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Energy Week #547 – 11/2/2023
Minute 0: Introduction
Thursday, October 26
Wisk Aero eVTOL (Courtesy of Wisk Aero)
Minute 2
¶ “Wisk Is First EVTOL Air Taxi Firm To Make Public Flights, Lilium Offers First EVTOL Aircraft For Private Purchase” • Wisk became the first eVTOL air taxi firm to make public flights at Long Beach Airport in Los Angeles County. Also, Lilium Jet, together with EMCJET, is offering the first private eVTOL in the US to customers. [CleanTechnica]
Hurricane (Kasie Schlagel, Pixy.org, CC0)
Minute 5
¶ “Turbocharged Otis Caught Forecasters And Mexico Off-Guard. Scientists Aren’t Sure Why” • Acapulco was told to expect a tropical storm, but 24 hours later, Otis made landfall with 165 mph (266 kph) winds, the strongest ever recorded in the East Pacific. Otis’ winds went from 70 mph (113 kph) winds to 160 mph (257 kph) in just 12 hours. [ABC News]
KCIC high-speed train (KCIC press image)
Minute 8
¶ “First High-Speed Train Arrives In Southern Hemisphere – Bandung Confluence” • The first high-speed train south of the equator connects two of Indonesia’s largest cities, which are on the island of Java. One is the national capital, Jakarta, with 11.25 million residents. The other isthe fourth largest city, Bandung, with 2.67 million. [CleanTechnica]
Friday, October 27
Floating turbine (Untrakdrover, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)
Minute 10
¶ “Denmark Supports Efforts To Develop Floating Offshore Wind Turbines” • Denmark is taking the lead in developing floating offshore wind turbines. The government is supporting projects and forming new partnerships as it believes floating wind will be critical for the next phase of the development of renewable energy. [The Maritime Executive]
Pumpkins (Mark Duffel, Unsplash, cropped)
Minute 13
¶ “Are Halloween Pumpkins A Future Superfood?” • Pumpkins have values that go far beyond the Halloween accessory they’ve become known for. They stick around until Thanksgiving, and even past. But their true potential lies in their nutritional and medicinal benefits, which are especially valuable because they tolerate drought so well. [BBC]
Reef section (Natrix image)
Minute 16
¶ “Installation Underway Of 15 Acres Of 3D-Printed Artificial Reefs In Coastal North Carolina” • Acres of 3D-printed artificial reefs are being planted in coastal North Carolina to bolster its biodiversity and promote growth of natural reef. The reefs are being planted in the Palmico River, a large estuary system on North Carolina’s Atlantic Coast. [ABC News]
Saturday, October 28
Solar energy (Andreas Gücklhorn, Unsplash)
Minute 19
¶ “DOE Issues Draft Plan For Grid Interconnections” • The DOE released a draft road map for transforming grid interconnection processes, a major hurdle to the Biden administration’s goal of decarbonizing the power sector by 2035. About 2,000 GW of mostly renewable generation and energy storage are in queues waiting to connect in the US. [Smart Cities Dive]
Hurricane Otis (MarioProtIV, public domain)
Minute 22
¶ “Acapulco Residents Are Fending For Themselves In Absence Of Aid” • In a city without water, electricity or gasoline, desperate people have been allowed, even encouraged, to take essential goods from wrecked stores since Hurricane Otis hit Acapulco. The goods they can take include water, food, and other the things necessary to support them. [ABC News]
Solar array (Jason Blackeye, Unsplash)
Minute 24
¶ “Texas Surpasses California With Most Installed Solar Power” • Texas now has the most solar power installed on its power grid in the country, knocking California out of its longtime reign. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the grid operator for 90% of Texas, had 18,364 MW of solar capacity installed on its grid as of September 30, ERCOT data shows. [Governing]
Sunday, October 29
Drilling operations in Kansas (Natural Hydrogen Energy)
Minute 27
¶ “They Went Hunting For Fossil Fuels. What They Found Could Help Save The World” • When two scientists went looking for fossil fuels beneath the ground in France, they did not expect to discover something which could help tackle the climate crisis. It was hydrogen. Now that they know to look for it, they might find more. But how much can they find? [CNN]
EHang 216 (EHang image)
Minute 30
¶ “First Autonomous, Electric Aircraft On Earth To Get Approval For Commercial Flights” • An EHang eVTOL aircraft, the EH216-S, has just been approved for commercial flights by the Civil Aviation Administration of China. This is the first such approval anywhere in the world. And the EH216-S is not only electric – it’s also autonomous. [CleanTechnica]
Matching what is nearby (Uber image)
Minute 32
¶ “Phoenix Uber Riders Can Now Order A Waymo Robotaxi” • Uber and Waymo formed a partnership in the Phoenix metro area. A few days ago, Uber customers were able to get matched with a fully autonomous, all-electric Waymo ride for the first time in the 225+ square miles of Metro Phoenix where Waymo has been operating. [CleanTechnica]
Monday, October 30
Solar panels (Pixy.org, CC0, public domain)
Minute 35
¶ “China’s Installed Capacity Of Renewable Energy Surges” • China’s installations of renewable energy hit 172 million kW (172 GW) in the first nine months of the year, a 93% increase from to the same period last year, according to the National Energy Administration. This surge reflects the country’s commitment to promoting green development. [Xinhua]
Pumpkin patch (Marius Ciocirlan, Unsplash)
Minute 38
¶ “Water Woes, Hot Summers, And Labor Costs Are Haunting Pumpkin Farmers In The West” • Pumpkins can survive hot, dry weather to some extent, but the heat of this summer, which broke records and went well over 100°F (38°C), was just too much, said Mark Carroll, the Texas A&M extension agent for Floyd County, Texas. [ABC News]
Offshore windpower (Jesse De Meulenaere, Unsplash)
Minute 40
¶ “HD Hyundai Electric Inks 3-GW Korean MOU” • HD Hyundai Electric signed a memorandum of understanding with Pacifico Energy Korea, CS Wind, Korea Ocean Engineering & Consultants Co and Daebul Shipbuilding at HD Hyundai Global R&D Center to jointly develop an offshore windpower project of over 3 GW in Jeollanam-do province, South Korea. [reNews]
Tuesday, October 31
Scania 40R battery electric truck (Photo by Scania)
Minute 43
¶ “Scania Brings New Energy By Offering Next-Level Electric Trucks” • Scania unveiled its cutting-edge line of regional electric trucks with zero emissions in June 2022, and the manufacturing process is set to commence in Södertälje, Sweden. The trucks boast a power of 400 or 450 kW, perfectly suited for a wide range of truck applications. [CleanTechnica]
Rooftop solar power (RE-volv image)
Minute 46
¶ “Here’s How Foundations Are Bringing Solar To Lower-Income Communities” • The rooftop solar industry is booming, but far too few lower-income Americans have benefited. Now a growing number of charitable foundations are stepping up to redress that injustice, using different ways to bring the benefits of solar to the communities that need it most. [Canary Media]
San Diego (Gabe Pierce, Unsplash)
Minute 48
¶ “Cars Are Canceling Out San Diego’s Progress On Renewable Energy” • San Diego has made enormous strides toward getting more of its electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar in recent years. But, according to the city’s latest inventory of greenhouse gas emissions, that progress is being canceled out by pollution from cars and trucks. [KPBS]
Wednesday, November 1
Wind resources at 100 meters above the ground (NREL image)
Minute 51
¶ “Biden-Harris Administration Approves Largest Offshore Wind Project In The Nation” • Located approximately 23.5 nautical miles off Virginia Beach, the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project is the largest yet, and would provide about 2,600 MW of clean, reliable offshore wind energy, capable of powering over 900,000 homes. [CleanTechnica]
Wind turbines on Eigg (W L Tarbert, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)
Minute 54
¶ “The Isle Of Eigg: The Community-Owned Island That Powers Itself” • Eigg is one of a collection of islands in the Scottish Inner Hebrides called the Small Isles. It lies 15 miles from the mainland and is reliant on a ferry that runs a few times a week, weather dependent, for supplies and transport. Waste isn’t an option here and sustainability is a necessity. [BBC]
Solaris Urbino 15 LE electric bus in Sweden (Solaris image)
Minute 56
¶ “Electric Bus Traction In Stockholm And Sicily Is Increasing Exponentially With Bus Expert Solaris Supplying The Stocks” • Solaris, a Polish e-mobility leader in public transport, continues to make waves in the world of sustainable transportation with its latest orders from Sweden’s Nobina Stockholm and Italy’s AMTS Catania earlier this October. [CleanTechnica]
Minute 59: Finis
Notes: Energy Week #547 – 11/2/2023
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 with George Harvey and Tom Finnell 