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The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) released a study on renewable energy policies for cities last month. The reason for the focus on cities is due to their ability to scale up renewables and meet emission-reduction targets. Large cities have the revenue bases, regulatory frameworks, and infrastructure to support this while smaller ones usually don’t.

The study pointed out that it’s mostly cities that are raising awareness and moving towards energy transitions. Smaller and even medium-sized cities that have 1 million or fewer inhabitants usually don’t have the funding or political support to embrace renewables, and they are also not as highly visible as megacities.

The study analyzed six medium-sized cities from China, Uganda, and Costa Rica. They were chosen due to two reasons:

  1. They have effective policies in place, or
  2. They have untapped renewable energy sources that could launch their sustainable development.

A Quick Look At The Study

The study takes a dive into the challenges and successes that are seen in the deployment of renewable energy in medium-sized cities and provides case studies of the six cities studied. A quick look at the executive summary shows that these cities have a population range from 30,000 to 1 million inhabitants.

Image courtesy of IRENA.

Altogether, cities are responsible for around 70% of global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. Urban areas have high rates of air pollution as well, with 98% of cities with over 100,000 inhabitants in low- and middle-income countries failing to meet the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) air quality guidelines.

Renewable energy technologies (RETs) play a central role in easing the severity of climate change while providing cleaner air. Research is often focused on the urban trends of particular sets of global megacities and doesn’t really focus any attention on cities with 1 million or fewer inhabitants, which is the fastest growing category and home to some 2.4 billion people (59% of the world’s total urban population).

Cities are motivated to promote renewables by several factors, such as:

  • Economic development and jobs.
  • Social equity.
  • Governance.
  • Air quality.
  • Secure and affordable energy.
  • Such as access to clean energy.
  • Climate stability.
  • Energy-related policymaking requires a lot of flexibility — it involves governance structures and processes as well as the diverse motivations of many stakeholders.

Image courtesy of IRENA.

Cities’ plans need to be tailored to their own circumstances, and some factors shaping city energy profiles include:

  • Demographic trends.
  • Climate zone.
  • Ownership of energy assets.
  • Settlement density.
  • Regulatory authority.
  • Institutional capacity.
  • Economic structure and wealth.

Image courtesy of IRENA.

Case Studies 1 & 2: Chongli District and Tongli Town

The two cities in this section are Chongli District and Tongli Town. In the cases of these two Chinese cities, the study found that both benefit from the availability of large-scale renewable energy projects, with wind and solar being the best options. It has a level of existing deployment which provides a solid base for the cities’ ambitious targets compared to other cities where renewables aren’t as present.

The Chinese cities benefit from the availability of financial resources that target renewable energy deployment. Tongli Town receives support from its upper-level administration, which has one of the largest revenue streams among Chinese city governments.

Tongli Town is one of the most replicable in developed cities that resemble Suzhou. Although Zhangjiakou City isn’t as wealthy as Suzhou, the Chongli District was able to receive financial support from the national government as a result of the Winter Olympics.

Its example shows that distributed renewables could also play a large role in cities. PV generation systems could be deployed outside of highly populated city centers, for example. Tongli Town also benefits from the relationship between local governments and local manufacturing industries that deploy RETs.

Showcase events such as the Winter Olympics also help a city gain visibility — this is what happened with the Chongli District. It and the Zhangjiakou Municipality linked the development targets of local renewables with the hosting arrangements of the Winter Olympics. This focused political attention and financial support on renewable energy projects.

Cross-governmental collaboration and existing manufacturing industries benefitting from renewable deployment also played key roles.

Case Studies 3 & 4: Kasese and Lugazi

This case study focused on the Ugandan cities of Kasese and Lugazi. Uganda has a variety of energy resources that includes hydropower, biomass, solar, geothermal, peat, and fossil fuels. Yet only 20% of the population has access to electricity. The World Bank estimated in 2017 that only 2% of the nation’s population has access to clean cooking fuels and technologies.

In Uganda, renewable energy deployment benefits the local communities in many ways while boosting socio-economic goals. In both Lugazi and Kasese, solar street lighting and solar home systems (SHSs) massively saved both municipalities and households while extending business hours for street sellers. It’s also improved public safety and telecommunications, which led to the creation of job opportunities.

Ugandan cities face obstacles to greater local deployment. Institutional constraints, such as narrow political mandates and tight municipal finances, present huge obstacles to effective policy action. Scaling up projects will need greater funding as well as capacity building. This requires a national enabling framework that supports the local government at the district and municipal levels. Kasese and Lugazi have benefited from initiatives targeting sustainable energy at the district level.

Financial resources for both district and municipal governments are needed. Renewables may offer savings in the long run, but the upfront costs usually surpass the funds available to Uganda’s municipalities and districts. For now, initiatives such as solar street lighting are usually linked to third-party financing support. An example of this is the World Bank’s Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development Programme.

Case Studies 5 & 6: Cartago and Grecia, and Guanacaste

Costa Rica has a population of around 5 million people and is the smallest of the three countries that were studied in the report. Some key questions discussed in the country include what role is played by the public and private sectors and what degree to which electricity generation should be based on centralized and decentralized sources. Some of the key issues and challenges that shape the nation’s efforts to promote the use of renewable energy include:

  • Mandates.
  • Strengthening cities’ ability to act with a diverse set of actors.
  • Transport as the next frontier.

For cities without the mandate, their scopes of action are limited and this is one of the main obstacles to a sustainable urban future. In the case of Cartago and Grecia, the cities have taken active measures to promote green policies in the transport and tourism sectors. Costa Rica’s “capital of renewable energy,” Guanacaste, has hosted several projects in the fields of wind, solar, and geothermal energy.

Another key lesson from the study in the case of Costa Rica is that when the share of renewables in the electricity mix is already high, transport becomes the next frontier. Compared to Columbia, Panama, and Chile, Costa Rica has a lack of municipal transport. The other countries are advancing with electric buses and other electric-mobility projects and these contrast with Costa Rica.

You can read the full 158-page report here.


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BYD’s new global electric van looks massive driving on public streets

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BYD's new global electric van looks massive driving on public streets

BYD is preparing to launch its new E-Vali electric van in Europe and other global markets. With its official launch just around the corner, the EV delivery van has been spotted out in the wild. Compared to other cars on the road, the new BYD’s electric van looks enormous.

Meet BYD’s new E-Vali, a global electric van

We got our first look at the E-Vali during its global debut at IAA Transportation in Hannover, Germany, last September.

BYD’s new electric van was showcased alongside several other electric vans and trucks designed specifically for the European market.

The E-Vali is a fully electric light commercial vehicle (LCV) built for last-mile and delivery services. It will be offered in two sizes: 3.5t and 4.25t. Powered by a BYD Blade LFP battery with a 126 kWh capacity, the E-Vali offers a range of 220 km (137 miles) to 250 km (155 miles), depending on the model.

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By using its 6-in-1 EV powertrain, the unit maximizes space and efficiency. The larger (4.25t) model has an extra-large cargo capacity of up to 17.9 m³, which BYD claims “surpasses many other vans” in the same category.

BYD's-global-electric-van
BYD E-Vali electric delivery van for Europe and other global markets (Source: BYD)

With an official launch expected over the next few months, the larger E-Vali model is out for testing. A few new photos from Inside China Auto give us a sneak peek of BYD’s global electric van.

Despite the camouflage, the images provide a clear view of the new van from the side and rear. You can see how big the E-Vali is compared to other cars on the road, especially in the second pic, as it appears to overshadow the truck in front of it.

Like the caption reads: “The BYD E-Vali is absolutely bloody enormous.” The larger E-Vali model is 6,995 mm (275″) long, 2,096 mm (82.5″) wide, and 2,780 mm (109″) tall.

Compared to the Kia’s new PV5 Cargo, which measures 4,695 mm in length, 1,995 mm in width, and 1,923 mm in height, BYD’s global electric van is significantly larger. The PV5 also offers much less cargo capacity, at up to 4.4 m³.

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EV competitors ZEEKR and NIO sign agreement to share each other’s charging networks

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EV competitors ZEEKR and NIO sign agreement to share each other's charging networks

Chinese EV automakers ZEEKR and NIO have announced a rare and exciting cooperation to enable driver access to each other’s charging networks in China. This collaboration combines some of the world’s fastest EV charging with one of the largest networks in the country.

Two of the biggest names in EV development and infrastructure have combined forces to deliver even more accessible charging to drivers in China. NIO Power operates as the automaker’s infrastructure division, consisting of its network of public battery swap stations and EV superchargers, plus additional technologies like power mobile and power home.

Per the latest map posted by NIO on Weibo (seen below), its network consists of 2,829 supercharging stations in China, which are home to 13,027 charging piles. There are also an additional 1,741 destination charging stations offering 13,281 chargers and 3,337 battery swap stations.

With such a foothold in China, it’s no wonder dozens of other companies have signed on to gain access to NIO’s charging network before today’s announcement with ZEEKR. Previously, NIO has collaborated with companies like CATL, Xiaomi, and Chery, to name a few.

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ZEEKR Power is now the 18th partner to join NIO’s charging network, but is one of the few brands to bring its own network of ultra-fast superchargers into the network instead of simply enabling access.

ZEEKR NIO charging
Source: NIO/Weibo

ZEEKR and NIO combine charging access in China

NIO and ZEEKR shared announcements of the charging partnership on their respective Weibo pages today. NIO called the collaboration a “charging interconnection cooperation,” while ZEEKR described it as a “cooperation on two-way interconnection of charging networks.”

Either way, ZEEKR drivers will have more streamlined access to NIO’s EV chargers (NIO’s network has always been open to all models), and drivers of NIO and its sub-brands (Onvo and Firefly) will now be able to access ZEEKR’s supercharger stations, which currently sit at 1,580 locations around China.

Those chargers will now appear in the NIO app and on their BEV’s charger map display.

CnEVPost pointed out that ZEEKR’s parent company, Geely Automobile Holdings, was the first OEM to sign a charging agreement with NIO Power back in March 2024. In the past year-plus, 16 additional companies have joined the fold, with Geely’s sub-brand ZEEKR being number 18.

China is once again leading the world in EV technology and strategy. It is combining access to as many EV chargers across the country as possible to provide drivers of NIO, ZEEKR, Xiaomi, and all other makes and models with a larger, faster, and more streamlined network to utilize. We love to see it.

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OPEC+ members could hike July oil production by 411,000 barrels per day: Sources

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OPEC+ members could hike July oil production by 411,000 barrels per day: Sources

Oil prices eased on Tuesday as market participants weighed the possibility of an OPEC+ decision to further increase its crude oil output at a meeting later this week.

Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images

Eight oil-producing nations of the OPEC+ alliance could hike output by as much as 411,000 barrels per day in July, two OPEC+ delegates told CNBC, continuing a rapid unwinding of voluntary production cuts.

Markets are awaiting a final decision on July production, with the eight countries — heavyweight producers Russia and Saudi Arabia, alongside Algeria, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates — set to review market conditions and iron out their output steps on May 31.

These nations have been carrying out two sets of voluntary production cuts.

One, totaling 1.66 million barrels per day, is in effect until the end of next year. Under the other, the countries trimmed their production by an additional 2.2 million barrels per day until the end of the first quarter. They have since agreed to gradually increase output by a combined 1 million barrels per day over April-June, including 411,000 barrel-per-day hikes in each of this and next month.

The OPEC+ delegates, who commented anonymously given the sensitivity of discussions, told CNBC that a further increase of as much as 411,000 barrels per day in July could be agreed this weekend.

Market attention has increasingly shifted away from the official unanimous quotas of OPEC+ — which the group left unchanged on Thursday — to the unwinding of the eight members’ voluntary trims. Crude demand typically picks up during the summer, given higher consumption of jet fuel and gasoline for seasonal travel, along with increases in crude burn to produce electricity for air conditioning in several Middle Eastern countries.

This could lend support to oil prices which have struggled amid broader market uncertainty triggered by U.S. tariffs.

Ice Brent futures with July expiry were trading at $65.31 per barrel at 12:44 p.m. London time, up 0.63% from the Thursday close price. The front-month Nymex WTI contract was at $62.22 per barrel, higher by 0.61% from the previous day’s settlement.

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