Top Stories of the Week & New Substack

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Quite a few occasions — at public cleantech occasions, in regular day by day life, and on-line — individuals have requested us if we now have a Substack. Now, to me, that has at all times been a wierd query to ask. We’ve had this web site for nearly twenty years, the place we publish article after article after article after all. We even have varied newsletters you possibly can join. So, why would we now have a separate Substack?

Properly, individuals are throughout Substack as of late. All types of well-known writers and other people have their very own Substacks, and other people have gotten accustomed to subscribing to their favourite writers over on Substack. So, if that’s the place individuals are and what individuals are used to, generally it’s nearly going with the occasions. As such, here is our new Substack page. We’ve added our current e-newsletter subscribers there to kick issues off.

In fact, it will be bizarre and doubtless a bit counterproductive if we revealed the identical stuff right here as we publish there. So, proper now, the plan is to publish weekly reflection articles the place I (or maybe generally another person) displays on a couple of of the most important cleantech tales of the week. I’ll do my finest to make it fascinating, supplementary to what we do right here, and humorous.

When you’d like to take a look at our weekly column on Substack, if you happen to’re not already subscribed, you can subscribe here. In fact, any monetary help there helps us do all of our regular work. In an more and more squeezed media market, it’s not an exaggeration to say that we are able to use all the assistance we are able to get!

Thanks. The primary column will likely be coming quickly.

High CleanTechnica Tales of the Week

Together with that announcement, I’m reviving our weekly “top stories of the week” article and e-newsletter. Because it’s been awhile, although, I’m going to focus on among the high tales of latest weeks.

Electrical Automobiles

On the constructive aspect, I feel you need to begin with BYD’s speedy stand up the gross sales charts and expansion into an increasing number of markets. You may make amends for quite a few tales on that subject in our BYD sales archives. (BYD has additionally launched a hot new 1000-volt EV architecture that may assist propel gross sales that a lot additional. And BYD’s big news on rolling its “God’s Eye” driver-assist tech into all modelseven super cheap ones.)

On a a lot smaller scale but in addition extraordinarily spectacular, there’s the robust ongoing rise in gross sales of Xiaomi gross sales, XPENG gross sales, and NIO gross sales.

On the not-so-positive aspect, one has to focus on the apparent — Tesla’s gross sales decline in 2024 and even additional, extra dramatic gross sales decline in 2025. It’s not wanting good. (And neither is Tesla depreciation.) That mentioned, we now have to attend a bit longer to be extra clear on gross sales tendencies. Tesla has frolicked altering the manufacturing strains for the Mannequin Y as a result of new model of Tesla’s money cow, and it’s nonetheless unclear how a lot of the 2025 gross sales decline is because of these manufacturing line modifications versus broader demand points. You may make amends for all types of tendencies and particulars on this subject by way of our Tesla sales archives.

Additionally on the detrimental aspect, a high story has been the EU’s resolution to water down its CO2 emissions discount necessities for automakers. You may learn some analyses and commentary on this transformation, which simply went into place this week, here, here, here, here, hereand here.

Whereas we could also be affected by some backwards coverage modifications within the US and the EU, there’s a variety of good EV momentum constructing in South America, Africa, and Asia. For way more on that, you possibly can try the archives of Juan Diego Celemín Mojica, Reduce Joseph to blameand Raymond Tribdino. They’re doing nice work overlaying these markets.

Within the US, on the constructive aspect, Hyundai has just opened a massive EV and EV battery factory in Georgia — stimulated largely by Biden and Democratic insurance policies.

Additionally, regardless of the decline in Tesla gross sales, EV sales rose 22% in California in 2024 compared to 2023. There’s a fast growing number of electric models on the US marketand plenty of of them are doing very well in California and beating their gas-fueld competitors.

To shut out the EV class, I simply love wanting again at how a lot EV specs (i.e., vary per greenback) has improved previously decade. Right here’s a bit on that led to by some huge latest information: “Increase in Nissan LEAF Range from 73 Miles to 373 Miles Shows Astounding Improvements in Electric Cars.”

Photo voltaic & Wind Energy

A whopping 92.5% of new power capacity added worldwide in 2024 came from renewablesnearly completely solar energy and wind energy.

In an exquisite milestone, the UK got more than 50% of its electricity from renewable energy sources in 2024.

On the solar energy subject, the Sunshine State, Florida, has passed up California for new solar power installations. Florida is doing okay on this regard, however the greater matter is that web metering modifications in California have actually hit that market.

Nonetheless, the California does proceed to energy itself an increasing number of from solar energy, and it’s now attending to the purpose the place there are hours in some days when solar, wind, and water power account for more than 100% of electricity demand in the Golden State!

Additionally, extra broadly, throughout the US, there have been several hours recently in which solar power was the #2 source of electricity!

Backing up rooftop photo voltaic has gotten simpler and simpler over time, and you can now get 30-year warranties on home battery systems.

There’s been a variety of progress when it comes to agrivoltaics. You may verify latest tales on that enjoyable new-ish subject at that hyperlink.

I’ll wrap up with a few huge battery storage tales. To start with, U.S. battery capacity increased a whopping 66% in 2024! (Thanks, Biden.) Secondly, BYD (sure, that firm once more) lately won the contract for the largest utility-scale battery storage project in the world. When you missed that information, see if you happen to can guess what nation that’s in earlier than clicking the hyperlink.