Appliance Efficiency Standards: A Proven Tool for Affordability and Grid Reliability
Federal appliance efficiency standards have cut U.S. electricity use by about 6.5% in 2024, delivering roughly $105 billion in combined household and business savings. By mandating cost‑effective technologies, the rules lower utility bills, curb winter peak loads by over 2 GW in the Pacific Northwest, and shave 115 GW off the projected 2025 summer peak. New research shows future standards could save households an additional $150 per year and businesses $13.8 billion annually. However, the Allen Bill in Congress threatens to roll back or block these standards, risking higher costs and grid strain.
Geothermal Could Cover 64% of AI Data Center Energy Demand by 2030
Geothermal energy is poised to become a dominant power source for AI‑driven data centers, with a Rhodium Group report estimating it could meet up to 64% of the sector’s energy‑demand growth by the early 2030s. The technology’s baseload capability eliminates...
Volt Carbon Receives Third U.S. Patent Allowance for Dry Separation Tech
Volt Carbon Technologies announced the allowance of its third U.S. patent covering a proprietary dry‑separation process for graphite. The water‑free method preserves the crystalline structure of graphite, improving yields for battery‑grade material, expandable graphite and graphene while cutting processing time...
Power Electronics Market to Exceed US$65 Billion by 2036
The IDTechEx report projects the global power‑electronics market to climb from $25.5 billion in 2026 to $65.2 billion by 2036, a 10% compound annual growth rate. Wide‑bandgap semiconductors—silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN)—are gaining traction, with SiC set to dominate electric‑vehicle...
Independent Testing Where Tesla’s Lithium Refinery Discharges Wastewater Found Toxic Metals
Independent testing by Eurofins found hexavalent chromium and arsenic in wastewater from Tesla's $1 billion lithium‑refinery near Corpus Christi, contaminants not covered by the plant’s state permit. Texas regulators previously reported compliance but did not test for heavy metals, creating a...
Kentucky Utilities Eye 266-MW Pumped Storage Project as Demand Drives Renewed Interest
Louisville Gas & Electric and Kentucky Utilities are assessing a $1.3 billion, 266‑MW pumped‑storage project in southeast Kentucky, the first of its kind for the state. The Lewis Ridge facility would generate up to 60 GWh per month and could be operational...
The POWER Interview: Advantages of Geothermal Deployment
Geothermal energy delivers continuous, baseload power that sidesteps the intermittency of wind and solar, making it attractive for utilities and data‑center operators. Advances from the oil‑and‑gas sector—such as directional drilling and reservoir modeling—have lowered development risk and expanded the geographic...
Geothermal and Storage: The Next Frontier in Reliable Data Center Power
Data center operators are seeking clean, firm power. At a Data Center World panel, executives from Sage Geosystems, Meta, and XL Batteries highlighted next‑generation geothermal and long‑duration storage as emerging solutions that can deliver 24/7 carbon‑free electricity. They stressed the...
Data Centers Are Dealing Hidden Damage to Environmental and Public Health—Costing the Economy $25 Billion Every Year
A new NBER study quantifies the hidden health and climate costs of U.S. data centers at $25 billion last year, with AI‑driven workloads responsible for $3.7 billion. The sector attracted a $47 billion investment surge and $182 billion in loans, yet the externalities fall...
California’s Regressive Rooftop Solar Policy Hit with Second Appeal to State Supreme Court
Rooftop solar advocates have filed a petition with the California Supreme Court to overturn the state’s revised net‑metering policy, which slashes customer credits for excess solar generation by up to 80%. The policy, approved by the Court of Appeals for...
Reprocessing Gamble Could Drain Nuclear Waste Fund, Raise Electricity Prices
The Department of Energy’s push to bundle spent‑fuel reprocessing with broader nuclear‑lifecycle initiatives threatens to siphon the $47 billion Nuclear Waste Fund. Reprocessing, which aims to extract plutonium and uranium, has repeatedly proven costly, technically fragile, and generates new waste streams...
Data Centers as Dynamic Grid Assets? New Jersey Site Using Solar and Storage for Flexibility
Calibrant Energy has signed a definitive agreement to build, own, and operate a 23 MWh battery energy storage system at Iron Mountain’s NJE‑1 data center in Edison, New Jersey. The storage unit pairs with the facility’s existing 7.2 MW rooftop solar array,...
Georgia Church Adds Solar, Storage and EV Chargers to Campus to Act as Community’s Resilience Hub
New Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Lithonia, Georgia, became one of the state’s first faith communities to install a combined 70‑kW solar array and 41‑kWh battery storage system, complemented by two Level II electric‑vehicle chargers. The project, financed through Georgia BRIGHT,...
Fossil Fuel Crisis Offers Chance to Speed up Energy Transition, Ministers Say
The Iran‑triggered fossil fuel crisis has highlighted the volatility of oil and gas, prompting energy and climate ministers at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue to call for an accelerated shift to clean power. Over 30 nations, backed by the UN, are...
U.S. Hyperscalers Shift Market Build-Out Targets to the Midwest and Texas
U.S. hyperscalers are redirecting data‑center build‑outs toward Texas and the Midwest, with more than half of new capacity expected in these regions by the end of 2025. Amazon announced a $15 billion investment for 2.4 GW of capacity in northern Indiana, while...
Virginia Public Power Providers Embrace Megawatt-Scale, Distribution-Connected Batteries
Virginia’s Blue Ridge Power Agency and Lightshift Energy announced a plan to install roughly 25 MW of distribution‑connected battery storage across five sites owned by three member utilities. Each 5‑MW system is slated to be operational this year, charging during off‑peak...
Meta Reserves up to 100GWh of US ‘Multi-Day’ Energy Storage Startup Noon Energy’s Technology
Meta has signed an agreement to reserve up to 1 GW of long‑duration energy storage (LDES) capacity, equivalent to 100 GWh, from U.S. startup Noon Energy. The partnership will start with a 25 MW/2.5 GWh pilot slated for completion by 2028, after which Noon...
Redwood Materials Introduces Open-Air Grid Storage Batteries
Redwood Materials has unveiled an open‑air grid‑storage system that mounts second‑life EV battery packs on above‑ground cable trays. A pilot near Reno combines a 20 MW solar array with 12 MWh of repurposed batteries to power four Crusoe data centers, eliminating the...
Renewables Mean Energy Security: Turkey, Australia
Turkey and Australia argued that true energy security comes from strong decarbonisation and renewable deployment, warning that fossil fuels cannot guarantee supply amid geopolitical turmoil. The ministers highlighted the Middle East shipping crisis as proof that reliance on oil and...
£9,000 Heat Pump Grant Boost Announced for some UK Homeowners
The UK government has boosted the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, raising the maximum grant for replacing oil or LPG boilers with heat pumps from £7,500 to £9,000 (about $11,500). The higher subsidy targets homes off the gas grid in England and...
270-MW Blevins Solar Project Comes Online in Texas
Geronimo Power announced that its 270‑MW Blevins Solar Project in Falls County, Texas, is now online. The facility fulfills two power purchase agreements with Fujifilm and Bristol Myers Squibb, marking the companies' shift toward renewable electricity. Over its 20‑year lifespan,...
Clean Earth E-Waste Processing Site in Texas Can Now Recycle Solar Panels
Clean Earth has secured Texas state permission to recycle solar panels at its Lancaster e‑waste facility. The site will handle up to 600,000 panels a year, roughly 20 million pounds of material, consolidating electronics and solar‑panel processing under one roof. Jeff...
Landscape Forms Commits to 100 Percent Clean Electricity by 2030
Landscape Forms announced a commitment to power its flagship Kalamazoo campus with 100% clean electricity by 2030. The goal is built into a 300,000‑square‑foot expansion slated to open in late 2027, featuring a rooftop solar array that will feed production...
Meta Calls on Noon Energy for 100 GWh of Ultra-Long Duration Energy Storage
Meta has committed to reserve 100 GWh of ultra‑long duration energy storage from Noon Energy, a developer of solid‑oxide fuel‑cell systems. The partnership will start with a 25‑MW/2.5‑GWh pilot slated for completion in 2028, after which Noon will scale to a...
New Episode: Earth Day – Electric Vehicles Across Power, Oil and Gas and Mining
The Energy Technology podcast’s Episode 13, released for Earth Day, examines how electric‑vehicle adoption is reshaping power grids, oil‑and‑gas operations, and mining supply chains. It highlights the surge in charging infrastructure, the push by fossil‑fuel firms toward electrified equipment, and the...
Aviation’s Decarbonization Bet Is Looking Shakier Than Ever
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) was touted as a hedge against soaring jet‑fuel prices, but the Middle‑East conflict has driven fuel costs to more than double in a month, exposing the industry's reliance on volatile fossil supplies. SAF now accounts for...
Minnesota Got One Thing Right on Distributed Storage — but It Missed the Bigger Opportunity
Minnesota’s Public Utilities Commission approved Xcel Energy’s Capacity*Connect program, allowing the utility to own and deploy up to 200 MW of front‑of‑meter battery storage funded by a $430 million ratepayer budget. The approval marks a regulatory acknowledgment that distributed storage can bolster...
Pacific Nations Unite to Accelerate Fossil Fuel Phase-Out and Cut Emissions
At the Port Vila II dialogue in Vanuatu, six Pacific island nations adopted the Tassiriki Call, a framework that commits them to 100% renewable energy systems and a coordinated push for a global Fossil Fuel Treaty. The declaration stresses urgent decarbonisation...
Tata Steel, SMS Group Join Hands for New Technology to Cut Carbon Footprint
Tata Steel has signed definitive agreements with SMS Group’s Paul Wurth to install the world’s first electrically‑assisted syngas smelter (EASyMelt) at its Jamshedpur ‘E’ blast furnace. The phased industrial demonstration aims to slash carbon emissions by more than 50% compared with...
Amperon Launches Probabilistic Forecasting Tool for Solar and Wind Assets
Amperon unveiled a new probabilistic forecasting service for solar and wind assets, delivering hourly and sub‑hourly generation probabilities up to 15 days ahead. The tool provides 19 percentile bands from P5 to P95 via an API, allowing operators to see...
France’s Engie Discussing Refund for US Offshore Wind Projects with Trump Administration
French utility Engie is negotiating with the Trump administration for a possible refund on its U.S. offshore wind lease payments after the president’s anti‑wind stance led the company to pause three projects and record impairments. Engie's CEO Catherine MacGregor said an...
7 Solar Maintenance Tips for Peak Summer Production Why Spring Solar Inspections Make or Break Your Summer
Spring is the critical reset point for commercial solar assets, as lingering winter damage can erode summer output. Arch O&M outlines a seven‑step checklist that covers structural inspections, electrical health, site access, vegetation control, soiling assessment, performance baseline reset, and...
Can ‘Grid-Responsive’ Data Centers Help Unlock More Capacity?
Data centers, now consuming up to 2% of U.S. electricity, are being re‑engineered to become grid‑responsive, allowing them to shift compute loads in response to real‑time grid conditions. Utilities leveraging advanced analytics can pinpoint constraints over a 10‑year horizon, using...
First Light Fusion Completes £25m Funding Round
First Light Fusion, an Oxford spin‑out, closed a £25 million (~$31 million) funding round led by East X Ventures and its Starmaker One fusion fund. Strategic investment came from the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) alongside existing backers IP Group and Hostplus. The capital will accelerate...
Trelleborg Launches Reduced Carbon Footprint EPDMs
Trelleborg Sealing Solutions introduced two new EPDM rubber grades—E7T11 (70 Shore A) and E8T12 (80 Shore A)—that deliver up to a 61 percent reduction in product carbon footprint while matching the performance of conventional fossil‑based EPDMs. The compounds are derived from renewable feedstocks...
Cottbus Deploys First Hydrogen Buses on Public Routes
Cottbusverkehr has begun testing four Wrightbus Kite Hydroliner fuel‑cell buses on regular city routes, marking the first hydrogen‑powered service in the area. A mobile hydrogen refueling station was commissioned this month to keep the buses running until a permanent depot is...
GREW Solar Launches ‘The Next Starts Here’ Campaign with GT Players
GREW Solar has unveiled a new advertising campaign, “The Next Starts Here,” in partnership with the Gujarat Titans cricket franchise. The film stars Indian cricket stars Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar, using on‑field performance as a metaphor for...
Amazon Adding Heavy-Duty EV Trucks From Einride as It Spreads Bets on Freight Decarbonization
Amazon Relay is integrating 75 manually operated electric heavy‑duty trucks from Sweden’s Einride, expanding the retailer’s middle‑mile freight network. The trucks are expected to travel up to three million electric miles each year, powered by zero‑tailpipe emissions and managed with...
CleanMax to Supply RE Power to Shell From Upcoming 30 MW Hybrid Projects
CleanMax Enviro Energy will supply renewable electricity to Shell’s LNG terminal in Gujarat and its technology centre in Karnataka through two new hybrid projects totaling 30 MW. The Gujarat plant will generate 16.83 MW (6.93 MW solar, 9.90 MW wind) under a group‑captive model,...
Caelux-Solx Relationship Starts Mass-Production of Perovskite-Silicon Solar Panels in US
Solx, a new solar panel assembler in Puerto Rico, has inked a five‑year, 3 GW deal with California perovskite specialist Caelux to mass‑produce hybrid Aurora modules that combine perovskite‑coated glass with Suniva silicon cells. The tandem design delivers an estimated 28%...
Newhouse Building Replacement / Miller Hull Partnership
The Miller Hull Partnership is delivering the Newhouse Building Replacement, a 59,000 ft², LEED‑Platinum civic office slated for 2025 on Washington’s Capitol Campus. The project replaces a 1934 temporary structure with a mass‑timber, all‑electric building that incorporates a 90 kW photovoltaic array and a...
Bugs in Hot Springs Could Clean up Industry…
Researchers at the University of Manchester have identified microbes from terrestrial hot springs that can survive the extreme heat, high CO₂ levels, and chemically harsh environments typical of heavy industry. These extremophiles not only capture CO₂ but also transform it...
Mega US Wind Project SunZia Wind Begins Operations: Pattern Energy Starts Commissioning of 3.5 GW Wind Farm in New Mexico
Pattern Energy has begun feeding electricity from its SunZia wind farm into the grid, marking the first phase of commissioning a 3.5 GW on‑shore project in New Mexico. The development comprises 915 turbines and a 550‑mile high‑voltage direct current transmission corridor...
Sudden Data Center Load Losses Prompt NERC Alert, Recommendations
The North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) is set to issue a Level 3 essential‑actions alert on May 4, targeting large computational loads such as AI data centers and crypto mining facilities. The alert follows a series of unexpected load‑loss events since...
LATAM Cargo Teams up with Quick Cargo Service on SAF
LATAM Cargo has partnered with freight forwarder Quick Cargo Service to deploy Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) on its Frankfurt‑São Paulo cargo flights during the 2025‑26 winter season. The agreement calls for 24,000 litres of SAF, delivering an estimated 55.8 metric tons of CO₂e...
Bangladesh Opens Public Land to Utility-Scale Solar Under PPP Model
Bangladesh has rolled out a public‑private partnership framework that lets private developers build utility‑scale solar projects on unused public land, with the Bangladesh Power Development Board acting as the contracting authority. The policy, issued by the Power Division, aims to...
The US Has a Chance to Rival China in Rush for Longer-Lasting Batteries
Accelerating demand for long‑duration energy storage is opening a competitive window for U.S. and European clean‑tech firms against China’s dominant battery industry. BloombergNEF projects installations of long‑duration systems to nearly quadruple this year after a record 2025, with the United...
ESG Beyond Compliance: How Sunwoda’s Long-Termism Is Reshaping the Battery Industry
Sunwoda, the world’s leading smartphone battery pack shipper, is expanding into power batteries, storage, recycling and energy services while embedding ESG into every business layer. The company launched a Battery Passport platform in 2025, earning two spots in the Global...
Government Promises to 'Break the Link' Between Gas and Power Prices
The government announced a plan to break the link between gas and electricity prices, aiming to shield power tariffs from volatile gas markets. The initiative is part of a broader clean‑energy package that includes reforms to the renewables subsidy regime....
South Africa’s Pipeline of Advanced Wind Projects Stands at 17 GW – GWEC
The Global Wind Energy Council’s 2026 report shows South Africa’s advanced wind pipeline at roughly 17 GW, enough to start construction within five years. The country already operates over 4 GW of wind capacity, has 2.8 GW under construction, and a total pipeline...