¶ “Europe’s Heat Pumps Replace Middle East Gas Imports Twice Over” • According to an analysis from the European Heat Pump Association, the continent’s heat pumps provide as much heat as the liquified natural gas carried by more than 200 tankers. This is around 7% of the EU’s total annual imported LNG and avoided €9.7 billion in import costs in 2025. [Euronews]
¶ “Russian-Occupied Crimea Suspends Petrol Sales Amid Fuel Crisis” • Ukraine has increasingly attacked Russian oil facilities in recent months, striking refineries, terminals, and depots, as well as fuel trucks bound for Crimea. There have been long lines in Crimea for petrol, but now they will be suspended as a fuel crisis deepens on the peninsula. [Euronews]
¶ “Explosion As Qatar Restarts Gas Export Terminal Hurts 54 And Leaves 18 Missing” • An explosion tore through Qatar’s key natural gas export terminal Sunday night as workers tried to resume operations there after Iran bombed it during the war. The explosion caused a fire that hurt at least 54 people, and another 18 were still missing hours later. [ABC News]
¶ “Southeast Asia Has Five Proposed Submarine Power Cable Projects By 2040” • The technical case for subsea power cables joining Southeast Asia’s power systems has long been established. But an Ember analysis finds that cross-border electricity goals need stronger regional planning, structured cost allocations, and greater coordination. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “The Existential Danger Of Geoengineering” • Four respected climate scientists – Raymond Pierrehumbert, Michael Mann, Julia Slingo, and Valerie Masson-Delmotte – wrote an article for The Guardian explaining a danger lurking in geoengineering schemes. Not only will they be frightfully expensive, they cannot be allowed to lapse. [CleanTechnica]
Test balloon (Make Sunsets image)
¶ “Will The European Union Put Tariffs On Plugin Hybrids From China Now?” • So far, EU tariffs on Chinese vehicles are only on fully electric models, not plug-in hybrids. So as automakers from China set up EV factories in Europe, they are sending more and more plug-in hybrids to the EU to increase sales and market share in the region. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Solar Installs Hit 664 GW Record In 2025” • The world put up a record 664 GW of solar PV capacity in 2025, says SolarPower Europe’s Global Solar Market Outlook 2026-2030, and the global solar fleet surpassed 3 TW in early 2026. SolarPower Europe said growth slowed to 12% in 2025 after recent peaks, signaling a shift in market dynamics. [reNews]
¶ “Whatever Happened To The SMR Revolution?” • After supply chain disruptions, technical difficulties, and other challenges, it is unclear whether Small Modular Reactor development is going as expected. Some companies still invest heavily in the technology, however, hoping it will help drive innovation and expansion in the nuclear power sector. [OilPrice.com]
US:
¶ “Raging Utah Wildfire Prompts Evacuation As Crews Struggle To Contain It” • Mandatory evacuations are underway for the hundreds of people in the small town of Eureka, Utah, as it is threatened by a wind-driven wildfire. The Iron Fire is burning in Juab County, about 28 miles southwest of Provo, and officials said flames are bearing down on the town. [ABC News]
¶ “The EV Battery Call Is Coming From Inside The House” • California startup QuantumScape aims to accelerate its solid-state battery technology into the market, in partnership with the leading automaker Honda, based in Japan. QS has been working on solid-state batteries since 2010, and the partnership indicates that it has had some success. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Nordex Secures 484 MW Of Deals In The US” • The North American unit of Nordex has announced three new orders in the US for a total of 484 MW for three undisclosed projects. One order covers 32 N133-4.8 turbines adding up to a total capacity of approximately 154 MW. The second and third orders comprise 54 N163-5.X units. [reNews]
Turbine in wind farm (Nordex image)
¶ “Boston Metal: Evidence Points To Critical Metals, Not Green Steel” • Boston Metal’s image has shifted in a way that makes the company more credible in the near term, but less sweeping as a green-steel story. The near-term commercial evidence points more strongly now toward selected critical-metals recovery than toward bulk green iron. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Trump Administration Abandons Fight Against Wind Energy As Clean Energy Output Surges” • The Trump administration abandoned its effort to halt wind energy projects in the US and dropped its challenge to the court ruling that tossed President Donald Trump’s order freezing federal permitting and leasing for wind projects. [Daily Kos]
§ The most recent reported status of US nuclear power plants can be found at the US Nuclear Power Report, a distressingly dull account of NRC news, posted when the NRC gives us news to post. On June 22, out of 95 US-licensed power reactors, 5 were at reduced output and 2 not operating.
§ Video: Energy Week #680 – 6/11/2026: High fuel costs are driving up the cost of war. Regenerative farms do much better than conventional ones in drought. Most EU countries are reducing fuel imports, but a few are not. Some World Cup competition venues might have serious heat problems. There is more on the potential use of plutonium in nuclear reactors. A gold mine is running on 100% renewable energy. A bog is a natural military barrier, in addition to being important for dealing with climate change. And there is more.
§ You can get a copy of the latest Green Energy Times, the April, 2026 edition, by downloading the pdf file HERE.
