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The chief financial officer of German utility RWE on Thursday acknowledged the importance of weather to its renewables segment, as the company reported “much lower” wind volumes in Northern and Central Europe for the first half of 2021.

In an interview with CNBC, Michael Müller stressed the need to have a broad range of assets in place to cope with potential fluctuations related to weather conditions.

“I think what you need to do is balance your portfolio,” he said. “So, have a portfolio across different technologies … be it onshore, offshore, or solar or storages, and also across regions.”

“And what we have seen in the first half is there was poorer wind in Europe but at the same time there was stronger wind in the U.S.”

“So our idea is to have a balanced portfolio. But clearly, if you’re a renewables player, you are dependent to some degree on weather conditions.”

For offshore wind, the Essen-headquartered firm’s adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization came in at 459 million euros ($538.5 million) in January to June 2021. This compares to 585 million euros for the same timeframe last year.

Its onshore-solar segment also took a knock, reporting a loss in adjusted EBITDA of 42 million euros.

Referencing this part of its business, RWE said: “The extreme cold snap in Texas led to an earnings shortfall of around €400 million.”

“Additional burdens resulted from below-average wind conditions at onshore wind farm locations in Northern and Central Europe,” it added.

Adjusted EBITDA for the whole group in January to June 2021 came in at 1.75 billion euros, down from 1.83 billion euros in the same period a year earlier. Adjusted net income grew, however, hitting 870 million euros.

Even with the above challenges, RWE described the first half of 2021 as being “very good” financially. “For fiscal 2021, RWE now expects to achieve adjusted EBITDA of between €3.0 billion and €3.4 billion at Group level, which is €350 million higher than forecast in March 2021,” it said. 

Orsted maintains guidance despite low wind speeds

Thursday also saw Danish energy firm Orsted state it would maintain its full-year guidance for 2021 even though it flagged that lower wind speeds had affected output in the first six months of the year.

In a statement, Orsted said operating profit for the first half of 2021 came in at 13.1 billion Danish krone (around $2.1 billion), a 3.3 billion krone jump compared to the same period in 2020.

Nevertheless, the firm experienced challenges related to wind speeds. “Earnings from our offshore and onshore wind farms in operation were DKK 0.3 billion lower compared to the same period last year,” the company said.

“The increased generation capacity from new wind farms in operation was more than offset by significantly lower wind speeds across our portfolio,” it added.

Breaking things down, Orsted’s investor presentation said wind speeds in the second quarter of 2021 came in at 7.8 meters per second, which was “significantly lower than normal wind speeds” of 8.6 meters per second.

Looking ahead, the company said it maintained its full-year EBITDA guidance of 15-16 billion Danish krone but added that it was expecting an “outcome in the low end of the guided range.”

This was due to the lower wind speeds as well as “warranty provision towards our partners related to cable protection system issues at some of our wind farms.”

Orsted is a major player in wind energy. In offshore wind alone, its installed capacity amounted to 7.6 gigawatts at the end of 2020.

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Tesla launches cheaper Model Y RWD in the US

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Tesla launches cheaper Model Y RWD in the US

Tesla has opened orders for the Model Y Long Range RWD for $45,000 in the US. It’s the new entry-level Model Y following the design refresh earlier this year.

Since launching the updated Model Y earlier this year, Tesla has only offered the best-selling electric SUV in a single Long-Range AWD configuration.

First, it was as a fully-loaded $60,000 Launch Edition, and last month, it started deliveries of the regular Model Y AWD starting at $49,000.

As we recently noted, Tesla didn’t have much of an order backlog for the new Model Y in the US, and it has already started gathering new Model Y AWD in inventory just weeks after launching the vehicle.

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Tesla even started offering subsidized financing rates on the new SUV this weekend.

Now, the automaker is starting to take orders for the new Model Y Long Range RWD

The new trim starts at $44,990 and enables 357 miles of range – an extra 30 miles over the AWD version.

However, due to its single motor powertrain, the lower-priced version is slightly slower with a 0-60 mph acceleration in 5.4 seconds rather than 4.6 seconds.

The automaker says that deliveries of the new version will start in the US in the next 3 to 5 weeks. It launched the new Model Y RWD in Europe weeks ago.

Tesla also offers a Standard Range RWD in Europe and China for even cheaper, and deliveries have already started in China.

Electrek’s Take

Tesla appears to have waited to open orders for the Model Y RWD in the US to optimize demand for the Long Range AWD.

But now it needs a cheaper model to sustain demand at the current production rate.

In the coming weeks, it will start building a mix of RWD and AWD in Fremont and Austin to

Interestingly, Tesla currently only offers the subsidized 1.99% financing rate on the Model Y Long Range AWD. I would assume that Tesla plans to take advantage of the boost in demand that the cheaper model will create.

However, US buyers probably won’t have to wait more than a few weeks before Tesla starts to offer lower interest rates on all versions, like it already does in Europe and China.

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Big Mack, hydrogen Honda, and a ride in the Tesla Semi at ACT Expo 2025 [part 6]

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Big Mack, hydrogen Honda, and a ride in the Tesla Semi at ACT Expo 2025 [part 6]

On today’s thrilling episode of Quick Charge, we’ve got some of the highlights of the 2025 ACT Expo, including the all-electric Windrose and Mack Pioneer Class 8s trucks, a hydrogen fuel sell [sic] from Honda, a fun charging surprise, and – after an eight year wait – we finally get a ride in the all-new (in 2017) Tesla Semi!

ACT Expo is North America’s premier clean truck and transport trade show – and for 2025 it was bigger than ever, with more exhibitors and more, more capable battery electric vehicles than ever. The downsides? NACFE have scored with their “messy middle” messaging, and the return of “clean diesel” talking points. We’ve got a brief rundown and links to all the details, below.

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple PodcastsSpotifyTuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.

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Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.


If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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Thousands of Texas homes are about to form a huge virtual power plant

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Thousands of Texas homes are about to form a huge virtual power plant

Abundance Energy, sonnen, and Energywell are teaming up to bring smarter, more resilient energy to Texas homes through a huge new virtual power plant (VPP) initiative.

By combining behind-the-meter home batteries, solar power, and advanced energy software, the trio is building a network of connected homes that can work together to support the grid. Customers who install sonnenConnect home batteries through Abundance Energy will now be part of a system that automatically stores and shares power when it’s needed most. That means lower electricity bills, better reliability during extreme weather, and a cleaner energy mix overall.

The VPP will cover all of ERCOT, with the primary focus in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston areas. Each home will have two 4.8kW/20kWh sonnenCore+20 battery units. The current customer base that will be enrolled in the VPP equals 60 MWh, and this will continue to grow each month. The VPP is already on track to replace Tesla as the largest virtual power plant in Texas by the end of 2026.

Here’s how it works: The batteries are continuously managed using Energywell’s Proton platform and sonnen’s smart VPP technology. This system monitors solar generation, customer energy use, and real-time electricity prices, and then decides when to charge or discharge each battery. Instead of just sitting idle, these batteries turn into mini power plants that can react to grid needs in real time.

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And when thousands of batteries work together, they form a virtual power plant—a decentralized network that reduces the strain on the grid, especially during peak demand or power outages. Unlike traditional power plants, VPPs don’t burn fossil fuels. They use clean, stored electricity from homes and businesses, helping cut carbon emissions while keeping the lights on.

“Our mission is to empower homeowners with smarter, more sustainable energy solutions,” said Thomas Mandry, CEO of Abundance Energy. “This partnership delivers a new kind of VPP model that benefits customers and strengthens the Texas grid.”

Blake Richetta, CEO of sonnen, added, “With Abundance Energy and Energywell, we’re showing how everyday homeowners can become part of the solution to Texas’ energy challenges.”

As Texas continues to face grid reliability issues, especially in extreme heat or cold, this kind of flexible, customer-powered energy system will make homes more resilient and give customers more control over their power.

Read more: The US’s largest virtual power plant now runs on 75,000 home batteries


If you live in an area that has frequent natural disaster events, and are interested in making your home more resilient to power outages, consider going solar and adding a battery storage system. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate link*

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