Solar Projects and a Better Air Conditioner

Hello! The Inflation Reduction Act turns one this month, widely hailed as the climate law of a generation. So this week in the newsletter, we're taking a look at various clean energy projects across the country, from community solar to installing more efficient air conditioners for a warming world.

– Michael Crowe, Editor/Project Manager, Covering Climate Collab

Reporting from Our Partners

Ines Martinez, 44, wraps fruit with plastic bags to protect them from pests on a farm in Homestead. MATIAS J. OCNER

Times Picayune/NOLA News: 'The need was very apparent': A conversation about creating community solar-power hubs

The project grew out of discussions following Hurricane Ida, when most deaths in the New Orleans area were due to electricity outages. Now a group is working to install solar capacity at 86 New Orleans churches and community locations.

Colorado Department of Transportation crewmembers work to clear a landslide of rocks from a highway in Boulder County, Colo., on June 23, 2023.

Planet Detroit: Can Detroit fight blight with solar panels?

The city wants to power its operations with renewable energy generated in Detroit neighborhoods. Will residents agree?

Climate Central climate fingerprint analysis map

Miami Herald: Watsco, U.S. air conditioner leader, aims to keep people cool without warming the planet

Almost any time contractors replace an old air conditioner, they cut a significant chunk out of a home’s carbon emissions.

News from the Collab

Observations from SEJ: Connecting extreme weather and climate change

We all recognize that extreme weather events have become both more common and more severe. This increasing, and increasingly obvious, threat to communities also creates an opportunity to make the connection to climate change.

What we're reading

A Montana judge struck down a law barring the state from considering climate impacts, a 'landmark' decision
Phoenix ER doctors confront the dangers of extreme heat, even using body bags full of ice to cool patients
Google used an AI model to help American Airlines reduce contrails, and their warming effect. Fascinating.

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