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wooden wind turbine

Swedish startup Modvion is going to supply power giant RWE Renewables with wooden wind turbine towers for future onshore wind farms. 

RWE Renewables Sweden has signed a letter of intent to “verify” Modvion’s wooden wind turbine tower technology in order to use them once the towers are commercialized. 

Modvion erected the first wooden wind turbine tower on an island outside Gothenburg, Sweden, in May 2020, and it will install its first commercial wind turbine this year. The commercial turbine will have a 2 megawatt (MW) wind turbine and, including the blades, it will be 150 meters (492 feet) tall. Modvion also has plans for a 6-MW installation.

RWE wants to use Modvion’s wooden turbine towers because it asserts in a statement that laminated wood is stronger than steel proportionate to its weight, which means lighter towers and less need for expensive reinforcements. Wooden towers can also be used with other steel turbine components.

The towers are modular, which makes transporting them easier. Building towers using wood reduces emissions compared to materials such as steel and concrete, and “growing trees bind carbon dioxide, which is stored in the wood products that act as a carbon sink.”

Lars Borisson, head of onshore origination & development Nordics at RWE Renewables, said:

We see that modular towers in laminated wood have significant market potential and can contribute to lowering the cost of new renewable electricity production by replacing steel and concrete with environmentally friendly and climate-smart wood. RWE will be assessing Modvion’s wooden tower for potential use in future wind farms.

RWE is aiming to achieve net zero by 2040.

Read more: Wind turbines made entirely of wood are coming

Photo: RWE/Modvion

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Save up to $5,394 on Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus units from new $2,999 low, NIU KQi 200F e-scooter at new $649 low, Aventon, more

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3 hours ago

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May 19, 2025

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This week’s Green Deals are kicking off with two popular power stations at their lowest prices, as well as two EV sales – and be sure to also check out our Ride to Work EV hub from Friday that has all the best ongoing EV savings that are running through the rest of the month. Headlining today’s edition is Anker taking up to $5,394 off its SOLIX F3800 Plus Portable Power Station and bundles that are starting from a new low of $2,999. We also have Aventon’s Memorial Day Sale, with up to $400 off models like the Abound Cargo e-bike at $1,599, as well as a new low price on NIU’s latest KQi 200F Electric Scooter for $649. Lastly, the popular Jackery Explorer 100 Plus Portable Power Station has returned to its $89 low. Plus, all the other hangover Green Deals from last week are in the links at the bottom of the page, collected together in our Electrified Weekly roundup coverage.

Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

Anker’s latest SOLIX F3800 Plus modular LiFePO4 power station and bundles at new lows starting from $2,999

Anker has kicked off its SOLIX Memorial Day Sale event that will continue running through May 26 with up to 55% in initial discounts, as well as some bonus holiday gifts, extra savings on orders over $3,000 and 6% cash back savings for military and service members (more on those below). Among this sale’s lineup, we spotted Anker’s new SOLIX F3800 Plus Portable Power Station dropping lower than ever to $2,999 shipped, and also matching in price at Amazon. Coming off its $4,799 full price, we’ve only been seeing it initially drop as low as $3,199 in past sales and its original launch deal, so you’re getting an additional $200 in savings for a total of $1,800 off the going rate at a new all-time low price. Along with the lower-than-ever cost, you’ll also be getting a free protective cover for the station ($160 value), which extends to any of its bundles, as well as any standard F3800 purchases, which start $1,100 over the exclusive refurbished deal we secured from Wellbots.

As previously mentioned, we’re seeing quite a few extra savings during Anker’s SOLIX Memorial Day Sale. To start, the Mother’s Day promotions are being extended here, with the protective cover (in some cases, two covers) for the F3800 and F3800 Plus units and bundles. Next, you’ll get a free camping chair ($60 value) along with any F2000, C1000, or C800 Plus purchases, or a Tritan water bottle ($16 value) with any of the C300 bundles. There’s also the extra cash savings, with orders over $3,000 getting 3% off, orders over $4,000 getting 5% off, and orders over $5,000 getting 7% off. Plus, there’s the 6% discount for military and service members that can be redeemed with an ID.me verification on the landing page here.

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A modular backup power solution that offers massive expansion capabilities, the Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus starts with a 3,840Wh LiFePO4 battery that can be invested in and built up over time with further investments, increasing its capacity as high as 26,900Wh with six expansion batteries. There are 15 ports here that dish out a steady output of up to 6,000W, which not only surges up to 9,000W for larger needs, but also expands up to 12,000W when two stations are paired together, regardless of them being the standard model or Plus model.

There are a few differences between the models that largely depend on what your needs are. To start, the F3800 Plus offers one additional way to recharge its battery, utilizing up to 6,000W of input from a gas generator. Its solar input has also been increased from the standard’s 2,400W to 3,200W, while also offering the same AC charging and more. One of the biggest decisions for these models lies on how you might be planning to keep your EVs and RVs going, with the standard F3800 sporting both a L14-30R and 14-50R output, while the F3800 Plus sports L14-30R and TT-30R ports.

Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus power station/solar generator deals:

Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus home backup deals:

Anker SOLIX Standard F3800 power station/solar generator deals:

Anker SOLIX Standard F3800 home backup deals:

You can view the entirety of Anker’s SOLIX Memorial Day Sale on the landing page here, and for folks looking to save a little bit more on the brand’s standard F3800, you can score an exclusive $980 in savings on a like-new refurbished model at $1,699.

Aventon Abound cargo e-bike

Aventon’s Memorial Day Sale takes up to $400 off e-bikes like the cargo-hauling Abound at $1,599

Aventon has launched its Memorial Day Savings event, which is not only taking up to $400 off its e-bike lineup but also running parallel alongside its latest release of the new Aventure 3 All-Terrain e-bike. Among the offers, we spotted the Abound Cargo e-bike down at $1,599 shipped. Normally going for $1,999 at full price in our post-tariff marketplace, it’s been consistently seen down at $1,799 since May of last year, with more recent sales taking the price down this low again. You’re getting $400 off the tag during this sale, or you could consider upgrading to its new-generation counterparts, the Abound SR smart e-bike or the Abound LR smart e-bike, with the difference between them being the latter’s seven-inch longer cargo space with a lockable onboard storage bag and 8-pound heavier chassis.

One of Aventon’s popular options since first releasing in 2023, the Abound e-bike provides ample cargo-hauling potential alongside versatile utility for commutes. It’s equipped with a 750W rear hub motor, peaking at 1,200W to cover inclines and pick-up when you’re bringing cargo along for the ride. There’s a 678.2Wh integrated battery too, with it powering the motor to reach 20 MPH top speeds for up to 50 miles of travel on a single charge with its four PAS levels activated (and supported by a torque sensor). Mileage will be lessened if you solely use its throttle for pure electric cruising.

It comes along with plenty of solid features too, including a front suspension fork, hydraulic brakes, integrated front and rear lights with turn signal functionality, fenders over both tires, the integrated rear cargo rack with a 143-pound payload, a Shimano 7-speed derailleur, a kickstand, a storage bag, and an LCD Smart “Easy Read” display.

Aventon’s Memorial Day Sale legacy e-bike deals:

Aventon’s newest e-bike models (no price cuts):

  • Soltera 2.5 Lightweight e-bike: $1,199
    • 20 MPH for up to 46 miles
  • Sinch 2.5 Compact Folding e-bike: $1,799
    • 20 MPH for up to 55 miles
  • Pace 4 Step-Through Cruiser e-bike: $1,799
    • 28 MPH for up to 70 miles
    • Startup password, remote locking, geofencing, electronic rear wheel lock, more
  • Abound SR Cargo e-bike: $1,899
    • 20 MPH for up to 60 miles
    • GPS tracking, remote locking, geofencing, passcode, keyless battery, alarm system, more
  • Level 3 Smart Step-Over Commuter e-bike: $1,899
    • 20 MPH for up to 70 miles
    • GPS tracking, auto-lock, unusual movement detection, alarm system, more
  • Level 3 Smart Step-Through Commuter e-bike: $1,899
    • 20 MPH for up to 70 miles
    • GPS tracking, auto-lock, unusual movement detection, alarm system, more
  • Abound LR Cargo e-bike: $1,999
    • 20 MPH for up to 60 miles
    • 6 inches longer, 8 pounds heavier, with lockable onboard storage over SR model
    • GPS tracking, remote locking, geofencing, passcode, keyless battery, alarm system, more
  • Aventure 3 All-Terrain Step-Over e-bike: $1,999
    • 28 MPH for up to 65 miles
    • GPS tracking, integrated rear wheel lock, ride tune, cross-model keyless battery, more
  • Aventure 3 All-Terrain Step-Through e-bike: $1,999
    • 28 MPH for up to 65 miles
    • GPS tracking, integrated rear wheel lock, ride tune, cross-model keyless battery, more
NIU KQi 200F electric scooter

Travel up to 34 miles on NIU’s latest KQi 200F electric scooter with regen brakes at a new $649 low

By way of its official Amazon storefront, NIU is offering the best price yet on its latest KQi 200F Electric Scooter for $649 shipped, with the price also matching direct from NIU’s website. Bringing the costs down from its usual $799 pricing, this is the first discount on this model coming through Amazon, with it having launched direct from the brand with a $100 discount last month. You’re looking at an even bigger deal here today, with $150 off the going rate at a new all-time low price.

An affordable model that also lets you go much further outside of your immediate neighborhood, the NIU KQi 200F electric scooter comes powered by a 365Wh battery and moved by the 350W motor (peaking to 700W to handle up to 20% inclines) that provide a 20 MPH top speed for up to 33.6 miles on a single charge. It has four riding modes (e-save, sport, custom, and pedestrian) giving you more versatile control over its speed and mileage, while the entire thing comes with an IPX5 construction to protect against splashes, light rain, and low-pressure water from any direction.

It comes along with some noteworthy stock features, like the dual braking system that is made up of a 75mm integrated drum brake at its front and a regenerative brake at the back, which recycles kinetic energy upon slowing/braking to extend riding distances. You’ll also be benefitting from the brand’s 14-protection BMS system, the dual-tube front suspension system, 10-inch tubeless pneumatic tires, a Halo headlight, an integrated taillight with brake lighting, swappable griptape on its deck, a mechanical bell, an LED screen for controls, a 265-pound riding payload, and wider handlebars that boast turn signals and folding capabilities (along with its usual folding design).

Jackery Explorer 100 Plus power station

Keep your devices going while out on adventures with Jackery’s Explorer 100 Plus power station at its $89 low

Popping into Jackery’s official Amazon storefront, you can pick up the brand’s popular Explorer 100 Plus Portable Power Station for $88.99 shipped. Normally fetching $149 at full price, we’ve been seeing these drops to the $89 low occurring more frequently in 2025, and its back again to give you another chance at grabbing one for your personal device charging needs. Picking it up here while this deal continues not only gives you $60 in savings at the best price we have tracked, but it also beats out Jackery’s direct site pricing by $40. Head below to learn more about this power station and its two discounted bundles.

The smallest and most personal of Jackery’s backup power solutions, the airline-approved, two-pound Explorer 100 Plus is a compact model with a 99Wh/31,000mAh LiFePO4 battery capacity for keeping your devices topped off at home or while out on adventures. Through its four port options (two USB-Cs and two USB-As), it delivers up to 128W of output power, rated for 2,000 charge cycles, which theoretically gives you 5.5 years of continuous use were you to charge and discharge it every day.

When it comes to recharging its own battery, you can get it back to 70% capacity in just an hour by plugging it into a standard wall outlet, with a full battery taking up to two hours. It comes with solar charging capabilities and maximum 100W input that puts it back to full in two hours, as well as the option to connect it to your car’s auxiliary port for recharging while driving. You can also bundle it with a fast charger for $139 or with a 40W solar panel for $169.

Best Spring EV deals!

Best new Green Deals landing this week

The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.

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RJ Scaringe continues to showcase how much more optimized the R2 design will be

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3 hours ago

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May 19, 2025

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RJ Scaringe continues to showcase how much more optimized the R2 design will be

R2 design

Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe has posted another interesting facet into the design of the American automaker’s upcoming R2 BEVs. As you’ll see below, the Rivian R2’s body harness has been significantly reduced in size, weight, and connections to enable lower assembly costs and an overall more environmentally friendly build.

If you’re not following RJ Scaringe on social media, you’re missing out. While some CEOs shy away from social media (aside from the guy who bought Twitter to create his own toxic echo chamber), Rivian’s founder has used such platforms to share interesting company progress.

In the past month, much of Scaringe’s content has pertained to the design and development of Rivian’s upcoming R2 model, and we have been all about it. In the past two weeks, RJ has shared a peek at the company’s new Maximus drive unit and photos of the R2 validation builds on a pilot line at the automaker’s facility in Normal, Illinois.

Last week, Scaringe took to Instagram and X once again to share a better look at the inner workings of the Maximus drive unit. The unit was designed to be more compact and efficiently built to help reduce the cost-per-unit production for the Rivian R2 assembly process.

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Today, RJ posted more evidence of how much more optimized components of the R2 design will be.

R2 design
Source: @RJScaringe/Instagram

The body harness design of the R2 is significantly simpler

RJ posted the comparison image above to Instagram this afternoon, detailing just how much more streamlined the R2’s body harness design will be compared to the Gen 2 R1 BEVs. The Rivian CEO elaborated with the following caption:

The R2 harness improves massively over the R1 Gen 2 harness. Building on the backbone of our network architecture and zonal ECUs, we focused on ease of install in the plant and overall simplification through integrated design — less wires, less clips and far fewer splices!

Simplified indeed, this reimagined body harness cuts serious weight and connectors. The front section of the body harness, in particular, truly encapsulates just how streamlined the R2’s design components are becoming. A body harness pic may not be the most exciting news to the general public, but as a BEV enthusiast on the Rivian beat, it’s amazing to see, and we hope RJ will continue to post updates like this going forward.

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JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says the bank will let clients buy bitcoin

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4 hours ago

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May 19, 2025

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JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says the bank will let clients buy bitcoin

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon delivers a speech during the Global Markets Conference, ahead of the Choose France summit, in Paris, on May 15, 2025.

Michel Euler | Afp | Getty Images

JPMorgan Chase is finally allowing clients to buy bitcoin. But CEO Jamie Dimon is still a skeptic.

“We are going to allow you to buy it,” Dimon said at the bank’s annual investor day on Monday. “We’re not going to custody it. We’re going to put it in statements for clients.”

The decision marks a notable step for the largest U.S. bank, particularly due to Dimon’s history of criticizing the digital currency and the crypto market broadly, and is the latest sign of bitcoin’s entry into mainstream investing. Since August, Morgan Stanley has allowed its financial advisors to pitch some spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds to qualifying clients.

Dimon made it clear that his personal view of bitcoin remains unchanged, highlighting issues like money laundering and the lack of clarity surrounding ownership, along with “the sex trafficking, the terrorism.”

“I don’t think you should smoke, but I defend your right to smoke,” Dimon said. “I defend your right to buy bitcoin.”

JPMorgan Investor Day today: Who will succeed CEO Jamie Dimon?

A JPMorgan spokesperson declined to elaborate on the bank’s specific plans for bitcoin access. Until now, the company has limited its crypto exposure primarily to futures-based products, not direct ownership of bitcoin.

When crypto valuations were soaring in 2021, Dimon dismissed bitcoin as “worthless.” He told lawmakers during a Senate hearing in late 2023 that he’s “always been deeply opposed to crypto, bitcoin, etc.,” and that, “The only true use case for it is criminals, drug traffickers … money laundering, tax avoidance.” He said at the hearing that, “If I was the government, I’d close it down.”

At the 2024 World Economic Forum in Davos, Dimon said, “Bitcoin does nothing. I call it the pet rock.” He added that, “This is the last time I’m talking about the with CNBC, so help me God.”

Read more about tech and crypto from CNBC Pro

Morgan Stanley CEO Ted Pick told CNBC at this year’s event in Davos that the investment bank is exploring ways to deepen its involvement in cryptocurrency markets, navigating the regulatory landscape under the pro-crypto administration of President Donald Trump.

Since President Trump took office in January, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency have rescinded their anti-crypto guidance. While banks can now custody crypto, thanks to the repeal of an accounting rule called SAB 121, they still face restrictions on working directly with crypto firms without explicit approval from the Federal Reserve.

WATCH: Dimon says his tenure is ‘up to the board’

Jamie Dimon: Tenure is 'up to the board'

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