World:
¶ “Heat Pump Sales Proliferate In Germany As Gas Boiler Sales Drop” • In Germany, heat pumps have become the best-selling heat technology, making up 48% of all new heating systems sold in the country last year. But eight countries are transitioning faster, and in the three countries farthest north, over 50% of all homes have them already. [Euronews]
Norway, leading in heat pumps (Ben Wicks, Unsplash)
¶ “European Commission Plans To Fast-Track Polluting Projects Faces Backlash” • The European Commission is weakening environmental rules to accelerate controversial industrial and energy projects, framing the changes as necessary in response to global energy disruptions, a report by the influential watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory says. [Euronews]
¶ “Chinese EV Drivers Rolling Past Range Anxiety” • News from China is that “range anxiety” is drifting away as EV adoption rises and EV charging infrastructure in the country grows. Full battery EVs are up to 30% of all auto sales in China this year, and plugin vehicles overall are up to 48% of sales. As they learn about EVs, people lose their anziety. [CleanTechnica]
BYD EV charging (BYD image)
¶ “How Solar And Wind Projects Are Accelerating The Energy Transition” • Authorities in Uzbekistan say 5,600 MW of solar and wind capacity have already been added to the national grid through international partnerships. New investments now focus on energy storage, AI infrastructure, and large-scale data centers linked to the energy transition. [Euronews]
¶ “Electric Bus Depots Used To Support UK National Grid” • In the UK, First Bus is using electric bus depots to support the grid. There is an extra bonus from this arrangement: when renewable electricity would have been curtailed, it can be used instead. In Scotland, some windpower that would be curtailed is being used by the electric bus depots. [CleanTechnica]
Electric Bus Depot (Courtesy of First Bus)
¶ “Renewable Energy Central To Industrial Competitiveness For India: Pralhad Joshi” • In India, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi highlighted that renewable energy is becoming a critical determinant of competitiveness in any such key industrial sectors as steel, aluminium, chemicals, automotive and textiles. [pv magazine India]
¶ “Mubadala Invests $325 Million In Hornsea 3” • Abu Dhabi sovereign investor Mubadala Investment will invest $325 million in Ørsted’s 2,900-MW Hornsea 3 wind farm. Mubadala is investing alongside a consortium led by Apollo-managed funds, which includes USS and La Caisse, the investor said. Ørsted is retaining 50% ownership. [reNews]
Monopiles (Ørsted image)
¶ “British Power Prices Are Increasingly Independent From Gas” • Under the ‘marginal pricing’ system, the most expensive power generation required to meet demand sets the wholesale price. Typically, this is gas. However, three-quarters of new wind, solar, and hydropower built between 2023-25 was developed through the CFD scheme at fixed prices. [Ember-climate.org]
¶ “Qualitas Aims To Invest €10 Billion In Energy” • Qualitas Energy plans to invest over €10 billion by 2029 in renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure. The goal is centered on the Qualitas Energy Fund VI, which launched at the end of 2025 with a €3.25 billion target volume. Investment will go primarily to Spain, Germany, the UK, Poland, and Chile. [reNews]
Solar park (Qualitas Energy image)
¶ “Citi Sees India’s Power Demand Rising 5%-6% Annually Amid Energy Buildout” • India’s power sector is set to grow by 5-6% each year in the medium term as investments in both thermal and renewable power generation are projected to surge with growing demand from electrification, manufacturing, data centers, and cooling, according to Citi. [OilPrice.com]
US:
¶ “The Navy Plans To Build Fifteen Trump-Class Battleships Through 2055 At $17 Billion Per Ship” • According to the Navy’s May 2026 shipbuilding blueprint, the service intends to procure fifteen Trump-class battleships through 2055. The Navy has confirmed that the proposed Trump-class battleship will be nuclear-powered. [National Security Journal]
Proposed USS Defiant (US Navy, public domain)
¶ “Inflation Jumps To Highest Level In Three Years” • Inflation rose for a second consecutive month as the US-Israeli war with Iran kept making gasoline prices grow in April, government data showed. The inflation report matched economists’ expectations. Prices rose 3.8% in April compared to a year earlier, an increase from 3.3% in the prior month. [ABC News]
¶ “While Americans Struggle With Gas Prices, Transportation Secretary Duffy Films New Reality TV Show Using Taxpayer Money” • Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is filming a new reality TV show with his family to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary while Americans struggle to keep up with high gas prices and surging inflation. [CleanTechnica]
Sean Duffy (NASA, public domain)
¶ “Groups Express Disappointment With Governor Hobbs Over Her Support Of A Gas Pipeline” • Sierra Club and other groups expressed disappointment after Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs announced her support for the Desert Southwest Pipeline, a methane gas pipeline that will stretch through three states and cost over $5.3 billion dollars. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Balcony Solar Advances In Colorado As New Legislation Removes Barriers” • Colorado Governor Jared Polis has signed legislation removing many of the barriers to so-called balcony solar in his state. Balcony solar panels can be mounted on on the railings of many balconies, patios, and lanais typically found in apartment buildings. [CleanTechnica]
Have an elegantly expressed day.
geoharvey 
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