Opinion:
¶ “The End Of The Gas-Powered Vehicle Era: Take A Look At The Numbers” • EV adoption has been underway for some years now. The adoption wave consists of two elements: the decline of internal combustion sales, and the adoption of EVs. In the US, gas vehicle sales declines began in 2018 and are continuing, as EV sales growth is fully underway. [CleanTechnica]
Ford Mustang Mach-E (Mariordo, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
World:
¶ “Green Waste Biochar Plant Set To Be Approved” • A plan for a plant to make biochar from green waste has been recommended for approval. A Shropshire Council planning committee wants to turn a former anaerobic digester into a plant making the biochar. The biochar will be made from green waste, wood, and compost oversize materials. [BBC]
¶ “The European Towns That Give Away Free Chickens” • At around Easter in 2015, the small French village of Colmar started handing out free chickens to its residents in an experimental scheme to reduce food waste. The project was started by the waste collection department in a small village in north eastern France, Colmar Agglomération. [BBC]
Colmar Agglomération (Aswathy N, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “Could A BMW i3 Be The Last Car You Ever Own?” • Jennifer Sensiba: I recently came across an article at The Autopian about some aging EVs that are coming back from the dead. How? By getting new batteries! Aside from batteries, EVs really have very little that can go wrong with them. Most motors and electronics could easily go 500,000 or more miles. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “More Than 150 ‘Unprecedented’ Climate Disasters Struck World In 2024, Says UN” • The devastating impacts of the climate crisis reached new heights in 2024, with scores of unprecedented heatwaves, floods, and storms across the globe, according to a report by the UN’s World Meteorological Organization. [The Guardian]
Flood (Chris Gallagher, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “India’s NTPC Allocates 1.2 GW Wind-Solar Hybrid Capacity At 3.9¢/kWh” • Indian state-owned power producer NTPC closed an auction of 1.2 GW of wind-solar hybrid capacity connected to the interstate transmission system at an average price of ₹3.35/kWh (3.9¢/kWh). The winning developers will build, own, and operate the projects. [pv magazine International]
US:
¶ “Trump Wants ‘Clean’ Coal, But There Is No Such Thing” • President Donald Trump has called for the expansion of US coal production. He claims that an increase of “clean” coal produced in the US will soon take place. He said that he is authorizing to begin producing energy with clean coal. The fact that no such thing exists seems not to be a problem. [ABC News]
Clean coal? (Bart van Dijk, Unsplash)
¶ “California Electric Vehicle Sales Rose To 22% Share In 2024, Dominated By (A Declining) Tesla” • California accounted for 31.1% of US EV sales in 2024. Unfortunately, EV market share in California just barely increased in 2024, from 21.7% to 22%. That is a little complicated, so we will get into the details here and see what’s happening. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Don’t Say ‘Climate Resilient’ If You Want US Federal Funding” • Farmers and ranchers are finding themselves in a battle over the way they choose words as they hope to keep federal funding. A USDA spreadsheet obtained by The Washington Post shows that over $400 million of climate resilient projects are under review for possible termination. [CleanTechnica]
Cattle Ranch in Winter (Rennett Stowe, Flickr, CC BY 2.0)
¶ “Another Leading US Bank Downgraded Tesla Stock” • JP Morgan made a big splash when it downgraded Tesla’s stock to $120. Other banks have done the same thing. In a less-reported move Wells Fargo also did some trimming around the edges to arrive at a price point of $130. And financial firms UBS and Redburn Atlantic piled on as well. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “GE Vernova And RWE Agree On Texan Deal” • GE Vernova has entered into an agreement with RWE to provide 109 wind turbines to power the Honey Mesquite wind farm in Glasscock County, Texas and repower the Forest Creek Wind Farm near Big Spring, Texas. Deliveries of the 2.8-MW wind turbines for the two projects are to begin this year. [reNews]
Wind farm (GE Vernova image)
¶ “Solar Power Installations Are Trending Up, Hawaiian Electric Reports” • The number of private rooftop solar systems on the Hawaiian Electric grids continued to grow in 2024. Now, there are nearly 114,000 rooftop solar systems installed across the five islands, according to the utility. Most of the 7,976 solar systems in 2024 were residentia. [Maui Now]
¶ “US Firm Fires Up Mississippi PV Project” • Deriva Energy’s 100-MW Wildflower Solar project is online in Mississippi. The project employed close to 300 construction workers during installation and will continue to offer long-term employment while contributing to the local tax base and selling renewable power to Toyota Motor North America. [reNews]
Solar farm (Deriva Energy image)
¶ “North Tonawanda Votes To Restrict Nuclear Energy” • In a unanimous vote, the city council of North Tonawanda, New York restricted the use of nuclear energy for cryptocurrency mining. Rresidents said the move is a win for environmental protection and public health. The vote prohibits micro-nuclear energy facilities within city limits. [WKBW]
¶ “Indiana Utilities Want Ratepayers To Fork Out For Small Nuclear Reactors” • Indiana legislators are considering multiple bills to promote small modular nuclear reactors, including a controversial provision that would let utilities charge ratepayers for projects that may never be built. Critics argue that the technology is untested. [Canary Media]
Have an enchantingly engaging day.
geoharvey 