The EU-funded PLOTEC project is putting that question to the test with a groundbreaking Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) platform off the coast of Gran Canaria, Spain.
Named “Don”, this cylindrical floating structure is designed to deliver 24/7 clean power to island nations vulnerable to climate change.
Energy security for vulnerable regions is likely to dominate discussions at the upcoming COP30 in Brazil.
If successful, PLOTEC could unlock a new era of storm-resistant renewable energy.
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On October 22, 2025, New York State’s Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) released revisions to the proposed regulations to implement the Renewable Action Through Project Interconnection and Deployment Act (RAPID Act). The RAPID Act was enacted to accelerate the siting of both major renewable energy facilities (25 MW+) and major electric transmission facilities (125 kV+). Under the RAPID Act, ORES now administers the environmental review, permitting and siting of these facilities in NYS under the new Article VIII process.
After proposing initial regulations in December 2024, ORES received more than 2,000 public comments. In response to these comments, ORES has issued revisions to its proposed regulations. There is now a 45-day public comment period on these revisions, with comments due by December 8, 2025.
The revisions focus on the following seven key areas:
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Nor’easter erodes dunes as federal shutdown freezes flood insurance. More foul weather ahead?
Thousands of shore property owners are unable to renew flood insurance due to the federal shutdown. What will result if another powerful storm hits the beaches?
Discounts on new EVs, the draw of new tech in new models, and consumer confidence in the lifespan of EV batteries are the top factors driving used values down.
A Level 2 CoRe+ EV charger charges an employee’s Chevy Bolt EUV, Thursday morning, Dec. 22, 2022. (Todd McInturf/The Detroit News/TNS)
By Summer Ballentine, The Detroit News
Heavy discounts on new electric vehicles and buyer skepticism about their durability continue to push down used EV prices, which experts say has opened up a traditionally pricey market to more U.S. drivers.
While new EVs on average cost $9,000 more than similar gas models, prices on used EVs now are competitive with their internal combustion counterparts at about $680 higher on average, Cox Automotive EV analyst Stephanie Valdez Streaty said: The used market’s one area where you can find affordable EVs.”
In September, the average transaction price for a new EV was $58,124, while the average listing price for a used EV was $34,575, according to Cox Automotive. The lower price tags could be key to winning over an unenthusiastic U.S. market, which has been further dampened by the Trump administration’s move to roll back greenhouse gas regulations and end federal EV tax credits.
“It’s important because one of the biggest barriers for adoption is price,” Valdez Streaty said.
Retired Naples, Florida, resident Jon Peter Vollmer, 65, owns two used Chevrolet Bolts, including a 2020 model he bought earlier this year for $7,500. At the time of purchase, Vollmer said the Bolt had been driven 45,000 miles.
For comparison, Kelley Blue Book values a used 2020 Honda Civic sedan at about $14,000 and a 2020 Toyota Camry at roughly $15,000.
“The cost was so incredible,” Vollmer said. “They were much more cost-effective.”
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ALBANY – A judge on Friday ordered New York to produce by February a long-awaited set of regulations intended to drive the state’s mandates for reducing carbon emissions from fossil fuels.
The state’s excuse that doing so would force extraordinary costs on New Yorkers isn’t enough to justify the continued delay of those regulations, state Supreme Court Justice Julian Schreibman wrote.
“Whether (the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s) conclusion is right or wrong, making this judgment is beyond the scope of its authority under the Climate Act,” Schreibman wrote.
The lawsuit was filed by a coalition of advocacy groups, including Citizen Action and Earthjustice, against the agency earlier this year.
“The decision confirms what we have stated over and over: the governor must comply with the climate law,” said Bob Cohen, policy director at Citizen Action of New York. “We are glad to see Judge Schreibman decisively reject Gov. (Kathy) Hochul and DEC’s excuses for delay and their ongoing attempts to derail climate action.”
The regulations targeted by the lawsuit were due from the agency on Jan. 1, 2024. Since that time, one set of regulations out of the three expected from the agency has been drafted and proposed for public comment.
All of them will now be due from the agency by Feb. 6 under the order from Schreibman, who chose the date to give Hochul and the Legislature time to consider a change in the statute that requires the regulations.
The state has argued that the regulations would place a heavy burden on households at a time when the cost of living is already a challenge.
Schreibman wrote that, because the regulations are required by a law approved by the Legislature, the decision to delay their implementation is out of the agency’s hands. That could change with approval from state lawmakers.
“lf legislative action modifies DEC’s obligations under the Climate Act, DEC will act in accordance therewith,” Schreibman wrote.
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We just dropped our latest video interview — one you’ll surely want to watch.
For several decades, as director of New Jersey’s Sierra Club chapter, Jeff Tittel scored headline after headline as his environmental organization won a series of significant victories, including the preservation of the state’s vast Highlands area.
In this interview, Jeff recalls how summers at a nature camp as a kid developed his appreciation for nature, and how his parents — both avid hikers — took him along to protest a plan that would have damaged a mountain in neighboring New York state. By high school, Jeff was organizing cleanups and opposing a highway through a forest in Union County, NJ.
We asked him about the method he used to lobby legislators, how he got the media to draw attention to his causes, and why they were so successful.
Many will be surprised to hear Jeff discuss his current disenchantment with the direction of environmental activism, and shocked as he unloads on the state’s Democratic governor and his top environmental regulator.
Also, view our conversationwith solar expert Lyle Rawlings, who says he’s uncovered troubling factors behind New Jersey’s soaring electric utility rates.
If you like these interviews, you’ll love our daily environmental newsletter, EnviroPolitics.It’s packed with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Don’t take our word for it. Try it free for an entire month.
