The World Is Embracing Offshore Wind — Even as the US Retreats
Global offshore wind capacity grew 16% in 2025, adding over 9 GW to bring the total to about 92 GW worldwide, while the United States has stalled under the Trump administration’s leasing freeze. Europe and Asia are accelerating projects, with the United Kingdom securing 8.4 GW of new contracts in its largest offshore auction to date. China remains the dominant wind producer, supplying roughly half of all installed capacity on land and sea. Despite higher costs and supply‑chain strains, the sector is projected to reach 486 GW by 2040.
Are Long-Promised Solar Perovskites Finally Hitting Mass Production?
Startup Tandem PV has opened a 65,000‑sq‑ft automated factory in Fremont, California, to mass‑produce perovskite‑coated glass panels that raise solar‑cell efficiency from roughly 22% to about 30%. The line already outputs panels 60 times larger than its laboratory cells and has...
As Utility Costs Rise, Can ‘Background’ Smart Thermostats Offer Relief?
Smart thermostats are increasingly used by utilities for demand‑response, but a growing number also shift household temperatures autonomously to avoid peak‑price rates. In Arizona, Salt River Project partnered with Renew Home’s Energy Shift program, finding that 28,500 homes reduced peak...
Tiny North Carolina Town Takes a Big Step Toward Geothermal Energy
Enfield, North Carolina secured a $300,000 seed grant to launch a shallow‑geothermal thermal energy network that will heat, cool and provide hot water to a new 34‑unit affordable‑housing development. The pilot is part of a larger $5 million plan to eventually...
Battery Recycling Still Isn’t Easy. Just Ask Ascend Elements.
Ascend Elements, a battery‑disassembly startup that launched a plant near Atlanta in 2023 and is building a Kentucky facility, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 9 after losing $274 million in federal grants and facing delayed buyer commitments. The collapse reflects broader...
What to Know Before You Get Balcony Solar
Plug‑in balcony solar, a DIY system that plugs into a standard 120‑volt outlet, is poised to hit U.S. markets as states adopt supportive legislation. Utah led the way in 2025, and six other states are now considering similar bills, while...
China Exports a Ton of Cleantech — and the World Is Poised to Want More
China remains the world’s leading producer of solar panels, batteries and wind‑turbine equipment, and it is rapidly expanding exports of electric vehicles and batteries, especially to Europe. Despite EU tariffs introduced in October 2024, Chinese EVs captured 9% of EU...
Vermont’s First Neighborhood Geothermal Project Prepares to Break Ground
Vermont Gas and nonprofit developers are set to break ground on the state’s first neighborhood‑scale geothermal heating and cooling system at the Riggs Meadow affordable‑housing project in Hinesburg. The scheme will serve 36 residential units and an on‑site childcare center...
What to Expect as Ohio Utility Corruption Trial Heads for a Do-Over
A Ohio judge declared a mistrial after a hung jury in the criminal case against former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and senior VP Michael Dowling, prompting a retrial set for Sept. 28. The state charges center on a $4.3 million bribe to...
California Bill Would Limit EV-Charging Access in Affordable Housing
California requires new multifamily developments to include EV‑charging outlets for residents with parking, a policy hailed as the nation’s most equitable. A February‑introduced bill, AB 2748, would suspend this requirement for affordable‑housing projects until at least 2036, reverting to the...
This Ohio County Put a Ban on Wind and Solar. Will Voters Reverse It?
Richland County, Ohio, used Senate Bill 52 to ban large‑scale wind and solar projects in 11 of its 18 townships last July. A grassroots coalition gathered thousands of signatures to place a referendum on the May 5, 2026 primary ballot, letting voters...
Data Centers Are on the Ballot in 2026 — and Just Failed the First Test
AI‑driven demand is spurring a wave of new data‑center construction, but communities are pushing back. In Port Washington, Wisconsin, voters approved a measure requiring voter approval before granting tax breaks to data‑center projects, a direct response to a $15 billion OpenAI‑Oracle...
In a First, Renewables Beat Natural Gas on US Grid Last Month
U.S. electricity generation in March 2026 saw renewables outpace natural gas for the first full month, according to data from Ember. Solar and wind together supplied more megawatt‑hours than gas, while emissions‑free sources accounted for just over half of total...
AES Pulls Out of San Diego Area Battery Project After Local Opposition
AES Corp. withdrew its application for the 320 MW Seguro battery project in Escondido, California, after intense local opposition. The site, slated to sit within 1,600 feet of Palomar Medical Center and nearby homes, raised safety concerns following recent lithium‑ion battery fires...
New Jersey Becomes Second State This Year to Lift Its Nuclear Moratorium
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill signed legislation this week that fully repeals the state's decades‑old moratorium on new nuclear power plants. The repeal removes the requirement that any new reactor point to a permanent spent‑fuel disposal solution, a condition deemed...