Opinion:
¶ “War Risks From Nuclear Power Plants? Look At Zaporizhzhia” • Proposals for nuclear power in Australia have to take national security risks into account. An International Atomic Energy Agency report of last September says Russia’s occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine continues to create high risk of a nuclear disaster. [The Strategist]
Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (Leo211, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
World:
¶ “Morocco’s Renewable Energy Share To Be 56% Of National Electricity Mix By 2027” • Morocco’s renewable energy capacity is set to make up 56% of the national electricity mix by 2027, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, surpassing the country’s initial 52% target set for 2030. Installed renewable capacity reached 4,607 MW in 2023. [MSN]
¶ “The New Renault 5 Is The Electric Car We Have Been Waiting For, Claims Wired” • Wired magazine does not devote a lot of time to electric cars, so when it runs a story saying the new Renault 5 EV is will be a “smash hit,” it’s time to sit up and pay attention. Wired gives the Renault 5 a rating of 8 out of 10 – good, but not perfect. [CleanTechnica]
Renault 5 EV (Courtesy of Renault)
¶ “‘We’re Not Taking On The Big Guys:’ First Indigenous Energy Retailer In Australia Opens Its Doors” • Australia’s first First Nations-owned retail energy provider, Yurringa Energy, began operating in Victoria last week, having secured the contract to power the state’s largest road project with 100% renewable power during construction. [RenewEconomy]
¶ “South Korea Opens Bidding For 1.8 GW Of Wind Power” • South Korea launched tenders for 1.8 GW of wind projects. Of that, 1 GW has been set aside for fixed bottom offshore, 500 MW for floating offshore, and 300 MW for onshore wind. Deadlines depend on division and capacity – offshore projects over 300 MW have a deadline of 78 months. [reNews]
Wind turbine (Expect Best, Pexels)
¶ “Colombia Invests $40 Billion To Phase Out Fossil Fuels And Stop New Oil Production” • Colombia halted the development of new oil and gas reserves two years ago and now wants to invest $40 billion to help with the move to independence from fossil fuels. Oil and coal account for over 50% of Colombia’s exports, but reserves will run out soon. [Notebookcheck]
¶ “Turbine Deliveries Begin At 506-MW Oz Array” • Turbine deliveries began for Cubico and Stanwell Corporation’s 506-MW Wambo wind farm in Queensland. Harrison Infrastructure Group has undertaken designs for road modifications at 38 points between the Port of Brisbane and the array site to allow delivery of the oversize components. [reNews]
Blade delivery (Harrison Infrastructure Group)
¶ “South Africans Still Saying Goodbye To Eskom” • Eskom’s sales volumes declined in the first quarter of the 2025 financial year, as companies and households continued to reduce their reliance on the utility. Eskom underwent a dramatic turnaround from regular load-shedding last year to over six months with no power cuts, but sales keep on declining. [MyBroadband]
¶ “HonuWorx Mulls Uncrewed Sub Fleet” • HonuWorx unveiled plans for a fleet of Loggerhead uncrewed submersibles for use in the energy subsea services market. Because they are uncrewed, the submersibles remove the need for large fossil-fueled surface ships to transport and deploy subsea robots such as remotely operated vehicles. [reNews]
Uncrewed submersible (HonuWorx image)
¶ “Nuclear And Renewables At Odds Over Power Bill Shock” • Rolling out nuclear power plants in Australia could add A$1,000 a year to household electricity bills, according to energy experts, and regulators should focus on lower cost, renewable power. The warning has been issued at a Smart Energy Council event. At a separate event, the advice was contradicted. [MSN]
US:
¶ “Ford’s Price Drops Are Making Electric Van Life Happen Faster!” • Folks over at Electrek made an interesting observation recently: The price of a Ford Transit van is the same whether you go for the gas or the electric version! Not only is this exciting for people who use vans to make a living, but it’s also fantastic for people who live in their vans. [CleanTechnica]
Ford E-Transit van (Courtesy of Ford)
¶ “Volkswagen ID Buzz Pricing In The US – How Much Is Too Much?” • Volkswagen teased us with the idea of an all-electric successor to the iconic Type 2 Microbus even before Elon Musk promised a self-driving car that can drive itself from LA to NYC and park without any assistance from a human driver. Now it’s finally here – but it’s not cheap. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “EV Charging Before, During, And After Hurricane Milton Struck Florida” • The nation’s public EV charging network is still in the early stages of development, and it’s already beginning to demonstrate resilience for natural catastrophes. A review by the charging analytics firm Stable confirms that resilience, compared to what fossil fuels offer. [CleanTechnica]
Hurricane Milton, about to make landfall (NOAA image)
¶ “The Biden Administration Earmarks $3 Billion For Rural Electrification And Renewable Energy Infrastructure” • Seven rural US electric cooperatives will receive $3 billion from the US Government’s coffers after the Biden Administration announced the most recent round of funding for decarbonization efforts in the US. [Proactive Investors Australia]
¶ “Iowa State Researchers Aim To Improve Renewable Energy Cybersecurity With DOE Funding” • The rise of renewable energy in power grids brings environmental benefits and new cybersecurity challenges. Manimaran Govindarasu, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, has two research projects to address these vulnerabilities. [Iowa State Daily]
Have a flawlessly wonderful day.
geoharvey 