruled that the EPA does not have the authority to limit pollution across whole states. The court hasn’t completely prevented the EPA from making such regulations in the future, but it says that the Congress would have to say clearly that it authorizes the power. [BBC]

Offshore windpower (Capmat007, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Minute 16
¶ “Wind Developers Plan To Add 6 GW Of US Offshore Wind Capacity Through 2029” • Power plant developers and operators have reported plans to install more than 6 GW of offshore wind capacity at sites mostly along the eastern seaboard over the next seven years, according to the DOE’s latest Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory report. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday,  July 2

Diablo Canyon nuclear plant (“Mike” Michael L Baird, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Minute 19
¶ “Diablo Canyon Power Plant Won’t Stop Power Outages” • To justify keeping the Diablo Canyon Power Plant open, nuclear power peddlers blame the state’s shift to renewable energy for power outages. It’s a false narrative. Nuclear power failed to prevent the blackout of 2020, and since then 4 GW of renewable energy have been put online. [CalMatters]

Urban garden (Markus Spiske, Unsplash)

Minute 22
¶ “Rio’s Residents Garden Their Way Out Of Hunger” • Ms Silva puts her green fingers to use in exchange for a monthly stipend of 500 reais ($95, £79) from the city, as well as heaps of fresh food that she can take home at no cost. She is working in an urban garden that will provide food for 50,000 people just as Brazil is facing a food crisis. [BBC]

Pollution (Maxim Tolchinskiy, Unsplash)

Minute 24
¶ “EPA Retains Tools To Cut Power Sector GHG Emissions Despite Supreme Court Curbing Its Authority: Attorneys” • The Environmental Protection Agency still has pathways for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector following the Supreme Court’s ruling that took away one possible avenue, according to legal experts. [Utility Dive]

Sunday, July 3

Avocets (Joshua J Cotten, Unsplash)

Minute 27
¶ “Could nuclear plant ruin Suffolk haven for avocets, bitterns and harriers?” • Minsmere is an ornithologist’s paradise. But a threat hangs over its wildlife glories. The government is set to announce its decision on whether to allow the Sizewell C nuclear power plant to be built by EDF on land that overlooks the 1,000-hectare (2,500-acre) reserve. [The Guardian]

Calamari (Esperanza Doronila, Unsplash)

Minute 30
¶ “You Can Spot Climate Change In Old Restaurant Menus” • A study from the University of British Columbia shows a startling way that climate effects are already showing up in our lives. They didn’t find it in ice cores or weather patterns, but in restaurant menus. In the 1880s, Vancouver’s seafood joints served lots of salmon. Now they serve squid. [The Atlantic]

Yellowstone mule deer (David Garry, Unsplash)

Minute 32
¶ “How The Climate Crisis Is Forever Changing Our National Parks” • The consequences of the climate crisis – more wildfires, devastating drought, sea level rise, flooding, ecological disease – are plaguing the country’s national parks. Unprecedented flash flooding recently overwhelmed Yellowstone National Park and some of its surrounding areas. [CNN]

Monday, July 4  

Dungeness Power Station and an old lighthouse (Tony Hisgett, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Minute 35
¶ “Ukraine War Fears As UK’s Nuclear Plants Vulnerable To Attack” • The war in Ukraine has put civilian nuclear plants on the frontline of a military conflict for the first time in history. Dr Paul Dorfman said that the conflict in Ukraine has shown that the UK’s own civilian nuclear infrastructure is at risk of attack and likely cannot be defended. [Daily Express]

Making steel (yasin hm, Unsplash)

Minute 38
¶ “JSW Steel Is To Invest ₹10,000 Crore To Increase Use Of Renewable Energy, Reduce Emissions” • To reduce its carbon footprint, the Indian company JSW Steel has earmarked the sum of ₹10,000 Crore ($1.266 billion) to increase the use of renewable energy to replace thermal power and other green initiatives, its Chairman Sajjan Jindal said. [TechStory]

Bee on a sunflower (Christoph Polatzky, Unsplash)

Minute 40
¶ “How Heatwaves Are Creating A Pollen Crisis” • Even with adequate water, heat can damage pollen and prevent fertilisation in many crops, including canola, corn, peanuts, and rice. For this reason, many farmers aim for crops to bloom before the heat of summer. But the crops are being exposed to higher temperatures earlier, in a changing climate. [BBC]

Tuesday, July 5 

Solar trackers (Image from Project Drawdown)

Minute 43
¶ “Latest Project Drawdown Update Adds Eleven Ways To Stop Global Heating” • Project Drawdown issued its comprehensive guide to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in 2017, and it has updated its original plan since. The most recent update from the Project Drawdown group adds eleven new ways to address the climate crisis responsibly. [CleanTechnica]

Image from the study

Minute 46
¶ “We Can Have (Just About) Everything We Want For Energy And The Climate” • A study by Mark Z. Jacobson, et al, “Low-cost solutions to global warming, air pollution, and energy insecurity for 145 countries,” says we can make more money, live in a less expensive world, have huge health benefits, and stop carbon emissions, with very little downside. [CleanTechnica]

Hyundai diesel (Hyundai image)

Minute 48
¶ “Another Diesel Cheating Scandal – This Time It’s Hyundai And Kia” • Hyundai and Kia are at the center of the newest diesel cheating scandal. A spokesperson for Hyundai Motor Group in Seoul that also represents Kia confirmed raids coordinated by the European Union agency Eurojust at eight corporate properties to gather evidence. [CleanTechnica]

Wednesday, July 6

Norwegian offshore oil rig (JanChr, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Minute 51
¶ “Norway’s Government Steps In To End Oil And Gas Strike, Averting A New Energy Shock For Europe” • Natural gas prices spiked after Norwegian oil and gas workers went on strike over a pay dispute. The Norwegian government has intervened to end the strike, citing concerns about Europe’s energy crisis amid Russia’s war in Ukraine. [CNN]

Hollyford wind farm (Energia image)

Minute 54
¶ “Energia To Halve Carbon In Power Generation” • Ireland’s Energia Group unveiled a commitment to reducing the carbon intensity of its electricity generation by 50% by 2030, compared to 2019 to 2020. To achieve the target Energia will increase the volume of renewable electricity it generates from onshore wind and solar by a factor of three. [reNews]

Minute 56
¶ “Endangered Species Act Restored By Federal Judge After Trump-Era Weakening” • In a win for environmental groups, a federal judge in California overturned Trump administration move in 2019 to gut the landmark Endangered Species Act, vacating that administration’s changes and restoring protections for hundreds of species. [CNN]

Minute 59: Finis

Notes: Energy Week #479 – 7/7/2022

George Harvey, blogger, author, and journalist for Green Energy Times and CleanTechnica, computer engineer

Tom Finnell, electrical engineer, transmission grid expert, world traveler, philanthropist, and philosopher

Energy, Renewable Energy, Wind Power, Solar, Batteries, Nuclear, Coal, Oil, Gas, Climate Change

Energy Week #478 – 6/30/2022

Visitors Please Note: This blog is maintained to assist in developing a TV show, Energy Week with George Harvey and Tom Finnell. The post is put up in incomplete form, and is updated with news until it is completed, usually on Wednesday. The source is geoharvey.com.

Within a few days of the last update, the show may be seen, along with older shows, at this link on the BCTV website: Energy Week Series.

Energy Week #478 – 6/30/2022 (to be recorded on 7/1/22

Minute 0: Introduction 

Thursday, June 23

FedEx delivery truck (FedEx image)

Minute 2 
¶ “Brightdrop Delivers 150 Electric Vans To FedEx” • FedEx and Brightdrop announced that the first 150 Zevo 600 electric vans have been delivered to facilities around southern California. This would make for one of the biggest deployments of electric vans to date. It’s also the fastest GM has brought a vehicle from design to market in its history. [CleanTechnica]

Children in Bangladesh (Nayeem Is J Preenon, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Minute 5
¶ “Millions Affected As Deadly Floods Hit India And Bangladesh” • The South Asian nations of India and Bangladesh, home to more than 1.3 billion people, have been particularly badly hit by the rains, prompting some of the worst flooding in the region in years. Extreme weather events are increasingly frequent due to climate change. [CNN]

Bombed PVs (Ukrainian war crime investigators and Solar Generation)

Minute 8
¶ “Solar Power Plants Are More Missile Resistant” • Probably all of us have seen them the images of death and destruction in Ukraine. Every one has been heart rending. But, there’s one interesting piece of good news that came out of the country recently. It is the proof that it’s pretty difficult to take out a solar power plant. [CleanTechnica]

German nuclear plant (Felix König, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

Minute 11
¶ “Could Germany Keep Its Nuclear Plants Running?” • As Germany seeks to fuel its economy and ward off a recession considered likely if faltering Russian gas supplies stop entirely, some are calling for nuclear plants to stay open. Utilities say constraints in sourcing fuel rods and expert staffing make that impossible. [The Indian Express]

Friday, June 24

Natural gas pipe-laying ship (Philfaebuckie, CC0 1.0 public domain)

Minute 13
¶ “Germany Declares Gas Crisis As Russia Cuts Supplies To Europe” • Germany activated the second phase of its three-stage gas emergency program, after Russia reduced the amount of natural gas it supplies. This takes Germany one step closer to rationing gas to industry, which would be a huge blow to the manufacturing heart of its economy. [CNN]

Massachusetts solar array (Agilitas Energy image)

Minute 16
¶ “Two SMART Projects From Agilitas Energy Bringing Renewable Energy To Massachusetts” • Agilitas Energy, a developer and operator of distributed energy storage and PV systems, announced two Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target projects in its pipeline. They will help accelerate the Bay State’s transition to renewable energy. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday,  June 25

Hawaiian Duck (Eric Tessmer, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Minute 19
¶ “Wildlife Officials Want To Make It Easier To Relocate Climate-Imperiled Species” • The Endangered Species Act typically allows species to be introduced outside of their current range, but only within its historical range. But for some species, all of that range is becoming uninhabitable. New policy is needed, according to wildlife officials. [National Audubon Society]

Ukrainian wheat field (Polina Rytova, Unsplash)

Minute 22
¶ “World Leaders Are Facing Crises On All Fronts. Putin Will Be Watching If They Fail” • As the G7 approaches, Russian President Vladmir Putin’s officials are hinting at nuclear Armageddon, China is increasingly assertive, a global food crunch is on the way, oil prices are spiking, and both global economic slowdown and a cost-of-living crisis are looming. [CNN]

House lit up in a blackout (Tesla image)

Minute 24
¶ “Tesla Invites New Round Of Californians To Enroll In Virtual Power Plant” • Tesla recently launched of its new virtual power plant in partnership with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). The virtual power plant will allow Powerwall owners to opt into the program to help stabilize the electric grid and end blackouts in California. [CleanTechnica]

Sunday, June 26

Firefighters training (Matt C, Unsplash)

Minute 27
¶ “What Firefighters Can Teach Us About Preparing The Grid For Extreme Weather” • Preparing for emergencies and preventing disasters requires planning, equipment, and communications. This is as true for operating the electric power system in extreme weather as it is for fighting fires. For emergencies, firefighters and utilities both share resources. [CleanTechnica]

Hybrid solar-wind plant in Germany (Toksave, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Minute 30
¶ “Energy Shock Tests G7 Leaders’ Climate Resolve” • Leaders of the Group of Seven nations are under pressure to stick to climate pledges. Germany is in an awkward position as G7 summit host, having recently announced that it will burn more coal to offset a drop in Russian gas supplies amid deteriorating ties over the war in Ukraine. [France 24]

Ford F-150 Lighting (Ford image)

Minute 32
¶ “Ford Ends Leasing Buyout Provision For Electric Vehicles” • It used to be that leasing a car was a way for some people to drive more car than they could otherwise afford. One advantage was that the person leasing the car could purchase it at the end of the lease period for a predetermined price. But such a deal may not be available at Ford anymore. [CleanTechnica]

Monday, June 27

Vineyard (Daniel Salgado, Unsplash)

Minute 35
¶ “Full-Bodied With Notes of Band-Aid and Medicine” • Vintners are no strangers to the vicissitudes wrought by climate change. Warmer temperatures have been a boon to some in traditionally cooler regions who are rejoicing over riper berries. But scorching heat waves, wildfires, and other climate-driven calamities have more often ruined harvests. [The Atlantic]

Monument Valley (Florian Schneider, Unsplash)

Minute 38
¶ “Arizona DOT Wants You To Suggest Sites for EV Charging Stations” • The Arizona Department of Transportation has an interactive map that gives EV enthusiasts a chance to express their views on where EV chargers should be installed. As pioneers of a new technology, and many of EV drivers know a lot more about such things than state officials do. [CleanTechnica]

Launch in 2016 (SpaceX, Unsplash)

Minute 40
¶ “Climate Damage Caused By Growing Space Tourism Needs Urgent Mitigation” • Researchers from UCL, the University of Cambridge and MIT used a 3-D model to explore the impact of rocket launches and re-entry, and the impact of projected space tourism. The damage done by space launches was shown to be almost incredibly polluting. [CleanTechnica]

Tuesday, June 28

Patagonia (ORPC image)

Minute 43
¶ “Portland Renewable Energy Firm To Install Power System At Other End Of The World” • Ocean Renewable Power Co, based in Portland, Maine, is a developer of renewable power systems that generate electricity from river and tidal currents. It plans to install a new power system more than 6,400 miles from Maine next year, in Chile. [Mainebiz]

Woman watering crops (USAID Africa Bureau, public domain)

Minute 46
¶ “Fertilizer Shortage Hits African Farmers Battling Food Crisis” • Fertilizer, the key ingredient needed to help crops grow, is in short supply globally. Global prices have sky-rocketed in part because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The crisis has left many African countries, which are very dependent on foreign imports, scrambling to find solutions. [BBC]

Electric ferry (Courtesy of Candela)

Minute 48
¶ “Sleek Electric Ferry Flies Over Water, Picks Off Diesel Ferries” • If all goes according to plan, commuters in Stockholm will be able to climb aboard the world’s fastest electric ship, the Candela P-12 Shuttle, when it goes into service from the suburb of Ekerö to the city center next year. Candela is already well known for its sporty-looking electric boats. [CleanTechnica]

Wednesday, June 29

NextEra expected costs (NextEra image)

Minute 51
¶ “We Don’t Need Base Load Power” • Base load power often supplies the electricity in the middle of the night, but we can use power from other sources instead. The issue is not technical. It is just a matter of cost. Because of low battery costs, our electricity can be cheaper and better. We can use them, save money, and have a better system. [CleanTechnica]

Airbus concept airplane (Airbus image)

Minute 54
¶ “Green Hydrogen In Play For Airbus Hydrogen Hub Scheme” • Airbus has just signed an agreement with the global industrial gas firm Linde to help carry out a plan to develop hydrogen hubs at airports around the world. There are different ways to bring this about, including some that are entirely free of all polluting emissions. [CleanTechnica]

Offshore wind farm (Nicholas Doherty, Unsplash)

Minute 56
¶ “European Council Reaches Agreement On Its Renewable Energy Directive” • The European Council agreed to set a new binding EU-wide target of 40% of energy coming from renewable sources in the overall energy mix by 2030, up from the previous 32% target. Energy production and use account for 75% of the EU’s emissions, the EC said. [PV Tech]

Minute 59: Finis

Notes: Energy Week #478 – 6/30/2022

George Harvey, blogger, author, and journalist for Green Energy Times and CleanTechnica, computer engineer

Tom Finnell, electrical engineer, transmission grid expert, world traveler, philanthropist, and philosopher

Energy, Renewable Energy, Wind Power, Solar, Batteries, Nuclear, Coal, Oil, Gas, Climate Change

Energy Week #477 – 6/23/2022

Visitors Please Note: This blog is maintained to assist in developing a TV show, Energy Week with George Harvey and Tom Finnell. The post is put up in incomplete form, and is updated with news until it is completed, usually on Wednesday. The source is geoharvey.com.

Within a few days of the last update, the show may be seen, along with older shows, at this link on the BCTV website: Energy Week Series.

Energy Week #477 – 6/23/2022

Minute 0: Introduction 

Thursday, June 16

Road destroyed by erosion (National Park Service image)

Minute 2 
¶ “Scientists Saw Yellowstone’s ‘Unprecedented’ Flooding Coming” • Scientists predicted more frequent events like this week’s flash flooding in the Yellowstone area. Just last year, one report on the future of Yellowstone concluded the climate crisis would lead to more rainfall and rapid snowmelt due to extreme spring and summer warmth. [CNN]

Methane leak (GHGSat image)

Minute 5
¶ “Satellite Spots World’s ‘Largest’ Methane Leak In A Russian Coal Mine” • The Raspadskya Mine in Kemerovo region in remote part of southern Russia is spewing out huge amounts of methane, a very potent greenhouse gas, in what is described as the “biggest” such leak ever detected from a single facility. The leak was found by a GHGSat satellite. [CNN]

Work on a wind turbine (Global Wind Energy Coalition)

Minute 8
¶ “Wind Industry Urges ‘Greater Policy Ambition’” • The Global Wind Energy Coalition for COP27 has called for greater policy ambition and volumes made available to scale up to 390 GW of annual wind energy installations by 2030. On Global Wind Day the coalition is calling for the scale-up in line with a net zero trajectory. [reNews]

Friday, June 17

Energy Storage (NREL image)

Minute 11
¶ “US Grid-Scale Energy Storage Market Breaks Q1 Record” • The US energy storage market set a new record in the first quarter of 2022, with grid-scale installations totaling 2,399 MWh, the highest capacity for Q1 on record. The volume of US grid-scale installations was four times the volume seen in Q1 of last year, sources said. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Congo River (Bsm15, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Minute 13
¶ “Congo Peat: The ‘Lungs Of Humanity’ That Are Under Threat” • A giant slab of carbon-rich peat has been discovered in central Africa. It is under threat from uncontrolled development, posing a significant risk for future climate change, writes BBC Africa correspondent Andrew Harding. The peat bog stores about 30 billion tonnes of carbon. [BBC]

Funicular railway powered by water and gravity (CAT image)

Minute 16
¶ “The UK’s Haven For Alternative Thinking” • The Centre for Alternative Technology spent the last half century redefining the relationship between nature and humankind. Once merely a haven for those who think about alternative ways to do things, it now offers master’s degrees in fields such as energy provision, green building, and sustainable food. [BBC]

Saturday,  June 18

Solar panels (Courtesy of the Kit Carson Electric Cooperative)

Minute 19
¶ “NM’s Kit Carson Electric Cooperative Achieves 100% Daytime Solar Power” • The Kit Carson Electric Cooperative has achieved a milestone. Customers in their service area, around Taos and Santa Fe, New Mexico, will now have 100% of their daytime electric use provided by solar power. This was achieved with the opening of a 41-MW solar array. [CleanTechnica]

Green River Reservoir (Vermont State Parks image)

Minute 22
¶ “Natural Beauty And Renewable Energy Source Are Being Threatened” • Vermont’s Green River Reservoir State Park is threatened. The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources ordered Morrisville Water & Light, to reduce generation by about 30%. So the dam at the reservoir operates at a loss, and the electric utility has no choice but to remove it. [VTDigger]

Mult-turbine floating platform (Wind Catching Systems image)

Minute 24
¶ “GM Falls For Crazy Floating Wind Turbine Idea, May Not Be So Crazy After All” • General Motors has been deploying its GM Ventures arm to kickstart next-generation clean tech. The firm has spearheaded a round of up to $10 million in funding for a new floating wind turbine system that looks like a giant wall of fidget spinners. [CleanTechnica]

Sunday, June 19

Forest (Jay Mantri, Unsplash)

Minute 27
¶ “Friendly Fungi Help Forests Fight Climate Change” • While we know that forests play a major role in countering global warming, acting as reservoirs for carbon, what is less well understood is how tiny organisms that dwell hidden in the soil help lock away our greenhouse gas emissions. Ectomycorrhizal fungi enable certain trees to absorb CO₂ faster. [BBC]

Solar farm in Mexico (Contenidos InLab, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Minute 30
¶ “Mexico Signs Renewable Energy Deals With US Companies As It Steps Up Climate Change Fight” • Mexico made commitments with 17 US companies on generating clean energy, its president said. After months of friction with business leaders, President Lopez Obrador said the deals would generate 1,854 MW as the government fights climate change. [The National]

Flaming Gorge Reservoir in 2014 (Paul Hermans, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Minute 32
¶ “The Southwest’s Unchecked Thirst For Colorado River Water Could Prove Devastating Upstream” • When the federal Bureau of Reclamation and four states agreed to release a sixth of the capacity of the Flaming Gorge Reservoir, on the border of Utah and Wyoming, to help desiccated communities to the south, it created a local uproar. [CNN]

Monday, June 20

Estimated costs in the late 2020s (NextEra image)

Minute 35
¶ “Half A Penny For ‘Near Firm’ Solar And Trillions In Renewable Opportunities” • NextEra, the largest renewable company in the US, sees 3.5 TW renewable capacity installations through 2050 worth $2 trillion. And that figure could double under the right conditions. It says the energy storage adder for solar power is now about 0.4¢ to 0.6¢ per kWh. [PV Magazine USA]

Southland landscape (Gulfside Mike, Unsplash)

Minute 38
¶ “Australian Companies In The Mix For $5 Billion Southland Hydrogen Plant” • Australian companies Woodside Energy and Fortescue Future Industries are counterparties in final stage negotiations to become lead developer of the prospective world’s largest green hydrogen plant in New Zealand’s Southland region, at the southern end of South Island. [Stuff.co.nz]

German coal-burning plant in snow (Arnoldius, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Minute 40
¶ “Germany To Fire Up Coal Stations As Russia Squeezes Gas Supply” • Germany must reduce natural gas consumption and increase the burning of coal in order to help fill gas storage facilities for next winter, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck announced as the country moves away from reduced Russian gas supplies. [CNN]

Tuesday, June 21

Area in floating city (Waterstudio.NL and Dutch Docklands)

Minute 43
¶ “Floating City In The Maldives Begins To Take Shape” • A city is rising from the waters of the Indian Ocean. In a turquoise lagoon, just 10 minutes by boat from Male, the Maldivian capital, a floating city, big enough to house 20,000 people, is being constructed. Because it floats, it is not vulnerable to sea level rise from climate change. [CNN]

Hamilton power plant, a stranded asset (Supplied image)

Minute 46
¶ “Contact’s Hamilton Power Plant Closing Next Year To Reduce Carbon Emissions” • New Zealand’s Contact Energy is closing its Hamilton power plant next year to reduce carbon emissions. The 44-MW gas-fired power station has been operating since 1999 and provides steam and electricity to a dairy factory, with surplus electricity directed back to the grid. [Stuff.co.nz]

Ford electric van (Ford image)

Minute 48
¶ “Ford Sets EV Sales Record, Again” • Ford sold 6,254 EVs last month. This puts its total sales at 222% above last May’s numbers, an amazing increase. Perhaps more importantly, Ford’s EV sales growth is now four times that of the whole EV market, which means the company is grabbing ground and market share from other manufacturers. [CleanTechnica]

Wednesday, June 22

Egypt (Flying Carpet, Unsplash)

Minute 51
¶ “Acwa Power Consortium Closes $1.5 Billion Egypt Wind Project” • A consortium led by Acwa Power, a leading Saudi developer, investor, and operator of power generation, water desalinization, and green hydrogen plants worldwide, signed an agreement to develop a 1.1-GW wind project in Egypt, at an investment value of $1.5 billion. [ZAWYA]

Offshore wind turbine (Courtesy of Simply Blue Group)

Minute 54
¶ “It’s Boom Times For Wind Power And Green Hydrogen In Ireland” • Clean power is blooming in Ireland thanks to such new technology as green hydrogen and floating wind turbines. That’s good news for the economy and great news for the rest of the EU, which is scrambling to untangle itself from Russian fossil energy imports. [CleanTechnica]

Airship in hanger (LTA Research image)

Minute 56
¶ “Giant Hangar Poised For An Aviation Revolution” • Airships could help speed up the delivery of aid in disaster zones, carry air cargo much more cheaply than air freighters, and cut aviation emissions. Airships could offer an alternative for some types of aviation. A new generation of airships is taking shape in a former airship factory in Akron, Ohio. [BBC]

Minute 59: Finis

Notes: Energy Week #477 – 6/23/2022

George Harvey, blogger, author, and journalist for Green Energy Times and CleanTechnica, computer engineer

Tom Finnell, electrical engineer, transmission grid expert, world traveler, philanthropist, and philosopher

Energy, Renewable Energy, Wind Power, Solar, Batteries, Nuclear, Coal, Oil, Gas, Climate Change

Energy Week #476 – 6/16/2022

Visitors Please Note: This blog is maintained to assist in developing a TV show, Energy Week with George Harvey and Tom Finnell. The post is put up in incomplete form, and is updated with news until it is completed, usually on Wednesday. The source is geoharvey.com.

Within a few days of the last update, the show may be seen, along with older shows, at this link on the BCTV website: Energy Week Series.

Energy Week #476 – 6/16/2022

Minute 0: Introduction 

Thursday, June 9

Pumpjack in West Texas (Eric Kounce, Public Domain)

Minute 2 
¶ “Oil And Gas Companies Likely Underreporting Methane Emissions Leaks” • The amount of methane major oil and gas companies are emitting in the Permian Basin is likely to be significantly higher than the official numbers they are reporting to the EPA, according to a report by the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. [CNN]

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

Minute 5
¶ “Investments In India’s Renewable Energy Sector Increased 125% In One Year” • In the financial year ended March 31, 2022, a record $14.5 billion was poured into India’s renewable and new energy industry as investments are up 125% from the previous year, according to an Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis report. [Quartz]

Traffic (Sorin Gheorghita, Unsplash)

Minute 8
¶ “EU Lawmakers Support Banning Gasoline Car Sales By 2035 In Key Vote” • Members of the European Parliament voted to ban the sale of new combustion engine cars by 2035, in what would be one of the world’s strongest laws to phase out gasoline vehicles. To go into effect, the measure must be debated and approved by the European Council. [CNN]

Friday, June 10

Calf Canyon Fire on May 10 (INCIWEB Firefighters, public domain)

Minute 11
¶ “Black Fire Becomes New Mexico’s Second Largest Fire In The State’s History” • Two wildfires – the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire just northeast of Santa Fe and the Black Fire in the Gila National Forest – are both burning at the present time. Each, by itself, is larger than the Whitewater-Baldy fire of 2012, which held the record as biggest. [CNN]

Artemis electric foil workboat (Artemis, via New Atlas)

Minute 13
¶ “Artemis Puts The Electric Foil Concept To Work” • Artemis, based in Belfast, launched its “world’s first” commercially viable electric-foil workboat. It can cut through the waves at well over 30 knots and cover up to 60 nautical miles per charge. It uses an advanced “eFoiler” propulsion system that lifts the boat out of the water using twin T-foils. [CleanTechnica]

Transmission lines (CSIRO image)

Minute 16
¶ “NSW Announces $1.2 Billion Investment In Renewable Energy” • The New South Wales government has announced its single biggest investment yet in renewable energy infrastructure, committing $1.2 billion to fast-track priority transmission and energy storage projects as the energy sector continues its rapid transformation. [pv magazine Australia]

Saturday,  June 11

Rendering of Project Nexux (Solar AquaGrid image)

Minute 19
¶ “Canal-Top Solar Solutions” • Canal-top solar was pioneered in India a decade ago with a canal-top solar array in Gujarat. There are now findings from the University of California and the resulting Project Nexus that shine attention on a symbiotic application: saving water, while generating solar energy, without occupying arable land. [pv magazine India]

Area in Rocket&Tigerli (Aesthetica Studio/Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects)

Minute 22
¶ “World’s Tallest Timber Residential Tower To Be Built” • The world’s tallest timber residential building is set to be built in Switzerland. The project, named Rocket&Tigerli, will consist of four buildings including one that boasts a 100-meter-tall (328-foot) tower. The development will be built in the Swiss city of Winterthur, which is near Zurich. [CNN]

Shell EV charging area (Shell image)

Minute 24
¶ “Biden’s National EV Charging Plan Emphasizes Standards, Interoperability, And Rural Access” • The Biden administration proposed a new program entitled the National Electric Vehicle Charging Network. The program will be used to provide a minimum of four fast chargers every 50 miles along major transportation corridors. [CleanTechnica]

Sunday, June 12

Tesla Supercharger (Neo Tan, Unsplash)

Minute 27
¶ “Tesla’s 35,000th Supercharger Is A Milestone For EV Charging” • Tesla keeps expanding its Supercharger network. Tesla China has announced Tesla’s 35,000th Supercharger, a milestone for EV charging. The Supercharger opened in Wuhan, China, and Tesla China noted that Tesla owns the largest fast-charging network in the world. [CleanTechnica]

Kilimanjaro (Sergey Pesterev, Unsplash)

Minute 30
¶ “Africa Turns To China For Renewable Energy Investments” • With Africa attracting only 2% of the global renewable energy investments, the continent is aspiring to increase its installed capacity but it needs capital. Chinese is among the countries Africia is turning to as its countries seek to reach sustainable development goals. [Morocco World News]

Skoda Enyaq iV 80 (© M 93, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

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

Monday, June 13

Country garden (Arno Senoner, Unsplash)

Minute 35
¶ “How To Turn Your Garden Into A Carbon Sink” • As leaders in government and companies race to reduce their emissions, there is greater interest in natural landscapes, such as forests, wetlands, and mangroves, protecting against the risks of climate change. Horticulturalists say humble gardens can serve as a powerful tools in this fight. [BBC]

Brown bear (Courtesy of Electric Americas)

Minute 38
¶ “Electric Americas Foundation Is Filming A Documentary Driving The Pan-American Highway In Two Tesla EVs” • The founders of the Electric Americas Foundation will drive from Alaska to Patagonia using Tesla EVs, filming a documentary about their drive. The trip will cover 20,000 miles in seven months, if all goes according to plan. [CleanTechnica]

Scene in Fiji (Jeremy Bezanger, Unsplash)

Minute 40
¶ “Fiji Says Asia’s Biggest Security Threat Is Climate Change, Not Conflict” • Fiji’s defense minister said climate change posed the biggest security threat in the Asia-Pacific region, a shift in tone at a defense summit dominated by the war in Ukraine and disputes between China and the US. Low-lying Pacific islands like Fiji are especially vulnerable to climate change. [CNN]

Tuesday, June 14

Neighborhood in San Francisco (Robert Bye, Unsplash)

Minute 43
¶ “California Reaching 100% Renewable Electricity At Times” • In early April, California achieved a new record at 97.6% renewable power, and on May 2 the state was able to reach 99.9%. On May 8 the record was broken yet again, with 103% of the state’s power needs being met by renewables for a few hours. Now it’s time for California to work on storage. [CleanTechnica]

Power outage (Alexander Popov, Unsplash)

Minute 46
¶ “What Is Load Shedding And Why Is It A Sign That Australia’s Largest Electricity Market Is In Crisis?” • When demand for electricity exceeds capacity, the most extreme tool is load shedding, shuting down power to an area for a time. A cold snap with several large, coal-burning power plants offline threatens eastern Australia with load shedding. [ABC]

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

Minute 48
¶ “BLM OKs Construction Of Large California Solar Projects” • The Interior Department gave notice that construction could proceed on two projects in the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan area in California. The area includes 10.8 million acres of federal lands already evaluated by the Obama administration in 2016. [E&E News]

Wednesday, June 15

Nicola electric truck (Nicola image)

Minute 51
¶ “Nikola Gets $185,000 Incentive Boost, Way Ahead Of Tesla” • Just weeks after announcing that early customers had begun taking delivery of Nikola’s Tre battery-electric semi trucks, the brand has announced that its trucks have officially qualified for massive incentives in the State of New York. The incentives can be worth up to $185,000 per truck. [CleanTechnica]

Azure Sky wind farm (Enel Green Power image)

Minute 54
¶ “Wind And Solar Power Are ‘Bailing Out’ Texas Amid Record Heat And Energy Demand” • Texans are cranking on the air conditioning this week amid an unusually early heat wave, setting new records for electricity demand in the state. But the grid is holding up well, largely because solar and windpower are covering 40% of the demand. [CNN]

Western Australia (BP image)

Minute 56
¶ “BP Takes Stake In Oz Mega-P2X Project” • BP agreed to take an equity stake and be the operator of a huge green hydrogen hub in Western Australia. BP has acquired a 40.5% stake in the Asian Renewable Energy Hub, which will comprise 26 GW of renewable energy capacity (14.5 GW wind and 11.5 GW solar) plus 12.5 GW of electrolyser capacity. [reNews]

Minute 59: Finis

Notes: Energy Week #476 – 6/16/2022

George Harvey, blogger, author, and journalist for Green Energy Times and CleanTechnica, computer engineer

Tom Finnell, electrical engineer, transmission grid expert, world traveler, philanthropist, and philosopher

Energy, Renewable Energy, Wind Power, Solar, Batteries, Nuclear, Coal, Oil, Gas, Climate Change

Energy Week #475 – 6/9/2022

Visitors Please Note: This blog is maintained to assist in developing a TV show, Energy Week with George Harvey and Tom Finnell. The post is put up in incomplete form, and is updated with news until it is completed, usually on Wednesday. The source is geoharvey.com.

Within a few days of the last update, the show may be seen, along with older shows, at this link on the BCTV website: Energy Week Series.

Energy Week #475 – 6/9/2022

Minute 0: Introduction 

Thursday, June 2

FreeWire charging station (FreeWire Technologies)

Minute 2 
¶ “FreeWire Shows Us How To Solve Charging Challenges In Rural America” • A company called FreeWire Technologies looks like they have a pretty good solution to something that keeps rural charging stations from happening in the US. FreeWire integrates battery storage directly into the station and plan on using a lot less continuous power. [CleanTechnica]

NIO EV (Image by NIO)

Minute 5
¶ “NIO Chooses Onsemi Silicon Carbide Power Modules” • A Phoenix-based maker of high efficiency traction power modules, onsemi, announced that it has signed a deal to sell its batteries to NIO, a Chinese EV manufacturer with plans to expand globally (including to the US). The traction power modules increase efficiency in EVs. [CleanTechnica]

Chernobyl plant (Mads Eneqvist, Unsplash, cropped)

Minute 8
¶ “First Look Inside Chernobyl Nuclear Plant Trashed By Russian Troops” • Photos from the Chernobyl nuclear plant reveal the reckless destruction left behind by Russians as they were forced out. Hallways overflowing with litter, broken windows, and taunting messages graffitied on walls were among the scenes left for the Ukrainian defenders to find. [Metro]

Friday, June 3

Chris Ramsey and Nissan (Courtesy of Chris Ramsey and Nissan)

Minute 11
¶ “Chris Ramsey Will Drive A Nissan EV On An Epic Adventure From The North Pole To The South Pole” • British adventurer Chris Ramsey will be the first person to drive an EV from the North Pole to the South Pole, a press release says. The expedition is to raise awareness of the climate crisis and also to address misinformation about EVs. [CleanTechnica]

Rendering of train (Courtesy of Siemens)

Minute 13
¶ “Siemens Mobility Finalizes Contract For 2000-Kilometer High-Speed Rail System In Egypt” • Siemens Mobility and a consortium partners signed a contract with a governmental authority under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport of Egypt. The deal means Egypt will have the sixth largest high-speed rail system in the world. [CleanTechnica]

Buick EV (Buick image)

Minute 16
¶ “Buick Resurrects Electra Brand For Future Electric Cars” • If ever there was a brand name from the past that cried out to be part of the electric car future, it is the Buick Electra, a name that replaced others in the Buick lineup from 1959. Now Buick says it will sell only electric cars from 2030 onward and they will all carry the Electra badge. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday,  June 4

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

Minute 19
¶ “India To Replace 30 GW Of Thermal Power With Renewables” • India aims to replace 30 GW of thermal generating capacity with renewable energy by 2026, in a move aimed at reducing emissions from coal-fired power plants. Delhi has directed 81 thermal power plants to reduce coal-fired generation and offset the decline with solar power. [Argus Media]

Clearcut land in Tasmania (TTaylor, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Minute 22
¶ “More Than 40% Of Earth’s Land Surface Must Be Conserved To Stop The Biodiversity Crisis” • 44% of the Earth’s land surface must be protected to stop the biodiversity crisis, a report in the journal Science says. Some 64 million square kilometers (24.7 million square miles) needs “conservation attention” to prevent major biodiversity losses. [CNN]

Ford E-Transit (Image courtesy of Ford)

Minute 24
¶ “Ford Adds 6200 Manufacturing Jobs, CEO Sees EV Price Wars Ahead” • Ford Motor Company says it wants to be the Tesla of commercial EVs. To that end, it is building four new vehicle and battery manufacturing facilities in Tennessee and Kentucky. This week, it announced it will invest $3.7 billion to retool three of its factories in the Midwest. [CleanTechnica]

Sunday, June 5

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

Minute 27
¶ “As California’s Big Cities Fail To Rein In Their Water Use, Rural Communities Are Already Tapped Out” • Gov Gavin Newsom has pleaded with urban residents and businesses to reduce their water consumption by 15%, but water usage in March was up by 19% in cities compared to March 2020. In rural areas, some people have no water at all. [CNN]

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

Minute 30
¶ “Restoring Degraded Peatlands To Mitigate Climate Change” • Peatlands play an important role in mitigating climate change. They store more carbon than all other vegetation types in the world combined. But in some places, peatlands are degrading and turning into carbon sources. Restoring them can help mitigate climate change. [CGTN]

Alternate energy, wind farm in Greece, (Feri & Tasos, Unsplash)

Minute 32
¶ “Russia’s War Is The End Of Climate Policy As We Know It” • The headlong rush across Western Europe to replace Russian oil, gas, and coal with alternative sources of these fuels has made a mockery of the net-zero emissions pledges made by the major European economies just three months before the invasion at the UN climate summit in Glasgow. [Foreign Policy]

Monday, June 6

Sydney Harbor (Jamie Davies, Unsplash)

Minute 35
¶ “Why Canberrans’ electricity bills are falling while other Australians’ power costs soar” • Australia is facing an energy crisis. Wholesale power prices are currently more than five times last year’s average price, sparking fears that some electricity retailers will collapse. But Canberra’s electricity price is going down because of renewable energy. [ABC]

VW ID. Life concept (Image courtesy of Volkswagen)

Minute 38
¶ “Financial Analysis: Faster Electrification Would Boost Car Company Stocks And Profits” • Car makers stand to increase their market value and profit margins by switching to EVs faster than they currently plan, according to a financial analysis of six car companies. It finds they could add €800 billion to their stock value if they transition quickly. [CleanTechnica]

Kia EV6 (Hyundai Motor Group, Unsplash)

Minute 40
¶ “Road To Zero Emissions Now Clear For Road Traffic” • The road to zero emissions from road traffic is becoming very clear now. That the solution is battery electric vehicles is now accepted even at most legacy carmakers. Only Toyota and a few of its friends still believe in an important role for hydrogen fuel cell technology. [CleanTechnica]

Tuesday, June 7

New blade size (Siemens Gamesa image)

Minute 43
¶ “Siemens Gamesa Begins Testing 115-Meter-Long Wind Turbine Blades” • Siemens Gamesa, the Spanish-German wind energy giant, is ready to being testing its first B115 wind turbine blades in Aalborg, Denmark. Measuring 115 meters long, the blades will be used as part of the company’s next generation offshore wind turbine⁠. [CleanTechnica]

KFC wrap including cabbage (KFC image)

Minute 46
¶ “KFC Australia Forced To Swap Lettuce For Cabbage” • Fast food giant KFC has been forced to put cabbage in its burgers and wraps in Australia as the country is struggling with a shortage of lettuce. Heads of lettuce have cost over A$10 ($7.18, £5.72), three times the usual price, as a result of floods in Queensland and New South Wales. [BBC]

Joe Biden speaking (The White House, public domain)

Minute 48
¶ “Biden Announces New Executive Actions To Spur Domestic Solar, Clean Energy Development” • President Joe Biden authorized the DOE to use the Defense Production Act to speed up domestic manufacture of solar panel components, heat pumps, building insulation, electric transformers and equipment like electrolyzers and fuel cells. [CNN]

Wednesday, June 8

Wuling Air (Wuling image)

Minute 51
¶ “The Wuling Air Is Going Global!” • One of the first real mass market sub-$5,000 cars, the Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV, has been a huge success in China. It has been the top selling EV in China for a while now and in some months it has actually been the top selling car. Now, an upmarket version of the Wuling EV, the Wuling Air, is set to go global. [CleanTechnica]

Ford EVs (Ford image)

Minute 54
¶ “Ford And Tesla Indicate EVs Might Be Selling Themselves” • A piece in Bloomberg told us that Ford is looking to do what Tesla does: not spend on advertising. Why? Because its EVs are already sold out for two years. With a second manufacturer considering ditching traditional advertising, it’s looking like EVs could be selling themselves. [CleanTechnica]

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

Minute 56
¶ “State’s First 100% Renewable Multi-Customer Microgrid Is Now Up And Running In McKinleyville” • California’s first 100% renewable energy, front-of-the-meter, multi-customer microgrid is now fully operational. Located in Humboldt County, the microgrid provides energy resilience for the regional airport and US Coast Guard Air Station. [Lost Coast Outpost]

Minute 59: Finis

Notes: Energy Week #475 – 6/9/2022

George Harvey, blogger, author, and journalist for Green Energy Times and CleanTechnica, computer engineer

Tom Finnell, electrical engineer, transmission grid expert, world traveler, philanthropist, and philosopher

Energy, Renewable Energy, Wind Power, Solar, Batteries, Nuclear, Coal, Oil, Gas, Climate Change