Vineyard Wind Has Some Explaining to Do

Current conditions: A raging wildfire disrupted traffic at Turkey’s Izmir airport • The North Central Plains are on alert for severe thunderstorms • It’s about 70 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where President Biden is self-isolating with COVID.

THE TOP FIVE

1. Climate groups ‘split’ on Biden’s 2024 decision

With reports swirling that President Biden is likely to announce his departure from the 2024 presidential race this weekend, Reuters says that climate groups are “split” on the issue . The outlet contacted eight environmental groups for their take on whether Biden should step aside. Two (the Sunrise Movement and Climate Defiance) said yes. One (the Sierra Club) said no. The others were undecided or didn’t want to comment. “Joe Biden’s inability to campaign coherently and articulate an alternative to the far right will result in lower turnout among potential Democratic voters faced with a choice between two old white men clinging to power,” said Evan Drukker-Schardl, an organizer with Climate Defiance.

2. Most of U.S. will likely be hotter than normal next month

“If you like this summer’s heat, I have some good news for you,” quipped climatologist Brian Brettschneider after seeing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s monthly temperature and precipitation outlook for August. It’s expected to be hotter than normal across the vast majority of the contiguous United States next month. That’s looking especially certain for the north-central Rockies (Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah) and the Central Applachians (West Virginia and the Carolinas). As for rain, it’ll likely be dryer than normal out West, and wetter than normal in the Southeast.

NOAA

The more immediate forecast brings some relief from stifling heat in northeastern states, but the western U.S. will bake this weekend and the Pacific Northwest could see 110 degrees by Sunday.

3. Vineyard Wind’s broken turbine mess outrages Nantucket locals

Another large chunk of the Vineyard Wind farm’s damaged turbine broke off and fell into the ocean yesterday. A blade sustained damage over the weekend and foam and fiberglass debris has been washing up on Nantucket beaches. Thursday’s incident involved “a significant part” of what remained of the blade, Vineyard Wind said in a statement . The company said the blade had settled on the ocean floor. Vineyard’s CEO Klaus Moeller found out about the new damage during a particularly tense meeting with outraged Nantucket community members, during which he tried (but failed) to reassure them the debris is not toxic.

Cleanup crews are trying to collect the debris but “current weather conditions create a difficult working environment.” Apparently this isn’t the first time a turbine manufactured by GE Verona has broken apart. There have been reports of similar incidents in the U.K., Germany, and Sweden in recent years. Vineyard Wind has halted all operations while an investigation goes ahead.

4. IEA report: Global electricity demand is soaring

Clean energy expansion needs to speed up to keep pace with the growing demand for electricity, according to a mid-year electricity update from the International Energy Agency. Key takeaways from the forecast:

• Electricity demand will grow by 4% this year , up from 2.5% last year and the highest growth rate since 2007. Intense heat waves, economic growth, and adoption of electric appliances and vehicles are key contributors.
• Renewables’ share of the global electricity supply mix will reach 35% next year, up from 30% in 2023.
• Solar power is the real workhorse, projected to meet 50% of the demand growth through 2025.
• Renewables will surpass coal next year for the first time, but coal power won’t decline just yet because of soaring demand in India (where electricity demand will surge by “a massive” 8% this year) and China (where demand will be up 6%).
• U.S. energy demand will grow by 3%. Power sector emissions in the States are projected to grow this year, but decline next year.
• Global electricity emissions will plateau through 2025.
• Data centers need more reliable information regarding their electricity consumption as artificial intelligence grows.

While we’re “heading fast towards an electric future,” said Dave Jones, insight director at energy think tank Ember, “we need to be building renewables at double speed, to make power sector emissions fall as fast as they need to.”

IEA

5. U.K. jails 5 Just Stop Oil protesters

Five protesters from the climate activist group Just Stop Oil have been jailed in the U.K. for blocking a major roadway in 2022. Four of them were sentenced to four years, and one got five years. The judge in the case said they had “crossed the line from concerned campaigner to fanatic.” The sentences are thought to be the longest ever given in the U.K. for non-violent protest, The Guardian reported . The program director of Greenpeace slammed the decision, saying: “We’re giving a free hand to the polluting elite robbing us of a habitable planet while jailing those who’re trying to stop them – it makes no sense.”

THE KICKER

Spending on EV charging infrastructure in the U.S. is expected to surpass $6 billion this year, which is double the investment seen in 2023.

Read more: This Is How You Die of Extreme Heat