World:
¶ “Climate Change And Overfishing Threaten Vietnam’s Ancient Tradition” • Fish sauce is recognized by Vietnam as a central part of the country’s heritage. But that heritage is in danger. Climate change and overfishing make it harder to catch the anchovies essential to the condiment that underlies so much of Vietnam and southeast Asia’s food. [ABC News]
Anchovies (engin akyurt, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “How China’s Sinopec Is Escaping The Gas Utility Death Spiral” • When Sinopec, China’s petroleum giant, decided to start drilling geothermal wells instead of oil wells, it was initially greeted with skepticism. Renewable energy? Surely not the first place you’d expect an oil-and-gas colossus to stake its future. But Sinopec wasn’t dabbling. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “92.5% of New Power Capacity Added Worldwide in 2024 Was from Renewables” • Some 92.5% of new power capacity added to the grid in 2024 came from renewable energy sources. This is not even a competition anymore. And that’s great, because we’re still running behind schedule when it comes to decarbonizing the world. [CleanTechnica]
Please click on the image to enlarge it (IRENA image)
¶ “Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners Makes 2.3-GW Italian BESS Pact” • CIP, through its Flagship Fund CI V, entered into a partnership with Italian developer GC Storage Services for a 2,300-MW pipeline of large-scale batteries in Italy. The projects are in Northern and Southern Italy, with the first expected to be in a ready-to-build in 2025. [reNews]
¶ “Biggest Solar Project in the World Gets UK Investment Boost” • In the Philippines, what is set to become the world’s largest solar and battery storage facility, the Meralco Terra Solar Project got a boost to hasten its completion when UK-based global investment firm Actis closed a 348 billion peso ($600 million) investment recently. [CleanTechnica]
Solar project in the Philippines (Solar Philippines image)
¶ “Vattenfall Gets Nod For Ourack Wind Farm” • Vattenfall’s Ourack wind farm in the Scottish Highlands was granted consent by Scottish Ministers. The Ourack wind farm will consist of seventeen wind turbines and have a capacity of around 100 MW, generating enough electricity to meet the requirements of about 64,000 households. [reNews]
¶ “Software Empowering Farmers To Reap Renewable Benefits” • A project partly funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency is set to help landowners make best use of their land for renewable energy. The $500,000 investment will help RELA Australia improve software that helps assess the land’s potential for wind and solar capacity. [Energy Magazine]
Wind turbine (Grahame Jenkins, Unsplash)
¶ “‘Cheapest Domestic Energy There’s Ever Been:’ How Rooftop Solar Has Reduced Bills For All” • A report released last week to showcase the downward impact of renewables on power prices contained a stunning and timely reminder: Nothing has crushed household energy bills quite like rooftop solar, and not just for solar households. [One Step Off The Grid]
US:
¶ “Honey Bee Colonies Could Face 70% Losses In 2025” • Honey bee colonies across the US are facing record-breaking losses in 2025. Scientists warn there could be an impact on agricultural production. Washington State University entomologists project that commercial honey bee colony losses are to be between 60% and 70% this year. [ABC News]
Honey bee (Gaurav Kumar, Unsplash)
¶ “These Are The Impacts Some Scientists Fear Most From EPA Deregulation” • Several of the environmental freedoms that Americans experience today – clean air, clean water and clean rain among them – could soon be in jeopardy from the plans to deregulate the Environmental Protection Agency, several experts told ABC News. [ABC News]
¶ “Solar Canals Are Coming For Your Fossil Fuels” • The US is ripe with opportunities to establish itself as a leader in the solar canal movement, which opens up sites to develop solar power on existing water infrastructure. In California, researchers are hot on the trail of best cases for site selection among the state’s 4,000 miles of irrigation canals. [CleanTechnica]
Solar panels over a canal (TID Water and Power)
¶ “NYS Takes Over Solar Energy Project In Fort Edward” • A renewable energy project will soon be underway in Washington County, New York, Governor Kathy Hochul announced. The project will reportedly create more than 100 jobs. The New York Power Authority has acquired full ownership of the Somers Solar Project in the town of Fort Edward. [NEWS10 ABC]
¶ “Fast Track For One New Agrivoltaic Project In California, More To Follow” • Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he fast tracked the Cornucopia Hybrid Project for construction under the California Environmental Quality Act. It consists of a 300-MW solar array and a 300-MW battery energy storage, with provisions for solar grazing. [CleanTechnica]
Agrivoltaic project in California (Courtesy of Baywa RE)
¶ “DOE Reissues $900 Million Nuclear SMR Opportunity, Scraps Community Criteria To Focus On Technical Merit” • The US DOE reissued a $900 million funding opportunity to accelerate deployment of Generation III+ small modular reactors. It is removing community benefit requirements and shifting the focus solely to technical merit. [POWER Magazine]
¶ “Palisades Nuclear Plant Revival Sparks Industry Interest” • Last year, Holtec International, the private owner of the Palisades Power Plant in Covert, Michigan, announced plans to reopen the facility after it closed in 2022. If it is successful, the Palisades Nuclear Plant could provide a blueprint that other energy companies could follow. [OilPrice.com]
Have a curiously inspirational day.
geoharvey 