World:
¶ “European Seas Break Temperature Records: Are They Too Warm?” • In August 2024, the Mediterranean Sea hit a record of 28.7°C (83.7°F). High sea temperatures in Europe fuel marine heatwaves that threaten marine life and worsen extreme weather events. In 2024, Europe’s seas hit their highest annual average surface temperature on record, 13.73°C. [Euronews]
Please click on the image to enlarge it.
¶ “Flash Floods In India And Pakistan Kill Over 280 People, Scores Remain Missing” • Flash floods triggered by torrential rains killed over 280 people in India and Pakistan, and rescuers are searching for at least eighty in one remote Himalayan village. Experts say cloudbursts have increased in recent years partly because of climate change. [Euronews]
¶ “Wärtsilä To Deliver 68-MW Energy Storage In Shetland” • Wärtsilä will provide a 68-MW energy storage system to Zenobē in Shetland. It will improve energy security, reduce emissions, and help with moving toward a cleaner, more resilient power system. Here, Christopher Wolf, Director at Wärtsilä Energy Storage, answers some questions. [CleanTechnica]
Energy storage site (Zenobē image)
¶ “Wind Power Progress in Australia” • The report Clean Energy Australia 2025 paints a picture of investment progress in onshore wind in 2024. Sadly, this has not been carried forward into 2025, but we must celebrate the wins when we can. It also illuminates the reasons for the lack of progress in Australia’s offshore wind development. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Petrostates Blow Up UN Plastics Conference” • In March 2022, 175 nations agreed to make the first legally binding treaty on plastic pollution by the end of 2024. Sadly, those countries are not the ones who produce plastics, but the ones hurt by plastic waste. The oil producing nations all furiously oppose limiting production in any way. [CleanTechnica]
Microplastics (Oregon State University, CC BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “China Builds Record-Breaking Floating Wind Turbine That Could Change The Face Of Renewable Energy” • Engineers at two state-owned Chinese companies have created a prototype floating wind turbine that they say has broken power generation records. They say the design could usher in the next generation of renewable power generation. [MSN]
¶ “Century Completes Hai Long Jacket Deliveries” • The Hai Long Offshore Wind Project has completed delivery of 21 three-legged jacket foundations manufactured by Taiwan’s Century Wind Power. Each jacket stands over 90 metres tall and weighs about 2000 tonnes, the heaviest ever produced for a Taiwanese wind farm, Hai Long claimed. [reNews]
Final jackets (Hai Long Offshore Wind image)
¶ “S&P Downgrades Orsted Credit Rating” • S&P Global Ratings has downgraded Ørsted’s long-term credit rating citing stalled progress on the planned sale of a 50% stake in the Sunrise Wind project in the US. The rating agency said that the inability to complete the divestment “severely and directly hinders credit metric performance.” [reNews]
US:
¶ “At GM, Our Electric Pickups Are Built To Handle Truck Stuff – Press Release” • “When teams across General Motors designed and engineered today’s electric trucks, they made sure these vehicles were ready to handle all kinds of truck stuff – so you can rely on your EV. And we’re building them with more than 100 years of truck leadership…” [CleanTechnica]
2025 GMC Sierra EV Denali (GM image)
¶ “Solar & Storage Industry Statement On Treasury Department Changes To Tax Credit Guidance” • “The Treasury Department’s new guidance to further restrict energy tax credits is part of an unprecedented side deal the administration made with anti-clean energy ideologues to undermine Congress and further harm America’s solar industry.” [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Farley’s Model T Moment: Bold EV Strategy In A Risky Policy Era” • Ford’s presentation of its Universal EV Platform was equal parts engineering showcase and strategic declaration. Jim Farley framed the new architecture as Ford’s “Model T moment.” He was clear that the bet was enormous, but, just as clearly, Ford must remain competitive. [CleanTechnica]
Ford F-150 Lightning (Elise240SX, CC BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “Gas Valve Failure During Maintenance Work May Have Led To Fatal Explosion” • Preparations for a routine maintenance task may have led to an explosion at a US Steel coal-processing plant near Pittsburgh. It left two dead and sent ten to hospitals, the company said. The explosion started around ovens where coal is heated to 1,200°F to make coke. [ABC News]
¶ “Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners Acquires 1-GWh Beehive Battery From EDF” • CIP acquired full ownership of the 1-GWh Beehive battery energy storage project in Peoria, Arizona, from EDF power solutions North America. The 250-MW four-hour facility is under construction and is expected to enter service in the first half of 2026, CIP said. [reNews]
Battery storage (EDF image)
¶ “Trump Administration Tightens Vise On Wind And Solar With New Tax Rules” • The Trump administration has a new roadblock for US wind and solar power. Treasury Department guidance puts new restrictions on the rules that have for decades guided whether solar and wind projects have “commenced construction” for tax purposes. [Canary Media]
¶ “US Lab Begins Post-Irradiation Studies On High-Burnup Fuel” • Researchers at the US DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are in post-irradiation studies on GE Vernova’s high burnup fuel after it has spent six years in a commercial reactor. High burnup fuels use more of the fissile material in nuclear fuel, allowing more cycles. [World Nuclear News]
Have an entirely pleasant day.
geoharvey 
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