December 2, 2023

Weekend Reads: Portugal Runs on Renewables for 6 Days; Detroit Debuts First US Wireless Charging Road

It's the weekend! Kick back and catch up with these must-read articles from around the web:

What is Cop28 and why does it matter? (The Guardian)  For almost three decades, world governments have met nearly every year to forge a global response to the climate emergency. Under the 1992 UN framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC), every country is treaty-bound to “avoid dangerous climate change” and find ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally in an equitable way.

Portugal Just Ran On Entirely Renewable Energy For A Record-Breaking 6 Consecutive Days (IFL Science)  For six days in a row, more energy was produced from renewable energy sources than was consumed across the entire country. The new record was set between 4 am local time on October 31 and 9 am on November 6 – 149 consecutive hours, breaking 2019’s record of 131 hours – during which 1,102 Gigawatt hours (GWh) of renewable energy were produced.

North America's First Wireless Charging Road Debuts in Detroit (Car and Driver)  A quarter-mile stretch of road in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood is now equipped with the ability to wirelessly charge compatible vehicles as they drive down the street. The technology utilizes a series of specialized coils laid beneath the asphalt, with each individual coil connecting back to a series of power-managing hubs along the side of the road.

How a small East Texas school district replaced its gas-guzzling buses with an all-electric fleet (Texas Tribune)  Martinsville ISD applied for and received a $1.6 million grant last year from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Its Clean School Bus Program — funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law of 2021 — is investing $5 billion to replace existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models across the country, especially in school districts that serve rural areas or low-income students.

Coal-producing West Virginia is converting an entire school system to solar power (AP News)  An entire county school system in coal-producing West Virginia is going solar, representing what a developer and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin’s office touted on Wednesday as the biggest-ever single demonstration of sun-powered renewable electricity in Appalachian public schools. The agreement between Wayne County Schools and West Virginian solar installer and developer Solar Holler builds on historic investments in coal communities made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, which Democratic Sen. Manchin had a major role in shaping as chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

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