Oregon Adopts New Building Codes to Reduce Energy Costs and Increase Energy Efficiency in Newly Constructed Homes
Oregon's Residential and Manufactured Structures Board approved updates to the state residential energy code, requiring new homes to install energy‑efficient heat pumps instead of traditional ducted air‑conditioning. The code change is projected to save homeowners about $125 per month, or $1,700 annually, on utility bills. The update responds to a 50% rise in energy costs since 2020 and supports the state’s broader clean‑energy strategy. Officials and industry leaders praised the move as a step toward greater affordability, resilience, and emissions reduction.
EnergyX Enters US Manufacturing Phase
EnergyX has launched one of North America’s largest roll‑to‑roll ion‑exchange membrane production lines at its Austin, Texas facility, delivering up to 500,000 square meters of membranes per year. The new plant enables in‑house manufacturing of the core component for its...
Thai Capital Market Aligns with Climate Vows
Thailand’s leading capital‑market players – the Government Pension Fund, the Association of Investment Management Companies and the Stock Exchange of Thailand – have launched a coordinated strategy to align listed firms with the country’s nationally determined contributions under the Paris...
E.P.A. Plans to Loosen Mercury Rules for Coal Plants, Documents Show
The Environmental Protection Agency is set to loosen federal mercury limits for coal‑burning power plants, permitting higher emissions of the neurotoxic metal. Agency officials argue the change will cut "unwarranted costs" for utilities, estimating up to $670 million in savings between...
Utah ‘Gigasite’ Data Center Contemplates Solar-Storage Baseload Addition
Zeo Energy Corp. has signed a non‑binding MOU with Creekstone Energy to evaluate a 280 MW solar‑plus‑storage system for the Delta Gigasite data‑center campus in Utah. The study will focus on photovoltaic generation paired with long‑duration thermal, chemical or electrochemical storage,...
FirstEnergy Subsidiaries Select Site for New 1.2 GW Natural Gas Plant in West Virginia
FirstEnergy subsidiaries have identified a West Virginia site for a 1.2 GW natural‑gas power plant, adding to a wave of large‑scale energy projects highlighted this week. Parallel announcements include a 9.2 GW Ohio gas mega‑plant tied to a U.S.–Japan $550 B investment pledge,...
INL Enlists NVIDIA on ‘PROMETHEUS’ AI Effort to Halve Nuclear Deployment Timelines Under DOE Genesis Mission
Idaho National Laboratory has teamed with NVIDIA to launch PROMETHEUS, an AI‑driven autonomous reactor demonstration under the DOE Genesis Mission. The partnership targets a 50% reduction in nuclear deployment timelines and multi‑billion‑dollar cost savings by embedding AI across design, licensing,...
Google Teams Up with CTC Global for Grid Intelligence
Google Cloud and Alphabet’s moonshot project Tapestry have deepened their partnership with CTC Global to launch GridVista, an observability platform that embeds optical‑fiber sensors in transmission conductors. The system delivers real‑time strain, temperature and vibration data, feeding it into Google...
The Energy Transition Has a Price
Ernest Scheyder’s book *The War Below* chronicles the hidden battle over lithium, copper and other critical minerals needed for the global energy transition. The author travels from Nevada to Bolivia, interviewing miners, activists, investors and Indigenous communities to illustrate the...
ECL Targets AI Data Centers with Fuel-Agnostic Power Platform
ECL unveiled FlexGrid, a power‑agnostic platform that lets modular data centers draw electricity from hydrogen, natural gas, renewables or diesel. The system is designed for AI training and inferencing workloads, allowing operators to start with modest 2‑10 MW grid connections and...
Luxembourg Launches New Tender for C&I Solar
Luxembourg’s Ministry of the Economy has opened a €3 million tender to fund commercial and industrial solar projects between 30 kW and 200 kW. Applications are accepted until April 17 and are split into three lots covering rooftop, façade and car‑port installations. Projects that...
First Gen Powers Lyceum Satellite Campuses
First Gen Corp. will supply over 1,150 kW of geothermal electricity to Lyceum of the Philippines University’s satellite campuses in Batangas and Laguna. The deal, enabled by the retail aggregation program, lets the campuses pool demand to meet the 500‑kW threshold...
CleanChoice Energy Triples Capacity with Solar Acquisitions in North Carolina
CleanChoice Energy announced the acquisition of two utility‑scale solar projects in North Carolina—Sumac (103.92 MW) and Sweetleaf (118.3 MW)—adding 222.2 MW of capacity and tripling its portfolio. Construction is slated to start early 2027 with grid interconnection to the PJM market expected in...
Plaid Promises Welsh Communities Share of Renewable Energy Profits
Plaid Cymru announced that a future Welsh government would require renewable projects larger than 10 MW to allocate a 15‑25% community‑ownership stake, ensuring locals share in profits. The party also plans to create a national energy body to manage large‑scale wind...
From UAV Spraying to Climate Intelligence: What Research Reveals About Sustainable Agri-UAS Deployment
Recent research on agricultural UAVs in India shows that drones can deliver genuine sustainability gains, but only when design, flight parameters, and data‑driven decisions are optimized. Life‑cycle assessments reveal reductions in water use, chemical load, and operator exposure under ideal...
As Trump Obliterates Climate Efforts, States Try to Fill the Gap
Democratic‑led states are accelerating climate initiatives as the Trump administration moves to roll back federal greenhouse‑gas regulations. Colorado proposes a $2,000 tax credit for new electric vehicles, Virginia is streamlining approvals for large solar farms, and California aims to make...
UK Trial Shows Potential of Hydrogen Powered Ground Handling Equipment
A successful trial at Exeter Airport demonstrated that hydrogen‑powered ground handling equipment—including a hydrogen internal‑combustion tug, a fuel‑cell baggage tractor and a hybrid hydrogen‑diesel GPU—can be safely integrated into live airport operations. The Zero Carbon Turn project, backed by the...
Volkswagen Launches The All-New Caravelle PHEV In South Africa
Volkswagen is set to launch the all‑new Caravelle plug‑in hybrid (PHEV) in South Africa mid‑2026, joining a market where PHEV sales surged 280% year‑over‑year to 2,808 units, representing a 0.47% share of new‑vehicle sales. The Caravelle rides on VW’s MQB...
DG Matrix, Which Builds Solid-State Transformers to Handle up to 2.4 MW and Boost Data Center Power Efficiency, Raised a...
DG Matrix, a startup developing solid‑state transformers (SSTs) for data centers, announced a $60 million Series A round led by Engine Ventures. The company’s SSTs can handle up to 2.4 MW, promising higher efficiency and reduced footprint compared with legacy transformer technology....
What It Takes to Thrive in Residential Solar for 20 Years
Residential solar has shifted from simple ownership to complex financing, inflating soft costs despite falling panel prices. Companies that prioritize operational discipline, lean processes, and transparent pricing are better equipped to survive policy volatility. Reducing soft costs through workflow consolidation...
Slow Start to Global 2026 BESS Deployments in January, China Continues to Dominate
Global grid‑scale battery energy storage system (BESS) deployments slowed sharply in January 2026, with only 3.5 GW/10.5 GWh coming online – a 25 % drop from the same month last year. China, still the dominant market, added 1.9 GW/6.2 GWh, reflecting a 30‑50 % decline amid...
1606 Corp to Acquire Plot of Land in Texas for AI Data Center Development
1606 Corp signed a non‑binding term sheet to acquire roughly 132 acres in Lufkin, Texas, including a 55 MW natural‑gas power plant and a 50,000 sq ft warehouse for an AI‑focused data center. The transaction is priced at about $11.67 million, combining $7.5 million in...
Illinois Governor Pritzker to Call for Two-Year Suspension of Data Center Tax Incentives – Report
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker plans to request a two‑year suspension of tax incentives for new data centers, pending a study of the sector’s impact on the state’s electricity grid and residential bills. Current incentives grant up to 20 years of...
Africa’s Data Centre Capacity on Back Foot, Despite Investment Push
Africa’s data‑centre capacity remains under 1% of global supply despite a surge in investment, with active capacity at 360 MW and another 238 MW under construction. The Africa Data Centres Association report projects a total pipeline of 656 MW, but even full delivery...
Hellenic Cables Nets BC-Wind Cable Contract
Hellenic Cables has been awarded a contract by DEME to supply roughly 70 km of 66 kV inter‑array submarine cables for Ocean Winds’ 390 MW BC‑Wind offshore project in the Polish Baltic Sea. The agreement covers design, engineering, manufacturing, testing and delivery of...
India Can Curb Clean Cooking Costs by Scaling Biogas, Electric Stoves: IISD Report
The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) reports that India can lower clean‑cooking costs by scaling decentralized biogas and electric stoves alongside LPG and piped natural gas. While LPG connections have doubled since 2016, 37% of households still rely on...
Long-Term Trade-Offs of Agrivoltaics on Pear Farming
A four‑year study in Victoria, Australia examined overhead solar panels in a blush‑pear orchard. The agrivoltaic systems cut sunburn and hail damage and boosted energy output, especially with a 5° west tilt that produced about 10% more electricity. However, shading...
At Mumbai Climate Week, Niti Ayog VC Suman Bery Highlights Growth, Gender Inclusion and India's Clean Energy Push
At Mumbai Climate Week, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery linked India’s economic growth to increased women’s workforce participation and the nation’s push for energy self‑sufficiency. He cited Nobel laureates to argue that faster growth draws more women into the...
Are We Doing Enough to Design for Low Temperature Heat in Net Zero Buildings?
The UK Climate Change Committee warns that net‑zero building designs often ignore low‑temperature heat distribution, embedding inefficiencies from the earliest stages. Heat pumps perform best at 35‑50 °C, yet many projects still design for legacy 70‑80 °C boiler systems, compromising seasonal COP...
ISA Unveils Global Mission to Fast-Track AI-Enabled Clean Energy over 120 Countries
The International Solar Alliance announced a Global Mission on AI for Energy at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, targeting more than 120 member countries. The programme aims to fast‑track AI‑enabled clean‑energy solutions for planning, grid management and decentralized solar,...
Indo-UK Offshore Wind Task Force Launched, India Crosses 272 GW Non-Fossil Fuel Power Capacity
India’s non‑fossil electricity generation capacity has crossed 272 GW, driven by 141 GW of solar and 55 GW of wind. In the current fiscal year the country added over 35 GW of solar and 4.6 GW of wind, pushing clean power to more than half...
Edge Data Centers Vs. Edge Devices: When to Use Each
Edge computing can be delivered via purpose‑built edge data centers or through distributed edge devices such as gateways, sensors, and consumer hardware. Data centers provide consolidated compute, storage, and robust security for high‑throughput, latency‑sensitive workloads, while devices excel at mobile,...
ZEPA Launches Battery-Electric Container Handling Standards, Load Tool
The Zero Emission Port Alliance (ZEPA) introduced a load‑profile explorer, transition guide, and updated voluntary standards to accelerate battery‑electric container‑handling equipment adoption. The standards aim to reduce design fragmentation and improve interoperability, while total‑cost‑of‑ownership data shows electric gear remains pricier...
AboitizPower Agrees to Supply 30 Megawatts to Negros Cooperative
Aboitiz Power Corp. will supply Northern Negros Electric Cooperative (Noneco) with 30 MW of electricity, combining 10 MW of solar generation and 20 MW of baseload power. The mixed supply aims to meet rising demand in the cooperative’s franchise area while smoothing the...
Japan to Offer Support for Exports of Flexible Perovskite Solar Cells
Japan announced a new subsidy scheme to support overseas installations of flexible perovskite solar cells, aiming to accelerate the export of its homegrown renewable‑energy technology. The program targets projects in Southeast Asia, with Indonesia and Thailand identified as early beneficiaries....
Developer Drops Coal Country Solar and Battery Plans in Face of Mounting Local Opposition
Elgin Energy, backed by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, has abandoned its planned 90 MW solar farm and equal‑capacity battery storage at Mitchells Flat, NSW, after intense local opposition. The project, slated for 177,000 panels on low‑quality agricultural land, faced community pushback over...
China's Solar Industry Braces for Disruption
China’s photovoltaic manufacturing capacity has surged past 1,100 GW annually, roughly twice the world’s current demand of 580 GW. The glut has driven panel prices down and intensified competition among predominantly private firms. Overcapacity is now triggering a wave of bankruptcies and...
Thailand: Using Technology and Data to Restore Coastal Ecosystems
Thailand’s National Science and Technology Development Agency and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources have signed a five‑year memorandum of understanding to apply data‑driven science, digital monitoring and genomic research to coastal and marine ecosystem management. The partnership will...
Execution, Power, and Public Trust: Rich Miller on 2026’s Data Center Reality and Why He Built Data Center Richness
Rich Miller, founder of Data Center Frontier, warns that 2026 will be the execution year for AI‑driven data‑center projects, separating viable builds from hype. Power availability, especially grid constraints, emerges as the primary gating factor, pushing developers toward on‑site generation....
COF Scaffold Membrane with Gate‑lane Nanostructure for Efficient Li+/Mg2+ Separation
Researchers from Tianjin University, NUS and Sichuan University unveiled a covalent‑organic‑framework (COF) scaffold membrane featuring a gate‑lane nanostructure that simultaneously achieves record‑high Li⁺/Mg²⁺ selectivity (231.9) and high Li⁺ flux (11.5 L m⁻² h⁻¹ bar⁻¹). The membrane’s positively charged gating layer rejects Mg²⁺ while an...
Decoding Hydrogen‑bond Network of Electrolyte for Cryogenic Durable Aqueous Zinc‑ion Batteries
Researchers at Southern University of Science and Technology and partners introduced a dual‑additive electrolyte—glycerol and methylsulfonamide—that reconfigures the hydrogen‑bond network of aqueous zinc‑ion batteries. The reformulated solvation shell suppresses dendrite formation, hydrogen‑evolution corrosion, and freezes the electrolyte down to –45 °C....
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WATTS UP: Inside the Paarl Solar Panel Plant Trading on Local Agility to Challenge Imported Panels
Ener‑G‑Africa inaugurated a solar‑panel assembly plant in Paarl, Western Cape, with an annual capacity of about 150 MW, capable of producing panels from 5 W to 620 W. The facility differentiates itself through a locally trained, all‑female workforce and a focus on the...
New Jersey Promotes Solar To Lower Utility Bills
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill has signed executive orders to speed residential and community solar permitting, pause utility rate hikes, and modernize methane‑fired plants as utility bills climb about a third in two years. The state is leveraging roughly $1.1 billion...
Microsoft Brings Two Data Halls Online in São Paulo, Brazil
Microsoft has brought two new data halls online in São Paulo, marking the first operational facilities under its $2.7 bn AI and cloud commitment to Brazil through 2027. The launch was announced at the Microsoft AI Tour by country president Priscyla Laham,...
EKO Launches Pyranometer Calibration Service for US Solar Players
EKO Instruments USA has introduced a U.S.-based pyranometer calibration service using its new Indoor Calibration Facility (ICF‑02). The automated system meets ISO 9847:2023 and IEC 61724‑1:2021 standards, offering faster turnaround, lower cost, and traceable accuracy for utility‑scale, commercial, and industrial solar projects....
Connecticut Toyota Dealership Installs Solar Carport with C-PACE Financing
Earthlight Technologies installed a 300‑kW solar carport at Lynch Toyota in Manchester, Connecticut. The project was financed through Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C‑PACE) with backing from the Connecticut Green Bank. The dealership expects the solar canopy to lower operating...
KIT Reaches Milestone: Power Generation with Innovative Compressorless Hydrogen Gas Turbine - NASA Runtime Record Surpassed
Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) set a new runtime record for a compressor‑less hydrogen gas turbine, operating for 303 seconds and surpassing NASA’s 250‑second benchmark. The turbine employs pressure‑gain combustion, eliminating the mechanical compressor that normally consumes...
How to Advance Green Infrastructure F2or Urban Flood Resilience: Eight Lessons From the 2025 Shaw Forum
The 2025 Charles H. Shaw Forum convened over 40 real‑estate, government and nonprofit leaders to distill eight actionable lessons for scaling green infrastructure (GI) to boost urban flood resilience. Participants highlighted Hoboken’s data‑driven “resist, delay, store, discharge” strategy, the importance...
We’re Measuring Data Center Sustainability Wrong
Google claims its data centers are 1.5× more energy‑efficient than the industry average and Microsoft is investing billions in nuclear power for AI workloads, yet these metrics capture only about 30% of IT‑sector emissions. The bulk of carbon comes from...
Roofit.Solar Building-Integrated PV Enters US Market
Roofit.Solar launched its building‑integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) line in the United States with a 12.32 kW Velario system installed on a residence in Kalamazoo, Michigan, by Agathon Solar. The project marks the first U.S. deployment of Roofit.Solar’s metal‑sheet‑based BIPV, a technology already...