World:
¶ “Global Ferry Electrification Accelerates: 70% Of New Orders Go Electric” • It is remarkable how fast maritime transportation is decarbonizing. Globally, 70% of ferries currently on order now feature electric drivetrains. About 15,400 ferries are operating around the world, and most operators have electric retrofit plans for existing vessels. [CleanTechnica]
Electric ferry in Norway (Cavernia, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “MIKA Meon E: The World’s Lightest Road-Legal EV, Built For Pure Fun” • The MIKA Meon E is not your average electric car. Hand-built in Warwickshire by Hall Engineering and Design, it is essentially a beach buggy with an electric heart. It proudly claims the title of the lightest road-legal EV in the world, at a weight of just 675 kg (1488 lb). [CleanTechnica]
¶ “World Installed Almost 600 GW Of Solar Power In 2024” • A record 597 GW of solar power was installed in 2024, and growth could hit 1 TW per year by 2030, a report shows. The SolarPower Europe report shows that the amount of solar power installed in 2024 was 33% more than the 2023 figure. In late 2024, the world hit 2 TW of total solar in operation. [reNews]
Solar array (Bluefield Solar image)
¶ “Tilt Renewables Cuts Ribbon On 396-MW Rye Park” • The Australian energy company Tilt Renewables celebrated the commissioning of the largest operating wind farm in New South Wales. The 396-MW Rye Park wind farm was put into operation by Penny Sharpe, NSW Minister for Climate Change, Energy, Environment, and Heritage. [reNews]
¶ “Maersk Floats Out New Wind Installation Vessel” • Maersk Offshore Wind is celebrating the launch of its turbine installation vessel. The Maersk Wind Installation Vessel went out to sea at Seatrium’s Tuas Boulevard Yard in Singapore. The Maersk WIV was designed as a next-generation turbine installation concept to help accelerate the build-out of offshore wind. [reNews]
Wind installation vessel (Maersk Offshore Wind image)
¶ “Scatec Starts Construction Of Large Scale Solar And Battery Storage Project In Egypt” • Scatec ASA began construction of its 1.1-GW Obelisk solar and 100-MW, 200-MWh battery storage project in Egypt. Electricity from the facility is to be sold under a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement with the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company. [Renewable Energy Magazine]
US:
¶ “Trump’s Tariffs And Electric Cars: Bloomberg Says It’s Time To Welcome Chinese Cars To The US” • Tariffs are a hot topic today, as the current administration’s trade policies are roiling many industries. Some of the highest tariffs apply to electric cars manufactured in China, which are subject to import duties of around 102.5%. [CleanTechnica]
BYD car-carrier (BYD image)
¶ “US Consumers Don’t Trust Tesla Anymore, Study Says” • The Electric Vehicle Intelligence Report into US EV sales was built in April from over 8,000 consumer responses. It was designed to provide a clearer view of what consumers think about EVs. It exposes some dismal flaws in Tesla’s marketing. Consumers just don’t trust Tesla anymore. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “US Defense Department Launches Bioeconomy Plan Against Fossil Fuels” • One surprising thing President Trump can take credit for is pasting his seal of approval on a significant initiative in bioeconomy sponsored by the US Department of Defense. It is aimed at pushing coal, oil, and natural gas out of the industrial petrochemical market. [CleanTechnica]
Biomanufacturing facility (Courtesy of Lygos)
¶ “Trump’s Pause On Wind Power Harming NY’s Climate And Economy, AG James Says In Lawsuit” • US President Donald Trump’s pause on permits for new offshore wind power projects is harming New York’s climate and jeopardizing thousands of jobs, New York Attorney General Letitia James alleged in a lawsuit filed on Monday. [Gothamist]
¶ “US State Coalition Sues Trump Over Offshore Axe” • Eighteen attorneys general are suing the Trump administration over its directive to halt all federal approvals for wind energy projects. The lawsuit challenges a Presidential Memorandum of January 20 that indefinitely freezes permitting for development of wind energy pending federal review. [reNews]
Flag and wind turbine (Dominion Energy Image)
¶ “DESRI And Ranger Power Announce Close Of Financing And Construction Start For 290 MW Of Michigan Projects” • DESRI, in partnership with Ranger Power, announced that the White Tail and Heartwood Solar projects achieved financial close with their project lenders and initiated construction. The two projects will have a total of 290 MW of capacity. [WJBF]
¶ “114 People Laid Off From The National Renewable Energy Laboratory” • At least 114 people were laid off at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, an email says. The cuts affected staffers in both the research and operations sides of the lab. Staff cut included some at NREL headquarters in Golden, Colorado and some based elsewhere. [Colorado Public Radio]
Solar array at NREL site (US DOE, public domain)
¶ “Trump Proposes Cutting DOE Budget By $19.3 Billion” • The White House’s 2026 budget proposal, released on Friday, seeks to cut $19.3 billion from the Department of Energy’s budget by making deep reductions to Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. [Utility Dive]
¶ “Neighboring States’ Nuclear Debacles Loom Over North Carolina Bill” • Proposed legislation in North Carolina to allow utility Duke Energy to charge customers for power plants still being built is taking heat, in part because similar schemes have left residents in neighboring states holding the bag for pricey abandoned nuclear projects. [Canary Media]
Have a cognizantly blissful day.
geoharvey 