World:
¶ “Sites Chosen For New State-Backed Welsh Windfarms” • Wales’ new publicly owned renewable energy developer has announced where it plans to build its first wind farm projects, promising hundreds of jobs. Three sites have been selected. They are in Carmarthenshire, Rhondda Cynon Taf and the Conwy-Denbighshire border. [BBC]
Castle in Carmarthenshire (Michael Hamments, Unsplash)
¶ “Experts Warn Of Heatwave Stress On Wildlife” • An expert environmentist has warned that the third predicted heatwave across England will add stress to animals, plans and inspects. Temperatures are set to reach highs of 34°C (93°F) on Friday and possibly Saturday with the sweltering temperatures continuing into early next week. [BBC]
¶ “The New Volvo ES90: A Big Electric Car With A Small Carbon Footprint” • Production on Volvo’s fully electric ES90 will start this summer, produced with climate-neutral energy. This can be seen in the Life Cycle Assessment report for the ES90, which describes which materials and processes contribute to the car’s life cycle carbon footprint. [CleanTechnica]
Volvo ES90 charging
¶ “Australian EV Penetration Hits 15% In June” • Good news: in June 2025, one in six vehicles sold in Australia had a plug. Tesla has bounced back, and the BYD Shark plugin hybrid continues to take a bite out of the ute market. Some 13,169 battery EVs were sold in Australia in June (10% of market), along with 6,200 plugin hybrid EVs (5% of market). [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Volkswagen EV Sales Surge 47% In 2025” • Volkswagen came out with its latest sales report, which shows its EV sales were up 47% in the first half of 2025. Best of all, while Volkswagen sales are down over 30% in China, they increased by 90% in Europe, which helped the company stay even in total global sales in the first half of this year. [CleanTechnica]
Electric Porsche and Macan
¶ “Crown Estate Funds Welsh Offshore Wind Scheme” • The Crown Estate will fund a new regional supply chain program to support small and medium-sized businesses in the Southwest of Wales entering the floating offshore wind sector. The 18-month initiative will be delivered by ORE Catapult’s Fit For Offshore Renewables program. [reNews]
¶ “EBRD Unveils €1.5 Billion Ukraine Renewables Plan” • The EBRD and its partners launched a mechanism to unlock €1.5 billion in renewable energy investments in Ukraine, aiming to support 1 GW of new capacity and rebuild generating capacity damaged by war. The European Commission, IFC, and the World Bank are among those in support. [reNews]
Sunflowers and wind turbines (EBRD image)
¶ “Ørsted Has Financial Close On 632-MW Changhua 2 Offshore Wind Farm” • Ørsted has reached financial close on a financing deal for its 632-MW Greater Changhua 2 offshore wind farm in Taiwan. The NT$90 billion (€2.7 billion) package was arranged with 25 banks and five export credit agencies, and marks a key strategic step for Ørsted. [reNews]
¶ “EBRD Supports The First Renewable Energy Auction In Montenegro” • With support from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Montenegro’s Ministry of Energy and Mining has launched the country’s first renewable energy auction. The incentive scheme covers 250 MW of solar power generating capacity. [EBRD]
Montenegro (George Kedenburg III, Unsplash)
¶ “Adani Green Energy Ltd Achieves 15.8 GW Of Operational Renewable Energy Capacity” • Adani Green Energy Ltd has released its operational update for the first quarter of fiscal year 2025-26 (April–June). The developer’s cumulative operational renewable energy capacity rose by 45% year-on-year to 15.8 GW as of June 30, 2025. [pv magazine India]
US:
¶ “Geothermal And Borehole Thermal Energy Storage Can Reliably Heat Buildings In Extreme Cold, NREL Modeling Results Show” • Energy storage research from NREL, a US DOE national laboratory, has demonstrated a way to store and reuse heat underground to meet the heating demands of cold regions like Alaska. [CleanTechnica]
Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska (Molly Rettig, NREL)
¶ “California Pivots: Cutting CEQA Red Tape To Boost Housing And Climate Goals” • In rare good news from the US, California’s just passed reform of the California Environmental Quality Act has opened the door for a wave of infill housing development, marking a significant shift in the state’s longstanding approach to urban growth. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Airports Could Bolster Grid Security And Adaptability” • With fleets of rental vehicles and ground support equipment, demand for electricity at US airports might quintuple within 20 years. NREL researchers are analyzing energy options for a 30-year decision-making prospect. They find on-site energy generation and storage works well in many cases. [CleanTechnica]
Tweed New Haven Airport (TNHA image)
¶ “After Texas Flood, Elected Leaders Say Cuts To FEMA, NOAA Could Affect Weather Response” • In the wake of the flooding in Texas, some governors and mayors are raising doubts over how cuts to agencies that make up the federal government’s response to major weather events will impact how well the government can respond. [ABC News]
¶ “Battle Brewing Over Hochul’s Push To Build Upstate Nuclear Power Plant” • Upstate New York lawmakers are taking interest in a directive from the governor to build a nuclear power plant, driving a brewing battle between state leaders and those who believe a nuclear facility is the wrong approach to reducing the state’s reliance on fossil fuels. [Spectrum News]
Have a productively helpful day.
geoharvey 