Big tech companies 💻🏢 and #utilities ⚙️ in the US 🇺🇸 are rolling out lots of #microgrids, ie. mini-power systems 🔋 that can run independently or connect to the main grid 🔌. That's because they need more reliable electricity ⚡ and want to handle surging demand 📈 and extreme weather better 🌪️🌧️.

According to the #WorldBank 🌍, 93% of people aged 15 to 24 👩🏽‍🎓👨🏻‍🎓 can now read and write ✍️📖, up from 87% in 2000 and 77% in 1980 📈. In regions like #EastAsia, #LatinAmerica, and #CentralEurope 🌎🌏, youth #literacy has reached or neared universal levels 🎯 🌱✨.

Vox has an interesting article on Ireland’s🇮🇪 transformation over the past 70 years. It's nothing short of staggering according to the article. Life expectancy has climbed from 70 to 83 years, infant mortality has plummeted and GNI per capita has risen from $2K to $60K.

#Wind and #solar will meet 90% of the world’s new power demand this year, with #nuclear and #hydro making up the rest. The #IEA says #renewables will overtake coal as the world’s largest source of electricity by 2026. They are expected to supply 36% of global power against 32% for coal.

The 2027 #ChevyBolt #EV was recently spotted driving around totally uncoveraged, and it looks like a lightly refreshed version of the old Bolt EUV, but with a Tesla‑friendly #NACS charger and updated #battery🔋 tech, hinting at a #budget‑friendly, familiar EV coming soon! 🔌⚡🎉

Over 100,000 home #batteries across #California teamed up in a coordinated test on July 29 and discharged a total of about 535 MW, enough to power over half of San Francisco’s grid during evening spike. 🌃⚡ It’s a real-world proof that residential batteries can step in when the grid needs it. 😎

Some more images

A new report shows that since 1990, the EU-27 has slashed sulphur dioxide by 95%, nitrogen oxides by 66%, ammonia by 36%, and fine-particle pollution by 41%, overshooting all targets agreed in 2016, and already 16% ahead on the tougher 2030 SO₂ target.

In the past 10 years, 292 million more people got access to #electricity, although the world added 760 million more people. Now, 92% of the planet has power (up from 87% in 2010), and more of it is coming from #renewables. Plus, hundreds of millions have moved away from cooking on open fires.

How does your EV's battery fair after 5 years? It turns out some do better than others, depending on the cooling method and cell monitoring among other things.
As a rule of thumb batteries tend to degrade about 1.8% per year hovering around 90% range retention.
share.google/VXmSbaGAYO1h...

A new report from #UNESCO shows that girls’ access to education has surged worldwide, with gender parity in parts of Asia and #sub-Saharan Africa. Schools led by women improve learning equivalent to six months to a year of extra education.
unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/p...
#GenderEquality

A new analysis finds that even without tax credits, solar and wind are more cost-effective than new-build gas and coal, making them a more sensible investment for the U.S. power sector.

share.google/PfMY1jPCAr1W...

The Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea announced plans to create the massive, 6.07 million km² Melanesian Ocean Reserve, covering an area nearly as big as the entire Amazon rainforest.
news.mongabay.com/short-articl...

Tame predictions versus wild reality: the rollout of solar is consistently underestimated. Actual global solar installations have smashed past all projections according to Nat Bullard.
www.nathanielbullard.com?ref=fixthene...