World:
¶ “Economic Growth Has Been Linked To Rising Emissions For Decades. Now, The ‘Opposite Is Happening’” • A decade on from the Paris Agreement the link between GDP and rising emissions is starting to break. Increasing numbers of countries are reducing CO₂ emissions while their economies keep growing, debunking decades of climate blocking. [Euronews]
Wind turbines (Mark König, Unsplash)
¶ “Ten Years Of The Paris Agreement: Hope Is Clouded By Climate Realities” • Ten years ago at COP21, the leaders of 195 countries signed the Paris Agreement to address climate change. But the mission is still far from complete. The United Nations Environment Programme projects “between 2.3°C and 2.5°C of temperature increases. [Euronews]
¶ “Wind Power Gets The Last Laugh As Trump Fades Into The Mists” • The UK firm GT Wings surfaced on the CleanTechnica radar in 2023, when it proposed the AirWing, a compact, space-saving, wind-harvesting device. Now GT is working on the first major real-world tryout for the AirWing, setting it up on a 124-meter cargo ship. [CleanTechnica]
Wind power (Courtesy of GT Wings)
¶ “By Locking In Russian Assets For Good, The EU Is Finally Playing Hardball” • In an audacious move, the EU is indefinitely immobilizing Russian sovereign assets, pushing back against external pressure to release the funds before Moscow agrees to pay war reparations to Ukraine. The EU is immobilizing €210 billion of assets of the Russian Central Bank. [Euronews]
¶ “XPENG Looks To Start EV Production In Malaysia” • XPENG reportedly told press in Malaysia that it is in negotiations with EP Manufacturing Bhd to get EV production underway in Malaysia. Mass production is supposed to begin at some point in 2026. The focus is to producd cars for right-hand markets across the Asean region. [CleanTechnica]
XPENG P7+
¶ “What’s The Connection Between Soils And Climate Change?” • The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN has long warned that pressures on land, soils, and fresh water systems are intensifying as they are pushed to the limits of production. Many in the field argue that support for agriculture needs to focus on these same things, not finances. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “AR7 Cash Injection Would Be Cost Neutral” • Doubling the size of the UK’s budget for offshore wind in Allocation Round 7 to £1.8 billion would be cost neutral if capacity is procured at a strike price of £94.50/MWh, analysis by Baringa showed. The study, commissioned by MASDAR, predicted the change could result in around 8 GW clearing the auction. [reNews]
Offshore windpower (insung yoon, Unsplash)
¶ “Indonesia Approves 50-MW Solar Project To Help Power Its Upcoming New Capital” • Indonesia’s new capital city, Ibu Kota Nusantara, will be powered by a solar plus storage project that will be developed by State utility PLN and renewables company Sembcorp. The project will have a 50-MW solar plant and 14.2-MWh battery system. [Energies Media]
¶ “RWE Powers Up A44n Solar Farms” • RWE has commissioned several large-scale solar farms along the A44n motorway in North Rhine-Westphalia with a total installed capacity of 86 MW peak. The plants have about 141,000 solar modules that to supply electricity for the equivalent of 27,700 German households, according to RWE. [reNews]
Renewable energy (RWE image)
¶ “Data Centers Told To Increase Use Of Renewable Energy” • Data centers must meet at least 80% of their annual electricity needs through new renewable-energy projects in the Republic of Ireland, the regulator decided. Data center developers have six years to put the renewable projects in place, the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities said. [MSN]
US:
¶ “NLR Analysis Identifies Reservoir Thermal Energy Storage For Data Center Cooling Needs” • In the growth of data center energy consumption, computer servers take the largest share, but cooling systems come in second. A study by researchers at the National Laboratory of the Rockies offers a potential solution to reduce that consumption. [CleanTechnica]
Data center (Dennis Schroeder, NLR)
¶ “US Tesla Sales Drop 23% In November YOY” • Reuters seems to have received exclusive data this week from Cox Automotive showing that it’s looking quite bad for Tesla. Tesla’s November sales in the US were reportedly down 23%, reaching their lowest monthly total since January 2022. Sales were 39,800, down from 51,513 in November 2024. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “New Report Illuminates Geothermal Cooling Potential In Hawaii” • In areas of recent volcanic activity and ample ground water, geothermal energy is an option for the electric grid. The UHM’s Hawaii Groundwater and Geothermal Resources Center collaborated on the technology with scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. [CleanTechnica]
Oahu (Christine Doughty, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)
¶ “‘Magic Balls’ Installed By Drones Could Conquer US Market” • Heimdall Power’s drone-deployed sensors, called “magic balls,” attach to overhead power lines to measure real-time conditions such as temperature, humidity, and line capacity. The data helps utilities better manage how much electricity their grids can carry safely, unlocking extra capacity. [The Cool Down]
¶ “FERC Poised To Issue Decision On Colocating Large Loads In PJM” • The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission plans to issue a decision next week on the PJM Interconnection’s rules for colocating large loads such as data centers at power plants over the range of Chicago to New Jersey, the commission’s agenda for its December 18 open meeting says. [Utility Dive]
Have a satisfyingly happy day.
geoharvey 
Leave a comment