Science and Technology:
¶ “BlueShift Electro-Chemical Process Extracts Critical Minerals From Industrial Waste And Seawater” • There are many minerals and other valuable components in wastewater. But extraction can be costly and have negative environmental impacts. BlueShift, a startup, says it has answers to those problems and has landed $2.1 million in seed money for a pilot project. [CleanTechnica]
BlueShift cell (BlueShift image)
World:
¶ “Ocean Dumping – Or Climate Solution? An Industry Bets On The Ocean To Capture Carbon” • From the grounds of a gas-fired power plant on the eastern shores of Canada, a little-known company is pumping a mixture of water and magnesium oxide into the ocean in the name of stopping climate change. Whether it’s pollution or a silver bullet that will save the planet may depend on whom you ask. [ABC News]
¶ “Konect: Transforming Australian Service Stations into Multi-Fuel Convenience Hubs” • Gilbarco Veeder-Root introduced Konect, a fully integrated EV charging ecosystem for Australian fuel retailers. GVR describes Konect as an end-to-end offering for electrification, calling it a “golden opportunity to deliver the EV charging experience Australians crave.” [CleanTechnica]
Multi fuel servo future (Courtesy of Konect)
¶ “Brazil EV Sales Report: In February, For Five Months In A Row, EV Sales Surpassed 10,000” • EV sales in February grew by 55% YOY in Brazil. The country broke record after record. It sold over 100,000 EVs in 2024, making it one of the few countries worldwide to reach that number. In February 2025, it sold over 10,000 EVs for the fifth month in a row. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “China Is Scaling Geothermal District Heating And The World Should Pay Attention” • When China starts scaling a technology at massive levels, the rest of the world should take notice. That’s not a geopolitical statement, it’s a thermodynamic and logistical one. China doesn’t mess around when it comes to heat, power, and infrastructure. [CleanTechnica]
Village in China (Diem Nhi Nguyen, Unsplash)
¶ “Subsea7 Renewables Unit Sees 2024 Earnings Rise” • In 2024, Subsea7’s renewables business unit saw its adjusted earnings rise to $185 million, up from $103 million in the previous year. Revenue increased by 29% to $1.2 billion in 2024, while net operating income was $53 million, up from a prior year loss of $74 million. [reNews]
Subsea7 at work (Subsea7 image)
¶ “Adani Wins $325 Million Green Hydrogen Transmission Gig” • Indian company Adani Energy Solutions has won a $325 million (₹2800 crore) power transmission project in the state of Gujarat. The project will supply green electricity for manufacturing green hydrogen and green ammonia in Mundra and will be completed in three years. [reNews]
Transmission lines (Adani Energy Solutions image)
¶ “Red Tape Hinders Global Clean Energy Goals” • Analyses from Bloomberg New Energy Finance and the International Energy Agency find that the goal of tripling renewable capacity by the end of the decade is feasible if governments cut down on lengthy permitting processes. For example, the US has overlapping state and federal requirements. [OilPrice.com]
¶ “Robots To Retrieve Radioactive Sandbags At Fukushima Plant” • Robots will begin moving sandbags that were used to absorb radiation-contaminated water at Fukushima as soon as next week, a spokesman said. Radiation levels on the sandbags’ surface are as high as 4.4 sieverts per hour, which means “humans can die if they approach” them. [The Peninsula Qatar]
Fukushima, before the disaster (IAEA Imagebank, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
US:
¶ “Bill McKibben Sees Trouble Ahead For Tesla And Big Oil” • Bill McKibben, in a Substack post, suggested that Tesla and Big Oil have a common weakness. He says both are way behind the technological curve. The proof? BYD announced a few days ago that it has developed a battery for an electric car that can be recharged in just five minutes. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Renewable Energy To Beat Gas For Three More Years (Or More)” • Fossil fuels were already losing ground in the power generation industry during the first Trump administration. They are set to fall further behind as renewable energy dominates grid capacity additions over the next three years, according to the latest data compiled by FERC. [CleanTechnica]
Solar farm with sheep (Courtesy of NREL)
¶ “Electric Car Options Have Exploded In Number In The USA” • Many of us have been following the EV market for several years. We’ve seen the market go from just a few options (and none of them great) to dozens of options today. The electric car options on the market have exploded in number, especially in the past few years. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Solar Exceeds 10% Of US Electric Generating Capacity” • Solar currently represents 10.53% of total available installed generating capacity in the US, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Solar capacity is approaching that of its renewable energy counterpart in wind, which is now 11.77% of available capacity. [pv magazine USA]
Solar panels (Moritz Kindler, Unsplash)
¶ “Nofar And Qcells Agree To Develop 350-MW Of Texan BESS Projects” • Nofar and Qcells have signed an agreement to develop two Texas energy storage projects featuring a combined capacity of 350 MW. The battery energy storage systems (BESS), which will have a two-hour duration (700 MWh), are targeted to come online in 2027. [reNews]
¶ “Government Announces $1.2 Billion Investment For Key Region To Modernize Grid” • The US DOE plans to replace dirty fuel plants in Puerto Rico with solar power and battery storage. The Loan Programs Office granted one loan and conditionally granted two to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. They total over $1.2 billion. [The Cool Down]
Have a certifiably gorgeous day.
geoharvey 