World:
¶ “EU Seeks To Exploit Nature-Based Products To Push Its Competitiveness” • The European Commission wants to boost nature-based products to help develop a fossil-free economy by 2040. Its latest bioeconomy strategy prioritises plant-based food, natural medicines, energy from crops and trees, and even natural construction materials. [Euronews]
Vineyards in Champagne (Jonne Mäkikyrö, Unsplash)
¶ “Sodium-Ion Battery Applications Are Growing” • Sodium-ion battery technology is not just for EVs and home storage. Sodium ion is ideal in rugged environments like farms, industry, and commerce. Komatsu Japan is partnering with Pret Composites in Neijiang, China, to make 1.5-ton forklifts using Pret’s sodium-ion batteries. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Hyundai Motor Group Expands EV Energy Services Role” • Hyundai Motor Group is accelerating the worldwide rollout of its advanced Vehicle-to-Everything services. These solutions enable EVs to store, supply and share electricity with homes and power grids, redefining the role of EVs as essential components in the global energy ecosystem. [CleanTechnica]
Kia on the road (Kia image)
¶ “Hyundai Motor Group Celebrates Next-Generation Battery Innovation At Future Mobility Battery Campus” • Hyundai Motor Group held a topping-out ceremony for its Future Mobility Battery Campus in Anseong, Korea, marking a major milestone in the Group’s commitment to advancing battery technology and EV competitiveness. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Jack-Up Operator Wins Siemens North Sea Deal” • Jack-up operator Macro Offshore won a contract with Siemens Energy for the provision of accommodation services to various offshore wind projects in the North Sea. The contract will commence in June 2027 and has a firm duration of six years, with Siemens Energy holding an option to extend it. [reNews]
Jack-up vessel (Macro Offshore image)
¶ “National Capacity To Recycle Now Exceeds Supply” • China’s capacity to recycle retired its solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicle batteries has far outpaced current waste volumes, leaving many of the specialized plants underutilized, according to Guo Yijun, the director-general of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. [China Daily]
¶ “Fortum Seals Deal For 4.4-GW Finnish Pipeline” • Fortum has finished acquisition of a 4,400-MW onshore wind development portfolio in Finland from ABO Energy. Fortum said the price of roughly €40 million on a debt-and-cash-free basis was paid at closing. The company said the deal strengthens its development pipeline in the Nordic countries. [reNews]
Wind turbines (Fortum image)
¶ “Coal, Gas, Wind, And Fries: Inside The Potato Industry’s Quiet Energy Transition” • The global potato industry is being quietly reshaped by something most consumers never see on a label: energy. Every stage of the chain, from fertilizer plants and farm irrigation pumps to storages, fryers and freezers, is tied to the price and availability of power. [Potato News Today]
¶ “ABP Wins Approval For Barrow Floating Solar” • Associated British Ports said Westmorland & Furness Council has approved plans for a floating solar project installed on pontoons at the Port of Barrow. ABP said the project will install a floating solar array of up to 40 MW on Cavendish Dock to supply power for the advanced manufacturing sector. [reNews]
Floating solar array (ABP image)
¶ “UK Nuclear Projects Set To Add $1.3 Billion Per Year To Power Bills” • UK households will pay slightly higher energy bills in the first quarter of 2026 after energy regulator Ofgem raised the Energy Price Cap by 0.2%. That increase in the price cap is driven by government policy costs and operating costs, including funding the Sizewell C nuclear project. [OilPrice.com]
US:
¶ “Will AI Ever Make Big Profits? Experts Weigh In As Bubble Fears Loom” • A surge of AI spending made up about two-thirds of gross domestic product growth over the first half of 2025. But a question looms over the fate of the technology and the trillions of dollars being spent to develop it: Will AI deliver the profits to make it a moneymaker? [ABC News]
Data center (Erik Mclean, Unsplash)
¶ “More Than Forty New EV Fast Chargers Planned For Detroit” • About two weeks ago, 201 new EV chargers were announced for apartment complexes in Michigan. Now another EV charger installation project in Michigan has been announced, for over 40 fast chargers in Detroit. The Detroit area has “charging deserts,” and this will deal with one of them. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Nextpower Partners With Solar Energy International To Help Build Solar Workforce” • Solar Energy International, a Colorado-based non-profit solar jobs training organization, announced that Nextpower is a new partner for its Empowerment Program. The program offers many types of support for students for the solar and clean energy industries. [pv magazine USA]
Solar worker (David Clode, Unsplash)
¶ “Floating Solar Could Power Millions, But With Ecological Trade-Offs” • OSU Researchers found floating solar panels could generate massive amounts of renewable energy. Adding floating solar panels to every federally controlled reservoir could power 100 million homes, but the likely ecological effects varied widely by location. [Oregon Public Broadcasting]
¶ “Powered By 100% Renewable Energy” • The new Carbondale Aquatic Center will replace the Colorado town’s 40-year-old pool with three new pools, a bathhouse and community gathering spaces. The new pools, a lap pool, an entertainment pool, and a spa, will be the first in the region powered by 100% renewable energy. [Aspen Daily News]
Have a politely mirthful day.
geoharvey 
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