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World:

¶ “China Begins Building World’s Largest Dam, Fuelling Fears In India” • China is building what will be the largest hydropower dam in the world. The project, in Tibetan territory, has India and Bangladesh concerned. It is criticised for its potential to impact millions of Indians and Bangladeshis living downriver, the local Tibetans, and the environment. [BBC]

Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon (mayanming, CC BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “‘It’s A Lifesaver’: Making Solar Power Affordable In South Africa” • Despite recent improvements in South Africa’s power grid, outages persist. For fifteen years, the country has had “load-shedding” blackouts to ease pressure on its ageing infrastructure. The crisis prevents economic growth, destroys job, and threatens lives. Affordable solar power can be a savior. [BBC]

¶ “France’s Increase In Nuclear And Hydropower In 2024 Led To More Electricity Exports” • In 2024, France increased its cross-border electricity deliveries by 48%, from 70 TWh in 2023 to 103 TWh in 2024. The rise in French electricity generation reduced the country’s need for gross electricity imports, which fell by 50% in 2024. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “EV Share In China Is 53%! – June 2025 Sales Report” • June saw the continuation of the growth of the Chinese EV market, with plugins scoring over 1.1 million sales in June, out of 2.1 million in the overall market. The fastest growing technology was battery EVs, up 33% to over 660,000 units. There may be 10 million EVs sold in China this year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Rezolv Secures €331 Million Financing For Vifor” • Rezolv Energy secured financing of up to €331 million to build the 269-MW second phase of its Vifor wind farm in Romania. The Actis-backed company has signed incremental project finance facilities for Phase 2, which will take the project in Buzău County to its full 461-MW capacity. [reNews]

Building a wind turbine base (Rezolv image)

¶ “EV Charging Stations in Manila to Be Made ‘Sustainable and Convenient'” • Charging technology company Evro signed an agreement with Shell Pilipinas for “improved EV charging experiences” in the Philippines. The Evro–Shell collaboration allows users to use Shell’s chargers and those of other networks through a single platform. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Engie Secures €90 Million Loan From EBRD” • The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is supporting the expansion of renewable energy in Romania with a €90 million loan to Engie. The EBRD’s financing will enable Engie Romania to develop renewable energy projects with a combined capacity of at least 250MW by 2028. [reNews]

Solar and wind (Engie image)

¶ “DP Energy To Develop 1.4-GW Oz Wind Farm” • Irish developer DP Energy is planning to build a 1,400-MW wind farm and 500-MW battery system in Queensland. It will have about 197 wind turbines with an installed capacity of up to 1.4 GW and will be supported by battery facilities of around 500 MW and 2,000 MWh. [reNews]

¶ “Negative Price Hours Rise In Europe” • Around 28% of the potential solar power generation in Germany occurred during periods of negative electricity prices from January to May, according to Enervis. The share is expected to continue to rise as battery storage deployment keeps lagging behind renewable energy growth. [pv magazine International]

Solar farm (ダモ リ, Unsplash)

¶ “UK Gives Final Go-Ahead To £38 Billion Nuclear Plant” • The government has given the final go-ahead for a £38 billion ($51.2 billiion) nuclear power plant in Suffolk. The Sizewell C project will be jointly funded by Canadian pension fund La Caisse, UK energy firm Centrica, and Amber Infrastructure. It will deliver enough electricity for six million homes. [MSN]

US:

¶ “NASA To Launch Two New Satellites To Help Forecast Solar Storms” • The northern lights have been captivating stargazers for generations. But the same charged particles from the Sun’s atmosphere responsible for this brilliant celestial display can also damage and destroy electrical and communications systems in large parts of the Earth. [ABC News]

TRACERS spacecraft (Millennium Space Systems
and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center)

¶ “Governor Greg Abbott Calls Special Legislative Session For Flood Emergency Planning” • Governor Greg Abbott has called a special session for the Texas legislature to discuss emergency procedures and early warning systems in the wake of the deadly flooding earlier this month. “We must ensure better preparation in the future,” Abbott said. [ABC News]

¶ “Texas Is Rolling In New Solar Power Plants” • Despite the current downwards spiral in energy policy, large solar power projects keep streaming into Texas, at least for the time being. The flood could turn into a trickle, and that’s up to the voters, but even if ratepayers are asleep at the wheel, leading corporate energy consumers are not. [CleanTechnica]

Solar power in Texas (Courtesy of Primergy)

¶ “Uber, Lucid, And Nuro Join Forces On Robotaxis” • Uber announced it intends to get back into robotaxis in collaboration with Lucid and Nuro. In a press release, Uber said it expects the first robotaxis using Lucid Gravity electric cars equipped with Level 4 self-driving technology from Nuro to begin operating in a major US city in 2026. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US Solar Supply Chain Facing Critical Crossroads” • US solar industry faces an increasingly complex web of tariffs and policy restrictions that are fundamentally reshaping the global supply chains, a report from Wood Mackenzie has warned. China is dominating the market through regional subsidiaries despite diversification efforts. [reNews]

Have a totally copacetic day.

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World:

¶ “Kashmir’s Growing Heat Crisis Hits Health And Harvests” • An intense heatwave has gripped Kashmir, a picturesque Himalayan region dotted with glaciers and known for its cool climate, as the heat wented to record-breaking levels this month. The region saw its highest daytime temperature in 70 years at 37.4C (99.32F), at least 7°C above the seasonal average. [BBC]

Kashmir (milind bedwa, Unsplash)

¶ “Solar Farm Near Canterbury Given Green Light” • Plans to build a 38-MW solar farm with battery storage on the edge of a village in Kent have been approved. Covering 56 hectares (138 acres) of land, the Britton Court Solar project near Tyler Hill will supply renewable energy to up to 15,000 homes, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. [BBC]

¶ “Sizewell’s Exploding Budget Exposes A Nuclear Blindspot” • The recent announcement that the UK’s Sizewell C nuclear plant’s projected cost of construction has gone from £20 billion in 2020 to nearly £38 billion today is shocking but predictable. For anyone following Europe’s nuclear power saga, such an increase is not an anomaly. [CleanTechnica]

Sizewell C, two center reactors (UK Government, OGL 3.0)

¶ “Brookfield Renewable Boosts Colombian Stake With $1 Billion Investment” • Brookfield Renewable has announced plans to invest up to $1 billion to increase its equity stake in Colombian hydroelectric company Isagen to approximately 38%, marking a significant expansion of the firm’s presence in South America’s renewable energy sector. [Energy Connects]

¶ “Why Is Big Oil Curricula Finding Acceptance In Educational Settings?” • A propaganda campaign started in Norway to protect Big Oil business interests under the cloak of STEM education. Equinor expects around a third of school children in Shetland to participate. A member of Scotland’s Parliament called Equinor’s backing for the projects “concerning.” [CleanTechnica]

North Sea oil platform (Stephen, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “ACWA Power Signs New Deals For Hydrogen And Renewable Power Export To Europe” • Saudi developer of green hydrogen plants ACWA Power sealed several agreements and memoranda of understanding with international partners to work on creating a green hydrogen and renewable energy export value chain for Saudi Arabia and Europe. [Offshore Energy]

¶ “India Adds Record 22 GW Renewables Capacity” • According to Rystad Energy, India added 22 GW of renewable capacity in the first half of 2025, but it is still relying too heavily on fossil fuels. The record amount added was a 57% jump from the 14.2 GW installed during the first half of 2024. The new capacity includes 18.4 GW of solar, 3.5 GW of wind. [reNews]

Wind farm (Suzlon image)

¶ “Eskom Plans 32 GW Of Renewable Energy In South Africa By 2040” • South African utility Eskom plans to boost its renewable energy generating capacity to 32 GW by 2040, up from less than 1 GW currently. At the same time, it expects to reduce its coal-based capacity from 39 GW to 18 GW, according to its long-term energy strategy. [energynews]

¶ “Van Oord Orders New Vessels For Offshore Wind Fleet” • Van Oord has ordered two new subsea rock installation vessels in a bid to meet the rising global demand for infrastructure for offshore energy protection. Subsea rock installation is vital for protecting and stabilising offshore energy assets such as cables, pipelines and wind farm foundations. [reNews]

Vessels For Offshore Wind Fleet (Ven Oord image)

¶ “Sri Lanka And ISA Ink Solar Deployment Roadmap ” • Sri Lanka and the International Solar Alliance signed a Country Partnership Framework to fuel solar energy rollout. Kumara Jayakody, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Energy, said the country aims for 70% renewable electricity generation by 2030 and to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. [Asian Power]

US:

¶ “Galileo Galilei And The End Of Science” • Galileo based his work on science, and the Catholic Church opposed him. More recently, the EPA announced it would eliminate its scientific research arm and begin firing hundreds of scientists. The parallel between the EPA and the Catholic Church in the time of Galileo could not be more clear. [CleanTechnica]

Roman Inquisition and Galileo (Public domain)

¶ “Google Follows Its Oklahoma Renewable Energy Agreement With One In Pennsylvania” • Tech giant Google plans to spend at least $3 billion building US data centers and powering them with renewable energy. It reached a deal with Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners for 670 MW of hydroelectric energy from plants in Pennsylvania. [Oklahoma Energy Today]

¶ “‘A Disaster For All Of US’: US Scientists Describe Impact Of Trump Cuts” • Donald Trump’s assault on science, particularly climate science, led to unprecedented funding cuts and layoffs across federally funded agencies and programs, threatening to derail research on the most pressing issues facing Americans and humanity more broadly. [The Guardian]

Have a beautifully cool day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Climate Action: Are Democracies Better Than Autocracies?” • This week, The Guardian ran a piece on climate action and the role of autocratic governments in preventing a fully fledged climate meltdown that could endanger the lives of billions. If there is a takeaway, it is that growth is a more compelling narrative than survival. [CleanTechnica]

Patriotic statue in China (Oscar Schnell, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “‘Great British Energy solar panels’ for schools were made in China” • The first eleven schools in England to install what the government described as “Great British Energy solar panels” bought them from Chinese firms, the BBC learned. The schools involved in the GB Energy scheme bought solar panels from Aiko and Longi, two Chinese companies. [BBC]

¶ “The Rise Of Green Tech Is Feeding Another Environmental Crisis” • As the world transitions to more renewable energy sources, the demand for lithium soars. In 2021, about 95,000 tonnes of lithium were consumed globally. By 2024 the demand had risen to 205,000 tonnes, the International Energy Agency says. There are environmental costs. [BBC]

Atacama salt flats (Danielle Barnes, Unsplash)

¶ “Nearly 70% Of Rajasthan’s Power Capacity Comes From Renewable Energy: Pralhad Joshi” • Almost 70% of Rajasthan’s power capacity is now sourced from renewable energy, with over 35.4 GW installed, according to Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi. It includes 29.5 GW of solar and 5.2 GW of wind. [MenaFN]

¶ “Arctic Birders Combat Impact Of Climate Change And Avian Flu On Delicate Ecosystem” • The population of kittiwakes is down by 80% since the 1990s along Norway’s coast. The small seagull species is under siege from climate change, predation, local fisheries and the bird flu. So the people of Vardø, a town on the remote Vardøya Island, are helping. [ABC News]

Kittiwake (Mmo iwdg, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “Japan Sees Bright Future For Flexible Solar Panels” • Japan is investing heavily in a kind of ultra-thin, flexible solar panel that it hopes will help it meet renewable energy goals and challenge China’s dominance of the sector. A key component of pliable perovskite panels is iodine, something Japan produces more of than any country but Chile. [Digital Journal]

¶ “Grab Prototypes Autonomous Shuttle With Employees In Singapore” • Southeast Asian superapp Grab, in collaboration with Autonomous A2Z, a South Korean autonomous vehicle technology firm, is prototyping an autonomous electric shuttle bus pilot in Singapore. Insiders said the project is for a feasibility study for general transportation. [CleanTechnica]

Grab Autonomous bus and employees (Grab Singapore image)

¶ “Gorbea Solar Power Plant Completed In Under Eight Months” • Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi commissioned the 435-MW Gorbea Solar Project in Rajasthan. The plant was developed by Zelestra India and completed in under eight months. It has a 25-year PPA with the Solar Energy Corporation of India. [Swarajyamag]

¶ “The $200 Million Plan To Rebuild Ukraine’s Energy Sector” • The United Nations Development Program and the Government of Norway created a $200 million drive to transform Ukraine’s war-damaged energy sector and support increasing its renewable energy capacity. The initiative will focus on both current crisis response and long-term development. [OilPrice.com]

Perovo Solar Park (Activ Solar, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “Forest Fire Causes Smoke Near Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant: No Threat Detected” • On July 19, there was smoke in the area of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The smoke came from a forest fire, and there is no threat to nuclear safety, the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine and the International Atomic Energy Agency report. [RBC-Ukraine]

US:

¶ “New 150-MW Solar Power Plant Greenlighted For New Mexico” • The 150-MW Santa Teresa solar power plant is slated for construction in Doña Ana County, in New Mexico. The plant is especially interesting as one more demonstration that the US solar industry can deliver more clean kilowatts, more quickly, than any other energy resource. [CleanTechnica]

DESRI solar plant in New Mexico (DESRI image)

¶ “The News About EVs Was Bright But Now The Future Is So Uncertain ” • The transition to electric mobility contributes to the reduction of pollution, which is also beneficial for public health and helps to reduce fossil energy consumption. Then why does the future for EVs so tenuous? There are barriers brought to you by Project 2025. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “What’s Different About A Net Zero Hotel?” • The hospitality sector plays a large role in greenhouse gas emissions, with yearly energy expenditures of over $1.7 billion and the release of more than 8 million tons of carbon emissions annually. An eight-story, net zero boutique hotel with a three-story parking garage is now underway outside Burlington, Vermont. [CleanTechnica]

Have a thoroughly grand day.

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World:

¶ “EDF Bags Consent For 50-MW Irish Wind Farm” • EDF Renewables Ireland was given the go-ahead to build a 50-MW wind farm on land in County Clare. The Lackareagh wind farm was granted planning permission by An Coimisiún Pleanála, Ireland’s national independent planning body. It is expected to be operational in 2030. [reNews]

Wind farm (EDF image)

¶ “These Four Chinese Automakers Have Higher Gross Profit Margin Than Tesla” • An interesting article from CarNewsChina highlighted how much gross profit margin several Chinese automakers are scoring. The article also highlighted, in the headline, that four of these companies now have higher gross profit margin than Tesla! [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New Cadeler Vessel To Serve Vestas In €210 Million deal” • The latest vessel to join Cadeler’s fleet has landed a €210 million contract with Vestas to support current and future offshore wind projects. Newly-constructed jack-up Wind Keeper is the eighth vessel to join Cadeler’s growing fleet. The three-year contract with Vestas will kick off early in 2026. [reNews]

Wind Keeper (Cadeler image)

¶ “Zelestra Inaugurates 300-MW San Martín Project With Peruvian President Dina Boluarte” • President Dina Boluarte of Peru and the Minister of Energy and Mines, Jorge Luis Montero Cornejo, joined Zelestra to celebrate opening the fully operating 300-MW San Martín Solar Project. San Martin is the largest solar plant in Peru’s history. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “Boom Power Given Nod For UK Solar Farm” • Boom Power has planning permission to build a new solar farm in Yorkshire. Wakefield Council’s planning committee granted consent for the 29.7-MW Woolley Solar Farm. The project will generate enough clean electricity each year to power around 11,700 homes and avoid 7300 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. [reNews]

Woolley Solar Farm (Boom Power artist’s impression)

US:

¶ “EPA Eliminates Research And Development Office, Begins Layoffs” • The Environmental Protection Agency said Friday it is eliminating its research and development arm and reducing agency staff by thousands of employees. The EPA is creating the Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions instead, to save nearly $750 million. [ABC News]

¶ “Support For California High-Speed Rail Is Surging along with the state’s Ability To Finish The Project” • A poll from Politico California and UC Berkeley’s Citrin Center for Public Opinion Research shows 67% of registered California voters support the continued construction of the bullet train project connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco. [CleanTechnica]

Rendering of California High-Speed Rail (Public domain)

¶ “In ‘Big Beautiful’ Bill, Ugly Giveaways to Oil & Gas” • In the runup to the “Big Beautiful” bill, some wondered if Republicans would eliminate all federal subsidies for carbon capture, because Trump thinks climate change is a hoax. But the carbon capture is still subsidized, as long as the CO₂ is pumped underground to force out more oil and gas to burn. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Recurrent Sees Gas Car Tipping Point Soon, Despite New Tariffs” • Recurrent CEO Scott Case posted, “It turns out that when a state approaches 30% new EV sales, that’s the tipping point for the number of gas cars on the road falling. It’s a little counterintuitive that it’s not 50% when that happens.” Old cars retireing are almost all gas-powered. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it (Recurrent image)

¶ “Trade Group Slams New US Renewables Oversight Move” • A US renewable energy trade group has slammed a new move from the administration of Donald Trump to bring all decisions related to wind and solar energy under “elevated review” by the office of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. The review applies to all federal lands. [reNews]

¶ “Maine Scraps Offshore Solicitation” • The state of Maine has moved to delay a planned floating offshore wind solicitation, with regulators citing “recent changes in the energy landscape that have caused significant uncertainty in the offshore wind industry.” The Governor’s Energy Office requested the delay and the Public Utility Commission agreed. [reNews]

Maine lease areas (BOEM image)
Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “NY’s Wind Power Goals ‘Impossible In The Near Term’ Due To Trump, State Says” • New York’s Public Service Commission said the state’s wind power goals are “impossible in the near term,” halting plans to build transmission lines that had been in the works for two years. It cited “significant federal uncertainty” due to the president’s pause on permits. [Gothamist]

¶ “The US Is Testing Portable Micro Nuclear Reactors For Safe Power In Remote Locations” • Nuclear energy is undergoing a shift toward compact, portable systems that bring electricity to places once considered too remote or too vulnerable. The US DOE is advancing this vision by announcing two initial test projects at a new facility in Idaho. [MSN]

Have a mystifyingly mindful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Valves Wide Open: Eyes Wide Shut” • Arnie Gundersen: Natrium is a New Kid on the Nuclear Block and plans its first reactor in Wyoming. Natrium has never designed, constructed, or operated any operating nuclear power plant. Its claim to fame is that it has some financial backing from Bill Gates, the former founder of Microsoft. [Counterpunch]

Wyoming (Brady Stoeltzing, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Unique 1.5 Million Year-Old Ice To Be Melted To Unlock Mystery” • An ice core that may be older than 1.5 million years arrived in the UK where scientists will melt it to unlock vital data about Earth’s climate. Transitions from warm eras to cold glacial eras had been every 41,000 years but it suddenly was 100,000 years. The cores might tell us what caused that. [BBC]

World:

¶ “BYD Launches Its Seventh Ship” • BYD decided at some point in recent years that it would be more economical for it to buy some giant car-carrying ships than to keep paying shipping companies to carry its cars to markets around the world. We covered the launch of BYD’s first ship in December 2023. Now the company has seven. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Zhengzhou

¶ “Zimbabwe Looks To IPPs And Rural Minigrids To Increase Access To Electricity And Plug Electricity Shortages” • Zimbabwe has struggled for a decade to meet its electricity demand. Last year, an average capacity of 1,300 MW was available against a demand of 1,700 MW. Now, the country is looking to improve the grid paradigm. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Electric Ford Bronco Coming! … But Not For You” • Ford has just unveiled a fully electric Bronco and an EREV extended range EV) version of the Bronco. If you haven’t seen exciting news and marketing around that, that may be because these versions of the Bronco are not for Ford’s home market, in the USA. They are for customers in China. [CleanTechnica]

Electric Ford Bronco

¶ “Brazil’s Congress Passes Bill To Overhaul Environmental Regulations” • A bill to overhaul environmental regulations in Brazil was passed by the country’s lower house. It was criticised by the environmental minister, suggesting a possible presidential veto. The bill was passed by the Senate in May, it now goes to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. [ABC News]

¶ “Skyborn And Siemens Gamesa Ink Deals” • Siemens Gamesa signed agreements with Skyborn Renewables to supply turbines for the Gennaker offshore wind farm in Germany. According to the agreements, Siemens Gamesa will supply the 976.5-MW offshore wind project with 63 SG 14-236 turbines and provide long-term maintenance. [reNews]

Siemens Gamesa 14-236 turbine (Siemens Gamesa image)

¶ “Envision Energy, FERA To Develop 1.5 GWh Of Storage In Australia” • Envision Energy, based in China, and Italy’s FERA Australia signed an agreement to collaborate on large-scale hybrid clean energy projects in Australia, delivering up to 1.5 GWh of battery energy storage and possibly 1 GW of wind projects. [pv magazine International]

¶ “Cierco And MPS Partner On Celtic Sea Wind” • Cierco Energy and Marine Power Systems have signed a strategic partnership to advance deep-water floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea. The two companies will collaborate on deploying MPS’s PelaFlex floating platform at one of Cierco’s Llŷr Test and Demonstration projects off the Pembrokeshire coast. [reNews]

Offshore wind farm (Innogy image)

¶ “RES To Operate 500-MW Coalburn Battery” • RES has signed an agreement to manage the Coalburn battery energy storage project in Scotland. RES said the former coal mining site will host one of Europe’s largest battery systems, with capacities of 500-MW and 1-GWh. Coalburn is being developed by CIP along with Alcemi. [reNews]

US:

¶ “New York Halts Offshore Wind Grid Plan” • The New York State Public Service Commission has terminated its offshore wind transmission planning process to protect ratepayers amid stalled federal permitting. The Commission said the decision will position New York for faster offshore wind growth once federal policies improve. [reNews]

Empire Wind, rendering (Empire Wind image)

¶ “Secretary Burgum Must Personally Approve All Renewable Energy Projects On Federal Lands” • The Interior Department issued a directive requiring personal approval from Secretary Doug Burgum for all wind and solar energy projects on federal lands and waters. This policy aligns with a push to reduce federal support for renewable energy. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Vestas Secures 527-MW US Order” • Vestas has secured a 527-MW turbine supply order with an undisclosed customer in the US. The Danish OEM will provide its V150-4.5MW model to the project. Delivery of the hardware is scheduled to commence in the second quarter of 2026. Commissioning is planned for the final quarter of that year. [reNews]

Vestas wind turbine (Vestas image)

¶ “Ohio PUC Sets New Rules For Data Centers” • Data centers are the latest craze. But where will they get power? The Ohio Public Utilities Commission, in a 99 page unanimous decision, said data enter operators had to commit to paying for at least 85% of the upgrades they claim to need for data centers, even if the demand they expect doesn’t materialize. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “GM Is Now Taking Aim At Tesla’s Energy Storage Business, Too” • Tesla’s brand reputation crisis hit its EV sales so hard that the Tesla Cybertruck was reportedly outsold by General Motors’s electric Hummer in Q2. Now GM and Redwood issued a press release that takes a shot across the bow of Tesla’s AI data center Megapack business. [CleanTechnica]

Have a neatly measured day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Transport Decarbonisation Is A Lever For Competitiveness But The EU Budget Fails To Capitalise On It” • Support for critical technologies such as batteries and e-fuels is essential to boosting the EU’s competitiveness, energy security, and strategic autonomy. But the scarcity of funding in the ECF risks sidelining key transport investments. [CleanTechnica]

Passenger jet (Dan Stephens, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “EVs Take 28.4% Share In Germany” • June saw plugin EVs take 28.4% share in Germany, up from the 19.8% of the relatively weak 2024 baseline for plugins. Battery EV volumes were up modestly, while plugin hybrid EVs increased strongly. Overall auto volume was 256,193 units, down some 14% YOY. The best-selling BEV in June was the Volkswagen ID.3. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Tesla Plans Modified Models For China” • Tesla China this week announced two new variations of the only two cars it sells in the country. One is a 3-row, 6-passenger Model Y, slightly larger than the the standard Model Y. The other is a single-motor Model 3 with a listed range of 800 km (497 miles). Perhaps these can lift Tesla’s sales. [CleanTechnica]

Three-row Model Y (Tesla image)

¶ “Iberdrola Launches First German Solar Park” • Iberdrola has commissioned its first solar park in Germany, marking a key expansion of its German onshore renewable energy business. The 80,000-panel Boldekow solar park will supply more than 53 GWh of renewable electricity annually to Vodafone Germany, according to Iberdrola. [reNews]

¶ “SPR Starts EA3 Cable Installation” • ScottishPower Renewables started pulling the first section of export cable ashore at Bawdsey in Suffolk for its £4 billion East Anglia 3 offshore wind farm. It is another milestone for the project. ScottishPower says the cables will carry 1.4 GW of power 147 km (91 miles) from the project’s offshore substation to the landfall point. [reNews]

Pulling the cable (ScottishPower Renewables)

¶ “Eskom Aims To Generate 32 GW Of Renewable Energy By 2040” • Eskom aims to shift to mainly clean energy sources by 2040 from its current predominantly coal-based generation fleet, it said as it laid out its latest plans for the change. Eskom aims to have 32 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2040, compared to less than 1 GW now. [MSN]

¶ “ONP And Semco Forge Floating Wind Partnership” • ONP Management and Semco Maritime signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate in the floating offshore wind sector. The companies said the partnership will focus on engineering and consultancy services to support the development of floating offshore wind projects globally. [reNews]

Substation on a barge (Semco image)

¶ “HSM Offshore Sends Thor Substation To Site” • HSM Offshore Energy has successfully completed and delivered the offshore substation for the 1.1-GW Thor wind farm, Denmark’s largest offshore wind project to date, the company announced. The substation are en route to their installation site, around 22 km off the west coast of Jutland. [reNews]

US:

¶ “Ford Plans To Bring Affordable EVs To Market” • Bloomberg Green hosted a conference in Seattle where a Ford spokesman told the audience the least expensive EV the company offers, the Mustang Mach-E, sells for as little as $37,995. Is Ford trying to pull a fast one by including the (soon to disappear) $7500 federal tax credit? No, it is not. [CleanTechnica]

Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally (Alexander-93, CC BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Waev Launches Fusion: All-New Li-Ion Commercial Carts and Low-Speed Vehicles” • Waev Inc., an EV manufacturer of right-sized, low-speed solutions for local fleet use, announced that it is adding a new line, Fusion, a family of all-new lithium-ion carts and low-speed vehicles designed specifically for commercial customers. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “$43.5 Million Ad Campaign To Boost EV Sales In The US, Hopefully” • In a real-life story torn from the pages of Norway, Veloz, a nonprofit, is embarking on a $43.5 million consumer education campaign aimed to boost EV sales in the US. That’s not a bad idea. After all, consumer education is credited with Norway’s #1 position in EV adoption. [CleanTechnica]

Hyundai EV (Hyundai Motor Group, Unsplash)

¶ “Sol Systems Secures $675 Million Of Revolving Finance For Renewable Energy” • Independent power producer Sol Systems secured a $675 million revolving construction finance facility to support construction of solar and wind projects. The funding will support an initial 500 MW of projects in Illinois, Texas, and Ohio to start operations by the end of 2026. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ “Paradise Solar Project To Bring Clean Energy To Muhlenberg County” • Officials in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, renewable energy leaders, and community members gathered to celebrate the formal announcement of the new Paradise Solar Project. The 62.5-MW solar farm will be built on reclaimed coal mining land near the former Paradise Power Plant. [WBKO]

Paradise Power Plant in 2010 (TVA Web Team, CC-BY 2.0)

¶ “Colorado Awards $1.6 Million In Final Round Of Geothermal Energy Grant Program Funding” • The Colorado Energy Office announced $1.6 million in Geothermal Energy Grant Program funding to support geothermal heating initiatives and studies in Colorado. This is the final expected funding round for this program. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “Google Backs Ten New Nuclear Reactors For AI, Built by AI. What Could Go Wrong?” • President Trump has announced $92 billion in AI-related investments, one of which is ten new nuclear reactors to be built by Westinghouse in partnership with Google. Construction is supposed to begin by 2030. That might be easier said than done. [MSN]

Have a fantastically sensible day.

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World:

¶ “Iraqi Oil Field On Fire After Drone Strike During Attacks In Kurdish Region” • An oil field in Iraq ‘s Dohuk province was set ablaze after being struck by a drone. It is the latest in a series of similar attacks launched recently against oil facilities in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. [ABC News]

Soldier with drones (Scott Stewart, CC-BY 4.0)

¶ “BYD Sold 2.14 Million Vehicles In The First Six Months Of 2025” • In the first half of the year, BYD Group’s cumulative sales reached 2.146 million vehicles, becoming the only Chinese car maker to exceed 2 million vehicles in a half-year period. BYD sold 206,900 pure battery EVs in June alone, for a year-on-year increase of 42.50%. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “VW ID.3 Battery Holds 91% Charge After 160,000 Kilometers” • In Germany, Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club conducts widely respected third party testing of cars. It recently wrapped up four years of endurance testing of the Volkswagen ID.3. After driving 160,000 km, the test car still had 91% of its initial battery storage capacity. [CleanTechnica]

Volkswagen ID.3 (Alexander-93, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Tesla Starts Selling Vehicles In India – Finally” • After years and years of delay, Tesla is finally selling cars in India! Tesla opened a store in Mumbai, and you can now buy a Model Y in India. The bad news is that the starting price for a Model Y is about 55% higher in India than in the US, thanks to India’s high tariffs on imported vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “German Onshore Wind Sector Toasts Bumper Half-Year” • Germany’s onshore wind sector recorded its strongest half-year performance since 2017, according to the German Wind Energy Association. In the first six months of 2025, 409 onshore wind turbines were commissioned with a total capacity of 2.2 GW, up 67% from the first half of 2024. [reNews]

Wind turbines (Trianel image)

¶ “Solar Dominates Wind In Polish Renewables Auctions” • Solar projects dominated wind power in the latest renewable energy auctions in Poland. In total, Poland awarded 1.7 GW of capacity for renewable projects, of which more than 1.6 GW was for solar and only 83 MW for onshore wind installations. Of winning bids, 126 were solar and three were for wind. [reNews]

¶ “Giant Gold Mine Switches Off Gas And Diesel For First Time After Completion Of Largest Off-Grid Hybrid System” • A new 115-MW hybrid power system at a massive gold mine in Western Australia has been testing its hydrocarbons-off functionality recently. It meets the mine’s total energy load and is powered by wind and solar energy. [RenewEconomy]

Renewable energy (Pacific Energy image)

¶ “In Australia, Solar And Batteries Drive Down Power Costs” • It seems extraordinary that Australia had a political tussle over the need for nuclear power plants while the combination of solar and batteries is dropping in price so rapidly. Recent figures from BloombergNEF show that the cost of Chinese solar modules fell below 10¢/watt last year. [Small Caps]

¶ “Sarawak A Renewable Energy Hub, Irrelevant To Talk About Nuclear Energy” • Sarawak does not need to consider nuclear power, as the state is rich in other energy sources, says Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg. He said “Instead we can be a hub for renewable energy.” The state has hydropower and solar power, along with combined cycle gas. [MSN]

Dam in Sarawak (UNIMAS Sarawak, CC-BY-2.5)

US:

¶ “Climate Change Is Amplifying Extreme Rain Events In The Northeast, Research Shows” • The extreme rainfall that fell in the Northeast on Monday will likely occur more often in the future as a result of climate change, research shows. The Northeast had a 60% increase in extreme precipitation recent decades. That is the largest regional increase in the US. [ABC News]

¶ “Brookfield And Google Ink US Hydro Pact” • Brookfield and Google announced a Hydro Framework Agreement to deliver up to 3 GW of carbon-free hydropower in the US. Brookfield said the deal is the first of its kind and the world’s largest framework agreement for hydroelectricity. The first contracts executed are for facilities in Pennsylvania. [reNews]

Brookfield’s Holtwood facility (Brookfield image)

¶ “Most Of The Planned Coal Capacity Retirements Are In The Midwest Or Mid-Atlantic Regions” • Based on what power plant owners and operators reported, the capacity of US coal-fired power plants is to fall from 172 GW in May 2025 to 145 GW by the end of 2028. Of planned coal capacity retirements, 58% are in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Cable-Laying Begins For CVOW Offshore Wind Farm” • The new Prysmian cable-laying vessel Monna Lisa is now installing the first submarine cable for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project. Dominion Energy is developing the project. With a capacity of 2.6-GW, it is the largest offshore wind farm under construction in the US. [reNews]

Mona Lisa cable-laying vessel (Prysmian image)

¶ “Geronimo Power Breaks Ground On The 250-MW Portage Solar Project In Wisconsin” • Geronimo Power, formerly National Grid Renewables, started construction of its 250-MW Portage Solar Project in Portage County, Wisconsin. The project marks a significant step in the state’s expansion of renewable energy capacity. [OilPrice.com]

¶ “Relief From Drought In Southwest US Likely Isn’t Coming, According To New Research” •The Southwest United States is currently facing its worst megadrought of the past 1,200 years. According to a recent study from The University of Texas at Austin, the drought could continue at least until the end of the century, if not longer. [EurekAlert!]

Have an utterly okay day.

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World:

¶ “India Can’t Wish Away Coal. Can It Be Made Cleaner?” • India has always taken a hard position on coal, arguing that it is crucial for its energy security and development. But energy experts and environment campaigners increasingly say it should at least try to decarbonise or curtail emissions from coal-fired power plants, if it can’t be phased out altogether. [BBC]

Coal miner (Amir Arabshahi, Unsplash)

¶ “Farmers Face Crisis As Drought Causes Grass To Fail” • In the UK, dairy farmers face a crisis, spending thousands of pounds to feed cattle grain that should be saved for the winter. This year’s long, dry spring is the warmest and sunniest on record. It has forced many farmers to take unprecedented action. “The grass is completely dried up,” one farmer said. [BBC]

¶ “ClearVue Update” • It is a few months since CleanTechnica reported on the innovative Australian company, ClearVue, so it is time for an update. The project is expanding with a A$20 million collaboration to improve Australia’s future food security with a smart greenhouse. The five-year research program began earlier this month. [CleanTechnica]

ClearVue Greenhouse (From ClearVue media release)

¶ “Kenya’s First Business Financing Program For Electric Motorcycles Kicks Off With Over 600 Units” • Kenya’s electric mobility sector is growing nicely, with several players getting major traction. The Electric Mobility Association of Kenya says there are over 56 players in Kenya’s electric mobility sector. And financing has not been neglected. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “All 100 Foundations In Place For 1.4-GW Sofia” • RWE has reached a major construction milestone at the Sofia offshore wind farm with the installation of the 100th and final steel monopile foundation structure. All foundations are now in place for the 1.4-GW offshore array, which is on Dogger Bank, 195 km off the north-east coast of the UK. [reNews]

Monopile installation (RWE image)

¶ “Europe’s Clean Power Paradox: Record Solar Sends Prices Below Zero” • Europe is drowning in cheap solar power by day but still scrambling for expensive fossil fuels by night, exposing a growing paradox at the heart of its energy transition. A Montel Analytics report shows a surge in negative electricity prices in Europe for the first half of 2025. [Energy Live News]

¶ “Mooreast And GeoProvider Team Up On Floating Wind” • Singapore-listed Mooreast Holdings joined with GeoProvider, based in Norway, to build up its offering to the floating offshore wind market. Mooreast will tap into GeoProvider’s geotechnical and geophysical database to accelerate offshore data analysis and support larger, more complicated projects. [reNews]

Towing a floating turbine (Mooreast Holdings image)

¶ “India’s Renewable Rise: Non-Fossil Sources Now Power Half The Nation’s Grid” • India has achieved a landmark in its energy transition journey by reaching 50% of its installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources. It did this five years ahead of the target set under its Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement. [Global Green News]

¶ “Irish Wind Generation Breaks June Record” • In Ireland, wind generated the greatest amount of electricity on record for the month of June, a report from Wind Energy Ireland shows. The report says 30% of electricity demand met by Irish wind farms in the month, up slightly when compared to June 2024. Irish solar farms also set a record for the month. [reNews]

Wind turbines in Ireland (Nordex image)

¶ “IAEA Warning After Gunfire Near Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant” • International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said agency experts at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant heard “hundreds of rounds of small arms fire” on Saturday evening. Grossi called military activity near a major nuclear plant “unacceptable.” [World Nuclear News]

US:

¶ “Florida City Real Estate Market Crashes After Being Super Hot A Few Years Ago” • Cape Coral had a booming real estate market a few years ago. Now, it is said to be the “worst housing market in America.” Housing prices dropped 11% in two years, and they are still falling. The cause is largely storms worstened by climate change, along with insurance problems. [CleanTechnica]

Florida (Following NYC, Pexels, cropped)

¶ “Trump Administration Won’t Publish Major Climate Change Report On NASA Website” • The Trump administration took another step to make it harder to find major, legally mandated scientific assessments of how climate change is endangering the nation. NASA is required by law to release the report, but it is not available at NASA’s website. [ABC News]

¶ “GM’s Ultium Cells Venture: What If EVs Survive The New Tax Bill After All?” • President Trump spent the first six months of his second term in office trying to make electric cars not happen, but signs of life keep emerging. The Ultium Cells EV battery branch of General Motors just announced plans to bring its low-cost LFP EV battery to market by late 2027. [CleanTechnica]

Cadillac LYRIQ EV (Courtesy of Cadillac)

¶ “A “Zombie” US Offshore Wind Farm Fights For Life” • With President Trump’s pledge to throttle back the US offshore wind industry, it’s a bit surprising to see the 2-GW Maryland Offshore Wind Project working its way through federal permitting. It has hit a snag, but Maryland Governor Wes Moore and developer US Wind both vowed to forge ahead. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Trump’s Policies Have US States Eyeing Offshore Wind Power From Canada And Elsewhere” • Massachusetts is among the American states exploring sourcing electricity from planned offshore wind farms in Atlantic Canada, following the US market-stalling moratorium imposed on the industry by the Trump administration earlier this year. [Mother Jones]

Have a simply majestic day.

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World:

¶ “The Deepening Water Shortage Row Between The US And Mexico” • A 1944 water-sharing agreement says Mexico must send 430 million m³ of water per year from the Rio Grande to the US. And the US has to send nearly 1.85 billion m³ per year from the Colorado River to the cities of Tijuana and Mexicali. But there isn’t enough rain for that. [BBC]

Rio Grande (Glysiak, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Extreme Weather Is The UK’s New Normal, Says Met Office” • The country’s changing weather patterns mean the UK now has a “notably different” climate to what it was just a few decades ago, its State of the UK Climate report says. We now have many more very hot days and many fewer extremely cold nights, according to this latest assessment. [BBC]

¶ “Urban Arrow’s FamilyNext Cargo Bike” • Electric cargo bikes offer great versatility, and the FamilyNext Pro is Urban Arrow’s most advanced e-cargo bike yet. The front box is rated for 275 lbs (125 kg), and the entire bike has a total weight limit of 550 lbs (250 kg). In this article, General Manager Mark Danhof answered some questions about it. [CleanTechnica]

Urban Arrow FamilyNext Pro

¶ “Trio To Invest $8.3 Billion In 15-GW Of Solar And Wind Plants” • ACWA Power, the Water and Electricity Holding Company, and Saudi Aramco Power Company, are to invest over $8 billion to develop 15 GW of renewable energy projects in Saudi Arabia. The projects consist of five new solar PV plants and two large-scale wind farms. [reNews]

¶ “VW’s Electric Hippy Microbus Struggles In America Don’t Signal EV Collapse” • The Wall Street Journal recently described Volkswagen’s electric ID.Buzz as a commercial flop in the US market. In isolation, such headlines contribute to US narratives that the EV transition itself is losing steam. The reality is that the global EV market is thriving. [CleanTechnica]

ID.Buzz (JUICE, Unsplash)

¶ “Asia Drives 15% Jump In Renewable Generation” • Global electricity generation from renewables surged by 15.1% in 2023 from the previous year, with China’s aggressive expansion of wind and solar infrastructure acting as the primary driver. These findings were published by the International Renewable Energy Agency, or IRENA. [Sustainable Times]

¶ “PH Approves Commercial Operations Of 27-MW Dagohoy Solar Plant ” • Philippine authorities have approved the start of commercial operations of the 27-MW Dagohoy Solar Power Plant, the first large solar plant in Bohol province. Commercial operations will start on 16 July, following the Energy Regulatory Commission’s approval on 4 July. [Asian Power]

Bohol Province (Geio Tischler, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Russia Says Ukrainian Drones Attacked Training Centre At Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant” • Ukrainian drones attacked a training centre at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant on Sunday evening, the Russian-installed administration of the Russia-held plant in Ukraine said. Reuters could not verify the Russian report independently. [Yahoo]

US:

¶ “Wildfire Destroys Historic Grand Canyon Lodge, North Rim Closes For The Season” • The Grand Canyon Lodge was one of dozens of structures destroyed in a fast-moving wildfire over the weekend, the National Park Service said. The lodge sat on the park’s North Rim and was the only in-park lodging option in that part of the park. [ABC News]

Grand Canyon Lodge (National Park Service, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “GE Vernova To Pay $10.5 Million Over Turbine Blade Failure” • The town of Nantucket, Massachusetts, reached a settlement with GE Vernova for losses resulting from a turbine blade failure on the Vineyard Wind 1 project. GE Vernova is to pay $10.5 million compensation to Nantucket over the incident, which happened on 13 July 2024. [reNews]

¶ “Massachusetts Offers New Solar Incentives As Federal Tax Credits Face The Chopping Block: ‘We’re evolving'” • According to EnergySage, while the Big Beautiful Bill will end the solar tax credits early, Massachusetts’ revamped Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target program is providing residents with an incentive to install solar. [The Cool Down]

Solar farm (Carl Beech, Unsplash)

¶ “North Jersey Homes Can Now Get Solar Power Without Adding Panels” • North Jersey residents who want to lower their electricity bills by investing in solar power, now have a chance thanks to a new state program without putting panels on their homes. The New Jersey Community Solar Energy Program is making the savings possible. [Bergen Record]

¶ “Texans Could See Higher Energy Costs As The ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Slows Clean Energy Growth, Report Says” • Less renewable energy will be built in Texas as a result of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” signed into law by President Trump. The result could raise annual energy costs for everyday residents in the coming years by hundreds of dollars. [Houston Chronicle]

Have a naturally colorful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Ahead Of Deadly Texas Floods, So Many Warnings From Climate Scientists Were Missed” • In March of this year, climate scientists began ringing the alarm bells for a horrific period of weather starting in spring because the Arctic had the largest melt of ice ever recorded. That prediction is reflected in the deadly floods we have seen this year. [Yahoo News]

Arctic ice (Hector John Periquin, Unsplash)

¶ “Why Small Modular Reactors Won’t Save Nuclear Power” • Arnie Gundersen: “Everywhere you look, the nuclear industry’s hype machine is in overdrive. I once believed in the dream. I helped build the dream. And now, watching this third act unfold, I can only shake my head at the déjà vu.” SMRs are an expensive distraction from climate solutions. [The Energy Mix]

World:

¶ “Med Sea Heatwave Might Feel Nice For Holiday Swimming But There’s A Catch” • Mediterranean Sea surface regularly passed 30°C (86°F) off the coast of Majorca and elsewhere in late June and early July, when 24°C (75°F) would have been usual. It has been the most extreme marine heatwave ever recorded in the western Med at the time of year. [BBC]

Mediterranean beach (Nick Karvounis, Unsplash)

¶ “Community Turbine Group Welcomes Wind Energy Push” • The government’s push for more wind energy is welcome to a group that operates a community wind turbine where residents pay lower prices for electricity. The wind turbine, at a town in Dorset, supplies electricity to about fifty households at prices about 20% lower than the standard rate. [BBC]

¶ “O, Canada! Who Stands On Guard For Thee?” • The president of the US has decided unilaterally to impose punishing new tariffs on Canada. To avoid the harm those tariffs will do to the Canadian economy, the US’ neighbor to the north is being told it must dismantle its policy that calls for all passenger cars sold in Canada to be electric by 2035. [CleanTechnica]

Canada (Natural Resources Canada image)

¶ “BYD Sales Growth Leaves Tesla In The Dust” • BYD sales keep on rising strongly year over year, while Tesla sales continue to stagnate at best and droop significantly at worst. Whereas the race between these EV leaders was tight for years, and Tesla led for years, the Chinese EV producer now looks like it’s leaving Tesla in the dust. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Electric Cars Are 73% Cleaner, ICCT Study Shows” • The latest report from the International Council On Clean Transport finds “battery electric cars sold today in Europe emit nearly nearly 4 times less greenhouse gases over their lifetime than gasoline cars.” The study’s authors went to great pains to dispel myths and misinformation about electric cars. [CleanTechnica]

Volvo EV (Benjamin Brunner, Unsplash)

¶ “Iran Opens First Phase Of Its Largest Solar Power Plant In Isfahan” • Iran opened the first phase of its largest solar power plant as part of a government program to expand renewable energy capacity. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian used a video link to inaugurate a 120-MW unit of the Aftab Shargh solar farm in Isfahan province. [AnewZ]

¶ “Historic Day For Solar: UK And France Hit New Highs In Renewable Energy Production” • The UK set a record for solar power production. At 12:30 on Tuesday, solar output reached 14 GW, meeting 39% of UK demand. Interestingly, France saw solar output climb past 19.5 GW, providing nearly 40% of the French electricity demand. [Sustainable Times]

Solar farm (Sungrow EMEA, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Last Chance To Get A Really Good Deal On A Very Capable Electric Vehicle” • Two factors combine to make this the time to make the jump to an EV: First, Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” will end federal rebates on electric cars on September 30. And also, Elon Musk’s toxic politics caused a lot of left leaning EV owners to dump their Teslas. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “What’s Up With Wyoming’s Crazy Looking Wind Turbine?” • Airloom Energy, a Wyoming-based startup, is developing a new type of wind turbine. “Modeling shows the [turbine] will produce power for 2.8¢/kWh at a 7 m/sec site.” A utility-scale test of the wind turbine aims at bringing low-cost electricity to people and places across the US. [CleanTechnica]

Radically different wind turbine (Airloom Energy image)

¶ “AP Fact Check: Trump Misstates Key Facts On Wind Power” • President Donald Trump expressed disdain for wind power at a meeting with his Cabinet, calling it an expensive form of energy that “smart” countries don’t use. His comments contained false and misleading information about the use of wind power in the US and around the world. [The Energy Mix]

¶ “Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Creates Economic Obstacle For Renewable Energy In Wyoming, Observers Say” • As it promotes coal, oil, and natural gas via tax breaks, the bill includes several punishing policies for wind and solar. The result will be higher electric bills and unfulfilled job growth in a stunted electrical power sector, observers say. [Wyoming Tribune Eagle]

Have a particularly delightful day.

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World:

¶ “400 Offshore Wind Turbines Survived Typhoon Danas In Taiwan” • Taiwan and Japan collaborated on a strict new standard for offshore wind turbines in the Taiwan Strait back in 2017, and all that hard work is paying off. Typhoon Danas barged through the region earlier this week, leaving all 400 wind turbines were untouched and ready for operation. [CleanTechnica]

Wind farm sites (Taiwan National Meteorological Center)
Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “Seven Rail Megaprojects Get More EU Funds Than 84 Other Key Upgrades” • A T&E report found that just seven projects got 31% of the EU’s main funding envelope for transportation, the Connecting Europe Facility, between 2021 and 2023. Meanwhile, 84 urgently needed key upgrades received only 27% of these funds. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “How Solar Power Is Helping In Ukraine” • In addition to dealing with climage change and pollution, there’s another use for clean renewable electricity: humanitarian aid. Portable solar power systems can be used in conflict zones for civilians who have no access to electricity or not enough so they can meet their basic daily needs. [CleanTechnica]

Solar power (Image from Hope for Ukraine)

¶ “An Indigenous Australian Community Is Fighting To Protect Sacred Springs From A Coal Mine” • A small ceremonial fire has been burning for over 1,300 days in Wangan and Jagalingou Country in central Queensland. It is at the heart of a standoff between a part of the local Indigenous community and the Carmichael coal mine. [BBC]

¶ “Ørsted Wraps Up Jacket Installation At Changhua 2b&4″ • Ørsted finished installing all 66 suction bucket jacket foundations at its 920-MW Greater Changhua 2b and 4 offshore wind farms in Taiwan. The final structure was installed this week, completing the program ahead of schedule. Heerema Marine Contractors was also on the job. [reNews]

Installation (Heerema Marine Contractors image)

¶ “Australian Solar Farms To Lose Power Due To Bottlenecks On The Grid” • By 2027, almost all large solar farms in southeastern Australia will be forced to curtail at least one-third of the power they generate due to critical delays in energy infrastructure projects, according to new analysis from the Australian Energy Market Operator. [Channel News Australia]

¶ “EGEC Report Forecasts Resurgence In Deployment Of Geothermal Energy Solutions Across Europe” • The European Geothermal Energy Council released its Geothermal Market Report, which expects to see a significant upturn in business activity linked to geothermal energy projects in Europe, starting in 2025. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Geothermal power plant (Gretar Ívarsson, public domain)

¶ “Lepreau Nuclear Plant Outage To Cost At Least $140 Million” • A 140-day planned shutdown starting this month at the Point Lepreau nuclear generating station will cost at least $140 million, according to New Brunswick Power. CEO Lori Clark said the cost of replacement power during the outage, scheduled for July 14 to December 1, is about $1 million per day. [Yahoo]

US:

¶ “Refinery Closures Present Risk For Higher Gasoline Prices on the  West Coast” • California is set to lose 17% of its oil refinery capacity over the next 12 months, as Phillips 66 and Valero plan to close down one refinery each. If realized, the closure of the facilities is likely to contribute to increases in fuel price volatility on the West Coast. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “Climate Change Made Texas Floods 20% To 30% More Severe” • The devastating floods that swept through Central Texas in early July 2025 are a human tragedy, with over 120 dead and more than that still missing. This catastrophe, unfortunately, also has a clear and scientifically measurable fingerprint from climate change. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Came For The Coal, Stayed For The Rare Earths: New Mine Breaks Ground In Wyoming” • The first US rare earth mine in decades is breaking ground in Wyoming. Ramaco Resources was considering reopening a closed coal mine, when they realized it was sitting on the edge of a deposit of rare earth minerals needed for permanent magnets. [Wyoming Public Media]

Coal mine in Wyoming (Mr Satterly, public domain)

¶ “FEMA Maps Underestimated Risk In Catastrophic Texas Flood” • First Street, a risk modeling company, believes that more than double the 8 million homes nationwide that are designated by FEMA to be in flood zones are actually at risk. It found that government models are outdated and fail to consider extreme weather events. [ABC News]

¶ “Texas Renewable Energy Grid Defies Trump’s Claims” • The Texas renewable energy grid shows resilience and low costs, challenging Trump’s claims that the rapid adoption of solar and wind power leads to instability and high electricity costs. Texas’ main grid operator, ERCOT, reported significant improvements in both reliability and costs. [Yahoo Finance]

Have a wonderfully pleasant day.

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World:

¶ “Sites Chosen For New State-Backed Welsh Windfarms” • Wales’ new publicly owned renewable energy developer has announced where it plans to build its first wind farm projects, promising hundreds of jobs. Three sites have been selected. They are in Carmarthenshire, Rhondda Cynon Taf and the Conwy-Denbighshire border. [BBC]

Castle in Carmarthenshire (Michael Hamments, Unsplash)

¶ “Experts Warn Of Heatwave Stress On Wildlife” • An expert environmentist has warned that the third predicted heatwave across England will add stress to animals, plans and inspects. Temperatures are set to reach highs of 34°C (93°F) on Friday and possibly Saturday with the sweltering temperatures continuing into early next week. [BBC]

¶ “The New Volvo ES90: A Big Electric Car With A Small Carbon Footprint” • Production on Volvo’s fully electric ES90 will start this summer, produced with climate-neutral energy. This can be seen in the Life Cycle Assessment report for the ES90, which describes which materials and processes contribute to the car’s life cycle carbon footprint. [CleanTechnica]

Volvo ES90 charging

¶ “Australian EV Penetration Hits 15% In June” • Good news: in June 2025, one in six vehicles sold in Australia had a plug. Tesla has bounced back, and the BYD Shark plugin hybrid continues to take a bite out of the ute market. Some 13,169 battery EVs were sold in Australia in June (10% of market), along with  6,200 plugin hybrid EVs (5% of market). [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Volkswagen EV Sales Surge 47% In 2025” • Volkswagen came out with its latest sales report, which shows its EV sales were up 47% in the first half of 2025. Best of all, while Volkswagen sales are down over 30% in China, they increased by 90% in Europe, which helped the company stay even in total global sales in the first half of this year. [CleanTechnica]

Electric Porsche and Macan

¶ “Crown Estate Funds Welsh Offshore Wind Scheme” • The Crown Estate will fund a new regional supply chain program to support small and medium-sized businesses in the Southwest of Wales entering the floating offshore wind sector. The 18-month initiative will be delivered by ORE Catapult’s Fit For Offshore Renewables program. [reNews]

¶ “EBRD Unveils €1.5 Billion Ukraine Renewables Plan” • The EBRD and its partners launched a mechanism to unlock €1.5 billion in renewable energy investments in Ukraine, aiming to support 1 GW of new capacity and rebuild generating capacity damaged by war. The European Commission, IFC, and the World Bank are among those in support. [reNews]

Sunflowers and wind turbines (EBRD image)

¶ “Ørsted Has Financial Close On 632-MW Changhua 2 Offshore Wind Farm” • Ørsted has reached financial close on a financing deal for its 632-MW Greater Changhua 2 offshore wind farm in Taiwan. The NT$90 billion (€2.7 billion) package was arranged with 25 banks and five export credit agencies, and marks a key strategic step for Ørsted. [reNews]

¶ “EBRD Supports The First Renewable Energy Auction In Montenegro” • With support from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Montenegro’s Ministry of Energy and Mining has launched the country’s first renewable energy auction. The incentive scheme covers 250 MW of solar power generating capacity. [EBRD]

Montenegro (George Kedenburg III, Unsplash)

¶ “Adani Green Energy Ltd Achieves 15.8 GW Of Operational Renewable Energy Capacity” • Adani Green Energy Ltd has released its operational update for the first quarter of fiscal year 2025-26 (April–June). The developer’s cumulative operational renewable energy capacity rose by 45% year-on-year to 15.8 GW as of June 30, 2025. [pv magazine India]

US:

¶ “Geothermal And Borehole Thermal Energy Storage Can Reliably Heat Buildings In Extreme Cold, NREL Modeling Results Show” • Energy storage research from NREL, a US DOE national laboratory, has demonstrated a way to store and reuse heat underground to meet the heating demands of cold regions like Alaska. [CleanTechnica]

Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska (Molly Rettig, NREL)

¶ “California Pivots: Cutting CEQA Red Tape To Boost Housing And Climate Goals” • In rare good news from the US, California’s just passed reform of the California Environmental Quality Act has opened the door for a wave of infill housing development, marking a significant shift in the state’s longstanding approach to urban growth. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Airports Could Bolster Grid Security And Adaptability” • With fleets of rental vehicles and ground support equipment, demand for electricity at US airports might quintuple within 20 years. NREL researchers are analyzing energy options for a 30-year decision-making prospect. They find on-site energy generation and storage works well in many cases. [CleanTechnica]

Tweed New Haven Airport  (TNHA image)

¶ “After Texas Flood, Elected Leaders Say Cuts To FEMA, NOAA Could Affect Weather Response” • In the wake of the flooding in Texas, some governors and mayors are raising doubts over how cuts to agencies that make up the federal government’s response to major weather events will impact how well the government can respond. [ABC News]

¶ “Battle Brewing Over Hochul’s Push To Build Upstate Nuclear Power Plant” • Upstate New York lawmakers are taking interest in a directive from the governor to build a nuclear power plant, driving a brewing battle between state leaders and those who believe a nuclear facility is the wrong approach to reducing the state’s reliance on fossil fuels. [Spectrum News]

Have a productively helpful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Will Have Americans Paying Higher Prices For Dirtier Energy” • When Republicans decided to cut some Biden-era energy subsidies to help fund their One Big Beautiful Bill Act, they could have cut wasteful subsidies and spared the rest. They did the reverse. So Americans will pay the price with higher costs for dirtier energy. [The Conversation]

Pumpjack (Jeff W, Unsplash)

¶ “How Livestreaming 100 Hours Of Weather And Climate Moved Thousands To Action” • Danger Season is well underway, yet the Trump administration continues to hack away at federal agencies that help us predict and survive fires, heat waves, and storms made more extreme by climate change. The Union of Concerned Scientists is fighting that. [The Equation]

World:

¶ “Maximising Climate Bank – EIB Operations In Sustainable Transport” • Back in 2021, the European Investment Bank committed to become the EU’s Climate Bank by adopting the Climate Bank Roadmap. T&E has assessed 254 EIB operations in the EU across eight strategic transport sectors from 2021 up to February 2025, worth €61 billion. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla Giga Train (NEB image)

¶ “The EIB Lent €7 Billion To Dirty Transport Projects” • The European Investment Bank lent more than €7 billion for new roads, airport expansions, and other transport projects that will increase CO₂ emissions, analysis shows. EIB had adopted climate goals in 2021, and green group T&E examined EIB’s transport loan book for 2021–2024. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Masdar And Iberdrola Close Deal For £5.2 Billion East Anglia 3 Financing” • Masdar and Iberdrola closed a joint investment deal for the 1,400-MW East Anglia 3 offshore wind farm in the UK, in what the companies called the largest offshore wind transaction of the decade. The agreement is just part of a wider €15 billion strategic alliance. [reNews]

Wind turbines (SPR image)

¶ “Electrifying Kenya’s Transportation Sector – EMAK Proposes Policy Measures to Promote Electric Mobility” • The Electric Mobility Association of Kenya released a white paper presenting a policy and fiscal roadmap for accelerating the adoption of EVs, positioning the country as a regional leader in clean, sustainable transportation. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Nordex books 2.3 GW Of Q2 Turbine Orders” • Nordex Group recorded 2,300 MW of wind turbine orders in the second quarter of 2025, up 82% year-on-year from 1,270 MW in Q2 2024. The company said it booked 350 turbines in nine countries during the quarter, with Germany, Turkey and Latvia among the strongest markets. [reNews]

Wind turbines (Nordex image)

¶ “NextEnergy Powers Up 130-MW UK Solar Double” • Two new solar farms in Nottinghamshire were energized by NextEnergy Capital, which thereby added 130 MW to its UK portfolio and brought the total operational capacity for its NextPower UK ESG fund to 318 MW. The Inkersall and Crifton projects are rated at 70 MW and 60 MW respectively. [reNews]

¶ “Solar Beats Nuclear In June, Becoming EU’s Biggest Electricity Source For First Time” • Solar generated the most electricity in the EU for the first time last month, with several countries setting records with it, Ember found. Solar power generated 22.1% of EU electricity, nuclear was second at 21.8%, followed by wind, with 15.8%. [Balkan Green Energy News]

Solar array (Andreas Gücklhorn, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Ukraine Building 700 MW Of Wind Power With 200 MW Of Battery Storage” • Ukraine is currently constructing over 700 MW of new wind power capacity, along with more than 200 MW of battery energy storage systems, according to the Chairman of the Board of the Ukrainian Wind Energy Association, Andriy Konechenkov. [Interfax-Ukraine]

US:

¶ “If They Can Put Solar Here, They Can Put It Anywhere” • A bustling, sprawling, 320-acre shipping hub is probably the last place one would expect to see a new, 7.2-MW solar power plant, but there it is. At the Port Newark Container Terminal in New Jersey, solar panels have been shoehorned into a tightly packed, high-traffic shipping facility. [CleanTechnica]

Port Newark Container Terminal (Standard Solar image)

¶ “NREL And CubicPV Join To Push Perovskite Minimodule Performance To New Heights” • A collaborative effort by NREL and CubicPV has yielded a perovskite minimodule that belongs in the record books. The 24.0% certified efficiency marks the first time a US effort has set a record in the perovskite minimodule category. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Invenergy Completes 250-MW Solar Project In Indiana” • Invenergy has brought the 250-MW Fairbanks Solar Energy Center in Sullivan County, Indiana into commercial operation. The company developed and built the facility, which has now been acquired by Northern Indiana Public Service Company. The project can power over 50,000 homes. [reNews]

Solar array (Invenergy image)

¶ “Texas Flooding Live Updates: State Death Toll Jumps To 120” • At least 120 people are dead from the devastating flooding in the Texas Hill Country. Kerr County was hit the hardest, with at least 95 deaths, including 36 children. President Trump  has signed a disaster declaration for Kerr County and FEMA is on the ground there. At least 176 are missing. [ABC News]

¶ “Trump’s Crackdown On Renewable Energy Has Just Begun” • President Donald Trump issued an executive order this week to order his administration to crack down on remaining loopholes allowing access to renewable energy tax breaks. Congress had voted last week to crushingly roll back the subsidies, gutting the Inflation Reduction Act. [The Detroit News]

Have a very comfortable day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Who Pays The Price For Nuclear’s Clean Energy Promise?” • “Nuclear is not clean,” said Kevin Kamps, a radioactive waste specialist for Beyond Nuclear, a nonprofit that advocates for energy alternatives like wind and solar. “It’s been called clean. It’s been called safe. It’s been called cost-effective, none of which are true… These are all Orwellian lies.” [Atmos.earth]

Nuclear plant (NicolasHippert, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “EVs Take 65.3% Share In Sweden – Tesla Model Y Leads” • June saw plugin EVs take 65.3% share in Sweden, up from 56.5% year-on-year. Both battery EVs and plugin hybrid EVs grew volume, whilst all other powertrains declined. Overall auto volume was 27,565 units, up 10% YOY. The Tesla Model Y was the best-selling BEV in June. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The Thor Offshore Substation Is Ready For Sail-Away” • The offshore substation for the 1-GW Thor wind project in Denmark is ready for sail-away. Both the topside and jacket were loaded out for the substation at HSM Offshore’s Schiedam yard in the Netherlands. The substation is a key part of the Thor offshore wind farm, developed by RWE. [reNews]

Thor offshore substation (HSM Offshore image)

¶ “NLC India To Infuse ₹1,631 Crore Into Renewable Energy Arm” • NLC India Ltd, a state-owned coal mining and power generation company, approved an investment of ₹1,630.89 crore ($190 million) in its subsidiary, NLC India Renewables Ltd, through equity infusion. The funds are to be used for upcoming green energy projects. [pv magazine India]

¶ “Haesong Project Secures Grid Interconnection Deal” • The Haesong Offshore Wind project signed a grid interconnection agreement with Korea Electric Power Corporation. The 1-GW project is off the coast of Shinan. It is under development by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, in collaboration with Copenhagen Offshore Partners. [reNews]

Offshore windfarm (CIP image)

¶ “How Solar Power Helped European Grids Pass ‘The Stress Test’ During The Recent Heatwave” • Europe’s latest heatwave dialled up daily power demand by up to 14%, as Europeans turned up their air conditioning to stay cool. But the sunshine also increased the availability of solar energy, helping Europe’s power grids pass “the stress test” of extreme heat. [MSN]

¶ “Turbine Deal To Boost Ukrainian Energy Resilience” • Dutch company IX Decom, part of IX Renewables, signed an agency agreement with MCL Group to bring pre-owned wind turbines to Ukraine to boost the resilience of its energy system. IX Decom is a specialist in the decommissioning and trade of pre-owned wind turbines. [reNews]

Turbine blades (IX Renewables image)

China:

¶ “Poisoned Water And Scarred Hills” • More than all other countries, China has leapt ahead in mining and refining rare earth minerals. Its dominance in the field gives Beijing huge leverage, both economically, and politically. This can be seen when it negotiates with US President Donald Trump over tariffs. But China has paid a steep price. [BBC]

¶ “China Boasts World’s Largest, Fastest-Growing Renewable Energy System” • By the end of May, China’s installed renewable energy capacity reached 2,090 GW, more than double the figure in 2020, said Zhou Haibing, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission. He also said China had over 31.4 million new energy vehicles. [Xinhua]

Wind turbines in Changling ( 大漠1208, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “China’s Emissions May Be Falling – Here’s What You Should Know” • China is responsible for some 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions, but it saw them decline in the twelve months up to May 2025. This is the first time GHG emissions have fallen even as demand for power across the Chinese economy grew rapidly. There are things worth knowing about this. [BBC]

US:

¶ “West Virginia To Host A 335-MW Coal-Killing Wind Farm” • Mountaintop removal coal mining is blowing up mountaintops to reach coal seams, and filling streams and valleys with the rubble. It has happened to hundreds of mountains, and part of West Virginia’s past. Now the President is complaining about a wind farm ruining natural beauty. [CleanTechnica]

Mountain top removal mining (US EPA image)

¶ “Floods In Texas – It’s The Climate, Stupid!” • The facts are not in dispute. According to a report by Le Monde, the Guadalupe River rose by 8 meters (26 feet) in 45 minutes. This was the result of 300 mm (12 inches) per hour of rainfall. That meant that about a third of the average annual precipitation for the region was falling each hour. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Funding Cuts, Then Loss Of Life In Texas” • CBS published an article, dated May 5, titled, “Former National Weather Service leaders warn about ‘loss of life’ resulting from NOAA cuts. All former heads of NWS signed to make the warning. Despite the warning, funding and staff were cut and people died. Climate change will bring more deaths. [Green Energy Times]

July 4 flood in Texas (USCG photo, public domain)

¶ “Time Running Out For The Solar And Wind Tax Credits For Nebraska” • If you want to take advantage of tax credits for switching to renewable energy like solar or wind, the time to act is now. The window is closing to cash in on renewable energy tax credits. “Construction has to start within two years. That is how it was grandfathered,” said US Rep Don Bacon. [WOWT]

¶ “Grid Operators Plan Billions For Transmission To Meet Load And Connect Renewables” • Transmission investments worth tens of billions of dollars are planned by US grid operators SPP, ERCOT, CAISO, and MISO, according to speakers on a regional transmission panel at the Transmission and Interconnection Summit. [pv magazine USA]

Have an acceptably perfect day.

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World:

¶ “WMO Weather Forecast For 2050 Comes True 25 Years Early” • In 2015, the World Meteorological Organization created a fictional weather forecast for Europe in August of 2025, just to get people to sit up and notice. Sadly, that mythical forecast for 2050 has come true, now, 25 years early! The future is already here. “The situation is urgent.” [CleanTechnica]

Fictional weather forecast (WMO via YouTube)

¶ “EU Car Production Can Return To Post-Crisis Peak” • Europe’s car industry could return to producing 16.8 million cars a year if the EU maintains its 2035 clean cars target and strengthens other policies, a study shows. Job displacement in vehicle manufacture could be offset by the creation of more than 100,000 new jobs in battery-making by 2030. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Biochar And Rock Dust: Unlocking The Future Of Climate-Smart Agriculture” • As the world seeks urgent solutions to decarbonize food systems, two nature-based technologies are gaining traction: Biochar Carbon Removal  and Enhanced Rock Weathering. Together, they could sequester carbon at scale and boost yields. [CleanTechnica]

Wheat field (Nick Berger, Unsplash)

¶ “Sinopec Launches New Floating Solar Project, With Green Hydrogen In Play” • Last December China’s state-owned oil company, Sinopec, recapped the results of a modestly scaled floating solar pilot project, aimed at producing green hydrogen from seawater. Sinopec has already enlarged the array and is considering a scale-up to 23 MW. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “NESO Opens Window For New Grid Connections” • NESO opened a three-week evidence window for projects with UK grid connection agreements. NESO, the UK National Energy System Operator, will scrap a first-come, first-served system that allowed unviable projects to block ready-to-build wind, solar, and storage schemes. The connections queue is 738 GW. [reNews]

Substation installation (SSE Renewables image)

¶ “UK Sees 22% Increase In Domestic Solar Installations In First Six Months Of 2025” • Over 99,500 domestic solar installations took place in the first six months of 2025 in the UK, an increase of 22% from the same period of 2024. The analysis also shows an 18% increase in wider domestic renewable energy uptake for the six months vs 2024. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “Deugro’s New Cargo Vessel Begins Operations” • Deugro’s newly launched Rotra Futura vessel commenced operations with the transportation of wind turbine blades from Denmark to the US. The project supply vessel collected the 108-meter blades at the Port of Aalborg, Denmark, under the supervision of Deugro Denmark’s wind experts. [reNews]

Rotra Futura in the Port of Aalborg (Deugro image)

¶ “”Underwater Turbine Spinning For 6 Years Off Scotland’s Coast Is A Breakthrough For Tidal Energy • Submerged in about 40 meters (131 feet) of water off Scotland’s coast, a turbine has been spinning for more than six years to harness the power of ocean tides for electricity. The durability mark demonstrates the technology’s commercial viability. [ABC News]

¶ “ABO Energy Bags Permit For 165-MW Wind Farm” • ABO Energy was given the go-ahead to build a 165-MW wind farm in Alberta. The Alberta Utilities Commission granted the permit and licence for the Fox Meadows wind project. It will consist of up to 165 MW of windpower capacity and a 70-MW, 219-MWh battery energy storage facility. [reNews]

Wind farm (ABO Enegy image)

¶ “French Regulator Approves Extending Lifespan Of 20 Nuclear Reactors To 50 Years” • ASN, the French nuclear safety authority, authorised France’s state-owned power group EDF to upgrade safety standards on its 1,300 MW reactors, so they can operate beyond their 40-year design lifespan. The decision affects 20 out of France’s fleet of 56 reactors. [Enerdata]

US:

¶ “Trump Signs Order To Eliminate Wind, Solar Subsidies” • US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to eliminate subsidies for green energy sources such as wind and solar. He said, “Reliance on so-called ‘green’ subsidies threatens national security by making the United States dependent on supply chains controlled by foreign adversaries.” [reNews]

Donald Trump (The White House)

¶ “Florida Approves Bill Banning Oil & Gas Operations Near Apalachicola” • Apalachicola, in the Florida Panhandle, is home to a thriving seafood industry that relies on the waters of the Gulf of Mexico for its living. With exploritory drilling approved, residents started Kill the Drill to see a law protecting the watter passed. They succeeded. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “At Least 104 Dead And Dozens Missing In Texas Floods As More Rain Looms” • At least 104 people have been confirmed dead and another 41 are missing following flash floods in central Texas on Friday. Figures are changing quickly as rescuers keep on searching for the missing, and officials say the death toll is certain to continue rising. [BBC]

July 4 flood in Texas (USCG photo, public domain)

¶ “Extreme Weather Events Like Texas Rain Are More Likely To Occur Due To Climate Change, Scientists Warn” • The Gulf, which borders Texas, has become much warmer in recent years due to climate change, climate scientist Daniel Swain explained. A very warm body of water produces a lot of evaporation, which can release more moisture. [ABC News]

¶ “NREL Develops Translucent Solar Panels For Bigger, Better Crops” • National Renewable Energy Laboratory researchers developed a translucent solar panel to allow only lightto pass through that is optimal for crop growth. They are studying how plants do when sunlight is limited to bands of the spectrum that the plant needs. [pv magazine International]

Have a significantly entertaining day.

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World:

¶ “Syria Looks To Solar Power As More Than A Patchwork Fix To Its Energy Crisis” • With the end of nearly fourteen years of civil war, Syria’s new leaders hope renewables will become more than a patchwork solution to energy problems. Investment is starting to return, including for a solar farm that would secure about 10% of the country’s energy needs. [ABC News]

Damascus with the lights on (T Foz, Unsplash)

¶ “Grandmother Faces Losing Home Over Climate Protest” • A 74-year-old woman could lose her home after refusing to pay council tax for over three years as she protests investments in fossil fuels. She withheld about £5,000 from Buckinghamshire Council to get it to move its pension fund and banking away from “investments in climate destruction.” [BBC]

¶ “South Luzon’s First Electric Jeepney Assembly Plant Begins Operations” • About 100 kilometers south of Manila, the LIMA Industrial Estate is now home to South Luzon’s first EV assembly plant: LCS-EMON e-Jeepney Manufacturing Corp. The factory is producing e-jeepneys, though not yet at its target pace of 500 units per month. [CleanTechnica]

Old Jeepney (jesada technik museum, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “EVs At 24.0% Share In France – Tesla Model Y Tops Chart” • June’s auto market saw plugin EVs at 24.0% share in France, flat from 24.1% year-on-year. The battery EV share grew marginally YOY, but plugin hybrids were slightly down. Overall auto volume was down some 7% YOY. The Tesla Model Y was the best-selling battery EV in France in June. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Nordex Nets Turbine Order Worth 91 MW” • Nordex Group took an order for 91 MW of turbines for an onshore windfarm in Germany. Wind developer SAB WindTeam placed the order for thirteen of Nordex Group’s N163/6.X turbines. The turbines, each with a hub height of 164 meters, are set to be installed at the Fretzdorf site in Brandenburg. [reNews]

Moving a nacelle (Nordex image)

¶ “GPG Gets State Go-Ahead For 400-MWh Battery Project” • The Victorian government announced that planning approval for Global Power Generation Australia’s 200-MW, 400-MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) project near Tarrone has been accelerated through the state’s Development Facilitation Program. [pv magazine Australia]
GPG battery (GPG image)

¶ “First Turbine Up At Baltic Power Wind Farm” • The first wind turbine was installed at the Baltic Power offshore wind farm in Poland. The 1.2-GW project, a joint venture between Orlen and Northland Power, will comprise 76 turbines in total, each with a capacity of 15 MW. The Vestas V236-15MW model can produce up to 80 GWh of energy per year. [reNews]

Installing a Vestas V236-15MW (Orlen image)

¶ “Federal Government Keeps Faith In SunCable Project” • The Australian government is keeping its faith in SunCable’s plans to build one of the world’s largest solar and battery energy storage projects, complete with the world’s largest subsea transmission link, extending the major project status for the Australia-Asia PowerLink proposal. [pv magazine Australia]

¶ “China To Power Grid With Record Renewable Energy As AI Spurs Demand” • China expects to add a record 500 GW of renewable energy capacity to its national grid this year as the rise of artificial intelligence increases demand for electricity to power computing centers. Over a quarter of the new capacity will come from wind power. [South China Morning Post]

Wind farm in China (Vmenkov, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Renewable Energy Could Save Africa $5 Trillion By 2050” • According to Powershift Africa, a study conducted in partnership with the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney indicates that a full transition to renewable energy for Africa “could save the continent $3–5 trillion (an average of $150 billion annually).” [CitiNewsroom.com]

US:

¶ “Madre Fire In California Expandes To Nearly 80,000 Acres” • The gigantic Madre Fire, which started Wednesday afternoon in San Luis Obispo County, had grown to 79,936 acres on Sunday, Cal Fire said. It was 30% contained at that time. It is the largest in California so far this year and is burning in a largely rural area in the Los Padres National Forest. [ABC News]

Madre Fire (Bureau of Land Management)

¶ “At Least 78 Dead And Dozens Missing In Texas Floods As More Rain Looms” • At least 78 people have been confirmed dead in central Texas and another 41 are missing after flash floods that came on Friday without warning. Officials say the death toll is certain to rise. Also, more storms are expected in the next 24-48 hours in the region. [BBC]

¶ “EV Charging Is More Stable Than Ever – Regardless Of Media Reports” • In the first three months of 2025, overall failure rates of EV chargers fell to 16%, the biggest improvement since surveys began in 2021, according to JD Power. This summer, more EV drivers than ever will be able to charge without mishap on their lovely scenic road trips. [CleanTechnica]

EV charger (Roger Starnes Sr, Unsplash)

¶ “Is Wind Power Finally Coming To Maine’s Remote North?” • Two years after the last attempt to build out wind farms in the north of Maine reaches fizzled, the state is again gearing up to seek developers to build at least 1,200 MW of land-based wind capacity and a transmission line to carry the electricity produced to the central part of the state. [Canary Media]

¶ “Feds Speed Up Review For Natrium Nuclear Plant” • The US NRC notified TerraPower that it will trim seven months from the environmental review and safety evaluation of the proposed advanced, liquid-sodium-cooled “Natrium” nuclear reactor plant near Kemmerer, Wyoming. It will finish the final environmental impact statement by December 31. [MSN]

Have an ineffably glorious day.

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World:

¶ “The EV Revolution Isn’t Dead, It’s Just Getting Started!” • OK, the US chooses to sit on the sidelines and suck its thumb while it whines about EVs? Fine. Let it. Meanwhile, the rest of the world is moving forward with the EV revolution and there isn’t anything the crybabies at the Heritage Foundation can do about it. Want proof? Take a look at this. [CleanTechnica]

Ecitaro electric bus (Daimler Truck image)

¶ “A New Wave Of Affordable EVs Is Landing On Latin American Shores. Let’s Check What Some Are!” • We’re seeing more and more announcements of new, affordable EVs arriving in the Latin American market. For those who are not well informed on what’s going on, here is a short report on newly available EVs in Costa Rica, Chile, and Colombia. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “An Electric Catamaran Powered By Sun And Sail: The MODX 70” • There are products out there that are labeled “eco,” but actually burn fossil fuels. The MODX 70 is fully electric, as in not a hybrid. It was refreshing to find that out. But there is more to the MODX 70. A representative answered questions about it for readers of CleanTechnica. [CleanTechnica]

MODX 70 (MODX image)

¶ “Development Of Sustainable Energy Is Crumbling In The Netherlands, Specialists Warn” • The development of sustainable energy on land is at risk of coming to a standstill, a mid-year update warns. The 2030 target of at least 35 TWh of renewable energy on land will likely be met, but the more ambitious goal of 55 TWh is increasingly out of reach. [NL Times]

¶ “Filipino Tycoon Sabin Aboitiz Wins $642-Million CBK Hydro-Electric Deal” • Leading business tycoons here are charging into the energy sector, with the intensity of a high-stakes gold rush. But this time, the prize is green power. The ultimate goal: Cut dependence on fossil fuels, while aiming to bring electricity rates down by harnessing renewables. [Gulf News]

Hydropower station (河川一等兵, public domain)

¶ “Singapore And Cambodia Eye Stronger Ties In Renewable Energy And Carbon Markets” • Singapore and Cambodia will work on their ties in various sectors, including renewable energy and carbon credits. During Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s first visit to Cambodia, he discussed priority areas for collaboration with PM Hun Manet. [MSN]

¶ “Renewables Surge Though Geopolitical Shifts Threaten Progress” • Despite high-profile pushbacks against renewable energy and a rapidly changing policy environment, the global clean energy transition has picked up speed over the last year. Countries are finally gaining momentum in building up cleaner and greener energy grids. [OilPrice.com]

Wind farm (Milada Vigerova, Unsplash)

¶ “Russian Strike Causes New Blackout At Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant” • Russian forces struck a power transmission line connecting the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to Ukraine’s energy grid. This is the eighth blackout at the plant since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko said. [MSN]

US:

¶ “Texas Officials Say They Were Caught Off Guard By Deadly Rainstorms, Flooding” • The deadly floods that struck Texas on the 4th of July, as the torrential rains caused the Guadalupe River to rise to near-historic levels, came without warning and caught local officials off guard. The river rose 26 feet in 45 minutes, in the middle of the night. [ABC News]

Earlier flood in Texas (National Weather Service image)

¶ “Some Interesting News From Two Up-And-Coming US Electric Vehicle Firms” • Allison and Dana are not household names in the EV field. However, the two US-based firms have been in the propulsion business for more than 100 years apiece. Last month they completed a $2.7 billion transaction aimed partly at global EV markets. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Pilot Program Rewrites Script For Residential Solar Power'” • A solar energy pilot program in Maryland is rewriting the script for residential solar, landing over $3 million in loans and passing its first‑year target. “In just a few months, we saw enough loan demand to meet our entire annual budget for the program,” said a senior director of the program. [The Cool Down]

Have an outstandingly superior day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Why Grid Forming BESS Technology Is Crucial To Future Renewable Energy Supply” • Battery energy storage systems can supply more responsive grid inertia than the synchronous power generators of traditional systems. Global generating additions from 2024 to 2034 will be dominated by renewable energy that requires BESS support. [Wood Mackenzie]

Power lines (Dmitriy, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Oil Is Going To Take A BIG Hit” • While the US is clearly far behind the world at large, and especially China and Europe, what is clear from our May report is that the car industry is electrifying. With 25% of new vehicles being plugin vehicles, we don’t actually see a big hit to the oil industry yet. That time is coming, however, and soon. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “These Tiny Creatures Gorge, Get Fat, And Help Fight Global Warming” • Zooplankton gorge themselves and grow fat in spring before sinking hundreds of meters into the deep ocean in Antarctica. This locks away as much planet-warming carbon as the annual emissions of roughly 55 million petrol cars, stopping it from further warming our atmosphere. [BBC]

Copepod (Janek Lass, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “European Central Bank Boldly Goes Where Others Fear To Tread” • This year, Europe is baking in extreme heat that has contributed to several deaths. The heat, along with a degradation of nature, can be seen as a political failure. Nevertheless, the European Central Bank is determined to keep climate change as part of its planning agenda. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “BYD Electric Truck Sales Up 333%” • BYD’s commercial vehicle sales started rising considerably at the end of 2024, and they’ve been soaring in 2025. In June, sales were up 333% year over year. Even better, across the first half of the year, sales were up a whopping 711%. They rose from 3,740 in H1 of 2024 to 30,344 in H1 of 2025. Stunning. [CleanTechnica]

BYD electric trucks (Courtesy of BYD)

¶ “UK Gives BP-EnBW Green Light For 1.5-GW Mona” • UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has granted planning consent to BP, EnBW’s 1.5-GW Mona offshore wind farm. The 96-turbine array is the first Round 4 development to reach the milestone. The project is to connect to the National Grid’s Bodelwyddan substation in north Wales. [reNews]

¶ “Inch Cape Welcomes First Export Cable Delivery” • Inch Cape Offshore Limited confirmed the arrival of its first export cable at the Port of Blyth. The 85 km long, 220-kV dual circuit AC cable arrived aboard the barge Dong Fang Hai Gong 07, towed up the River Blyth estuary by the tug Brent. Installation will be carried out in three sections by Enshore Subsea. [reNews]

Cable-laying barge (Ithica image)

¶ “Norway Clears Test For GE 18-MW Giant” • The Norwegian regulator granted GE subsidiary Georgine Wind permission to install an 18-MW turbine in the municipality of Gulen as part of a test program to advance offshore wind technology. The project, if built, will feature an 18-MW offshore turbine with a rotor of up to 250 metres in diameter. [reNews]

¶ “DEME Launches Second Norse WTIV” • DEME has launched its second wind-turbine installation vessel, Norse Energi, at the Yantai CIMC Raffles yard in China. The GustoMSC-designed jack-up can handle turbines with rotor diameters above 300 meters and XXL monopiles of up to 3000 tonnes in water as deep as 70 meters. [reNews]

Norse Energi (DEME Group image)

¶ “India Renewable Power Output Grows At Fastest Pace In Three Years” • India’s renewable power output rose at its fastest pace since 2022 in the first half of 2025, a Reuters analysis shows. Renewable power output jumped 24.4% to 134.43 billion kWh for January–June 2025, according to a Reuters analysis of data from the federal grid regulator. [MSN]

¶ “EDF To Spend Estimated $7 Billion On Extending Life Of Nuclear Plants” • French utility EDF expects to spend €6 billion ($7.05 billion) on extending the life of twenty nuclear reactors, after getting the go-ahead from the country’s nuclear regulator. The ASN said state-owned EDF could proceed with upgrading safety standards at its 1300-MW reactors. [MSN]

Cattenom nuclear plant (Stefan Kühn, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “High-Voltage Line Powering Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Restored” • Specialist personnel from Ukrenergo, Ukraine’s national power company, restored the operation of the high-voltage transmission line supplying power to the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The line had been cut by shelling. [Ukrainska Pravda]

US:

¶ “Madre Fire In California Explodes To More Than 52,000 Acres In One Day” • A California wildfire exploded overnight, with the massive blaze prompting evacuation orders and a highway closure. The Madre Fire ignited Wednesday afternoon in San Luis Obispo County, according to Cal Fire. It has since grown to more than 52,500 acres. [ABC News]

Madre Fire (Bureau of Land Management)

¶ “US EV Tax Credits Ended Sooner Than Expected In Big Bad Budget Bill” • Two weeks ago, it looked like the Republican plan to cut EV incentives may lead to a huge surge in EV sales through the end of the year, but that was based on the plans proposed in the early stages of the bill. As it turns out, the EV tax credits are ending on September 30, 2025. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Shale’s Self-Inflicted Crisis: Wastewater Injection Is Sinking Profits” • The shale industry is facing problems it created. Across major shale-producing basins, particularly East Texas and the Permian, excessive wastewater injection practices have created areas with extreme overpressure, threatening the economic viability of shale production. [CleanTechnica]

Have a particularly praiseworthy day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Hydrogen Isn’t The Answer: 0.7-1.5 Billion Tons CO₂e Would Make It A Climate Liability” • Hydrogen leaks easily, and it’s a powerful greenhouse gas. By 2050, hydrogen leaks could reach a staggering 22 million to 45.3 million tons annually. This is the equivalent of between 726 million and nearly 1.5 billion tons of CO₂ emissions every year. [CleanTechnica]

Sunset, apropos of nothing (Igor Kasalovic, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Wildfire Forces Evacuation Of Thousands On Greek Island Of Crete” • A major wildfire in eastern Crete forced the evacuation of thousands of people and caused widespread damage to homes and businesses, as strong winds continue to hamper firefighting efforts. The blaze spread rapidly across forested mountainous terrain due to high winds and heat. [BBC]

¶ “$88 Million Pollution-Tracking Satellite Lost In Space” • An $88 million (£65m) satellite designed to detect releases of the gas methane from oil and gas production has been lost in space in a major setback for climate efforts. The MethaneSat satellite was launched only last year and was meant to collect data for five years on sources of methane. [BBC]

MethaneSat (MethaneSat image)

¶ “Global EV Sales: Plugin Vehicles Reach 25% Share!” • Global plugin vehicle registrations were up 22% in May 2025 compared to May 2024. All told, there were over 1.6 million registrations. Battery EVs grew 19% year-over-year to over 1 million units. At the same time, registrations of plugin hybrids grew 28% to more than a half million. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Massive Green Hydrogen Project To Produce Low-Carbon Fertilizer” • The UK-listed firm ATOME is planning to build a $630 millionfertilizer facility in Paraguay. The plant will use green hydrogen to produce ammonia for calcium ammonium nitrate fertilizer. The process nearly eliminates carbon emissions from making the fertilizer. [CleanTechnica]

Itaipu dam in Paraguay (Jonas de Carvalho, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “BYD BEV Sales Grow 42.5% In June!” • For years, BYD trailed Tesla but was by far the closest to the company in fully electric vehicle sales. BYD has passed Tesla, however, in the 4th quarter of 2024. Now it is zipping past the US automaker at hyperspeed as Tesla sales drop and BYD sales keep on rising. This article takes a closer look. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “RES Wins Approval For Magheralin Solar Farm” • RES has secured planning approval for its [30-MW] Magheralin Solar Farm in County Down. The Armagh City, Banbridge, and Craigavon Borough Council approved the application, which RES said marks a crucial step toward a cleaner, more affordable energy future for Northern Ireland. [reNews]

Young resident of a solar farm (RES image)

¶ “UK government launches onshore wind strategy” • The UK government has unveiled its first ever Onshore Wind Strategy, outlining over forty actions to revive the sector and support its Clean Power 2030 ambition of up to 29 GW. The new plan seeks to unlock up to 10 GW of stalled projects and support having ageing turbines repowered. [reNews]

¶ “Solar Plant To Power London Underground Trains” • EDF Renewables UK won a 15-year PPA to provide solar energy to supply part of the London Underground’s electricity. Transport for London’s long-term aim is to purchase up to 70% of its total electricity through PPAs, with the rest coming mainly through a flexible green tariff. [Railway Gazette International]

London Underground (Felix Hanspach, Unsplash)

¶ “ARENA Injects $432 Million Into Hunter Valley Renewable Hydrogen Project” • The Australian Renewable Energy Agency is allocating $432 Million to Orica’s Hunter Valley Hydrogen Hub. The Hunter Valley Hydrogen Hub will make green hydrogen using a 50-MW electrolyser powered by renewable electricity, replacing hydrogen from natural gas. [Asian Power]

US:

¶ “Trump Megabill Gives The Oil Industry Everything It Wants And Ends Key Support For Solar And Wind” • Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act ends federal support for solar and wind power, while being friendly for oil, gas, and coal production. The House of Representatives passed Trump’s megabill in time for him to celebrate July 4 with it. [NBC News]

Pumpjacks (Documerica, Unsplash)

¶ “Gas Prices Near Lowest Level In Four Years Ahead Of Fourth Of July” • Gas prices hovered near their lowest summer level in four years as millions of people got ready to hit the roads over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The national average for a gallon of gas stood at $3.16 on July 3, nearly 10% lower than it was a year ago, AAA data showed. [ABC News]

¶ “Celebrities Push Their Union To Divest Its Pension Plans From Fossil Fuels” • Top industry actors are teaming up with activist groups to pressure the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists to drop fossil fuel investments from one of its pension plans. The campaign is called Retire Big Oil. [CleanTechnica]

Hollywood sign (Ameer Attia, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “Some Early Responses to Big Bad Budget Bill” • Congress has passed what has been misleadingly branded “One Big Beautiful Bill” by Donald Trump and the Republicans. CleanTechnica has already published on it, but there have been some early, well thought out responses from other cleantech industry groups, and they get some air here. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Google Invests In Nuclear Fusion With PPA For Virginia Plant” • Google announced an investment in nuclear fusion, a power source not yet successfully deployed anywhere on Earth. The tech giant revealed plans to purchase 200 MW from a proposed nuclear fusion plant being developed in Chesterfield County, Virginia. [Yahoo Finance]

Have an elegantly charming day.

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World:

¶ “Recent Droughts Are A ‘Slow-Moving Global Catastrophe'” • From Somalia to mainland Europe, the past two years have seen some of the most ravaging droughts in history, made worse by climate change, according to a UN-backed report. It describes drought as a “silent killer” which “creeps in, drains resources, and devastates lives in slow motion.” [BBC]

Drought (Daniel Mizrahi, Unsplash)

¶ “Scorching European Heatwave Turns Deadly In Spain, Italy And France” • A wildfire in Spain and high temperatures in other parts of Europe have claimed another six lives as the continent swelters in temperatures topping 40°C (104°F). The UN’s climate agency said such heat waves are becoming more frequent due to “human-induced climate change.” [BBC]

¶ “Catholic Bishops From Asia, Africa, Latin America Demand Climate Justice” • Catholic bishops from Asia, Africa, and Latin America demanded climate justice for the parts of the world most affected by rising temperatures and rejected what they said were the “false solutions” promoted by wealthy countries. They advocated abandoning fossil fuels. [ABC News]

Procession of bishops (Stebunik, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Europe EV Sales Report: King Volkswagen Rules In A Fast Growing (+34% YoY) EV Market” • EVs are picking up in Europe, with some 305,000 plugin vehicles being registered in Europe in May. That’s up 34% year over year, its fastest growth rate since August 2023. This is a particularly positive sign considering that the overall market is stagnant. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Global Coalition Calls For No Further Weakening Of EU Batteries Due Diligence Rules” • A coalition of over 30 global civil society organisations, labour organisations, investors and businesses have called on the European Parliament to prevent any further weakening of the due diligence requirements of the EU Batteries Regulation. [CleanTechnica]

BlueOval City, March 10, 2023 (Courtesy of Ford)

¶ “Criminalize Fossil Fuel Disinformation, Says UN Rapporteur” • A report from Elisa Morgera, the UN special rapporteur on human rights and climate change, combines all the wisdom of Tony Seba, Mark Z Jacobson, and Project Drawdown to explain why the need to transition away from fossil fuels is urgent. And it is a call for action. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “WindEurope Urges Annual EU Renewables Targets” • EU member states were called on by WindEurope  to set annual build-out targets for renewables from 2031 to 2040 to ensure the bloc’s proposed 90% emissions reduction target are met. Last year the EU installed just 13 GW of new wind capacity, far below the 30 GW needed to meet goals. [reNews]

Wind farm (Anastasia Palagutina, Unsplash)

¶ “Norway Exempts Solar Power Sharing In Industrial Zones From Grid Fees” • The government of Norway announced it has defined planned regulatory changes to allow surplus renewable energy from plants up to 5 MW to be shared within industrial areas. The provisions exempt related  renewable energy systems from grid fees. [pv magazine International]

¶ “Dieppe-Le Tréport Substation Installed Off France” • Ocean Winds installed the offshore electrical substation for its 496-MW Dieppe-Le Tréport wind farm in the English Channel. Chantiers de l’Atlantique designed and built the topside, and the jacket was supplied by Navantia. Heavy-lift vessel Gulliver, operated by DEME, carried out the installation. [reNews]

Offshore substation (EMDT image)

¶ “Renewables To Account For Above 50% Of Brazil’s Grid Power In 2035” • The majority of Brazil’s annual power generation is hydro. However, overdependence on hydro has made Brazil vulnerable to droughts. To overcome this challenge, it is rapidly developing other renewable capacity. It plans for renewable power to increase to 50.7% in 2035. [Yahoo]

¶ “Historic England Confirms The Botley West Solar Farm Will Do No Harm To Blenheim Palace” • Historic England confirmed that the Botley West Solar Farm project will not have an adverse impact on Blenheim Palace or its surrounding setting. Photovolt Development Partners designed the project to avoid impact on the world heritage site. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Blenheim Palace (Einar H Reynis, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “How Has US Energy Use Changed Since 1776?” • When the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, wood, a renewable energy source, was the largest source of energy in the US. Used for heating, cooking, and lighting, wood remained the largest US energy source until the late 1800s, when the leading resource started to change quickly. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US Space Force To Test New Tough-As-Nails Solar Array” • The US Space Force is putting up $2 million to test a lightweight, redeployable LightWing orbiting solar array from the materials startup Atomic-6, which claims four times more power per kilogram than conventional arrays. A number of organizations are adding to the effort. [CleanTechnica]

Space solar array (Screenshot courtesy of Atomic-6)

¶ “US Clean Energy Groups Slam Senate Bill” • Clean power advocates have criticized a reconciliation bill passed by the US Senate, claiming the legislation will drive up energy prices, stifle manufacturing growth and cost hundreds of thousands of jobs. The American Clean Power Association said the package “is a step backward for American energy policy.” [reNews]

¶ “Trump Fired Hanson Over a ‘Conflict of Visions'” • In what some have deemed an illegal move, President Trump last week abruptly fired Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Christopher Hanson. An irate Hanson threatened legal action, claiming his firing violated federal law and longstanding precedent. And he justified his work at the NRC. [RealClearEnergy]

Have an understandably magnificent day.

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World:

¶ “Eiffel Tower Closes Early As Europe Swelters Under A Heat Wave” • As a heat wave scorches most of Europe, the Eiffel Tower announced it would close early with France expected to hit very high temperatures. Paris is expected to reach 38.3°C (101°F), and the Eiffel Tower closed at 4 pm local time, a statement on the landmark’s official website said. [ABC News]

Eiffel Tower (Kirsten Drew, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Spain And England Record Hottest June As Heatwave Grips Europe” • Spain’s weather service said the “extremely hot” June “has pulverised records,” with an average temperature of 23.6°C (74.5°F). In England, the Met Office said June’s mean temperature of 16.9°C set a new record for that month; the UK as a whole saw its second warmest June on record. [BBC]

¶ “Scania Adds Electric Trucks And Buses to South Australian Fleet” • Swedish truck and bus maker Scania has quietly grown its presence in Australia. Now Scania is producing sixty fully electric city buses for the South Australian government to be used in Adelaide. Notably, SA uses wind and solar energy to meet over 60% of its grid demand. [CleanTechnica]

Scania electric truck and bus (Scania photo)

¶ “XPENG Sales Soar 242%!” • The whole Chinese EV market has been going up, and up, and up, but XPENG has shot through the roof and is on the way to the moon. XPENG’s monthly sales rose 224% in June 2025 compared to June 2024! In the second quarter as a whole, the company’s sales were up 242% compared to the same quarter of 2024. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “VinFast Inaugurates Second EV Plant In Vietnam” • VinFast, the Vietnamese automotive manufacturer, started operations at its new EV plant in the Vũng Áng Economic Zone, Hà Tĩnh Province. The facility, its second EV plant, is about 430 km (267 miles) from its main factory in Hai Phong. Four more Vinfast factories are under construction. [CleanTechnica]

Vinfast Hà Tĩnh facility (Vinfast photo)

¶ “UK Grid Set For £8.9 Billion Expansion” • Ofgem has given the provisional green light to a multi-billion-pound investment to power the biggest expansion of the UK’s electricity grid since the 1960s. An initial £8.9 billion investment is being committed to Britain’s high-voltage electricity network, with a further £1.3 billion ready to go. [reNews]

¶ “North Star Cuts Emissions By 18%” • The UK’s largest ship operator North Star is celebrating progress towards a net-zero fleet after reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 18% since 2022. The company, based in Aberdeen, had a 15% year-on-year cut in Scope 1 greenhouse gas emissions. The findings were revealed by strategic projects manager Jen Redman. [reNews]

Jen Redman (North Star image)

¶ “India’s Renewable Power Output Soars 24.4% in H1 2025 As Coal Usage Slips” • India’s renewable energy generation recorded its fastest growth in over two years, marking a major step in the country’s clean energy transition. A Reuters analysis shows that renewable power output surged by 24.4% YOY to reach 134.43 TWh in the first half of 2025. [Pratidin Time]

US:

¶ “Republican Budget Bill Dismantles Climate Law Passed By Democrats” • The Republican budget bill approved by the Senate removes a proposed tax on solar and wind energy projects but phases out tax credits for wind, solar and other renewable energy quickly. The GOP plan would dismantle the climate law passed by Democrats in 2022. [ABC News]

Wind turbine (Drew Bae, Unsplash)

¶ “What’s Next For Trump’s Sweeping Policy Bill As House Takes Up Senate Version” • Senate Republicans wrangled just enough votes to pass President Trump’s major tax and immigration bill. The legislation now heads back to the House for final approval, but it’s likely to face some headwinds there, especially because it increases the national debt. [ABC News]

¶ “Trump Says He’ll ‘Look’ At Deporting Elon Musk As Feud Reignites” • President Trump told reporters his administration will “have to take a look” at deporting Musk after the Tesla CEO reignited the feud over Trump’s spending bill. Musk, a South African national and a naturalized US citizen, made several posts slamming the bill as “utterly insane.” [ABC News]

Elon Musk (The White House, public domain)

¶ “Big Horrible Budget Bill To Kill Countless American Jobs” • Republicans in the Senate did pretty much what many of us had predicted. They passed a huge budget bill that will blow up the US deficit by providing massive tax cuts to billionaires and big corporations while cutting policies that actually support the US economy and create jobs. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Tesla Is Circling The Drain, Thanks To Stupid Elon Tricks” • The latest Electric Vehicle Intelligence Report suggests that Tesla is in desperate trouble. In an email to CleanTechnica, Jeff Coote of EVIR said, “Tesla’s favorability just cratered 27 points. Purchase intent? Down 32. It’s now the only major EV brand underwater across every demographic.” [CleanTechnica]

Tesla (Vlad Tchompalov, Unsplash)

¶ “A Georgia Town Solidly Backed Trump But Could Fall Victim to Green Energy Cuts” • Republicans in Congress want to gut the subsidies for renewable energy in a bill that is likely to pass soon. Cartersville, Georgia, is in a an area that backed Trump with 75% of the vote all three times he was on the ballot. But Cartersville depends on renewable energy growth. [The Well News]

¶ “Building A Nuclear Power Plant Would Be A Costly Endeavor, Experts Say” • Governor Kathy Hochul announced plans for New York state to build a nuclear plant. It’s not a renewable resource, but it would produce carbon-free power while it operates. There are many concerns about with nuclear power, and some experts question its affordability. [NY State of Politics]

Have an altogether excellent day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Plastics Recycling With Enzymes Takes A Leap Forward” • A successful collaboration of a trio of research institutions, NREL, the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and the University of Portsmouth in England, has provided a road map toward an economically process for using enzymes to recycle plastics into new materials. [CleanTechnica]

Research team at NREL (Josh Bauer, NREL)

World:

¶ “‘Unprecedented’ Alerts In France As Blistering Heat Grips Europe” • Sixteen French regions, including Paris, have been placed on red alert, the country’s highest, while 68 others are on orange alert. Both Spain and Portugal had their hottest June days on record. Heat warnings are also in place for parts of Italy, Germany, the UK, and Balkan countries. [BBC]

¶ “‘Significant Burden’ Of Sleep Apnea Could ‘Double’ As Temperatures Rise: Study” • Rising temperatures, amplified by climate change, are contributing to an increase in cases of sleep apnea, a condition in which breathing repeatedly stops during sleep, according to a study published in the journal Nature Communications. [ABC News]

Sleeping woman (Lucas van Oort, Unsplash)

¶ “A Cheap And Easy Way To Reduce Carbon Emissions From Ships” • There are a number of strategies proposed to clean up emissions from ships: electrification, biomethane, sails, green ammonia. Each has pluses and minuses. Seabound, a startup based in London, says it can capture some of the emissions in a low tech and affordable way. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Vestas Nets Turbine Orders Worth 274 MW” • Vestas landed five orders for wind turbines in Europe and Japan with a total capacity of 274 MW. The orders, which are part of Vestas’ second quarter intake, include a 143-MW contract to supply and install 23 V162-6.2MW units at Eurowind Energy’s Frumusita, Vector, and Pecineaga wind farms in Romania. [reNews]

Wind farm (Vestas image)

¶ “Record-Setting Wind Farm Comes Online With Power For Thousands Of Homes: ‘The Future Of Power Generation'” • A record-setting wind farm in Egypt is set to drive progress toward cleaner and more affordable energy across Africa. It also shows how quickly change can happen with the right investment and execution. [The Cool Down]

¶ “OX2 Powers Up 100-MW Polish Solar Farm” • OX2 has powered up the 100-MW Rutki solar farm in Poland, its first project as an independent power producer. The solar farm has started delivering electricity to the grid and is expected to generate around 108 GWh of electricity per year. The Rutki project covers 78 hectares (193 acres). [reNews]

Rutki solar farm (OX2 image)

¶ “Cleve Hill Solar Park Begins Commercial Operations” • The Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners’ 373-MW Cleve Hill solar park in Kent has begun commercial operations. Cleve Hill is now exporting at 100% of its 373-MW capacity. The solar park is the largest operational project of its kind in the UK, over four times the size of the next largest. [reNews]

¶ “The War In Ukraine Sparked A Revolution In Off-The-Grid Clean Energy” • Russia has persistently targeted Ukraine’s power grids and energy infrastructure, often leaving communities in the dark. In response, Ukrainian society is quickly pivoting to renewable energy solutions that can keep the power on in the face of the bombings. [Fast Company]

Ukrainian village (Eugene Krasnaok, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “EDF Shuts Down Golftech Nuclear Plant Due To High River Temperature” • French utility EDF said it shut down the No 1 reactor at the Golftech nuclear plant, ahead of an anticipated rise in the temperature of the Garonne river that supplies the plant’s cooling water. The company has to modify production when the average water temperature is over 28°C. [MSN]

US:

¶ “Solar Installations Make Good Neighbors” • Research issued in the journal Frontiers – Sustainable Energy Policy finds that 82% of people who live within an hour’s walk of large solar installations find they make good neighbors. In addition, they either support such installations or are neutral about having more of them in their area. [CleanTechnica]

Solar array (American Public Power Association, Unsplash)

¶ “This Reconciliation Bill Proposal Isn’t Just Misguided …” • Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, made a statement on the US Senate’s reconciliation bill: “This reconciliation bill proposal isn’t just misguided – it’s a direct attack on American energy, American workers, and American consumers.” [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Edison Chouest Launches ECO Liberty” • Edison Chouest has launched a Service Operations Vessel ECO Liberty in Louisiana. The SOV will sail to New York this summer where it will support installation work at Equinor’s 810-MW Empire Wind 1 project. ECO Liberty shows the critical role of Gulf Coast manufacturing companies, Equinor said. [reNews]

ECO Liberty (Equinor image)

¶ “Island Community Explores Pathways To Strengthen Energy Reliability” • When tourists at Martha’s Vineyard pack up their beach umbrellas and head back home, hurricanes and nor’easters are soon to follow. Without easy access to mainland resources, residents need independent, resilient energy sources to weather such storms. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The Republican Budget Bill Could Shatter Colorado’s Clean Energy Boom” • A tax on solar and wind projects Republicans added to their marquee budget bill could lead to statewide job losses, strain the electricity grid and boost energy bills, according to some Colorado energy groups who panned the bill ahead of key votes. [Colorado Public Radio]

Have a totally copacetic day.

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World:

¶ “Spain Records Temperature Of 46°C As European Heatwave Continues” • A heatwave is gripping large parts of Europe, and authorities of many countries are issuing health warnings. A heat record for June of 46°C was set on Saturday in the town of El Granado, Spain’s national weather service said. And this is set to be the hottest June on record. [BBC]

El Granado (Dguendel, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “JET Charge And Australia’s EV Future” • CleanTechnica author David Waterworth sat down with JET Charge’s Head of Future Business, Kristian Handberg, for an interview. Handberg wanted to share his insights on what’s driving the EV market following Australia’s recent federal election. He said EV sales in Australia are on the rise. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Singapore’s Rooftop Solar Ambitions Are Expanding” • In Singapore, the SolarNova project looks for ways to install solar systems that are efficient and cost-effective for a tropical, urban environment, and private initiatives like EDP Renewables for technology and implementation. The main problem is a lack of space. Solutions are imaginative. [CleanTechnica]

Part of the Solar Nova Project (EDPR image)

¶ “New Offshore Wind Manufacturing Hub Opens At Port Of Blyth” • Venterra Group subsidiary Osbit opened an offshore wind manufacturing plant at the Port of Blyth, Northumberland. The offshore wind engineering company’s assembly and service facility created 33 skilled jobs. The 3,350 m² facility is at the port’s Wimbourne Quay. [reNews]

¶ “Lanpro Achieves DCO For 500-MW UK Solar Farm” • The planning consultancy Lanpro has secured acceptance for a Development Consent Order application on behalf of Island Green Power for a 500-MW solar farm in the UK. The solar farm, is designed to deliver up to 500 MW of electricity, enough to power about 115,000 homes. [reNews]

Solar PVs and sheep (Lanpro image)

¶ “France’s Tally Of Negative Power Prices Just Beat The 2024 Total” • French power prices have traded below zero for more hours so far this year than during all of 2024, reducing returns for investors. France is Europe’s second biggest power market. Germany and Spain have also seen record numbers of sub-zero prices this year. [Luxembourg Times]

¶ “GIGA Storage Acquires 350-MW German BESS” • Dutch developer GIGA Storage entered the German market with the acquisition of a large-scale battery energy storage project. GIGA Storage said the acquisition of the 350-MW, 1400-MWh Project Albatross is a major milestone in the company’s international growth strategy. [reNews]

Project Albatross site (GIGA Storage image)

¶ “Adani Green Crosses 15-GW Milestone In Installed Renewable Energy Capacity” • Adani Green Energy Ltd has reached 15,539.9 MW of installed renewable energy capacity, the largest by any company in India. The developer added 5 GW of clean energy capacity in just 15 months after reaching 10 GW, marking the fastest capacity addition. [pv magazine India]

US:

¶ “Lawfare! How Courts And State Legislatures Influence Climate Action” • In an attribution study, climate scientists said a heat dome in Seattle would have been “virtually impossible without human-caused climate change.” One resident filed suit alleging a number of oil companies were responsible for the heat that led to the death of her mother. [CleanTechnica]

Seattle (Thom Milkovic, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “US Not Ready To Give Up On Energy Storage – Yet” • The abrupt shift in White House energy policy this year might make it seem weird for the DOE to continue disbursing funds that support the US wind and solar industries. Dropping $15 million on next-generation storage seems out of sync with attacks on renewable energy. But it happens. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Buyer’s Remorse Redemption Tour For Tesla CEO Elon Musk” • Oh, the buyer’s remorse, it burns. Having launched US President Donald Trump into office with a reported $250 million contribution to the president’s campaign last year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is now having second thoughts. Like, big ones. Loud ones. Public ones. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla EV (Tesla image)

¶ “Colorado Governor Jared Polis Slams Proposed Cuts To Renewable Energy, ‘This Is A New Low'” • Colorado Governor Jared Polis took to X to vent frustration at proposed cuts to renewable energy in what is called the “One Big, Beautiful Bill.” An updated draft of the spending bill would impose a new tax on some wind and solar projects. [MSN]

¶ “Palisades Restart Still On Track” • Holtec International gave the public another chance to learn about the upcoming restart of the Palisades nuclear power plant with an open house last week. The plant is on track to come back online in the fourth quarter of this year. Company spokesperson Nick Culp said some young people asked about job opportunities. [WSJM]

Have a sensibly organized day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Steel’s Declining Demand Sharpens Focus On Molten Oxide Electrolysis” • Molten oxide electrolysis is, at its core, a method of electrochemical smelting. Instead of chemically reducing iron ore with carbon-based reductants like coal, coke, or natural gas, it reduces iron oxide to metallic iron using electrons provided through electrical current. [CleanTechnica]

Traditional steel making (yasin hemmati, Unsplash)

¶ “Could Electrified Biomethane DRI Make Steel Production Carbon-Negative?” • Unlike traditional blast furnaces, DRI plants don’t rely on coal and coke, instead making iron by removing oxygen from iron ore with hydrogen-rich gases. When emissions of CO₂ from biomethane are captured and sequestered, the result can be net-negative. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Expedite Work On Renewable Energy, Says Telangana Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka” • Deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka told officials to expedite preparatory work for Singareni Collieries Co Ltd’s renewable energy projects. They include 800 MW of floating solar, 500 MW of wind, and 500 MW of pumped storage. [Times of India]

Wind turbine (Vasilios Muselimis, Unsplash)

¶ “Genesis Energy Partners With Desert Technologies To Expand Renewable Energy Access In Africa” • Under the terms of the agreement, Genesis’s Solar and Storage products subsidiary will serve as DT’s Preferred Partner for the African market, working to distribute and implement highly efficient Solar PV and Battery Storage Systems. [Champion Newspapers LTD]

¶ “Vietnam Unlocks Offshore Wind Power Potential For Green Future” • Under the national power development plan for 2021–2030, the Party and State of Vietnam have set a target to install 6 to 17 GW of offshore wind power capacity between 2030 and 2035. Numerous studies show that Vietnam has vast potential for offshore wind power. [Báo VietNamNet]

Jack-up barge (Rob Webbon, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Adif To Invest €1.33 Billion In Renewable Rail Energy” • Adif, the Spanish state-owned railway infrastructure manager, will open a €1.33 billion tender for green electricity supply from 2026 to 2030, giving Spanish rail operators 100% renewable power and improved energy pricing options, according to the railway news portal Railway Supply. [Railway Supply]

¶ “New Global Energy Report Offers Path Forward On Fossil Fuel Phaseout, Just Transition, Renewable Energy Models” • The Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network published a report on effective and equitable community-led energy solutions to address challenges to just transition away from fossil fuels. It spotlights scalable community initiatives. [MSN]

Wind turbines (Micah Giszack, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Iran Could Again Enrich Uranium ‘In Matter of Months’: IAEA Chief” • UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi says Iran likely will be able to begin to produce enriched uranium “in a matter of months,” despite damage to several nuclear facilities from US and Israeli attacks, CBS News said. The US had bombed three key Iranian nuclear facilities. [The Defense Post]

US:

¶ “As Senate Debates, Elon Musk Calls Trump’s Big Bill ‘Utterly Insane And Destructive’” • Billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk criticized the latest version of Trump’s sprawling tax and spending bill, calling it “utterly insane and destructive.” Musk said, “It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future.” [The Guardian]

Elon Musk (Gage Skidmore, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “Ford Battery Factory In Michigan Fights For Survival” • Ford is working hard to build a battery factory in Michigan. It will make LFP cells, a first for Ford and arguably a key step forward for the Blue Oval brand, one that will make it possible to lower the cost of its future electric cars. But given politics, whether it gets completed is up in the air. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “LG Energy Solution Opens New LFP Battery Cell Lines In Michigan” • LG Energy Solution’s new lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery plant in Holland, Michigan, marks a significant step for clean energy in the US. The facility was opened in early May to produce batteries for EVs or, when demand for EVs cools, for grid storage systems. [CleanTechnica]

LG energy manufacturing plant in Holland, Michigan

¶ “Updated Senate Bill Shrinks Wind And Solar Incentives While Adding A New Tax” • An updated draft of the Senate’s megabill text slashes tax incentives for wind and solar energy, while adding a tax on future wind and solar projects. The renewables lobby slammed the changes as hampering the sector, calling them punitive. [The Hill]

¶ “Republicans Move To Revive Trump’s ‘Beautiful Clean Coal Industry'” • The House Energy and Commerce Committee is set to revive the National Coal Council and “reinvigorate America’s beautiful clean coal industry,” as Donald Trump put it. Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky, said the legislation will have a good chance of passing the full House. [MSN]

Have an especially relaxing day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Renogy’s 200-W ShadowFlux™ Panel Is Built For Real-World Solar, Shade And All” • Renogy’s new 200W ShadowFlux™ Anti-Shading N-Type Solar Panel isn’t just another high-efficiency panel, as it’s specifically designed to perform where others fall short: It works under shade, heat, and the messy conditions of real-world use. [CleanTechnica]

Renogy 200-W ShadowFlux™ Anti-Shading Solar Panel

World:

¶ “A Third Of The Citizens Of A Pacific Island Nation Apply For Australian Climate Change Visa” • More than a third of Tuvalu citizens have entered the ballot for a world-first climate visa which would allow them to permanently migrate to Australia. But only 280 visas awarded to Tuvalu citizens from the random ballot each year. [BBC]

¶ “Berlin On Verge Of Creating Gigantic Car-Free Zone” • Berlin is looking to enter the exclusive, high-livability world of cities that are exceptionally bike friendly and pedestrian friendly by making its city center a car-free zone. And we’re not just talking about a street or two. Berlin’s car-free zone would be larger than the Island of Manhattan! [CleanTechnica]

Bridge in Berlin (wal_172619, Pixabay)

¶ “Filipino Automotive Pioneer Releases Its All-New Electric Jeepney” • Pioneer Philippine vehicle maker Francisco Motors Corporation rolled out its electric public utility vehicle, the Pinoy Transporter. Chairman Elmer Francisco told CleanTechnica in an email that his company introduced the final version after months of prototyping. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Scotland Gives Green Light For 2-GW West Of Orkney” • Scottish ministers granted offshore consent for the 2-GW West of Orkney offshore wind farm north of Scotland after a favorable recommendation from the Marine Directorate licensing team. The fixed-foundation array will deploy up to 125 turbines about 30 km west of Orkney. [reNews]

West of Orkney wind farm (West of Orkney image)

¶ “China Records Hydropower Boom Amid Power Storage Push” • According to the International Hydropower Association, China commissioned nearly 60% of the 24.6 GW of new hydropower capacity installed globally in 2023. Of China’s 14.4 GW additions that year, 7.75 GW was pumped storage, which is a cost-effective, long-duration storage. [OilPrice.com]

¶ “Eurowind Wins Approval For Danish Hybrid Park” • Vejle Municipality has approved Eurowind Energy’s Energipark Oster Starup. It is the first renewable energy project endorsed by the Danish municipality in several years. The 51.3-MW hybrid site will combine 22.5-MW of wind with 28.8-MW of solar panels. It is to be operational by 2027. [reNews]

Hybrid energy park (Eurowind Energy image)

US:

¶ “Electricity Demand In The Eastern US Surged From Heat Wave” • Electricity demand in the PJM Interconnection and ISO New England (regional grid operators covering the Northeast) reached multiyear highs on June 23 and June 24, respectively. Electricity demand increased largely due to a heat wave that affected most of the Eastern US. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Long Duration Energy Storage System Deploys Underground Hydropower” • The Texas firm Quidnet has a new twist on the hydropower angle. Instead of relying on the above-ground reservoirs used in conventional pumped storage, it has leveraged know-how from the oilfield services industry for a cost-shaving subsurface system. [CleanTechnica]

Quidnet energy storage system (Courtesy of Quidnet)

¶ “A Primer On NEVI Funds, And Why You Should Care About Them” • Another US federal program is in jeopardy. Now it’s the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program. NEVI is administered by the Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration. It has provided funding to states to deploy EV chargers strategically. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US Government Cuts Key Hurricane Forecasting Data From Satellites” • Weather experts are warning that hurricane forecasts will be severely hampered by the upcoming cut-off of key data from US Department of Defence satellites, the latest Trump administration move with potential consequences for the quality of forecasting. [CBC]

Storm (Andras Kovacs, Unsplash)

¶ “Shapiro Warns Pennsyvania Members Of Congress Against Cutting Renewable Energy Funds” • In a letter to Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation, Governor Josh Shapiro warned against eliminating clean energy tax credits. HR 1, the “Big Beautiful Bill,” would eliminate a number of tax credits for renewable energy projects. [Pennsylvania Capital-Star]

¶ “Texas’ Risk Of Summer Blackouts Reduced Thanks To Solar And Batteries” • Last year, the risk of grid emergencies during the summer peak risk hour ending around 9 pm was 16%. This year, ERCOT reports, it’s fallen to less than 1%. The new solar and battery resources added to the grid since last summer’s end have made the grid more reliable. [Inside Climate News]

Rooftop solar in Texas (© 2023 Larry D Moore, CC BY 4.0)

¶ “Guarding The Grid: Cybersecurity In Solar And Renewable Energy” • Utilities are increasingly adopting cutting-edge cybersecurity technologies to safeguard against the growing threat of cyberattacks. Within the industry, the solar energy segment has proven to be unique because it is particularly vulnerable to cybercrime. [pv magazine USA]

¶ “Texas Firm Aims To Build World’s Largest Data Energy Complex With Nuclear, Gas, Solar” • Fermi America, a Texas company co-founded by former Energy Secretary Rick Perry, aims to build the largest energy and data complex of its kind powered by nuclear, natural gas, and solar. Fermi plans to take Texas Tech University as a partner. [MSN]

Have a delightfully fulfilling day.

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World:

¶ “European Authorities Push Back On Tesla FSD” • In France, the Direction Générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des Fraudes concluded that Tesla has engaged in “deceptive commercial practices” harmful to consumers. The investigation began in 2023 as the result of multiple complaints submitted by French drivers. [CleanTechnica]

Tesla in France (Sergey Sokolov, Unsplash)

¶ “Denmark Grants Extension For Nysted And Middelgrunden” • The Danish Energy Agency has approved lifetime extensions for two of the country’s oldest offshore wind farms, allowing them to continue generating green electricity for at least another decade. Nysted was granted a 10-year extension, and Middelgrunden has an additional 25 years. [reNews]

¶ “Bernhard Schulte Christens CSOV ‘Windea Curie’” • Bernhard Schulte Offshore took delivery of its Commissioning Service Operation Vessel ‘Windea Curie’ from Ulstein Verft. It is to be deployed on a charter to offshore grid operator TenneT. The 89.6 meter vessel will support the TenneT offshore transmission platforms in the North Sea. [reNews]

Windea Curie (Bernhard Schulte image)

¶ “UK Rejects Support For $33 Billion Moroccan Subsea Renewable Energy Link” • The UK Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announced that it is not contemplating a contract for difference for Xlinks’ £24 billion Morocco-UK Power Project. The contract would have ensured a fixed price per MWh of electricity. [Power Technology]

¶ “Taiwan Streamlines Offshore Wind Approvals” • Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs introduced a new regular review system in a bid to accelerate administrative procedures for offshore wind project approvals. The Ministry convened the Energy Administration and Industrial Development Bureau to jointly reform the approval process. [reNews]

Turbine installation (Shimizu Corp image)

¶ “Which Countries Get The Most Electricity From Solar And Wind?” • Here are the ten countries that rely on solar and wind sources most for their electricity. All of them used solar and wind for at least a third of their electricity in 2024, a report from the Energy Institute says. For leading countries, that figure was two-thirds or more. [Canary Media]

¶ “Why Is There Disquiet Over Safety Of Torness Nuclear Power Plant?” • Calls have been made for Torness nuclear power station to be shut down after an inspection found Torness’s Reactor 1 had an estimated 585 cracks in its core bricks, which are essential for safe operation. The cracks could heighten the chances of a radioactive incident. [East Lothian Courier]

Torness Nuclear Plant (gailhampshire, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

China:

¶ “Solar News: China Leaps Forward While US Falls Back” • Last April, Xi Jinping, the president of the People’s Republic of China, said in a speech that in the past five years, China has “the world’s largest and most complete new energy industry chain.” China has over 1,000 GW of installed solar capacity. But US solar power is being held back by politics. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Frontier Pro PHEV: Is It Nissan’s Future Of Global Pickups?” • At Auto Shanghai in April, Nissan launched the Dongfeng-Nissan N7 and presented the Frontier Pro Plug-in Hybrid pickup truck, which will be delivered by about the last quarter of this year. The pickup was designed for, and will be built for, specifically the Chinese market. [CleanTechnica]

Nissan Frontier PHEV (Nissan Press Center)

¶ “China-SCO Green Efforts Deepening” • Renewable energy cooperation between China and other Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries gained clear momentum in recent years, driving substantial growth in green energy capacity in the vast region and contributing significantly to global decarbonization efforts, industry experts said. [China Daily]

US:

¶ “How Is Tesla’s Robotaxi Rollout Going? Experts Weigh In” • Tesla did a limited driverless taxi service launch in Austin, Texas. Elon Musk has promised to produce millions of robotaxis as soon as next year, but some experts questioned the company’s ability to do that. One Morningstar analyst expects Tesla will not scale up robotaxis earlier than 2028. [ABC News]

Tesla Model Y (Lekhaki, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Leap Powers National Grid’s Virtual Power Plant Initiative In Massachusetts” • Leap, a leading virtual power plant platform, and National Grid, one of world’s largest energy utilities, have announced expansion of their grid services collaboration to selected National Grid facilities in Massachusetts, providing easy access VPP opportunities. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “SolarEdge Expands US Manufacturing In Salt Lake City” • SolarEdge Technologies, Inc, a global leader in smart energy technology, announced it is ramping up its manufacturing site in Salt Lake City. In Q1, the site started making the SolarEdge ‘USA Edition’ Home Battery, marking the company’s commitment to supporting US energy independence. [CleanTechnica]

Salt Lake City (Anh Phan, Unsplash)

¶ “Luján Reintroduces Community Solar Bill To Counter GOP Attacks On Clean Energy” • As Congressional Republicans push legislation to gut key clean energy incentives, Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) has reintroduced a bill aimed to expand access to community solar for customers who were historically shut out of the clean energy transition. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Microgrids Closer To Reality For Oregon Communities” • The Oregon Legislature approved two bills, House Bill 2065 and House Bill 2066, that opened the doors for community-owned microgrids. They could increase renewable energy development in the state, provide grid resilience and reliability, and relieve pressure on transmission lines. [OPB]

Have a widely appreciated day.

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World:

¶ “BYD In Midst Of Unmatched Flurry Of Product Launches In Europe” • Europe has, of course, put high tariffs on electric cars built in China. One way around that for Chinese automakers is going to be setting up factories in Europe. BYD has a new factory in Hungary already, and the company is reportedly prepping for a flurry of product launches. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Dolphin Surf

¶ “EU Rules Out Production Aid In Blow To The Battery And Cleantech Industry” • New EU state-aid rules are a setback for the European cleantech and battery industry, green group T&E said. The rules maintain a ban on production aid despite the US using similar aid to successfully build a battery industry from scratch and overtake Europe’s. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The Strait Of Hormuz Spotlights Renewable Energy” • The New York Times says 20% of all the oil and methane energy in the world travels from the Persian Gulf to energy markets through the vulnerable Strait of Hormuz. But there is one sure way to put an end to all this reliance on unstable energy markets. That way is local renewable energy. [CleanTechnica]

Straight of Hormuz (PH1 Terry Cosgrove, public domain)

¶ “Tesla Sales Drop In Europe For Fifth Month In A Row” • Tesla sales fell 28% in May in thirty European countries as the overall market for EVs expanded sharply, said the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. The poor showing comes after Elon Musk, Tesla’s billionaire CEO, had promised a “major rebound” was coming last month. [ABC News]

¶ “Renewables Soar Yet Emissions Hit New Record” • Wind and solar generation grew 16% in 2024, according to the Energy Institute’s influential Statistical Review of World Energy. The combined output rose nine times faster than the total energy demand, the research found. Fossil fuel use still increased just over 1%, however. [reNews]

Wind farm (Karsten Würth, Unsplash)

¶ “Offshore Wind Hits 83 GW As 2024 Breaks Records” • The global offshore wind industry added 8 GW of capacity in 2024, pushing total installed capacity to 83 GW, according to the latest Global Wind Energy Council annual report. A record 56 GW of new capacity was awarded through auctions, and a record 48 GW of offshore wind is under construction. [reNews]

¶ “China’s Green Energy Solution Powers Sustainability While Combating Desertification” • China is leveraging its vast desert regions to develop large-scale solar and wind power bases that not only generate clean energy but also play a vital role in reversing desertification, offering a replicable model for global sustainable development. [Xinhua]

Inner Mongolia (Charles MingZ, Unsplash)

¶ “Norway Identifies Four Offshore Wind Zones” • Norway has named four southern sea areas as relatively best suited for offshore wind, following a strategic impact assessment led by the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate. The four zones are noted for their favourable wind conditions, grid access, and lower overall impact. [reNews]

US:

¶ “Electricity Use For Commercial Computing Could Surpass Space Cooling And Ventilation” • The US EIA projects that the electricity consumed for commercial computing will increase faster than any other end use in buildings. Computing accounted for an estimated 8% of commercial electricity consumption in 2024 and grows to 20% by 2050. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it (EIA image)

¶ “Sasol And Akuo Sign US Solar VPPA” • Sasol and Akuo signed a virtual power purchase agreement to supply renewable energy to Sasol’s Lake Charles Chemicals Complex in Texas. The 15-year VPPA covers 91 MW from the 195-MW Tennyson solar facility, now under construction. It is expected to meet around 50% of the Lake Charles facility’s electricity demand. [reNews]

¶ “The Deepwater Horizon Tragedy: Ecological Restoration Is Still Underway” • The  Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded 15 years ago, killing 11 people and injuring another 17. Over 100 million gallons of oil flowed into the Gulf of Mexico, causing the largest marine oil spill in US history. The catastrophic legacy of this disaster is still felt. [CleanTechnica]

Cleanup activity, 2010 (DVIDSHUB, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “US Utility-Scale Battery Storage Has Surged 15-Fold Since 2020” • Steady cost declines coupled with rising energy density levels have encouraged utilities to ramp up battery installations, with battery storage output now exceeding other power sources in certain power markets. Since 2022, battery prices have fallen by 40%. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ “Global Offshore Wind Market Sails Away From US” • The global offshore wind market is heading for another boom year in 2025, though it may be slowing. Blame the US, which is failing to use its sprawling coastlines to serve its energy-hungry coastal populations. Still, the long term outlook is rosier. US presidents come and go, but wind is forever. [CleanTechnica]

US offshore wind industry (US DOE image)

¶ “Report On Current Biogas Landscape In The US Dairy Sector” • The American Biogas Council reports that in June 2025, 471 biogas capture systems are operating at US dairy farms, double the number active at the end of 2020. The end-use of the biogas has also seen a major shift, as more of it is used for replacing natural gas. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “Shut Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant May Restart In 2027, Owner Says” • The former Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania may restart in 2027, about a year ahead of schedule after being put on a fast track to connect to the regional grid, executives with the plant’s owner Constellation Energy said. It had been shut for economic reasons. [MSN]

Have a day full of good surprises.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “NREL Publishes Method For Recycling All Components In Carbon Fiber Composites” • Deconstructing epoxy resins with hot acetic acid could provide a scalable and affordable solution for recycling a material used in a range of high-value consumer products, according to a research consortium at NREL. The method is surprisingly simple. [CleanTechnica]

Team of researchers at NREL (Joe DelNero, NREL)

¶ “Creating Green Hydrogen With Urine” • Researchers have developed two unique energy-efficient and cost-effective systems that use urea found in urine and wastewater to generate green hydrogen. Both have pathways to generate ‘green’ hydrogen economically. The sustainable energy source could remediate nitrogenous waste. as well. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “River Pollution Suffocating The Sea, Campaigners Say” • In Wales, pollution from rivers is “suffocating our sea,” campaigners warn. Seven of the nine most protected rivers fail water quality targets due in part to high levels of nutrients. WWF Cymru said excess nutrients from farming and sewage lead to the growth of algal blooms, smothering the seabed. [BBC]

Betws-y-Coed (Colin Jones, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Electric Bus Progress In Australia And New Zealand” • The Lord Mayor of Brisbane announced that over one million passengers have ridden on the new electric Metro system. It is part of Brisbane’s preparation for the 2032 Olympics. And over the ditch in New Zealand, Otago Regional Council is introducing 75-seat electric buses. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Nordex Wins 160-MW Turbine Deal In Turkey” • Nordex Group has secured a 160-MW turbine order from Efor Holding subsidiary Yellice Üretim AŞ, for the Yellice wind farm in Turkey. The contract includes the supply and installation of 23 N163/6.X turbines in the Sivas province. Commissioning is planned to take place before then end of 2026. [reNews]

Wind turbine (Nordex image)

¶ “Trianel Plans 900-MW Battery Project In Germany” • Trianel is developing a 900-MW battery energy storage system in Waltrop, North Rhine-Westphalia, in what will become one of Germany’s largest such projects. The project will use a disused industrial site initially designated for the Trianel coal-fired generating plant in nearby Lünen. [reNews]

¶ “Wales Launches Offshore Wind Action Plan” • The Welsh government’s offshore wind task and finish group launched an “ambitious blueprint” to capture the wider economic value of over 15 GW capacity that could be deployed in Welsh waters. The report outlines investments, planning reforms, port upgrades, and supply chain development. [reNews]

Anglesey (Visit Wales image)

¶ “French Parliament Rejects Proposal For Moratorium On Solar, Wind” • France’s National Assembly rejected an amendment by right-wing parties that offered a moratorium on solar and wind projects. The majority of the assembly voted against it after it had been approved a week earlier by a small portion of the parliament. [pv magazine International]

¶ “China-Led Study Proposes Global Green-Energy Network To Solve Power Crisis” • The world’s energy demands in 2050 could be met by an interconnected global solar-wind energy system producing three times the amount of power needed at a lower cost than independent regional systems, according to a Chinese-led study. [South China Morning Post]

Wind plants in Xinjiang (Chris Lim, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

US:

¶ “Environmental Advocates Sound Alarm Over Plan To Repeal Forest Protections” • The Trump administration’s move to end protections for 58 million acres of national forests will open up the federal lands to immense destruction, environmentalists say. The protections prevent timber harvesting on 58.5 million acres of roadless areas of National Forests. [ABC News]

¶ “Several East Coast Cities Break June Heat Records” • The heat wave on the East Coast is life threatening, hitting cities with the worst of the high temperatures before relief moves in later in the week. The first major heat wave of the season, it has extreme heat warnings and heat advisories in effect for over 150 million Americans from Texas to Maine. [ABC News]

Washington, DC (Vlad Tchompalov, Unsplash)

¶ “Veolia Opens One Of The Largest PFAS Treatment Plants in the US” • Veolia built one of the largest PFAS treatment systems in the US and the largest of its kind in the Northeast. Regulated PFAS compounds will be removed from water at the Stanton Water Treatment Plant, ensuring high-quality drinking water for over 100,000 Delaware residents. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “In West Texas, E-Fuels Are Coming For Your Fossil Fuels” • A recent development in e-fuels involves a massive new Project Roadrunner facility in Reeves County, Texas, near Pecos. The developer, US-based Infinium, aims to replace conventional jet fuel with a new concoction formulated from green hydrogen and captured carbon. [CleanTechnica]

Project Roadrunner e-fuels facility (Courtesy of Infinium)

¶ “Waymo Launches In Atlanta With Uber” • Waymo has just launched service in Atlanta, Georgia, in collaboration with Uber. So, starting today, if you want to hail a robotaxi in the city of Atlanta, you can. Waymo’s preferred method of expansion now is clearly to launch exclusively on the Uber app, as it has also done in Austin, Texas. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Legislation To Expand Wisconsin’s Nuclear Power Heads To Governor Tony Evers’ Desk” • The state Assembly passed a set of bills that would expand nuclear power in Wisconsin, sending the plans to Governor Tony Evers’ desk. One bill would establish a board to host a summit in Madison in an effort to transform Wisconsin into an industry leader. [WPR]

Have an unqualifiedly beautiful day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “New Wind Radar Enables Ultra-Fast Measurements” • The Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems put an innovative wind radar system into operation in Germany. Fraunhofer IWES said the so-called Dual Doppler Wind Radar enables ultra-fast three-dimensional wind field measurements. It started delivering data in the beginning of June. [reNews]

Dual Doppler Wind Radar (Jan Diettrich, Fraunhofer IWES)

World:

¶ “A5 Ruling Shows Impact Of Stormont Climate Change Legislation” • The High Court judgement blocking the upgrade of the A5 road shows the impact of climate change legislation at Stormont (Northern Ireland Parliament). It has implications not just for the A5 but for other road projects and possibly wider areas of Stormont policy, such as agriculture. [BBC]

¶ “Experts Issue Warning About Invasive Fish That Can Survive Out Of Water” • An invasive species of fish that can live out of water has been found in Nova Scotia, experts warn. The global economic cost of invasive species over the past sixty years has been about $35 billion annually, similar to the costs of extreme weather events due to climate change. [ABC News]

Pond loach (Manoel Jr, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “Toxic Waste Stored In Abandoned Mine In France Highlights A Global Problem” • The town of Wittlesheim in the Alsace region of France is confronted with a long term waste problem caused by short term thinking. In 1997, a plan was hatched to bury toxic waste in an abandoned mine. The town was assured the plan was safe. That was then. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Open Letter: E-SAF Tender Funded By National Governments To Unlock The First Projects In Europe” • With a potential to cut CO₂ emissions by over 90% compared to fossil jet fuel, e-SAF is the most sustainable aviation fuel, and it can be made at scale. However, despite favourable conditions, e-SAF projects continue to face major hurdles in Europe. [CleanTechnica]

Jet plane (Chris Leipelt, Unsplash)

¶ “South Africa’s Big Rooftops Could Power 6 Million Homes” • A team of researchers calculated that 111 million m² of rooftop space is available on the roofs of universities, schools, hospitals, and commercial buildings like shops, warehouses, office blocks, and factories in South Africa. They found that 80% of these roofs are highly suitable for solar panels. [Down To Earth]

¶ “Siemens Gamesa To Sign Offshore Wind Pact With Japan” • Siemens Gamesa is reportedly preparing to sign an agreement to work with Japan on offshore wind power. A Reuters report says the turbine maker is to team up with Japan’s industry ministry to launch a framework for public-private cooperation to build local supply chains for offshore wind. [reNews]

Offshore wind farm (Siemens Gamesa image)

¶ “BYD And Octopus Turbocharge EV Revolution At Energy Tech Summit” • EV manufacturer BYD UK, a subsidiary of BYD Group, joined forces with UK energy supplier Octopus Energy to announce the launch of the Power Pack Bundle, the UK’s first vehicle-to-grid bundle, enabling EV batteries to act in off-grid or grid support roles. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “RWE Bags Key Permit For 1-GW Theodore Project” • RWE has received state planning approval from the Queensland Government for its 1-GW Theodore wind farm project in Australia. The onshore wind project, near Theodore in central Queensland, would generate enough electricity to power about 500,000 Queensland homes. [reNews]

Wind turbines (RWE image)

US:

¶ “Ford Recalls Nearly 200,000 Mustang Mach Es Due To Faulty Door Latches” • Ford Motor Co. is recalling nearly 200,000 electric Mustangs because the door latches could falter, possibly trapping passengers in the back seat. Ford dealerships will fix the problem by updating the car’s software. The remedy is expected to be available by late September. [ABC News]

¶ “Trump Administration Plans To Rescind Rule That Blocks Logging On National Forest Lands” • The Trump administration plans to rescind a rule that blocked logging on national forest lands, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced. The roadless rule dates from the last days of Bill Clinton’s presidency. It has chafed Republican lawmakers. [ABC News]

National Forest (Jeremy Bishop, Unsplash)

¶ “UK-Based Hoku Energy Aims To Fill Green Hydrogen Gap In US” • US President Donald J Trump aims to tamp down investor enthusiasm for green hydrogen here in the US, in accord with his vendetta against renewable energy. But H₂-curious investors keep popping out of the woodwork, the most recent being the UK-based Hoku Energy Ltd. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Reinventing Urban Logistics: Honda’s Fastport eQuad And Fleet-As-A-Service Platform” • Honda has introduced Fastport, a company designed to meet the growing demands of last-mile urban logistics. Fastport aims to provide a comprehensive fleet sevice centered around a new EV concept: the Fastport eQuad Prototype. [CleanTechnica]

Fastport eQuad (Image via Fastport Honda)

¶ “Tesla Robotaxi Launch In Austin – The Sound Of One Hand Clapping” • Tesla’s robotaxi service in Austin began on Sunday, June 22, but it is available only to certain Tesla employees and retail investors. A video of a trip of ten miles gives an indication of why Tesla might not want anyone to be exposed to the new technology just yet. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New York Planning First Large US Nuclear Plant In Years” • New York Gov Kathy Hochul ordered the state’s public power utility to start working on an advanced nuclear energy site that would be the nation’s first major nuclear plant project in nearly two decades. Hochul said she is “committed to working with the White House to accelerate this project.” [The Hill]

Have an importantly worthwhile day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Challenges And Opportunities In US Offshore Wind Market” • Zachary Shahan sat down with Kris Ohleth, Director of the Special Initiative on Offshore Wind, to discuss the challenges, opportunities, and progress in the US offshore wind market, just as Federal uncertainty and meddling places tens of thousands of jobs in the wind industry at risk. [CleanTechnica]

Offshore wind turbines (Pramod Kumar Sharma, Unsplash)

¶ “Chinese Vision Vs US Lack of Vision In Auto Industry” • There are a couple of claims about China and its car industry that are quite common and aim to discredit what Chinese automakers have been achieving in the EV world. Overall, the idea is that EV producers get too much government support. We should provide some commentary about this. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Toyota And Airbus Push Fuel Cell Dreams” • Toyota Motor Europe announced a partnership with VDL Group in which four heavy trucks equipped with next-generation Toyota fuel cells are now operating. Also, Airbus and MTU Aero Engines announced a memorandum of understanding to push progress on hydrogen fuel cell propulsion for aircraft. [CleanTechnica]

Airbus zero-emission plane (Airbus image)

¶ “Reusable Rockets Are All The Rage In China. Now Honda Wants In On The Fun” • The rockets putting satellites up have multiple stages. The first stage does the hard work of getting the rocket off the ground and partially into orbit. Before SpaceX, the first-stage rockets ended up in the ocean, as junk. Now SpaceX is getting competition. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Fugro Bags Windbostel Survey Contracts” • Fugro has been awarded contracts to conduct both geophysical and geotechnical site investigations for two offshore wind farms in the German North Sea. The project includes Windbostel Ost and Windbostel West. It is a joint venture between RWE and TotalEnergies. The combined generating capacity is 4 GW. [reNews]

Fugro survey vessel (Fugro image)

¶ “A Win For Renewables In WA Budget” • The government of Western Australia unveiled its 2025–26 Budget, which includes major investments to help make the state a renewable energy powerhouse. Under its Made in WA plan, the state government has pledged to fast-track clean energy projects and support local manufacturing of the components. [Energy Magazine]

¶ “Jordan aims for 50% renewable energy in 2033” • Jordan is pushing ahead with plans to expand its reliance on solar power and other renewable energy sources to 50% in 2033. Renewable energy currently accounts for around 27% of the total energy mix. Jordan is facing real challenges in its power sector given its heavy reliance on gas imports. [Transformers Magazine]

PV power plant in Jordan (Majdi Abu Lebbeh, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

UK:

¶ “London Mulls CIB Expansion Into Onshore Wind” • The UK government is considering expanding its Clean Industry Bonus scheme to cover the onshore wind sector. London said it plans to consult on proposals to extend the scope of the mechanism, which is being rolled out for the first time in this year’s AR7 CfD auction for offshore wind projects. [reNews]

¶ “Changing Climate Affecting Lavender Crops” • Nick Butler’s family introduced lavender to Hartley Park Farm in Hampshire 26 years ago. Although the Mediterranean shrub, with purple flowers and a distinctive fragrance, loves hot summers, Mr Butler said this year’s warm spring brought flowering forward by up to two weeks. [BBC]

Lavender growing in Hampshire (Lavender Fields image)

¶ “Industrial Strategy Promises To ‘Unleash’ Investment” • The UK government is targeting a doubling of current investment levels in clean energy to more than £30 billion per year by 2035, according to its newly published Industrial Strategy. It provides a ten-year plan to boost spending and create skilled jobs in eight industrial sectors. [reNews]

US:

¶ “This Kite Destroys Wind Power And Flies Over America” • Imagine a world where gigantic kites fly far beyond the clouds, harnessing strong winds that conventional turbines can hardly dream of. This air energy from wind already flies over America, 750 meters up. It could transform clean energy and surpass conventional wind power. [El Diario 24]

Power system (SkySails Group image)

¶ “With War At Hand, What Will Happen To All Those New EV Charging Stations?” •  Even before Trump ordered the bombing of Iran, auto industry analysts were anticipating that EV sales could shoot up in the US over the short term as drivers rush to take advantage of the tax credit before it is ended by Republican budget cutting. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “USAF Taps Oklo For Military’s First Nuclear Micro-Reactor In Alaska” • In a major milestone for modular nuclear power on the way to the mainstream, the US Department of the Air Force has issued a Notice of Intent to Award to Oklo that may lead to the construction and operation of a military reactor in Fairbanks, Alaska. Oklo is based in California. [New Atlas]

Have a relaxingly peaceful day.

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World:

¶ “Trump Takes Huge Gamble Putting US At Heart Of Iran-Israel Conflict” • Donald Trump, the president who returned to the White House in January promising to be a “peacemaker,” has taken a dramatic step to insert the US into the fraught conflict between Iran and Israel. He ordered American forces to strike three nuclear sites in Iran. [BBC]

President Donald Trump (White House, public domain)

¶ “How Targeting Iran’s Nuclear Facilities Could Impact The Environment” • The destruction of uranium enrichment sites that support Iran’s nuclear program would not likely have severe environmental consequences, nuclear experts told ABC News. Israel has stated that its attack on Iran is aimed at destroying its ability to produce nuclear weapons. [ABC News]

¶ “Ember Claims Battery Storage And Solar Can (Almost) Do It All” • Ember released its latest battery report. A subtitle gives us the report’s basic message: “Batteries are now cheap enough to unleash solar’s full potential, getting as close as 97% of the way to delivering constant electricity supply 24 hours across 365 days cost-effectively in the sunniest places.” [CleanTechnica]

Battery Energy Storage System (Prevalon Media image)

¶ “Billions In Subsidies Flow To LNG Canada As Launch Nears For Kitimat Terminal” • As Kitimat, British Columbia, prepares to ship its first liquefied natural gas cargo, billions in subsidies and favorable fiscal treatment for fossil fuel infrastructure come into sharp focus, along with 2.2 billion tons of greenhouse gases it will eventually be responsible for. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ethiopia Updates ICE Vehicle Import Ban To Include Imports Of SKD And CKD Kits” • A bit over a year ago, Ethiopia banned the import of internal combustion engine vehicles. That ban was immediate, because the bill for fossil fuels was over $5 billion a year. Semi- and complete-knockdown kits to make ICE cars were not part of the ban, but now they are. [CleanTechnica]

Addis Ababa (Sintayehu Arega, Unsplash)

¶ “Development Banks Could Unlock Billions For Renewable Energy” • Many low-income countries would use their natural resources to develop their renewable energy capacity, through wind and solar, and other resources. Now, the Inter-American Development Bank may offer the financial plan needed to help expand global renewable energy. [OilPrice.com]

¶ “India’s Renewable Push Grows, Yet Coal Remains Backbone Of Electricity Generation” • Nearly half of India’s installed power capacity of a total of 476 GW is non-fossil fuel-based as of June, but coal-based thermal electricity plays a critical part, according to government data. Non-fossil fuel sources now contribute 235.7 GW, including 8.8 GW of nuclear. [ABP Live English]

Windpower (TR Shankar Raman, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “CCC And GGGI Push For Renewable Energy Development In The Philippines” • The Climate Change Commission and the Global Green Growth Institute stepped up efforts to accelerate the development of renewable energy in the Philippines through two innovative initiatives on floating solar and carbon-neutral railways. [Philippine News Agency]

¶ “Don Davies Introduces Bill Mandating 100% Renewable Electricity By 2030” • Interim New Democratic Party Leader Don Davies introduced legislation requiring Canada to generate 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Bill C-214, the National Renewable Energy Strategy Act, has had its first reading in the House of Commons. [The Deep Dive]

Hydropower in Canada (Fralambert, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

US:

¶ “Renewables As A Bridge To Gas? America’s Energy Logic Goes Backwards” • In recent remarks, John Ketchum, CEO of NextEra Energy, laid out a baffling narrative: renewables should serve as a transition solution toward expanding natural gas generation. Yes, you read that right. Gas, the “bridge fuel” to a renewable future, is called our destination. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Alaska’s Unique Power Sector Can’t Afford To Be Penalized In Congressional Process” • Federal support for renewable energy largely excluded Alaska while building new energy opportunities in the Lower 48. Nonprofit cooperatives, which generate nearly all of Alaska’s power, didn’t qualify, and neither did hydropower. Alaska needs consideration from lawmakers. [Alaska Beacon]

Wind turbines in Kodiak (Dennis Schroeder, NREL)

¶ “Elon Musk’s ‘Wake-Up Call’ For America Echoes What His Brother Kimbal Musk Said On President Donald Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’” • Elon Musk has once again cautioned the US government, saying that China’s solar power generation is on a trajectory to surpass the entire electricity output of the US within the next three to four years. [Times of India]

¶ “Solar To Power Half Of Port Newark Box Terminal’s Energy Needs” • Port Newark Container Terminal, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the city of Newark marked the completion of a solar energy project designed to provide half of the terminal’s yearly electrical power needs. The project covers 7.8 acres with solar panel canopies. [Yahoo]

Have an intentionally restful day.

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World:

¶ “BYD Set To Dominate NEV Market In Southeast Asia, Starting With Thailand ” • BYD is aggressively expanding its footprint across the Southeast Asian region. Thailand could be the ASEAN headquarters for this expansion. BYD sold some 27,000 units in the country last year, while Tesla only sold 4,121, according to a report from Car News China. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Dolphin show in Thailand (BYD Media Office)

¶ “53% EV Share In China!” • May saw the continuation of the never ending growth of the Chinese EV market, with plugins scoring over a million sales. Extended Range EVs grew fastest, going up by 52% to 116,000 units, or 11% of plugin sales, while other plugins grew 32% YOY (29% share) and full battery EVs grew 23% for a 59% share of plugins. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ireland Closes Its Last Coal-Fired Generating Plant” • Ireland is the fifteenth EU nation to stop burning coal for electricity. The Moneypoint generating station in Country Clare stopped the use of coal on June 20, 2025. It was built over forty years ago as a response to turmoil in world oil markets to ensure that Ireland had a reliable power supply. [CleanTechnica]

Coal-fired Moneypoint plant (ESB Energy International)

¶ “Octopus Acquires A 33-MW Irish Solar Project” • Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust agreed to acquire a 33-MW solar site in Ireland, expanding its Ballymacarney complex by 14% to 274 MW. The €27 million deal is for the Irishtown project, the sixth solar site at the operational complex, which is being developed by Statkraft. [reNews]

¶ “Clean Energy Vs Fossil Fuels In Emerging Economies At A Climate Crossroads” • BRICS is at a pivotal moment, with fossil fuels accounting for less than 50% of its total power capacity, a first in its history. The BRICS economic bloc comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Iran. [Daily Nation]

Windpower (Karsten Würth, Unsplash)

¶ “Free Signs First Wind PPA With H2air” • French telecoms operator Free signed its first wind power purchase agreement, for 19 GWh of electricity per year from the Limodores wind farm in Haute-Marne for fifteen years. Energy from four of the project’s turbines will be sold directly to Free by developer and operator H2air, starting 1 January 2026. [reNews]

¶ “Europe Has Installed So Many Renewable Energy Sources That It Is Now Facing An Unusual Problem: Electricity Is Too Cheap” • Europe is faced with a paradox: green electricity is so abundant that prices are historically low, or even negative. This situation highlights the challenges of managing an increasingly carbon-free electricity grid. [Farmingdale Observer]

Rooftop solar power (Watt A Lot, Unsplash)

¶ “Europe’s Largest Flow Battery Project Launched To Boost Energy Security” • Construction work to build the world’s largest flow battery has begun at the strategic and critically important electrical grid interconnection point on the borders of German, France and Switzerland, strengthening energy resilience and grid stability. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “Russia Warns Strike On Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Plant Could Cause ‘Chernobyl-Style Catastrophe'” • The head of Russia’s nuclear energy corporation warned that an Israeli attack on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant could lead to a “Chernobyl-style catastrophe.” Bushehr is Iran’s only operating nuclear power plant. It was built by Russia. [MSN]

Bushehr Nuclear Plant (Hossein Heidarpour, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “IAEA Warns Nuclear Contamination Risk From Israeli Attacks On Iranian Facilities” • The International Atomic Energy Agency has warned of risk of nuclear contamination from Israel’s attacks on nuclear facilities in Iran. The level of radioactivity outside the Natanz site after an Israeli attack has remained unchanged and at normal levels, but that could change. [China Daily]

US:

¶ “US Primary Energy Production, Consumption, And Exports Increased In 2024” • The US continued to produce more energy than it consumed in 2024. The surplus energy helped energy exports grow to a record high 30.9 quadrillion British thermal units in 2024, up 4% from 2023. Energy imports stayed flat at 21.7 quads in 2024. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it. (EIA image)

¶ “Extreme Heat Safety Tips As Dangerous Temperatures Head To East Coast” • A life-threatening heat wave is heading to the East Coast. Over 700 people die from heat-related illnesses every year, according to the CDC, and extreme heat is considered the deadliest weather-related hazard in the US, according to the Fifth National Climate Assessment. [ABC News]

¶ “140 Homes In South LA Will Receive Free Solar Power And Energy Upgrades” • In 1970, electricity for California homes cost an average of about 2.2¢/kWh. Today it is about 32¢/kWh. With solar power, you can pay a lot less. Renewable energy non-profit GRID Alternatives says it will provide free solar and energy upgrades for 140 homes of South LA. [CleanTechnica]

Have a really nice day.

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geoharvey is not tax-deductible.