Opinion:
¶ “Managing The Shift From Fossil Fuels To Alternatives” • As the global community confronts the twin crises of climate change and energy insecurity, the imperative to transition towards renewable energy has become increasingly urgent. Solar, wind, hydro, and other alternative sources promise a cleaner, more sustainable future. [Eurasia Review]
Oil well and wind turbine (Pixabay image)
¶ “Utahns Must Think Carefully About Becoming The Nation’s Nuclear Hub” • We have seen how costly nuclear development can be here in Utah. In 2015, Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems partnered with NuScale on a small modular reactor. The project was canceled in November 2023 after cost estimates went from $3 billion to $9 billion. [Yahoo]
¶ “Important To Vote In Federal Election If Concerned About Climate, Renewable Energy” • To support Canada’s transition to renewable energy, the most powerful step a citizen can take is to vote. Global clean energy is past 40%. Uruguay transitioned from oil imports to 98% renewables. Finland’s energy is 95% fossil fuel-free. Canada is at 17%. [Rocky Mountain Outlook]
Banff National Park (Chi Liu, Unsplash)
World:
¶ “Solar Power Surges Around The World” • While reactionaries all across America are getting out their pitchforks to oppose solar and wind power, renewables continue to grow, not only in China and Europe, but even in the US. Why? Thanks to the wonders of capitalism, humans who subscribe to its strictures invariably seek the cheapest way to do everything. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “US Continues To Be At Odds With Its Allies Over Renewable Energy” • As part of their quest to undermine the momentum toward the clean energy upswing, Trump administration officials sparred at the gathering with the International Energy Agency. The Trumpsters want to block data that favors renewable energy over fossil fuels. [CleanTechnica]
Wind farm (US DOI image)
¶ “Ukraine’s Wartime Expertise Can Reshape Farming” • Ukraine has emerged as one of the world’s drone innovation hubs, driven by the brutal necessities of wartime. Remarkably, this wartime industrial surge has positioned Ukraine uniquely to pivot its new drone expertise toward civilian applications, particularly drones for sustainable farming. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Area Burned By UK Wildfires In 2025 Is Already At Annual Record” • In the UK, more than 29,200 hectares (292 sq km or 113 sq miles) has already been burnt this year, according to data from the Global Wildfire Information System, which has kept a record of burnt area since 2012. That is more than the previous high of 28,100 hectares for the whole year of 2019. [BBC]
Wildfire in Wales (Neil Mark Thomas, Unsplash)
¶ “Energy Leader Transforms Cooking Oil Into Fuel For One Of The World’s Largest Mines” • Old cooking oil was turned into fuel recently to power an iron ore mine in Australia – the first of its kind. Neste MY Renewable Diesel has allocated 8,500 tons of renewable diesel from used cooking oil for the trial, according to Renewable Energy Magazine. [The Cool Down]
¶ “DRC’s Kinshasa Could See Deadly Rain And Floods Every Two Years” • In early April, extreme rainfall and flooding at Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, killed at least 33 people. Catastrophic rainfall events are predicted to hit Kinshasa every two years in today’s warming climate, a study by World Weather Attribution shows. [MSN]
Congo River at Kinshasa (EdwinAlden.1995, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)
¶ “Satellite Images Reveal This Gigantic Nuclear Fusion Center Rising at Breathtaking Speed” • China’s ambitious leap into laser fusion research is capturing global attention, as satellite images reveal the construction of a massive research center in Mianyang. This facility is poised to position China at the forefront of this cutting-edge technology. [Sustainability Times]
US:
¶ “There Is One Clear Winner In The Corn Vs Solar Battle” • At Cornell University, researchers showed that if farmers covered just 46% of land currently used to farm ethanol with solar panels, that would then generate enough energy to reach the US goal for decarbonization for 2050. Solar power is a more efficient use of land than corn for ethanol. [CleanTechnica]
Agrivoltaics (Tom Hickey and Al Hicks, NREL)
¶ “Tesla Is The Humpty Dumpty Of Brand Reputation” • The New York Times and others reported that Trump’s “DOGE” office saved just $160 billion while costing $135 billion, an accounting by the nonpartisan good-government nonprofit Partnership for Public Service shows. Elon Musk hurt many people in the process, along with Tesla’s reputation. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “DTE Energy Unveils Pine River Solar Park, Highlighting Renewable Energy Expansion” • DTE Energy celebrated bringing the Pine River Solar Park online, marking its commitment to renewable energy and sustainability, aligning with Michigan’s clean energy goals. The company plans an investment of $30 billion to enhance grid reliability. [Yahoo Finance]
Have a wonderfully straightforward day.
geoharvey 