Short Takes – 9-28-23

EVs just got a big boost. We’re going to need a lot more chargers. TechnologyReview.com article. Pull quote: “EV owners would shoulder the cost of installing at-home charging equipment, but there could be additional barriers. Most homes require some electrical work to support EV charging, which can be expensive if it involves retrofitting. “The building stack generally isn’t ready for charging,” says Dan O’Brien, a modeling analyst at Energy Innovation.”

Biden approves emergency declaration in Louisiana for saltwater intrusion that threatens New Orleans. CNN.com article.  Pull quote: “Extreme drought spread across parts of the Mississippi River Basin this summer and pushed water levels to near-record lows. As the river’s flow rate weakened, a surge of saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico pushed upstream, polluting drinking water for thousands of residents south of New Orleans.”

New approaches to the tech talent shortage. TechnologyReview.com article. Pull quote: “But tech doesn’t just need short-term bridges. It needs long-term solutions. That’s why some companies are looking earlier in the pipeline — and even building their own pipeline. Innovative tech leaders have begun targeting less traditionally qualified candidates, including those who have just finished secondary school, and they are cultivating that future potential through new early-career programs.” Advertorial for a free report.

Freedom Caucus presses McCarthy for answers before supporting stopgap. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: ““We remain ready to continue working in good faith with our colleagues across the Republican Conference to advance appropriations; likewise, we expect you to take every step necessary to pass these bills — starting with the four bills now under consideration to fund approximately two-thirds of the federal government,” the letter later said.”

We were promised smaller nuclear reactors. Where are they? TechnologyReview.com article. Pull quote: “The true promise of SMRs will be realized only when it’s time to build the second, the third, the fifth, and the hundredth reactor, DOE’s Huff says, and both companies and regulators are learning how to speed up the process to get there. But the benefits of SMRs are all theoretical until reactors are running, supplying electricity without the need for fossil fuels.”

One of the most intense El Niños ever observed could be forming. WashingtonPost.com article. Pull quote: “And Yeager said the research behind the latest El Niño forecast is part of a broader effort to better predict weather and climate phenomena over scales of one to two years. The research team is looking at whether the current El Niño could be followed in the spring by a rapid transition to La Niña, as has occurred in the past.”