Opinion:
¶ “The Climate Fight Is Now The Idiocracy Fight” • We are irrationally concerned about wind turbine risks but not air pollution risks, EV battery fires but not gas tank fires, loss of free speech in an era of the most abundant and open speech in history but not con men demolishing the pillars of democracy. We could go on and on. [CleanTechnica]
High-rises built next to rising sea. (Steele Rutherford, Unsplash)
World:
¶ “South Korea To Shrink Biomass Energy Subsidies After Criticism Over Link To Deforestation” • South Korea will reduce subsidies for biomass energy after increasing international and domestic criticism of its link to deforestation. Environmentalists generally praised the reforms but criticized loopholes and long timelines for phasing out subsidies. [ABC News]
¶ “US EIA Forecasts Lower Oil Price In 2025 Amid Significant Uncertainties” • The US Energy Information Administration forecast benchmark Brent crude oil prices will fall from an average of $81/barrel in 2024 to $74/b in 2025 and $66/b in 2026, with strong global growth in production of petroleum and slower demand growth. [CleanTechnica]
Drilling platform (Sven Piper, Unsplash)
¶ “Financial Watchdog: Markets Could Soon Freak Out From Climate Catastrophes” • The Financial Stability Board warned in a report that financial markets could be disrupted by climate change and associated catastrophes in a number of ways. Climate change has a number of ways to push costs up and bring about financial troubles. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Fossil Fuels Advertising Banned In The Hague” • A ban on fossil advertising in the Hague just took effect. The city council approved the ban in September 2024. The Hague is the first city in the world to ban fossil fuel advertising in public spaces. Jordy Kruse, a Hague board spokesperson, answered some questions from CleanTechnica. [CleanTechnica]
The Hague (Lidia Nemiroff, Unsplash)
¶ “UK To Create Thousands Of Clean Power Jobs” • The UK government announced plans to help workers get thousands of jobs as part of its clean power mission. Aberdeen, Cheshire, Lincolnshire and Pembrokeshire have all been identified as key growth regions for clean energy, with offshore wind, nuclear [not clean – ghh], and solar industries. [reNews]
¶ “Qualitas Energy Bags 117-MW Solar Portfolio” • Qualitas Energy has acquired a 117-MW solar portfolio in Poland from international renewable energy developer ib vogt. The portfolio consists of two solar PV farms, both of which are in a “ready-to-build” phase, with construction scheduled to begin in the second and third quarters of 2025. [reNews]
Solar array in Poland (ib vogt image)
¶ “SUSI Raises Funds For Southeast Asia projects” • SUSI Partners has raised $139 million additional investor capital for its southeast Asia-focused renewable energy strategy, increasing its total size to $259 million. SAETF’s current portfolio has focused on investments in projects in Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, and Cambodia. [reNews]
¶ “India Needs 3,000 GW Of Renewable Capacity By 2047: Sumant Sinha” • India will need nearly 3,000 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2047, said Sumant Sinha, Chairman and CEO of ReNew. Speaking at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meet in Davos, Sinha said this capacity will be needed to meet India’s growing demand. [BW BusinessWorld]
Old woman feeding cows (Monthaye, Unsplash)
¶ “Nuclear Risks Depriving Millions Of The Promise Of Their Solar Investment” • Australia’s energy future is at a critical point. The country has one of the highest global rates of rooftop solar. But its progress could be undermined if it turns to nuclear power, risking the investments made by millions of Australians in clean energy. [pv magazine Australia]
¶ “China’s RE Sources To Meet All New Energy Demand By 2025” • As China further increases its renewable energy capacity, it is possible that it will meet its new electricity demand this year. “This paves the way for China’s power sector to achieve peak emissions by 2025,” Greenpeace East Asia Beijing-based project lead Gao Yuhe said. [Asian Power]
Bangui wind turbines (Paolo Dala, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
US:
¶ “Fire Risk And Strong Winds Continue In Southern California With Potential Rain On The Horizon” • Dry Southern California was forecast to face more dangerous winds on Wednesday but could get some badly needed rain this weekend, dampening the prospects of more killer wildfires. Light rain could could create new challenges, however. [ABC News]
¶ “Sheep To Defend US Solar Industry With Agrivoltaic Projects” • The US kicked itself off the Paris Agreement on climate change again, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a wet blanket was cast over the whole domestic solar industry. One development is a solar-plus-farming collaboration aimed at creating standards for US agrivoltaic projects. [CleanTechnica]
Sheep in a field of PVs (Image courtesy of NREL)
¶ “Renewable Energy Production And Use In Utah” • With ample green energy resources, Utah is just beginning to harness them. Utah has a desert climate with over 300 sunny days per year on average and very low annual rainfall. So unsurprisingly, Utah has great solar resources. Now, the state is beginning to exploit its considerable wind resources. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Utah’s Democrats Focus On Renewable Energy, Homelessness, And The Judiciary As Session Begins” • Democratic leaders in Utah spelled out their priorities for the 2025 legislative session. They say they oppose increasing funds for school vouchers and don’t see pursuit of nuclear energy as financially viable, at least for now. Both issues are GOP priorities. [KSL News]
Have an enviably super day.
geoharvey 
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