Science and Technology:
¶ “Agrivoltaics Works When Solar Panels Do Farm Work” • Shade is valuable when it relieves a real agricultural constraint, protects a crop, supports livestock, preserves water, improves quality, or replaces infrastructure, creating farm revenue without making farming a stage prop. Agrivoltaics is useful when the farm function is explicit. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “PM Modi Inaugurates NHPC’s 300-MW Karnisar Solar Power Plant In Rajasthan” • Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated NHPC’s 300-MW Karnisar Solar Plant in Rajasthan virtually. The project marks a significant addition to India’s renewable energy capacity. It underscores India’s commitment to clean energy and sustainable development. [MSN]
¶ “Spain Puts Nine Regions On Alert For Extreme Heat” • Spain’s weather service extended a special heatwave alert in parts of the country this weekend, with orange warnings and highs near 42°C (107.6°F). The orange level, warning of significant danger, is in force in Andalusia, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, Galicia, and Madrid. [Euronews]
¶ “BYD Beats Tesla Again” • BYD sells both full battery EVs and hybrids, but here we are only considering full battery EV sales. Tesla led for years, but the two companies have competed since 2023. Now we have Q2 2026 numbers, and it’s clear that BYD leads despite Tesla having its fourth best quarter ever. BYD made 557,090 BEV sales; Tesla had 480,126. [Cleantechnica]
¶ “Switzerland’s solar railway was successful” • Last year, Swiss start-up Sun-Ways unveiled the world’s first solar railway with a 100-meter test of PV panels in between active railroad tracks in the Val-de-Travers district. It was planned as a three-year trial, but after positive results of just one year, a permanent system on railroad tracks is likely. [Euronews]
¶ “‘Honest’ Canavan Makes Nuclear Confession” • Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen has called Nationals leader Matt Canavan “honest” after the Queensland senator conceded that small modular reactors, key to the Coalition’s nuclear ambitions, might not “make it” commercially. The Coalition had pushed for SMRs, but the technology is not ready. [MSN]
¶ “Agrivoltaics Could Solve One Of Solar’s Biggest Problems In The Philippines” • Instead of converting farmland into solar farms, agrivoltaics allows both to coexist. Solar panels generate electricity while crops continue to grow underneath or between the arrays, allowing a single piece of land to produce both food and clean energy. [CleanTechnica]
US:
¶ “Electric School Buses Put Batteries To Work To Stabilize Grids” • There are over 6,700 electric school buses deployed and operating in 49 US states, Washington DC, and tribal nations. Now with school out for the summer, some of the school bus batteries are helping to meet the need thanks to bi-directional charging technologies. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Severe Storms Roll Through Parts Of US As Heat Wave Goes On” • The widespread extreme heat led to more severe weather in a large swath of the country as July 4 celebrations took place. Over 75 million were in the zone for severe storms, stretching across parts of the Plains into the Northeast. The primary hazard was damaging wind gusts. [ABC News]
¶ “Heat, Drought, And Fires Disrupt USA’s 250th Anniversary, But We Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” • Two days ago, we saw news that New Jersey towns were having to cancel 4th of July events due to extreme heat. The irony is clear. A country that ignores global heating is having 250-year anniversary celebrations canceled because of global heating. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “The Balcony Solar Movement Will Fry Trump’s Brain” • Donald Trump’s brain, such as it is, has been at work in service of the fossil fuel industry, with some temporary successes. But the signs of ultimate failure are already written into the inevitable march of new energy technologies. The latest sign is the balcony solar movement. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Utah’s Largest Solar-And-Battery Project Comes Online” • According to Electrek, the Green River Energy Center, a $1.1 billion project in Emery County, can produce 400 MW of solar power and store another 400 MW in 1,600 MWh of batteries. rPlus Energies said the facility entered commercial service after a June 22 commissioning ceremony. [The Cool Down]
¶ “Courts And Congress Are Undoing Trump’s War On Wind Power” • President Donald Trump has been trying to shut down offshore wind projects that had received permits and were under construction. Members of Congress voiced concerns that federal policies were delaying development, and judges ruled in favor of wind development. [OilPrice.com]
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