Washington state takes strongest clean commercial building action in the U.S.
Under the new code that will take effect in July 2023, new commercial buildings will be built with high-efficiency electric heat pumps for water and space heating.
Clean & renewable energy
This archive tracks real progress in clean and renewable energy — from solar and wind expansions to grid breakthroughs and policy wins. More than 850 articles document what’s working, where it’s scaling, and who’s driving the shift away from fossil fuels. If you follow energy news for signal rather than noise, this is a useful place to start.
Massive planned solar-plus-storage project in Nevada secures $1.3 billion in financing
Located in southern Nevada, the project is set to be the largest continuous solar installation in the United States when it’s completed in 2023.
‘Radical’ solar technology breakthrough allows energy to be stored for up to 18 years
A pair of Swedish scientists designed a microchip that stores solar energy in liquid, and shipped it to China where three months later it was converted into electricity.
Major Japan railway now powered exclusively by renewable energy
Tokyu Railways’ trains running through Shibuya and other stations were switched to power generated only by solar and other renewable sources starting April 1.
Taiwan’s ‘biggest offshore wind farm’ generates its first power
According to Orsted, the facility will eventually generate enough power to meet the needs of 1 million households in Taiwan.
Indian companies invest big in renewable energy projects in economically-struggling Sri Lanka
As one example, Adani Group recently agreed to develop 500 megawatts of renewable energy projects in Mannar and Pooneryn provinces.
Greece builds Europe’s largest double-sided solar farm
The installation of this bifacial solar farm is part of Greece’s aim to double its installed capacity from renewables to approximately 19 gigawatts by 2030.
New York enacts first-in-nation plan to electrify all state school buses
The historic legislation aims for all new school bus purchases to be zero emission by 2027, while requiring that all buses in operation are electric by 2035.
Stanford University researchers invent groundbreaking solar panels that work at night
The setup is inexpensive and, in principle, could be incorporated within existing solar cells. It is also simple, so construction in remote locations with limited resources is feasible.
Portugal’s floating solar energy auction sets world record negative price
Portugal’s floating solar auction just made history with a negative price: one winning bidder agreed to pay the grid 4.13 euros per megawatt hour for the right to generate clean electricity over 15 years. EDP Renováveis pulled this off by bundling 70 megawatts of floating panels on Western Europe’s largest artificial lake with wind power and battery storage, letting the profitable pieces carry the solar contract. The environment ministry estimates the auction will deliver 114 million euros in savings for Portuguese electricity consumers. It’s a striking signal of how far renewable economics have come — and a glimpse of what’s possible when countries get creative about stitching clean energy technologies together.