Interesting Ideas

Saarbahn’s newly opened hydrogen refueling station in Saarbrücken is the moment its hydrogen bus program stops being a procurement story and becomes an operating system. The 28 Wrightbus Kite Hydroliner fuel-cell buses now have a depot station, three 350 bar dispensers, storage capacity, delivery logistics, trained staff, safety systems, and ... [continued]

The post When 28 Hydrogen Buses Have To Carry A €7.6 Million Refueling Station appeared first on CleanTechnica.

A mere quarter ago, we were celebrating the first time ever Latin America had seen more than 100,000 EVs sold in only three months. Now, thanks to significant growth year-on-year (YoY), we’re once again reaching a record, with Q1 surpassing 115,000 EVs sold in the region! This is a deviation ... [continued]

The post Latin America EV Sales Report: Sales in Q1 Grew 74%, Reaching a New Record of Over 115,000 Units! appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The bizarre vertical flight pattern has long puzzled experts but new research reveals why it may play a crucial role in the insect’s survival

On a spring evening along the banks of the River Thames, thousands of mayflies can be seen engaging in what may be one of the world’s oldest dances. In the fading light, the males make a steep vertical climb, flip over and float back to Earth – wings and tail outstretched in a skydiving posture so as to drop slowly through the sky.

Mayflies are among the world’s oldest winged insects, emerging roughly 300m years ago – long before dinosaurs walked the Earth. Even the Mesopotamian poem the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest pieces of literature, makes reference to the short-lived mayfly. Over the epochs, the insect’s basic design has changed very little compared with the fossils of their ancestors.

Fresh from losing the argument that electric vehicles would ruin your weekend, Australia’s conservative politicians and their media enablers are now hell bent on attacking battery-powered semi-trailers. Of course, they have not admitted that they were wrong about the weekend, and won’t when Twiggy Forrest wins the heavy trucking argument ... [continued]

The post “Yes We Can” — BEV Heavy Trucks Already in Service appeared first on CleanTechnica.

With record temperatures bringing increased numbers of seals and dolphins, scientists say large predators could return to UK waters

Last year water temperatures in the North Sea reached record levels, with average surface temperatures a balmy 11.6C, the warmest since measurements started in 1969. And as waters continue to warm, a new study suggests great white sharks could start prowling British waters.

Olivier Lambert, from the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, and colleagues studied whale fossils recovered from North Sea sediments dated to around 5m years ago. North Sea waters were warmer at this time and were home to several species of whale and shark. Fossilised tooth fragments embedded in the whale skulls revealed that sharks had feasted on them.

West Dartmoor, Devon: On the moor, every puddle and pool is quivering with whirligig beetles, carving circles and rotating in pairs

A calm, clear morning on Dartmoor and the shallow pools I pass are smooth as glass – scattered wedges of sky reflected between the grass and gorse. I am wandering the western edge of the moor, close to the village of Lydford, best known for its plunging gorge and waterfall. This is a place shaped by rain, from the peat bogs blanketing high ground to the rocky gullies carved by streams.

There are endless puddles and pools, and on this windless day they appear completely flat and still. Only when I look closely, I see that something is agitating the surfaces of the water. Every one of them quivers with life: whirligig beetles.

A KCL study has found that exposure during the first trimester of pregnancy delayed speech development

Babies exposed to higher levels of air pollution in the early stages of pregnancy take longer to learn to speak than those exposed to lower levels in the womb, new research suggests.

A study by researchers from King’s College London found exposure to nitrogen dioxide and fine and ultra-fine particulate matter during the first trimester of pregnancy delayed speech development at 18 months.

Abernethy Forest, Scotland: On glorious mornings like this, with the woods ringing with sound and light, I’m glad there is extra protection from wildfires

In the pinewoods, the colours are slowly shifting, the birches to their spring green and the larch roses blossoming pink. The pair of pied wagtails have returned to our neighbour’s shed and the peewits are back on the marshes, though fewer in number (and there are two pairs of crows that maraud their territory).

The siskins have returned in numbers, huge skeins of geese have been flying north, and the swallows and housemartins are back earlier than usual, though they are still just passing through – “ours” are not yet here.

Authorities are yet to decide how they will move the body of the massive creature, which is attracting humans, eagles – and plenty of sharks

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Thin strips of flesh hang down like rotten tinsel, swaying in the wind. Glistening fluid trickles on to the stone where insects buzz. On the windward side, the odour is masked by the salty air. But step downwind, and you enter a sickly, sour-sweet blend of garbage and rotting fish. A passing couple pull their T-shirts tight over their noses.

On a rock shelf at the southern end of Era beach, the estimated 25-tonne body of a sperm whale rests like a melted candle. Looking down at the rock pools, floating chunks of white fat bob in the water.

It’s hard to miss the Powerhouse Visitor Center when you roll into Kingman. This massive building went up in 1907 to supply electricity to the town and local mines, but today it’s a completely different kind of hub. It serves as the main event in Kingman’s Route 66 scene, and ... [continued]

The post Kingman: Route 66’s Electric HQ & Gateway To Easy EV Adventure appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Pace of sea-level rise has turned Outer Banks coastal area into a ‘canary in the coalmine’ for other east coast communities

Moving house has a more literal meaning on Hatteras Island, the slender hook of land that juts off the coast of North Carolina. After a slew of houses toppled spectacularly into the Atlantic Ocean recently, entire buildings are now being lifted on to wheels to flee the rapidly eroding coastline.

Since September, 19 homes have been lost to waves that tore them from their pilings, sending them crashing into other structures like bumper cars before breaking up in the ocean. Spooked homeowners have turned to the unusual services of Barry Crum, a lifelong Hatteras resident who has become the island’s main house mover.

Prices for natural gas in Europe and Asia have diverged from those in the United States since the February 28 closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Futures prices for liquified natural gas (LNG) delivery to the Title Transfer Facility (TTF), the European benchmark price, increased to $14.80 per million British thermal ... [continued]

The post International LNG Prices Rise Amid Strait of Hormuz Closure appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Researchers found the loss of just a few eggs to opportunistic predators could greatly increase the songbird’s risk of extinction within 20 years

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Captured on one of Bianca McBryde’s tree-mounted cameras, the brush-tailed possum crawls into the frame, lowers its head into the nest and bites into the egg.

The snack was a shop-bought quail’s egg and the nest was artificial – a crafty construction made of half a tennis ball, some brown paint and fibres from the husks of coconuts.

We’re now two months into Trump’s latest imperial adventure. The sudden attack on Iran’s leadership on February 28th (amidst ongoing negotiations between Iran and the US) led to a series of escalatory measures from both sides that have most notably caused the closure of the globe’s most important energy corridor: ... [continued]

The post Echoes From The Past: What The “Twin Oil Crises” From The 1970s Teach Us About The Coming Impacts Of Hormuz’s Blockade. appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Waymo is coming to the Rose City! Portland has always been a pioneer in urban design, balancing its independent spirit with a deep commitment to sustainable, forward-thinking living. This unique blend of innovation and community makes it the perfect place for Waymo’s next chapter. We are actively working with state ... [continued]

The post Waymo New City Alert: Portland, Oregon appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The UAE’s decision to leave OPEC+ is not just another Gulf oil story. It is an early signal of what happens when a producer with low-cost barrels, spare capacity ambitions, and a long view of electrification decides that flexibility may be worth more than cartel discipline. Oil demand is beginning ... [continued]

The post The Petroleum System Is Entering Its Volatile Decline Phase appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Scientists find annual sea surface temperatures across Europe reached highest levels recorded, while deadly wildfires set large parts of continent ablaze

The Nordic heatwave that pushed temperatures above 30C (86F) in the Arctic Circle in July was part of a record-breaking year that saw abnormal heat sear more than 95% of Europe, a report has found.

Parts of Scandinavia were scorched last summer by 21 days of punishingly hot weather that led to “tropical nights” in typically cool countries such as Norway, Sweden and Finland, according to a scientific report campaigners said showed “all the emergency warning lights are flashing red”.

Elusive nightingale ‘doing well’ at Northward Hill, Kent, but experts cite concerns around loss of habitat

The dawn chorus at RSPB Northward Hill in Kent is a riot of sound: the melodic robin, the two-tone cuckoo, the whitethroat’s scratchy warble. Even the garbling geese and mooing cows from the neighbouring Thames marshes add to the symphony.

But in late April one energetic singer hogs the limelight. For a few weeks after arriving from West Africa, the nightingale spends the night – and early morning – in complex song. As it searches for a mate and marks its territory, its song is at times as sweet and tuneful as a soul singer, at others as frantic as a car alarm.

The US drone manufacturer Heven Aerotech has earned a streamlined contract with the US Army for its hydrogen fuel cell UAV and associated hydrogen systems.

The post Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars No; Fuel Cell Combat Drones Yes appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Sunrun (Nasdaq: RUN), America’s largest provider of home battery storage, solar, and home-to-grid power plants, yesterday announced it has priced a securitization of leases and power purchase agreements. The securitization is Sunrun’s sixteenth securitization since 2015 and first issuance in 2026. “This $584 million securitization transaction further exhibits Sunrun’s ability ... [continued]

The post Sunrun Prices $584 Million Securitization of Residential Solar & Storage Assets appeared first on CleanTechnica.