World:
¶ “Renaturalisation Of Wetlands Slows Global Warming And Species Decline” • For many centuries, farmers drained swamps to gain arable land. This contributes to climate change, so the EU wants to reverse it. Now a law sets out a detailed timetable: By 2050, half of the damaged moors are expected to be “healed” – a third of them through rewetting. [Euronews]
Moor (Maksim Shutov, Unsplash)
¶ “Spain Reports Nearly 400,000 Hectares Burned And 37 Arrests Due To Fires” • Humid weather and rainfall gave some relief to Spanish firefighters in their battle against the fires that have ravaged much of the country this year. Over 391,000 ha (966,000 acres) have burned so far this year, European Forest Fire Information System data shows. [Euronews]
¶ “China Rushes To Build Out Solar, Emissions Edge Downward” • China has been installing solar panels far faster than anywhere else in the world, and the investment is paying off. A study found that the country’s carbon emissions edged down 1% in the first six months of the year compared to a year earlier, extending a trend that began in March 2024. [ABC News]
PV power station in China (w0zny, CC BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “Two Energy Paths: China Locks In Renewables, US Clings To Coal” • China’s coal consumption dropped by about 2.6% in the first six months of 2025 while electricity demand rose roughly 5%, year over year. So China added solar and wind capacity fast enough to cover more than new demand. US coal fired electricity jumped 14% in the same span. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “China Flexes Its Green Hydrogen Muscles In Europe” • The Chinese firm Sungrow Power Supply has set up an elaborate new state-of-the-art hydrogen R&D facility at the Munich Airport Business Park through its Sungrow Hydrogen branch. Sungrow is aiming to establish a foothold in the ripe but difficult-to-pluck European market. [CleanTechnica]
Sungrow Hydrogen R&D in Germany (Courtesy of Sungrow)
¶ “From Norway To Nigeria, Beijing To Bogotá: Mapping The World’s EV Inflection Points” • In this piece we take a look at EV tipping points, starting with growth models, then exploring what 5% to 15%, 15% to 40%, and 40% to 80% penetrations look like, and then examining key markets including Europe, China, India, the US, Africa, and South America. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “SPR Completes EA3 Converter Station Jacket Installation” • The jacket foundation for the offshore converter station for ScottishPower Renewables’ 1.4-GW East Anglia 3 wind farm has been put in position 69 km off east England. The installation of the 3,700-tonne and 59-metre-high base was completed by Heerema crane vessel SSCV Sleipnir. [reNews]
SSCV Sleipnir (east Anglia 3 image)
¶ “UK Renewable Approvals Soar To Record 16 GW” • A record 16 GW of new renewable energy capacity won planning approval in the UK during the second quarter of 2025, government figures show. The Financial Times first reported the surge, which covered 323 projects and marked a 195% growth compared with the same period of last year. [reNews]
¶ “BayWa RE Wins Consent For 500-MW Redshaw Battery” • BayWa re has secured Section 36 planning consent for its 500-MW Redshaw battery system in South Lanarkshire. The facility will be the company’s largest battery system in Europe. It is next to the site of Scottish Power Transmission’s planned Redshaw substation at the B6 boundary. [reNews]
Battery system (BayWa re image)
¶ “Japan Sends Robots Into Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant To Get Radioactive Debris” • Technicians at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant are taking another cautious step toward one of the most challenging operations of nuclear decommissioning. They sent remote-controlled robots into a damaged reactor to obtain radioactive material they could assess. [WION]
US:
¶ “Hurricane Erin Could Bring Destruction To The East Coast Despite Not Making Landfall” • Hurricane Erin may not make landfall, but it still could have devastating consequences for East Coast residents. Sea levels for many East Coast communities are now about a half foot higher today than they were a few decades ago, intensifying coastal erosion. [ABC News]
Miami Beach with storm coming (Dylan Sauerwein, Unsplash)
¶ “Climate Change Brings More Rapidly Intensifying Hurricanes; NOAA Cuts Make Forecasting Them Harder” • A remarkable 96% of Cat 4 and Cat 5 storms undergo rapid intensification. Those that intensify rapidly just before landfall are especially perilous, as they can catch forecasters and populations off guard, risking inadequate evacuations. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Over 50% of New US Electric Generating Capacity Will Come from Solar in 2025” • Developers added 12 GW of utility-scale solar capacity in the US during the first half of 2025, and they plan to add another 21 GW in the second half. If they realize that plan, solar would account for more than half of the 64 GW that developers bring online this year. [CleanTechnica]
Please click on the image to enlarge it.
¶ “California’s Biggest Virtual Power Plant May Get A Funding Reprieve” • California’s premier “virtual power plant” program is reducing the state’s reliance on polluting, costly fossil-fueled power, and it’s just the start of what its scattered network of solar and batteries could do. But only if the state Legislature can stave off funding cuts to the program. [Canary Media]
¶ “Trump Escalates His War On ‘Windmills'” • President Trump began an attack on ‘windmills” again, calling them inefficient and expensive, just a day after his administration unveiled new tariffs on wind turbines. Experts told Newsweek provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act could lead to higher costs as projects are postponed or abandoned. [MSN]
Have a fascinatingly frolicsome day.
geoharvey 