Opinion:
¶ “Donald Trump Handing The World To China” • The rest of the world is being aggressively push into China’s arms by Donald Trump. As a result of actions in the first ten days of his term, not to mention whatever is to come, many countries are deciding that there’s question who to follow, who to ally with, and who to treat as the world leaders. [CleanTechnica]
Trump in a fog (wes lewis, Unsplash)
¶ “They Won’t Tell You These Truths About Nuclear Energy” • Today, there is a battle between scientists on the one hand and the nuclear industry, the politicians it lobbies and gullible media on the other. Currently, scientists are being drowned out. Despite reams of peer-reviewed studies and books showing radiation’s harmful effects, the denialism persists. [The Hill]
Science and Technology:
¶ “The Problem And Potential Of Hydropower” • What about hydropower? Some 6% of US electricity comes from hydropower, and it accounted for about 27% of electricity generated from utility-scale renewable sources in 2023. What environmental impact did the Grand Coulee Dam have when it first blocked off the Columbia River in 1938? [CleanTechnica]
Grand Coulee Dam (US Bureau of Reclamation)
¶ “Senvion Partners With Wooden Blade Outfit” • Indian turbine maker Senvion has joined forces with Germany’s Voodin Blade Technology to develop and manufacture wooden wind turbine blades starting with Senvion’s 4.2-MW wind turbine platform. The partnership builds on Voodin’s success with prototype wooden blades in Germany in 2024. [reNews]
World:
¶ “A Major Climate Win In Italy” • At 4%, Italy’s EV uptake is one of the lowest in Europe and has been so for years. But we would be wrong to think that the country has entered the era of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), but the recently approved budget law has put in place a promising reform regarding salary cars (company cars as a benefit in kind). [CleanTechnica]
Fiat 500e (Damian B Oh, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)
¶ “Can Poland Become An EV Powerhouse?” • While there are growing calls for the European Commission to kick start an EU-wide scheme to support the sale of electric cars, the Polish government has decided it can’t wait. This week it announced ambitious plans to relaunch its own national subsidy scheme for EVs, NaszEauto. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Ford UK Headquarters Embarks On A Major Solar Power Project” • Ford has worked on adding solar power arrays to many of its global plants, largely to reduce its emissions and become more environmentally friendly. Now, the headquarters of Ford UK is embarking on a major solar power project as well, with a new solar farm. [Ford Authority]
Covered parking (Ford image)
¶ “GridStor Snaps Up Texan BESS” • US energy storage player GridStor acquired a 150-MW, 300-MWh battery storage project in Texas from Balanced Rock Power. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas forecasts a 50% increase in the state’s peak load by 2030. Over 8 GW of battery energy storage has already been deployed on the ERCOT power system. [reNews]
¶ “Major Wind Farm Cleared For Construction In Queensland Coal Country” • A 70-turbine wind farm to be built in coal country in Central Queensland has won federal environmental approval, and the 462-MW project can go ahead. Irish-based renewable energy developer DP Energy had won Queensland’s development approval in 2023. [RenewEconomy]
Wind farm site (DP Energy image)
¶ “Amazon To Procure Renewable Energy From Co Derry Wind Farm” • Online retailer Amazon is set to procure renewable energy from a wind farm which is being developed in County Derry. The wind farm will consist of eleven turbines with a total capacity of 47 MW. It is projected to inject £2.5 million into the economy of Northern Ireland. [Ireland Live]
¶ “Electricity Prices Across Europe Will Stabilize If 2030 Targets For Renewable Energy Are Met, Study Suggests” • Hitting the current national 2030 quotas for solar and wind energy could reduce the volatility of electricity markets by an average of 20% across 29 European countries, according to a new study from the University of Cambridge. [Tech Xplore]
Wind turbines (Jason Mavrommatis, Unsplash)
¶ “Engie Wins 4.3 GW Of PPAs In 2024 Including 1.5 GW In The US” • In 2024, Engie won 4.3 gigawatts (GW) of power purchase agreement (PPA) deals globally, an increase from 2.7 GW in 2023. Of this total, 1.5 GW were signed in the US, covering eight different projects. ENGIE’s PPA deals represent total electricity supply of 136 TWh. [GreentechLead]
US:
¶ “Cost Of 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia Project Rises By 9%” • The cost of the 176-turbine Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project has gone up by around 9%, Dominion Energy has revealed.The 2.6-GW, fully permitted project is now about 50% complete and is still on track for completion at the end of 2026. This is the first increase for the project. [reNews]
Offshore wind project (Dominion Energy image)
¶ “Honda Factory In Ohio To Be Global Manufacturing Hub” • A quiet revolution is taking place at Honda. It will soon begin using six new high pressure casting machines, each capable of 6000 pounds of pressure, to create castings for cars it makes. But the big news is that those machines will be installed at the Honda engine factory in Ohio. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Renewable Energy Lures New Lithium Venture To Deep Red State” • In yet another sign of an identity crisis among US states dominated by Republicans, a massive new lithium refinery is taking shape in Oklahoma. The new venture is a poke in the eye of the state’s powerful oil industry, considering that its target is the EV battery market. [CleanTechnica]
Have a warmly friendly day.
geoharvey 