World:
¶ “Herding Cats – ORA Meetup in Western Australia” • The Great Wall ORA (called an ORA Cat in China) sells for about A$36,000 ($22,500) in Australia. Australia now has three cars that are about the same price as a Corolla hybrid in Australia: the GWM ORA, the MG4 in the low $30,000s, and the BYD Dolphin in the high $30,000s. [CleanTechnica]
ORA Cat (Alexander-93, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “Tesla Sales Plummet In Europe And California” • Tesla stock continues to trade at about a bazillion times earnings, but there are warning signs flashing for those who are thinking about what lies ahead for the company. Bloomberg Hyperdrive reports that Tesla sales plummeted 63% in January 2025 in France. Tesla sales were also down in California. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Act Fast To Support German Offshore Wind Expansion” • The new German government must act fast to support the expansion of offshore wind, industry leaders said. The German Offshore Wind Energy Foundation and others published the figures for 2024. They show that a total of 73 offshore wind turbines were installed in Germany during 2024. [reNews]
Offshore wind farm (Carbon Trust image)
¶ “China Responds To Trump Tariffs” • China has responded to the Trump regime imposing new tariffs on Chinese goods. For now, China’s tariffs are relatively small, but China supplies such critical materials as tungsten, tellurium, bismuth, molybdenum, and indium in large quantities. Cutting them off could do the US a lot of damage. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Let BESS Sites Integrate With Offshore Wind” • Aiming to address developers’ challenges, a report from RenewableUK sets out the case for reforming the planning system to encourage more battery energy storage systems (BESS) and green hydrogen projects to “co-locate” with offshore wind farms, sharing existing grid infrastructure. [reNews]
Offshore wind turbines (Merkur image)
¶ “Amazon Continues Renewable Energy Spree With 476-MW Purchase” • Renewables notched another win as Amazon signed contracts to buy 476 MW of wind and solar on the Iberian Peninsula. The power purchase agreements with multinational utility Iberdrola should help Amazon feed new data centers it has planned in the region. [Yahoo]
¶ “Spain Deploys 6.46 GW Of New Solar In 2024” • In 2024, Spain installed 6.64 GW of PV systems, a slight increase from 5.59 GW in 2023, according to the grid operator. The country’s total installed PV capacity reached 32 GW by the end of 2024. The authorities also permitted of thirteen storage projects in the year. [pv magazine International]
Valle Solar Power Station (Arvydas Cetyrkovskis, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “IAEA Postpones Mission Rotation At Zaporizhzhia NPP Over Lack Of Security Guarantees From Russia” • IAEA has postponed mission rotation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant due to lack of security guarantees from Russia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is calling on the international community to support the Agency. [Ukrinform]
US:
¶ “LA Wildfires Highlight US’ Insurance Crisis As Homeowners Try To Recover Lost Homes” • A growing crisis in US home insurance is in the spotlight as Californians begin the long road to rebuilding from wildfires. The number of residential policies issued under the state’s FAIR plan doubled between 2020 and 2024, but it is bare-bones coverage. [ABC News]
Palisades Fire wreckage (Calfire via Flickr)
¶ “Renewables + Storage Make Billions Of Dollars In Texas” • Texas has an extensive gas and oil history. But it is also most important wind power state in the US, and it is quickly building more solar power installations. Despite having a very strong Republican party, the state of Texas is advancing steadily with renewable energy. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Reducing Data Center Peak Cooling Demand And Energy Costs With Underground Thermal Energy Storage ” • As much as 9% of US electricity is projected to be used by data centers by the year 2030. But as much as 40% of data center total annual energy use is related to the cooling systems. Geothermal systems could address that. [CleanTechnica]
TTC data center (TTC, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “$156 Million Solar Power Grant For Washington In Limbo After Trump Order” • Washington was locked out of about $150 million in federal funding for solar projects focused on low-income communities last week as the Trump administration paused clean energy grants. The funds had been awarded by the EPA last April. [Washington State Standard]
¶ “How Solar And Sheep Can Support Each Other” • Grazing sheep with solar panels, which helps ensure plant growth doesn’t block solar panels, is the latest example of how solar power can deliver significant financial benefits to farmers. A study out of Western University shows how solar is good for farmland and local ecosystems. [Environment America]
Sheep with solar (AgriSolar Clearinghouse, CC-BY-2.0)
¶ “Aleut Expands Into Energy And Retail Sectors” • The Aleut Corporation has stepped further into the energy and retail sectors by acquiring Fairbanks-based Richards Distributing, Inc. The company is the parent of three established business lines: Renewable Energy Systems, Arctic Home Living, and Alaska EcoWater Systems. [Alaska Business Magazine]
¶ “Texas A&M University System Offers Land For Companies To Build Nuclear Reactors” • Chancellor John Sharp announced that the Texas A&M University System offered land to four nuclear reactor companies to build small nuclear reactors. Land could be “the missing element needed to bring more nuclear power to the state’s electric grid.” [KCENTV.com]
Have an auspiciously active day.
geoharvey 