Energy Week #487 – 9/1/2022

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 #487 – 9/1/2022

Minute 0: Introduction 

Thursday, August 25

Park in Auckland, New Zealand (AR, Unsplash)

Minute 2 
¶ “The ‘Spongy’ Cities Of The Future” • Two parks in Auckland are designed to collect excess stormwater, soak it up like a sponge, and slowly release it back into a creek. The parks are flanked on both sides by public housing. The parks are “designed to flood so that the houses don’t,” says Julie Fairey, chair of the Puketāpapa local board. [BBC]

Hydrogen-powered train (Alstom image)

Minute 5
¶ “The World’s First Hydrogen-Powered Passenger Trains Are Here” • The future of environmentally friendly travel might just be here – and it’s Germany that’s leading the charge, with the first ever rail line to run entirely on hydrogen-powered trains. Five are now running, and nine more are being manufactured by Alstom for use in Lower Saxony. [CNN]

Fire fighter (Joe Bradshaw, Bureau of Land Management)

Minute 8
¶ “Four Months Into ‘Danger Season,’ Here’s Our Extreme Heat, Flood, And Fire Tally” • The US is four months into Danger Season, and we have another two months or so to go before the season hopefully starts to wind down. Meteorologists did a study of the weather events that have taken place this year. Here is what they found. [CleanTechnica]

Friday, August 26

Solar PVs at Middlebury College (PenelopeIsMe, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Minute 11
¶ “Sterling: The Inflation Reduction Act Just Shattered The Ceiling For Clean Energy In Vermont” • Incredibly and finally, the Inflation Reduction Act has begun the shift to a clean energy America. What does this mean for Vermonters? A lot. For starters, if you are looking to go solar, you will now get 30% off through a tax credit. [Vermont Business Magazine]

Tesla Model 3 (Stefan Lehner, Unsplash)

Minute 13
¶ “California Votes To Ban New Gas Car Sales By 2035” • The California Air Resourcess Board voted to approve stringent rules that would ban the sale of new gasoline cars by 2035 and phase the cars out with interim targets. The measure is historic for the US. It has major implications for the US car market, given the size of California’s economy. [CNN]

Plug Power hydrogen delivery truck (Plug Power image)

Minute 16
¶ “Amazon Strikes Green Hydrogen Deal With Fuel Cell Maker Plug Power” • According to Amazon, Plug Power will supply 10,950 tons of green hydrogen per year for its transportation and building operations starting in 2025. Amazon expects Plug Power to provide enough green hydrogen to power 30,000 forklifts or 800 long-haul trucks. [CNBC]

Saturday,  August 27

Nuclear power plant (John McArthur, Unsplash)

Minute 19
¶ “Russia Blocks UN Nuclear Treaty Agreement Over Clause On Zaporizhzhia” • After four weeks of debate and negotiation among 151 countries, Russia blocked an agreement at the UN that aimed to bolster the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Moscow objected to a clause about control over the Zaporizhzhia power plant in Ukraine. [The Guardian]

Diving whale (Bart van meele, Unsplash)

Minute 22
¶ “Efforts To Pass Global Ocean Protection Treaty Fail” • A fifth effort to pass a global agreement to protect the world’s oceans and marine life failed. Talks for the UN High Seas Treaty went on for two weeks in New York, but governments could not agree on the terms. International waters represent nearly two-thirds of the world’s oceans, but only 1.2% is protected. [BBC]

Tesla Model Y (Screen Post, Unsplash)

Minute 24
¶ “Quarterly US Auto Sales Down Nearly 1 Million While Tesla Sales Up 97% In 3 Years” • US auto sales continue to crash. In the 2nd quarter of 2022, US auto sales were down 20% compared to the 2nd quarter of 2021. They were down 22% compared to the 2nd quarter of 2019. Tesla’s sales in Q2 2022 were 30% higher than in Q2 2021. [CleanTechnica]

Sunday, August 28

German railroad and solar power (Courtesy of TÜV Rheinland)

Minute 27
¶ “Demand For Solar Explodes Everywhere In Europe Except The UK” • In April, Germany instituted new policies designed to accelerate the construction of wind and solar installations. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine made a problem clear: It is in the national interest of all countries to use local renewable energy for their own security. [CleanTechnica]

Figs growing on a tree (Martin Angelov, Unsplash)

Minute 30
¶ “Avocados And Exotic Plants Grow In Hot UK Summer” • This summer’s record-breaking hot and dry weather has seen more exotic plants, including figs and avocadoes, growing in the UK, gardeners told BBC News. It’s part of a trend of Mediterranean and sub-tropical plants thriving in recent years, while traditional British garden varieties struggle. [BBC]

Celebration at Burlington (Kevin Davison, Unsplash)

Minute 32
¶ “Top 10 Cities For Solar Power Per Capita In USA” • Which US cities are leading in solar power adoption? Which are leading on a solar power installed per capita basis? We’ve got answers to both questions thanks to a report from Environment America. Many are in the Southwest. But on a per capita basis, one of the top ten is Burlington, Vermont. [CleanTechnica]

Monday, August 29

Wind turbines (Tyler Casey, Unsplash)

Minute 35
¶ “Will Biden’s Big Clean Energy Bet Help The US Catch China?” • The US seems well on its path to green energy. President Joe Biden recently signed the biggest clean energy investment in US history into law. The package includes $370 billion in subsidies for renewable energy, EVs, etc. Nevertheless, compared to China, the US efforts look modest. [Oil Price]

Spanish olive trees (Vincent Eisfeld, Unsplash)

Minute 38
¶ “Spain’s Olive Oil Producers Devastated By The Worst Ever Drought” • The fertile plains full of olive trees that stretch across southern Spain have made the country the world’s biggest producer of olive oil, accounting for around half of the global supply. This year’s yield is down by around a third already – and there’s still no sign of rain. [BBC]

Proterra school bus (Proterra image)

Minute 40
¶ “Vehicle-To-Grid Trials Taking Place In Massachusetts And New York” • Electric school buses are ideal candidates for use in V2G applications. They sit idle during the day when schools are in session, which allows them to soak up lots of excess electricity generated mid-day when the output from solar power plants is highest. [CleanTechnica]

Tuesday, August 30

SWEL generator (SWEL, via New Atlas)

Minute 43
¶ “SWEL Promises Cleanest, Cheapest Energy Ever” • Sea Wave Energy Ltd spent the better part of the last decade developing a floating, wave-riding generator that the company claims will produce a whole lot of tidal energy for not a whole lot of money. They claim its electricity will have an LCOE (levelized cost of energy) of 1¢/kWh. [CleanTechnica]

Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland (Annie Spratt, Unsplash)

Minute 46
¶ “Greenland Ice Losses Set To Raise Global Sea Levels By Nearly A Foot, New Research Shows” • Widespread ice losses from Greenland have locked in nearly a foot of global sea level rise that’s set to come in the near future – and new research suggests there is no way to stop it, even if the world stopped releasing planet-heating emissions today. [CNN]

PVs over the TID Main Canal (Turlock Water & Power)

Minute 48
¶ “California Plans To Add Solar Panels Over Irrigation Canals” • California has 4,000 miles of irrigation canals that distribute water to the state’s farmers. If all of them were covered with solar panels, they could produce 13 GW of renewable energy. Turlock Water & Power is planning to start Project Nexus, a pilot program putting PVs over the canals. [CleanTechnica]

Wednesday, August 31

Maine forest (Mark Olsen, Unsplash)

Minute 51
¶ “Maine’s High Court Rules That Voter Referendum Blocking Power Corridor Was Likely Unconstitutional” • Maine’s highest court has struck a blow against the campaign to prevent Central Maine Power from building a high-voltage transmission line in western Maine, ruling that a November 2021 referendum was likely unconstitutional. [WBUR]

Sparky (Courtesy of Ports of Auckland)

Minute 54
¶ “Auckland Welcomes Sparky, World’s First Full-Size Electric Tug Boat” • The world’s first full-size electric tug boat is now in service in Auckland, New Zealand. It is called Sparky, which was the first choice in an online naming contest. Sparky can perform up to four shipping moves on a single charge of batteries and can be recharged in about two hours. [CleanTechnica]

Deutsche Bahn (Andreas Stutz, Unsplash)

Minute 56
¶ “Monthly Rail Pass In Germany Cuts Carbon Emissions By 1.8 Million Tons” • On June 1, Germany started a program allowing people one month of unlimited travel on trams, buses, and regional train networks for €9. An analysis shows a reduction in trips by automobile that resulted in 1.8 million fewer tons of CO₂ entering the atmosphere. [CleanTechnica]

Minute 59: Finis

Notes: Energy Week #487 – 9/1/2022

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 #486 – 8/25/2022

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 #486 – 8/25/2022

Minute 0: Introduction 

Thursday, August 18

Colorado River in 2020 (Gabriel Tovar, Unsplash)

Minute 2 
¶ “As Colorado River Crisis Grows, Some Officials Say It’s Time For Feds To Make A Move On Water Cuts” • The Colorado River system is spiraling toward its demise, stakeholder states failed to meet an August 15 deadline to devise a plan to reduce water useage themselves. Now the US government says it is stepping in to produce mandatory cuts. [CNN]

Beeves without a lot to eat (Kait Herzog, Unsplash)

Minute 5
¶ “American Farmers Are Killing Their Own Crops And Selling Cows Because Of Extreme Drought” • Of the farmers in the US, 37% of said they are plowing through and killing existing crops that won’t reach maturity because of dry conditions. In Texas, drought is forcing farmers to sell off their cattle, reducing the state’s herds by 50%. [CNN]

Wind turbines (Jason Blackeye, Unsplash)

Minute 8
¶ “China is beating the US in clean energy. Can America catch up?” • Despite its continued connection with coal, China has emerged in the last decade as a global clean energy champion. It is outperforming the US by a wide margin in almost every area of clean technology, from overall investment and manufacture to marketing across the world. [Grid News]

Friday, August 19

Sea of Galilee (Erez Gavish, Unsplash)

Minute 11
¶ “Lakes Are Drying Up Everywhere. Israel Will Pump Water From The Mediterranean” • Israel used to get nearly all of its drinking water from the Sea of Galilee. Now, plants desalinizing Mediterranean water provide nearly all the water. And because the Sea of Galilee is running low, Israel is planning to pump desalinized water to it. [CNN]

Storm (Marc Wieland, Unsplash)

Minute 13
¶ “Children Are Among The Dead Reported From Storms In France, Austria, And Italy” • Powerful storms, with heavy rain and wind, have battered areas of central and southern Europe, killing at least 12 people including three children. In Corsica, winds gusting up to 224 km/h (140 mph) uprooted trees and damaged mobile homes. [BBC]

Offshore wind turbine (Courtesy of GE Renewables)

Minute 16
¶ “Virginia Offshore Wind Project Could Power 600,000 Homes, Create Over 1,000 Jobs” • Virginia recently announced 2,600 MW offshore wind power project. When there is adequate wind, the new offshore wind farm will generate enough power for at least 600,000 homes in Virginia. The project will also create a large number of jobs. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday,  August 20

Solar panels (Anders J, Unsplash)

Minute 19
¶ “Polysilicon Glut And Cheaper Solar Panels?” • According to Rethink Energy UK’s lead analyst, Andries Wantenaar, prices for polysilicon and hence solar modules will continue to rise during 2022 as supply continues to run short of demand. However, the supply will leap ahead again after that, as new factories go online and prices will drop. [CleanTechnica]

Volkswagen ID. Buzz

Minute 22
¶ “Volkswagen – ID. Buzz Sales Surge, Norway All EV By 2024” • The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is sold out for 2022 in Germany and Norway, even though deliveries won’t begin until later this year. Harald A. Møller, the importer of VWs into Norway, announced that it will not import VW cars with internal combustion engines after January 1, 2024. [CleanTechnica]

Solar panels (SunEnergy image)

Minute 24
¶ “Solar Briefly Overtakes Coal In Australia As Number One Source Of Power Nationally” • For about half an hour on August 19, Australia’s energy market got a look at a future powered by renewables. Solar eclipsed coal as the lead source of power across the energy market, which includes all of Australia except Western Australia and the Northern Territory. [ABC]

Sunday, August 21

Casualty of the war (Julia Rekamie, Unsplash)

Minute 27
¶ “Zelenskyy, Putin Signal Support For International Inspection Of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant” • Both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin have signaled support for international inspectors to visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. This comes after both nations claimed the other attacked it. [USA Today]

Cholla Cactus Garden (Tyler Casey, Unsplash)

Minute 30
¶ “Would You Rip Up Your Lawn For $6 A Square Foot? Welcome To Drought-Stricken California” • The megadrought affecting the American West has been record-breaking, with no tangible relief in sight. It’s forcing cities to crack down on lawn watering, and some are paying residents to replace their lawns with plants that can live with drought. [CNN]

Flash flood (Randy Lisciarelli, Unsplash)

Minute 32
¶ “Today’s Forecast For Tucson, Arizona” • Now it’s rain and floods for parts of Arizona, with nearly four inches of rain, and a lot of flooding. The flash flood watch will continue through Saturday night at 11 PM. Temperatures will be about five to eight degrees below normal because of the recent storms and increased cloud cover. [Today’s Forecast for Tucson Arizona]

Monday, August 22

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

Minute 35
¶ “Germany Rules Out Delay To Nuclear Phaseout” • German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said that allowing the last three nuclear power stations in Germany to remain operational would be of little help in solving the country’s energy crisis. He said, however, that he was open to extending the lifespan of one nuclear plant in Bavaria. [DW]

Hyundia Kona (Vauxford, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Minute 38
¶ “Sky News: No One In Australia Wants Electric Cars” • While Australia holds a summit to discuss car emissions standards, Sky News presenters say that no one wants electric cars. Meanwhile, ordinary citizens are fighting over what is available. Hyundai sold out a delivery of 100 EVs in minutes, and other companies are increasing imports dramatically. [CleanTechnica]

Map of Galvanic Energy resource

Minute 40
¶ “Want Lithium From USA? Galvanic Energy May Have Enough For 50 Million EVs” • Galvanic Energy said a third-party resource report “validated Galvanic Energy’s Smackover Formation prospect as one of the largest lithium brine resources in North America, with sufficient lithium to produce enough batteries for 50 million electric vehicles.” [CleanTechnica]

Tuesday, August 23

Agrivoltaic farming (Werner Slocum, NREL)

Minute 43
¶ “Agrivoltaics: Growing Plants, Power, And Partnerships” • Both solar developers and those in the local community who care for the land – whether as farmland, rangeland, or native habitats – can benefit from agrivoltaics. And when all sides understand how they can benefit each other, low-impact solar development becomes easier. [CleanTechnica]

Seagreen wind farm (SSE Renewables image)

Minute 46
¶ “Scotland’s Biggest Offshore Wind Farm To Generate First Power” • Scotland’s biggest offshore wind farm has begun generating power. Seagreen, which is about 27 km (17 miles) off the Angus coast in the North Sea, has been in development for more than a decade. When fully operational, its 114 turbines will generate 1.1 GW of power. [BBC]

12 hour rainfall map (Weather Prediction Center, public domain)

Minute 48
¶ “Dozens Of High-Water Rescues Are Underway As The Dallas Area Gets A Summer’s Worth Of Rain In One Day” • Parts of Dallas got an entire summer’s worth of rain between Sunday afternoon and Monday afternoon, NWS said. The rain came to an area in a state of exceptional drought. It is an example of “climate whiplash.” [CNN]

Wednesday, August 24

United Nations building (the blowup, Unsplash)

Minute 51
¶ “IAEA May Visit Russian-Occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant In Ukraine” • If access negotiations are successful, the UN nuclear watchdog will travel to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power facility in Ukraine within days, it was announced in a statement. The demilitarisation of the area has been demanded by the UN. [WION]

Huveaune River, July 2022 (Ianaré Sévi, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

Minute 54
¶ “Europe’s Drought The Worst In 500 Years” • Two-thirds of Europe is under some sort of drought warning. It is likely the worst such event in 500 years. The latest report from the Global Drought Observatory says 47% of the continent is in “warning” conditions, meaning soil has dried up. Another 17% is on alert – meaning vegetation is stressed. [BBC]

Mercedes-Benz EQS (Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz)

Minute 56
¶ “Policies Matter: Volkswagen, Mercedes, And Hyundai React To Inflation Reduction Act” • You can bet that Major corporations like Volkswagen, Mercedes, and Hyundai have read the Inflation Reduction Act. And they know that if they jump through the right hoops, their customers will be able to qualify for a $7,500 tax credit on their EVs. [CleanTechnica]

Minute 59: Finis

Notes: Energy Week #486 – 8/25/2022

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 #485 – 8/18/2022

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 #485 – 8/18/2022

Minute 0: Introduction 

Thursday, August 4

Building a wind turbine in Lake Erie (LEEDco image)

Minute 2 
¶ “Ohio Court Rules Icebreaker Can Proceed” • The proposed six-turbine Icebreaker offshore wind project in Lake Erie has received a favourable decision from the Ohio Supreme Court which has ruled the project may proceed. The court held the Ohio Power Siting Board properly issued a permit that allows the project to move ahead. [reNews]

UN Building, New York (Mike Peel, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Minute 5
¶ “UN Security Council To Discuss Ukraine Nuclear Plant Crisis” • The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting to address the crisis at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex. Kyiv and Moscow have accused each other of having bombed the power plant. A source in the Security Council presidency said that the meeting would be on 11 August. [RTE]

Ford parking garage (Ford Motor Company)

Minute 8
¶ “Ford Makes Largest Purchase Of Renewable Energy From A Utility In American History” • Ford Motor Company took a major step towards its renewable energy goal. It announced the largest renewable energy purchase ever made in the US from a utility, 650 MW of renewably generated electricity from DTE Energy, which is based in Michigan. [Jalopnik]

Friday, August 5

Aurora over ice (Lightscape, Unsplash)

Minute 11
¶ “World’s Largest Ice Sheet Crumbling Faster Than Previously Thought, Satellite Imagery Shows” • Antarctica’s coastal glaciers are shedding icebergs more rapidly than nature can replenish the crumbling ice, doubling previous estimates of losses from the world’s largest ice sheet over the past 25 years, a satellite analysis published in the journal Nature shows. [CNN]

Aptera (Aptera)

Minute 13
¶ “Aptera Reveals Gamma (Near-Production) Vehicle Interior” • A social media post by Aptera shows the great progress it is making toward its production vehicle. Not only is Aptera in the last phase before its production design, but they’ve kitted the EV out with a complete interior and exterior, something it didn’t do with the last phase of production. [CleanTechnica]

Drax power plant (Martin Sepion, Unsplash)

Minute 16
¶ “Burning Imported Wood In Drax Power Plant ‘Doesn’t Make Sense’, Says Kwarteng” • The importing of wood to burn in Drax power station “is not sustainable” and “doesn’t make any sense”, the business and energy secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, told a private meeting of MPs this week. Scientists have held this position for a long time. [The Guardian]

Saturday,  August 6

Los Angeles (izayah ramos, Unsplash)

Minute 19
¶ “A Disastrous Megaflood Is Coming To California, Experts Say. It Could Be The Most Expensive Natural Disaster In History” • A study by Science Advances shows climate change has doubled the chances of a disastrous flood happening in California in the next four decades. Experts say it would be unlike anything anyone alive today has ever experienced. [CNN]

Greener greens (Tesco image)

Minute 22
¶ “Tesco Electrifies Deliveries To More Than 400 City Center Stores In Greater London” • Tesco has become the first retailer to launch a zero-emission electric lorry to make deliveries from its distribution centersto stores in city centers in the UK. Electric trucks will help improve air quality in urban areas, and their use should be prioritized. [CleanTechnica]

Ford Lightning pickups (Ford image)

Minute 24
¶ “Ford Lightning: Orders Open Again, But Prices Are Up, Better Standard Range, New Hitch Assist Feature, Other News” • Ford is taking orders for the F-150 Lightning again, but prices are higher. That was expected, but there are two new reasons to make an order: There’s ten more miles of range, and an available feature to help with hauling. [CleanTechnica]

Sunday, August 7

Mussels (Christopher Carson, Unsplash)

Minute 27
¶ “Can Eating Fish Ever Be Sustainable?” • Seafood includes everything from farmed prawns to wild mackerel. It can have an array of environmental impacts, from high carbon emissions to the effects of overfishing, slaughtered bycatch, or antibiotic pollution. But some seafood can be a healthy source of food with low-carbon, low environmental impact. [BBC]

Golf hole (Markus Spiske, Unsplash)

Minute 30
¶ “Climate Activists Fill Golf Holes With Cement After Water Ban Exemption” • Climate activists in southern France have filled golf course holes with cement to protest against the exemption of golf greens from water bans amid the country’s severe drought. Golf greens are getting water while a hundred French villages are running short. [BBC]

Autonomy Tesla Model Y (Autonomy image)

Minute 32
¶ “Autonomy Orders 23,000 More Electric Vehicles” • After a lot of recent news about Autonomy, the biggest EV subscription company in the US, we have even more. The company has just ordered 23,000 EVs from 17 different automakers to expand and diversify its subscription fleet. Up till now, it has only offered the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y. [CleanTechnica]

Monday, August 8

Xpeng G9 (Xpeng image)

Minute 35
¶ “XPeng Bringing Truly Ultrafast Charging To Town” • Chinese EV startup XPeng is on the verge of releasing an EV that will be able to charge at a wicked-fast pace. According to the company, the G9 will be able to gain 200 kilometers (124 miles) of driving range in just 5 minutes. The company is reportedly rolling out the chargers for the car, as well. [CleanTechnica]

Fishing boat (Knut Troim, Unsplash)

Minute 38
¶ “World leaders Make Fifth Attempt To Pass UN Oceans Treaty” • World leaders will meet at the UN in New York for more talks to save the world’s oceans from overexploitation. The UN High Seas Treaty has been through 10 years of negotiations but has yet to be signed. If agreed, it would put 30% of the world’s oceans into conservation areas by 2030. [BBC]

Tesla Model 3 (Martin Katler, Unsplash)

Minute 40
¶ “BEV Demand Increasing, ICEV Demand Decreasing Across Europe” • Compared to 2021, new car sales have dropped by 11% to 20% in Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and the UK. Full battery EV demand is increasing, while all types of internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEV), including hybrids, have falling demand throughout Europe. [CleanTechnica]

Tuesday, August 9

Kyiv (Artem Zhukov, Unsplash)

Minute 43
¶ “UN Can Facilitate IAEA Power Plant Visit, But Russia Puts Conditions” • The UN has the logistics and security capacity to support a visit by International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, a spokesman said, but a Russian diplomat imposed conditions, saying routing a mission through Kyiv was too dangerous. [Reuters]

Monarch butterfly (Gary Bendig, Unsplash)

Minute 46
¶ “One-Third Of The Food We Eat Is At Risk Because The Climate Crisis Is Endangering Butterflies And Bees” • Species of bees, butterflies, and bats are all pollinators. Without them, fruits, vegetables and other plants wouldn’t be pollinated, and that’s a major problem for our food supply. They are in decline because of climate change. [CNN]

Heidelberg (Mateo Krössler, Unsplash)

Minute 48
¶ “German Households Face Levy Of Hundreds Of Euros On Gas Bills” • German households will have to pay hundreds of Euros more a year for gas under a levy to help energy companies cover the cost of replacing Russian supplies. For an average family of four, the additional charge will amount €480 ($489; £404), according to Verivox. [BBC]

Wednesday, August 10

Hoover Dam (Ryan Thorpe, Unsplash)

Minute 51
¶ “Takeaways From Today’s Report On Lake Mead And The Colorado River” • The federal government announced that the Colorado River will operate in a Tier 2 shortage condition for the first time starting in January as the West’s historic drought has taken a severe toll on Lake Mead. States are facing mandatory cuts in water use. [CNN]

Old tires (Markus Spiske, Unsplash)

Minute 54
¶ “Car Tires Are Disastrous For The Environment. This Startup Wants To Be A Driving Force In Fixing The Problem” • As tires wear down, the material they lose becomes dust. Around 6.1 million metric tons of tire dust end up in our atmosphere and waterways annually. A startup in London, The Tyre Collective, says its technology can reduce the problem. [CNN]

Hope (Marc-Olivier Jodoin, Unsplash)

Minute 56
¶ “Can Renewable Energy Visions Of The Future Actually Be Within Reach?” • The passage of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in the US has opened up hope that this is just a start, that other renewable energy and sustainability visions of the future might be within our grasps. Let’s imagine looking into an all-electric crystal ball … [CleanTechnica]

Minute 59: Finis

Notes: Energy Week #485 – 8/18/2022

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 #484 – 8/11/2022

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 #484 – 8/11/2022

Minute 0: Introduction 

Thursday, August 4

Antonio Guterres (Palácio do Planalto, Brazil, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Minute 2 
¶ “UN Chief Guterres Slams Oil And Gas Firms’ ‘Grotesque Greed'” • UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for oil and gas companies to face special taxes. His comments come as surging energy prices sparked by the war in Ukraine push industry profits to new highs. Mr Guterres said it was “immoral” for firms to be profiting from the crisis. [BBC]

Solaris bus (Solaris image)

Minute 5
¶ “Solaris Hits A Milestone With Its 2000th Electric Bus” • In 2012, only 15 electric buses were put into service throughout Europe’s urban areas. They are non-polluting, quiet, and very inexpensive to operate, so with falling prices of batteries, electric buses bus sales have boomed. Recently, Solaris signed a contract for its 2000th electric bus. [CleanTechnica]

Delivery vans (Courtesy of FedEx and GM)

Minute 8
¶ “US Congress Considers First Purchase Incentive For Commercial EVs” • The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the product of the agreement of Senators Manchin and Schumer, would establish a federal tax credit for businesses to purchase electric and plug-in hybrid trucks, buses, vans, shuttles, and other heavy-duty vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

Friday, August 5

Minute 11

Helicopter view of the reef (Sarah_Ackerman, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Great Barrier Reef Sees Record Coral Cover, But It Is Highly Vulnerable” • Coral has recovered from storms and bleaching events to record levels across much of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, a survey has found. But the new coral is of a particularly vulnerable type, so the progress could be quickly undone by climate change and other threats. [BBC]

Senator Kyrsten Sinema (Gage Skidmore, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Minute 13
¶ “Sinema Says She Will ‘Move Forward’ On Economic Bill” • Senator Kyrsten Sinema offered critical support for President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda after party leaders agreed to change tax proposals at her request. She said she would “move forward” on the economic package that has been the product of intensive negotiations for over a year. [CNN]

Farming seaweed (NOAA image, public domain)

Minute 16
¶ “As Lobstering Weakens With Climate Change, But Seaweed Farming Is Reviving An Industry” • The Maine marine economy has been almost entirely dependent on the nearshore landings of the American lobster. Now climate change has warmed Maine’s coastal waters dramatically, but lobster fishers have found a new source of income: Seaweed. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday,  August 6

Purslane (ZooFari, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Minute 19
¶ “Common Weed May Be ‘Super Plant’ That Holds Key To Drought-Resistant Crops” • Yale scientists describe how a weed, purslane, integrates two distinct metabolic pathways to create a novel type of photosynthesis that enables the weed to endure drought while remaining highly productive. Their paper was in the journal Science Advances. [Phys.org]

F-150 Lightning in Alaska (Ford image)

Minute 22
¶ “Ford’s F-150 Lightning Now Delivered To Customers In All 50 States” • In only two months, Ford has delivered electric F-150 Lightning trucks to residents in all 50 states of the US, from the Kenai River in Alaska to Houston and even Hawaii. Though sales are greatest in California and Texas, people all over are looking to electrify their truck transport. [CleanTechnica]

Vacation home in Wales (ClwydianRanger, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Minute 24
¶ “UK Boosts Renewable Target As Ukraine War Drives Up Prices For Energy” • With energy costs soaring, increased production of more cost-effective wind power is good news for consumers. It provides a potential to export excess UK energy to European countries, which are already struggling because of dependence on Russian energy supplies. [CGTN Europe]

Sunday, August 7

Microburst (NOAA, Unsplash)

Minute 27
¶ “Why The International Climate Community Isn’t Popping Champagne Over The US Energy Bill” • While the energy bill is welcomed overseas, there’s an overarching feeling that the US is simply catching up to its allies after years of inaction. Pressure has also increased for the US to take financial responsibility for its historic role in the crisis. [CNN]

Kashmir countryside (Praneet Kumar, Unsplash)

Minute 30
¶ “From Melting Glaciers To Cloudbursts – How Climate Change Is Impacting Kashmir” • Glaciers in the Kashmir area are melting at an unusual pace, posing a big threat to the environment as well as to the people in the region, a study shows. Heat records are being shattered, even as frequencies of rainfalls, hailstorms, and flashfloods are on rise. [Zee News]

Home in the mountains (Vidar Nordli-Mathisen, Unsplash)

Minute 32
¶ “How The Climate Bill Could Save You Money On Electricity, Cars And Appliances” • With nearly $370 billion for energy and incentives, the energy bill is the largest climate investment in US history. In addition to emissions reductions, there’s a lot in the bill that could change both how Americans power their homes and what kinds of vehicles they drive. [CNN]

Monday, August 8

Tiananmen Square on a rare, clear day (zibik, Unsplash)

Minute 35
¶ “China’s Latest Renewables Plan Could Bridge Global 1.5°C Energy Gap, Expert Says” • China’s fourteenth five-year plan shows the country could build enough wind and solar capacity to reach its emissions peak ahead of schedule, but continuing coal investments raise doubts. The plan requires that renewables produce 50% of the electricity. [The Energy Mix]

Senator Markey in 2019 (Senate Democrats, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Minute 38
¶ “Climate Hawks Breathe Sigh Of Relief After More Than A Decade Of Fighting For Climate Legislation” • Senator Ed Markey still remembers the raw anger he felt after the 2009 climate bill failed to advance in a Democrat-controlled Senate. Now, in a 50-50 Senate vote, more than a decade later, the Inflation Reduction Act passed. [CNN]

Sakuú battery (Sakuú image)

Minute 40
¶ “Silicon Valley Startup Plans 3D-Printed Solid-State Battery Gigafactories” • While plans in the tech world are as good as a contract written with disappearing ink, a pilot battery production facility opened in Silicon Valley by startup Sakuú a year ago is already producing 3D-printed solid-state batteries for real customers. [CleanTechnica]

Tuesday, August 9

Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant (Ralf1969, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Minute 43
¶ “Russia Threatens To Blow Up Europe’s Largest Nuclear Power Plant If Ukraine Doesn’t Back Off” • Russian Major-General Valeriy Vasilyev, said in a since-deleted statement, “Here will be either Russian land or a desert. The nuclear power plant will be either Russian or no one’s.” He said explosives had be set up in the plant to blow it up. [LADbible]

Nuuk, capital of Greenland (Visit Greenland, Unsplash)

Minute 46
¶ “Billionaires Are Funding Massive Treasure Hunt In Greenland As Ice Vanishes” • The climate crisis is melting Greenland down at an unprecedented rate, and this is an opportunity for investors and mining companies. They are searching for a trove of critical minerals to power the green energy transition. And some of the world’s richest people are investing. [CNN]

Window heat pump (Gradient image)

Minute 48
¶ “New Heat Pumps For Old Apartments” • Gradient, based in San Francisco, has created a novel solution to the problem. The unit hangs from the window sill and can be installed using hand tools. Plug it in to a standard 120-volt wall outlet and you’re good to go. It won Fast Company’s 2022 World Changing Ideas Award for consumer products. [CleanTechnica]

Wednesday, August 10

Please note that the base line in this graph is 0.

Minute 51
¶ “Russia’s Natural Gas Pipeline Exports To Europe Down To Almost 40-Year Lows” • In mid-July 2022, exports declined to 1.2 billion cubic feet per day, the lowest level in nearly 40 years. This is a very big loss for Russia. The country’s natural gas exports to the EU and the UK averaged 16.0 Bcf/d in 2019, 12.4 Bcf/d in 2020, and 10.9 Bcf/d in 2021. [CleanTechnica]

Declines, by energy source and state

Minute 54
¶ “US Energy Production Declined By Record Amounts In Several States In 2020” • In 2020, energy production in the US fell by record amounts compared with 2019, mostly as a result of decreased economic activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seven states saw their largest annual energy production decline in at least 60 years. [CleanTechnica]

Block Island wind farm (Ionna22, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Minute 56
¶ “Ørsted First Energy Company To Set 100% Renewable Electricity Requirement For Suppliers” • Ørsted expects all its suppliers to use 100% renewable electricity by 2025, becoming the first energy company in the world to do so, the company said. In 2020, Ørsted committed to getting 100% of its energy from renewables by 2025. [Offshore Wind]

Minute 59: Finis

Notes: Energy Week #484 – 8/11/2022

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