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Tesla sunsets its Solar Roof tiles | The Verge

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Tesla sunsets its Solar Roof tiles | The Verge

Tesla has discontinued Solar Roof, its solar panels designed to look like regular roofing tiles, Electrek reports. Sources “close to the program” told the publication that Tesla has informed its third-party installer network that Solar Roof is no longer available to order, and that only conventional solar panels will be supplied going forward.

While Tesla hasn’t officially announced that it’s sunsetting the product, it’s made several website changes that corroborate the reported discontinuation. The dedicated Solar Roof page (tesla.com/solarroof) that launched almost a decade ago now automatically redirects to Tesla’s solar panel page instead, and the “Solar Roof” option is no longer available under the navigation menu for Tesla Energy products. The only products currently listed are Solar Panels, Powerwall, and Megapack.

Spike in ‘Dark’ Oil Tankers in Gulf Raises Risk of Catastrophic Spills – The New York Times

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Spike in ‘Dark’ Oil Tankers in Gulf Raises Risk of Catastrophic Spills – The New York Times

The risk of a catastrophic oil spill in ecologically sensitive waters around the Strait of Hormuz has hung over the region since the start of the war in Iran. Now the threats are increasing, maritime experts say, as the conflict has widened and more tankers are navigating the region’s waterways with their tracking transponders turned off to dodge military strikes and drone attacks. The advent of transponders and more advanced navigation equipment has made modern shipping safer and cut down on collisions and spills. Turning them off, or going “dark,” is a perilous activity typically reserved for vessels under sanctions or carrying illicit loads. But since March 1, there have been an alarming 1,514 dark crossings in and out of the Persian Gulf, according to Kpler, a maritime data firm.
Map: Cole Hill State Forest

Even as War Rages, Investors Bet Oil Will Be Cheaper in a Few Months – The New York Times

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Even as War Rages, Investors Bet Oil Will Be Cheaper in a Few Months – The New York Times

The immediate outlook for oil prices is increasingly bleak.

President Trump pledged to attack bridges and power plants in response to Iranian attacks in the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian-backed Houthi militia in Yemen has declared a blockade of the Red Sea to prevent Saudi Arabian oil exports. Domestic oil reserves have fallen to their lowest levels since the early 1980s. In response, international oil prices touched $100 per barrel Thursday morning.

Yet investors appear sanguine about the path ahead. They have continued to bet that, in the end, the current escalation in the war with Iran will be short-lived and that oil prices, which have jumped in recent weeks, will fall in the coming months.

Oil trading largely takes place in the futures market, where prices to buy or sell the commodity at a future date are fixed. The most often cited oil prices are those that are closest to the present day, reflecting traders’ immediate concerns for the market.

There is reason for hope in the oil markets. Namely, that the Iran situation may resolve itself and if it doesn't and there is a dramatic short term spike in oil prices, it may come with demand destruction as people cancel vacations and trips - and use more pubic transport. Moreover, summer is coming to a close rapidly, ending the summer driving season and the winter looks mild so less heating oil demand. But nobody can predict the future, at best it's just a guess. And the politicians have nothing to win by having excessively high oil prices come October and November. 
Thematic Map: Don\'t Forget to Hydrate and Mind Your Own Business