World:
¶ “Small Electric Cars Were Said To Be The Future, But SUVs Now Rule The Road” • Globally, 54% of the cars sold in 2024 were SUVs. This is an increase of three percentage points from 2023, according to GlobalData. The UN we must inevitable pivot towards smaller vehicles because of the urgency of the climate crisis and the rising cost of living. [BBC]
SUV (Ryan, Unsplash)
¶ “Nordex Nets 94-MW Turbine Order In Canada” • Nordex Group received a wind turbine order totaling 94 MW in Canada. An energy project developer placed an order for the supply and installation of 16 N163/5.X turbines, each with a nominal 5.9-MW capacity, for a wind project in Novia Scotia. The Nordex Group will supply the turbines from mid-2026. [reNews]
¶ “Solar Farm Could Boost Wildlife And Reduce Bills” • An East Sussex village could soon have a solar farm that would generate clean energy and help residents reduce their bills, according to developers. Plans for a solar farm in Crowhurst would provide for annual needs of 2,500 homes a year, with surrounding land transformed into a nature reserve. [BBC]
Solar farm (John Feltwell, Energise Sussex Coast)
¶ “Quinbrook Closes Record Debt Financing For Cleve Hill” • Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners has closed a record-breaking project financing for Cleve Hill Solar Park, the UK’s largest PV and battery storage project. Up to £238.5 million has been secured for the 373-MW solar and 150-MW battery energy storage system in Kent. [reNews]
¶ “Towngas Smart Energy’s Renewable Unit Boosts 2024 Profit” •Towngas subsidiary Towngas Smart Energy Company Limited has reported growth in 2024, thanks to its renewable energy business whose net profit jumped five-fold to $479 million. As of 31 December 2024, Towngas Smart Energy’s total PV capacity reached 2.3 GW. [Asian Power]
PVs on a Shenzhen auto plant (Towngas Smart energy)
Australia:
¶ “Edify Energy To Build Solar And Battery System For Rio Tinto” • Rio Tinto and Edify Energy signed two agreements to supply renewable energy to Rio Tinto’s Gladstone aluminium operations in Queensland. Two solar power stations will generate a total of 600 MW of solar power and provide 600 MW, 2,400 MWh, of battery storage. [Australian Manufacturing]
¶ “Network Partners Sought To Build Poles, Wires, And Trust In Hotly Contested Renewable Zone” • The government of New South Wales is searching for the best network operator for one of the most hotly contested renewable energy zones in the state, in a move looks beyond the incumbent operators of the zone’s poles and wires. [RenewEconomy]
Power lines in Victoria (Marcus Wong, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “Newcastle Coal To Power Facility With Solar” • Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group entered into a power purchase agreement with Lightsource BP for its Kooragang Island facility. The PPA enables the facility to run renewable electricity by 2030. The power will be supplied by a 585-MW solar project being built in the Upper Hunter region. [Sharecafe]
US:
¶ “China Will Help Build US Offshore Wind Farms” • China is sending an offshore wind construction vessel to the US, and work continues apace on a major project that escaped the Trump chopping block so far. But word is that the Clean Air Act permit for the massive Atlantic Shores project was sent back to the EPA for further review. [CleanTechnica]
Service ship Wind Pace (Cadeler image)
¶ “Private Equity Investment In US Solar Energy Declines While Global Inflows In The Sector Rebound” • Private equity and venture capital activity in the US solar industry is on track to reach its lowest level in the past four years. This contrasts with significant global private equity inflows into the sector during 2024, according to a report by S&P. [Funds Society]
¶ “NorthStar Closes California Nuclear Center Decommissioning Agreement” • NorthStar Group Services made an agreement to take ownership of the 1600-acre Vallecitos Nuclear Center from GE Vernova and GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas. The US NRC approved the transfer, and NorthStar can go ahead with the California site’s decontamination. [Power Technology]
Have an endearingly graceful day.
geoharvey 
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