Science and Technology:
¶ “AI Data Centers Need Big Batteries But Lithium Isn’t Fit-For-Purpose” • As AI-driven data centers scale, the grid challenge is no longer simply how much electricity they consume. Their demand is unpredictable, coming in bursts. They need a system with enough buffering for sudden power surges and dips. They are hard on lithium-ion batteries. [CleanTechnica]
Google data center in Oregon (Tony Webster, CC BY-SA 2.0)
World:
¶ “LANDKING Makes Electric Trucks Look Inevitable at Auto China” • While a business case can be made for EV trucks in the US, it is becoming undeniable in China. The environmental benefit is no longer required. Electric trucks may be facing challenges in the EU and US, but they seem inevitable in China. LANDKING is a leader in that. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “How Do Solar Batteries Work And Are They Worth The Investment?” • With the war on Iran, home-grown renewables help cushion European households from fossil fuel shocks. The UK is the latest European country to greenlight the commercial sale of plug-in solar panels. Interest in batteries has grown apace. Battery costs have fallen 90% since 2010. [Euronews]
Solar with battery (Jackery Power Station, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “IEEFA Warns Germany Over Hydrogen Costs” • Germany risks overbuilding its hydrogen network and wasting tens of billions of euros by relying on overoptimistic hydrogen demand projections, research from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis shows. It says German hydrogen demand is likely to fall short of official projections. [reNews]
¶ “Better Flight Planning Can Cut Fuel And Contrail Warming” • Aircraft do not fly across a static map. They fly through air, and that air is moving. A route that looks longer on a map can have better winds, better altitude availability, fewer flow restrictions, less holding, and smoother operations. The environmental issue should include contrails and warming. [CleanTechnica]
Airplane and contrails (Brigitte Elsner, Unsplash)
¶ “Apple Partners With CleanMax To Build 150-MW Of New Renewable Energy Capacity In India” • Apple is expanding its renewable energy investments in India together with CleanMax, India’s largest renewable energy provider for the commercial and industrial sector. Apple will start by investing in over 150 MW of new renewable capacity. [pv magazine India]
¶ “Qair Advances O&M Base Plans For 1-GW Ayre Floater” • The project team for Qair’s 1-GW Ayre floating wind farm off east Orkney and north-east of Caithness have visited local ports as they step up plans to establish a long-term operations and base for maintenance in north Scotland. They visited the facilities to assess possibilities. [reNews]
Project team (Qair image)
¶ “It’s Not Just Big Oil. Wind Giants Welcome Profit Beats As Iran War Spurs Energy Pivot” • The Iran war seems to supercharge the clean energy transition, providing a catalyst for wind power giants as countries reassess the role of renewables in shoring up energy security. The issue centering on energy security makes fossil fuels less desirable. [CNBC]
¶ “Iberdrola Signs Five Italian PPAs” • Iberdrola has signed five long-term power purchase agreements, totaling 5 TWh, with companies in Italy’s chemicals, manufacturing, and food and beverages sectors. Iberdrola said that the electricity supplied under the deals will be backed by 90-MW of new photovoltaic capacity in Italy. [reNews]
Solar array (Iberdrola image)
¶ “700 MW Power Link Celtic Between France and Ireland Progressing” • Construction of the planned Celtic Interconnector power link between France and Ireland continues to advance on both sides. With the start of key infrastructure works in Brittany, the 700 MW large-scale project is entering a new phase in its implementation. [Renewable Energy Industry]
¶ “New IRENA Report Confirms Competitive Cost Of Round-The-Clock Renewable Power” • The report 24/7 renewables: The economics of firm solar and wind confirms that in prime solar and wind regions, hybrid solutions combined with storage deliver round-the-clock power at lower costs than fossil fuels, based on comparing LCOEs. [Renewable Energy Magazine]
Wind turbine (Sander Weeteling, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “German Parliament Rejects Return To Nuclear Power” • The Bundestag rejected returning to nuclear energy as an alternative to overcome fuel-related crises, most notably the war with Iran and tensions in the Middle East. The Committee on Economic Affairs and Energy said that the proposal to return to peaceful nuclear reactors was rejected. [Gulf Times]
US:
¶ “Sierra Club Endorses Tom Steyer For California Governor” • The Sierra Club has announced its endorsement of Tom Steyer for Governor of California. Doing so, it is backing a candidate with a long record of investing in climate solutions, taking on Big Oil, and helping build the coalitions needed to win significant environmental fights. [CleanTechnica]
Tom Steyer (Photo from Steyer for Governor 2026)
¶ “Commercial Electricity Sales Have Soared In Virginia, Driven By Data Centers” • Commercial electricity sales in Virginia grew by nearly 30 TWh between 2019 and 2025, much faster growth than in any other state except Texas, according to the DOE’s Annual Electric Power Industry Report. The growth in Virginia is largely driven by data centers. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Analysis Reveals Massive Water Use By Texas Power Plants” • A new Sierra Club analysis on thermal plant water usage reveals that Texas gas, coal, and nuclear plants consume roughly 100 billion gallons of water every year, while renewables and battery storage use barely any water at all. The findings are in the report, Watts Wasting Texas Water [CleanTechnica]
Have an inexpressibly satisfying day.
geoharvey 