Boxminer Plans 20MW Crypto Data Center in La Pine, Oregon
Boxminer, a Bitcoin‑mining and powered‑land‑development firm, has proposed a 20 MW data center on Reed Road in La Pine, Oregon, featuring a closed‑loop cooling system that uses no water. The La Pine City Council voted unanimously to instruct staff to pursue the land‑sale process, though the vote is non‑binding and the project still requires Deschutes County approval and full land‑use review. Hundreds of residents attended a council meeting to voice environmental concerns, while officials noted potential tax revenue, franchise fees and full‑time jobs. The utility may need federal coordination, and Boxminer hints at a possible future expansion to 100 MW.
Supercharging Solar Cells: Quantum Dot-Molecule Hybrid States Enable Near-Maximum Efficiency
Researchers at Osaka University and collaborators have demonstrated that hybrid electronic states formed between tetracene molecules and cadmium telluride quantum dots can drive singlet exciton fission with efficiencies approaching the theoretical limit. Using ultrafast laser spectroscopy and quantum‑chemical modeling, they...
Don’t Let Big Tech Hide Ecological Cost of AI, Environment Agency Chief Tells EU
The European Union’s environment agency is urging policymakers to force tech firms to disclose the ecological footprint of their data centers as the bloc plans to triple computing capacity within seven years. A recent agency paper warned that the rapid...
Masdar and Sungrow Seal $1.2 B Battery Storage Megaproject in Abu Dhabi
Masdar has signed a deal with Chinese integrator Sungrow to supply a 7.5 GWh PowerTitan 3.0 battery storage system and 2.6 GW of PV inverters for the ADQ RTC project in Abu Dhabi. The megaproject, slated for grid connection in 2027, is...
Lithium Market Poised for 2026 Tightening as Oversupply Eases
S&P Global projects a smaller global lithium surplus for 2026, while Morgan Stanley and UBS warn the market could slip into deficit by mid‑year if demand outpaces limited new supply. The shift is driven by accelerating grid‑scale storage demand and...
California Presses Forward on Offshore Wind
California is advancing a $4.7 billion offshore wind initiative at the Port of Long Beach despite a federal pullback on renewable project funding. The Pier Wind project will create a 400‑acre terminal to position, store, and assemble some of the world’s largest...
Alsons Power Transitions Diesel Plant Into Solar Facility
Alsons Power, the Alcantara Group’s power arm, is converting its 55‑MW diesel plant in Alabel, Sarangani into a 98.7‑MWac solar facility. Phase 1, a 45‑MWac segment, has been awarded to Sinohydro and PowerChina Philippines under an EPC contract, and the project...
These Dutch Students Are Bringing a World Champion Solar Car to the 2026 Electrek American Solar Challenge
The Delft Solar Team, a 14‑member Dutch university crew, will debut its refined Nuna 13S solar car at the July 2026 Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix and American Solar Challenge in Minnesota. Nuna 13S builds on the 2025 champion with new solar...
California's WWS Hits Record 163% Demand, Solar 140%
WindWaterSolar breaks two more records in CA: WWS meets highest percent of demand ever (163.07%) and solar alone meets highest percent of demand ever (140.56%) on Sun May 24. Gas down 61%, batteries up 329%, and solar up 58% in '26 v...
Chinese Giant Joins Massive Round‑the‑clock Solar‑storage Project
China giant joins list of suppliers to massive “round-the-clock” solar and battery storage project #energysky -- via Renew Economy: https://t.co/oOMDzFja9G https://t.co/piX5TXMHnI
No Blanket Extension on ALMM for Solar PV Cells Beyond June 1: MNRE
India’s Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) announced that the deadline for compliance with the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) List‑II for solar PV cells will remain June 1, 2026, with no blanket extension. Projects commissioned before that date...
Portland's Clean Energy Fund Has Generated $1 Billion for Climate Action
Portland’s Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund, financed by a 1% corporate retail sales tax approved in 2018, has amassed roughly $1 billion for climate resilience. Since 2021 the fund has awarded four grant rounds totaling about $262 million, delivering over 20,000 free...
JA Solar, Gold Stone Energy Claim World’s Highest Efficiency for Silicon Solar Cells with 28.2%-efficient Back Contact Device
Chinese PV firms JA Solar and Gold Stone Energy have set a new world record for single‑junction silicon solar cell efficiency, achieving 28.2% conversion in a hybrid back‑contact (HBC) device. The result, certified by TÜV Rheinland, surpasses the previous 28.13%...
New Zealand EV Charging Provider Meridian Hits 500 Charging Point Milestone
Meridian, New Zealand’s leading EV charging provider, installed its 500th public charging point, extending coverage across the South Island and several North Island towns. The company announced a plan to deploy an additional 900 public chargers by 2030, targeting central and...
WEI Calls for Faster Offshore Wind Rollout
Wind Energy Ireland (WEI) launched its Offshore Wind Action Plan 2026 at a Dublin conference attended by over 400 delegates, urging a faster rollout of offshore wind to secure Irish energy independence. The plan outlines 18 concrete actions for the next...
U.S. Adds Record 9.7 GWh Energy‑Storage Capacity in Q1 2026
The U.S. energy‑storage sector installed 9.7 GWh of new capacity in the first quarter of 2026, a 32% year‑over‑year increase and the strongest quarter on record. Industry leaders attribute the surge to data‑center demand and renewable‑grid integration, while warning that permitting...
250MW/1,000MWh Ontario BESS Begins Commercial Operations, Potential Expansion Ahead
Ameresco and Atura Power’s joint venture has placed the 250 MW/1,000 MWh Napanee battery energy storage system into commercial operation in Ontario, coming in on budget and five weeks early. Valued at roughly US$435 million, the BESS stores excess nuclear generation and dispatches...
US Installed 9.7GWh of New BESS in Q1 2026, SEIA Reports
The Solar Energy Industries Association reported that the United States installed 9.7 GWh of new battery energy storage systems in Q1 2026, a 32% year‑over‑year increase. Utility‑scale deployments accounted for 7.8 GWh, while residential storage fell 28% as the 25D tax credit expired....
Green Light for Japanese Floating Wind Foundation
Obayashi Corporation secured an Approval in Principle from ClassNK for the world’s first steel‑concrete hybrid TLP floating offshore wind support structure. The hybrid design, developed under a NEDO‑funded project, promises roughly a 25% reduction in construction costs compared with traditional...
EU Awards €400 Million to 65 Industrial Heat Projects in Auction
The European Commission has awarded €400 million ($465.7 million) in grants to 65 industrial heat decarbonisation projects across ten EU countries, marking the first Innovation Fund heat auction. The projects, spanning heat pumps, solar thermal, resistance and dielectric heating, target energy‑intensive sectors...
New Partnership to Drive Virtual Wheeling Growth
Open Access Energy (OAE) and technology firm Mezzanine have signed a reseller agreement to embed Mezzanine’s virtual wheeling platform into OAE’s Energypro suite. The joint solution lets corporate buyers, independent power producers and traders tap virtual wheeling without amending Eskom...
Consumers Energy Moves to Sell 13 Michigan Dams to Maryland PE Firm for $13 M
Consumers Energy has filed with the Michigan Public Service Commission to sell 13 historic hydroelectric dams to Hull Street Energy’s subsidiary Confluence Hydro for $13 million. The deal includes a 30‑year power purchase agreement at $160 per megawatt‑hour, roughly double current...
AI Compute Surge Triggers Global Nuclear Power Boom, 12 GW Added in 2025
Deven Choksey Research warned that AI data centers will need up to 1,600 TWh of electricity by 2034, prompting a surge in nuclear construction that saw more than 12 GW added in 2025. The report links the trend to energy‑security concerns, renewable...
China Solar Exports Hit All-Time Record in March as Africa, Asia Demand Jumps
China exported a record 68 GW of solar components in March 2026, a 49% increase over the previous export high set in August 2025. The surge was driven by soaring demand in Africa and Asia, with Nigeria’s imports jumping 519% and India purchasing...
Network Says New Community Battery Will Deliver Cheaper Bills to Locals From Storage as a Service Scheme
Ausgrid, New South Wales' largest electricity distributor, has commissioned a 5 MW community battery in Long Jetty as part of its Energy Storage as a Service (ESaaS) programme. The shared asset will absorb daytime solar generation and discharge during evening peaks,...
Musk’s AI Ambitions Run on Fossil Fuels Despite Tesla’s Clean Energy Legacy
Elon Musk’s AI venture xAI is financing its data centers with natural‑gas turbines, spending $2.8 billion despite Tesla’s clean‑energy brand. The company bought $697 million worth of Tesla Megapacks for storage but has not purchased solar panels. Musk proposes space‑based solar power...
DAS Solar, UNSW Build Tunnel Back-Contact Solar Cell with 27% Efficiency, Lower Silver Content
Researchers from UNSW and DAS Solar have introduced a zero‑busbar (ZBB) metal‑grid design for tunnel‑oxide passivated back‑contact (TBC) silicon solar cells. The new architecture reduces silver paste usage to roughly 6 mg per watt while maintaining high performance. Mass‑produced TBC cells...
RWE Lands Power Deal for 1.1GW Oz Giant
RWE Renewable Europe & Australia secured a Capacity Investment Scheme contract for its 1,100 MW Theodore on‑shore wind project in Central Queensland. The deal underwrites a AU$3 billion (~US$2 billion) investment, sets a revenue floor and ceiling, and enables up to 170 turbines...
Pollution From Coal Plants Can Reduce Solar Generation by over 5%
A UK‑led research team used satellite data on 140,000 solar sites to measure how aerosols from coal‑fired power plants cut solar output. In 2023, aerosols reduced global photovoltaic generation by 5.8%, equivalent to about 111 TWh of electricity. China accounted for...
Wind Boss Warns Battery Boom Could Challenge Turbine Growth in Massive Market
India’s wind sector is gaining traction as utilities look for generation that can meet evening demand when solar output wanes. Parag Sharma, president of the Wind Independent Power Producers Association, told Recharge that distributors will prioritize wind PPAs for that...
Proxima Fusion Launches Stellaris, Next‑gen Fusion Reactor
Proxima Fusion Unveils Stellaris, a Next-Generation Fusion Reactor by @spaceandtech_ #CleanEnergy #EmergingTech #Technology #Innovation #Tech https://t.co/UlM883rdW7
Geothermal 2.0: Can Superheated Rocks Deep Underground Help Power Australia?
Researchers have produced the first global map of super‑hot rock geothermal potential, revealing that tapping just 1% of Australia’s deep heat could generate energy equivalent to three billion barrels of oil or roughly twenty times the nation’s 2021 electricity consumption. New...
State Says Households Should Get Paid up to 33c/kWh for Rooftop Solar Exported Into Evening Peak
New South Wales’ regulator IPART announced time‑of‑use (ToU) export tariffs that can pay solar households with batteries up to 33 c/kWh during the evening peak, while the all‑day flat feed‑in tariff falls to 3.4‑6.5 c/kWh. The higher evening rates aim to capture...
AI Data Centers Will Keep Fossil Fuels in Business
A BloombergNEF report predicts solar will become the world’s largest power source within the next decade, overtaking coal, oil and natural gas. At the same time, the rapid expansion of AI-driven data centers is set to boost global electricity demand...
Sun Cable’s Plans for Second Gigascale Solar Project Open for Public Comment
Sun Cable, now majority‑owned by Mike Cannon‑Brookes, has opened public comment on a proposed 20 GW solar precinct at Muckaty in the Northern Territory. The plan calls for multiple 250 MW solar blocks paired with battery storage, built in stages as data‑centre...
Contact Energy Switches on 200MWh Battery Storage System in New Zealand
Contact Energy has switched on a 100 MW/200 MWh grid‑scale battery at the Glenbrook steel site, using 56 Tesla Megapack 2XL units that can respond in 0.2 seconds. The system stores excess hydro, geothermal and wind power and can discharge for up to two...
Kenya's $860 M Microsoft‑G42 Data Centre Faces Power Shortfall
Kenya's $860 million Microsoft‑G42 data centre project is under scrutiny after President William Ruto warned the national grid cannot support its 1,000 MW power demand, raising doubts about timelines and feasibility. The shortfall highlights challenges for large AI‑driven infrastructure in emerging markets.
DTI Moves to Regulate Solar Panel Systems
The Philippines' Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is drafting rules that would require manufacturers and importers of solar‑panel systems to obtain government certification before selling in the local market. The proposed order covers photovoltaic modules, inverters, batteries, charge controllers...
U.S. NRC Grants First Commercial Microreactor Permit to Power AI Data Centers
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission formally accepted Nano Nuclear’s KRONOS micro‑modular reactor (MMR) construction permit for detailed review, marking the first commercial‑ready small nuclear reactor aimed at alleviating the power shortfall facing AI‑driven data centers. The move comes as hyperscalers...
Scotland’s ‘Green Datacentres’ Policy Ignores Emissions Impact of AI, Analysis Shows
Scotland's "green datacentres" policy, a key pillar of its economic growth plan, lacks a clear definition, allowing AI‑focused facilities to claim green status while potentially emitting large amounts of CO₂. More than a dozen datacentres, including an AI growth zone...
Innomotics Drives Electrification of Industrial Heat Processes with Industrial Heat Pump Solutions
Industrial heat pumps are emerging as a cornerstone of decarbonizing process heat, and Innomotics is supplying the motor and drive technology that makes them viable at scale. The German supplier’s solutions power the world’s largest heat pump at BASF, a...
SpaceX IPO Filing Shows xAI Spending $2.8 B on Gas Turbines, Sidelining Terrestrial Solar
The SpaceX IPO prospectus filed Wednesday discloses that Elon Musk’s AI venture xAI plans to spend $2.8 billion on additional natural‑gas turbines to power its data centers, while Tesla’s solar solutions are largely absent. The move highlights a growing reliance on...
Solar Beats Coal on Texas ERCOT Grid, Generating 78 BkWh vs 60 BkWh for Coal
Solar power produced 78 billion kilowatt‑hours (BkWh) on the ERCOT grid in 2026, surpassing coal's 60 BkWh for the first time. The milestone reflects rapid solar adoption and expanding storage capacity across Texas, a market long dominated by fossil fuels.
DOE: New Green Energy Auctions Spark Strong Developer Interest
The Philippines Department of Energy (DOE) launched the sixth Green Energy Auction, introducing the first competitive tender for waste‑to‑energy projects. The program will offer 230 MW of biomass‑fueled capacity with a reserve price of ₱8.0167 per kWh (approximately $0.14) and requires...
‘P430 Billion Needed to Electrify Every Filipino Home’
The Philippines faces a $7 billion (≈P430 billion) gap to electrify roughly 2.7 million households, according to microgrid developer WEnergy Global. The company is already investing about $38 million (≈P2.1 billion) in 24 microgrid projects that will serve over 11,000 homes in Palawan, Cebu and...
Middle East Tensions Stall China's Solar Overcapacity Crackdown
Middle East tensions complicate Beijing’s push to curb China solar overcapacity Energy-security fears are slowing Beijing’s solar capacity cuts, deepening a ‘fight to the death’ among manufacturers trapped in a price war https://t.co/k7ob3K6H7r via @scmpnews
China Orders Solar Cuts; Firms Still Expand Illegally
China told the solar industry to cut capacity. Firms built new factories anyway Beijing has been striving to rein in severe overcapacity in the solar industry. But the sector is still plagued by illegal facilities, an insider says https://t.co/i46jFhCQo6 via @scmpnews
Chhattisgarh Bets on ‘Solar Didis’ for Green Energy & Womenpreneurship
Chhattisgarh has unveiled the Dweepti Yojana (2026‑2031), a program that will train rural women to become “Solar Didis” who install, operate and maintain village‑level solar infrastructure. The scheme targets essential assets such as irrigation pumps, flour mills and cold storages,...
Solar Reactor Turns CO₂ and Sunlight Into Bacterial Biomass, Paving Way for Air‑Based Manufacturing
Scientists at Queen Mary University of London have built an integrated solar reactor that uses sunlight, water‑splitting and enzymatic chemistry to convert carbon dioxide into living E. coli biomass. The proof‑of‑concept, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, could...
Kevin O’Leary’s Utah Megadata Center Faces Backlash Over Great Salt Lake Water and Power Impacts
Kevin O’Leary’s proposed 40,000‑acre Stratos megadata center in rural Utah, slated to consume 9 GW of electricity—more than double the state’s current use—has ignited public and political opposition over its potential to raise carbon emissions by 64% and strain the Great...