Data Centers and Communities: Why the Conversation Demands More Nuance
Maine’s House approved LD 307, imposing a moratorium on AI data centers larger than 20 MW until November 2027 and creating a Data Center Coordination Council to assess grid, ratepayer and community impacts. The move reflects growing statewide anxiety, echoing similar legislative efforts in up to 11 other states. Industry experts warn that blanket bans risk oversimplifying nuanced projects, while utilities are reshaping tariffs and some operators, like Meta, are pledging clean‑energy and local infrastructure investments. The article stresses that community outreach and transparent economic reporting are essential for balanced outcomes.
Solar Without Sacrificing Farmland: Why Parking Lots May Become the Next Layer of Energy Infrastructure
The United States faces a potential 2‑4× surge in electricity demand from electric vehicles, heat pumps, and AI‑driven data centers, prompting a search for new generation sites. Parking lots—about two billion spaces covering 3,600 square miles—are emerging as a prime underutilized asset...
TransAlta Seeks $19.9M for Centralia Plant’s First DOE ‘Emergency’ Order
TransAlta is asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to recover $19.9 million from ratepayers for keeping its 730‑MW Centralia coal plant on standby under a U.S. Department of Energy emergency order. The plant generated no power during the first 90‑day order...
Policy Problems Aside, Solar Continues to Shine
Solar power is the fastest‑growing electricity source in the U.S., with the EIA forecasting utility‑scale capacity to rise from 290 TWh to 424 TWh by 2027 and nearly 70 GW of projects slated for 2024‑25. Residential installations are accelerating, reaching a new system...
Fewer People, Older Assets, Higher Stakes: How the Power Sector Is Rethinking Preventive Maintenance
The U.S. power sector is accelerating plant construction while grappling with a shrinking, aging workforce and assets that exceed design life. Operators are turning to standardized designs and tighter O&M handovers to simplify maintenance, while AI is being deployed to...
Europe Embraces Energy Storage to Enhance Power Flexibility
Europe is emerging as the world’s leading market for utility‑scale energy storage, with a pipeline exceeding 130 GW across 37 countries and 19 GW already operating. The UK’s battery capacity surged 45% in 2024, reaching 12.9 GWh, while Germany and the UK drive...
ZettaJoule Pursues a Second Act for Japan’s High-Temperature Nuclear Reactor
Houston‑based ZettaJoule is adapting Japan’s High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor design into a 950 °C high‑temperature gas‑cooled reactor (HTGR) called ZJ0. The startup signed an MOU with Texas A&M’s Engineering Experiment Station to explore building the prototype on campus, with TEES...
We Can’t Ignore Hydrogen’s Potential in Construction
The UK construction sector burns over 1 billion litres of diesel each year, with heavy non‑road machinery responsible for a disproportionate share of emissions. Full electrification of large excavators and dump trucks is hampered by battery weight, charging downtime, and limited...
1GWh+ of BESS Progressed Across EU by Re:cap, Flower, Goldbeck, Tavion, LONGi, Teos and SPP
Across the EU, more than 1 GWh of battery‑energy‑storage‑system (BESS) capacity moved into construction, financing or operation this week. re:cap is launching a 95 MW/220 MWh project in Finland, while Goldbeck Solar received notice to proceed on two 100 MW/300 MWh German sites. Sweden’s Flower...
Vessel Sector Deep Dive: WTIVs
Intelatus Global Partners’ new analysis shows the offshore wind turbine and foundation installation market grappling with shifting demand as Europe, the EAPAC region and emerging markets push capacity growth while political and economic headwinds tighten vessel utilization. By 2035 global...
Jan De Nul Installs Export Cables for Taiwan’s Fengmiao 1 Offshore Wind Farm
Jan De Nul has finished laying two high‑voltage export cables—45 km and 44 km long—for the Fengmiao 1 offshore wind farm located 35 km off Taichung, Taiwan. The cables are now wet‑stored offshore while the offshore substation jacket is prepared. The next phase will...
Tata Power Arm to Invest ₹6,500 Cr to Set up 10 GW Ingot, Wafer Facility
Tata Power Renewable Energy, a subsidiary of Tata Power, announced a capital outlay of roughly $795 million (₹6,500 crore) to build a photovoltaic ingot and wafer manufacturing complex with up to 10 GW capacity. The plant will be rolled out in two 5 GW...
Nagpur Metro Installs India’s First Solar Panels Between Tracks at Hingna Depot
Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation (MahaMetro) has installed a 50‑kW solar photovoltaic system between the tracks at Nagpur Metro’s Hingna depot, marking India’s first such deployment on a metro rail corridor. The 200‑metre pilot is expected to generate roughly 70,000 kWh of...
First Solar's Quarterly Sales Rise on Higher Solar Panel Demand
First Solar posted record first‑quarter revenue of $1.04 billion, up 23% from a year earlier, and net income of $346.6 million, a 65% increase. The growth was driven by stronger demand from third‑party developers and a record sales surge in India. CEO...
Bangladesh’s PV Capacity to Reach 8.5 GW by 2035, Says GlobalData
GlobalData forecasts Bangladesh’s photovoltaic capacity to climb from about 1.3 GW in 2025 to roughly 8.5 GW by 2035. The expansion will be driven by a transition from off‑grid rural solar home systems to grid‑connected rooftop and utility‑scale projects, backed by net‑metering...
From Residue to Revenue — Forestry Hub Takes Biochar Pitch to Tocal
The North East NSW Forestry Hub is showcasing biochar, pyrolysis and circular‑economy solutions at Tocal Field Days on May 2‑3. The event brings together landholders, industry partners and government agencies to demonstrate how forest residues can be turned into marketable products....
Rational Design of a High Performance Three‐Dimensional Printed Concave Photoreactor for Sunlight‐Drivable Micropollutant Removal From Water
Researchers have 3D‑printed a concave photoreactor that boosts light capture through multiple internal reflections. When paired with a single‑atom Cr‑doped Bi3O4Br/PVDF photocatalytic membrane, the system degrades antibiotics ranging from 100 ng/L to 10 mg/L. In laboratory trials it achieved 99.9% tetracycline removal...
UK Leads Europe in Clean Tech Funding, Report Finds
A new Cleantech for UK report shows the British clean‑tech sector raised £7.2 bn ($9.1 bn) in 2025, reclaiming the top spot in Europe. Venture‑backed equity alone reached £2.5 bn, surpassing China’s £1.9 bn, while Germany and France lagged far behind. However, the report...
What Next-Gen Chips Might Mean for Data Centers
The data‑center chip market is poised for disruption as new AI‑optimized, energy‑efficient, heat‑tolerant, and offload silicon designs move from labs into racks. While x86 CPUs still dominate, emerging ARM‑based servers, custom cloud chips, and advanced packaging like chiplets promise higher...
Manipulating Buried Interface via Aromatic Amino Acid Derivatives for Wide‐Bandgap Perovskite Solar Cells and Tandem Devices
Researchers introduced an aromatic amino‑acid derivative, N‑benzoyl‑(2R,3S)‑3‑phenylisoserine (NBP), between the Me‑4PACz hole‑transport layer and wide‑bandgap perovskite. The molecule forms electrostatic and π‑π interactions that passivate Pb²⁺ and iodine vacancies, suppress phase segregation, and improve energy‑level alignment. Devices incorporating NBP achieved...
Rotterdam The Hague Airport Trials Hydrogen-Electric Pickup Truck
Rotterdam The Hague Airport completed a week‑long trial of Toyota’s hydrogen‑electric pickup truck, pairing it with Bird Control operations from dawn to dusk. The airport, which has already electrified most of its light‑vehicle fleet, is targeting fully emission‑free ground operations...
Electric Field–Driven Nanoreactor Strategy for Rapid Fabrication of CRO Photocathodes Toward Efficient Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Evolution
Researchers have introduced an electric‑field‑driven nanoreactor strategy that rapidly assembles ultrathin conjugated reticular oligomer (CRO) films on conductive substrates. The method uses cetylpyridinium bromide (CPB) as both surfactant and charge carrier, eliminating the need for acid catalysts and enabling deposition...
Renewables Met 100% of Global Electricity Demand Growth in 2025 that Will Speed America's Decline
For the first time, renewables supplied all new global electricity demand in 2025, with solar accounting for three‑quarters of that growth. China drove the surge, adding 336 TWh of solar power—over half of the world’s increase—while the United States contributed 85 TWh,...
Crystallization Kinetics Directed by Additive Symmetry for Morphology Control in High‐Efficiency Organic Solar Cells
Researchers discovered that the symmetry of solid‑state additives can steer crystallization kinetics in PM6:Y6 organic solar cells. Four dibromonaphthalene isomers were tested, and the symmetric 2,6‑DBN enabled balanced ordering during annealing, improving π–π stacking and reducing energetic disorder. This kinetic...
Can a Carbon Price Lower Power Bills? Virginia Is Betting Yes.
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed legislation to re‑enter the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a cap‑and‑trade program that prices carbon emissions from utilities. The move follows a surge in electricity demand driven by the state’s booming AI data‑center sector, which...
Australia, India, Japan, Philippines Drive APAC Battery Storage Shift
Australia, India, Japan and the Philippines are accelerating utility‑scale battery storage in APAC, moving projects from 10‑30 MWh to 500 MWh or larger. Trina Storage’s APAC head Warrick Stapleton says market maturity varies, with some regions shifting from frequency‑control ancillary services to...
Northland Inks 30-Year CPPA with TSMC for Hai Long Wind Project
Northland Power has signed a 30‑year corporate power purchase agreement with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company to buy the full output of the 1.02 GW Hai Long offshore wind project. The JV, comprising Northland (30.6%), Mitsui (40%) and Gentari International Renewables (29.4%), will...
“Let’s Actually Get Projects up and Running:” Report Warns Australia’s Green Iron Edge Is at Risk
A Climate Energy Finance report warns Australia’s lead in green iron is slipping as no project has reached a final investment decision. The country tracks 11 proposals but lacks commercial‑scale plants, while the Middle East and North Africa are moving...
Riding the Ocean’s Data
Researchers at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) have released major upgrades to the wave‑energy simulation suite WEC‑Sim and the open‑source hydrodynamic solver Capytaine. The new WEC‑Sim 7.0 adds quadratic transfer functions, variable‑hydro capabilities, and finer component‑level modeling, while Capytaine...
New Changes Trim “Essential” REZ Transmission Route to Avoid Caves – and Another 50 Landholders
EnergyCo has trimmed the proposed transmission corridor for New South Wales' New England Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) from a 3 km to a 1 km width, cutting the number of affected landholders from roughly 200 to 150. The adjustment also reduces dwellings...
The Integrity Gap in ESG Tech: Why Defensibility Is the Next Frontier
The ESG‑tech market is moving beyond simple data collection toward defensible, audit‑ready reporting. Enterprise buyers now require platforms that can prove the provenance of every sustainability metric, linking it to financial statements and surviving scrutiny from auditors, regulators, and boards....
Sierra Club: Nippon Investment in DRI in the South a Good First Step, Must Not Overlook Greening Midwest Steel
U.S. Steel announced a nearly $2 billion investment to build a direct reduced iron (DRI) facility at its Big River Steel Works in Osceola, Arkansas, supplying cleaner feedstock for its electric arc furnaces. The project, backed by parent Nippon Steel, is...
The Power Market: Three Applications, One Ecosystem
IDTechEx projects the global power electronics market to surpass $65 billion by 2036, driven by a 10% CAGR fueled primarily by data‑center expansion and electric‑vehicle (EV) adoption. Silicon IGBTs remain prevalent, but wide‑bandgap (WBG) devices—especially SiC MOSFETs—are set to dominate EV...
NH3 Clean Energy Strengthens Financing Case with Strong Public Benefits Forecast for WAH2 Clean Ammonia Project
NH3 Clean Energy secured a positive independent public‑benefits assessment from ACIL Allen, showing a Benefit‑Cost Ratio of 3.07 for its WAH2 clean‑ammonia project. The study forecasts the project will add roughly $4.8 bn to Australia’s GDP and generate $4.1 bn in real...
Wind Farm Customers Want “Shape”, And Investors Need Certainty – and Both Are Struggling to Get It
Australian wind development has stalled, with only the Uungula project under construction in New South Wales, despite federal Capacity Investment Scheme incentives. Squadron Energy CEO Rob Wheals warned that investors need revenue certainty beyond the typical 10‑15‑year PPA, given wind...
Planon Introduces Platform for Data Center Operations
Planon, a global smart‑building software leader, unveiled Planon for Data Centers, a comprehensive CMMS platform aimed at safeguarding uptime and reducing operational risk across distributed facilities. The solution unifies maintenance, compliance, asset lifecycle, and energy‑management workflows into a single operational...
Why Has NESO Stripped Batteries From Many UK Solar and Wind Projects in the Grid Queue?
National Electricity System Operator (NESO) has stripped grid‑scale battery storage from a large number of solar and wind projects awaiting connection in the UK grid queue. The move follows recent reforms that cleared more than 221 GW of renewable capacity but...
IEA: Battery Recycling Innovation Accelerating Rapidly
A joint European Patent Office and International Energy Agency study shows battery‑circularity patents surged 42% annually from 2017 to 2023, outpacing the 16% growth in rechargeable‑battery patents overall. The report highlights that up to 1.2 million EV batteries will reach end‑of‑life...
CIP Acquires Orsted’s European Onshore Wind Business, Launches Perigus Energy
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) has completed the €1.44 bn ($1.7 bn) acquisition of Ørsted’s European on‑shore renewables business, rebranding it as Perigus Energy. The new entity controls about 826 MW of operating assets and a multi‑gigawatt pipeline in Ireland, Germany, the UK and...
Sixty Nations Agree to Landmark Climate Accord
U.S. first‑quarter 2026 GDP grew 2% as AI‑driven private investment outpaced consumer spending, though the gain fell short of Wall Street forecasts. The ongoing Iran‑Hormuz conflict has driven crude oil toward $120 a barrel, prompting Trump to consider a maritime...
Another Wind Farm to Be “Paired” With Delayed Giant Shock Absorber Battery, but the Comms Will Be Costly
New South Wales EnergyCo has approved adding the White Rock wind farm as a fourth generator to pair with the delayed Waratah Super Battery under the System Integrity Protection Scheme (SIPS). The Waratah battery, intended to provide 850 MW/1,680 MWh of standby...
Nuclear Fusion Powers Up for Commercial Breakthrough
Fusion energy is moving from laboratory research toward commercial deployment as billions of dollars flow from private investors, tech giants, oil majors and governments. Breakthroughs in high‑temperature superconductors, advanced materials and AI‑driven plasma modeling are shrinking reactor designs and cutting...
Speed to Power: How Developers Are Restructuring for AI Demand
Developers of AI‑driven data centers are abandoning pure scale‑first designs in favor of a "speed to power" approach, prioritizing rapid access to electricity over sheer capacity. With global data‑center electricity demand projected to triple by 2029, grid constraints and interconnection...
Wind Energy CEO Says Company ‘Must Adapt’ as Trump Offers $2 Billion to Kill Offshore Wind Projects
The Trump administration has agreed to pay nearly $2 billion to offshore wind developers—including $885 million to Bluepoint Wind and Golden State Wind and a $1 billion refund to TotalEnergies—to abandon their U.S. leases and redirect investment into fossil‑fuel projects. Companies such as...
EU ETS Benchmarks Largely Unchanged in Latest Update
The European Commission presented preliminary EU ETS benchmark values for 2026‑2030, with only five of the 54 sector metrics adjusted from the April draft. Phenol and acetone saw the biggest proportional increase at 26.6%, yet remain below 2021‑25 levels, while...
Democrats Investigate as Trump OKs Almost $2 Billion in Taxpayer Money to End Offshore Wind Projects
President Donald Trump has approved nearly $2 billion in federal funds to terminate existing offshore wind contracts, effectively halting projects slated for the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The move follows a broader administration push to prioritize fossil fuels and reduce clean‑energy...
The Rural Data Center Boom Comes Into Focus: Challenges and Opportunities
The U.S. data‑center build‑out is rapidly shifting to rural locations, with 67% of planned facilities now slated for non‑urban sites. Power availability and inexpensive land are eclipsing traditional latency‑centric siting, positioning regions like Texas to outpace historic hubs such as...
Enerflo Integrates Residential Solar Operating System with Solargraf Design Tool
Enerflo has integrated Enphase’s Solargraf design platform into its residential solar operating system, creating a single workflow for design, proposal, and permitting. The AI‑driven 3D design tool now syncs directly with Enerflo, eliminating manual data entry and tool switching. Sales...
Presidio Of San Francisco Receives Five Battery-Electric Buses For Shuttle Fleet
The Presidio Trust has introduced five battery‑electric buses to its free Presidio GO shuttle fleet, part of the broader Presidio Forward infrastructure upgrades. The low‑floor electric shuttles improve accessibility for wheelchair users and families with strollers while reducing maintenance costs and...
Offshore Wind Lease Buyouts Create Troubling Precedent, Say Former DOI Officials
The U.S. Interior Department has agreed to reimburse developers of four offshore wind leases—about 8.6 GW of potential capacity—with $1.8 billion, provided the companies invest an equal amount in U.S. oil, gas or LNG projects. Former DOI officials argue the arrangement lacks...