CleanTechnica

U.S. Battery Storage Capacity Averaged 70% Growth Over The Last Three Years

US Energy Information Administration — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 00:32:31 +0000

Utility-scale battery storage capacity in the United States increased significantly during the last three years, with an annual average growth rate of 70%. By the end of 2025, the U.S. power system had operational battery storage capacity of 43.6 gigawatts (GW). During the first six months of 2026, operators added another 8.3 ... [continued]

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First Fully Electric VW ID. ERA Vehicle — ID. ERA 5X SUV

Zachary Shahan — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 00:18:01 +0000

SAIC Volkswagen, a joint venture between SAIC and Volkswagen (duh) in China, has submitted a filing for the company’s first fully electric ID. ERA vehicle, the ID. ERA 5X SUV. XPENG was involved a bit too, but I’ll come back to that later. Earlier today, China’s Ministry of Industry and ... [continued]

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Oh, So Trump Loves Solar Power After All?

Tina Casey — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 21:53:48 +0000

Photo: The US solar power profile keeps growing, and some solar stakeholders anticipate an additional boost from the President's new Section 232 order under the 1962 Trade Expansion Act.

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New Mexico Court Orders Meta To Pay $942 Million Over Harm To Children

Steve Hanley — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 20:09:30 +0000

In March, after a trial that lasted seven weeks, a jury in New Mexico found that Meta had violated the state’s consumer protection laws by creating online products that are harmful to the mental health of children. The jury determined the company hid what it knew about the dangers of ... [continued]

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Reports of Doug Burgum’s Smug Incompetence Are No Surprise

Sierra Club — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 19:21:01 +0000

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Recent reporting has raised serious questions about Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s leadership of the Department of the Interior, describing an agency plagued by dysfunction, rampant staff departures, secrecy, and a management culture that has left career employees demoralized and sidelined. The reports allege that under Burgum’s leadership, experienced public ... [continued]

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New Anti-Energy Efficiency Bill Will Cost Consumers, Waste Energy

Sierra Club — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 19:16:13 +0000

Washington, DC — Yesterday, Senator Mike Lee (R-AZ) introduced a bill that would roll back existing energy efficiency standards and prevent the Department of Energy from updating existing or implementing new strong efficiency standards. The bill would result in energy waste, adding extra strain to the grid and raising energy ... [continued]

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U.S. Solar and Storage Industry Statement on New Sec. 232 Tariffs on Solar

Guest Contributor — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 19:13:58 +0000

WASHINGTON D.C. — Today the Trump administration is imposing new tariffs and establishing minimum import prices on polysilicon and polysilicon derivative products including ingots, wafer, solar cells, and modules. Following is a statement from Tim Pawlenty, CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA): “America has made terrific progress rebuilding ... [continued]

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Hydrogen Trains Get Headlines. Battery Trains Get Used.

Michael Barnard — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 09:37:07 +0000

India’s first hydrogen passenger train arrived with an impressive label attached: the world’s most powerful hydrogen train. That’s a genuine engineering accomplishment, but it isn’t the competition railway operators are trying to win. They need trains that leave the depot, cover the timetable, receive fuel or charge reliably, return from ... [continued]

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New Zealand Electric Vehicle Market Rises from the Depths! (CHARTS)

David Waterworth — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 03:06:41 +0000

Once touted as a possible “Norway of the Pacific,” New Zealand’s electric vehicle transition was stopped in its tracks by a change of government. The new conservative government reversed the generous tax incentives for EVs and brought in a road user charge. EV sales plummeted. Sounds like another country we ... [continued]

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Waymo Jacks Up Lobbying In Washington, DC

Zachary Shahan — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 02:27:17 +0000

The race is on in the robotaxi industry to get into new markets, build up customer bases, and edge out the competition before they arrive — or at least at these nascent stages when no one is too massive or dominant. I just covered news of Zoox launching paid service ... [continued]

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Zoox To Start Charging Passengers Next Week

Zachary Shahan — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 01:33:34 +0000

Zoox has been allowed to do self-driving vehicle and robotaxi testing for a long time, but it hasn’t been allowed to charge passengers for them. Now, however, that has changed — Zoox got approval last week from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to deploy up to 5,000 robotaxis ... [continued]

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VICTORY: Court Overturns Trump Administration’s Wind Pause

Sierra Club — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 22:51:35 +0000

Portland, Oregon — Today, the United States District Court for the District of Oregon ruled in favor of clean energy developers in a legal challenge against Donald Trump’s Department of Defense for freezing reviews of wind projects and delaying development for renewable energy. The review freeze created a “de-facto moratorium” on new wind, ... [continued]

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Donald Trump Pays Off 5th Energy Company in Attack on Renewable Energy

Sierra Club — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 22:46:25 +0000

Washington, D.C. — Today, energy company RWE announced a deal with the Trump administration in which the administration will pay the company $1.22 billion in exchange for the company cancelling three offshore wind projects and doubling down on LNG. This is the fifth time Donald Trump has paid off energy companies in ... [continued]

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China Unveils Safety Standards for Autonomous Driving Systems

Zachary Shahan — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 22:38:29 +0000

The Chinese government has released new mandatory national standards regarding the safety requirements of autonomous driving systems. Nothing needs to be done urgently, as the new standards don’t go into effect until July 1, 2027. The standards apply to M- and N-category vehicles with Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous ... [continued]

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Get Your Hands On The New Ford Fathom Electric Pickup Truck For Just (Checks Notes) $28,350 MSRP

Tina Casey — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 22:08:16 +0000

Ford is still playing its forthcoming midsized electric pickup truck close to the vest, but the EV finally has a name: Fathom.

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UK Driver Jailed After “My EV Went Crazy!” Scam

Steve Hanley — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 20:19:25 +0000

On March 6, 2024, Nathan Owen, a resident of the UK, phoned police and told them his Jaguar I-Pace electric car had gone berserk on a motorway in Merseyside, a seaside area that includes the city of Liverpool. He told the police his car had suddenly accelerated and he could ... [continued]

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Musk’s Mayhem Continues Beyond DOGE Into Our Everyday Lives

Carolyn Fortuna — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 16:02:30 +0000

It’s been over a year since Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) charged into the US federal government. His team fired thousands of government employees. Then they realized that so many problems emerged that they had to restaff many of those positions. Oops! It wasn’t lack of efficiency ... [continued]

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The Messaging Skills That Have Blown Up The AI Bubble

Zachary Shahan — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 15:53:59 +0000

AI is useful. Let me get that out of the way. What we are mostly referring to as AI at the moment (Claude, ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Pilot, etc.) can do useful things. The point of there being an AI bubble is not that it isn’t useful — it’s that ... [continued]

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BYD Just Sells Cheap EVs? Check Out This $216,000 Yangwang

Zachary Shahan — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 13:50:12 +0000

People often think of Chinese cars being cheap. There is a full blown EV revolution underway in China, and many of the electric car models are priced lower than similar options elsewhere, and there are also small, cheap options that aren’t in many markets, but China is also selling and ... [continued]

The post BYD Just Sells Cheap EVs? Check Out This $216,000 Yangwang appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Climate Change Is Rewriting Europe’s Nuclear Cooling Assumptions

Michael Barnard — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 06:50:39 +0000

Romania gave Europe the kind of energy-transition image that should make planners uncomfortable. On August 3, Romanian naval engineers used 180 kilograms of explosives to remove a rock outcrop in the Bala Canal, a branch of the Danube. The controlled blast cleared the way for a temporary dam intended to ... [continued]

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European Countries Cut Tens of Billions of Euros of Fossil Fuel Imports from Wind & Solar Power Growth

Zachary Shahan — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 02:30:19 +0000

I wrote a handful of articles last month on the 75th edition of the Statistical Review of World Energy. There was one more thing in there that I wanted to cover, though. There’s a chart eleven pages in that shows how much money different countries have saved from switching to wind ... [continued]

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Latin America EV Sales Report: 10% EV Market Share Surpassed in Q2!

Juan Diego Celemín Mojica — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 02:02:03 +0000

Three months ago, in our previous quarterly report, I wrote the following: If costumer interest remains and high oil prices start to hit the region, there’s a very real chance we will surpass 10% at some point this year. By this, I meant I was hopeful that, if the stars ... [continued]

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Lucid Aims Another Salvo At Tesla’s Robotaxi Business

Tina Casey — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 01:55:55 +0000

The EV startup Lucid aims to focus more resources on its Robotaxi partnership with Uber, Nuro, and the Hertz affiliate Oro.

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More Than 100,000 Pre-Orders For The Xiaomi Sky Nomad?

Zachary Shahan — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 01:17:49 +0000

There are many hot new thangs in the Chinese EV market, but I don’t think any company has made a hotter overall splash in the past few years than Xiaomi. The consumer electronics company stormed into the EV market and was immediately a huge hit. Its first couple of models ... [continued]

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Wayve & Uber Can Now Deploy Robotaxis in London

Zachary Shahan — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:55:30 +0000

The year of robotaxis moves forward, and we have another robotaxi update today. The autonomous driving firm Wayve and partner Uber were granted Private Hire Vehicle licences from Transport for London (TfL) and can now deploy robotaxis in The Swinging City. That said, they must include human supervisors onboard for ... [continued]

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Eugene Clean Energy Fund Officially Qualifies for the November 2026 Ballot

Sierra Club — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:10:32 +0000

Voters will decide whether to place a fee on billion-dollar corporations to fund clean energy jobs EUGENE, Oregon — The Eugene Clean Energy Fund, backed by environmental organizations and labor unions, has officially qualified for the November 2026 ballot, after the Eugene City Recorder certified that the campaign had submitted enough ... [continued]

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Electric Mining Truck Uses Sodium-Ion Batteries

Zachary Shahan — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:04:28 +0000

Sodium-ion batteries are one of the hot new things in the EV and broader cleantech industry. They are providing a next era of electrification. That even includes electric mining trucks now! Hina Battery and Shaanxi Tonly Heavy Industries are collaborating on these mining trucks, which are reportedly the first such ... [continued]

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Trump EPA Plan to Put Louisiana in Charge of Toxic Coal Ash Threatens Drinking Water

Sierra Club — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 22:57:53 +0000

Testing at all Louisiana coal plants found groundwater contamination Today, Earthjustice, the Alliance for Affordable Energy Louisiana, and the Sierra Club urged the Trump administration to abandon its plan to put the State of Louisiana in charge of oversight of toxic coal ash waste due to the state’s abysmal environmental track record. ... [continued]

The post Trump EPA Plan to Put Louisiana in Charge of Toxic Coal Ash Threatens Drinking Water appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Basketball Superstar Yao Ming Receives His NIO ES9

Zachary Shahan — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 19:10:36 +0000

For better or worse, sports superstars often set what’s fashionable or cool in our society. That’s especially the case when it comes to cars. So, it struck me and I definitely took note when I saw that basketball legend Yao Ming, an absolute superstar in China, just took delivery of ... [continued]

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New Denza Z9S Breaks Range & Handling Records At Average US Car Price

Larry Evans — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 18:38:00 +0000

BYD’s Denza brand recently launched the new Z9S EV in China. The premium sedan represents the top of its class by several measures, and set records on a couple of tests. All while being offered at roughly the average price of a new car in the United States. RWD models ... [continued]

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Study Suggests People Trust AI More Than Government & Social Media

Steve Hanley — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 16:56:44 +0000

The Collective Intelligence Project bills itself as an organization that is steering transformative AI towards better outcomes for everyone. In its latest study, which involved a survey of people in 70 countries, it reports “the decisions shaping AI are made by a small number of people but the consequences reach ... [continued]

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Trump’s Biomass Bug Is Coming Back To Bite Fossil Fuels

Tina Casey — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 16:11:23 +0000

Despite the sharp U-turn in federal energy policy, the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) movement is growing in the US, with winter camelina among the energy crops playing a role.

The post Trump’s Biomass Bug Is Coming Back To Bite Fossil Fuels appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Op-Ed: Pax Silica Could Complicate Philippine & Regional Sustainable Energy Goals

Raymond Tribdino — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:58:56 +0000

The US-led Pax Silica initiative was created to strengthen trusted supply chains for semiconductors, artificial intelligence infrastructure, and other strategic technologies among allied nations. The Philippines has signaled its participation but has been confronted with early opposition from non-government agencies. But that is expected. There are two immensely informative and ... [continued]

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The 14 Manufacturers Participating in California’s New MyFirstEV Program

Zachary Shahan — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:54:00 +0000

California has launched a new financial incentive program to support electric vehicle adoption, as I covered previously. The idea was to increase EV adoption again after it dropped from the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress ending the federal EV tax credit prematurely. The program has officially launched, and we ... [continued]

The post The 14 Manufacturers Participating in California’s New MyFirstEV Program appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Waymo Launches Robotaxi Service in Dallas

Zachary Shahan — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 03:17:22 +0000

As we have seen, 2026 is a year of rapid expansion at Waymo. The company keeps entering new markets and opening robotaxi service there, and now Dallas is the latest such place to join. “Starting today, anyone in Dallas can download the Waymo app and hail a fully autonomous ride. ... [continued]

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BYD Commercial Vehicle Sales Jumped 149% in July

Zachary Shahan — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 03:00:15 +0000

In the third and final* article in this miniseries on BYD’s monthly sales, we’re looking beyond passenger vehicles and jumping into large commercial electric vehicles. If you missed our previous two articles, see this one on BYD’s overall plugin vehicle sales and this one on BYD’s vehicle sales beyond California. ... [continued]

The post BYD Commercial Vehicle Sales Jumped 149% in July appeared first on CleanTechnica.

LA City Council Votes to Allow Billion Dollar Scattergood Gas Plant Retrofit to Move Forward

Sierra Club — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 02:30:48 +0000

LOS ANGELES — This afternoon, the Los Angeles City Council voted to allow the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to disregard the concerns of Angelenos and environmental advocates and move forward with its ill-conceived plans to retrofit the Scattergood gas plant to be able to burn a mix ... [continued]

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BYD Achieves Record Exports With 124% Growth

Zachary Shahan — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 02:17:25 +0000

BYD had a strong sales month overall, with 20.5% growth in passenger vehicle sales overall and 31% growth in BEV sales, achieving the company’s second best sales month ever for BEVs. However, how many of those sales are in China versus outside of China? As has been clear, the Chinese ... [continued]

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The Elusive Dream Of Solar Powered EVs Is Not So Elusive After All

Tina Casey — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 02:05:09 +0000

Built-in solar panels and futuristic aerodynamic styling enable Aptera EVs to run for 40 miles or so on solar energy alone, with batteries filling in for up to 1,000 miles per charge.

The post The Elusive Dream Of Solar Powered EVs Is Not So Elusive After All appeared first on CleanTechnica.

BYD BEV Sales Rise 31% in July!

Zachary Shahan — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 01:45:13 +0000

The largest electric vehicle maker in the world, BYD, had a slow start to the year for various reasons, but it is popping now. The company had 20.5% more passenger vehicle sales in July 2026 than in July 2025 (411,072 versus 341,030), and 3.5% more sales than the month prior ... [continued]

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The Fast Lane: 3 Ways Geothermal Companies Can Get More Heat

US Department of Energy — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 01:04:39 +0000

Geothermal Energy Has Enormous Potential. These 3 Technologies Could Help the Industry Dig Deeper, Hotter, and More Profitable Wells. “The Fast Lane” series zooms in on some of the thousands of technologies born in the National Laboratory of the Rockies that companies can license today. This iteration focuses on technologies ... [continued]

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Students To Help Identify Retirement Options for Energy Technologies

US Department of Energy — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 23:09:40 +0000

New Competition Invites Collegiate Teams To Develop Creative Yet Practical Ways To Recycle or Reuse Parts and Materials Where do energy technologies go after they retire? A new competition challenges undergraduate and postsecondary students to brainstorm new options for components and materials—that do not involve them being dumped in a ... [continued]

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Energy Discovery Awaits Within the Spin of Atoms

US Department of Energy — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 21:47:04 +0000

National Laboratory of the Rockies Researchers Use Nuclear Magnetic Resonance To Advance Innovation in Batteries, Semiconductors, and Bioplastics When researchers bring their inventions into the laboratory of Bennett Addison, he often has one question for them: “Did you really make what you think you made?” At the atomic level, the answer ... [continued]

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Health, Labor, Civil Rights Groups Warn State’s Proposed Air Pollution Permit for Hyundai Steel Mill Will Harm Community, Worker Health

Sierra Club — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 21:32:13 +0000

Good Neighbors Louisiana coalition urges LDEQ to provide at least 60 days for public comment Labor, environmental health, civil rights, and community groups are warning that the recently published proposed air permit for Hyundai’s steel mill will have a severe impact on community and worker health, exacerbating cancer, asthma, and ... [continued]

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As The Stock Market Soars, European Central Bank Warns Climate Change Threatens Global Economy

Steve Hanley — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 21:09:34 +0000

It is my considered opinion that all stock market investors are stark raving mad. As wildfires cause devastation on almost every continent and water levels in the Danube are too low to cool nuclear power plants in Hungary, stocks in New York hit an all time high on August 4, ... [continued]

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