🔗 Articles: Tuesday 02.Apr.2024
RenewablesNow: Renewables meet 89% of Portugal’s Q1 power demand
National grid operator Redes Energeticas Nacionais (REN) said on Monday that renewable energy plants in Portugal have covered 89% of the country’s electricity consumption in the first quarter of 2024.
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Hydro accounted for 47% of consumption, wind for 31%, solar photovoltaic (PV) for 6%, and biomass for 5%. On March 11, hydropower reached 7,280 MW, a new maximum power delivered to the grid.
NYT: Joe Flaherty, SCTV and Freaks and Geeks Actor, Dies at 82
His death was confirmed by his daughter, Gudrun Flaherty, who said that Mr. Flaherty died after a “brief illness.” She did not specify a cause, or say where he died.
Alongside an ensemble that included John Candy, Martin Short, Rick Moranis, Andrea Martin, Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara, Mr. Flaherty played a variety of characters on “SCTV.” The concept of the series, which aired in the 1970s and ’80s, was that its sketches were “shows” for a low-rent TV station in a fictional town called Melonville.
Goodbye, Guy Caballero.
NYT: Magazine: Peter C. Baker: The Case Against ‘Good’ Coffee
The coffee was fine. Not as good as a cup of freshly roasted, single-origin, shade-grown made at my favorite shop, but it was recognizably coffee. There was no process worth speaking of to enjoy, but there were no grounds on the counter, either, and I soon felt the caffeine caressing my synapses. If I had to pick one word to describe the process, that word would be: “instant.” And if I had to pick one word to describe how this simplified process made me feel, that word would be: “good.”
Coffee articles always perc me up…
Engadget: Amazon just walked out on its self-checkout technology
Amazon is removing Just Walk Out tech from all of its Fresh grocery stores in the US, as reported by The Information. The self-checkout system relies on a host of cameras, sensors and good old-fashioned human eyeballs to track what people leave the store with, charging the customers accordingly.
The technology has been plagued by issues from the onset. Most notably, Just Walk Out merely presents the illusion of automation, with Amazon crowing about generative AI and the like. Here’s where the smoke and mirrors come in. While the stores have no actual cashiers, there are reportedly over 1,000 real people in India scanning the camera feeds to ensure accurate checkouts.
“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!”
CleanTechnica: 10 Cleantech Stories Not to Miss — Electric Truck Towing, Chinese EV Takeover, Support Solar & Get An EV
1. Chinese electric cars are quietly taking over the auto market globally, and that’s starting to get interesting. According to one analysis from Transport & Environment (T&E), a full 25% of electric cars sold in Europe in 2024are expected to have been produced in China! In 2023, the figure was 19.5%.
Last Updated: 02.Apr.2024 19:28 EDT