One thing you can do this week
Decide now when you will look at the American results: once, tomorrow morning, with a coffee, rather than every hour tonight. Polls close across the evening and the counting runs on for days in some states; a refresh at 2 a.m. adds worry, not ballots.
A habit, not advice.
What went right
Germany's solar panels fed 5.1 billion kilowatt hours into the grid in October, 40.4% more than a year earlier, according to an IWR analysis of grid operators' data published on Monday 1. October was the eighth month in a row with more sunshine than the long-term average, the German Weather Service's provisional figures show 1, but the bigger reason is plainer: more panels on more roofs. From January to October renewables supplied 63.4% of the electricity fed into the grid, up from 62.5% a year earlier, and they accounted for about 79% of this year's growth in supply 1. Wind had a weaker October, down 12.6% 1; the ledger has two columns, and the good one grew.
The day in one sentence
America votes today and will count for days, and a slow count is the system doing its job, not failing at it.
In euros at home
A litre of Super E10 cost €2.022 on the German average at 05:19 this morning and diesel €2.238, across stations reporting to the federal fuel price register 2. In October, the motoring club ADAC says, E10 averaged €2.114 and diesel €2.261, both lower than in September, mainly because of the temporary fuel tax cut, which runs to the end of the year 3. Desk arithmetic: a 50-litre tank of E10 at this morning's average comes to about €101.10, some €4.60 less than at October's average; for diesel the difference is about €1.15. Early-morning averages are snapshots, and prices move through the day.
Desk arithmetic on the cited averages. Prices differ by station, region and hour. Nothing here is advice.
Small words
Certification
The official, signed confirmation of an election result, made by a state body after the counting and checks are done 4. It is different from a projection, which is a news organisation's estimate made from unofficial returns. In America each state sets its own date in law: this year the earliest fall on 10 November, the latest on 31 December 4. Slow by design, and dull on purpose.
