Opinion:
¶ “We Need To Keep Our Eye On The Ball To Save The Planet” • Air pollution, global warming, and energy security are three of our biggest problems. We need to keep our eye on the ball to solve them. Poor technologies include carbon capture, synthetic direct air carbon capture, blue hydrogen, electro-fuels, new small and large nuclear reactors, and bioenergy. [CleanTechnica]
Close up of Jerry Jaramillo’s “Mother Earth” mural
(a_flash_frame, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
World:
¶ “Fog Harvesting Could Provide Water For Arid Cities” • Large scale capturing of water from fog could supply drinking water to some of the driest cities on Earth, researchers in Chile found. They studied the potential of fog harvesting in the desert city of Alto Hospicio in the north of the country. Average rainfall in the region is less than 0.19 in (5 mm) per year. [BBC]
¶ “World’s Glaciers Melting Faster Than Ever Recorded” • The world’s glaciers are melting faster than ever recorded under the impact of climate change, according to the most comprehensive scientific analysis to date. And the pace of melting is increasing. Over the past decade or so, glacier losses were more than a third higher than during the period 2000-2011. [BBC]
Aletsch Glacier (Meizhi Lang, Unsplash)
¶ “Canadian Government Pledges Billions For High-Speed Rail Network Linking Quebec City And Toronto” • The Canadian government said it is moving ahead with a multibillion-dollar plan to build a high-speed rail network between Quebec City and Toronto. The rail network will be 100% electric, and reach speeds of up to 300 kph (187 mph). [ABC News]
¶ “UK Takes Off The Clean Energy Gloves, Claps Back At US” • US Energy Secretary Wright said the UK would no longer make energy-intensive products, but would displace them somewhere else. He called this “lunacy.” As if on cue, Energy Systems came back in a press release, outlining its plan for peppering the globe with vanadium flow batteries. [CleanTechnica]
Invinity flow batteries (courtesy of Invinity)
¶ “Geely And Xiaomi Shine In China – January EV Sales Report” • After a December EV sales peak in China, the year started with an expected sales slump, but smaller than anticipated. Year on year, while the overall market dropped 12% to close to 1.8 million units, plugins started 2025 with a 11% rise, to some 774,000 new passenger EV registrations. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “China Dominates Global EV Industry” • BYD founder and CEO Wang Chuanfu said that Chinese new energy vehicles are three to five years ahead of the rest of the world. He called for less restrictive trade policies to allow more people to experience them. He called for openness and innovation, so the world see how good Chinese products are. [CleanTechnica]
BYD E6 (S5A-0043, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “Power Ministry Mandates Co-Locating Energy Storage With Solar Projects” • India’s Ministry of Power has mandated that all renewable energy implementing agencies and State utilities must incorporate a minimum of two-hour co-located energy storage systems, equivalent to 10% of the installed solar project capacity, in future solar tenders. [pv magazine India]
¶ “Collett Delivers Limekiln Components” • Collett & Sons has successfully delivered 216 wind turbine components to the 108-MW Limekiln Wind Farm, a project featuring 24 Vestas V136 turbines. Located on the Limekiln Estate, just south of Reay Caithness in the Scottish Highlands, the wind farm is currently under construction by Boralex. [reNews]
Turning (Collett & Sons image)
US:
¶ “Electric Truck Startup Nikola Files For Bankruptcy” • Nikola, a startup that sought to build fleets of electric heavy-duty trucks, has filed for bankruptcy and plans to shut down. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It expects to sell all or most of its assets in order to maximize value for shareholders and ensure an “orderly wind down of its businesses.” [Yahoo Finance]
¶ “How US Federal Spending Reductions Threaten Our Food, Water, And Health” • Recent freezes and cuts in government spending threaten our food, water, and health as they open up trillions of dollars in tax breaks for corporations and billionaires. Food, water, and health may lose federal regulation, as basic government functions are cut. [CleanTechnica]
Blood research (FDA, public domain)
¶ “Ørsted Agreement Helps US Manufacturer Cut Emissions” • Four US sites owned by polymer supplier Covestro have reached net-zero Scope 2 electricity emissions thanks to a 90-MW virtual Power Purchase Agreement with Ørsted. The sites are Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, South Deerfield, Massachusetts, New Martinsville, West Virginia, and Channelview, Texas. [reNews]
¶ “Avangrid Passes 10-GW Generation Capacity Milestone” • The Iberdrola subsidiary Avangrid passed 10 GW of installed energy generating capacity in the US. The company owns and operates a mix of generation resources in 24 states that contribute to its 10.5 GW of installed capacity, including onshore wind, solar, natural gas, hydropower, and fuel cells. [reNews]
Wind farm (Avangrid image)
¶ “Duke Energy Florida Celebrates Delivering On Nearly 750-MW Solar Commitment In Florida” • All ten of Duke Energy Florida’s Clean Energy Connection solar energy sites are now fully operational, and Duke is celebrating. It had committed to deliver nearly 750 MW of solar generation capacity in Florida from 2022 to 2024. [CSRwire]
¶ “Fearing Trump Cuts, NOAA Workers In Washington State Hold ‘Save Our Science’ Rally” • Students, scientists, and neighbors in raincoats and boots were among the dozens waving signs outside the NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center. All were worried about budget cuts affecting the quality of American science. [The Seattle Times]
Have an agreeably funny day.
geoharvey 
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