Green Energy Times

Headline News:

• “Denmark, Portugal, And Lithuania Lead The Way As The EU Share Of Electricity From Renewables Hits 46%” • The EU’s share of electricity generated from renewables continues to grow, new Eurostat data reveals. In the first quarter of 2026, it reached 45.5% of the total electricity generated. This is up from 42.7% in the same period in 2025. [Euronews]

Wind turbines in Portugal (Afonso Coutinho, Unsplash)

• “New “Air” Battery Makes Larger Electric Aircraft Possible” • The idea behind lithium-air batteries is to use oxygen from the air as a key ingredient, thereby saving considerable weight while potentially boosting energy density far beyond the capacity of ordinary lithium-ion technology. US startup Air Energy may have found a way to do that. [CleanTechnica]
• “Brussels Pivots From Climate Mitigation To Adaptation As Heatwaves Expose Vulnerabilities” • The European Commission, seeing that European policies fail to match the quickening pace and impacts of climate change, pledged to “double down” on efforts to mitigate climate change following last week’s extreme and deadly heatwave in Western Europe. [Euronews]
• “Nova Scotia Green Light For 1.2-GW Onshore Giant” • Nova Scotia has granted environmental assessment approval for the 1.2-GW Ocean Lake wind project. The project will include up to 158 turbines and is being developed by EverWind NS Holdings Ltd and Membertou Development Corp. It will generate enough electricity for about 404,000 homes. [reNews]
• “One Year Since One Big Beautiful Bill: Fewer Jobs, Higher Bills, More Pollution” • In the year since Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” into law the Trump administration reduced over $7.5 billion in clean energy investments. And Americans are facing soaring energy bills, more toxic emissions, and continued economic instability. [CleanTechnica]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Headline News:

• “Firmus Secures 600 MW Energy Supply Agreement In South Australia” • Firmus announced a landmark 12-year wholesale energy supply agreement with Gunvor Group for 600 MW of firm renewable power to support Project Southgate. The project is part of its strategy to develop large-scale AI Factory campuses in regional Australia. [CleanTechnica]

Firmus battery sysem (Firmus image)

• “South Dakota Storm Strikes Two ENGIE Wind Farms” • A powerful storm hit South Dakota on June 29 damaging buildings, infrastructure, and turbines at ENGIE’s 250-MW Triple H and 200-MW North Bend wind farms. Reports said wind speeds of up to 131 mph had been recorded in the area. Collapsed turbine towers and blades are on the ground. [reNews]
• “Air Quality Is Improving Across Europe As Report Finds ‘Steady Decrease’ In Major Pollutants” • Europe’s air quality is getting better. The EU’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service says in its latest report that while some parts of the continent are still experiencing issues with local air pollution the overall outlook “remains encouraging.” [Euronews]
• “China’s Coal Use Flatlines As Solar And Wind Expand In 2025” • China’s coal consumption remained flat in 2025, as the country marked the first year in a decade without growth. The rapid expansion in renewable energy and structural shifts in industry reshaped the country’s power system. China installed 315 GW of solar capacity in 2025. [Asian Power]
• “Extreme Heat Forecast: What To Expect As Heatwave Hits Northeast” • A dangerous heatwave going on in the Midwest and South has moved into the East Coast. The heat index could reach 106°F in Boston, a scorching 111°F in New York, and 110°F in Washington, DC. Minimal overnight relief will make the heat even more dangerous. [ABC News]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Headline News:

• “Biggest US Wildfire Leaves Ranchers With Dead And Missing Cattle” • As the Cottonwood Fire, the largest wildfire in the US, continued to rage in Utah, ranchers reported finding dead cattle strewn across burned grazing land, and the state agriculture commissioner said it could take years for ranchers to recover from the devastation. [ABC News]

Cattle grazing in Utah (inkknife_2000, CC BY-SA 2.0)

• “Federal Appeals Court Upholds Limits On Fossil Fuel Use In Buildings” • The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld laws that prohibit appliances burning fossil fuels in new buildings in New York City and New York State, affirming lower courts’ rulings. Communities are taking action to stop use of polluting fossil fuels in buildings. [CleanTechnica]
• “Renewables Generate Record Share Of UK Electricity, As Wind Out-Supplies Gas” • Renewable energy sources in the UK generated a record 53.1% of the country’s electricity during the first quarter of 2026, an increase of 7.4%, driven by increased wind energy generation. The share of electricity generated from fossil fuels fell to 32.8%. [Renew Economy]
• “Record-High Ocean Temperatures Could Fuel Sea Level Rise And Extreme Weather On Land” • New Copernicus data reveals that daily global sea surface heat has broken records for the time of year. The record high global sea surface temperatures are the latest sign that the world’s oceans are entering what scientists call “uncharted territory.” [Euronews]
• “Extreme Heat Forecast: What To Expect As Heat Wave Hits Midwest, Northeast” • A serious heat wave is bringing prolonged extreme heat to the Midwest, the South, and the East Coast this week. The extreme heat hit the Midwest first. The heat index is forecast to hit 105°F in Chicago and 111°F in Detroit. The heat is spreading next into the Northeast. [ABC News]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Headline News:

• “Trump Killed Climate.gov Last Summer. Scientists Have Just Brought It Back” • Last summer, Trump shuttered climate.gov, NOAA’s portal on climate science. Now a team of roughly eighty volunteer scientists and former NOAA staffers has resurrected climate.gov as the nonprofit climate.us, crowdfunded with over $321,000 in donations. [Gizmodo]

Atmospheric river (NOAA, public domain)

• “Power From Here: Most Of Humanity Already Lives Where Solar And Wind Are Strongest” • Most of the world is already rich in the two energy sources we need to decarbonize fast: sun and wind. The global shift to renewables is not constrained by resource scarcity, but by whether planning and investment move fast enough. [CleanTechnica]
• “Europe’s Record Heatwave Is Shifting East” • Europe is still going through its most severe heatwave on record, with all-time highs shattered by temperatures across the continent. The death toll is more than 1,300. Now the heat is shifting east towards the Balkans and Ukraine, and Ukraine’s war-damaged power grid is bracing for the heat’s next phase. [Euronews]
• “Solar Power: From Intermittent To Reliable Power” • Global solar demand is growing dramatically. China is by far the largest investor in solar PV generation and the largest producer of solar panels. In contrast to many other markets, solar truly is a global growth industry, now representing over 40% of the investment in global power generation. [McKinsey & Company]
• “Duke Energy Latest Company to Accept Trump’s Dirty ‘Deal’ to Scrap Offshore Wind” • Duke Energy accepted $129 million in taxpayer money to end an offshore wind lease. The company is the latest to accept such an offer from the Interior Department. California and northeastern states are suing the US government over such agreements. [CleanTechnica]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Headline News:

• “Booming Air Tourism Could Fuel European Rent Hikes Of Up To €250 A Year” • With unchecked growth in tourism and air traffic growth, there is a housing crisis in Europe. Some of the most popular destinations, like Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Greece, have seen protests from residents in the summer months due to the strain on affordable housing. [CleanTechnica]

Home in Greece (Dimitris Kiriakakis, Unsplash, cropped)

• “Swiss Glaciers Melting At Alarming Rate” • The snow and ice that fell on Swiss glaciers last winter is expected to be completely melted away by June 29, Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland has reported. Melting from now to October will shrink the size of the glaciers. The drastic loss is due to the heatwaves that swept over Europe this month. [Euronews]
• “French Deaths Soar As Extreme Heat Breaks European Records” • France saw around 1,000 additional deaths last week at the height of its record-smashing heat wave, the country’s public health agency said. The head of the WHO warned that Europe is now the fastest-warming continent and needs to do more to protect its citizens. [ABC News]
• “‘Insane’ Shortage Of Computer Hardware?” • In the face of the huge demand for computer hardware for data centers, we got news that Apple is raising prices on a bunch of products. Apple CEO Tim Cook said raising prices was “unavoidable.” Elon Musk also chimed in, saying the price surge is unlike anything he has seen “in any area in over 40 years.” [CleanTechnica]
• “Three Firefighters Killed And Two Injured Responding Wildfire On Utah-Colorado Border” • Three firefighters were killed on Saturday while responding to the Snyder Fire, a wildfire burning along the Utah-Colorado border, the US Wildland Fire Service announced. Two other firefighters are being treated for burn injuries, the service said. [ABC News]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Headline News:

• “A ‘strategic mistake of colossal proportions’ Why Trump is losing the war on renewables” • Despite the Trump regime, solar overtook coal in the US electricity mix for the first month on record in May. According to energy think tank Ember, sunlight supplied a record 12.8 % of US electricity, while coal fell to 12.2%, its fourth-lowest monthly share ever. [Euronews]

Protest sign (Leo_Visions, Unsplash, cropped)

• “Climate-Tech Claims Need A Red-Flag Pass Before They Get Money” • Climate-tech claims usually arrive with a promise of a solution for some hard part of decarbonization and a request for support. Sometimes the claim deserves serious diligence. Other times it deserves a narrow demonstration. And there are times it deserves a polite but firm no. [Cleantechnica]
• “The Next Frontier: Offshore Wind Power” • Besieged by high electricity costs and heavy reliance on fossil fuels, the Philippine archipelago is positioning itself as a prime destination for Asian offshore wind investment. With massive coastal wind resources, the Philippines recognizes that offshore wind offers the path to energy independence with lowest cost. [MSN]
• “Europe Is Still Sweltering With Record-Breaking Heat” • The brutal heatwave is still griping Europe. Paris banned drinking alcohol in public over the weekend, while the city’s Pride March has been postponed, and the Louvre museum and the Eiffel Tower are closing early. Temperatures in the French capital has touched 39°C (102°F). [Euronews]
• “China Is Quietly Winning The Clean Energy Trade War” • China’s clean energy dominance is growing. Buoyed by fast rising energy needs and the projected demands of the artificial intelligence boom, clean energy projects are getting greenlit at a breakneck pace. Beijing has near-total control of global supply chains for clean energy tech. [OilPrice.com]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Headline News:

• “Solar And Wind Each Produced More Electricity Than Coal In USA In April” • Solar and wind power plants are growing rapidly in the US, as coal keeps declining despite the federal government putting its thumb so heavily on the side of coal. In April alone, wind and solar each produced more electricity than the nation’s coal plants. [CleanTechnica]

Solar, wind, and coal (Arno Senoner, Unsplash)

• “Rooftop Solar Systems Can Provide Five Hours Of ‘Free’ Air Conditioning Per Day. But Is It Green?” • AC has consistently been proven to reduce heat mortality during heatwaves. The 2021 Lancet Countdown report estimated that cooling units prevented nearly 200,000 premature deaths in 2019. But with greater demand comes greater emissions. [Euronews]
• “Iron-Air Battery Project Aims To Cut Emissions And Boost Renewable Power” • Dutch startup Ore Energy secured what could be Europe’s largest iron-air battery agreement. The firm has signed a deal with energy supplier Budget Thuis to deploy 1 GWh of long-duration energy storage, starting with 400 MWh to be delivered in 2028. [Energy Live News]
• “The Nuclear Renaissance Is Missing One Key Ingredient” • The Trump administration is all-in on nuclear energy. It has committed to loaning a total of $17.5 billion to companies that build new reactors. But utilities don’t appear to have much interest. Their investors are too worried about the high cost and long delays of nuclear construction. [MSN]
• “Swiss Nuclear Plant Shut Down As River Temperature Rises Amid Heatwave” • In Switzerland, the Beznau nuclear plant, the world’s oldest active nuclear power facility, was temporarily shut down due to high water temperatures in a river used for cooling, the operator said. The water temperature in the Aare river has been measured at 25°C (77°F). [Yahoo]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Headline News:

• “US Renewables Reach 30% Generation Share” • Renewables provided 30% of US electricity in the first third of 2026 as output rose by over 10%. The SUN DAY Campaign said that output of coal-fired plants fell 11.6%, natural gas rose 2.8%, and nuclear power edged up 0.5%. Wind and solar combined delivered 21.8% of US electricity over the period. [reNews]

Solar array (Michael Pointner, Unsplash)

• “Nuclear Reactors Taken Offline In France, As Extreme Heat Pushes River Temperatures Into Danger Zone” • EDF has taken several nuclear reactors offline this week, around 6.2 GW in total, and nearly 10% of its fleet, because of the heatwave in France. The heatwave is part of a weather system allowing heat to build in an area, without relief. [Renew Economy]
• “‘Climate Change Is Running Rampant’: Europe’s Heatwave ‘Virtually Impossible’ Fifty Years Ago” • “Continued fossil-fuel emissions are directly responsible for the disruption people are experiencing this week,” climate scientists warn. The extreme heat now scorching Europe would have been almost impossible just a few decades ago. [Euronews]
• “Distributed Solar Increased Pakistan’s Electricity Demand By A Fifth In Two Years” • Official data generally ignore distributed solar. A report from Ember is the first to reflect Pakistan’s energy statistics including its transformative distributed solar boom. It makes the case that distributed solar actually helped to increase electricity demand. [CleanTechnica]
• “Germany Awards 2.5 GW In Onshore Tender” • Germany has awarded support contracts to just under 2.5 GW of onshore wind capacity in its latest tender. The Federal Network Agency says that the May tender was “significantly oversubscribed,” with 628 bids totaling 6.4 GW of capacity. It awarded support contracts to 270 bidders with a total volume of 2,449 MW. [reNews]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Headline News:

• “WindEurope Calls For Binding 2040 Renewables Goal” • WindEurope has called on EU Energy Ministers to commit to a binding 2040 renewables target ahead of its 26 June energy policy discussions. The organization said the absence of a post-2030 target risks stalling investment momentum and undermining Europe’s energy security. [reNews]

Tinne van der Straeten, former Belgian Energy Minister (WindEurope image)

• “Senate Votes Again, Blocking War Powers Resolution, Giving Trump A Win” • Hours after President Trump blasted Senator Bill Cassidy for his support of a war powers resolution, Cassidy helped deliver Trump a victory by voting with the majority of Republicans to block a separate resolution aimed at reining in the president’s war powers in Iran. [ABC News]
• “Vermont Yankee Site Options Include Data Center, Nuclear Reactor, And Battery Storage” • The state of Vermont and a Texas company exploring redevelopment of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant site are working on a letter of intent to govern how the project would proceed and how the public could engage in the process. [Greenfield Recorder]
• “Red Heatwave Alerts Spread Across Europe” • June 24 was the hottest day ever in France, leading to power cuts and tragically to deaths. Hundreds of schools in the UK are closed due to worries that students cannot be kept safe in sweltering buildings. Italy has issued extreme heat warnings for sixteen cities. But in Spain, the heatwave is abating. [Euronews]
• “Trillion-Dollar AI Bubble On Verge Of Popping? ” • The amount of investment in AI is wild. Investors all want to bet on leaders of this new era. Large AI companies are pouring a lot of that cash into enormous data centers packed with unbelievable amounts of computer hardware, powered by polluting power plants. Has it all gone too far? [CleanTechnica]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Headline News:

• “Giant Shipping Firm Dips A Small Toe Into Wind Power ” • DHL’s latest decarbonization step is being enabled by its French branch, VELA Transportation. VELA has focused it business on pallets packed into ships that are small enough to be pushed across the Atlantic crossing, with wind power alone providing for their propulsion. [CleanTechnica]

Cargo catamaran (Courtesy of VELA Transportation)

• “Groups Launch Ads Targeting Colorado’s Third District Over Big Oil Immunity Effort” • This week the Sierra Club and Make Polluters Pay released a series of ads targeting Representative Jeff Hurd and raising awareness in Colorado’s 3rd district about a congressional Republican effort to give fossil fuel corporations immunity from climate damages. [CleanTechnica]
• “Congress passes war powers resolution, offering rare rebuke of Trump” • The Senate adopted an Iran war powers resolution by a 50-48 vote in a symbolic, yet rare, rebuke of President Donald Trump. Four Republican Senators, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Rand Paul, voted for the resolution. It had passed earlier this month in the House. [ABC News]
• “Trump Administration Announces $17.5 Billion In Loans For Ten New Large Nuclear Reactors” • The Trump administration is providing $17.5 billion to speed development of ten large nuclear reactors to meet the rising power demands of big data centers. Nuclear plant construction could begin by 2030 and they could start operating in the mid-2030s. [ABC News]
• “‘No Immunity for Big Oil’ Campaign Delivers 135K Signatures to Democratic Leadership” • Former Washington Governor Jay Inslee and the “No Immunity for Big Oil” campaign will deliver a letter signed by 390 organizations and over 135,000 people to Congress urging rejection of proposals to shield fossil fuels from accountability. [Center for Climate Integrity]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Headline News:

• “Trump Retreats from Lawsuit Challenging Illegal Wind Ban” • The Trump administration has voluntarily dismissed its own appeal in a lawsuit challenging Donald Trump’s executive order banning wind project development in the US. The judge had ruled the order was “capricious and arbitrary.” This effectively ends the unlawful windpower ban. [CleanTechnica]

CVOW (BOEM-OPA, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped)

• “Spain’s Renewables Revolution Is Paying Off” • New analysis shows that Spanish households have each saved €10 per month on their electricity bills since the Hormuz strait was effectively closed in March. In the Spanish’s transition to renewable energy, the influence fossil fuels have on the electricity price has been reduced by 75% since 2019. [Euronews]
• “Cuba Quantifies Impact Of US Oil Blockade On Children’s Health And Daily Life” • The survival rate for Cuban children with cancer has fallen from 85% before the US energy blockade began in January to 65%, according to a report from Cubadebate. The report said 100,000 children younger than seven can’t even get a daily liter of milk from the state. [ABC News]
• “Gas Prices Fall Below $4 A Gallon, GasBuddy Says” • After an agreement between the US and Iran, the national average price of a gallon of gas stands at $3.99, marking a decline of more than 9¢ over the past week, according to a GasBuddy post. Gas prices, however, continue to register well above where they stood before the Iran war. [ABC News]
• “Circularity Cuts Cost Of Making Sustainable Aviation Fuel From Bio-Methane” • In recent six-month trial, Circularity Fuels showed that biogas from a California dairy farm manure digester was successfully converted to a drop-in aviation fuel. It meets the ASTM D7566 Annex A1 specifications in use for the jet engines of commercial aircraft. [CleanTechnica]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Headline News:

• “Wind Farms Lift Irish Rates Income” • Wind farms in Ireland will contribute almost €75 million in commercial rates to local authorities in 2026. Wind Energy Ireland said analysis compiled by Halpin’s showed annual rates payments from wind farms increased from €69.27 million in March 2025 to €74.87 million in March 2026. [reNews]

Wind turbine (FuturEnergy Ireland image)

• “Electricity Scarcity Will Shape AI’s Future Trajectory” • The race for supremacy in artificial intelligence is often portrayed as a contest of intellectual prowess: better models, faster chips and more sophisticated algorithms. But this perspective misses a harder, less glamorous truth. The real frontier of AI isn’t the silicon. It’s the electricity. [China Daily]
• “New World Record Set For Solar Module With Perovskite” • Another day, another reason why fossil fuels are toast. Persistent innovation in solar cells has sent the conversion efficiency in the industry through the roof. Last week some new world efficiency records were set, one of which is for solar modules made tandem perovskite-silicon cells. [CleanTechnica]
• “Italy’s Cinque Terre Coastline Could Be Flooded By 13-Meter Waves By 2150 As Sea Levels Rise” • In the Italian region of Liguria, the Cinque Terre National Park is known for its colorful houses, fishing harbors, steep cliffsides, and hiking trails. But analysis suggests its villages could be at serious risk of flooding in the next 125 years. [Euronews]
• “Energy Experts Warn Of Slow Oil And Gas Supply Recovery After Iran Deal” • It will likely take months for energy companies to resume operations and meet global demand fully, according to energy experts. The slow pace of shipping and refining crude oil, along with uncertainty over safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, means relief will take time. [Euronews]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Headline News:

• “Trump Allows Iran Civilian Nuclear Program In Peace Bid” • Donald Trump agreed to a major concession to end the war in Iran: allowing the Islamic Republic to retain some of its civilian nuclear program. The Trump administration gave Iran a green light to hold onto its civilian nuclear power plants as long as they can’t be used to create a nuclear weapon. [MSN]

Guided-missile destroyer in the Strait of Hormuz (Cpl Gary Jayne III, public domain)

• “Clean Energy Investments Surge, But That Is Only Part Of The Story” • The general perception is that the US massive push favoring the dirtiest forms of energy means global investments in fossil fuels are soaring. The reality is quite different. According to the IEA, clean energy investments last year were $2.2 trillion, while $1.2 trillion went into fossil fuels. [CleanTechnica]
• “Inner Mongolia To Turn Its Vast Renewable Energy Into An Edge In Green Computing” • AI makes power supply, cost, and carbon emissions key concerns for the industry. As AI pushes demand for data centers, China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region is seeking to turn its vast renewable energy resources into a competitive edge in green computing. [China Daily]
• “US Democratic Lawmakers Pledge To Help Speed Up Disaster Recovery In Puerto Rico” • A group of US Democratic lawmakers promised Puerto Ricans that they would try to speed up the slow recovery from destructive hurricanes and earthquakes, a process that relies heavily on federal funds. There have been a number of factors slowing down the response. [ABC News]
• “Gas Prices Are Falling Toward $4 Per Gallon But Outlook Is Uncertain, Analysts Say” • Gas prices have fallen toward $4 per gallon in recent weeks, nearing the milestone as oil costs have eased in response to negotiations between the US and Iran. The US average price of a gallon of gas stands at $4.10, after declining 40¢, or 8.8%, over the past month. [ABC News]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Headline News:

• “SpaceX Soars After Trading Begins In Largest IPO Of All Time” • Rocket and AI company SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, soared in trading on Friday, moving well above an initial public offering price of $135 per share. The IPO made Musk the first trillionaire, vaulting the world’s richest person further ahead of other financial titans. [ABC News]

SpaceX Falcon Heavy Demo Mission (SpaceX, Unsplash)

• “UK Sprints Forward With Grid Connections for 700 Clean Energy Projects” • The UK’s system for grid connections was “first come, first served.” That may not sound too bad, but it led to major bottlenecks for grid connections. The UK implemented some reforms, and now it’s getting clean power projects the grid connections they need. [CleanTechnica]
• “Renewables Meet All Growth In China’s Electricity Demand In 2025” • China reached a historic climate milestone in 2025 as its additional renewable energy covered the entirety of China’s growing power needs. The country’s newly installed renewable power generating capacity also accounted for more than 60% of global additions. [Xinhua]
• “Rare Coastal Floods Now 12 Times More Likely – Human-Driven Climate Change Is A Major Contributor” • Once rare extreme floods in coastal communities are far more common than they had been. Human-caused climate change makes sea levels higher, research shows, and when higher sea levels add to high tides, storm surges are worse. [Euronews]
• “Largest Wind Farm In The United States Is Slated To Begin Commercial Operations” • The SunZia Wind Project, the largest wind farm in the US, is slated to begin commercial operations this month. The wind farm, which is in New Mexico, has a total net summer generating capacity of 3,650 MW. It is composed of 916 wind turbines. [CleanTechnica]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Headline News:

• “Anthropic CEO Calls For Stronger Regulation Of AI” • AI has advanced at an exponential pace. Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, an AI company based in San Francisco, is calling for stronger regulation of the technology. In an interview with ABC News, he said AI has to be developed with the proper guardrails to ensure it has a positive impact. [ABC News]

Dario Amodei (TechCrunch, CC BY-SA 2.0)

• “France To Publish 10-GW Offshore Tender” • The French Government is publishing the specifications for a 10-GW French offshore wind tender. The Ministry of Energy already published the tender itself on the Official Journal of the EU website. The offshore tender will cover a mixture of eleven bottom-fixed and floating projects. [reNews]
• “The Threat To Nuclear Power Plants Around The World” • The “vulnerability” of the civilian energy infrastructure was exposed this week when a drone strike on the United Arab Emirates cut off power to a nuclear reactor, Bloomberg said. It’s the first time a fully operating nuclear plant had to rely on back-up generators because of a military attack. [MSN]
• “El Niño Returns, Likely Will Intensify Into A Strong Event This Year, NOAA Says” • El Niño conditions are present and expected to strengthen in the coming months. They can bring potentially significant impacts to our weather, the upcoming hurricane season, and global temperatures, according to the latest forecast from the NOAA. [ABC News]
• “Balcony Solar Bill Is Moving Forward In California” • The California Supreme Court just decided to kill efforts to appeal the California Public Utilities Commission’s net metering cuts, but perhaps balcony solar can help boost the industry a bit. No need for a permit. No need to wait. You just plug in your solar panels and collect the energy. [CleanTechnica]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Global surface temperature anomaly in GISS analysis relative to 1880-1920 mean.

30 April 2026
James Hansen, Pushker Kharecha, Dylan Morgan and Jasen Vest

Abstract. We infer that 2026 is likely to be the warmest year in the period of instrumental data, based on a physics-based approach with identifiable assumptions. This approach may help us learn something in 2026 about the mechanisms of climate change.

The figures in this post and our other current papers will be continually updated on our website, when they remain relevant. We are also now on Substack.

A Carbon Brief article last week (“Strong El Nino Puts 2026 on Track for Second Warmest Year”) makes us wonder about the basis for such expert projection. We are reminded of IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) expert projections with unstated assumptions and whose physical basis is inscrutable to the public. Organized climate model runs for the Climate Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) are valuable for climate analyses, but the fog of all model results should not be misinterpreted as a probability distribution for the real world.

As an alternative, let’s try a physics-based approach, with the hope to learn something from it by the end of the year. Specifically, let’s assume that the budding El Nino will have strength at least comparable to the 2023-24 El Nino. We assume that global temperature change is caused by climate forcings (imposed changes of the planet’s energy balance) and that “Nino” variability is the only substantial source of global “noise,” i.e., unforced global temperature change.

Why is this exercise of interest? Because, as we discussed in prior posts, the main issue is not El Nino, but the need to understand accelerated warming, unprecedented marine heat waves, and increasing climate extremes. … 

READ MORE at https://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2026/2026GlobalTemperature.2026.04.30.pdf

Headline News:

• “Solar Power Outstrips Coal In US Despite Trump’s Attacks” • Even as President Donald Trump boosts coal over clean energy, solar power is hitting new milestones in the US and remains the leading source of new power. States won by Trump in the 2024 election accounted for 74% of all solar capacity installed in the first quarter of 2026. [Euronews]

Solar power (Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, CC BY-SA 2.0)

• “France Adds 157,000 Hectares Of Protected Forest” • From the rain forests of French Guiana to ancient woodlands in eastern France, thousands of hectares of forest have new protections. France said it added 157,000 hectares to its biological reserves as it works toward placing 10% of its land under ‘strong protection’ by 2030. [Euronews]
• “This Electric Aircraft Is The First To Take Flight Using Solid-State Batteries” • Helios Horizon, a Florida nonprofit, did what it says is the first piloted flight of an electric aircraft powered by solid-state batteries. Founder and test pilot Miguel Iturmendi carried out a series of short test flights at Zephyrhills Municipal Airport in central Florida. [Robb Report]
• “Trump Claims Over 100 Million Barrels Of Oil Have Gone Through Strait Of Hormuz” • President Trump said a “secret mission” was conducted last month for 200 ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The operation was “wildly successful,” he said. ABC News could not immediately verify the accuracy of Trump’s claims. [ABC News]
• “‘Man Who Killed Offshore Wind’ Now Pushing Fossil Fuels And Nuclear” • David Stevenson, who led a national campaign against offshore wind power for the Caesar Rodney Institute, is now fighting land-based solar and wind farms while promoting fossil fuels and nuclear power with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. [Energy and Policy Institute]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Headline News:

• “A Bog Is Like A Minefield” • Talking about defence, people usually imagine tanks, drones, or hardened borders. Peatlands usually don’t come to mind. But their wetness, inaccessibility, and limited passability make them a factor of relevance for security policy. The issue combines climate action, biodiversity, and water management with defence. [Euronews]

Bog (Luke Hodde, Unsplash)

• “Solar And Storage Provide Over 90% Of All New Power Added To The US Grid In Q1” • The US added 7.8 GW of solar capacity in the first quarter of 2026, as solar remained the leading source of new power added to the grid. Despite changing tax policy and regulatory actions targeting clean energy, 91% of new capacity were solar and energy storage. [CleanTechnica]
• “A Pair Of Bills Now Head To Ayotte’s Desk” • Governor Kelly Ayotte kicked off 2026 with a call to open New Hampshire to advancement and expansion of nuclear power. None of the three bills that came would do. Lawmakers say they have successfully worked with the governor to draft a compromise bill that pushes nuclear power. [New Hampshire Bulletin]
• “‘EU’s Environmental Policy Must Be Part Of Defence Strategy,’ Commissioner Roswall Says” • The environmental policy of the EU should now be considered a key part of Europe’s defence strategy, according to Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience, and a Competitive Circular Economy, in an interview. [Euronews]
• “GM Announces A Sodium-Ion Grid-Scale Battery Storage Developed In The US” • GM announced an effort for sodium-ion batteries in partnership with Peak Energy, with an investment by GM Ventures. It’s a deliberate bet on matching the chemistry to the right application rather than forcing one solution across every use case. [CleanTechnica]

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Headline News:

• “The Geysers Adds 25 MW Of Geothermal Capacity” • California’s largest geothermal resource added 25 MW of new generating capacity, strengthening the state’s geothermal energy. Calpine, a Constellation business unit, announced completion of the expansion project at The Geysers geothermal complex in Sonoma County, California. [ThinkGeoEnergy]

Geothermal plant at The Geysers, California (Calpine image)

• “The Cost Of Balancing The Grid If The EU Cuts EV Targets: 150 New Power Plants” • Europe’s electricity system could be a big victim of plans to scale back EV targets. EVs can be ‘batteries on wheels,’ providing a different math of the electricity sector. Fewer EVs would mean less storage capacity for the grid and a need for more power plants. [CleanTechnica]
• “Off-Grid Mine Runs Solely On Renewables For Nearly A Week” • Bellevue Gold is celebrating a milestone at its namesake gold mine in Western Australia. The site was able to run entirely on renewables for 155 consecutive hours. The site’s 90-MW hybrid power station has 27 MW of solar, 24 MW of wind, and 15 MW, 33 MWh of battery storage. [Energy Magazine]
• “Use Of Bomb-Grade Plutonium For Energy” • The President of the US signed an executive order directing the DOE to stop an operation getting rid of nuclear bomb materials. Instead, it is to give the weapons-grade plutonium to private companies to use in nuclear reactors. They are to get enough plutonium to build 2,000 nuclear bombs. [Green Energy Times]
• “Judge tosses Trump bid to restrict renewable energy tax credits” • A federal judge struck down a Trump administration effort to restrict tax credits for wind and solar energy. The ruling is a win for renewable energy supporters, but it comes less than a month before a deadline to phase out the credits entirely under so-called “Big Beautiful Bill.” [The Hill]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Headline News:

• “Elon Musk Said He Wouldn’t Take SpaceX Public, But Two Things Changed His Mind” • The stress of taking Tesla public seems to have worn Musk down tremendously. He said he would not do that again. But he needs money for SpaceX, and with the IPO that is coming, he will be able to retain control of 85% of the company’s stock. [CleanTechnica]

Lift off (Kim Shiflett, NASA, public domain)

• “How Hot Conditions Could Impact The World Cup” • The World Cup is set to begin during one of the hottest times of year in more than a dozen cities in Canada, the US and Mexico, and several of the host cities may see high temperatures during the soccer tournament. High temperatures that may put athletes and even spectators at risk. [ABC News]
• “Mexico Reaches 5 GW Of Distributed Solar Power” • Mexico has reached another renewable energy milestone. From 600,368 installations across the country, Mexico reached 5,164.98 MW of small-scale, distributed solar power capacity by the end of 2025. Net metering has been a key driver of small-scale solar growth in the country. [CleanTechnica]
• “Nordex Wins 255-MW German Haul” • Nordex Group has secured orders totalling 255 MW for fourteen wind projects in Germany during the first two months of the second quarter. The orders cover 39 turbines, including nineteen N163/6.X units, eleven N175/6.X units and nine N149 turbines, according to the company. [reNews]
• “Greek Solar Producers With CfDs To Get Paid When Prices Reach Zero” • Currently, when prices are zero or lower for two consecutive hours, solar power producers with contracts for difference (CfDs) don’t get paid. The Greek Energy Ministry decided that renewable energy producers will be paid when the price is zero. [Balkan Green Energy News]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.