Two‑Thirds of Americans Oppose Local Data Centers, Democrats Lead
On March 30, a Quinnipiac poll found that 65% of Americans oppose data centers in their communities. The staunchest opposition was among Democratic voters, with 78% opposed to data centers in their communities. The poll found 66% of Independents and 56% of Republicans were opposed. Among those who oppose data centers, 72% cited electricity costs, 64% were concerned about water usage, and 41% cited noise. For more, check out my latest Substack: https://t.co/zVu5kCpgc1
IEA Partners with Governments to Bolster Energy Security
Excellent conversation with Helima Croft @CroftHelima at #ACFrontPage event in Washington on the key implications of the current energy crisis and how @IEA is working with governments around the world to support energy security in these challenging times https://t.co/JlWidtSqCK
Ex‑programmer's Viral Rant Spotlights AI's Environmental Toll
A viral speech from an ex-programmer opposing a new Ohio data center highlights the growing backlash against the real-world environmental and economic costs of powering AI https://t.co/VFHijZDu8i
Coastal Republicans Back Offshore Wind Despite Trump Opposition
In this week's Current Climate newsletter: 🌬️Trump hates offshore wind. Republicans in coastal states don’t 🔋A Google spinout is using AI to create better batteries 🌿MIT’s Kate Brown on the environmental impact of grassy lawns https://www.forbes.com/sites/current-climate/2026/04/13/trump-hates-offshore-wind-coastal-republicans-dont/
Controversial Soda Mountain Solar Threatens Bighorn Sheep
No solar project in California more controversial than Soda Mountain. It would harm bighorn sheep. The developer is an oil company. Just 1,500 feet from Mojave National Preserve. Should CA approve it anyway? My latest for CLIMATE-COLORED GOGGLES: https://t.co/nHm7TLYZB1
AI Surge May Finally Boost Carbon Capture Economics
Interesting look via @axios' @AmyAHarder about whether the AI boom can finally create escape velocity for carbon capture in the power sector. Big tech has lots of money but the economics are still tough. Link in next post. #energy #climate...
Cambridge Student Housing Construction Begins to Meet Passivhaus Standards
Owlstone Croft: "Morgan Sindall Construction has started construction of student housing at the University of Cambridge, which will be built to Passivhaus standards." #passivhaus #passivehouse https://t.co/qUiokSlgju https://t.co/6SFSNr2WoW
U.S. Sabotages Green Tech, China Set to Dominate
The US is turning it's back on green technology while creating the market for it. This combination is next level sabotage. If the point is to take us out of the next economy, it's working. China’s Electrostate Is Poised to Win...
Straw Passivhaus in NZ Proves Low‑Carbon, Recyclable Living
Straw built Passivhaus coming to Grand Designs NZ: "You can have a passive house, which is very low energy & low carbon - the owners have the view that the material should be ultimately recyclable. This build breaks stereotypes.” #passivhaus #lowcarbon https://t.co/aHdNY7cl28
5 Affordable Passivhaus Retrofit Tips From the Trust
"The Passivhaus Trust's top 5 tips for affordable Passivhaus retrofits" #passivhaus #passivehouse #enerPHit #retrofit https://t.co/YgBB8AhdAT https://t.co/d2y476l7jb
Mission300 Targets 300 Million Africans with Power by 2030
Across #Africa, @WorldBankGroup @AfDB_Group @RockefellerFdn @SEforALLorg @EnergyAlliance are expanding #energyaccess through #Mission300 which aims to connect 300 million people to electricity by 2030. Learn how on April 15 at the #WBGMeetings: https://t.co/BmTbu9w5aN https://t.co/pAdpG7teyN
Flip‑Flop Steps Power Wearable Medical Devices via Graphene
📰 🧪 James Tour Group in the News: Wearable generator powers medical devices with every step of a flip-flopAn article features Rice research that has adapted laser-induced graphene […] https://t.co/R9H7Ozu1pL
Delhi's EV Mandate Secures Market for Local Manufacturers
This draft introduces a "stick." By mandating that 100% of new two-wheeler registrations must be electric by FY29, the Delhi government is effectively guaranteeing a captive market for players like Ather, Ola, and TVS.
EU to Cut Energy Taxes, Grid Fees for Clean Tech
The European Commission is set to recommend lowering energy taxes and power grid charges to boost the uptake of clean technologies https://t.co/ObeTZGDVZt
Climate Change Forces Austria’s Hydropower Economy to Rethink
Austria’s economic model has long been anchored in Alpine water flowing through turbines to generate power for homes and businesses, but as climate change redraws the country’s hydrological map, it faces a structural shift, and geopolitical tensions have heightened the...
Massive Copper and Uranium Demand Fuels Global Rebuild
Forward Looking - How much copper - uranium? 1. Ukraine / Iran Rebuild 2. US Power Grid Rebuild 3. Nuclear Plants incoming — 100 China + USA 4. 100m Robots 5. India, 1B people no air conditioning 2026 vs. 750m in 2036 6. 800...
Energy Efficiency Cuts EU Energy Costs by 31%
Without energy efficiency, the EU would need — and pay — 31% more for energy today. Since 2000, efficiency has removed 265 Mtoe of demand from the market entirely. The best protection against a price shock is not...
China Emerges Dominant in EVs, Batteries, Solar
Thanks to the US-Israeli war on Iran, China had ended up a big winner. Now, to diversify away from oil, everyone wants more EV’s, more battery storage, and more solar panels. CHINA DOMINATES IN EV'S, BATTERY STORAGE AND SOLAR PANELS. https://t.co/U6TRMZlyBj
Pakistan's Rooftop Solar Beats Oil Crisis
Energy security isn't a pipeline or a tanker: it's a rooftop - and Pakistan proves it While experts panic over the Strait of Hormuz and oil shocks from the Iran war, Pakistan is quietly winning. How? A massive, bottom-up solar revolution...
Action, Not Ads, Drives Global Electrification Shift
Sustainability expert Prof @PeterNewmanCUSP @CurtinUni says adverts for behavioural change don't work What will work is action to speed up the transition to electric transport A "no-brainer" Let's lead the world in electrification, not in how much fossil fuel we store https://t.co/kfoBW5GXA4
US Solar Module Prices Under Upward Pressure
US solar module prices face upward pressure #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/hQnlUC5cFa https://t.co/bVLXutrRD4
Invest in Renewables to Permanently Curb Fossil Dependence
Two fun facts When we invest heavily and consistently in electrification and renewables, successes like the solar rebate and the battery program permanently bend the curve away from fossil dependence Sadly, right now, we're instead defending and subsidising fossil use @simonahac
Electrification Alone Won’t Protect Firms From Gas Price Spikes
Electrification alone may not shield firms from gas-linked prices #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/vI8TD34kUI
Long‑duration Storage Key to Australia’s Decarbonisation
Powering Australia’s next phase of decarbonisation: Why long-duration storage must lead #energysky -- via Energy Storage News: https://t.co/iarNa9N4IO
India’s Solar Capacity Hits 150 GW, Installations Surge 87%
India has now passed 150GWs of solar, with annual installations increasing a whopping 87% this year.
Power, Permits, Scale: Only Utah and Alberta Qualify
I’ve looked at over 20 potential sites for large-scale data centers and only two actually work. It all comes down to power, permits, and scale. That’s why we’re building in Utah and Alberta, where the infrastructure can support what the future demands. This...
Power Grid, Not Algorithms, Becomes AI Bottleneck
Hyperscalers will spend $700 BILLION on data centers in 2026 alone. Amazon: $200B. Google: $185B. Meta: $135B. AI data centers now represent 70%+ of all new grid interconnection requests in the US. The bottleneck isn't the algorithm anymore. It's the power line.
Annealing Boosts Efficiency of Copper-Plated Heterojunction Cells
The impact of annealing on copper-plated heterojunction solar cells #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/DM37J5KaRF https://t.co/POFNPoUMby
China's Quiet Push Toward Energy Independence Accelerates
China is the most at risk and oddly silent during all of this chaos 🤔 Solar, nuclear and EV investments are obviously paying off for them. Expect them to redouble their already staggering efforts to be energy independent https://t.co/d92Cg4sy4B
Seven Nations Generate Over 99.7% Power From Renewables
Albania, Bhutan, Nepal, Paraguay, Iceland, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo produced more than 99.7 per cent of the electricity they consumed using geothermal, hydro, solar or wind power. https://t.co/vEn1zZFxEb
China’s EVE Energy Announces Massive 110 GWh Battery Capacity
A must-follow: @RonStoop1 His Latest Global Cleantech Tracker is staggering: "🔋 The volumes baffle the mind: China goes big with no less than 110 GWh of manufacturing capacity announced by a single company, EVE Energy (!)" #alwaysbecharging #battchat https://t.co/qV7HTBLBgt https://t.co/ZTcDaogWqs
Sungrow Storage Set to Surpass Inverters by 2025
Chinese PV Industry Brief: Sungrow storage overtakes inverters in 2025 #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/rqkMb18oPl
TCL Zhonghuan Takes Control of DAS Solar
TCL Zhonghuan to acquire control of DAS Solar in consolidation move #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/6KgNzdUutV
Small-Scale Renewables Power Real, Resilient Progress
Small-scale energy solutions deserve more attention. A 1kW wind turbine may not sound dramatic, but that is often how real progress looks: reliable, practical, and deployable where it is actually needed. Not every clean energy breakthrough has to be massive. Sometimes the value...
Policy-Driven Scaling Made Renewables Finally Cost‑competitive
Solar, wind, batteries*, and EVs only dropped in price to where they win economically because earlier policy driven by environmental concerns scaled them. * - Batteries are a partial exception due to early scaling from consumer electronics. But that only...
Solar Feasibility Depends on Primary vs Final Energy
There’s a lot of “can’t” around renewable energy. I’m here to put some of that into perspective. Global primary energy consumption is around 190,000TWh, maybe a little less. But that’s primary energy, not final energy. What would it look like if...
Southern US Solar Surges; Polar Vortex Dampens Northern Output
Heat dome and high pressure boost southern US solar as polar vortex clouds the north #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/rK0FaGjmDk https://t.co/D071pKBFnt
Agratas Pushes Ahead with 20 GWh Battery Plant in India
Agratas advances 20 GWh battery plant in western India #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/khLIvvTgG6
New Path to Affordable Clean Hydrogen Production
Toward cheaper, cleaner hydrogen production by Zach Winn @MIT Learn more: https://t.co/OapBsYTJTo #EmergingTech #Innovation #Tech #Technology https://t.co/a9Png9Yxc4
Aim for $30B Geothermal Build by 2027
If we put our minds to it we could have $30B of geothermal under construction by the end of 2027. We need greater coordination with the Federal Government, data center companies, and electric utilities.
Rooftop Solar Reaches 20% of Puerto Rico’s Power Mix
Rooftop solar now accounts for one-fifth of Puerto Rico’s generation capacity #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/k6wBp2A5zb
Graphene Oxide Fuel
A novel interface engineering method boosts graphene oxide fuel cell power density to 0.7 W/cm², matching commercial fluorine-based membranes and advancing eco-friendly hydrogen energy solutions. fuelcells
Canada’s Data Center Boom Centers Around One Hotspot
There's a clear hot spot when it comes to data centers (or should I say centres) in Canada: https://t.co/EyV7Vq6iff
Renewables Cut Fossil Energy Use by Over Half
The use of primary energy on the vertical axis is an old trick by the fossil fuel industry to mislead people into thinking that one unit of fossils = one unit of renewables. In fact, one unit of primary energy...
Aleppo's Rooftop Solar Boom Powers Homes Amid Shortages
🔥One of the most impressive rooftop solar scenes you'll see anywhere in the world — this is Aleppo, Syria.For years, the country has suffered severe power shortages. ▪️People took matters into their own hands... and this is the result.Rooftop solar...
Data Center Opposition Explodes: Record Rejections Since 2024
For 16 years, I have been reporting on land-use fights over energy projects. But I’ve never seen anything like the raging backlash against data centers. Here’s an up-to-date list of the data center rejections/restrictions since Jan. 1, as well as...
Terabase Energy Automates PV Construction Using Robotics and AI
Terabase Energy advances automated PV construction with robotics, AI tools #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/i2owLWOxVh https://t.co/sUxqfqBegM
Data Centers Adopt Direct 800‑Volt DC for Efficiency
Most data centers use AC power, converting it to DC at the server level. But as demand rises for fast, efficient computing, there’s less room for power loss. New designs convert power from the grid directly to 800-volt DC power,...
Bauer Solar Unveils 480W Back‑Contact Solar Module
Bauer Solar launches 480 W back-contact solar module #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/oCciheOsPl
Longi Launches Global Service Network for Integrated Energy
Longi to build global service network for integrated energy strategy #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/HSF7jKS1NI