Fri: What if Previous Guy Doesn't Surrender?

Floating An Idea About Solar Power

Researchers concluded that covering an average of 30% of the world’s reservoirs with solar cells could annually generate 9,500 terawatt-hours (TW/h) of electricity. For comparison, electricity generated planet-wide in 2021 was 28,000 TW/h. Floating solar could therefore provide 35% of the world’s current levels of electricity. In the U.S., floating solar could generate 1,900 TW/h each year, nearly half of the 3,900 TW/h Americans now consume.

There’s another benefit to what some are calling floatovoltaics. The researchers calculated that partially covering these reservoirs would save 100 cubic kilometers of water from evaporation every year. That’s 26.4 trillion gallons. For comparison, about 3.9 trillion gallons of water have flowed down the Colorado River yearly since 2000.

The researchers note that floating solar panels on reservoirs have a number of advantages besides cooling the panels and reducing water loss. One is that you're not sacrificing unaltered land in order to cover it in panels, given that humanity has already inundated the land in question. While the panels will block light from reaching the water and can potentially cause problems for any ecosystems that have developed there, it could also help limit harmful algal blooms in water supplies.

Another advantage is that many reservoirs are close to both power-hungry population centers and the grids that serve them, making it easier to take advantage of the power generated there. Finally, a lot of reservoirs are associated with hydroelectric power systems, and the two sources of power could be managed as a single unit to maintain a steady level of production around the clock and in all weather conditions.

The researchers also estimate that there are 40 countries that could meet their total current energy demands entirely through floating solar, although again, storage remains an issue.

Floating solar is about 25% more expensive than land-based systems, one reason being that the panels must be anchored or slung from overhead wires. Additionally, maintenance is more difficult. But floating solar is still cheaper than other sources of electricity. And the gap between land-based system and floating solar is certain to shrink. Currently, there are only about 5,000 megawatts of capacity at such floating facilities worldwide. But that is changing rapidly as numerous countries have decided this makes good sense.

China, for instance, has proposed a $1 billion, 1,000-megawatt, 6,200-acre floating solar facility at Zimbabwe’s Kariba Dam, which backs up the world’s largest reservoir by volume. Many others are already in operation. Portugal hosts a 5-megawatt floating solar park at the Alqueva reservoir, Europe’s largest human-made reservoir, providing about a third of the electricity needs of local towns. The Tengeh Reservoir is home to Singapore's 60-megawatt floating solar farm that provides power to five water treatment plants. The city of Healdsburg, California, has a 4.8-megawatt floating solar operation that supplies about 8% of its electricity needs.

Conceptual rendering of solar panels spanning the 110 foot-wide Turlock Irrigation District Main Canal.
A conceptual rendering of solar panels spanning the 110 foot-wide Turlock Irrigation District's main canal. The $20 million project is designed to test the feasibility of covering some, most, or all of the state's 4,000 miles of irrigation canals with solar panels that reduce evaporation, improve water quality, and generate significant amounts of electricity.
In California, there’s another plan—Project Nexus—to cover the state’s canals with solar panels.

“Energy production and saving water from floating photovoltaics on global reservoirs

This Won't Stop the Media From Wall-to-Wall-to-Wall Coverage

Rachel Maddow jumped into the MSNBC anchor chair on Thursday — when she’s not normally on air — to cover the indictment of former President Donald Trump and to warn people what they may not expect in the historic prosecution.

“I do think there’s one thing we all need to be preparing for here that we are maybe not prepared for, and that is what I think is the very high probability that this is going to be boring,” she said. “I’m not sure we’re prepared for that.”

You've Got a Few Hours to Get a Deal on a Mansion

As the clock ticks down to the start of Los Angeles’ new “mansion tax”, the city’s real estate market is offering some deadline deals.

On Instagram, two high-end realtors touted a $1m bonus to any agent who helped sell a $28m Bel Air mansion by 1 April. Another 260-acre Bel Air property which went up for auction this month (starting price $39m) offered buyers a $2m credit if they were able to close the deal by 31 March.

In Beverly Hills, a listing for a $16.5m mansion offered buyers “a brand new” luxury car – Aston Martin, Bentley or McLaren – if they purchased the property before the deadline.

The new tax, designed to raise public funds to prevent homelessness in one of the most expensive housing markets in the country, imposes a 4% tax on property sales between $5m and $10m, and a 5.5% tax on sales over $10m.

Voters approved the tax in November, amid a growing humanitarian crisis that has left more than 28,000 people unhoused and living outside in Los Angeles. Real estate interests are now fighting the new law in court, arguing that it violates California’s constitution.

With the outcome of the legal challenge unknown, the real estate market is adjusting to the expected tax, with buyers and sellers exploring new workarounds.

Some properties that might have been priced in the low $5m range are now being marketed at $4.9m, just under the tax cutoff, with buyers agreeing to pay a property’s closing costs instead of the sellers, said Ken Fields, a Los Angeles real estate attorney.

EV's May Cost More to Purchase, But Less Than Half As Much to Operate

Fewer new electric vehicles will qualify for a full $7,500 federal tax credit later this year, and many will get only half that, under rules proposed Friday by the U.S. Treasury Department.

The rules, required under last year's Inflation Reduction Act, are likely to slow consumer acceptance of electric vehicles and could delay President Joe Biden's ambitious goal that half of new passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. run on electricity by 2030.

Biden's administration concedes that fewer electric vehicles will be eligible for tax credits in the short term because of the rules, which set standards for where EV battery parts and minerals come from. But it says that, over time, more EVs and parts will be manufactured in the U.S., creating a domestic supply chain and more jobs. The credits and other measures also will end dependence on China for parts and minerals, which it now dominates, the Democratic administration contends.

Electric vehicles now cost an average of more than $58,000, according to Kelley Blue Book, a price that's beyond the reach of many U.S. households. The tax credits are designed to bring prices down and attract more buyers. But $3,750 — half the full credit — may not be enough to entice them away from less-costly gasoline vehicles.

If you're looking to buy an EV and want the full $7,500 tax credit, you'd better move quickly. The Internal Revenue Service lists more than three dozen electric or plug-in hybrid passenger vehicles made in North America that now are eligible. But some won't qualify or will get only half once the new Treasury Department rules take effect April 18.

A Treasury official wouldn’t give an estimate of how many EVs would be eligible under the new rules. The department plans to publish a list on April 18, the official said.

Automakers have to certify that their vehicles meet requirements for full or partial tax credits.

The big issue is new rules limiting the percentage of battery parts and minerals that come from countries that don't have free trade or mineral agreements with the U.S.

This year, at least 40% of the value of battery minerals must be mined, processed or recycled in the U.S. or countries with which it has trade deals. That rises 10% every year until it hits 80% after 2026.

Also, at least 50% of the value of battery parts must be manufactured or assembled in North America this year. That requirement rises to 60% next year and in 2025 and jumps 10% each year until it hits 100% after 2028.

Florida QOP Responds to Dead Children in a Typical Way.  More Guns.

Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature passed a bill Thursday allowing individuals to carry concealed loaded weapons anywhere without a permit.

The bill now goes to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has repeatedly indicated he will sign it.

The measure scraps the existing requirements for concealed weapons permits, including an extra layer of background checks, licensing and firearms training.