World:
¶ “Inside The Iberian Grid Collapse” • The Iberian grid collapse happened at a time of moderate demand with large curtailment of renewable energy. It was not driven by a failure of renewable energy, however. Rather, it was the result of multiple layers of insufficient planning and poor management of voltage and grid dynamics. [CleanTechnica]
Spanish wind turbines (John Cameron, Unsplash)
¶ “A New Wave Of Algae Is Perking Up The Vertical Farming Industry” • Microalgae can be grown indoors, in vertical farms, with opportunities to solve a land-use crisis by use of existing infrastructure. That’s the easy part. Getting more people to eat the stuff is the hard part, but in Iceland, VAXA Technologies has a solution for doing that. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Reclaiming Coal Country: 300 GW Solar Goldmine From Coal Mine Conversions” • In a landmark report released this month, Global Energy Monitor reveals that converting recently closed and soon-to-be-retired coal mines into solar farms could boost global solar capacity by nearly 300 GW by 2030, for a 15% increase in operating solar capacity. [CleanTechnica]
Coal mine (Chris Münch, Unsplash)
¶ “PNE Reaches Milestone On 240-MW South Africa Solar” • PNE Group has achieved a major milestone in South Africa with financial close confirmed on its 240-MW Khauta South solar PV project, marking the final project development stage to start construction of the solar plant. Early construction at the Free State-based site has already begun. [reNews]
¶ “Equinor, EDF-ESB Win Celtic Sea Lease Auction” • The Crown Estate awarded seabed rights to Equinor and the Gwynt Glas, a joint venture between EDF Renewables UK and ESB, to develop two 1500-MW floating wind farms in the Celtic Sea. A third 1.5-GW project development area is being held in reserve and may be announced in September. [reNews]
Towing a floating wind turbine (Equinor image)
¶ “GE Vernova Signs Agreement To Supply 73-MW Kosovo Wind Project” • GE Vernova announced it has an agreement to supply, service, and commission twelve of its 6.1-MW onshore wind turbines for Çalık Renewables’s Zatriq I & II Wind Farms in Kosovo. With the deal, the companies are supporting Kosovo’s renewable energy goals. [Renewable Energy Magazine]
¶ “US Warns UK Over Chinese Turbine Factory” • The US raised national security concerns with the UK government over plans by Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Mingyang to build a factory in Scotland to supply North Sea offshore wind projects, according to a report in the Financial Times. British ministers are considering whether to block the proposal. [reNews]
Wind turbine nacelle (Mingyang image)
¶ “Israel Strikes Inactive Nuclear Reactor In Iran” • The Israel Defense Forces said it struck an inactive nuclear reactor among dozens of targets in Iran. The IDF aid the strike “targeted the component intended for plutonium production, in order to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for nuclear weapons development.” [MSN]
US:
¶ “Coastal Areas With High Microplastic Levels Linked To Higher Rates Of Diabetes, Heart Disease, Stroke” • Coastal counties with very high marine microplastic levels had higher rates of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke than coastal counties with lower levels, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. [ABC News]
Sailboat at Nantucket (Keenan Shepard, Unsplash)
¶ “US EIA Forecasts New Export Licensing Requirements Will Reduce US Ethane Exports” • The US EIA forecasts US ethane exports will decrease by 80,000 barrels per day this year and by 177,000 b/d in 2026 in our June Short-Term Energy Outlook because of new licensing requirements by the US government for exports of ethane to China. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Solar Panels Give Edge To Tomatoes Grown Underneath” • An experiment can lead to a greater understanding, deeper insights, and sometimes they even bear fruit. At NREL, researchers grew a dozen tomato plants, six in the open and six under solar panels that limit the light to what the plant needs, with the rest of the light generating electricity. [CleanTechnica]
NREL Researcher Seth Steichen (Gregory Cooper, NREL)
¶ “Imerys Signs US Solar PPA with Akuo” • Imerys has signed a 15-year power purchase agreement with Akuo for a 195-MW solar project in Texas, marking the French industrial group’s largest renewable energy deal to date in the US. The PV facility, to be built in Coke County, is expected to generate 153GWh of electricity annually. [reNews]
¶ “Bloomberg 2025 Electric Vehicle Outlook Report” • This year, the BNEF Electric Vehicle Outlook, which was just published, quite naturally sees some storm clouds on the horizon because of the policies of the failed US administration. If your focus is on China, things are looking rosy for electric cars, but the outlook in the US is a bit different. [CleanTechnica]
BYD Explorer 1 (Courtesy of BYD)
¶ “US Will Build Three Small Nuclear Reactors By Next Fourth Of July, Wright Says” • The Trump administration is seeking to jumpstart nuclear energy in the US by having at least three small reactors running and producing power by July of next year. The ambitious timeline was proposed by Energy Secretary Chris Wright during a hearing. [MSN]
¶ “Supreme Court Greenlights Nuclear Waste Site In Texas” • In a 6-3 decision on June 18, the Supreme Court rejected challenges to a nuclear waste storage site near Texas’ border with New Mexico, a win for the federal government in a decadeslong struggle over what to do with waste that is byproduct of nuclear power plants. [MSN]
Have a graceously simple day.
geoharvey 