Opinion:
¶ “You’re In A New Paradigm! Behave Like It! ” • Clearly (to me), the problem holding up dealing with climate change is that the world has too much drivel and not enough thought. Renewable energy’s problem is not that it is variable and needs backup. Baseload power will nearly never meet demand without a lot of backup, and it’s expensive. [CleanTechnica]
Lost dinosaur (Huang Yingone, via Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “Should We Be Afraid Of Driverless Vehicles On Our Roads?” • On June 12, Tesla’s first driverless vehicles to launch in Texas. Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that for “the past several days, Tesla has been testing self-driving Model Y carson Austin public streets with no incidents.” Driverless vehicles are ready for prime time. So says Musk. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “How The Seas Could Hold The Key To Climate Change” • The counties of Devon and Cornwall are at the global heart of finding sea-based solutions to climate change. Their universities have researchers who study restoring seagrass and oyster beds, look into seaweed as a sustainable food source, and ask how marine fungi can combat disease. [BBC]
Red cliffs of Sidmouth (Red Zeppelin, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “Tesla Status Dropping In China As BYD Rises And Xiaomi Soars” • While Tesla was the clear EV leader globally in 2020 and Chinese auto companies were more focused on selling small, cheap electric cars, a lot has changed in five years. Chinese EV leaders are rapidly innovating to create the most appealing packages on the market. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “New MONA M03 Max And Plus Get 12,566 Orders In One Hour!” • XPENG’s new MONA brand got off to a good start. It has helped to boost the company’s sales in an extremely competitive, cut-throat market. The relatively young brand has new versions of its initial model about to arrive, and they are looking like a big hit already. [CleanTechnica]
XPENG MONA MO3
¶ “Gazelle Secures €2 Million For Floater Demo” • Gazelle Wind Power secured a €2 million investment to enable further work on its 2-MW Nau Azul floating wind demonstrator project in Portugal. Gazelle agreed on financing with Banco Português de Fomento through the deal-by-deal co-investment program, in partnership with Indico Capital Partners. [reNews]
¶ “Aker Solutions Nets BalWin2 Foundation Deal” • Aker Solutions is to provide the foundation for the BalWin2 offshore wind farm’s 2-GW HVDC converter station. AS signed a contract with Dragados Offshore to deliver the steel substructure for the converter station for the project’s grid connection system in Germany, developed by Amprion Offshore. [reNews]
HVDC converter station (Aker image)
¶ “Hitachi Energy Provides A Solution For A Green Hydrogen Project” • Hitachi Energy has delivered rectifier transformers for electrolytic hydrogen to a hydrogen industry park built by China Energy Engineering Corporation in Songyuan, a city in China’s Northeast. The transformer solution will help ensure a reliable green power supply. [Hydrogen Central]
¶ “Statkraft Plans Scottish Green Hydrogen Project” • Statkraft is to progress plans for a green hydrogen facility at Hunterston, the former coal terminal in Ayrshire, Scotland. Clydeport exchanged an option agreement with Statkraft to explore development at its Hunterston Port and Resource Campus site for the production, storage, and export of hydrogen. [reNews]
Hunterston site (Peel Ports image)
¶ “Ex-Envoy Gives Reality Check On Pakistan’s Nuclear Power” • An old interview of Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani, has resurfaced online. “Half the population of Pakistan is below the age of 21. One-third of (Pakistan’s) young population… never see the inside of any school,” he said. “And yet the country has nuclear weapons.” [News18]
US:
¶ “US Hybrid Vehicle Sales Continue To Rise As Electric And Plug-in Vehicle Shares Remain Flat” • About 22% of light-duty vehicles sold in the US during Q1 were hybrid, battery electric, or plug-in hybrid vehicles, up from about 18% in Q1 of 2024. Hybrid electric vehicles gained market share while sales of the others were flat. [CleanTechnica]
Please click on the image to enlarge it.
¶ “10,000 Jobs, $14 Billion in Clean Energy Investments Nixed as Biden’s ‘Investing in America’ Agenda Reversed” • The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 was a great stimulus for new clean energy projects, EV factories, battery factories, etc. It led to massive new investments, blue collar jobs, and a more vibrant economy. Now that is to be ended. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “US Solar Power Continues To Grow As Storm Clouds Gather ” • The latest renewable energy report from Ember shows solar and wind in the US provided more electricity than coal in the first quarter of 2025. After providing 50.5% of US utility-supplied electricity in March, clean energy sources accounted for 50.8% in April, Ember data shows. [CleanTechnica]
Solar panels (Biel Morro, Unsplash)
¶ “Los Angeles USD Invests $20 Million In Renewable Energy Projects” • The Los Angeles Unified School District has partnered with Ameresco, an energy solutions provider, to install over 2.7 MW of solar carport and shade structure PV systems, and EV charging infrastructure, at five of its middle schools in support of state and city goals. [MSN]
¶ “South Carolina Considers Reviving Failed $9 Billion Nuclear Project” • The Virgil C Summer nuclear plant was a dramatic failure. When its two reactors were canceled in 2017, they were less than half done. The developer, Westinghouse, was bankrupt, people were indicted for fraud, and ratepayers were stuck with a $9 billion bill. Now it might be given new life. [Yahoo]
Have a sustainably sublime day.
geoharvey 