World:
¶ “Copernicus: 2025 Was The Third-Hottest Year – With Two Main Drivers” • Global warming is increasingly evident. 2025 was the third-hottest year on record, globally and in Europe. And the past three years were the hottest ever recorded globally. Two main drivers for the heat were greenhouse gases and high sea-surface temperatures. [Euronews]
Clouds (Neelakshi Singh, Unsplash)
¶ “Renewables Topple Coal As Australia Clears 54 Green Energy Builds” • Australia’s energy transition advanced rapidly as the Albanese Government approved 54 renewable energy projects in 2025, bringing the total to 123 since 2022. A joint government release said these projects provide enough clean energy to power more than five million households. [Asian Power]
¶ “China’s Trade Surplus Surges 20% To A Record $1.2 Trillion, Even With Trump’s Tariffs” • China’s trade surplus hit a record of almost $1.2 trillion in 2025, the government said, as exports to other countries made up for slowing shipments to the US despite high tariffs. Chinese cars, computer chips, and other products grew across the globe. [ABC News]
Cargo ships in China (Zheng XUE, Unsplash)
¶ “Vestas Hits 200-GW Milestone” • Vestas has reached 200 GW of installed wind turbines globally. The milestone was achieved with the installation of a 7.2-MW unit at Enova’s 65-MW Meppen repowering project in Germany. Vestas said the achievement underlines its leading position within wind energy solutions and the scale at which renewables are grow. [reNews]
¶ “CATL Batteries Stand Out For Minimal Degradation In EVs And Long-Term Energy Storage Systems” • Morgan Stanley did some research on battery degradation in China. It’s not clear what EV models were tested, but one thing was clear: CATL batteries rock. Two models with CATL batteries showed the slowest degradation rates. [CleanTechnica]
CATL Freevoy battery pack (CATL image)
¶ “Solar Accounted For 7.24 Million Jobs In 2024” • Worldwide solar employment in 2024 reached 7.24 million, up from 7.11 million in 2023, an analysis by the International Renewable Energy Agency shows. China is responsible for over 4.2 million, or 58%, of PV jobs worldwide, though the figure is down on the 4.59 million in 2023. [pv magazine International]
¶ “RWE Wins Big In 8.4-GW AR7 Auction” • German developer RWE has secured the lion’s share of capacity in Allocation Round 7, the UK’s key offshore wind auction. RWE has been awarded Contracts for Difference for 6.9-GW of capacity from a total of 8.4-GW that has come through the round. The bids in the round came to £7.4. [reNews]
Offshore wind instalation (RWE image)
¶ “Chubu Electric To Face On-Site Probe Over Data Fraud At Nuclear Plant” • In Japan, the Nuclear Regulation Authority decided that its secretariat will conduct an on-site inspection of Chubu Electric Power over the company’s data fraud regarding earthquake risks at its Hamaoka nuclear power plant, following a whistleblower’s report. [The Japan Times]
US:
¶ “What To Know About The New EPA Rule On Air Pollution” • A new rule by the EPA on how it calculates curbing air pollution msy have harmful health implications for Americans, according to some environmental groups and health experts. The agency said it will no longer apply a dollar value to the health benefits of its regulations. [ABC News]
Polluted air (Photoholgic, Unsplash)
¶ “US Carbon Pollution Rose In 2025. Experts Blame Winter Cold And Data Centers” • In a reversal from previous years, the US released 2.4% more greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels in 2025 than in the year before, Rhodium Group said in a study. A cool winter, more data centers and cryptocurrency mining contributed to the trend. [ABC News]
¶ “Apex Seals $2.8-Billion For 670-MW US Hat-Trick” • Apex Clean Energy has closed financing for three large renewable energy assets in Texas, Ohio, and Illinois. The company said the transactions cover nearly 670-MW of windpower and storage and represent about $2.79 billion in financial commitments supporting construction and operations. [reNews]
Wind turbines (Apex image)
¶ “US EPA Plans To Undercut State Authority To Protect Clean Water From Pipeline And Other Infrastructure Projects” • The Trump administration announced a plan to limit the authority of states and tribes to protect clean water from pollution resulting from pipelines and other major infrastructure projects during the permitting process. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Ørsted Boss ‘Satisfied’ To Get Back To Work At Revolution” • Ørsted CEO Rasmus Errboe is “satisfied” with a court ruling blocking enforcement of President Donald Trump’s shutdown order for the 704-MW Revolution Wind and allowing work to resume on the project. The Ørsted boss said the company had been prepared for the shutdown. [reNews]
Offshore windpower construction (Ørsted image)
¶ “A Sierra Club Lawyer Is To Present Oral Argument To Protect Billions In EV Charging For US Highways” • A judge in the Western District Court of Washington will hear oral argument in State of Washington v US Department of Transportation, a challenge brought by 21 states to the unlawful freeze of the National EV Infrastructure Program. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Lightsource bp And Toyota Enter Into A Power Contract, Bringing New Energy And Economic Development To Texas” • Lightsource bp and Toyota Motor North America finalized a virtual power purchase agreement for energy from the 231-MW Jones City 2 solar farm, part of the Jones City Energy Center, where construction began last spring. [Lightsource bp]
Have a relaxingly pleasant day.
geoharvey 
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