Opinion:
¶ “USA a Solar Champion at COP29?” • At COP29, the Solar Energy Industries Association put out a story, “America’s New Role at COP29: Global Solar Champion.” Well, let’s hope that Trump doesn’t try to crush the Inflation Reduction Act. It’s unclear what will happen in that regard, since Trump has been extremely pro-fossil fuels. [CleanTechnica]
Baku, Azerbaijan (Teymur Mammadov, Unsplash, cropped)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Extended Range Electric Vehicles Are The Talk Of The Town” • It’s not a hybrid. It’s not a plug-in electric vehicle. An extended range electric vehicle is effectively an all-electric vehicle, with all the motive power provided by an electric motor but with a small internal combustion engine present to generate more electricity. Now the EREV is all the rage. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “How Big Can Offshore Wind Turbines Go? 25 MW And More, That’s How Big” • Offshore wind turbines already have a size advantage over their land-based counterparts, and it’s about to get bigger. A team of researchers spearheaded by the University of Virginia is cooking up plans for a 25-MW wind turbine, with a goal of 50 MW. [CleanTechnica]
Offshore wind turbines (courtesy of NREL)
World:
¶ “Kia And DHL Partner On Big EV Plans” • Kia and DHL Korea are teaming up to green logistics in Korea. “Kia Corporation announced that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with DHL Korea Ltd to expand the sustainable logistics ecosystem through Kia’s Platform Beyond Vehicle models,” Kia said. They are greening logistics together. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Mammoet Crane Passes Final Test” • Mammoet has finished testing of the SK6000, which it says is the world’s strongest land-based crane, ensuring that onshore wind turbines can grow larger. As the market develops, and lifting to heights beyond 171 meters is required, its jib can be fitted to enable lifts of 3,000 tonnes to 220 meters. [reNews]
Big Crane (Mammoet image)
¶ “CATL Prepares To Add Grid Storage And EV Platforms To Its Portfolio” • CATL is the largest lithium-ion battery manufacturer in the world. It currently supplies 37% of all the batteries used in EVs, but it is not resting on its laurels. Its founder, Robin Zeng, intends to turn CATL into a green energy provider while cutting the cost of developing EVs. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Siemens Gamesa Debuts 14-MW Taiwan Nacelle” • Following the opening of Siemens Gamesa’s expanded nacelle plant in Taichung this August, the first locally assembled 14MW unit in Taiwan has been completed. Siemens Gamesa expanded its Taichung hub to produce the hardware designated for the 1-GW Hai Long Offshore Wind Farm. [reNews]
New 14-MW nacelle (Siemens Gamesa image)
¶ “Renewables Supply 47% Of UK Power” • Renewable energy now provides nearly half of the UK’s electricity (47%), up from just 15% a decade ago, according to the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology. Overall, 15.5% of the UK’s total energy, including power, heat and transport, comes from renewable sources. [reNews]
¶ “Japan’s Nuclear Watchdog Disqualifies A Reactor For The First Time Since Fukushima Disaster” • On Wednesday, Japan’s nuclear watchdog formally disqualified a reactor from restarting because of geological faults near the reactor. It is their first rejection under safety standards that were reinforced after the 2011 Fukushima disaster. [ABC News]
Tsuruga nuclear plant (Hirorinmasa, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)
¶ “India’s Renewables Capacity Up 13% In October” • Including nuclear energy, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said the total non-fossil fuel capacity rose to 211.36 GW from 186.46 GW last year. From April to October 2024 alone, India added 12.6 GW of renewable energy capacity, of which 1.72 GW was installed last month. [Asian Power]
US:
¶ “Trump And Musk Will Quash NHTSA Investigation Of Tesla Full Self Driving System” • Elon Musk put $119 million of his own money into Donald Trump’s candidacy. Now, he is likely to run a new agency whose mission is to take a sledgehammer to federal agencies, including NHTSA, which can decide whether Tesla’s Full Self Driving system is safe. [CleanTechnica]
Tesla Model S after accident (NTSB, public domain)
¶ “E-Bikes Could Solve A Big Problem For Arches National Park” • For over a decade, the National Park Service struggled to keep Arches National Park from becoming a gridlocked traffic mess as its popularity grew. National parks generally can’t grow to make room for more visitors, so the park rangers are looking for comments on alternatives. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Oregon Customers Benefit As PGE’s Eastern Montana Wind Farm Helps Set Records” • In its first 10 months serving Portland General Electric customers, the Clearwater Wind Energy Center contributed to new records for PGE wind generation, including helping the company produce 1 GW of power from wind sources alone, a milestone. [POWER Magazine]
Clearwater Wind Energy Center (PGE image)
¶ “BOEM Releases Review Of California Lease Sites” •The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has published a draft environmental review of potential wind lease areas off the coast of California. The Notice of Availability for the California Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement was published in the Federal Register. [reNews]
¶ “Exxon CEO Wants Trump To Stay In Paris Climate Accord” • ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods has a message for President-elect Donald Trump: Do not pull the US out of the Paris climate accord. Speaking to The New York Times from the UN climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, Woods said, “we need a global system for managing global emissions.” [Salon.com]
Have a seriously magical day.
geoharvey 
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