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World:

¶ “Wind Turbines Power ‘Surprising’ Tourism Boom” • When Rampion windfarm was proposed off the Sussex coast, concerns were raised that it would ruin local tourism. Critics claimed the turbines would spoil views from Brighton’s iconic beach and the South Downs National Park, deterring people from visiting. But the opposite has been true. [BBC]

Rampion wind farm (Jon Lavis, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Canada To Fast-Track Energy Projects” • Canadian Energy Minister Tim Hodgson has pledged to “make Canada a true conventional and clean energy superpower.” He said the new Canadian government would fast-track Projects of National Interest through a Major Federal Projects Office, with decisions coming in two years. [reNews]

¶ “Agrivoltaics With Sheep And Solar Benefit All – Especially The Sheep” • A study conducted at a Lightsourcebp solar farm in Australia, showed the co-location of solar farming with sheep grazing is not negatively impacting wool production, even in the case of pre-existing high-quality standards. Some data suggested that wool quality improved. [CleanTechnica]

Sheep and solar power (Lightsource bp image)

¶ “TenneT Lays Dutch Offshore Wind Cables” • NRG will start six drillings under the dunes this week as part of TenneT’s project to bring wind energy from the sea to land on the Maasvlakte in the Netherlands. Three more of them will follow after the summer. The special drilling can be followed live from the information point on the Noordzeeboulevard. [reNews]

¶ “French PV Project Powers Up” • La Gineste solar farm in the French municipality of La Tourette-Cabardès, Aude, was put into service by Q Energy and Velto Renewables. Equipped with more than 15,200 solar modules, the 9-MW plant will generate enough renewable electricity to provide annual needs for roughly 5,500 municipal residents. [reNews]

Solar project (Q Energy and Velto Renewable)

¶ “NASA’s Discovery Of Atmospheric Shifts In North America Is Reshaping Climate Science” • The jet stream is showing erratic behavior. It normally flows in a consistent west-to-east course, but data indicate unpredictable oscillations. The disturbance has introduced crazy weather patterns, so new engineering methods need to be used to offset impacts. [MSN]

China:

¶ “Clean Energy Just Put China’s CO₂ Emissions Into Reverse For First Time” • Analysis for Carbon Brief shows China’s emissions were down 1.6% year on year in the first quarter of 2025 and by 1% for the latest year. Electricity supply from new wind, solar, and nuclear capacity was enough to cut coal-power output even as demand surged. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “China Plays The Green Hydrogen Card While Others Fold” • Three weeks ago, S&P Global took note of a hydrogen report posted by China’s National Energy Administration. Although China is producing a prodigious amount of hydrogen from fossil resources, the nation’s green hydrogen footprint is growing into a market force to be reckoned with. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “China Invests More In Wind And Solar Than Coal Overseas” • China’s overseas investments in renewable energy sources have overtaken fossil fuels for the first time. The shift highlights the growing dominance of China in renewable energy technologies and the critical mineral and metal supply chains that support their increasing use. [Inside Climate News]

Wind farm in Egypt (Hatem Moushir, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Shanghai Develops Framework To Regulate Virtual Power Plants” • Shanghai’s Songjiang district enacted the Measures for the Precise Response Management of Virtual Power Plants in Songjiang District, Shanghai (Trial). It is the city’s first district-level regulatory framework for VPPs and a pioneering move for Shanghai’s energy management. [China Daily]

US:

¶ “Enel Signs US Swap Deal” • Enel Green Power North America signed a swap agreement with Gulf Pacific Power in which the former will increase its indirect equity stake in certain corporate vehicles owning wind farms, bringing it to 51%. This will be in exchange for its stakes in other corporate vehicles owning wind farms, one amounting to 100%, plus cash. [reNews]

Wind turbine (Enel image)

¶ “Cadillac Lyriq Is Stealing Sales From Tesla” • Cadillac is very happy that many buyers of its all electric Lyriq never owned a Cadillac before. And a lot of its new customers are getting out of a Tesla and getting into a Cadillac. According to Carscoops, about one in four Lyriq buyers is a former Tesla owner, and 80% are new to the Cadillac family. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Climate Scientists Sound Alarm Over Trump Plan To Remove Limits On Power Plant Emissions” • The EPA is drafting a plan to end all limits on greenhouse gases emitted by coal and gas-fired power plants, The New York Times reports. The EPA argues that emissions from these plants “do not contribute significantly to dangerous pollution.” [Yahoo News Canada]

Have a seriously enviable day.

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World:

¶ “Electrifying Short-Sea Routes and Hybridizing Blue-Water Shipping” • By the 2040s, the technology landscape for maritime electrification will have significantly evolved. Battery energy densities, charging infrastructures, and renewable generation capabilities will have improved dramatically, making previously ambitious scenarios commonplace. [CleanTechnica]

Ship (Chris Pagan, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Government Encourages Solar PV Adoption” • The Malaysian government is opening opportunities for all parties, especially local authorities, to adopt solar PV systems as part of efforts to transition towards clean energy. By installing solar PV systems, these entities can save on electricity, generate renewable energy, and reduce carbon emissions. [The Edge Malaysia]

¶ “Meridian Opens $186 Million Battery Farm To Boost Energy Resilience In Northland” • Meridian Energy’s new $186 million battery farm is a big step towards strengthening energy resilience in New Zealand’s Northland and supporting the region’s shift to renewable energy. So electric power can be quickly reinstated after a blackout. [NZ Herald]

Meridian energy storage system (Meridian Energy image)

¶ “NSW Pitches First “Urban” Renewable Zone Based Around Rooftop PV, Batteries And EVs” • The NSW Labor government flagged the creation of the state’s first “urban” renewable energy zone, pitching the use of rooftop solar PV, home batteries and EVs in a major switch from the usual pitch of large scale wind, solar, and transmission lines. [RenewEconomy]

¶ “Liberia Unveils $105 Million Renewable Energy Investment Plan” • Liberia has launched a US$105 million Renewable Energy Investment Plan Framework & Roadmap, aiming to boost access to energy, reduce emissions, and achieve major strides toward its 2030 climate goals. The Liberia Electricity Corporation’s service currently has unreliable supply. [MSN]

Monrovia, Liberia (blk24ga, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Scientists Develop Powerful New Battery From Radioactive Waste” • Scientists at Japan’s Atomic Energy Agency developed a novel rechargeable flow battery that uses depleted uranium as its active material, according to a recent article in IEEE Spectrum. JAEA’s prototype demonstrates a promising ability to provide stable energy output. [The Cool Down]

US:

¶ “Empire Wind Project Restarts, Gas Pipleline Does Not” • New York Governor Kathy Hochul has convinced the White House to lift a stop-work order on the Empire Wind offshore wind project. Empire Wind still plans to generate electricity in 2027. But the Constitution Pipeline proposal some observers tie to it may still encounter obstacles. [CleanTechnica]

Empire Wind offshore project (Courtesy of Equinor)

¶ “NOAA Federal Funding Cuts Send Shockwaves” • NOAA plays a crucial role in forecasting and data analysis. Its reach extends from agriculture to tourism to navigating floods, hurricanes, fires, and other climate-fueled disasters. Its life-saving alerts and environmental monitoring help maintain safety. Administration budget cutters say we don’t need it. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Gas-Killing Geothermal Energy Bonanza Discovered Under Nevada” • President Donald Trump has embraced geothermal energy as part of his “American Energy Dominance” scheme, perhaps assuming that geothermal resources are a bit limited in scope, posing little or no threat to his pals in the fossil energy industry. Guess again. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it. (Courtesy of USGS)

¶ “Cybersecurity Concerns Bar GPA From Obtaining Batteries From US Adversaries” • The Guam Power Authority General Manager John Benavente said the GPA is looking to get energy storage system services so it can use stored solar energy during peak demands times at night. But concerns about cybersecurity are an issue. [The Guam Daily Post]

¶ “Meta Invests In 650 MW Of Solar Power To Support Growth Of AI” • Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, made a move to buy clean energy, as they signed a deal for 650 MW of solar power from AES Corporation. This energy will help power Meta’s data centers in Texas and Kansas, which are using AI increasingly. [Microgrid Media]

Have a powerfully sufficient day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Maybe There’s Hope For A Hopeless Time” • The Great Green Wall of Africa is an attempt to stop the southward expansion of the Sahara Desert. The wall project stretches from Senegal, on the west coast, to Djibouti, on the east, covering a distance of something over 4,800 miles at a depth of perhaps five miles. It is seen as a source of hope. [CleanTechnica]

Great Green Wall (Sevgart, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “The Fight Over EV Rules In California Misses The Big Picture” • For thirty years, California has been granted waivers by both Republican and Democratic administrations that let it enact stricter exhaust emissions standards than those prescribed by the federal government. But now, the US Senate has voted to revoke those waivers. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Agrivoltaics Benefit From Comparatively High Acceptance” • PV systems do not always meet with approval. But agrivoltaics is viewed more favorably, as researchers at the University of Bonn have now been able to show. In agrivoltaics, the solar cells are installed in spaces that are still used for agriculture, such as on pastures or over grapevines. [CleanTechnica]

Agrivoltaic plant (Agrivoltaïsme, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “TotalEnergies Inaugurates Its Largest Solar Field In Europe” • TotalEnergies has inaugurated its largest solar power plant cluster in Europe. It consists of five solar projects in Spain, with a total installed capacity of 263 MW. It will produce 515 GWh per year of electricity, enough to meet the damand of over 150,000 Spanish households. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Aikido Technologies Full-Scale Floating Wind Demonstrator To Be Tested In Norway” • Aikido Technologies, Inc, a floating offshore wind technology provider, announced this week that it signed an agreement with Marin Energy Test Centre in Norway, to deploy a 15-MW demo project. The platform will be one of the largest floating wind platforms. [CleanTechnica]

Aikido One quarter-scale platform installed in 2024

¶ “EU Adopts Rules Defining Scope Of NZIA” • The European Commission adopted rules defining the scope of the Net-Zero Industry Act, which aims to boost deployment of clean energy technologies. The rules clarify which manufacturing projects can benefit from specific provisions in the Act, such as on permitting and strategic project status. [reNews]

¶ “Denmark Clears Way For Offshore Wind Duo” • The Danish Energy Appeals Board has rejected appeals against construction permits for two offshore wind farms, and they can be built as planned. The 240-MW Jammerland Bugt and 165-MW Lillebælt Syd offshore wind farms will have a total of 27 turbines, each with a capacity of 15 MW. [reNews]

Offshore wind farm (European Energy image)

¶ “Romania Launches Call To Identify Offshore Wind Zones” • The Romanian Ministry of Energy has launched a public call for expressions of interest in a study to identify suitable areas of the Black Sea for the development of offshore wind farms. The goal is to support the development of an installed offshore wind energy capacity of at least 3 GW by 2035. [reNews]

¶ “For The First Time, Global Solar Energy Production Exceeded Nuclear Energy Production” • Data from the energy analyst Ember shows that solar power generation reached 233 TWh in April, exceeding the 213 TWh generated by nuclear power plants worldwide. This marks a significant shift in the international energy landscape. [Yourweather.co.uk]

Solar panels (Soren H, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “How The GOP Tax Bill Could Impact Sustainability Efforts” • The multitrillion-dollar GOP tax bill could have detrimental impacts on decarbonization efforts in the U.S., according to energy experts. The tax cuts would also impact sustainability efforts and domestic climate goals, environmental policy experts told ABC News. [ABC News]

¶ “Trump Signs Executive Orders To Boost Nuclear Energy And Reduce Oversight” • President Trump signed a set of executive orders to speed up nuclear energy development by reducing regulations. Nuclear reactors are expensive and time-consuming to build and have problems like waste storage, environmental effects of mining, and more. [Inside Climate News]

Signing an executive order (Sean Spicer, public domain)

¶ “Tesla Model Y And Model 3 Still First And Third Best Selling Cars in California” • Despite a horrendous year-over-year sales decline globally in Q1, including in California, Tesla’s two mass-market models topped the quarter’s sales charts in the state. Well, instead of taking first and second place, as they had previously, they took first and third. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Yesterday’s Congressional Attack On Clean Transportation” • The Congressional Review Act resolutions passed by the US Senate strike down waivers previously granted by the EPA, which allowed states to implement regulations favoring low emissions. “Today’s vote makes it clear that Congress wants Americans to waste more money on gasoline.” [CleanTechnica]

Distant US Capitol (dconvertini, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Renewable Energy Industry Becoming A Powerful Source Of Employment In SD” • While workforce shortages plague many industries and employers in South Dakota, great opportunities abound for skilled workers to build, operate, and maintain the state’s renewable energy facilities, including at its wind farms. Scholarship programs help. [Black Hills Pioneer]

¶ “US Solar Keeps Surging, Generating More Power Than Hydro In 2025” • In the US, many newly constructed generating plants are brought online at the end of the year to qualify for tax incentives. With the first three months of data in for 2025, it’s clear this year is no exception: Solar power is up a staggering 44% compared to the prior year. [Ars Technica]

Have an incomparably perfect day.

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Opinion:

¶ “The Basics Of IRA Subsidies And Why It’s Stupid To Kill Them” • Republicans are doing what they said they’d do, as they tilt the scales for the rich. They are attempting to return the US to a past glory that they imagine was founded on fossil fuels. But to do this, they are ignoring market trends that will continue to go on, even without the US. [CleanTechnica]

Driving away (Hyundai Motor Group, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Critical Minerals For Clean Energy Concentrated In Fewer Countries” • World sources of critical minerals are increasingly concentrated in just a few countries, most notably China, leaving the global economy vulnerable to supply cutoffs that could be disruptive to economies and hit consumers with higher prices, according to a report. [ABC News]

¶ “Hyundai Motor Group And Incheon International Airport To Deliver Next-Level Convenience With AI-Powered EV Charging Robots” • Hyundai Motor Group and Incheon International Airport Corporation have forged a strategic agreement to deploy EV automatic charging robots, based on AI, at the airport as part of a demonstration project. [CleanTechnica]

Hyundai EV charging at IIAC

¶ “In EU News, BYD Overtakes Tesla As Northvolt Suspends Production” • According to JATO Dynamics, a market research firm, BYD sold more EVs in the EU in April than Tesla, 7231 to 7165. That is a small difference, but the implications are huge. Also, EV battery maker Northvolt, which entered bankruptcy last year, is shutting its factory. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “100% Solid-State EV Batteries” • The US might have taken a total U-turn on EVs, but the rest of the world is moving on. A case in point is BMW Group, which is moving forward with plans to introduce 100% solid-state EV batteries. In a key test, the firm is trying out technology from the Colorado-based startup Solid Power. [CleanTechnica]

BMW with a new solid-state battery (BMW Group image)

¶ “China Achieves Milestone In Renewable Energy Transition” • China has set a new benchmark in its transition to renewable energy, with wind and solar power sources generating 26% of the nation’s electricity in April 2025. Wind power was responsible for a 13.6% share, while solar power made up 12.4%, according to global energy think tank Ember. [Yahoo]

¶ “Final Offshore Substation Installed At Dogger Bank C” • The Dogger Bank Wind Farm and its delivery partners completed the installation of the HVDC offshore substation platform at Dogger Bank C. Installation of the offshore substations is now complete on all three phases of Dogger Bank, the world’s largest offshore wind farm under construction. [reNews]

HVDC substation intallation (Heerema image)

¶ “New Report Reveals ‘Rapidly Emerging’ Energy Breakthrough Transforming The Future” • Even in the dead of winter, solar power is smashing records in Europe, and it is reshaping the continent’s energy future. In the first quarter of 2025, Europe’s solar electricity production surged by 32% compared to the same period in 2024. [The Cool Down]

¶ “Equinor And Polenergia Bank Over €6 Billion For Baltyk 2 And 3” • Equinor and Polenergia have reached financial close for the 1,440-MW Bałtyk 2 and Baltyk 3 offshore wind projects in Poland. Two project financing packages of over €3 billion for Bałtyk 2 and over €3 billion for Bałtyk 3, including ancillary facilities, have been secured. [reNews]

Offshore wind turbines (Ole Jørgen Bratland, Equinor)

¶ “RES Submits Plans For Northern Ireland Wind Project” • A planning application for a 66-MW wind project in Northern Ireland has been validated by the Strategic Planning Directorate Department for Infrastructure. RES’ 11-turbine Mullaghclogher project is located approximately 4 km north-east of Plumbridge, County Tyrone. [reNews]

US:

¶ “Solar Stocks Plunge As Republican Tax Bill Worse Than Feared For Clean Energy” • Solar stocks plungedafter House Republicans passed a tax bill that terminates key clean energy credits. The GOP bill is a “worse than feared” scenario for clean energy, as it takes a “sledgehammer” to the Inflation Reduction Act, Jefferies analysts told clients in a note. [CNBC]

Capitol Building (Harold Mendoza, Unsplash)

¶ “Crippling Clean-Energy Tax Credits Won’t Fly, GOP Senators Say” • The House’s draconian cuts to former President Biden’s landmark climate law won’t fly in the Senate, key Republican senators said. Softening aggressive phaseouts of key tax credits for clean electricity and nuclear projects are some top priorities, said Senator Lisa Murkowski. [Yahoo Finance]

¶ “US Senate To Vote On Cuts to IRA” • The US House narrowly passed the current reconciliation proposal, with dramatic cuts to key provisions of the Investment Reduction Act. The IRA was designed to bolster US manufacturing, develop a local US supply chain, and establish transmission systems. The Senate is urged to roll back the cuts. [reNews]

Liz Burdock of Oceantic Network (Oceantic Network image)

¶ “California Has Far More EV Chargers Than Gas Stations” • Author Jake Richardson, talking with the California Energy Commission, found that there are about 178,549 EV charging ports in the state. He looked up the total number of California gas stations. It turns out there are only about 15,000 gas stations or less, varying by source. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Nuclear Stocks Surge On Report Of Trump Executive Orders To Boost Industry” • Shares of nuclear power rose in premarket trading after a Reuters report said US President Donald Trump will sign executive orders aimed to jumpstart the nuclear energy industry as soon as Friday. Trump is expected to streamline the regulatory process for new reactor approvals. [MSN]

Have a totally copacetic day.

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World:

¶ “UK Sea Temperatures Soar After Exceptionally Warm Spring” • Temperatures in the seas around the UK and Ireland soared recently with some areas now 4°C warmer than normal. There may be implications for marine life and swimming people. The heatwave is most intense off the west coast of Ireland and some areas off Cornwall and Devon. [BBC]

Coast near Sidmouth (Red Zeppelin, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Volvo To Produce Electric Semis In Australia” • After a trial of two smaller electric trucks, Linfox announced plans to purchase thirty electric prime movers from Volvo Group. It is the largest order to date for battery electric prime movers in Australia. The trucks will be made at a Volvo facility in the western suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “‘Shrinking Nemo’: Smaller Clownfish Sound Alarm On Ocean Heat” • A growing body of evidence suggests some animals are shape shifting to cope with climate change, including fish, birds, lizards, and insects. Scientists say the discovery was a big surprise and could help explain the rapidly declining size of fish in the world’s oceans. [BBC]

Clownfish (David Clode, Unsplash)

¶ “China Dominates Global Trade Of Battery Minerals” • China imported almost 12 million short tons of raw and processed battery minerals, accounting for 44% of interregional trade, and exported almost 11 million short tons of battery materials, packs, and components, or 58% of interregional trade in 2023, data from regional UN Comtrade shows. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “‘Renewables On Unstoppable Trajectory’ Says Rio Tinto Boss” • Speaking at Aurora’s Spring Forum in London, Rio Tinto CEO Jakob Stausholm told delegates, despite the current geopolitical uncertainties, the “direction of travel” of the transition is clear. “We take a long-term view in our business and it is clear that the energy transition is happening.” [reNews]

Rio Tinto ore truck (US Consulate General Perth, public domain)

¶ “South America Sets Historic Benchmark: Zero New Coal Plants Planned” • When the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015, South America had eighteen coal-fired plants on the drawing board, reflecting expectations about the role coal would play in its future. Today, the entire continent now has no new coal-fired power plants planned. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ørsted Installs Final Greater Changhua 2b Foundation” • All suction bucket jacket foundations have been installed at the Greater Changhua 2b offshore wind farm in Taiwan. The first foundation at the 337.1-MW project was installed in early April, and Ørsted finished installing 24 of them ahead of schedule, in just over one month. [reNews]

Installing a wind turbine foundation (Ørsted image)

¶ “China’s Solar Capacity Up 30.54% In Q1” • China added 59.71 GW of solar power in the first quarter of 2025, a 30.54% increase from the previous year. This brought China’s total solar capacity to 950 GW as of March 2025. Beijing also added 14.62 GW of wind, 2.13 GW of hydroelectric, and 9.25 GW of thermal power in the first quarter. [Asian Power]

¶ “Nuclear Has Highest Investment Risk; Solar Shows Lowest, Say US Researchers” • A study by Boston University’s Institute for Global Sustainability found that nuclear power plants had the highest cost overruns and delays, with average construction costs exceeding estimates by 102.5%. By contrast, PV plants recorded cost underruns of 2.2%. [pv magazine International]

Nuclear plant in France (Jametlene Reskp, Unsplash)

¶ “Solar Power Set To Surpass Nuclear This Summer” • If the pace of growth in solar installations is sustained though June, July, and August, solar output is set to top 260 TWh in the summer months. This would beat the average 223 TWh of global nuclear power generation from 2024, according to a Reuters report on data from Ember. [OilPrice.com]

US:

¶ “Tesla CEO Heads Back Home, Leaving A Potential Honeybee Crisis Behind” • A crisis in US bee populations is called Colony Collapse Disorder. The Department of Agriculture is credited with identifying the causes of die-offs, reducing the risk of the ultimate disaster, and restoring honeybee populations. Then Elon Musk came on the scene. [CleanTechnica]

Honeybee (Akbar Nemati, Unsplash)

¶ “Repugnican Budget Bill Could Decimate US Solar Industry” • The current US government is planning to eviscerate incentives baked into the Inflation Reduction Act. This may be just because that legislation was passed by Democrats. The massive budget bill championed by Repugnicans seeks to dismantle many of the benefits of the IRA. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “NY Inks Contracts On 2.5 GW Of Renewables Capacity” • Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that contracts have been executed for 26 renewable energy projects across New York state, totalling more than 2,500 MW of capacity. These contracts result from a New York State Energy Research and Development Authority solicitation. [reNews]

Governor Kathy Hochul (Governor Kathy Hochul on Flickr)

¶ “Boralex Inks RECs Deal For 450-MW Of New York Solar” • Boralex has entered into an agreement with NYSERDA for the procurement of Renewable Energy Certificates from 450-MW of solar capacity. The Renewable Energy Standard Agreement with the New York authority is for output from two large Boralex solar projects. [reNews]

¶ “US Redirects Puerto Rico Solar Power Funds To Oil Plants” • The Trump administration will halt funding of $365 million awarded during the previous administration for rooftop solar power in Puerto Rico and redirect it to baseload plants and maintenance of infrastructure, it said. In this case, baseload power plants are those burning fossil fuels. [MSN]

Have a pleasingly satisfying day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Unlock The Full Potential Of Community Solar” • In the national conversation about clean energy, large-scale utility solar farms and rooftop solar often dominate the spotlight. Between those two extremes lies one of the most promising, inclusive, and rapidly evolving models for renewable energy deployment: community solar. [CleanTechnica]

Rooftop solar system (yue chan, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Elon Musk Is The Cause, Not The Solution To Tesla’s Deep Problems” • Jennifer Sensiba: “Elon Musk’s propaganda machine is in overdrive. … But, if we focus on whether he’s telling the truth, we will eventually find that we’ve skipped past a much more important question: Will Tesla be a stronger company with Elon Musk spending more time on it?” [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Coastlines In Danger Even If Climate Target Met, Scientists Warn” • The world could see hugely damaging sea-level rise of several meters or more over the coming centuries even if the ambitious target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C is met, scientists warn. They warn that 1.5°C should not be considered “safe” for coastal populations. [BBC]

Miami (Ryan Parker, Unsplash)

¶ “Tropical Forests Destroyed At Fastest Recorded Rate Last Year” • The world’s tropical forests, which provide a crucial buffer against climate change, disappeared faster than ever recorded last year, satellite analysis suggests. Researchers estimate that 67,000 sq km (26,000 sq mi) of these pristine, old-growth forests were lost in 2024. [BBC]

¶ “€800 Million Green Bond Fills 50Hertz Coffers” • Eurogrid, the parent company of German transmission system operator 50Hertz, raised €800 million in its first Green Bond issuance of 2025. The proceeds will support eligible onshore and offshore projects that integrate and transport renewable electricity, in line with Eurogrid’s Green Bond Framework. [reNews]

Offshore substation (50Hertz image)

¶ “Sodium Batteries: Yet Another Sign EVs Are Here To Stay” • US President Donald Trump has been losing his battle against EVs, and he’s about to begin losing even biglier now that new sodium-ion EV batteries are emerging on the market. Already, such stakeholders as industry leader CATL are laying plans for mass production. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Jeonnam 1 Powers Up” • Copenhagen Offshore Partners  has announced that the 96-MW Jeonnam 1 offshore wind project in South Korea has now begun commercial operations. Jeonnam 1 is South Korea’s largest privately led offshore wind farm. It has ten 9.6-MW turbines and is expected to generate enough power for around 90,000 households. [reNews]

Jackup ship at work (COP image)

¶ “Grenergy Signs Its Largest Battery Purchase Agreement With BYD Energy Storage For 3.5 GWh” • Grenergy has signed an agreement with global energy solutions provider BYD Energy Storage for the supply of 3.5 GWh in energy storage systems to be installed in the sixth phase of the Oasis de Atacama project in northern Chile. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “Report Warns Thousands Of Species Threatened By Climate Change” • Over 3,500 animal species are threatened by climate change, a report warns. Global warming now ranks alongside overexploitation and habitat alteration as the greatest threats to wildlife, say scientists. “We’re at the start of an existential crisis for the Earth’s wild animals.” [Black Hills Pioneer]

Penguin (Arya Tulsyan, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “Honda Pulls Back On EV Strategy For Now And Will Push Hybrid Sales” • Honda said EV sales were slowing in the US, so it will scrap its goal for EVs to be 30% of its global vehicle sales by 2030. Honda’s initial plan was to invest ¥10 trillion ($69 billion) in a strategy to electrify through 2031, but it is reducing that amount to ¥3 trillion ($48 billion). [ABC News]

¶ “What To Know About Senate’s Effort To Block Emission Rules For Vehicles In California” • Congress may stop California from implementing its first-in-the nation rule banning the sale of new gas powered cars by 2035. A Senate vote expected as soon as this week could end the nation’s most aggressive effort to transition toward EVs. [ABC News]

Smog (Jacek Dylag, Unsplash)

¶ “California EV Sales Stay Strong, Model Choice Skyrockets” • The California electric vehicle market continues to be one of the best in the world. It’s not on a growth spurt at the moment, but even with Tesla sales drooping in what had been their home state, 20.8% of autos sold in California were full electric vehicles in the first quarter. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US Refining Industry Risks From 2025 Hurricane Season” • Colorado State University’s hurricane forecast estimates the 2025 hurricane season will have almost twice the storms of the 1991–2020 average. This suggests heightened risk for weather-related outages of oil industry production, especially refinery outages along the US Gulf Coast. [CleanTechnica]

Flooding after Katrina (Jocelyn Augustino, FEMA, public domain)

¶ “Solar Apprenticeships Give Virginia Students A Head Start On Clean Energy” • A regional partnership working to add solar panels to commercial buildings in Virginia aims to train young people as they go, developing workforce skills in anticipation of increasing demand for renewable energy-focused jobs in the heart of coal country. [Canary Media]

¶ “First US Utility Seeks Permit For A Small Nuclear Reactor” • The nation’s largest public power company, the Tennessee Valley Authority, announced that it submitted a construction permit application to the US NRC for a small, modular nuclear reactor. It wants to develop next-generation nuclear power in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, at its Clinch River site. [Coast Reporter]

Have a cheerfully cozy day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Why We Need ‘Revolutionary’ Cooling Tech” • With climate change, we need cooling, but the refrigerants typically used for that typically have high global warming potential. Now some scientists are looking toward cooling devices that don’t need liquid refrigerants at all. One major set of revolutionary cooling tech is solid-state cooling. [BBC]

Phonic cooling systems (Phonic image)

World:

¶ “Queensland Makes EV Progress Despite Government Shift To The Right” • In 2024, Queensland citizens voted out the Labour state government and voted in the more conservative Liberal National Party. A spokesperson for the Department of Housing and Public Works said there has been no formal announcement of policy change for EVs, however. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The Pilots Chasing ‘Sky Rivers’ And Cyclones From Japan To The US” • Storm-hunting planes chase atmospheric rivers from Japan to the US, revealing new insights into these powerful storms and how we can keep ourselves safe. They are becoming bigger, and the strongest ones are becoming more frequent, due to climate change. [BBC]

Flying to Japan (US Air Force image)

¶ “How Poland Changed Its Energy Story” • Poland’s energy story is both a cautionary tale and an inspiring narrative about how a nation dependent on coal has managed to diversify its energy mix greatly within just a few decades. Poland’s coal generation has dropped rapidly from over 90% of energy to 63% since 1990, all due to renewables. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “SSE Begins Construction Of 208-MW Strathy South” • SSE has begun construction on its 208-MW Strathy South wind farm in the Scottish Highlands. The £400 million onshore wind farm, in Sutherland near SSE’s existing Strathy North project, will have 35 Vestas V162-6.2MW turbines. It is expected to be operating commercially in late 2027. [reNews]

SSE wind farm (SSE image)

¶ “Microgrids Power China’s Green Energy Transition” • The demand for microgrid projects is surging in industrial parks across China, as companies see them as a way to help cut costs and transition toward greener growth. And local governments are encouraged to build smart microgrid projects that cater to regional needs. [China Daily]

¶ “UK Could Net 10,000 Extra Jobs Through Offshore Wind” • Regional Growth Prospectuses released by the Offshore Wind Industry Council and The Crown Estate set out how coastal regions of the UK can expand their activities in key parts of the country’s rapidly-growing offshore wind supply chain, which could have 10,000 extra jobs. [reNews]

Offshore wind farm (Innogy image)

¶ “Nuclear Power Wrecks Political Marriage As Nationals Quit Coalition With Liberals After 70 Years” • Nuclear energy has blown up a political agreement between the Nationals and the Liberals after their respective leaders failed to reach common ground. The coalition couldn’t continue after its disastrous result in the federal election. [RenewEconomy]

¶ “TenneT Has Installed 900-MW BorWin Converter Platform” • TenneT has reached a milestone in the development of its 900-MW German offshore grid connection system BorWin5. With a weight of 12,300 tonnes, twice the weight of the Eiffel Tower, and the height of a 16-storey building, the platform is now anchored at sea and almost ready for use. [reNews]

Platform installation in progress (TenneT image)

US:

¶ “Trump’s Policies Could Impact The Environment Long After He Leaves Office, Some Experts Say” • The policies promoting use of fossil fuels will be difficult to put into effect, experts say. But the campaigns against wind, energy, batteries, EV charging and energy efficiency will put the US on a slower path to dealing with global warming. [ABC News]

¶ “Greer Fire Expands To 20,000 Acres With More Than 700 Personnel Battling Flames” • A wildfire in eastern Arizona expanded to over 20,000 acres. The Greer Fire, named after the small community in Arizona’s White Mountains where the blaze sparked on May 13, has grown to over 20,425 acres and is 38% contained, officials said. [ABC News]

Greer Fire in eastern Arizona (@azstateforestry via X)

¶ “Republican Bill in Congress Threatens 300 US Factories And 300,000 US Jobs” • The Solar Energy Industries Association shares that legislation passed through two committees last week could jeopardize nearly 300 American solar and storage factories and lead to the loss of 145,000 GWh of solar generation by 2030, if it is enacted. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Trump Loses Big Game Of Offshore Wind Chicken” • The dramatic stop-work order abruptly issued in April against the Empire Wind offshore wind farm by the Trump administration didn’t last long. On May 19, Equinor announced that the order to stop work has been lifted. Exactly how and why will probably remain a mystery. [CleanTechnica]

Offshore windpower (Capmat007, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Texas Welcomes More Solar Factories Despite Anti-Solar Lawmakers” • Republican lawmakers in the red state of Texas are making new laws aimed at making life miserable for Texas solar developers. Meanwhile, solar factories in Texas are churning out gigawatts’ worth of solar panels, making life easier for solar developers around the US. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Doral Renewables Gains $1.5 Billion Financing For US Solar Projects” • US-based renewable energy assets developer Doral Renewables has secured up to $1.5 billion in financing for its Mammoth South, Mammoth Central I, and Mammoth Central II solar projects in Pulaski County, Indiana, US. Each will have 300 MW of capacity. [Power Technology]

Have a subtly insightful day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “Two New Renewable Energy Technologies That Just Might Work” • CleanTechnica is bringing you two new developments. The first news flash came from Fraunhofer, the highly respected German technology research organization. The other is the O-Wind Sphere from O-Innovations that offers free electricity from prevailing breezes. [CleanTechnica]

Energy storage system (Fraunhofer image)

World:

¶ “‘Green’ EU Investment Funds Full Of Fossil Fuel Companies” • One problem that is raised over and over is inclusion of fossil fuel companies in ESG or “green” investment funds. A new look from the Guardian and Voxeurop found this problem again. “Green” funds in Europe hold over $33 billion in in oil and gas investments. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “These Trees Exist In Only One Place. Climate Change And Goats Threaten Their Survival” • The dragon’s blood tree is a species found only on the Yemeni island of Socotra. It is now struggling to survive intensifying threats from climate change, grazing by invasive goats, and persistent turmoil in Yemen, one of the world’s poorest countries. [BBC]

Dragon’s blood trees (Rod Waddington, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “WoodMac Tips Australia To Fall Short Of 82% Renewables Goal” • Global analytics firm Wood Mackenzie predicts Australia will fall well short of its target of 82% renewable generation by 2030 due to grid connection delays, inadequate investment, and moves from some state governments to scale back their clean energy ambitions. [pv magazine Australia]

¶ “Norway Opens Tender For Utsira Nord” • The Norwegian government has opened a floating offshore wind tender for the Utsira Nord site. The Ministry of Energy is seeking applications for three project areas in Utsira Nord, each with an installed capacity of up to 500 MW. The winner will be the one who bids the lowest funding requirement. [reNews]

Floating wind turbine (Ideol image)

¶ “Change Of Plans For NSW REZ” • After long consultation, the northern energy hub for the renewable energy zone in New South Wales will be relocated in an effort to reduce potential impacts to private landowners and the Boorolong community. EnergyCo and Origin Energy are working together to relocate the north hub. [Energy Magazine]

¶ “Ørsted Begins Construction Of Bahren West 2” • Ørsted has started construction of the Bahren West 2 wind farm in Lusatia. It follows the completion of the Bahren West 1 wind farm, which has been feeding electricity into the grid since March 2025. The new 61.6-MW Bahren West 2 wind farm will consist of eleven 5.6-MW wind turbines. [reNews]

Wind farm construction (Ørsted image)

¶ “Reliance Power Secures Long-Term PPA With Bhutan’s GDL For 500-MW Solar Project” • Reliance Power Ltd has signed a commercial term sheet for a long-term PPA with Bhutan’s Green Digital Pvt Ltd for a 500 MW solar project. The 500 MW plant is to be developed by Reliance Power through a 50:50 joint venture with DHI. [pv magazine India]

¶ “Croatia Reaches 1 GW Solar Milestone” • Croatia’s total solar capacity reached 1 GW, the Renewable Energy Sources of Croatia Association says. A spokesperson told pv magazine the country recently reached 1 GW, up from 872 MW at the end of 2024. PM Andrej Plenković said the green energy transition is one of the country’s four strategic goals. [pv magazine International]

Construction (Government of Croatia)

¶ “Germany Shifts Stance On Nuclear Power In EU Policy” • Germany, which has been opposing for years EU attempts to treat nuclear power as a green electricity source on par with renewable energy, has dropped this opposition under new chancellor Friedrich Merz. This could make EU energy policy much easier to adopt. [OilPrice.com]

US:

¶ “Why Winemakers Need To Embrace Sustainable Growing Practices” • The climate crisis has upended a necessary balance for winemakers and their crops. No longer are grape yield, composition, and wine quality a certainty with the backdrop of earlier season warm temperatures. The entire cycle of wine grape growth is shifting. [CleanTechnica]

Vineyard in California (Tim Mossholder, Unsplash)

¶ “Flow Battery Takes On The Data Center Energy ‘Crisis'” • XL Batteries announced the installation of its flow battery at pilot scale in Texas. A flow battery can discharge electricity for days or weeks at a time, depending on the formula and the architecture. So a flow battery could store enough energy to provide a data center with reliable electricity. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Guam’s Journey To 100% Renewable Energy” • Guam, a small US island in the Pacific, is making big changes. The island is hard at work to switch from fossil fuels to clean energy. It aims to protect the environment and lower energy costs for residents. As of 2024, about 12% of Guam’s electricity comes from renewable sources, mainly solar power. [Microgrid Media]

Have a perfectly okay day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Northwest Leaders Set Renewable Energy Goals, But They Neglected A Key Element Required To Achieve Them” • Oregon and Washington have some of the most ambitious clean energy goals in the country. They’ve vowed to replace all of the states’ electricity with renewable sources. The problem starts with a lack of transmission lines. [Oregon Public Broadcasting]

Wind farm in Oregon (Steve Wilson, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Australia And China Can Power Up Southeast Asia’s Green Energy Transition” • Australia and China share key interests in Southeast Asia, despite their rivalry. By collaborating, both countries can strengthen their ties in Southeast Asian, build the foundation for an energy transition, and show a commitment to international stability. [East Asia Forum]

World:

¶ “Powering Ports: Electrifying Harbor Craft And Ferries For Lower Costs And Emissions” • After we start to electrify ground equipment, the critical next phase for powering ports is to electrify port vessels such as harbor tugs, service boats, and local ferries. This will establish critical infrastructure for even more ambitious steps to come. [CleanTechnica]

Electric ferryboat (Franz Wender, Unsplash)

¶ “With New EV Charging Stations, Norway’s Excellent EV Adventure Is About To Get More Excellent” • Norway has found the secret of selling more EVs. A next step is building up its EV charging infrastructure. Demand for charging ports could run into a grid bottleneck, slowing down the pace of the transition to EVs, but there is another way. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Record Breaking Uptake of Starlink In Africa Reminds Us Again Of The Continent’s Untapped Potential” • The latest quarterly update by Zimbabwe’s Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority shows VSAT subscriptions, including those to Low Earth Orbit satellite services, jumped 513.79% in Q4 of 2024. This is due to costs declining. [CleanTechnica]

House in Zimbabwe (Claire Roadley, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Firm Secures $5 Million Investment For 108 Solar Mini-Grids” • The International Finance Corporation, together with the Canadian Government, has made a $5 million investment in Husk Nigeria to scale up the deployment of solar hybrid mini grids and renewable energy to underserved communities in Northern Nigeria. [Punch Newspapers]

¶ “Taiwan Shuts Down Last Nuclear Reactor After Forty Years In Operation” • Taiwan’s last operating nuclear power reactor has been shut down. The end of its productive life caps four decades of operation in line with the government’s policy to phase out atomic energy, though some people claim that goal remains uncertain. [The Mainichi]

Maanshan nuclear plant (Jnlin, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

US:

¶ “Tesla Stock Soars, But Will Sales?” • Tesla stock soared this week. Part of the reason may be that it had been pushed down by tariffs, which had been rolled back. Another part of the reason, however, is that Tesla’s sales are down. And in order for Tesla stock to rise to its former heights, sales must get back to their former glory. Will that happen? [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Solar Farm To Power 200,000 Homes And Boost Clean Energy Capacity By 20%” • A 1.3-GW solar farm in northern Indiana is all set to become one of USA’s largest solar power projects following an agreement between Philadelphia-based renewable energy operator Doral Renewables and engineering firm Bechtel, based in Virginia. [MSN]

Groundbreaking, 2021 (Gov Eric Holcomb, public domain)

¶ “More On Illegal Communication Devices Found In Chinese-made Solar Power Inverter” • US energy officials are reassessing the risks posed by Chinese-made devices that play an important role in renewable energy infrastructure. This was done after unregistered communication devices were found on some of these devices. [VOI.ID]

¶ “The Nuclear Company Raises $51 Million To Develop Massive Reactor Sites” • The Nuclear Company is taking an old approach to building new nuclear reactors. Rather than come up with a new design or try to mass manufacture smaller reactors, it wants to develop a series of reactors using existing designs. But nuclear power is facing headwinds. [MSN]

Have a gratifyingly eventful day.

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World:

¶ “Hidden Source Of Clean Energy Could Power Earth For 170,000 Years” • Sources of hydrogen could be hiding in the Earth’s crust, enough to power Earth at its current energy needs for 170,000 years, according to a paper published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment. The researchers developed ways to assess where to find it. [ABC News]

Geologic provinces (USGS, public domain)

¶ “Chinese Solar PV Market More Than Three Times Bigger Than US And EU Markets Combined” • China has been the largest solar PV market far and away for several years now, but it’s stunning to see that the solar market there is now over three times as big as the US and EU solar PV markets combined. China stands alone as the leader. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Electrifying Ground Vehicles: The Practical First Phase Of Port Sustainability” • Ports sit at the crossroads of global trade, and they are increasingly central to global decarbonization efforts. Ground vehicles and cargo handling equipment offer relatively low-hanging fruit given the availability and proven reliability of electric alternatives. [CleanTechnica]

Loading a container (David Wilson, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “Utility-Scale Outshining Rooftop Solar As Global Solar Market Explodes” • We’re seeing the end phase of a superior technology taking over the electricity generation market. Solar PV costs have come down for decades, but now they’re so low that nothing can truly compete most of the time. This is really superpowering utility-scale solar. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Wind Industry Hit New Record In 2024” • New figures show the wind industry delivered a record 127 GW of new capacity globally in 2024 despite economic and policy challenges. The figures from Global Wind Energy Council’s annual Supply Side Data report show that 29 turbine suppliers installed 23,098 units last year. [reNews]

Wind farm (Vestas image)

¶ “ReNew Commits $2.5 Billion To Build One Of India’s Largest Hybrid Renewable Projects” •ReNew Energy Global will invest ₹22,000 crore ($2.5 billion) to develop one of India’s largest hybrid renewable energy projects in Andhra Pradesh. It will have 1.8 GW of solar capacity, 1 GW of windpower, and a 2-GWh battery storage system. [ESG News]

¶ “Estonia Grants Key License For Offshore Wind Farm” • The Estonian government has granted a key licence to Saare Wind Energy, paving the way towards a building permit for the first offshore wind farm for the country. Saare Wind Energy is planning to build a wind farm with a capacity of up to 1.4 GW off the island of Saaremaa. [reNews]

Lease area (Saare Wind Energy image)

¶ “AfDB Commits $29.4 Million To 62-MW Solar Power Project In Togo” • The African Development Bank has committed €26.5 million ($29.4 million) in financing for a 62-MW solar power plant in Togo, to be developed by French state-owned utility EDF, the bank announced. Togo has a goal to reach 200 MW of installed renewable capacity by 2030. [MSN]

¶ “Sungrow Installs BESS Near Arctic Circle” • Sungrow has installed one of the world’s northernmost battery energy storage systems, less than 100 km south of the Arctic Circle. The BESS project in Simo, Lapland, with a capacity of 60 MWh, supplies Finland’s renewable energy grid. It was developed as part of the FRV AmpTank joint venture. [reNews]

BESS project in Simo, Lapland (Sungrow image)

¶ “First SMR In North America To Be Operational In Five Years” • The Ontario government gave a green light to Ontario Power Generation to build the first of four Small Modular Reactors at the Darlington New Nuclear Project site. OPG says it will be the first commercial grid-scale SMR in North America, with an in-service target date of 2030. [OilPrice.com]

US:

¶ “A Perfect Storm For Energy May Be Coming To The US” • It looks like a perfect storm for energy could be coming to the US. The Trump administration is trying to push energy resources that cannot be built quickly, while attempting to kill some that can. And this is happening just as demand is increasing. This could become a problem. [CleanTechnica]

Looming storm (Frank Mittermeier, Unsplash)

¶ “Tesla Brand Image Plunges Amidst Regulatory Questions And Competitors’ Rising Approval Ratings” • Tesla has lost its appeal as a relevant pioneer. There are bumper stickers distancing Tesla owners from CEO Elon Musk and reports of graffiti at Tesla showrooms. In fact, Tesla is the only brand where negative views of the automaker exceed 15%. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Solar Opportunity As Electricity Demand For Datacenters Is Expected To Triple In Five Years” • The datacenter boom is well underway. Electricity demand is expected to triple for AI and cloud computing from 200 TWh in 2025 to 600 TWh in 2030, says a report from LandGate. The increase represents 11.7% of the total US electricity demand. [pv magazine USA]

Solar array (Avangrid image)

¶ “Tesla Sales In April Of 2025 Continue To Disappoint” • Sales data for April 2025 is now in, and the skies over Tesla continue to get darker. The company still refuses to release sales figures by country and only reports total sales on a quarterly basis. For now, the numbers don’t look good, though official numbers are not expected until July. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Nuclear Power ‘Dead In Its Tracks’ With House GOP Tax Bill, Advocates Warn” • Nuclear power advocates are warning that the industry’s recent growth could be halted by the cuts to clean energy incentives advanced by House Republicans as part of the sweeping fiscal overhaul meant to implement much of President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda. [MSN]

Have a gloriously tranquil day.

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World:

¶ “Powered By Volcanoes: Dominica Boosts Clean Energy” • To end its reliance on diesel-powered generators, Dominica is building a geothermal power station. The power station will be built in the south of the country and will access boiling hot water that is currently contained in natural underground reservoirs that are heated by volcanic rock. [BBC]

Geothermal plant building (Ormat Technologies)

¶ “Uruguay EV Sales Report: At 17.6% BEV Market Share In April, We Have A New Leader in Latin America!” • Uruguay’s battery EV sales have boomed this year, with every month presenting explosive growth year over year. April was not an exception, presenting 153% growth from April of 2024 and surpassing 900 battery EVs sold for the first time. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US EIA Forecasts World Oil Consumption Growth To Slow Amid Less Economic Activity” • The US Energy Information Administration forecasts consumption growth of crude oil and other liquid fuels will slow over the next two years, driven by a slowdown in economic growth, particularly in Asia, in its May Short-Term Energy Outlook. [CleanTechnica]

Offshore oil platform (Zachary Theodore, Unsplash)

¶ “Clean Energy Shifts China’s CO₂ Emissions From Growth To Decline” • For the first time in modern history, China’s annual CO₂ emissions have dropped, and not due to economic turmoil or external shocks. It’s a result of deliberate, sustained expansion of clean energy infrastructure. The significance of this milestone cannot be overstated. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “EU Approves Joint Venture Of BP And JERA” • The European Commission has approved the creation of an offshore wind joint venture by JERA Nex and BP Gamma. The 50:50 company will have a balanced mix of development projects and operating assets with total 13 GW potential net generating capacity, the companies said. [reNews]

Offshore wind turbines (Carbon Trust image)

¶ “Canadian Wind Project Secures $1 Billion In Financing” • A Canadian consortium that includes Boralex has financing for the 400-MW Des Neiges – Secteur sud wind project in Quebec. La Societe de projet BVH1 also inclues Energir Developpement and Hydro-Quebec, and it has in place $960 million of financing for the wind project. [reNews]

¶ “Elawan Secures Financing For 175 MW Of Hydro Projects” • Elawan Energy has secured financing for 23 small hydropower plants in Spain with a total capacity of 175 MW. The €76 million transaction has been structured as a non-recourse project finance deal, aligned with the company’s sustainability principles and energy transition objectives. [reNews]

Hydro power (Elawan Energy image)

¶ “Victoria Lays Out Plan For Seven Renewable Zones, And Four New Transmission Lines To Replace Coal” • VicGrid has released a first draft of the much anticipated Victorian Transmission Plan, proposing the establishment of seven renewable energy zones and four new transmission lines to support the state’s transition to 65% renewables by 2030. [RenewEconomy]

US:

¶ “Mid-Drive Muscle Under $2.5K? Ride1Up’s Prodigy V2 E-Bike Just Got Even Cheaper” • You may have noticed how mid-drive bikes with premium components can easily cost $4,000. By contrast, the Ride1Up Prodigy V2 brings top-tier specs, like a Brose mid-drive motor, Gates belt drive, and Enviolo CVT hub, down into the $2,000 range. [CleanTechnica]

Ride1Up Prodigy V2 (Ride1Up image)

¶ “The Huge Waymo Recall That Wasn’t” • The headlines said Waymo robotaxis were being recalled! 1,212 of them! Apparently, at low speeds, they were running into trouble with gates and chains and such. Not life threatening, but not great. But a 1,212 vehicle recall?! As it turns out, they just needed an over-the-air software update. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US Bill Will Deter Renewables” • The United States draft budget reconciliation bill would deter renewable energy projects, analysts warn. Energy analytics company Wood Mackenzie has warned that if the bill is passed, solar, wind, and energy storage forecasts could be downgraded, while 95% of announced green hydrogen projects will be put at risk. [reNews]

Colorado wind farm (Invenergy image)

¶ “EnergyRe And Google Sign 600-MW Solar Deal” • EnergyRe signed a renewable energy agreement which allows Google to invest in and purchase Renewable Energy Credits from a portfolio of more than 600 MW of new solar and solar with storage projects in South Carolina. This marks Google and energyRe’s second collaboration. [reNews]

¶ “National Grid Takes £303 Million US Offshore Wind Hit” • National Grid booked an impairment of £303 million ($403 million) on its paused 2,800-MW Community Offshore Wind in the New York Bight, a joint venture with RWE. The company cited the regulatory uncertainty created in the US since the election of President Donald Trump. [reNews]

New York Bight lease areas (BOEM image)

¶ “‘Rogue’ Communication Devices Found On Chinese-Made Solar Power Inverters” • US officials have discovered undisclosed communication devices on the power inverters of some solar panels manufactured in China, Reuters reported. The inverters are part of the hardware package connecting solar arrays to the power grid. [Utility Dive]

¶ “US Would Assess Nuclear Waste, Plutonium For Reactor Fuel Under Draft Order” • Nuclear waste and radioactive plutonium would be assessed as a fuel for reactors under a draft executive order being considered by the administration of President Donald Trump on expanding nuclear power. The moves are opposed by nonproliferation experts. [MSN]

Have an exuberantly nifty day.

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World:

¶ “IEA Global EV Outlook 2025 Shows US Falling Behind On Electric Cars” • In it EV Global Outlook 2025 report, the IEA says that 20% of new cars sold worldwide in 2024 were electric, a definition that includes plug-in hybrids as well as battery-electric cars. And the US, which had been doing badly, is no longer even in the race. [CleanTechnica]

BYD ships (BYD image)

¶ “Powering the Future: A 30-Year Roadmap to Zero-Emission Port Operations” • European ports face an increasingly urgent mandate to reduce carbon emissions across their landside and waterside operations, driven not only by climate policies but also by local air quality concerns. The scale of the challenge is huge but manageable with good policies. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Great British Energy Bill Passes Parliament” • Legislation to establish Great British Energy passed through Parliament, setting the stage for a publicly-owned energy company to invest in clean power delivering energy security under the government’s plan for change. The Great British Energy Bill got legislative consent from all three devolved governments. [reNews]

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband (UK Government)

¶ “Why Modern Cities Are Embracing Trolleybuses Again” • The humble electric trolleybus, powered by overhead wires, had been favored for efficiency and lower emissions compared to diesel buses. Now it is enjoying an unexpected global revival, quietly returning to the spotlight in the relentless push for sustainable urban transit solutions. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Hollandse Kust Topside Set For North Sea Voyage” • Two weeks after the successful load out, the steel superstructure, or topside, for the Hollandse Kust West Beta platform will leave the port of Hoboken near Antwerp in the afternoon of Saturday, 17 May. The superstructure of the transformer platform weighs over 3,500 tonnes. [reNews]

Topside under way (TenneT image)

¶ “Pockets Of Naturally Occurring Hydrogen In The Earth’s Crust Could Be Important Source Of Clean Energy” • Scientists from the University of Oxford, Durham University, and the University of Toronto found that naturally occurring pockets of hydrogen in the Earth’s crust could be important sources of clean hydrogen. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “CorPower To Build 5-MW Wave Project” • Wave energy developer CorPower Ocean has signed a berth agreement to build a 5-MW wave energy project at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney. Scheduled for deployment in 2029, the 5-MW array is expected to become the UK’s largest wave energy project. [reNews]

Wave energy device (CorPower Ocean image)

¶ “India’s Storage-Backed Renewables To Reach Over 25 GW In Three Years” • The installed storage-backed renewable energy in India is projected to increase from almost nil to between 25 GW and 30 GW by 2028, according to Crisil Ratings. It will account for more than 20% of the total renewable energy capacity to be added over the three years. [Asian Power]

¶ “China’s CO₂ Emissions Have Started Falling – Is This Finally The Peak?” • China, the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide, has seen a slight decline in those emissions over the past twelve months, even as power demand went up. This is an encouraging sign that the country’s massive investment in clean energy might have begun to displace fossil fuels. [New Scientist]

Renewable energy in China (w0zny, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Government Moves To Dismantle Power Sources Responsible For Nearly A Fifth Of Energy Production: ‘A Glimpse Into The Future'” • Spain gets 20% of its power from the seven nuclear reactors it plans to shut down within the decade. Solar panels, giant batteries, and wind turbines are being expedited to fill that gap over five years. [The Cool Down]

US:

¶ “Federal Court Rules Against Withholding Endangered Species Act Protections From Joshua Tree” • A federal court in California struck down a US Fish and Wildlife Service attempt to withhold Endangered Species Act protections for the Joshua tree. A FWS decision to not provide ESA protections for the Joshua tree is unlawful and sidesteps climate science. [ABC News]

Joshua trees (Cedric Letsch, Unsplash)

¶ “Eastern Arizona Wildfire Explodes Over 7,000 Acres Amid High Winds, Red Flag Conditions” • Crews in eastern Arizona continue to battle a wind-driven wildfire that had burned over 7,000 acres by Wednesday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The blaze was sparked Tuesday morning, and is at 0% containment amid high wind conditions. [ABC News]

¶ “GM, Ford Tease New Game Changing LMR EV Batteries” • General Motors and The Ford Motor Company are both over the moon about new lithium manganese-rich EV batteries, which GM is pitching as “a leap forward that will offer consumers EVs with an attractive combination of long range and low cost.” But Tesla is nowhere to be seen. [CleanTechnica]

Prototype LMR battery cell (Steve Fecht, General Motors)

¶ “Vermont Reverses Course On EV Sales Targets” • Phil Scott is the Republican governor of Vermont, a state known for maveric politicians. Vermonters take their obligations to sustainability and the environment seriously. But he signed an executive order to direct the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources to be in line with GOP goals. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New Hampshire Budget Bill Would Defund State Renewable Energy Grant Program” • A sprawling budget bill working its way through the New Hampshire legislature includes some under-the-radar provisions that would redirect millions of dollars from a state renewable energy fund to the general budget and rebates for utility customers. [Canary Media]

Have an impressively facilitated day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Trump Administration Attempts Burying Climate Change Evidence to Further Fossil Fuel Agenda” • To limit the damage of the climate crisis, the country must transition quickly from fossil fuels to clean energy and invest in resilience. The administration is hell-bent on doing the exact opposite. And what better way than to hide the facts and spread the lies? [The Equation]

Flood (Justin Wilkens, Unsplash, cropped)

World:

¶ “Why Too Much Carbon Dioxide Harms The Planet” • Since the 1800s. human activity, specifically the use of fossil fuels for energy, has been overwhelming the planet’s natural carbon sinks, such as oceans and forests. Therefore, the heat-trapping gas causes global temperatures to rise as more of it accumulates in the Earth’s atmosphere. [ABC News]

¶ “Extreme Heat Could Make Pregnancy Riskier For Millions Of Women: Report” • As human-induced climate change continues warming the planet, pregnancy risks are increasing, an analysis by Climate Central says. Climate Central, a nonprofit science and communications organization, analyzed daily temperature data from 2020 to 2024 in 940 cities. [ABC News]

Pregnant (Camylla Battani, Unsplash)

¶ “XPENG Partners With Plugsurfing To Secure Powerful Charging Network” • EV maker XPENG partnered strategically with Plugsurfing, one of Europe’s largest EV charging providers, to access over 940,000 charging points in 27 countries, creating a powerful, transcontinental charging network that links Europe and Asia. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “A New Era of Wheelchair Accessible Electric Vehicles” • Kia Corporation showcased the PV5 WAV (Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle) model at the Financial Times’ Future of the Car Summit in London in collaboration with UK-based Motability Operations Ltd. The PV5 WAV comes in response to increasing demand for accessible vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

Kia PV5 WAV (Kia image)

¶ “EVs Take 28.8% Share In Germany – Volkswagen ID.7 Still On Top” • April saw plugin EVs take 28.8% share in Germany, up from 18.4% year on year. Battery EVs volumes recovered from their incentive-cut trauma, and plugin hybrids are also up. Auto volume was 242,728 units overall, flat YOY. The best-selling BEV in April was the Volkswagen ID.7. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Ocean Winds Celebrates Portuguese Floater” • Ocean Winds, a 50-50 joint venture between EDP Renováveis and Engie, is celebrating five years of successful operator of the 25-MW WindFloat Atlantic project, the first semi-submersible floating offshore wind farm in the world, located approximately 20 km off the coast of Portugal. [reNews]

Floating wind turbine (Ocean Winds image)

¶ “Renewables Could Offer £47 Billion Boost To Wales” • A report released at the Senedd outlines a bold vision for Wales’ renewable energy future. It warns that only the most ambitious path will unlock its full economic and environmental potential. Under the scenario, Wales could reach 17.9 GW of operational renewable capacity. [Energy Live News]

¶ “EnBW Powers Up Cluster Of German Solar Parks” • EnBW has connected three solar parks to the grid in Germany. The two solar parks in Rosenberg and one plant in Hardheim have a total capacity of 24.2 MW and are now fully operational. The largest of the three parks is the Hardheim plant, which has a capacity of around 10.9 MW. [reNews]

Hardheim solar park (EnBW image)

¶ “Powertech Warns Skills Shortage Poses Threat To Energy Transition” • Perth-headquartered engineering and technical services business Powertech has warned that the industrial sector’s desperate skills shortage must be addressed for Australia to meet its lofty clean energy targets. Australia will require up to 700,000 clean energy workers, [pv magazine Australia]

US:

¶ “Extreme Heat Will Make It Feel More Like August Than May For Texas And Southeast US” • Triple-digit temperatures more commonly seen in the throes of summer and not in the spring were making an unwelcome visit to Texas and other parts of the southeastern US this week, placing millions of Americans under extreme heat warnings. [ABC News]

Heatwave (Alex Braga, Unsplash)

¶ “Engie Partners With Cipher Mining To Power Texas Data Center” • Engie North America has revealed a preliminary arrangement with Cipher Mining for a power supply contract for a data centre in Texas. This agreement is set to enable Cipher to acquire up to 300 MW of renewable energy from one of Engie’s wind energy facilities. [Power Technology]

¶ “A Unique Solution for Transportation Data Sharing Turns Fifteen” • This year, the Transportation Secure Data Center turns fifteen years old. It still increases the availability and usability of travel and transit surveys and studies from municipalities, transit agencies, and other entities that want to share their results while protecting participant privacy. [CleanTechnica]

Train in motion (Werner Slocum, NREL)

¶ “This Year’s First Major Heat Wave Is Here. How Will The ERCOT Power Grid Hold Up?” • The Texas power grid should sail through the first major heat wave of the year without issue, largely thanks to its diverse and growing mix of power plants and renewable energy. This is ironic, because legislators are acting against renewable energy. [Houston Chronicle]

¶ “New Nuclear Generation Eyed For Shuttered Kewaunee County Plant Site” • The owner of a shuttered nuclear power plant in northeast Wisconsin, Utah-based nuclear company EnergySolutions, is working with the state’s largest utility company to explore the potential for bringing new nuclear energy generation to the site. [WPR]

Have an ineffably beautiful day.

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(, CC-BY-SA 3.0) km² CO₂ NH₃ CH₄ ₹ NOₓ ‽ ♦♦♦♦♦

World:

¶ “Nigeria Has A Food Security Problem As Water For Crops Is Harder To Find” • Climate change is challenging agriculture in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country. With long dry spells and extreme heat, bodies of water are drying because the arid season is getting longer than it was. The wet season can dump excessive rain, but it is short. [ABC News]

Cattle and goats in Nigeria (Fulani215, public domain)

¶ “Electric Depots: The Key To Electrifying Road Logistics” • A study shows that depot charging will prepare the market for a rapid ramp-up of battery-electric heavy-duty vehicles. Battery-electric trucks are already competitive with internal combustion engine trucks in regional freight transport. Tthe time to electrify depots is now. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “UK Startup’s New Hope For Algae Biofuel: Carbon-Negative Production” • There are upsides for idea of extracting biofuel from oil-rich algae, but the cultivation process uses a lot of energy. Now the cost of renewable energy is down. The startup HutanBio has cracked the code and they are gearing up for commercial production. [CleanTechnica]

HutanBio algae biofuel plant (Courtesy of HutanBio)

¶ “Syncraft Opens Clean Power Plant That Provides Electricity, Heat, And CDR” • Syncraft is opening biomass power plants of a new type. It gasifies forest residues to deliver 500 kW of electric power to the local grid. It provides 750 kW of heat for a town’s district heating network. And it has a byproduct, which is high-quality biochar. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “ILTE To Finance Ten Green Genius Solar Parks” • Lithuania’s national development bank ILTE signed a deal with international renewable energy company Green Genius to finance ten remote solar parks across the country. The total capacity of the projects will reach around 89.7 MW. The loan for the projects amounts to €48.9 million. [reNews]

Solar, wind, and flowers (Green Genius image)

¶ “Report: Renewables Soaring, Coal Declining” • Renewable capacity is soaring in Australia’s electricity market while coal availability declines, according to the Australian Energy Market Operator’s latest Quarterly Energy Dynamics report. During the March quarter 2025, while solar and wind generation grew, battery output surged 86%. [Energy Magazine]

¶ “First Floater Launched For Pilot Project In France” • The first floating platform for Ocean Winds’ 30-MW Eoliennes Flottantes du Golfe du Lion pilot floating offshore wind project has been launched in Marseille. Ocean Winds partnered with Banque des Territoires on the project. It showcases Principle Power’s third-generation WindFloat technology. [reNews]

Floating platform (Ocean Winds image via LinkedIn)

¶ “Iranian Resistance Uncovers Secret Nuclear Site In Eyvanki” • In a dramatic and timely revelation, the National Council of Resistance of Iran exposed a previously unknown nuclear facility in Eyvanki, Semnan Province. The announcement raises serious concerns about the regime’s transparency and intentions in negotiations with the US. [Eurasia Review]

US:

¶ “So Much For ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’” • Hurt by weakening demand and depressed prices, US oil production is expected to shrink in 2026, S&P Global Commodity Insights projected. S&P estimates that US oil output will dip to 13.3 million barrels per day in 2026, 130,000 barrels less than its 2025 forecast. Oil production last fell during the COVID pandemic. [CNN]

Pumpjack (Jeff W, Unsplash)

¶ “America Closed For Business: Bill Rolling Back IRA Provisions Will Depress Investment” •The Inflation Reduction Act, enacted in 2022, introduced comprehensive, decade-spanning incentives designed to catalyze investments in renewables, hydrogen hubs, EV, and domestic manufacturing. It was working, until the return of Donald Trump. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Solar And Wind Make Up 98% Of US Generating Capacity Added In Trump’s First Three Months” • Analysis of government data revealed that solar and wind accounted for nearly 98% of new electricity generating capacity in the US through the first quarter of 2025, despite efforts by President Trump to unravel clean energy efforts. [RenewEconomy]

Solar farm (Raphael Cruz, Unsplash)

¶ “Empire Wind ‘Faces Axe Within Days’” • Equinor reportedly said it will be forced to terminate the Empire Wind project “within days” unless President Donald Trump’s administration makes a U-turn on an order that halted construction. The order stopped the New York offshore wind project after Equinor had already invested $2.5 billion. [reNews]

¶ “Aypa Power Secures $535 Million For Solar-Plus-Storage Project In California” • Aypa Power has secured $535 million in debt financing for a 320-MW solar-plus-storage project in San Bernardino County, California. The Vidal project will combine 160 MW of solar generation with a 160-MW, 640-MWh battery system. [Environmental Health News]

Have a really fantastic day.

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Opinion:

¶ “The #1 Benefit Of EV Life Is The #1 Thing People Worry About” • When some early EV owners were asked how long it takes them to charge their vehicles, they would respond “five seconds,” or something along those lines. Plugging in is easy, and it takes a lot less time to do it than having to fill a car’s tank at a gas station. [CleanTechnica]

Charging (Andersen EV, Unsplash)

¶ “Wind Is A Now Solution, Nuclear Is Decades Away” • One top priority for Australia’s Federal Government will be the looming energy crisis. As recent debate about renewables and nuclear energy put Australia’s energy future at the center of the issue, renewables experts say the answer to the energy question is literally blowing in the wind. [The Canberra Times]

World:

¶ “General Motors Has A Promising Strategy For Export Markets With Chinese-Made EVs” • GM’s most sold EV isn’t the Equinox, the Bolt, or the Cadillac Lyriq: it’s the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV, built under a joint venture in China. The model has outsold all GM EVs built outside China put together, and it has done so by quite the margin. [CleanTechnica]

Wuling Hongguang Mini EV Gameboy (GZrex, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “EVs Take 32.1% Share In The UK – Volkswagen Leads” • April’s auto market saw plugin EVs take a 32.1% share in the UK, up from 24.7% year-on-year. Battery EV sales grew fairly well, but plugin hybrid sales grew more. Overall auto volume was down 10% YOY. The UK’s leading battery EV brand in April was Volkswagen, with 10.5% of the battery EV market. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “First Turbine In Place At 488-MW French Offshore Wind Farm” • Ocean Winds is celebrating the installation of the first turbine at the 488-MW Îles d’Yeu et de Noirmoutier (EMYN) offshore wind farm. In total, 61 Siemens Gamesa 8-MW turbines will be installed at the French offshore wind project between May and September this year. [reNews]

Turbine installation (C Bessier, EMYN)

¶ “Vikram Solar Secures 326-MW Module Order For Khavda Renewable Energy Park” • Vikram Solar Ltd has secured an order from Gujarat Industries Power Co Ltd to supply 326 MW of high-efficiency solar modules for the Khavda Renewable Energy Park. The energy park is a key project in the Great Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. [pv magazine India]

¶ “Cerulean’s 1-GW Aspen Floater ‘To Support 1,000 Jobs'” • Cerulean Winds said that the 1-GW Aspen floating wind project in the UK’s Central North Sea is expected to support more than 1000 jobs and attract a total investment of £10.9 billion over its lifespan. Aspen is being built by several partners with experience in large scale offshore projects. [reNews]

Floating wind turbines (Cerulean image)

¶ “Broome To Get Big Solar Farm And Six Hour Battery To Replace Gas And Diesel Contract” • The remote pearling and tourism town of Broome, in the northwest of Western Australia, is to have its fossil fuel generating capacity largely replaced by a solar farm and six-hour big battery, under proposals unveiled by the state-owned Horizon power. [RenewEconomy]

¶ “Scots Offshore Wind Has £40 Billion Investment Potential” • Offshore wind in Scotland has the potential for investment of £40 billion, according to a report commissioned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The study analysed various development projects in the economic pipeline of what it refers to as regional transformational opportunities. [reNews]

Offshore windpower (Equinor image)

US:

¶ “Scars From The World’s First Deep Sea Mining Test 50 Years On” • A section of the Blake Plateau, off the east coast of the US, is barren with the scars from the world’s first deep-sea mining pilot test carried out in 1970. Half a century after the world’s first deep sea mining tests picked metal nodules from the seafloor the damage has barely begun to heal. [BBC]

¶ “Carbon Dioxide In The Atmosphere Surged In 2024” • The latest update from NOAA shows an alarming increase in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, and no one is quite sure how to explain it. If the president has his way, NOAA will never have enough staff or funding to find the answer. But clearly, the levels are accelerating rather than slowing. [CleanTechnica]

Increases in CO₂ emissions (NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory)

¶ “Electrified Cars From Volvo And Cupra That May Or May Not Come To America” • Volvo and Cupra this week announced new electric – or electrified – models that could be available to US drivers, if the trade war doesn’t keep them away. One is the Volvo EX90, a battery electric cousin its XC90. And Cupra, a division of Volkswagen, has a new EV. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Illinois’ Grid Needs Batteries. Can The Legislature Deliver?” • Illinois’s clean energy transition mandates a phaseout of fossil-fuel power by 2045, but it depends on large amounts of energy storage. This is especially true now with the proliferation of data centers. Energy companies are pushing for action on batteries before the legislative session ends. [Canary Media]

Have an interestingly soothing day.

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(, CC-BY-SA 3.0) km² CO₂ NH₃ CH₄ ₹ NOₓ ‽ ♦♦♦♦♦

Opinion:

¶ “Trump Should Be Held Accountable For Defunding US Renewable Energy Projects” • For those concerned about the climate, an analysis points to the loss of almost $8 billion in renewable energy investments. The EPA faces a 54.5% proposed cut. It’s time for all of us to take bold action to hold the Trump Administration accountable. [CleanTechnica]

Solar power (Tom Brewster Photography, DOI image via flickr)

¶ “Myths, Misinformation, And Misunderstandings About EV Charging And Range” • There probably is no aspect of owning an EV that is less understood or subject to more rumors, innuendos, and doubts than charging and range. At CleanTechnica, we have decided to tackle this head on and eliminate all the hooey about EV charging and range. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “We Mustn’t Snatch Defeat From The Jaws Of Victory On Wind Power” • The news that Ørsted is downing tools on its massive Hornsea 4 offshore wind farm may be a shock, but rough winds have been buffeting the industry for some time. The UK has led the world on offshore wind. And it still can, despite the squall that hit Hornsea 4. [The Times]

Offshore windpower (Bob Brewer, Unsplash)

¶ “What Needs To Happen To Prove The LNP Wrong, And The High Renewables Target Right” • Federal Liberal Party Senator Maria Kovacic astutely observed that the Australian people sent a clear message at this election. They expect the government to have a credible plan for reducing emissions. The Coalition’s gas and nuclear energy plan would not do. [RenewEconomy]

World:

¶ “Saudi Oil Giant Aramco Announces First-Quarter Profits Of $26 Billion, Down 4.6% From 2024” • Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil giant Aramco posted first-quarter profits of $26 billion, down 4.6% from the prior year due to falling global oil prices. Saudi Arabia. Aramco’s first-quarter results come as OPEC+ ramps up oil production to reduce prices. [ABC News]

Trans-Arabian pipeline (Niboj74, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “More Chinese Energy Investments In Africa Are Going To Renewables, Report Finds” • China is increasingly channelling its energy investments in Africa into renewable projects, with solar and wind power now accounting for 59% of its energy projects on the continent, according to a report by UK-based think tank ODI Global. [South China Morning Post]

¶ “Japan And China Are In A Race For Space Solar Power Plants” • China launched a project to build an orbiting space solar power plant that could produce more energy than what can be obtained from all sources on Earth. Meanwhile, Japan announced that it is also on track to begin transmitting solar energy from space to Earth early next year. [KosovaPress]

Orbital electric generation concept, 2011 (NASA, public domain)

¶ “Energy Storage System Market To Be $86.76 Billion By 2032, Driven By Renewable Energy Boom” • According to Coherent Market Insights, the global energy storage system market was evaluated at $52.95 billion in 2025 and is expected to reach $86.76 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 7.3% during the forecast period of 2025 to 2032. [GlobeNewswire]

¶ “Australian Giant Fortescue Plans 100-GW Renewable Energy Hub In Morocco” • Australian industrial group Fortescue, led by billionaire Andrew Forrest, is developing an ambitious project to transform Morocco into a green energy bridge between Africa and Europe. The initiative aims to establish 100 GW of solar and wind capacity in North Africa. [Medafrica Times]

Morocco (Sergey Pesterev, Unsplash)

¶ “Jindal India Renewable Energy Aims 5 GW Capacity In Five Years” • The BC Jindal Group announced plans to develop 5 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030. The group will invest ₹21,500 crore ($2.515 billion), focusing on clean energy solutions to meet India’s rising power demand while ensuring grid stability with battery systems. [Chemical Industry Digest]

US:

¶ “A New Tesla? No, Here Comes Faraday Future” • The world of automotive social media pricked up its ears last week when someone spotted a new and different Tesla EV prototype in the wild, under camouflage. How could we not know about this? The answer, as it turns out, is simple. That was not a Tesla. It was a Faraday Future. [CleanTechnica]

Faraday Future (Courtesy of Faraday Future)

¶ “Energy Star Program Gets The Kiss Of Death” • In 1992, during the term of George H W Bush, the Energy Star program was created to promote more energy efficient appliances: air conditioners, water heaters, dishwashers, clothes dryers, and others. Now, though it provides a guide and costs very little, it is to be tossed. Why? Glad you asked. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Task force to study small-scale nuclear power moves through Senate” • An effort to look into bringing small-scale nuclear power to Delaware is moving through the Legislature. The resolution would establish a Delaware Nuclear Energy Feasibility Task Force to examine the possibility of bringing small modular reactors to Delaware. [Cape Gazette]

Have a fundamentally stellar day.

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World:

¶ “The Country Sparking Africa’s E-Bike Revolution” • The tiny East African nation of Rwanda has a grand plan to convert its motorbikes to e-bikes. There are over 100,000 of them. Officials know the project will put significant pressure on the country’s electricity grid, but a host of e-bike startups are experimenting with innovative solutions. [BBC]

Motorcycles in Kigali (Mrbobax, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “What Pope Leo XIV Has Said About Climate Change” • Robert Francis Prevost, now the leader of the Catholic Church as Pope Leo XIV, has been outspoken about the need for action to fight global warming, according to the College of Cardinals Report. He as warned against the “harmful” consequences of unchecked technological advancement. [ABC News]

¶ “Government Approval For Large Solar Farm” • A large solar farm in East Yorkshire was given a government go-ahead. The solar farm will be built on 3,155 acres of land and will connect to the National Grid at the Drax substation. The developer, Boom Energy, said it will produce 400 MW of electricity, providing enough power for 100,000 homes. [BBC]

Solar farm (Courtesy of Boom Energy)

¶ “BYD Electric Truck Sales Up 1,195%” • BYD’s commercial vehicle sales are reported separately as buses and “others.” BYD’s non-bus commercial vehicles sales have grown like gangbusters in recent months. They were up from 525 in April 2024 to 7,080 in April 2025, and from 1,595 in January–April 2024 to 20,659 in January–April 2025. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “SolarPower Europe Forecasts 1 TW Annual Installations By 2030” • The global solar industry experienced unprecedented growth in 2024, with a record 597 GW of new solar capacity installed, marking a 33% increase over the previous year. This surge brought the total global solar capacity to 2.2 TW, according to SolarPower Europe. [CleanTechnica]

Solar array (Courtesy of SolarPower Europe)

¶ “EVs Take 97.4% Share In Norway” • The April auto market saw plugin EVs take 97.4% share in Norway, up from 91.0% year on year. Battery EVs accounted for 97.0% of all new car registrations, with diesels taking 1.5%. Total registrations of new passenger vehicles for the month reached 11,286 units, a slight increase compared to April 2024. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “UK Increases Funding And Areas To Spur Offshore Wind Energy Development” • Offshore wind energy continues to be a key for the UK’s plan for renewable energy with the government announcing that it will expand funding and the available areas in response to industry demand. The goal is 50 GW of offshore windpower by 2030. [The Maritime Executive]

Offshore wind turbines (Vestas image)

¶ “Adani And Druk Green Team Up For 5 GW Of Hydro Projects” • Indian renewables company the Adani Group has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Druk Green Power Corporation of Bhutan for the joint development of 5 GW of hydropower projects, which will consist of both conventional hydropower and pumped storage. [reNews]

US:

¶ “Uber to Use Volkswagen ID Buzzes for Robotaxis” • After a week of news about Uber, we have more news from Uber. This time it is the robotaxis that the ride-hailing platform will use. Uber is partnering with Volkswagen to launch autonomous ID Buzzes. Testing is to happen in 2025, with commercial service to launch in Los Angeles in 2026. [CleanTechnica]

Volkswagen ID Buzz (Nan Palmero, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “Texas’ Retroactive Energy Bill Shakes Market Trust” • Texas just introduced a striking new piece of legislation, Senate Bill 715. It demands that renewable power plants retroactively [emphasis by ghh] guarantee power availability by pairing their wind and solar farms with dispatchable backup power, typically natural gas or large-scale battery storage. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Solar Gets Cheaper, Systems Get Bigger: EnergySage Report Maps A Shifting Market” • The 20th edition of EnergySage’s Solar & Storage Marketplace Report offers a deep look at the residential solar and storage sector in the US during a turbulent 2024. It tracks market trends in pricing, equipment preferences, financing, and consumer behavior. [CleanTechnica]

Solar power (Raphael Cruz, Unsplash)

¶ “SLO County Airport To Install Solar Carport Canopies” • In collaboration with the County of San Luis Obispo’s Public Works Department, the SLO County Airport made a major step forward in its commitment to sustainability with the installation of a 940-kW solar carport canopy system over the its largest passenger parking lot. [Aviation Pros]

¶ “Trump’s Nuclear Energy Policy Prioritizes Deregulation” • The White House is drafting four executive orders, expected to be released within the coming weeks, attempting to expand the ability of the DOE and Department of Defense to deploy prototype reactors, possibly without the oversight provided by the US NRC. [Energy Intelligence]

Nuclear plant (Lukáš Lehotský, Unsplash)

¶ “Trump Tightens Control Of Independent Agency Overseeing Nuclear Safety” • Going forward, the NRC must send new rules regarding reactor safety to the White House, where they will be reviewed and possibly edited. That is a radical departure for the watchdog agency, which historically has been among the most independent in the government. [WBHM 90.3]

¶ “Why Virtual Power Plants Are A Climate Solution For Our Divided Times” • Tens of thousands of homes equipped with rooftop solar and home battery storage in California and Texas are linking up in the latest examples of a growing and innovative energy solution called the Virtual Power Plant. This week, there have been two VPP announcements. [Newsweek]

Have an invigoratingly composed day.

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World:

¶ “EU Ignores EV Sales Data, Waters Down Requirements” • The EU really dropped the ball. The author is not sure who exactly got to EU decision makers, or how they convinced these people to go backward when things were going well, but the European Parliament finalized a plan to scale back the EU’s CO2 reduction targets for automakers. [CleanTechnica]

Renault R5 (Renault image)

¶ “EU Battery Due Diligence Rules: Are Carmakers Ready?” • Under the EU Batteries Regulation due diligence rules, which will go into effect in August, companies will need to identify, mitigate, and account for human rights, environmental, and climate impacts in lithium, nickel, cobalt, and graphite supply chains of batteries sold in the EU. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “New Jeep Compass Comes In Three Versions: Hybrid, PHEV, And Electric” • In a press release, Stellantis this week officially introduced the all new Jeep Compass, which will be built in the company’s factory in Melfi, Italy. But don’t look for it at any Jeep dealer in the US. The tariffs imposed by President Trump have seen to that. [CleanTechnica]

Jeep (Stellantis image)

¶ “Wood Mackenzie Sees New Carney Government Driving Energy Diversification In Canada” • Newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made energy a key initiative of his government, according to research firm Wood Mackenzie. The company expects both conventional and renewable power to remain priorities. [smallcaps.com.au]

¶ “Crown Confirms 4.7-GW Offshore Extensions Boost” • The Crown Estate confirmed that it will proceed with its capacity increase program to maximise the potential of existing seabed leases at seven UK wind farms. The announcement raises the total capacity at the projects by a 4.7 GW, with a target to deploy up to 50 GW by 2030. [reNews]

Offshore wind farm (Equinor image)

¶ “White Cross Floater Secures Onshore Consent” • North Devon Council approved the onshore consent application for Flotation Energy and Cobra’s 100-MW White Cross floating wind farm off south-west England. The application received ten votes for, two against and one abstention at a meeting of the council’s planning committee at Barnstaple Rugby Club. [reNews]

¶ “Dogger Bank South Surveys Commence” • RWE and Masdar engaged TGS and Fugro to conduct detailed seabed geophysical and geotechnical surveys for the eastern array of the proposed Dogger Bank South offshore wind farms. DBS consists of two offshore wind farms 122 km off the northeast coast of England with an estimated combined capacity of 3 GW. [reNews]

Fugro Scout (Fugro image)

¶ “CIL And AM Green Enter 4.5 GW Renewable Power Pact” • Coal India Ltd (CIL) has entered into an agreement to supply 4.5 GW of carbon-free power, in a phased manner, to AM Green’s upcoming green ammonia production facilities. It will supply power from a mix of solar and wind energy projects that it will develop in India. [pv magazine India]

¶ “Pope Leo XIV’s Past Comments On Growing Global Crisis Resurface: ‘[The Church Must Move] From Words To Action'” • Cardinal Robert Prevost, 69, is the new pope, and much like his predecessor Pope Francis, His Holiness is “outspoken about the need for urgent action” to address the rising temperatures around the globe. [The Cool Down]

2012 (Eja Encontro Juvenil Agostiniano Agostiniano, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

¶ “Ontario To Begin Construction Of First SMR At $15 Billion Darlington Nuclear Site” • The Government of Ontario approved Ontario Power Generation’s plan to construct the first of four small modular reactors at the Darlington nuclear site in Ontario, under the C$20.9 billion ($15 billion) Darlington New Nuclear Project. [Power Technology]

US:

¶ “US Will Stop Tracking The Costs Of Extreme Weather Fueled By Climate Change” • NOAA will not track the cost of weather disasters fueled by climate change any longer. These include floods, heat waves, wildfires and others. The order is the latest example of the Trump administration limiting US government resources on climate change. [ABC News]

Extreme weather (Joshua Eckl, Unsplash)

¶ “Uber And WeRide Expanding Robotaxi Partnership to 15 More Cities” • Uber is investing $100 million more into WeRide, and that’s just by the end of 2025. This also comes in the same week that Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi emphasized that Waymo robotaxis are outperforming Uber’s human-driven vehicles in Austin. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “NREL Partners With Chilkat Indian Village To Improve Housing in Klukwan, Alaska” • Since 1999, HUD has invested in hundreds of communities across the US to make low-income households safer, healthier, and more affordable. Over the past decade, NREL has helped fifteen Alaska communities implement these programs. [CleanTechnica]

Old housing in Klukwan (Molly Rettig, NREL)

¶ “Construction Underway On 765 MW Of New Battery Energy Storage Systems Across Georgia” • Georgia Power announced that construction is underway on 765-Mw of new battery energy storage systems in Georgia’s Bibb, Lowndes, Floyd and Cherokee counties. BESS projects support the reliability and resilience of the electric system. [Valdosta Daily Times]

¶ “Report: Climate Change Made April Flooding, Severe Storms 9% More Intense” • The effects of climate change made severe flooding that inundated West Tennessee and parts of the Central Mississippi River Valley in early April about 9% more intense, according to an analysis published by an international team of environmental researchers. [Tennessee Lookout]

Have an energetically carefree day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “‘Wind Theft’: The Mysterious Effect Plaguing Wind Farms” • As offshore wind farms are expanding around the world in the race to meet net zero climate targets, a worrying phenomenon is attracting growing attention: in some conditions, wind farms can “steal” each other’s wind. Simply put, one wind farm creates a wake, slowing the wind for another. [BBC]

Offshore wind farm (Brigitta Schneiter, Unsplash)

¶ “Critical Minerals Bottleneck Unblocked By Seaweed” • Metals, valuable minerals, and rare earths can be extracted from algae, and researchers have figured out how to make such extraction work on a commercial level. The tricky part is to find or develop the plant species that have a superior ability to concentrate the critical minerals. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “EVs Take 63.3% Share In Sweden” • April saw plugin EVs take 63.3% market share in Sweden, up from 56.9% year on year. This growth was primarily driven by a rise in battery EV volumes, while plugin hybrids also experienced an increase. Overall auto volume was 24,292 units, up some 11% YOY. The Volkswagen ID.7 was the best-selling BEV in April. [CleanTechnica]

Volkswagen ID.7 (Alexander Migl, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “Geely EX5: Excitement, Curiosity, and Anxious Questions” • Every time a new car is released on to the Australian market, someone starts a Facebook group and the cycle repeats. The Geely EX5 is making a splash, and although only a few have been delivered, thousands are on order, and new customers are on the edge of their seats. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Vattenfall Starts Turbine Installation In Sweden” • Vattenfall is installing 21 wind turbines at its 140-MW Bruzaholm onshore wind farm in Sweden. The company is transporting the 83-metre-long turbine blades by special transport on the roads of southern Sweden. The large crane has arrived and is starting the main installation phase. [reNews]

Transporting a blade (Vattenfall image)

¶ “Three BayWa RE UK PV Sites Get Nod” • BayWa’s renewables division has received three planning permissions for solar farms in the UK. All three projects include habitat management plans, which are designed to improve biodiversity, helping wildlife by planting and maintenance of trees, hedgerows, grassland, and wildflower meadows. [reNews]

¶ “7.15 GW Of Renewables And Energy Storage Awarded Rights To Connect To NSW REZ” • The New South Wales government has awarded ten renewable energy projects with a combined 7.15 GW of energy generation and storage capacity access rights to connect to network infrastructure in what will be the state’s first renewable energy zone. [pv magazine Australia]

Solar array (Lightsource bp image)

¶ “Scottish Power Given £1.35 Billion To Build Cables Carrying Wind Power To England” • Scottish Power is being loaned £1.35 billion to upgrade the power grid between Scotland and England. The loan from the UK’s National Wealth Fund and several banks will help pay for offshore cabling projects carrying electricity from wind farms in Scotland to England. [STV News]

US:

¶ “Why It Feels Like Allergy Season Is Getting Longer And More Severe” • Research shows that allergy seasons may be hitting people harder by starting earlier, lasting longer, and creating more pollen than they did 30 years ago, according to a report from the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America. As pollen increases, so does hay fever. [ABC News]

Bee collecting pollen (Jenna Lee, Unsplash)

¶ “Milwaukee Struggles Through Growing Lead Crisis – With Federal Help Nowhere To Be Found” • Milwaukee is in a lead crisis that began late last year, when a young student’s high blood lead levels were traced back to the student’s school. The federal government won’t help. Health and Human Services staff was cut by 10,000 to save money. [ABC News]

¶ “EvoLectric Repowers Medium-Duty Trucks To Keep Costs Down & Air Quality Up” • EvoLectric, a company based in California, has developed a business model in which they take class 3, 4, and 5 Isuzu N-series trucks, strip out the existing diesel powertrains, and replace them with an upgraded battery-electric powertrain. [CleanTechnica]

EvoLectric electric truck (From the EvoLectric website)

¶ “Waymo Scaling Up With US Manufacturing And Partnering With Uber” • Waymo announced that it is providing more than 250,000 paid robotaxi trips per week, in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin. But that’s going to increase a lot soon. Waymo will be launching its robotaxi services in Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, DC. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “EDPR Inaugurates 200-MW US PV Project” • EDP Renewables North America inaugurated its 200-MW Scarlet 2 Solar Energy Park, in Fresno County, California. The project follows EDPR NA’s Scarlet 1 Solar Energy Park, which has 200 MW of solar and a 40-MW, 160-MWh of battery system that achieved commercial operation in 2024. [reNews]

Solar array (EDPR image)

¶ “Utilities’ Efforts To Undermine Rooftop Solar Meet Stiff Opposition” • Virginia’s investor-owned utilities thought 2025 would be the year they put an end to net metering, and with it, rooftop solar installers’ small competition with their monopoly. A proposal by APCo generated fierce opposition from advocates and solar installers. [Virginia Mercury]

¶ “Google Will Fund Three Nuclear Projects With Elementl Power” • A nuclear developer said it has a deal with Google, with the technology company agreeing to commit funding for at least three projects, each with 600 MW of electric generating capacity. Google has thoughts to build more, with a possible goal of 10 GW by 2035. [POWER Magazine]

Have a nicely relaxing day.

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World:

¶ “Aviation Professionals Call For A New Emissions Flight Plan” • A newly formed group of aviation professionals with the name “Call Aviation To Action” sees danger ahead for their industry. The number of people flying commercially is projected to double by 2042, and aviation’s effects on climate change are already too great. [CleanTechnica]

Commercial jet (Ramon Kagie, Unsplash)

¶ “Top Selling Electric Vehicle Brands Worldwide in March” • In March, BYD got 21% of its sales from overseas markets, where it got only 10% in the whole of 2024. It had 350,000 registrations, and with sales at this level, one might wonder how high its sales could go in the second half of the year! Its sales were more than double those of second place Tesla’s. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “EVs Now 21% of World Auto Sales in 2025 ” • Global plugin vehicle registrations were up 25% in March 2025, compared to March 2024. There were over 1.6 million registrations. Battery EVs grew 32% year over year to 1.1 million units, pulling further ahead of plugin hybrids, which grew 14% to some half a million units in the same period. [CleanTechnica]|

Electric car (Maxence Pira, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “European Installs 21.9 GWh Of  Storage In 2024” • Almost 22 GWh of battery energy storage was installed in Europe in 2024, according to the latest European Market Outlook for Battery Storage. The installation of 21.9 GWh of battery energy storage systems marked the eleventh consecutive year of installations setting new records. [reNews]

¶ “Welsh Government Invests £2 Million In Tidal Power” • The Welsh Government completed a £2 million equity investment in tidal energy firm Inyanga Marine Energy Group.The investment will fund improvements to the HydroWing turbines, enabling them to test new turbines, designed to produce up to 60% more energy, in real sea conditions. [reNews]

HydroWing turbines (HydroWing image)

¶ “Octopus Energy Acquires Over 2 GW Of German Solar And Storage” • Octopus Energy Generation, the renewables arm of Octopus Energy Group, is promoting the transition in German energy with the acquisition of a leading green energy developer. MN, based in Hamburg, boasts a 2-GW pipeline of renewables projects. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “De-Risking Investments For India’s Energy Transition” • As India strives to move away from its reliance on coal and other fossil fuels, financing this transition remains one of the greatest hurdles. The key challenge lies in de-risking investments to attract the necessary capital for a sustainable and low-carbon energy future. [pv magazine India]

Solar project (Onix Renewable Ltd)

¶ “Europeans Want Homegrown Renewable Energy Over Fossil Fuels From Trump Or Putin, Poll Confirms” • The majority of Europeans want homegrown renewable energy over imported fossil fuels, a new survey suggests. They are also distrustful of both the US and Russia to meet Europe’s energy needs, the data from research agency Opinium shows. [MSN]

US:

¶ “US Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production Takes Off As New Capacity Comes Online” • Production of Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is growing in the US as new capacity comes online. US production of Other Biofuels, which the EIA uses to capture SAF in its Petroleum Supply Monthly, was approximately doubled from December 2024 to February 2025. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “Connecticut Struggles To Reconcile Expensive Electricity With A Push For Renewables” • Connecticut’s electricity costs are prompting its lawmakers to write legislation to lower electricity rates. The hitch is that buried in the 80-page bill are decreases in home solar incentives and increases for nuclear power renewable energy credits. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Google Launches Ambitious Program To Train 100,000 Electrical Workers For The AI-Powered Future” • As artificial intelligence drives innovation across the US economy, Google is stepping in to help tackle one of the pressing and overlooked challenges of the transformation: the skilled workforce needed to support energy infrastructure. [CleanTechnica]

Transmission towers (Matthew Henry, Unsplash)

¶ “Texas Renewables Restrictions Could Increase Power Prices By 14% In 2035: Aurora” • Analysis by Aurora Energy Research showed lower average levelized, unsubsidized costs for both wind and solar-plus-battery projects than for any non-battery “dispatchable” alternative in Texas. That includes combined-cycle gas plants. [Utility Dive]

¶ “World’s Researchers Say They Will Resist Attacks On Science And Support Beleaguered US Colleagues” • The global science community promised to rally around American researchers and rise to meet a well-documented wave of anti-science propaganda and disinformation that swamps global media and misguides decision-making. [Inside Climate News]

Have a sagaciously simplified day.

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World:

¶ “Global Ferry Electrification Accelerates: 70% Of New Orders Go Electric” • It is remarkable how fast maritime transportation is decarbonizing. Globally, 70% of ferries currently on order now feature electric drivetrains. About 15,400 ferries are operating around the world, and most operators have electric retrofit plans for existing vessels. [CleanTechnica]

Electric ferry in Norway (Cavernia, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “MIKA Meon E: The World’s Lightest Road-Legal EV, Built For Pure Fun” • The MIKA Meon E is not your average electric car. Hand-built in Warwickshire by Hall Engineering and Design, it is essentially a beach buggy with an electric heart. It proudly claims the title of the lightest road-legal EV in the world, at a weight of just 675 kg (1488 lb). [CleanTechnica]

¶ “World Installed Almost 600 GW Of Solar Power In 2024” • A record 597 GW of solar power was installed in 2024, and growth could hit 1 TW per year by 2030, a report shows. The SolarPower Europe report shows that the amount of solar power installed in 2024 was 33% more than the 2023 figure. In late 2024, the world hit 2 TW of total solar in operation. [reNews]

Solar array (Bluefield Solar image)

¶ “Tilt Renewables Cuts Ribbon On 396-MW Rye Park” • The Australian energy company Tilt Renewables celebrated the commissioning of the largest operating wind farm in New South Wales. The 396-MW Rye Park wind farm was put into operation by Penny Sharpe, NSW Minister for Climate Change, Energy, Environment, and Heritage. [reNews]

¶ “Maersk Floats Out New Wind Installation Vessel” • Maersk Offshore Wind is celebrating the launch of its turbine installation vessel. The Maersk Wind Installation Vessel went out to sea at Seatrium’s Tuas Boulevard Yard in Singapore. The Maersk WIV was designed as a next-generation turbine installation concept to help accelerate the build-out of offshore wind. [reNews]

Wind installation vessel (Maersk Offshore Wind image)

¶ “Scatec Starts Construction Of Large Scale Solar And Battery Storage Project In Egypt” • Scatec ASA began construction of its 1.1-GW Obelisk solar and 100-MW, 200-MWh battery storage project in Egypt. Electricity from the facility is to be sold under a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement with the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

US:

¶ “Trump’s Tariffs And Electric Cars: Bloomberg Says It’s Time To Welcome Chinese Cars To The US” • Tariffs are a hot topic today, as the current administration’s trade policies are roiling many industries. Some of the highest tariffs apply to electric cars manufactured in China, which are subject to import duties of around 102.5%. [CleanTechnica]

BYD car-carrier (BYD image)

¶ “US Consumers Don’t Trust Tesla Anymore, Study Says” • The Electric Vehicle Intelligence Report into US EV sales was built in April from over 8,000 consumer responses. It was designed to provide a clearer view of what consumers think about EVs. It exposes some dismal flaws in Tesla’s marketing. Consumers just don’t trust Tesla anymore. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US Defense Department Launches Bioeconomy Plan Against Fossil Fuels” • One surprising thing President Trump can take credit for is pasting his seal of approval on a significant initiative in bioeconomy sponsored by the US Department of Defense. It is aimed at pushing coal, oil, and natural gas out of the industrial petrochemical market. [CleanTechnica]

Biomanufacturing facility (Courtesy of Lygos)

¶ “Trump’s Pause On Wind Power Harming NY’s Climate And Economy, AG James Says In Lawsuit” • US President Donald Trump’s pause on permits for new offshore wind power projects is harming New York’s climate and  jeopardizing thousands of jobs, New York Attorney General Letitia James alleged in a lawsuit filed on Monday. [Gothamist]

¶ “US State Coalition Sues Trump Over Offshore Axe” • Eighteen attorneys general are suing the Trump administration over its directive to halt all federal approvals for wind energy projects. The lawsuit challenges a Presidential Memorandum of January 20 that indefinitely freezes permitting for development of wind energy pending federal review. [reNews]

Flag and wind turbine (Dominion Energy Image)

¶ “DESRI And Ranger Power Announce Close Of Financing And Construction Start For 290 MW Of Michigan Projects” • DESRI, in partnership with Ranger Power, announced that the White Tail and Heartwood Solar projects achieved financial close with their project lenders and initiated construction. The two projects will have a total of 290 MW of capacity. [WJBF]

¶ “114 People Laid Off From The National Renewable Energy Laboratory” • At least 114 people were laid off at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, an email says. The cuts affected staffers in both the research and operations sides of the lab. Staff cut included some at NREL headquarters in Golden, Colorado and some based elsewhere. [Colorado Public Radio]

Solar array at NREL site (US DOE, public domain)

¶ “Trump Proposes Cutting DOE Budget By $19.3 Billion” • The White House’s 2026 budget proposal, released on Friday, seeks to cut $19.3 billion from the Department of Energy’s budget by making deep reductions to Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. [Utility Dive]

¶ “Neighboring States’ Nuclear Debacles Loom Over North Carolina Bill” • Proposed legislation in North Carolina to allow utility Duke Energy to charge customers for power plants still being built is taking heat, in part because similar schemes have left residents in neighboring states holding the bag for pricey abandoned nuclear projects. [Canary Media]

Have a cognizantly blissful day.

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Opinion:

¶ “It Is Folly For Us To Even Consider Expanding Nuclear Power” • Former MP Brian Wilson wrote, “the remnants of nuclear after decades of hostility still provides a defiant 11.1% of power.” Okay Mr Wilson, let’s forget about the nuclear waste, the danger, or even the possibility attack. I look forward to editorials outlining the cost benefit of nuclear power. [The Herald]

Wind turbines (TJ K, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Electric Cars Are More Reliable Than Gas Cars, Study Shows” • A study from the German Automobile Club tells us what we’ve always suspected would be the case: Electric cars are much more reliable than gasoline-powered cars. German Automobile Club is the largest roadside assistance organization in Europe, operating like the AAA in the US. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “Oil Prices Drop $2 With Most Asian Markets Closed For Holidays” • Oil prices fell more than $2 a barrel after the OPEC+ group of oil producing nations said it plans to increase output by 411,000 barrels per day on June 1. US crude oil is down about 17% for the year and prices are at a point where many producers can no longer turn a profit. [ABC News]

Oil rig (Arvind Vallabh, Unsplash)

¶ “What Caused The Blackout On The Iberian Peninsular? It’s Complicated” • The blackout in Spain and Portugal was not the inevitable result of running an electric grid with large amounts of wind and solar capacity, The Breakthrough Institute says. It is instead what one would expect from an energy transition with inadequate reserves. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “How The World’s Largest Electric Ferry Changes Maritime Electrification” • The launch of the electric ferry China Zorrilla, to operate between Argentina and Uruguay, represents a landmark event in maritime electrification. Commissioned by Buquebus this vessel is the largest battery-electric passenger and vehicle ferry in the world. [CleanTechnica]

Incat-made China Zorilla ferry (Incat image)

¶ “In 2024, Costa Rica Had The Highest EV Market Share In The Americas” • Sales of new all-electric passenger vehicles in Costa Rica reached a record of 11,373 units in 2024, up 80% from 2023. The EV market share hit a record 15.4%, up from 11.6% in 2023, making Costa Rica the leader in all-electric cars in Latin America for the third consecutive year. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Shell Considers Potential BP Takeover” • Bloomberg reported that the oil major Shell is in serious discussions with its advisers over the merits of a possible acquisition but is waiting for further stock and oil price declines before deciding whether to pursue a bid. Shares of BP have lost almost a third of their value in the last year as oil prices plummeted. [reNews]

Shell sign (Shell image)

¶ “NTPC Renewable Energy Tenders 56 MW Of Floating Solar With 60-MW, 240-MWh Battery Storage” • NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd has invited bids for development of a grid-connected 56-MW floating solar PV project, integrated with a 60-MW, 240-MWh battery system, on a turnkey basis at its North Karanpura Thermal Power Station. [pv magazine India]

¶ “DFO Bags Vessel Contract In Taiwan” • Dong Fang Offshore announced an order for a third Taiwan-flagged service operation vessel. On delivery it will start a 15-year service contract for an offshore wind farm project in Taiwan. The SOV is to be of DFO’s customised Vard 4 39 design, developed to meet the challenges of working offshore in Taiwan. [reNews]

Service operation vessels (Dong Fang Offshore image)

¶ “Australian Clean Energy Leaders Urge Albanese To Speed Up Renewables Push” • Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor Party won a convincing majority in the the federal election. And Australia’s renewable energy sector is urging his re-elected government to step up the renewables energy transition based on that mandate. [pv magazine International]

¶ “Steelwind Rolls Out Its Largest-Ever Monopile” • Steelwind is celebrating a production milestone with the completion of its largest and heaviest monopile. Steelwind announced in February that it would invest €50 million in its Nordenham-Blexen factory in Germany to expand its capacity to meet increasing demand for offshore windpower. [reNews]

Monopile (Steelwind image)

¶ “China Steps Up As US Retreats From Global Green Energy Leadership” • As the world shifts towards cleaner energy, the role of superpowers is getting more visible. While China increases its support for green energy in developing countries, the US is stepping back. This pushes developing countries to choose their energy partners differently. [Microgrid Media]

US:

¶ “From Blight To Bright: Michigan Explores Solar Power On Brownfield Sites” • Michigan has 24,000 known contaminated sites, called brownfields. Kelly Thayer, senior policy advocate with the state’s Environmental Law & Policy Center, envisions a future where these brownfields are transformed into sites for solar energy projects. [Inside Climate News]

Brownfield site (Emilius123, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Coastal Restoration Project Is In Peril Amid Claims State Concealed A Critical Report” • A project to restore a rapidly vanishing stretch of Louisiana coast that was spoiled by the 2010 Gulf oil spill was thrown deeper into disarray when Governor Jeff Landry claimed that his predecessor concealed a study that threatened the $3 billion effort. [ABC News]

¶ “Farmers Are Harvesting A New Crop: Solar Energy” • A study shows agrisolar has been lucrative for farmers in California’s Central Valley over the last 25 years. On average, generating electricity from sunlight has 25 times the value of using the land to grow crops. Covering 10% of the land with solar power more than doubles their income. [Canary Media]

Have an objectively lovely day.

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Opinion:

¶ “How Solar Breakthroughs And Electric Vehicles Can Protect Against Catastrophic Blackouts” • Some clean energy detractors tried to falsely blame the power outage on Spain’s reliance on renewables. One way to prevent blackouts is to have microgrids for buildings, and microgrids can be supported by EVs such as the Ford F-150 Lightning. [The Independent]

Ford F-150 Lightning (Elise240SX, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

World:

¶ “NIO Sales Up 53% In April” • NIO had a solid month of sales growth again in April, growing 53% compared to April 2024. The company had 23,900 vehicles delivered to customers in the month. That was also a 59% increase over the month before, March 2025, going from 15,093 sales to 23,900 sales. Nio is also founding a new brand, Firefly. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “XPENG Sales Up 313% In 2025!” • XPENG sales continue to soar. The company had 273% more sales last month than in April 2024! Through the first four months of 2025, sales are up 313%! Overall, 35,045 XPENG vehicles were delivered in April, and 129,053 were delivered in the first four months of the year. Also, XPENG is now insuring cars in China. [CleanTechnica]

XPENG X9 (JustAnotherCarDesigner, public domain)

¶ “Tesla Sales Continue To Crash In Europe” • Reuters reported that discounts and incentives, Tesla’s new car sales fell in Europe last month, topped by an 81% drop in Sweden. “Its sales in the Netherlands fell 73.8% to their weakest for that month since 2022 and were down 33% in Portugal, a bigger drop than the previous month,” Reuters noted. [CleanTechnica]

¶ ” A New Era For Energy Sector” • In Vietnam, the National Assembly set an ambitious goal of 8% economic growth in 2025 and double-digit growth from 2026 to 2030. Energy will be key to achieve this, especially electricity and sustainable sources of green energy. It is essential to adjust and plan the necessary resources effectively. [vneconomy.vn]

Archimedes screw turbine
(Nguyễn Thanh Quang, CC-BY-SA 3.0, cropped)

¶ “Sembcorp’s 588-MW Solar Power Plant In Oman Begins Commercial Operation” • A Sembcorp Industries subsidiary, Sembcorp Utilities Pte Ltd, announced the start of commercial operations of the 588-MW Manah II Solar Independent Power Project in Manah, Oman. The power will go to the Nama Power and Water Procurement Company. [Times of Oman]

¶ “Coalition Power Plan “Nuked” At Poll” • Labor’s landslide election victory shows Australians have overwhelmingly rejected the coalition’s nuclear energy plan, climate groups say. The plan proposed by the coalition to build seven reactors in Australia would not have seen the first operational until 2035 and cost hundreds of billions of dollars. [RenewEconomy]

Polling place (Nick-D7, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

US:

¶ “California Energy Leaders Report Progress Ahead Of Summer 2025 On Grid Reliability” • After the  climate-driven challenges of 2020 through 2022, California energy leaders are encouraged by recent progress and believe the state is better positioned to meet demand this summer, while it remains vigilant about the ongoing risks. [California Energy Commission]

¶ “New Data On Fossil Fuel Industry Emissions Could Be Pivotal In Climate Litigation” • Justin Mankin, an associate professor at Dartmouth College, and Christopher Callahan, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University, wrote a study published in the journal Nature. They show how they can connect big businesses and climate damage in court. [CleanTechnica]

Statue of Justice (Luke Michael, Unsplash)

¶ “IBM Announces Partnership In Effort To Reduce Harmful Impacts Of Modern Computing: ‘Already Making Remarkable Strides'” • IBM has partnered with Clean Energy Capital with the goal of powering its Hursley data center with renewable energy to support climate goals. IBM is building on commitments that began in 2001. [The Cool Down]

¶ “Scientists Team Up To Publish Climate Assessment Gutted By Trump” • The American Geophysical Union and the American Meteorological Society announced that they would team up to publish climate-related research to further a congressionally mandated assessment that had been gutted by the Trump administration. [UPI.com]

Have a truly inspired day.

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Science and Technology:

¶ “With A Technology License From MIT And NREL In Hand, Comstock Fuels Aims To Produce Jet Fuel From Lignin” • It is an ideal complement to Comstock Fuels’ own technologies: just one refining step to upgrade lignin from biomass into the aromatic hydrocarbon molecules needed to produce “drop-in” synthetic aviation fuel (SAF). [CleanTechnica]

Poplar, lignin oil, and aromatic-rich SAF (Photo by NREL)

¶ “NREL-Led Research Effort Adds Salt, Boosting Performance Of Perovskites” • Using an ionic salt to replace the fullerene layer in perovskite solar cells boosted performance, efficiency, and durability, according to a global research effort led by scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Their findings appear in the journal Science. [CleanTechnica]

World:

¶ “China’s EV Revolution Left US Automakers Behind, And Trump Just Sped It Up” • From 2015 on, automakers in China grew more confident, capable, and focused on EVs. Meanwhile, American brands pushed trucks, SUVs and combustion engines, liabilities in China. Then Chinese national pride was magnified by Trump’s trade war. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Song DM (Jengtingchen, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “SolarDuck Earns Quality Mark” • Floating PV developer SolarDuck achieved ISO 9001 certification, the leading standard for quality management systems. The the certification awarded by Bureau Veritas is a step in its journey to achieve operational excellence, the company said. Offshore solar is attracting interest in multiple sectors. [reNews]

¶ “Berwick Bank ‘Key For Climate Fight'” • SSE Renewables has insisted that the 4,100-MW Berwick Bank offshore wind farm is key to tackling climate change, after conservation charities called for the project to be refused. Conservation groups led by RSPB Scotland argued that the project would threaten seabirds and offshore wind in Scotland. [reNews]

Offshore wind farm (SSE Renewables image)

¶ “Germany’s Solar Power Set To Overtake Lignite In 2025” • In Germany, solar power output is expected to surpass electricity generation from lignite for the first time this year, according to the German Solar Industry Association. The group forecasts that new solar systems with a combined capacity of 17.5 GW will be connected to the grid in 2025. [MSN]

¶ “Senvion India Bags 84-MW Turbine Order” • Senvion India has secured a repeat order from KP Energy Limited for twenty of its flagship wind turbines. The 4.2M160 wind turbines will be installed in the Bharuch district of Gujarat, with deliveries to come in the fourth quarter of 2026. The 4.2M160 is Senvion’s largest turbine offering. [reNews]

Renewable energy (Senvion image)

¶ “Polls Open In Australian Vote Swayed By Inflation, Trump And Climate Concerns” • Australians began voting on Saturday in a bitterly contested general election, deciding a contest shaped by living costs, climate anxiety, and the tariffs of US President Donald Trump. One central issue is whether Australia will build nuclear power plants. [NZ Herald]

US:

¶ “Hawaiian Lawmakers Raise State’s Hotel Tax To Help Islands Cope With Climate Change” • Hawaiian lawmakers passed novel legislation that will increase the state’s lodging tax to raise money for environmental protection and strengthening defenses against natural disasters fueled by climate change. Governor Josh Green indicated he will sign the bill. [ABC News]

Resident of Hawaii (Sajith T S, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

¶ “California’s Energy Revolution: Sunrun Quadruples Virtual Power Plant Ahead Of Summer” • As California prepares for yet another summer of extreme heat, wildfire risks, and electricity demand, Sunrun is scaling up its CalReady distributed power plant significantly. The project now links together 75,000 home solar batteries. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US Offshore Wind Industry Lives To Fight Another Day” • US offshore stakeholders suffered a blow from President Trump, who abruptly suspended the federal offshore lease program on taking office. But the winds will blow across the waters of the US long after Trump leaves office, and the industry gearing up for another crack at it already. [CleanTechnica]

Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (Dominion Energy image)

¶ “Mack Trucks Muscles Into The Class 8 Electric Truck Market” • Just as Tesla gears up for full production of its Class 8 Semi electric truck, it’s running up against a bulldog of a competitor. The legacy truck maker Mack Trucks just announced plans to produce an all-electric version of its newly launched Pioneer Class 8 diesel truck. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Trump’s Budget Cuts And The Environment” • President Trump’s first hundred days included a wide range of attacks on environmental and climate initiatives. His proposed budget does the same. The document looks to curtail or cut billions of dollars for everything from drinking water and clean energy to national parks and emergency management. [ABC News]

Meadow in Jackson, Wyoming (Holly Mandarich, Unsplash)

¶ “Clearway Signs 335-MW Power Purchase Agreement With Microsoft” • Clearway Energy Group signed a long-term power purchase agreement with Microsoft for the 335-MW Mount Storm wind farm in West Virginia. Mount Storm will support Microsoft’s sustainability and environmental goals by generating clean energy. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

¶ “Energy Storage Industry Commits $100 Billion Investment in American-Made Grid Batteries” • The American Clean Power Association announced a commitment to invest $100 billion into American-made grid batteries. It hopes the investment will fuel creation of 350,000 jobs and turn the US into a world leader for battery making. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Have an enjoyably civilized day.

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World:

¶ “UK Could Hit 30°C At Earliest Recorded Point In A Year” • The UK is set for its hottest day of the year so far on Thursday, and the high could hit 30°C (86°F) at the earliest recorded date, forecasters said. The heat follows one of the warmest and driest Aprils on record. It’s bad timing for those who want to bask in the sun over the three-day weekend. [ABC News]

Brighton (Ben Guerin, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Ukraine Signs Minerals Pact With US As State Department Praises ‘Deal-Maker’ Trump” • The United States and Ukraine have signed a deal that is expected to give Washington access to the country’s critical minerals and other natural resources, an agreement Kyiv hopes will secure long-term support for its defence against Russia. [Yahoo News UK]

¶ “Europe EV Sales Report” • Some 365,000 plugin vehicles were registered in Europe in March, rising 22% year over year, in an overall market that was up by just 3%. There was a steep fall of diesel sales, down 27% YOY to 7% share now. Petrol is also in a death spiral: Petrol vehicles saw their sales fall by 20% YoY, and their share dropped to 28%. [CleanTechnica]

Charging an EV (JUICE, Unsplash)

¶ “UK Councils Advise Government: Rooftop Solar Should Be Required On All New Homes” • In the Local Government Association’s April 2025 report, the LGA called for mandatory rooftop solar panels on all new homes in the UK, urging stronger building standards to accelerate decarbonization and reduce household energy bills. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “BYD Launches In Benin, Seychelles, Croatia, Slovakia, And Cambodia, Plus The World’s Largest Car Carrier!” • In April, BYD was joined by Dubai Taxi Company and Al-Futtaim Electric Mobility to deploy 200 all-electric BYD SEAL taxis in Dubai. BYD also launched the BYD Shenzhen, the world’s largest car carrier, to carry 9,200 vehicles. [CleanTechnica]

BYD launch event in Seychelles (Courtesy of BYD)

¶ “Voltalia Secures Finance For UK Solar Project” • Voltalia raised a £20 million finance package to build a 34-MW solar project near Scarborough, north Yorkshire. Voltalia’s £20 million finance package consists of a construction and long-term operating loan of up to £18.9 million, from Triodos Bank UK, and a debt service reserve facility of €1.1 million. [reNews]

¶ “European Commission Backs Nine Renewables Projects in Finland And Estonia” • The European Commission allocated €52 million ($58.7 million) for nine projects in Finland and Estonia through the EU Renewable Energy Financing Mechanism. The funding aims to strengthen the EU’s renewable energy and foster cross-border cooperation of member states. [Rigzone]

Night in Finland (Niilo Isotalo, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “New Military Activity Reported Near Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plants, IAEA Says” • Explosions, drone flights, and air raid signals have continued for weeks near Ukrainian nuclear power plants, including the Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi, and South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plants, the International Atomic Energy Agency reports. [RBC-Ukraine]

US:

¶ “Smart Electrical Panel Startup SPANs NREL’s Accelerator Programs” • SPAN created a smart electrical panel that goes beyond traditional capabilities. Users can control individual circuits for individual devices. SPAN also has an app that gives users a dashboard to keep track of the connected appliances and electric loads. [CleanTechnica]

SPAN smart electrical pane (Photo from SPAN)

¶ “Republicans Want A New $250 Tax On Electric Vehicles” • Republicans in Congress have dropped the idea of funding the Trump-Musk budget cuts with a $20 fee on all passenger cars. Now they are pushing for a tax on EVs, in the form of a national $250 registration fee. So much for the tax-cutting, pro-business, law-and-order Republican party. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Energy Technology Innovation Partnership Project Can Now Support Coastal, Remote, And Island Communities” • Coastal, remote, and island areas need affordable, reliable, secure energy systems but many lack the resources to improve. Harsh weather conditions and aging infrastructure can relatively isolated places vulnerable. Now than can get support. [CleanTechnica]

Casco Bay (Dougtone, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

¶ “Tariffs Could Result In $120 Million Q2 Hit To CVOW Costs” • Dominion Energy increased the cost estimate for its Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project by $120 million due to impacts of tariffs, the company said in an update. Chief executive Bob Blue said the project cost will increase residential customer bills by just $0.04 per month. [reNews]

¶ “Trump Official Accepts Empire Order Is ‘Dangerous'” • Leslie Beyer, nominated as assistant secretary of the interior, lands and minerals management, agreed with Senator Angus King at a confirmation hearing that the administration’s decision to issue a stop order for Equinor’s 810-MW Empire Wind projects off New York sends a negative signal. [reNews]

Leslie Beyer (US Congress image)

¶ “Fossil Fuels Within Electricity Sector Falls To All Time Low In US” • A study determined that the US reached a record low for fossil fuels generating electricity in April, while solar and wind reached a record high. According to data collected by Ember, the global energy think tank, fossil fuels produced 49.2% of the US supply of electricity. [NationofChange]

¶ “Largest Solar Project East Of Mississippi River Now Online In Illinois” • Swift Current Energy has brought its 800-MW Double Black Diamond Solar project online in Illinois. It is the largest solar project in operation east of the Mississippi. Swift Current Energy joined project customers and local leaders to celebrate the start of operations. [Solar Power World]

Have a comfortably mild day.

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Opinion:

¶ “With Mark Carney’s Win, Trump Is Now Sandwiched Between Two Climate Leaders” • Mark Carney was elected to be Canada’s prime minister based on a campaign agenda focused squarely on pushing back on attacks by US President Donald Trump. Carney is regarded an environmental champion. Mexico has another in President Claudia Sheinbaum. [Time Magazine]

Mark Carney in 2016 (Policy Exchange, CC-BY-SA 2.0)

World:

¶ “Nuclear Vs Renewables: The Coal Mining Town Caught In Australia’s Climate Wars” • The Hunter Valley has long been coal country. But the area of New South Wales is now begrudgingly on the frontline of the country’s transition to clean energy. It will transition away from coal, but will it go to nuclear or renewables? The election is on May 3. [BBC]

¶ “BYD Seagull To Start Production In Brazil Next June” • The BYD Seagull, a city-car, will start production in less than two months at a Brazilian factory. For now, 150,000 units are to be built at Camaçarí yearly, but that amount could double from 2027 onwards if the market sustains it, as Brazil will export it to all of Latin America. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Seagulls (BYD image)

¶ “Phase-Shifting Hot Bricks Pack More Energy Storage Punch Into Smaller Spaces” • Among the emerging solutions for energy storage is a block-type thermal energy storage system developed by the Australian startup MGA Thermal. MGA claims the system is so energy dense that it requires up to 24 times less land than conventional battery storage. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “IPF 2025: Canada To Roll Out 2.5-GW Offshore Auction” • Canada is ready to welcome offshore wind developers jilted by US federal policy and will launch a 2.5-GW lease auction later this year, attendees at IPF 2025 in Virginia have heard. Nova Scotia aims to launch a lease auction this fall. There will be a need to export power to the US. [reNews]

Offshore windpower (Jesse De Meulenaere, Unsplash)

¶ US And Ukraine Sign Mineral Resources Agreement”” • The US and Ukraine have signed the deal to create the US-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, the long-awaited deal that gives the US rights to Ukrainian rare earth minerals, both sides announced. The US had delayed signing the minerals agreement until the investment fund was finished. [ABC News]

UK and Jersey:

¶ “Nature Charities Call For Berwick Bank To Be Refused” • RSPB Scotland joined forces with several other organizations to urge Scottish Ministers to refuse a 4-GW offshore wind project. They argue that permitting SSE Renewables’ 4100-MW Berwick Bank project will threaten both the future of seabirds and other offshore wind projects in Scotland. [reNews]

Firth of Forth (Courtesy of RSPB Scotland)

¶ “‘Worrying’ Decline Of Crucial Insects In NI, Says Charity” • The decline of insects in Northern Ireland is “worrying,” warns a charity. Buglife carries out a “splat survey” every year, for which people count the number of insects on a car licence plate after a journey. The results show that since 2021, flying insects declined in Northern Ireland by 55%. [BBC]

¶ “Jersey’s First Solar Farm Switched On” • Jersey’s first solar farm was switched on and will provide enough energy to power over 600 homes. The 11 acre site has nearly 7,500 panels and is expected to power 14% of St Clement’s homes. Jersey Electricity’s chief executive Chris Ambler said the array was important for the island’s energy independence. [BBC]

Jersey (Nick Fewings, Unsplash)

Germany:

¶ “Millionth Electric Vehicle Rolls Off The Production Line At The Volkswagen Plant In Zwickau ” • After around five and a half years of all-electric vehicle production, the Zwickau vehicle plant has cracked a magic barrier: The one millionth electric car rolled off the production line at the multi-brand site. The anniversary vehicle is an ID.3 GTX Performance. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Germany Approves New SuedLink Section” • The German Federal Network Agency has completed the planning approval procedure for another section of the SuedLink. The section runs from the district border of Bad Kissingen and Schweinfurt in Bavaria about 70 km to the state border of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg near Altertheim. [reNews]

Laying underground cable (NKT image)

¶ “Germany May Get 99% Of Its Power From Solar And Wind On Thursday” • A slump in demand due to a public holiday will coincide with a surge in solar generation and the region’s first mini-heat wave. Early afternoon on Thursday, as much as 99% of consumption could be met by green energy sources, according to Bloomberg Models. [Luxembourg Times]

US:

¶ “Climate Change Is Making Coffee More Expensive. Tariffs Likely Will Too” • Losses from heat and drought have cut coffee production forecasts in Brazil and Vietnam, the world’s largest growers. The result is increased coffee prices. Now prices in the US will be even higher than in the rest of the world because of all coffee producers face US tariffs. [ABC News]

Coffee (dapiki moto, Unsplash)

¶ “Pure Lithium Announced Agreement With Kingston Process Metallurgy” • Pure Lithium Corporation, a vertically integrated lithium metal battery technology company based in Boston, announced an agreement with Kingston Process Metallurgy to develop and construct Pure Lithium’s pilot-scale lithium metal anode production reactor. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Montana Republicans Are Proud Their State Has The Most Toxic Superfund Sites” • When the annual legislative session for 2025 is over at the end of May, the state’s Republican governor is certain to sign a large number of bills intended to mount a direct assault on the Held vs Montana decision that upheld a right to a clean environment. [CleanTechnica]

Have an ethereally delightful day.

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World:

¶ “BYD Dolphin Mini, The Car The US Will Never Have, Secures World Urban Car Award” • BYD is the first Chinese automaker to clinch a prestigious World Car Award. The Seagull’s autonomous driving version now has a starting price of 69,800 yuan (about $9,540) before subsidies. Given Trump policies, it will not be sold in the US. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Seagull, aka Dolphin Mini (Courtesy of BYD)

¶ “From Darkness To Light: Iberia’s Rapid Grid Recovery Is Explained” • On April 28, 2025, the Iberian Peninsula went into a significant and sudden blackout, plunging large portions of Spain and Portugal into darkness. The cause is not yet known, but the power has been largely restored fairly quickly. It is worth taking a look at why that could  be done. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “In 2024, 11 GW Of Offshore Wind Added” • World Forum Offshore Wind figures show that 31 new offshore wind farms with a total capacity of 11 GW were taken into operation in 2024. This increased global offshore wind capacity to a total of 78.5 GW, according to the Global Offshore Wind Report for 2024. China continues to lead the sector. [reNews]

Offshore wind farm (Mark Timberlake, Unsplash)

¶ “Nuclear Waste And Schools Don’t Mix: Parents Want Answers On Radioactive Waste Transport Routes” • The advocacy group Parents for Climate wants to know how the risks of nuclear waste being transported past schools and child care centers will be managed by Peter Dutton if nuclear reactors proposed by the Coalition are built. [medianet.com.au]

UK:

¶ “Government Not Taking Climate Seriously – Advisers” • The government has made very little progress in preparing the UK for the threats posed by rising temperatures since coming to power, a highly critical report from the independent Climate Change Committee says. Progress is “either too slow, has stalled, or is heading in the wrong direction.” [BBC]

Rural England (Scott Evans, Unsplash)

¶ “Lowest Rainfall In 90 Years As Temperatures Set To Soar” • As Yorkshire prepares for what may be the hottest day of the year so far, records show the region has endured its driest combined February, March and April for almost 90 years. Just 78 mm (3 in) of rainfall fell at Sheffield’s Weston Park weather station since the start of February, the least since 1938. [BBC]

¶ “Leonardo, Conrad Energy Ink 20-year PPA” • Helicopter manufacturer Leonardo has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Conrad Energy in the UK. Under the agreement, Leonardo’s site in Yeovil will receive 100% green energy from the 11.25-MW Camp Road solar farm, which will generate enough energy to power about 6500 homes. [reNews]

Leonardo helicopter (Fas Khan, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “The Biggest ‘Anti-Environment’ Policies Enacted In Trump’s First 100 Days” • President Donald Trump has enacted a large number of policies that could harm the environment and foil goals for emissions reductions during his first 100 days in office, environmental policy experts say. On the first day in office, he set a record by signing 54 executive orders. [ABC News]

¶ “Coal Miners Speak Out As Trump Strips Away Their Health Protections” • As President Donald Trump vows to reinvigorate America’s coal industry, critics say his administration stripped away key protections for the miners. In his first 100 days, his administration decimated the federal institute that protects them from such things as black lung disease. [ABC News]

Coal mining machine (Alpha Perspective, Unsplash)

¶ “How The Trump Administration May Be ‘Attacking’ Science” • The first 100 days of President Trump’s second term were filled with mass firings, cancellations of research grants, university funding cuts, and questions over what should be studied. Many doctors and public health specialists view these actions as an “attack” on science. [ABC News]

¶ “US Imports Of Major Transportation Fuels Decreased In 2024” • US imports of petroleum products decreased by 210,000 barrels per day in 2024 to average 1.8 million barrels per day. Imports of all major transportation fuels, such as motor gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, decreased. Other petroleum products, such as unfinished oils, also decreased. [CleanTechnica]

Imports, 2014 to 2024 (EIA image)

¶ “Government Dismisses Everyone Working On The National Climate Assessment” • If we had any doubts about who is in control of the US government, they were all erased on April 28, 2025 when every person working on the next National Climate Assessment due in 2028 got an email saying that all contributors were being dismissed. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Community Solar Could Spark $120 Billion In US Economic Growth” • A study by the Coalition for Community Solar Access says that one 5-MW project generates about $14 million in local economic activity and supports close to 100 jobs. Scale that up to 1 GW, and you’re looking at 18,000 jobs and nearly $2.8 billion flowing into state economies. [CleanTechnica]

Solar array (Raphael Cruz, Unsplash)

¶ “Corning Increases Investment In Manufacturing Facility To Meet Solar-Component Demand” • Corning Incorporated is accelerating its advanced manufacturing operations in Saginaw County to meet demand for solar components made in the US. Corning is increasing its new manufacturing facility investment to $1.5 billion. [WNEM]

¶ “Empire Wind Halt ‘Unlawful'” • The head of Equinor has described the US government’s order to halt work on the Empire Wind offshore wind farm as “unlawful.” Anders Opedal said: “We have invested in Empire Wind after obtaining all necessary approvals, and the order to halt work now is unprecedented and in our view unlawful. [reNews]

Have a sweetly scented day.

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Opinion:

¶ “What Happens When US Electricity Demand Craters?” • A CleanTechnica reader shared an interesting thought: If demand for electricity craters in a falling economy, the fossil fuel plants will be the first to shut off. That is because the marginal costs of electricity produced from fossil fuels are high, where those of renewables are very low. [CleanTechnica]

Renewables replacing coal (Arno Senoner, Unsplash)

Science and Technology:

¶ “Paper-Thin Solar Panels Set To Transform Clean Energy Technology” • Another breakthrough in solar power generation technology is all set to revolutionise the solar power generation. Japan has already unveiled the ultra-thin solar panels, which are thinner than paper. They were developed by a research team from the MIT. [Telangana Today]

World:

¶ “New Satellite Will See Through Clouds To ‘Weigh’ Earth’s Forests” • A new type of satellite will be able to see through the clouds and leafy canopies to assess how the world’s rainforests are protecting the planet from climate change. The European Space Agency’s Biomass satellite, will “weigh” the Earth’s forests, to find how much carbon is being stored. [BBC]

Biomass satellite (ESA-CNES-Arianespace)

¶ “Millions Without Power As Outages Hit Spain, Portugal And Parts Of France” • Millions of people in Spain, Portugal, and parts of southern France lost power after a “severe disruption” in the European electrical system. According to the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, in remarks on the issue, the cause of the disruption is still unknown. [ABC News]

¶ “Copernicus: Warmest March In Europe And Lowest Arctic Winter Sea Ice” • March 2025 was the warmest on record for Europe, as temperatures continue to hit new highs. And it was a month of contrasting rainfall extremes, as many areas had their driest March on record and others their wettest for at least the past 47 years. [CleanTechnica]

Please click on the image to enlarge it.

¶ “Airline Emissions Soar To Pre-COVID Levels As Europe Fails To Price Their Pollution” • Emissions from European aviation are almost back to 2019 levels, and flights within Europe are even greater, a T&E study shows. The EU’s carbon market is failing to address the true cost of emissions, while airlines show signs of climate backtracking. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Equinor, Polenergia Secure Permit For 1.6-GW Bałtyk 1” • Equinor and Polenergia have secured the final environmental decision for their planned almost 1,600-MW Bałtyk 1 offshore wind project. Gdańsk’s Regional Director for Environmental Protection issued the decision, allowing the project to progress towards Poland’s 2025 offshore auction. [reNews]

Wind turbines (Equinor image)

¶ “EU Solar Sector Proposes Cybersecurity Solutions” • The European solar sector has proposed new recommendations to help EU policymakers mitigate cybersecurity risks. Solar PV systems are digitalised, with more and more connected to the internet via inverters. A report by DNV performs an in-depth risk assessment for the sector. [reNews]

¶ “Adding 50-GW Renewable Energy Yearly Can End Coal Imports By 2029, Save India $66 Billion” • If India adds 50 GW of renewable energy every year, it could stop importing thermal coal completely by 2029 and save about $66 billion in foreign exchange between 2025 and 2029, according to a report by think tank Climate Risks Horizon. [PSU Watch]

Wind turbines (George Dagerotip, Unsplash)

¶ “Solar Power Surge Sinks Europe’s Electricity Prices Deep Below Zero” • A sunny weekend in northwest Europe plunged power prices in the region to hundreds of euros below zero on Sunday afternoon as solar generation soared. Spot power prices in Belgium sank to as low as -$302 (-€266) per MWh between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday. [OilPrice.com]

¶ “Coalition Says Its Energy Plan Is Climate Approved. Here’s What The IPCC Really Says About Nuclear” • Does the IPCC say nuclear power is necessary for decarbonisation? No, but that has not stopped Australia’s Liberal-National Party Coalition from claiming the IPCC tells them that to decrease emissions we must increase nuclear power. [RenewEconomy]

Sign for the times (Dan Meyers, Unsplash)

US:

¶ “New York State Wants To Divest From Everything Tesla” • A number of New York state policy gurus have changed course on Tesla. According the New York Times, they are pushing to revoke a legislative waiver that has let Tesla directly operate five New York dealerships rather than sell cars through dealer franchises, as other carmakers must do. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “SunTrain Re-Imagines Battery Storage And Clean Energy” • Sometimes we have excess electricity in one place but we need it somewhere else. New transmission lines could send electricity to where it is needed, but they are expensive and take years to plan, permit, and build. SunTrain thinks it has a better idea: Ship the electricity by rail. [CleanTechnica]

SunTrain railcar (SunTrain image)

¶ “Electric Water Heater Sales Set New Record In 2024 While Gas Sales Decline” • Data from the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute tells us sales of gas-burning tanked water heaters were down 3%, in 2024. Meanwhile, sales of electric water heaters grew by 3% in 2024 to a record high level and a market share 5% higher than gas. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “LS Breaks Ground On $700 Million Subsea Cable Facility” • Oceantic Network member company LS GreenLink USA has broken ground on its new $700 million subsea cable facility in Chesapeake, Virginia. The subsea cable manufacturing facility is a first in the US for the Korean-based LS Cable & System. It is expected to be operational in 2028. [reNews]

Have a clamorously applauded day.

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World:

¶ “Green And Intelligent Solutions Boost Rural Revitalization” • Using a green, intelligent charging station in Zhenggang village as a model, the State Grid Chuzhou Power Supply Company will deepen its cooperation with local government departments to inject green momentum into the high-quality development of the local economy. [China Daily]

Rural China (James Wheeler, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “India Installs 28 GW Of Solar And Wind Power In FY 2025” • India installed around 28 GW of solar and wind power capacity in FY 2025, according to JMK Research & Analytics. JMK said the country added 23,832 MW of solar capacity and 4,151 MW of wind capacity from April 2024 to March 2025. These were up 27.9% and 58.5%, respectively. [Asian Power]

¶ “Ireland Could Add 6 GW Of Onshore Wind” • A study by MKO, commissioned by Wind Energy Ireland, calculated that Ireland could produce up to 6 GW more onshore wind energy. An earlier report published onshore wind farms saved Irish electricity consumers nearly €840 million in the years 2020 through 2023. [reNews]

Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland (WEI image)

Australia:

¶ “Victoria Is Growing A Skilled Wind Energy Workforce” • The Victorian Government is building a skilled workforce to power the state’s renewable energy future. Lily D’Ambrosio, Minister for Energy and Resources, opened tenders for a center training wind workers, giving investors and developers confidence that they have talent for projects. [Invest Victoria]

¶ “The $60 Billion Energy Boom Hidden In Barnaby Joyce’s Backyard” • It’s the kind of windfall that regional Australia has dreams of: $60 billion in investment, 4,000 construction jobs, over 5,000 ongoing jobs, and enough clean energy to power half the country. But the local MP who is sitting on this renewable energy goldmine isn’t cheering. [RenewEconomy]

Australian wind farm (elaine alex, Unsplash)

¶ “Fireys Pour Water On Peter Dutton’s ‘Potentially Catastrophic’ Nuclear Power Plan” • The United Firefighters Union of Australia launched a last-minute campaign warning Australians of the risks associated with the Dutton Coalition’s plan to build seven nuclear power plants in five states. The UFUA says the cost of emergency services is over half a billion dollars. [RenewEconomy]

US:

¶ “‘Meadowscaping’: The People Turning Their Lawns Into Meadows” • Pennsylvania is one of a handful of states actively encouraging homeowners to transition their lawns to meadows. In 2020, the Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources started a lawn conversion program that in some cases helps finance meadow projects. [BBC]

Meadow (Stephan Eickschen, Unsplash)

¶ “New Jersey Wildfire: Strong Winds Complicate Firefighters’ Efforts” • Firefighters continue to battle a wildfire in New Jersey that has burned over 15,000 acres, with high winds complicating their efforts. The Jones Road Wildfire, in Ocean County, burned 15,300 acres and is only 65% contained as of Sunday, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said. [ABC News]

¶ “Mr Musk Goes To Memphis – And Poisons Its Air” • Elon Musk’s personal bid for artificial intelligence is xAI. For whatever reason, xAI is building a huge data center he calls Colossus in Memphis, Tennessee. Residents say Colossus is dumping huge quantities of carbon dioxide into the air they breath, along with a lot of other pollutants. [CleanTechnica]

Product of Elon Musk’s xAI (Image by xAI)

¶ “‘Repowering’ Era For America’s Aging Wind Energy Industry Begins, Despite Trump’s Effort To Kill It” • President Donald Trump is blocking many of the wind industry’s new projects, and the times have not been looking good for it. However, the largest wind turbine manufacturers are moving to repower the older wind farms, bring them up to date. [CNBC]

¶ “California Community Solar Project To Help Disadvantaged People” • A joint community solar power project from Peninsula Clean Energy and Renewable America, Dos Palos, recently came online in Merced County, California. The electricity it generates will help disadvantaged people by reducing their utility bill costs. Here is a look at it. [CleanTechnica]

Solar farm in California (Renewable America image)

¶ “Connecticut Bill Aims To Cut Electric Costs, But May Stifle Clean Energy” • Lawmakers are touting new legislation as a way to lower Connecticut’s out-of-control power bills, but opponents say it could ruin the state’s renewable energy progress. The bill would reduce incentives for residential solar and make nuclear eligible for renewable energy credits. [Canary Media]

¶ “Why Mississippi’s Solar Industry Is Growing Rapidly Despite A Lack Of State Incentives” • Despite nearly no financial incentives offered by the state for solar companies to build power plants, the renewable energy sector has been exploding in Mississippi in recent years. There are a number of key growth factors. One is a competitive power market. [The Clarion-Ledger]

Have an extraordinarily happy day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Managing The Shift From Fossil Fuels To Alternatives” • As the global community confronts the twin crises of climate change and energy insecurity, the imperative to transition towards renewable energy has become increasingly urgent. Solar, wind, hydro, and other alternative sources promise a cleaner, more sustainable future. [Eurasia Review]

Oil well and wind turbine (Pixabay image)

¶ “Utahns Must Think Carefully About Becoming The Nation’s Nuclear Hub” • We have seen how costly nuclear development can be here in Utah. In 2015, Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems partnered with NuScale on a small modular reactor. The project was canceled in November 2023 after cost estimates went from $3 billion to $9 billion. [Yahoo]

¶ “Important To Vote In Federal Election If Concerned About Climate, Renewable Energy” • To support Canada’s transition to renewable energy, the most powerful step a citizen can take is to vote. Global clean energy is past 40%. Uruguay transitioned from oil imports to 98% renewables. Finland’s energy is 95% fossil fuel-free. Canada is at 17%. [Rocky Mountain Outlook]

Banff National Park (Chi Liu, Unsplash)

World:

¶ “Solar Power Surges Around The World” • While reactionaries all across America are getting out their pitchforks to oppose solar and wind power, renewables continue to grow, not only in China and Europe, but even in the US. Why? Thanks to the wonders of capitalism, humans who subscribe to its strictures invariably seek the cheapest way to do everything. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “US Continues To Be At Odds With Its Allies Over Renewable Energy” • As part of their quest to undermine the momentum toward the clean energy upswing, Trump administration officials sparred at the gathering with the International Energy Agency. The Trumpsters want to block data that favors renewable energy over fossil fuels. [CleanTechnica]

Wind farm (US DOI image)

¶ “Ukraine’s Wartime Expertise Can Reshape Farming” • Ukraine has emerged as one of the world’s drone innovation hubs, driven by the brutal necessities of wartime. Remarkably, this wartime industrial surge has positioned Ukraine uniquely to pivot its new drone expertise toward civilian applications, particularly drones for sustainable farming. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Area Burned By UK Wildfires In 2025 Is Already At Annual Record” • In the UK, more than 29,200 hectares (292 sq km or 113 sq miles) has already been burnt this year, according to data from the Global Wildfire Information System, which has kept a record of burnt area since 2012. That is more than the previous high of 28,100 hectares for the whole year of 2019. [BBC]

Wildfire in Wales (Neil Mark Thomas, Unsplash)

¶ “Energy Leader Transforms Cooking Oil Into Fuel For One Of The World’s Largest Mines” • Old cooking oil was turned into fuel recently to power an iron ore mine in Australia – the first of its kind. Neste MY Renewable Diesel has allocated 8,500 tons of renewable diesel from used cooking oil for the trial, according to Renewable Energy Magazine. [The Cool Down]

¶ “DRC’s Kinshasa Could See Deadly Rain And Floods Every Two Years” • In early April, extreme rainfall and flooding at Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, killed at least 33 people. Catastrophic rainfall events are predicted to hit Kinshasa every two years in today’s warming climate, a study by World Weather Attribution shows. [MSN]

Congo River at Kinshasa (EdwinAlden.1995, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “Satellite Images Reveal This Gigantic Nuclear Fusion Center Rising at Breathtaking Speed” • China’s ambitious leap into laser fusion research is capturing global attention, as satellite images reveal the construction of a massive research center in Mianyang. This facility is poised to position China at the forefront of this cutting-edge technology. [Sustainability Times]

US:

¶ “There Is One Clear Winner In The Corn Vs Solar Battle” • At Cornell University, researchers showed that if farmers covered just 46% of land currently used to farm ethanol with solar panels, that would then generate enough energy to reach the US goal for decarbonization for 2050. Solar power is a more efficient use of land than corn for ethanol. [CleanTechnica]

Agrivoltaics (Tom Hickey and Al Hicks, NREL)

¶ “Tesla Is The Humpty Dumpty Of Brand Reputation” • The New York Times and others reported that Trump’s “DOGE” office saved just $160 billion while costing $135 billion, an accounting by the nonpartisan good-government nonprofit Partnership for Public Service shows. Elon Musk hurt many people in the process, along with Tesla’s reputation. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “DTE Energy Unveils Pine River Solar Park, Highlighting Renewable Energy Expansion” • DTE Energy celebrated bringing the Pine River Solar Park online, marking its commitment to renewable energy and sustainability, aligning with Michigan’s clean energy goals. The company plans an investment of $30 billion to enhance grid reliability. [Yahoo Finance]

Have a wonderfully straightforward day.

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Opinion:

¶ “Elon Can’t Save Tesla By Leaving Washington” • With Tesla’s disastrous quarterly results, it’s pretty clear that the company is actually in trouble. With years of poor product decisions, the company’s strengths could only compensate for so much. Elon Musk now says he’s going to spend less time in Washington, and more time on Tesla It won’t be enough. [CleanTechnica]

X, a symbol of what once was (Fachrizal Maulana, Unsplash)

¶ “Remembering Chernobyl: Why Not Developing Wylfa B Is A No-Brainer” • April 26 2025 marks the 39th anniversary of the catastrophic explosion in the Chernobyl nuclear plant, now in Ukraine. The rain that fell in Wales after the explosion caused radioactive pollution, with effects on agriculture, even though we were 1,600 miles away. [Nation.Cymru]

Science and Technology:

¶ “New Flow Battery Aims Energy Storage Dagger At The Heart Of Fossil Fuels” • Next-level energy storage systems are starting to provide more space to store wind and solar energy for longer times. The California flow battery startup Quino Energy is in the mix, gearing up for the first ever commercial deployment of its organic, water-based system. [CleanTechnica]

Flow battery (Courtesy of Quino via CleanTechnica archive)

World:

¶ “Plugin Vehicle Market Share In China At 52%” • March signals the end of the low season in the Chinese EV market. Plugins scored almost a million units in the last month of the quarter (in a 1.9-million-unit overall market). They had a 39% growth rate, in a total market that grew 12% YOY. Sales of fuel-burning cars fell by 76,000 units. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “​Switzerland Unveils World’s First Operational Solar Railway Project​” • Switzerland established the world’s first solar power plant installed directly on an active railway line. Developed by Swiss startup Sun-Ways, the project features removable solar PV panels laid between the rails, marking a significant advancement in renewable energy integration.​ [CleanTechnica]

Solar array between rails (Sun-Ways image)

¶ “A Third Of China’s Farms Are Sprayed By Drones, Marking Agricultural Revolution” • Drone spraying has not just reached scale. It has arguably become transformative and is reshaping the world’s farms. Nothing highlights this more vividly than DJI’s remarkable assertion: DJI agricultural drones now spray a third of all farmland in China. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “EnBW Installs First He Dreiht Turbine” • EnBW announced that the first of 64 wind turbines at its 960-MW He Dreiht wind farm in Germany is in place. This is the first time Vestas’ 15-MW wind turbine is being used in a commercial project. A single rotation of the rotor will be enough to supply four households with electricity for a day. [reNews]

Turbine installation (EnBW image)

¶ “Growth Of Solar Power In Dublin: A Sustainable Revolution” • Solar power is picking up steam in Dublin as the city is stepping up its climate action and sustainability. The Dublin City Council set goals of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030 and being climate neutral by 2050, so Dublin is a renewable energy focal point. [Blue and Green Tomorrow]

US:

¶ “Big Tech’s Soaring Energy Demands Are Making Coal-Fired Power Plant Sites Attractive” • Coal-fired power plants, long an increasingly money-losing proposition in the US, are becoming more valuable now that the suddenly strong demand for electric power to run Big Tech’s cloud and AI applications has set off a race to find new energy sources. [ABC News]

Coal-fired power plant (Stephen Kong, Unsplash, cropped)

¶ “Drone Video Shows Wildfires At State Forest In Pennsylvania” • Two wildfires are burning at in the Michaux State Forest in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. At least 1,350 acres, including the Kings Gap Environmental Education Center and Pine Grove Furnace State Park, have been impacted. The heavy smoke from the wildfires may cause air quality alerts. [ABC News]

¶ “Slate Electric Pickup Truck Is The Anti-Cybertruck” • By every measure, Slate’s electric pickup truck is the exact opposite of the Cybertruck. It is light, affordable, and basic. Tesla’s Cybertruck is heavy, expensive, and loaded with technology. The Slate popped out of stealth mode this week, and so we know a lot more about it now than we did two weeks ago. [CleanTechnica]

Slate pickup (Slate image)

¶ “Trump Deep Sea Mining Order Violates Law, China Says” • Donald Trump signed a controversial executive order aimed at stepping up deep-sea mining polymetallic nodules in both US and international waters. The nodules are rich in such minerals as cobalt and rare earths. China condemned the move, which said it “violates” international law. [BBC]

¶ “RWE Is Ending US Offshore Operations” • RWE has ceased its US offshore wind operations, citing US regulatory uncertainty under the Trump administration. CEO Marcus Krebber will say RWE has stopped offshore activities “for the time being” in a speech to be delivered to shareholders at the company’s Annual General Meeting in Essen on 30 April. [reNews]

Marcus Krebber (RWE image)

¶ “Chugach Electric Customers Can Sign Up For Community Solar” • Chugach Electric, based in Anchorage, is launching its community solar program for customers this summer. Though solar energy typically saves consumers money in the long run, the initial cost of a solar system can be high. Community solar, a subscription service, avoids that. [Alaska’s News Source]

¶ “Proterra’s Innovative Battery Pack Optimised For Heavy-Duty Trucks” • Leading innovator in commercial vehicle electrification technology Proterra Powered LLC announced the debut of its H2-23 battery pack as part of the Company’s new Onyx Strata series, engineered for Class 8 trucks and similar commercial applications. [Renewable Energy Magazine]

Have a surprisingly rewarding day.

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World:

¶ “China Has Halted Rare Earth Exports, Can Australia Step Up?” • China imposed export restrictions on seven rare earth elements essential to the production of advanced technologies. Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese has pledged to invest A$1.2 billion (£580 million, $770 million) in a strategic reserve for such minerals if he wins the election in May. [BBC]

Rare earth mine in China (Kevnmh, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)

¶ “New Tesla Model Y Sales Bump Already Over In China?!” • Tesla’s big hope to get back to sales growth, or to at least stop the immense bleeding, was that the new Tesla Model Y would be a huge hit and make up for the drop in sales in the past year. What we can glean from the market doesn’t tell the whole story yet, but it doesn’t suggest high expectations. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “The Denza Z From BYD!” • BYD introduced the Denza Z at the Shanghai Auto show. It is clearly designed to be disruptive. The car is so svelte and athletic it will inspire lust in the hearts of all who see it. It has the performance of a supercar, the looks of a McLaren or Ferrari, and a price low enough that many ordinary mortals can aspire to own it. [CleanTechnica]

BYD Denza Z (DPC Cars via YouTube)

¶ “OX2 Submits Laine Environmental Impact Assessment” • OX2 has submitted the EIA for its Laine offshore wind project to the Finnish authorities. Located about 30 km off the coast, Laine could include up to 150 turbines, generating 11 TWh of clean electricity annually. The project is being developed by OX2 and Ingka Investments. [reNews]

¶ “EA3 Monopile Installation Gets Underway” • Construction for the largest renewables project ScottishPower has ever taken on is underway with the installation of the first foundation for the £4 billion, 1400-MW East Anglia 3 offshore wind farm. Standing at 83.89 meters tall, the 1,800 tonne monopile is the largest ever installed by a jack-up vessel in Europe. [reNews]

Offshore windpower (Hellenic Cables image)

¶ “At Energy Security Talks, The US Pushes Gas And Derides Renewables” • While the leaders of the UK, European Union and ministers from Barbados and Colombia argued that clean energy provides energy security, ministers and officials from oil and gas producers like the US, Iraq and Egypt said that fossil fuels should remain part of the energy mix. [Climate Home News]

¶ “China Says Wind And Solar Energy Capacity Exceeds Thermal For First Time” • China’s wind and solar energy capacity exceeds that of thermal, mostly coal-powered, its national energy body said. China, the world’s largest of greenhouse gases emitter, has pledged to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. [Yahoo News UK]

Wind farm in China (Hahaheditor12667, CC-BY-SA 4.0)

¶ “GEE Files Plans For 2-GW Scottish Pumped Storage” • Glen Earrach Energy submitted an application for a 2-GW pumped storage hydro project near Loch Ness. If approved, the project will deliver over £20 million annually during a 125-year life cycle to Highland communities through a community benefit fund. Polling shows strong support in the area. [reNews]

¶ “NSW Approves Grid Access To Some 3.56 GW Of Renewable Projects” • Four renewable energy projects with a total generating capacity of 3.56 GW have been granted grid access in the South West Renewable Energy Zone. These projects include more than 700 MW of battery storage, capable of powering up to 300,000 households during peak demand. [Asian Power]

Wind turbines in NSW (CSIRO, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

US:

¶ “Left Alone By Humans, Wildlife Returns To The Eaton Fire Burn Area” • Wildlife is returning to the Eaton Fire burn area four months after the Los Angeles area wildfires tore through the Angeles National Forest and destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses in Altadena. It is a sign of hope to people who have lost so much that nature is returning. [ABC News]

¶ “Nearly Half Of All Americans Are Breathing Unhealthy Air” • The American Lung Association issued its annual State of the Air report. It says that, after decades of successful efforts to reduce sources of air pollution, 46% of Americans, 156.1 million people, are living in places that get failing grades for unhealthy levels of ozone or fine particle pollution. [CleanTechnica]

Comparisons (EPA image)

¶ “Toyota Invests More Into Old Tech In West Virginia” • Toyota went from hero to villain in the eyes of many people concerned about the climate. After leading the market for years with its popular Prius, it proved to be a battery EV laggard. Now Toyota North America says it is investing $88 million in its West Virginia factory to make more hybrids. [CleanTechnica]

¶ “Zelestra Closes $113 Million Of US Solar Financing” • Zelestra closed a $113 million financing transaction for an 81-MW solar project in Indiana. Banco Santander provided the senior secured credit facility for the Jasper County solar project. The project has long-term environmental attributes purchase agreement with Meta and is due to be operating in Q4 2025. [reNews]

Solar panels (Zelestra image)

¶ “Despite Tariff Turmoil, Stellantis Aims Solid-State Battery Plan At US EV Market” • Last year, Stellantis announced plans to launch its Dodge Charger Daytona EV in 2026, with a solid-state battery developed by US startup Factorial Energy. Now Stellantis and Factorial say Factorial’s solid-state EV battery has sailed past a key validation stage. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Nuclear Power Reactors In Vermont? Not Again” • Recently, VTDigger published an article alerting its readers that Vermont governor Phil Scott and other New England government officials are considering the use of nuclear power to provide the region’s future electricity. The discussions are in the early stages, but we should be developing opposition. [CounterPunch.org]

Have an utterly gorgeous day.

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