World:
¶ “Honda’s 0 Electric Vehicle Prototypes: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly” • Honda unveiled two EV prototypes: the Honda 0 SUV and the Honda 0 Saloon. We can see Honda is actually developing 100% EVs that might be competitive, compelling models. These vehicles will be produced beginning next year, in 2026. Let’s take a look. [CleanTechnica]
Honda 0 Saloon prototype
¶ “Volvo Electric Car Sales Grew 54% In 2024 Globally” • Volvo Cars has released its 2024 sales figures globally, and also region by region. One nice thing is the company provides a detailed breakdown of fully EV sales and plugin hybrid sales, including by region. For starters, globally, fully electric vehicle sales were up 54% in 2024 versus 2023. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Exus Acquires A 130-MW Portuguese PV Project” • Exus Renewables acquired the 130-MW ready-to-build Cibele solar farm, in the municipalities of Rio Maior and Cadaval, Portugal, from Lightsource BP. Construction is slated to begin in coming months, and the facility is to be operating in 2026. A windpower component can be added later. [reNews]
Solar array (Exus image)
¶ “Wind Blows Gas Away From Top Power Spot” • In the UK, wind outperformed gas in 2024. Commenting on the record RenewableUK’s Director of Future Electricity Systems said: “Wind is the UK’s most important clean power source all year round, outperforming gas – and that role is set to grow as fresh projects go live in 2025.” [Energy Live News]
¶ “NeXtWind Acquires Twelve German Wind Farms” • Twelve onshore wind farms located in western, northern and eastern Germany, all built between 2007 and 2011, were acquired by NeXtWind. Their current generating capacity of 140 MW will be expanded by NeXtWind to over 300 MW through repowering and further optimizations. [reNews]
Wind turbines (Waldemar, Unsplash)
¶ “India’s Energy Generation Up Nearly 85% In November 2024 From 2014” • The installed power generation capacity of India has jumped 83.8% to 457 GW as of end November 2024, from 249 GW at the end of March 2014. Part of what was added was 129 GW of renewable capacity, including 91 GW of solar power, 27 GW of wind power, and more. [Asian Power]
¶ “Energy Prices ‘Among Top Barriers To Net Zero'” • Energy prices, clean energy availability and lack of capital have been revealed as top barriers to net zero, UK sustainability leaders said. New research from Mitie reveals that over four in five (84%) sustainability leaders feel confident businesses will be able to align with the UK’s net zero goals. [reNews]
Farm and wind farm (Mateusz Niezgoda, Unsplash, cropped)
US:
¶ “Some 1,400 Firefighters Battling ‘Unprecedented’ Fires” • A pair of wildfires have burned over 3,900 acres of Los Angeles, and over 30,000 people have been told to evacuate, as 1,400 firefighters work on them. Over 200,000 people have lost their electric power. Governor Newsom said the fires ravaging parts of Los Angeles are “unprecedented.” [ABC News]
¶ “US Puts CATL On Military Blacklist” • At the request of the Defense Department, the US has placed CATL and Tencent, two of the largest companies in China, on a government blacklist. Both companies are alleged to have close ties to the People’s Liberation Army, a suggestion both vigorously deny, saying they have no ties with the military. [CleanTechnica]
CATL display (CATL image)
¶ “Solar And Storage Industry Statement On Final Rules For Technology-Neutral Energy Tax Credits” • The US Department of the Treasury released the final rules for the Section 48E technology-neutral energy Investment Tax Credit. Here is a statement from Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association: [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Invenergy Powers Up US Solar Site” • Invenergy announced that its 150-MW Hardin 2 Solar Energy Center has commenced commercial operations in Hardin County, Ohio. Meta will buy the renewable energy generated from Hardin 2. The project increases energy generation capacity in the region, thereby enhancing the reliability of its grid. [reNews]
Solar farm (Invenergy image)
¶ “US Support And New Investments Buoy Hopes For Marine Energy” • The ocean is one of the planet’s biggest untapped sources of renewable energy. The amount of energy available is huge: Theoretically, the waves off the West and East Coasts of the US could provide over 60% of US grid electricity demand. There are challenges, but there is hope. [Yale E360]
¶ “Trump Plans Policy To Halt Wind” • Donald Trump pledged to introduce policy to halt the construction of wind turbines. The President-elect told the press: “We are going to have a policy where no windmills are being built.” He added: “They litter our country. Nobody wants them and they are very expensive. It’s the most expensive energy there is.” [reNews]
Donald Trump (White House image, public domain)
¶ “US Government Enshrines Renewables Tax Credits” • The US Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service have moved to enshrine certain tax credits under President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act into the American tax code before Donald Trump moves into the White House. The new rules go into effect on January 15. [reNews]
¶ “Jimmy Carter, A Former Nuclear Engineer, Created DOE, And Opposed Reactor” • Jimmy Carter was a former Navy nuclear engineer who established the Department of Energy and became the first sitting US president to visit Oak Ridge, but his impact on nuclear energy was distilled in East Tennessee, where he stood opposed to a reactor. [Knoxville News Sentinel]
Have a noticeably merry day.
geoharvey 
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