Science and Technology:
¶ “One Step Closer To The Compostable EV Battery Of The Future” • Singapore-based startup Flint introduced a “paper battery.” The new, compostable battery aims to elevate the sustainability profile of energy storage systems for EVs, along with other applications, by eliminating toxic materials and supply chain complications. [CleanTechnica]
Biodegradable battery (Courtesy of Flint Labs, cropped)
World:
¶ “NIO Explodes Through New Year, 55% Growth in December” • NIO didn’t have the strongest start to the year in 2025, but it did finish with a bang. In fact its last few months have been huge. In December, NIO scored 48,135 vehicle deliveries, a 54.6% increase over the same month if 2024. December was also its fifth month in a row of growth. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “China’s BYD Overtakes Tesla As Global EV Leader With 2.26 Million Sales, While Tesla Slips To 1.64 Million” • In 2025, Tesla delivered about 1.64 million vehicles, a 8.6% decrease from 2024 and its second straight annual decline. But China’s BYD surged ahead, selling around 2.26 million battery EVs. Including plugin hybrids, BYD sold 4.6 million cars. [The Tech Portal]
BYD Sealion 7 (Rutger van der Maar, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped)
¶ “XPENG Sales Rise 126%, From 190,068 to 429,445” • XPENG had a blockbuster year in 2025. It grew 126% from 190,068 vehicle deliveries in 2024 to 429,445 vehicle deliveries in 2025. Most of its growth was in China, but the company also had huge growth abroad. It sold 45,008 vehicles outside of China, for 96% growth in its sixty markets. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “UK Renewables Hit Record High In 2025” • UK renewables set records in 2025, though electricity generation from gas still rose as coal plants went offline. Nuclear power declined and demand grew, analysis shows. The assessment from climate and energy publication Carbon Brief shows electricity demand rose slightly, after years of declining demand. [Nation.Cymru]
Transporting tower section (ShellAsp, CC BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “How A Traditional Oil Major Is Turning Into An Integrated Clean-Energy Platform” • Galp Energia SGPS SA is in a tough transition. It is trying to turn a century-old fossil-fuel business into a profitable, low-carbon energy platform without blowing up its balance sheet or alienating shareholders. And it is not just pulling off a branding exercise. [AD HOC NEWS]
US:
¶ “Donald Trump Illegally Extends Life of the Coal-Fired Craig Unit 1, Driving Up Electricity Bills and Increasing Pollution” • A recent by Grid Strategies shows that forcing Craig Unit 1 to keep running past the date its owners had agreed on will cost about $85 million per year. Colorado and neighboring states will be forced to pay for that. [CleanTechnica]
Craig units 1 and 2 (Platte River Power Authority image)
¶ “Elon Musk’s Dramatic Miss On 2025 Tesla Cybertruck Sales” • Tesla unveiled the Tesla Cybertruck in November 2019. It took a long time to deliver it, and it has been just two and a quarter years since Elon Musk said he expected a quarter million sales in 2025. That didn’t happen. In fact, it didn’t even come close. It was “insanely lower” than that. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Kansas Solar Farm Growth To Explode Over AI” • Some solar industry leaders say Kansas is on the verge of a major shift as developers increasingly look to the state for utility-scale solar projects, despite Kansas historically lagging behind most states in installed solar capacity. In Plains states, solar is emerging as a complement to wind. [Oklahoma Energy Today]
Smoky Hills Wind Farm (Drenaline, CC BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “Battle Brews As Energy Developer Takes On Trump Admin Over ‘Unlawful’ Stop-Work Order” • Developers behind two of the five offshore wind projects recently targeted by the Trump administration took action in federal court this week, seeking preliminary injunctions that would allow construction to go on while the legal battles play out. [Raw Story]
¶ “Three Mile Island Restart ‘Will Never Happen,’ Former Trump Energy Regulator Says” • “A fully shut-down nuclear plant has never been restarted in America for good reason: There are too many regulatory, material, and logistical hurdles to overcome,” said Neil Chatterjee, who chaired FERC during Trump’s first term, in an opinion piece for The Hill. [ABC27]
Have a generously supportive day.
geoharvey 
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