World:
¶ “Billions At Risk Of Extreme Heat In The Workplace” • Billions of workers worldwide need better protection from extreme heat as they work, a joint report by the World Health Organisation and the World Meteorological Organisation has found. Over 2.4 billion workers, 71% of all workers, are exposed to excessive heat, partly due to climate change. [Euronews]
Baking muffins (Taylor Grote, Unsplash)
¶ “What To Know About China’s New Regulations On Rare Earths” • China released new interim measures tightening controls on mining and processing of rare earth metals. China has been gradually tightening restrictions on exports of such materials, partly in response to US controls on its access to American advanced technology. [ABC News]
¶ “China Races To Build The World’s Largest Solar Farm To Meet Emissions Targets” • Chinese government officials showed off what they say will be the world’s largest solar farm, high on a Tibetan plateau. It will cover 610 km², which is about the size of the city of Chicago. As China is installing solar panels, its carbon emissions have started falling. [Euronews]
Tibetan plateau (Jiasong Huang, Unsplash)
¶ “Have We Reached Peak BYD? July 2025 China EV Sales Report” • July saw the Chinese EV market continue its growth, with plugins scoring close to a million sales in July in market with 1.8 million sales. Battery EVs are up 26% to over 607,000 units, or 34% of overall sales, while PHEVs were actually down. Plugins had 54% market share. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Syncraft Builds New Climate-Positive Power Plant In Wallern, Austria” • Ground was broken in Wallern, Upper Austria for a Syncraft climate-positive power plant. This facility will convert regional forest residues into baseload clean electricity, heat, and carbon removal, moving energy forward and removing carbon from the atmosphere. [CleanTechnica]
Syncraft plant (Syncraft image)
¶ “Global EV Patent Counts are Growing, with BYD in the Lead” • Li Yunfei, General Manager of BYD Group’s Brand and Public Relations Department, showed BYD well ahead in the global patent count for EVs. BYD has over 120,000 R&D engineers, and they submit an average of 45 patent applications and have 20 patents awarded per day. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Study Finds Space Solar Power Could Make Europe Net-Zero” • Space could play a key role in helping the EU reach its goal of net zero GHG emissions by 2050, a study says. Researchers from King’s College London and Xi’an Jiaotong University proposed that space-based solar power could account for 80% of Europe’s renewable energy by the EU’s deadline. [Payload Space]
Solar panels on the ISS (NASA image)
US:
¶ “California’s Long-Delayed Bullet Train Slated To Run In The Central Valley By 2032” • California’s long-delayed high-speed rail project could be operating in the Central Valley by 2032, but it is far short of securing the funding it needs to connect up north toward the San Francisco Bay Area and south toward Los Angeles, a report by officials says. [ABC News]
¶ “The Global Space Solar Race Is Heating Up, And NASA Holds The Keys” • The emerging field of space solar should have a spot on the federal energy policy to-do list, considering its potential for 24/7 power generation. NASA also has two technologies in the works that researchers have identified as keys to unlocking solar power based in space. [CleanTechnica]
Space-based solar technology (Courtesy of CalTech)
¶ “Eco-dynamic Solar Awnings Make It Easy For RVs To Capture More Sunshine” • Eco-dynamic’s solar awnings are much like a traditional roll-up shade awning for RVs, but with integrated, flexible solar panels that are designed to withstand the rigors of RV life and the wide range of weather conditions that come with it. The awnings can be sized widthwise. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Trump Administration Stops Construction On 80% Complete Offshore Wind Farm” • Only days after Ørsted reported that its 704-MW Revolution Wind was 80% compled, the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued a stop-work order halting all offshore construction activities on the project. [OffshoreWIND.biz]
Ørsted blade loadout (Ørsted image)
¶ “Governor Signs Bills To Boost Solar Generation And Battery Storage” • Governor Phil Murphy signed two bills to boost New Jersey’s renewable energy capacity. One allows state energy regulators to register 3,000 MW additional community solar capacity; the other creates an incentive program to build 1,000 MW of battery storage by 2030. [New Jersey Monitor]
¶ “Mile High City Sparks Fury Over Plan For One Of America’s Busiest Airports” • Bosses at one of America’s busiest airports sparked fury by unveiling controversial plans to explore using nuclear energy. Leaders at Denver International Airport made the announcement earlier this month, sparking a backlash from locals who say they were never consulted. [Daily Mail]
Have an absolutely perfect day.
geoharvey 