World:
¶ “Why Boosting Production Of Venezuela’s ‘Very Dense, Very Sloppy’ Oil Could Harm The Environment” • Even a modest increase in Venezuelan oil production could carry climate consequences on the scale of entire countries, experts warn. The US push to revamp and boost Venezuela’s vast oil reserves could worsen decades of ecological damage. [Euronews]
Oil tanker (Alexandr Popadin, Unsplash)
¶ “Psychological Bias On Climate Change Risks Slowing Down Progress” • Researchers at Sweden’s University of Gothenburg analyzed 83 studies involving more than 70,000 people from 17 countries. They found climate-related risks are “systematically underestimated,” even when people take the consequences of the climate crisis seriously. [Euronews]
¶ “BYD Is Launching Product Updates At The Speed Of Cell Phones” • BYD seems ready for another major wave of product updates. It has started to launch major increases in capability and technology multiple times a year. BYD seems to be taking an update approach more like cell phones than what we have been used to with EVs. [CleanTechnica]
BYD Qin L DM-i (BYD image)
¶ “China Says It Has A Deal With The EU On Steps To Resolve Dispute Over EV Imports” • China and the EU said they have agreed on steps toward resolving their dispute over the European bloc’s imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles. The EU had imposed tariffs of up to 35.3% on Chinese EV imports in 2024 following an anti-subsidy investigation. [ABC News]
¶ “50Hertz Installs Ostwind 3 Topside” • 50Hertz installed the 300-MW Ostwind 3 offshore platform in the German Batlic Sea. The platform is to collect power from Iberdrola’s Windanker wind farm and transmit the electricity to the Stilow substation, 50Hertz said. Ostwind 3 is expected to be completed on time and within budget. [reNews]
Topside installation (50Hertz image)
¶ “GB Power Imports Fall As Wind Hits Record” • British power imports fell 12% last year as wind generation reached a record high, according to Montel EnAppSys. Average net imports were 3.33 GW in 2025, around 0.5 GW lower than in 2024. The flows were predominantly in a net import position, but occasionally they flipped to net exports. [reNews]
¶ “Energy Storage Can Lift Solar Revenues By Up To 40% In Spain” • Energy storage is rapidly becoming a critical lever to enhance the profitability of solar PV projects in Spain. Estimates from AleaSoft indicate that integrating battery systems with PVs can increase revenues by up to 40%, so the PVs can have greater market value. [Strategic Energy Europe]
Energy Storage (Sandia National Laboratories, public domain)
¶ “Tailored Support For Renewable Energy Projects In SIDS And LDCs Is Important” • The Solomon Islands’ Minister of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification stressed to the 16th Session of the IRENA Assembly that tailored support for renewable energy projects in Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries is critical. [SIBC]
¶ “Ontario Power Generation Seeks Near-Double Rate Increase For Electricity From Nuclear Plants” • Ontario Power Generation is seeking a near-doubling of payments it receives for electricity produced by its nuclear power plants, a request that could lead to surging power bills. The rate application was submitted to the Ontario Energy Board in December. [News.iAsk.ca]
Pickering nuclear plant (Jason Paris, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped)
¶ “China Issues Guidelines For Industrial Green Microgrids Expansion” • China issued new guidelines for green microgrids in the industrial sector. They say newly built renewable power projects at industrial enterprises and parks must ensure that at least 60% of their electricity is consumed locally or in nearby areas on an annual basis. [Asian Power]
US:
¶ “New York Sues Over Empire And Sunrise shutdowns” • New York is the third state to sue the Trump administration over its blanket shutdown of offshore wind projects under construction. New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a pair of lawsuits challenging the move to halt Equinor’s 810-MW Empire Wind 1 and Orsted’s 924-MW Sunrise Wind. [reNews]
Letitia James (NY AG Office image)
¶ “The Long US Goodbye To New Gas Connections And The Legal Tools States Are Using To Get There” • Gas bans in new buildings have moved from municipal policy to national legal conflict in short order. City ordinances on natural gas hookups used to be treated as a local matter, until the federal government decided to push into the matter. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Ørsted, Skyborn To Restart Revolution Build” • Ørsted and Skyborn will restart construction of the 704-MW Revolution Wind project off the US north-east coast as soon as possible after a judge granted the partners an injunction against a US BOEM stop-work order. Revolution Wind has already installed all of its foundations and 58 of 65 wind turbines. [reNews]
Wind turbine construction (Ørsted image)
¶ “Tiny Canadian Startup Picks Up The Electric Truck, Van, And Bus Ball” • The vehicle electrification movement looked like it was grinding to a halt in the US last year, but signs of a rebirth are already emerging. The latest example is a new electric truck, bus, and van factory in New Mexico by the Canadian startup GreenPower Motor Company. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Federal Policy Makers Can’t Stop The Demand For Solar Power” • Solar is the fastest, most economical way to add power to the nation’s grid. That’s why solar investors still pump money into the US market. The latest example is a newly expanded $80 million line of credit for the Virginia-based solar real estate financing firm SolaREIT. [CleanTechnica]
Have an exquisitely beautiful day.
geoharvey 
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