World:
¶ “Mercedes CLA With EQ Technology Gets Rave Reviews” • According to Jalopnik, the new CLA is built by Mercedes for both fully electric and hybrid powertrains, but with the primary emphasis on battery electric versions. It incorporates many of the features of the Mercedes EQXX, which means the goal is maximum efficiency. [CleanTechnica]
Mercedes CLA (Mercedes image)
¶ “Green Hydrogen Cross-Border Collaborations Persist Despite Trump’s Trade War” • Not all US-Canada economic activity has halted. A case in point is the ambitious North American green hydrogen plan being hatched by the Montreal-based Canadian startup Charbone Hydrogen in collaboration with the leading Swiss legacy engineering firm ABB. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “With Tesla EVs Down, Toyota Is Teasing A Super Cute Solar-Powered Micro Car” • Tesla CEO Elon Musk has torched the brand reputation of the world’s most popular electric car, but EV sales keep surging upwards, and Toyota is among the automakers stepping in to snap up niche markets neglected by Tesla, and that even includes teenagers. [CleanTechnica]
Urban electric micro-car (Screenshot courtesy of Toyota)
¶ “CIP’s Fifth Flagship Fund Smashes €12 Billion Target” • CIP, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, has announced that its fifth flagship fund surpassed its target size of €12 billion. CIP says investor interest in large-scale greenfield energy infrastructure investments is strong, as commitments exceeding the €12 billion target, excluding capital for co-investments. [reNews]
¶ “Enercon Unveils Taller Towers” • Enercon is developing additional and taller Hybrid Steel Towers for its EP5 turbine. With the additional steel tower variants, the tower portfolio will be expanded, so Enercon can offer towers with high hub heights worldwide. The technology has already proven itself in practice and is to be delivered as early as 2026. [reNews]
Tower construction (Enercon image)
¶ “Czech Law To Speed Up Permitting Process Of Wind Power” • The Czech government approved the Act on Accelerating the Use of Renewable Energy Sources. The legislation simplifies the permitting processes for construction of solar and wind power plants, especially through the designation of areas as so-called acceleration zones. [ceenergynews]
¶ “How To Reduce Mining Emissions Easily” • According to the Climate Change Authority’s 2024 ‘Sector Pathway Review,’ emissions from Australia’s resources sector equaled 99 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2022, representing 23% of the country’s total emissions in that year. This is key to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. [Australian Mining]
Solar array at Australian mine (Aggreko image)
¶ “Nuclear Fusion Race Intensifies With Chinese Breakthrough” • Scientists in China announced that the nation’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak, achieved a sustained temperature of 100 million °C, shattering previous records and bringing nuclear fusion closer to reality. China aims for viability of fusion energy by 2050. [Oil Price]
¶ “Octopus Energy expands in France” • Octopus Energy’s generation arm is expanding its green energy push in France, striking four deals in solar and wind energy. France is Octopus’ largest clean generation market in continental Europe, and these deals mark the step in Octopus’ €1 billion investment plans for France’s renewables market. [reNews]
Solar array (Octopus Energy image)
US:
¶ “Driving Intelligence Into Action On The Road To A Smarter, More Resilient Grid” • Cable faults can create outages that are difficult to find and correct if insufficient intelligence is not built into the system. This is where S&C’s EdgeRestore® system plays a crucial role. The system provides rapid restoration to minimize customer outages. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Breathe Deep, America. Carbon Dioxide Is Good For You!” • Energy secretary Chris Wright is telling African leaders that burning coal is good for them because it worked well for the US a hundred years ago. And EPA administrator Lee Zeldin proudly announced 31 separate actions to roll back restrictions on air and water pollution. [CleanTechnica]
San Miguel lignite power plant (SMECI via LinkedIn)
¶ “US Floating Platform Achieves Milestone” • US outfit ECO TLP has achieved another step towards commercial readiness of its floating offshore wind platform. The company has recently secured, from the American Bureau of Shipping, a non-site-specific FEED (front-end engineering design) approval for the Hybrid Spar-TLP platform. [reNews]
¶ “First Substation Installed At CVOW” • The first substation for the 2600-MW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project is in place. Last November, Dominion Energy said the offshore substation foundations and were installed in the first installation season. The 2.6-GW offshore wind farm is being built 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. [reNews]
Substation installation (Dominion Energy image)
¶ “Renewable Energy Isn’t The Cause Of Electric Bills Spiking In Delaware” • If you were told that renewable energy is to blame for soaring electric bills this winter, you were told a lie. Colder temperatures led to heating systems running longer and harder, and gas rates went up for Delmarva customers, while electric rates decreased slightly. [The News Journal]
¶ “Small Nuclear Power Struggles At Cusp Of US Electricity Demand Boom” • The players pushing SMRs are not utilities with decades of experience dealing with the intricacies and safety requirements of nuclear plants, but rather AI companies, the data center community, and vendors. This was pointed out by Greg Jaczko, former NRC chairman. [MSN]
Have a spectacularly cozy day.
geoharvey 
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