Floating Solar Plus Wave Energy Smackdown For Fossil Fuels
Everybody is talking about a new EU clean power project that pairs floating solar with offshore wind turbines, but they’re missing half the story. Wave energy is also part of the project. The wave part is not getting much attention, probably because wave-to-electricity conversion has fallen behind wind and solar in the renewable energy race. Nevertheless, if all goes according to plan, the waters of the EU will be peppered with wave conversion devices as well as floating solar panels.
More Offshore Solar & Wind Turbines With Wave Energy, Too
The EU project is tackling the problem of how to make room for new offshore energy industries in busy coastal waters. Finding sites for new offshore wind farms can be a tough row to hoe, as offshore wind fans in the US can testify.
The new project is called EU-SCORES for “European SCalable Offshore Renewable Energy Sources.” The idea is to pair wind turbines with other clean power systems, with the aim of reducing the overall footprint of marine energy development.
EU-SCORES comes under the umbrella of the Dutch Marine Energy Centre, which will assess two sites for hybrid marine energy systems. One is a solar-plus-wind site in Belgium, which has been getting a lot of attention, and rightfully so. Floating solar is a relatively new idea that has been catching on fast for application to inland water bodies including reservoirs as well as natural lakes and ponds. The idea of setting solar panels afloat in the open sea poses new technology challenges.
In that regard, EU-SCORES shares some similarities with the CrossWind offshore wind project under way in the Netherlands, which is also on track to receive floating solar panels.
However, EU-SCORES seems to be taking a much more aggressive approach to hybridizing offshore wind farms. As DMEC describes it, the “full-scale demonstrations are intended to prove how the increased power output and capacity installed per km2 will reduce the amount of marine space needed, thereby leaving more space for aquaculture, fisheries, shipping routes and environmentally protected zones.”
“Additional benefits achieved by co-using critical electrical infrastructures and exploring advanced operation and maintenance methodologies supported by innovative autonomous systems should lower the costs per MWh,” DMEC adds.
Wave Energy: It’s All About Co-Location, Location, Location
Where were we? Oh right, wave energy. If you caught that thing about co-using, that’s a critical issue for wave energy stakeholders. Translating the infinite, 24/7 motion of waves into electricity is a tantalizing goal, but one of the factors holding back the wave energy field is the relatively high cost of shunting clean kilowatts from seagoing wave energy generators over to coastal communities.
Back in 2014, the United Nations’ International Renewable Energy Agency took a look at the wave energy field and recorded 100 projects around the world, all of which were still in the pilot and demonstration phases. The early-stage nature of the technology made it difficult to project future costs for commercial-level projects. However, IRENA did come up with the figure of 22% for the proportion of lifetime costs that could be ascribed to power take-off systems.
IRENA also estimated that installation, operation, and maintenance, and mooring would account for another 41% of lifetime costs for wave energy projects. Co-location with offshore wind turbines would presumably shave away some of those costs as well.
About Those Locations…
Another kind of challenge for the wave energy industry is that the recovery potential varies considerably from one place to another. The one-size-fits-all nature of wind turbines and solar panels does not apply as much to the wave energy field, and that has slowed the development of more mature, efficient supply chains.
In 2016, the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory looked at the problem and noted that “wave energy technology is still an emerging form of renewable energy for which large-scale grid-connected project costs are currently poorly defined.”
“Ideally, device designers would like to know the resource conditions at economical project sites so they can optimize device designs. On the other hand, project developers need detailed device cost data to identify sites where projects are economical. That is, device design and siting are, to some extent, a coupled problem,” the lab continued.
A New Burst Of Energy For Wave Energy
Regardless of the challenges, wave energy fans have persisted, and it looks like all that hard work is about to pay off. The wave energy harvesting end of the EU-SCORES project is being attached to an offshore wind farm in Portugal, using buoy-type wave harvesting devices developed by the Swedish company CorPower Ocean, as the firm’s Commercial Director Kevin Rebenius is happy to explain.
“We see great value in showcasing the highly consistent and complementary power profile of wave energy, and how this can be combined with wind and solar to deliver a more stable and predictable electricity system based purely on renewables,” Rebenius said.
CorPower Ocean’s contribution to the wave energy field is a pumping system modeled on natural pumps such as those found in the human heart.
According to CorPower, its device can produce 5 times more electricity per ton than other wave energy harvesters, partly by enabling superior performance during calm periods and partly by maintaining performance during storms. Here, let’s have them explain.
“CorPower WECs can harvest the same amount of Annual Energy from a buoy with 1/10 volume compared to conventional point absorber WEC. 1. As comparison, a 300kW CorPower WEC has a diameter of 9m and weighs 60 tonnes. Getting large amounts of electricity from a small device significantly reduces CAPEX. The compact lightweight devices are also less costly to transport, install and service, bringing down OPEX.”
There Had To Be A Green Hydrogen Angle In There Somewhere…
CorPower is aiming to make the case for commercial viability by 2024. Meeting that goal will also provide a boost to other companies involved with EU-SCORES. For those of you keeping score at home, that includes the offshore floating solar company Oceans of Energy along with the familiar names of RWE, EDP, ENEL Green Power, and Simply Blue Group.
EU-SCORES could also add another notch in the belt of green hydrogen fans. CorPower, for one, is already making the pitch.
“The multi-source demonstrations in EU-SCORES will showcase the benefits of more consistent power output harnessing complementary power sources including waves, wind and sun, creating a more resilient and stable power system, higher capacity factors and a lower total cost of the power system. These aspects will also improve the business case for green hydrogen production, by allowing electrolysers to run at higher utilisation,” CorPower enthuses.
For those of you new to the topic, electrolysis refers to electrical systems that pop hydrogen gas out of water. That doesn’t make any sense at all from a climate action perspective if the electricity is sourced from fossil energy, but sub in renewables and the whole picture shifts.
The renewable energy angle is also a rather significant improvement over the current state of affairs, in which the global supply of hydrogen is sourced primarily from natural gas and coal. With the addition of seagoing solar panels and wave energy devices envisioned by EU-SCORES, it looks like end of the fossil grip on the global hydrogen economy is in sight.
Follow me on Twitter @TinaMCasey.
Photo: Array of wave energy harvesting devices, courtesy of CorPower Ocean.
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Environment
Tesla US sales drop to under 40,000 units following tax credit expiration, lowest in years
Tesla’s US sales have taken a significant hit in November, dropping to just 39,800 units according to new data. This comes as the market adjusts to the expiration of the federal tax credit, despite Tesla’s attempt to mitigate the blow with more discounts.
Since the federal EV tax credit expired at the end of September, the US electric vehicle market has been in a bit of a turmoil. We expected a hangover period after the rush to buy in Q3, but the numbers for November are stark.
According to new estimates from Cox Automotive (via Reuters), Tesla sold approximately 39,800 vehicles in the US in November.
That represents a roughly 23% drop compared to the 51,513 vehicles delivered in November 2024. It is also reportedly Tesla’s lowest monthly sales volume in the US since January 2022.
It’s important to note that Tesla doesn’t release monthly sales numbers and therefore, those are estimates based on data collected by Cox.
The drop comes despite Tesla’s best efforts to stimulate demand. Following the expiration of the $7,500 federal tax credit, the automaker launched new “Standard” range versions of the Model 3 and Model Y in October, priced roughly $5,000 lower than the previous base models to offset the loss of the incentive.
Those vehicles are expected to start more meaningfully contributing to sales next year.
However, Cox Automotive suggests this strategy could have a minimal impact. Stephanie Valdez Streaty, Cox’s director of industry insights, noted:
“The drop certainly shows there is not enough demand for the Standard variants that were supposed to boost sales after the tax credit expiry. What’s also happening is Standard sales are cannibalizing into sales of Premium versions, especially the Model 3.”
While a 23% drop looks bad on paper, it is worth noting that Tesla is actually weathering the storm better than the rest of the EV market.
Overall US EV sales reportedly plummeted by over 41% in November. Because Tesla’s decline was less severe than its competitors, the company actually saw its market share increase to 56.7%, up from 43.1% a year ago.
Most other automakers relied heavily on the tax credit to move their electric inventory, and without it, they are seeing demand evaporate much faster than Tesla.
Electrek’s Take
It’s sad to see. Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, pushed for this to happen, and he always said that he believed Tesla would fare better than other automakers without the tax credit. He was right. The sad part is that it goes completely against Tesla’s mission to accelerate the advent of electric transportation.
Tesla used US incentives as a ladder to reach volume production, and as soon as it did, it pulled the ladder behind it so others couldn’t use it.
What a shame.
And all for what? To be a bigger fish in a smaller pond? Because that’s only going to work in the US. In Europe and China, Tesla’s sales are declining, while other automakers’ EV sales are surging.
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Environment
India’s inflation rises to 0.71% in November as decline in food, fuel prices loses steam
EV and battery supply chain research specialists Benchmark Mineral Intelligence reports that 2.0 million electric vehicles were sold globally in November 2025, bringing global EV sales to 18.5 million units year-to-date. That’s a 21% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
Europe was the clear growth leader in November, while North America continued to lag following the expiration of US EV tax credits. China, meanwhile, remains the world’s largest EV market by a wide margin.
Europe leads global growth
Europe’s EV market jumped 36% year-over-year in November 2025, with BEV sales up 35% and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) sales rising 39%. That brings Europe’s total EV sales to 3.8 million units for the year so far, up 33% compared to January–November 2024.
France finally returned to year-to-date growth in November, edging up 1% after spending most of 2025 in the red following earlier subsidy cuts. The rebound was led by OEMs such as the Volkswagen Group and Renault, a wider selection of EV models, and France’s “leasing social” program, aimed at helping lower-income households switch to EVs.
Italy also posted a standout month, logging record EV sales of just under 25,000 units in November. The surge followed the launch of a new incentive program designed to replace older ICE vehicles. The program earmarks €597.3 million (about $700 million) in funding for the replacement of around 39,000 gas cars.
The UK expanded access to its full £3,750 ($4,400) EV subsidy by adding five more eligible models: the Nissan Leaf (built in Sunderland, with deliveries starting in early 2026), the MINI Countryman, Renault 4, Renault 5, and Alpine A290.
US market slows after federal tax credit’s premature death
In North America, EV sales in the US did tick up month-over-month in November, following a sharp October drop after federal tax credits expired on September 30, 2025. Brands including Kia (up 30%), Hyundai (up 20%), Honda (up 11%), and Subaru (232 Solterra sales versus just 13 the month before) all saw gains, but overall volumes remain below levels when the federal tax credit was still available.
Policy changes aren’t helping. In early December, Trump formally “reset” US Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, lowering the required fleetwide average to about 34.5 mpg by 2031. That’s a steep drop from the roughly 50.4 mpg target under the previous rule. Automakers can now meet the standard largely through gas vehicles, reducing pressure to scale BEVs and PHEVs.
Those loosened rules are already reflected in investment decisions, such as Stellantis’ $13 billion plan to expand US production by 50%, with a heavy focus on ICE vehicles. Earlier this year, Trump’s big bill set fines for missing CAFE targets to $0, further weakening the incentive for OEMs to electrify.
That’s some foolish policymaking, considering the world reached peak gas car sales in 2017. The US under Trump will be left behind, just as it will be with its attempts to revive the coal industry.
China still dominates, exports surge
China remains the backbone of global EV sales, even as growth slows. The Chinese market grew 3% year-over-year and 4% month-over-month in November. Year-to-date, EV sales in China are up 19%, with 11.6 million units sold.
One of the biggest headlines out of China is exports. BYD reported a record 131,935 EV exports in November, blowing past its previous high of around 90,000 units set in June. BYD sales in Europe have jumped more than fourfold this year to around 200,000 vehicles, doubled in Southeast Asia, and climbed by more than 50% in South America.
Global snapshot
Global EV sales from January to November 2025 vs January to November 2024, YTD %:
- Global: 18.5 million, +21%
- China: 11.6 million, +19%
- Europe: 3.8 million, +33%
- North America: 1.7 million, -1%
- Rest of World: 1.5 million, +48%
The takeaway: EV demand continues to grow worldwide, but policy support – or the lack thereof – is increasingly shaping where this growth shows up.
“Overall, EV demand remains resilient, supported by expanding model ranges and sustained policy incentives worldwide,” said Rho Motion data manager Charles Lester.
Read more: EV sales *still* have not fallen, cooled, slowed or slumped. Media is lying to you.
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