When it’s hot, Play it cool!
Katharine Hayhoe’s column is full of important information this week. I recommend you read the whole column but there are the highlights. Europe endured a succession of scorching heat waves this summer, spiking electricity demand across the grid. So how did the grid hold up? Great, thanks to solar production and battery storage! Nuclear, coal, and gas-fired plants are very vulnerable to heat and drought because they require cooling water. This forced shutdowns like those at the Beznau nuclear plant in Switzerland. But solar overperformed in these same conditions, closing the gap and providing 25 percent of power generation across the EU in June and July. Battery systems stored that energy and delivered it to the grid after sundown
A new study has found that nearly half the children under ten on this planet are now living through at least twenty days a year of dangerous heat attributable to climate change. Children’s bodies heat up faster than ours, they sweat less efficiently, and they depend on adults to look out for their needs. Watch your children on hot days. Play It Cool is trying to change that with three simple actions:
- Speak Up: Teach kids to tell an adult if they feel sick, notice symptoms in a teammate, or think the heat is becoming unsafe.
- Sit Out: Taking a break is a sign of strength.
- Cool Down: Get somewhere cooler, remove extra equipment, and start cooling down immediately if someone shows signs of heat illness.