Opinion:
¶ “Wildfire Climate Misinformation Is Rampant, And Social Media Platforms Are Promoting It” • Devastating consequences of the climate crisis are being hidden by climate misinformation messengers, who are persuaded by a very powerful minority to mistrust scientific evidence. Social media has become a tool of the right-wing to brainwash citizens. [CleanTechnica]
Firefighter in California (CalFire image)
World:
¶ “Scientists Were Shocked By How Warm It Was In 2023. The Following Year Was Even Hotter” • Copernicus Climate Change Service says the global temperature for 2024 was 1.6°C above pre-industrial level. The year easily beat out the previous record holder, 2023, for the warmest year on record globally, according to Copernicus’ data. [ABC News]
¶ “Volkswagen Sold 383,100 Fully Electric Vehicles In 2024” • Across all full battery EV models, Volkswagen reached 383,100 sales in 2024. On the one hand, find me a legacy automaker doing better. On the other hand, that’s a small fraction of what BYD and Tesla are doing, and it’s barely more than several Chinese EV startups. [CleanTechnica]
Volkswagen ID.3
¶ “2025 To Be Year Of Electrification In Africa And South America” • Perhaps most would agree that the biggest EV story of 2024 was the rapid rise of EV sales in China, particularly by future automotive king BYD. But the big story of 2025 for EVs could turn out to be rapid electrification of auto markets in Africa and South America. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “South Africa Introduces Tax Incentives To Encourage Local Production Of Electric Vehicles” • South Africa is now moving to incentivize local production of EVs by offering some tax benefits for manufacturers. The South African government approved a 150% tax deduction on investments in production of electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles. [CleanTechnica]
EV charging station in South Africa
¶ “Ireland Passes 5-GW Wind Milestone” • Installed Irish wind capacity has passed the 5-GW mark, with wind farms providing almost a third of the island of the country’s electricity in 2024, according to Wind Energy Ireland. Irish wind farms generated 13,258 GWh last year, more than one and a half times the total demand of all residential customers. [reNews]
¶ “Belgian Offshore Wind Produced 7 TWh In 2024” • Belgian North Sea wind farms accounted for 8.7% of Belgian electricity demand in 2024, according to figures from the trade group Belgian Offshore Platform. The nine wind farms had a total production of approximately 7.07 TWh, or roughly the annual electricity needs of 2 million families. [reNews]
Offshore wind farm (MUMM Scientific Service)
¶ “Envision Scores 1-GW Indian Turbine Deal” • Envision Energy has been awarded a 1GW turbine order by Juniper Green Energy in India. The order comprises 200 units from the EN 182/5MW turbine platform as well as 320 MWh of battery storage. JGE will deploy the turbines for various projects won under state and central auctions. [reNews]
¶ “Germany Added Nearly 20 GW Of Renewable Power Capacity In 2024” • According to the German Federal Network Agency, the installed renewable power capacity in Germany increased by nearly 20 GW to nearly 190 GW in 2024. Solar additions came to 16.2 GW, bringing Germany’s total to 99 GW. A majority of solar additions were in rooftop systems. [Enerdata]
German wind farm (Franzfoto, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “India Installed ‘Record’ 24.5 GW Of Solar Power Capacity In 2024” • India added about 24.5 GW of new solar and 3.4 GW of new wind capacity in the twelve months ending December 2024. The solar installations were more than double those of 2023, setting a record for the year. Also, wind installations increased nearly 1.21 times from 2023. [pv magazine India]
US:
¶ “California Fires: At Least Ten Fire-Related Deaths, Medical Examiner Says” • Thousands of firefighters are battling at least five sprawling wildfires spread around the Los Angeles area. The largest, the Palisades Fire, in Pacific Palisades, has scorched over 19,000 acres, destroyed thousands of structures and remains zero percent contained. [ABC News]
Fighting the Palisades Fire (CalFire image)
¶ “Biden Says Federal Government To Cover 100% Of Costs For Initial La Fire Recovery” • President Joe Biden announced the federal government would cover 100% of certain costs for the initial disaster response to the Los Angeles wildfires. The funds will go toward debris removal, temporary shelters, salaries for first responders, and more for 180 days. [ABC News]
¶ “Mercedes-Benz EV Drivers Will Be Able To Charge At Tesla Superchargers In February” • In February, US Mercedes-Benz EV drivers will be able to access Tesla Superchargers in the US and Canada. That’s a big deal because there are over 20,000 such chargers and they have the reputation for being the most reliable and among the fastest. [CleanTechnica]
Mercedes charging (Mercedes-Benz USA image)
¶ “EDF Renewables North America Announces Commercial Operations At Huck Finn Solar Project” • EDF Renewables North America announced that the 200-MW Huck Finn Solar project is operating. EDF Renewables developed the Huck Finn Renewable Energy Center for Ameren Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corporation. [Business Wire]
¶ “Drones Spotted Flying Near Nuclear Power Plant In Southern Minnesota” • Police in southern Minnesota saw two drones flying around a nuclear plant Wednesday but were unable to identify the pilot. Drones are prohibited from flying over nuclear power plants and other “sensitive facilities,” according to the Federal Aviation Administration. [NewsNation]
Have a productively fulfilling day.
geoharvey 