News
How Elon Musk and Obama both argue for cleantech despite political uncertainty
In spite of tremendous obstacles, Elon Musk has changed the way the world thinks about energy usage. He has defied odds with his rocket company SpaceX despite having to face-off against government-funded competition. He has pushed Tesla’s direct sales model even when hit with major lobbying blockades from the Big Three car manufacturers in Detroit. Musk’s Master Plan Part Deux outlined a vision for the future of sustainability and its necessity for the planet. It’s an argument that many pundits have rejected as too costly, complicated, or just plain crazy.
On Monday, President Barack Obama wrote in the journal Science that a national policy to embrace renewable energy over a continued focus on fossil fuel production makes economic sense. President-elect Trump has decried calls for the U.S. to transition to alternative fuels.
Both Musk and Obama speak to energy policies that would change the way people heat their homes, commute to work, and depend on big utilities for energy provision. In his first Master Plan, Musk offered offered a pathway in which a low volume, expensive car would create a profit that would eventually be directed to create an affordable, high volume car. That first plan also emphasized the importance of solar power provision. He reiterated in Master Plan Deux that “we must at some point achieve a sustainable energy economy or we will run out of fossil fuels to burn and civilization will collapse.” Increasing atmospheric and oceanic carbon levels threatens life on the planet, and Musk has said all along that the faster we achieve sustainability, the better.
Obama noted in the Science article that many businesses have come to the independent conclusion that reducing emissions is good for the environment and for profitability. He noted that millions of U.S. citizens already are employed in jobs related to energy-efficient technologies, adding that the cost of renewable energy has continued to decline, partly because of government incentives but primarily due to market forces. “Although our understanding of the impacts of climate change is increasingly and disturbingly clear,” Obama states, “there is still debate about the proper course for U.S. policy.” Obama goes on to say that the United States is showing that greenhouse gas mitigation “need not conflict with economic growth. Rather, it can boost efficiency, productivity, and innovation.”
Musk’s successful and sustainable business practices correlate with President Obama’s conclusions. Tesla’s commercial Powerpack system, alongside solar company SolarCity, combines integrated energy generation and storage. Tesla production goals include improved factory efficiency 5X to 10X by 2022, which will, in turn, make Tesla’s vehicles more affordable. With radar, sonar, and advanced AI, Tesla’s Autopilot may end up 10X safer than human drivers. Tesla’s vision for the future is not limited to cars, as Musk wants to reinvent all kinds of vehicles such as massive electric 18-wheelers, which would dramatically reduce cargo shipping costs and could have revolutionary economic and environmental implications.
These types of alternative fuel innovations are just what Obama has outlined in his Science article. “The business case for clean energy is growing, and the trend toward a cleaner power sector can be sustained regardless of near-term federal policies,” he writes, adding, “I believe the trend toward clean energy is irreversible.”
“There is always tension between the visionary and the day-to-day, but that’s what causes things to happen as you figure out how the world is going to be,” offers Ian Wright, whose startup, Tesla, has propelled Musk toward uber success. “It’s really hard to imagine how Elon does it all. He’s human like everyone else. It hasn’t been smart to bet against him.”
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Elon Musk
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court has ordered the closure of an investigation involving Elon Musk and social media platform X. The inquiry had been pending for about two years and examined whether the platform was used to coordinate attacks against members of the judiciary.
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
According to a report from Agencia Brasil, the investigation conducted by the Federal Police did not find evidence that X deliberately attempted to attack the judiciary or circumvent court orders.
Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet concluded that the irregularities identified during the probe did not indicate fraudulent intent.
Justice Moraes accepted the prosecutor’s recommendation and ruled that the investigation should be closed. Under the ruling, the case will remain closed unless new evidence emerges.
The inquiry stemmed from concerns that content on X may have enabled online attacks against Supreme Court justices or violated rulings requiring the suspension of certain accounts under investigation.
Justice Moraes had previously taken several enforcement actions related to the platform during the broader dispute involving social media regulation in Brazil.
These included ordering a nationwide block of the platform, freezing Starlink accounts, and imposing fines on X totaling about $5.2 million. Authorities also froze financial assets linked to X and SpaceX through Starlink to collect unpaid penalties and seized roughly $3.3 million from the companies’ accounts.
Moraes also imposed daily fines of up to R$5 million, about $920,000, for alleged evasion of the X ban and established penalties of R$50,000 per day for VPN users who attempted to bypass the restriction.
Brazil remains an important market for X, with roughly 17 million users, making it one of the platform’s larger user bases globally.
The country is also a major market for Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, which has surpassed one million subscribers in Brazil.
Elon Musk
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr criticized Amazon after the company opposed SpaceX’s proposal to launch a large satellite constellation that could function as an orbital data center network.
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
Amazon recently urged the FCC to reject SpaceX’s application to deploy a constellation of up to 1 million low Earth orbit satellites that could serve as artificial intelligence data centers in space.
The company described the proposal as a “lofty ambition rather than a real plan,” arguing that SpaceX had not provided sufficient details about how the system would operate.
Carr responded by pointing to Amazon’s own satellite deployment progress.
“Amazon should focus on the fact that it will fall roughly 1,000 satellites short of meeting its upcoming deployment milestone, rather than spending their time and resources filing petitions against companies that are putting thousands of satellites in orbit,” Carr wrote on X.
Amazon has declined to comment on the statement.
Amazon has been working to deploy its Project Kuiper satellite network, which is intended to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink service. The company has invested more than $10 billion in the program and has launched more than 200 satellites since April of last year.
Amazon has also asked the FCC for a 24-month extension, until July 2028, to meet a requirement to deploy roughly 1,600 satellites by July 2026, as noted in a CNBC report.
SpaceX’s Starlink network currently has nearly 10,000 satellites in orbit and serves roughly 10 million customers. The FCC has also authorized SpaceX to deploy 7,500 additional satellites as the company continues expanding its global satellite internet network.
Energy
Tesla Energy gains UK license to sell electricity to homes and businesses
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
Tesla Energy has received a license to supply electricity in the United Kingdom, opening the door for the company to serve homes and businesses in the country.
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
According to Ofgem, the license took effect at 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday and applies to Great Britain.
The approval allows Tesla’s energy business to sell electricity directly to customers in the region, as noted in a Bloomberg News report.
Tesla has already expanded similar services in the United States. In Texas, the company offers electricity plans that allow Tesla owners to charge their vehicles at a lower cost while also feeding excess electricity back into the grid.
Tesla already has a sizable presence in the UK market. According to price comparison website U-switch, there are more than 250,000 Tesla electric vehicles in the country and thousands of Tesla home energy storage systems.
Ofgem also noted that Tesla Motors Ltd., a separate entity incorporated in England and Wales, received an electricity generation license in June 2020.
The new UK license arrives as Tesla continues expanding its global energy business.
Last year, Tesla Energy retained the top position in the global battery energy storage system (BESS) integrator market for the second consecutive year. According to Wood Mackenzie’s latest rankings, Tesla held about 15% of global market share in 2024.
The company also maintained a dominant position in North America, where it captured roughly 39% market share in the region.
At the same time, competition in the energy storage sector is increasing. Chinese companies such as Sungrow have been expanding their presence globally, particularly in Europe.
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
