Opinion:
¶ “Inventions That Capitalism Fails” • Every once in a while, reading articles at CleanTechnica, I feel an urge to overcome my reluctance to put myself into the spotlight by writing about inventions by family members. Here is a set of three inventions that were not served well by capitalism, starting with a modular design that cannot get funding. [CleanTechnica]
Polymodular (George Harvey)
¶ “The Clear Benefits of Phasing Out Nuclear Power” • Forty years ago the Chernobyl disaster sparked a movement against nuclear energy. Now it is clear that without the nuclear phase-out, Germany would be much worse off economically. Today renewables are the cheapest form of electric energy, but nuclear is easily the most expensive. [Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung]
¶ “Electrify Europe Now: Homegrown Electricity Is The Way Out Of Europe’s Energy Crisis” • Europe must move from crisis to confidence, replacing fossil fuel imports with homegrown electricity. Fast. Electrification must become a strategic priority for Europe, not a policy footnote. That’s the only way to protect everyone from fossil price swings. [WindEurope]
Windpower (César Badilla Miranda, Unsplash)
World:
¶ “Five European Countries Will Save 58% On Energy Bills This Year Thanks To Clean Power” • Consumers in five EU countries will save up to €8.5 billion on their energy this year, compared to those with the dirtiest energy mix. They will spend less on oil and gas, as the war on Iran puts a spotlight the true cost of fossil fuel reliance. [Euronews]
¶ “EU To Boost Jet Fuel Imports From The US Amid Shortage Fears” • European transport ministers are exploring options to import jet fuel from alternative supplies such as the US amid potential shortages across the continent. Ongoing disruptions in the Middle East and production cuts in several oil-rich countries have limited the market. [Euronews]
Jet airplane (Kevin Woblick, Unsplash)
¶ “Miner Backed By Gina Rinehart Achieves Remarkable 95.7% Renewable Share For Quarter, Reducing Diesel Costs” • Gina Rinehart, Australia’s richest person and one of its loudest anti-renewable voices, is getting a front seat view of how wind, solar, and battery storage can power mining and industrial operations, and reduce diesel costs. [Renew Economy]
¶ “Important Threshold Crossed, As Renewables Meet World’s Energy Demands And Fossil Power Drops” • Clean energy generation surpassed the global rise in electricity demand in 2025, pushing fossil fuel power into reverse for the first time ever, according to a report. Record growth in solar, especially in China and India, was a driving factor. [Euronews]
North Sea gas well (matt brown, Unsplash)
¶ “ScottishPower And Masdar Install Record Turbine Blades” • ScottishPower and Masdar have installed the first turbine at the East Anglia THREE offshore windfarm featuring 115-meter blades, the largest used in the UK. The site’s 95 turbines stand around 262 metres tall with a rotor diameter of 236 metres and each has a capacity of 14 MW. [reNews]
¶ “UK Has More EV Chargers Than Gas (Petrol) Nozzles” • The UK has far more public EV charger points than gas (petrol) pump nozzles. Many residents may not fully understand this fact, and it may take a while for public perception to catch up to reality. And while the number of filling stations drops, the UK is rolling out new charging sites. [CleanTechnica]
London (Jacob Smith, Unsplash)
US:
¶ “Well Site Explosion Triggers A Large Fire And Evacuations In Texas, But No Injuries” • An explosion at a Texas natural gas or oil well site set off a large fire that was seen for miles and led to some evacuations, but caused no injuries, authorities said. The fire was still burning early Tuesday, but it was not spreading and was being monitored. [ABC News]
¶ “Judge Blocks Clean Water Act Permit for Mountaintop Removal Mine” • A judge in the US District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia ruled in favor of several environmental orgainizations, blocking a US Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to grant a Clean Water Act permit for valley fills at the Turkeyfoot Surface Mine. [CleanTechnica]
Valley fill (Flashdark, public domain)
¶ “Trump To Give Coal Industry More Handouts From US Taxpayers” • Donald Trump has invoked the Defense Production Act to give the coal industry access to potentially hundreds of millions of dollars, even as the industry has been in decline for decades. This is in addition to the hundreds of millions of dollars already put out in other ways. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Judge Blocks Trump’s Efforts to Kneecap Renewables” • A judge on the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled in favor of renewable energy developers, temporarily blocking some relentless and aggressive attacks on the industry. The Trump administration made five separate agency actions challenged in this case. [CleanTechnica]
Block Island Wind Farm (Dennis Schroeder, NREL)
¶ “US Court Strikes Down Trump Permit Freeze” • US District Judge Denise Casper issued a preliminary injunction blocking the enactment of a day one Trump memo directing federal agencies to suspend issuing all new permits, leases, and other authorizations needed to develop and operate wind energy projects, both onshore and offshore. [reNews]
¶ “GM Reaches 100% Renewable Energy Goal In The US” • General Motors reached a milestone in its energy transition, getting enough renewable energy to match all of the electricity used across its US operations. GM is the first US automaker to hit that benchmark. It marks a measurable shift in how the company powers its operations. [GM Authority]
Have a neatly devised day.
geoharvey 