Clean & renewable energy

This archive tracks real progress in clean and renewable energy — from solar and wind expansion to grid upgrades and policy wins. Each story focuses on what’s working, where, and why it matters for people and the planet.

Solar panels generating electricity at scale in California for an article about California clean energy

California now runs two-thirds of its giant economy on clean energy

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California clean energy reached a landmark milestone in 2023, with 67% of the state’s retail electricity coming from renewable and zero-carbon sources — making it the largest economy on Earth to hit that mark. The shift was driven by decades of binding renewable energy policy, a massive buildout of solar capacity, and a battery storage fleet that grew from under 500 megawatts to over 15,000 megawatts in just five years. California’s GDP grew 78% since 2000 while emissions fell 20%, directly challenging the claim that climate action hurts economic growth. The road to 100% by 2045 remains difficult, but this milestone proves large-scale clean energy transition is already happening.

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India hits 50% non-fossil power capacity five years ahead of schedule

By / / Good News For Humankind

India non-fossil power capacity surpassed 50% of total installed electricity generation in June 2025, reaching 242.8 GW out of roughly 484.8 GW — five years ahead of the country’s own national target. The milestone was driven largely by rapid expansion of utility-scale solar and wind installations, supported by sustained government policy and falling technology costs. For a nation of 1.4 billion people with one of the world’s fastest-growing energy appetites, the achievement demonstrates that rising demand and declining fossil dependence can happen simultaneously. It also signals to other developing nations that clean energy transition is not exclusively a wealthy-country story.

Wind turbines and solar panels generating electricity for an article about U.S. renewable energy share

Renewables top 30% of U.S. electrical generation for the first time

By / / Good News For Humankind

Renewable energy surpassed 30% of U.S. electricity generation in 2024, the highest share ever recorded in American history. Driven by rapid growth in solar and wind power alongside sustained hydropower output, this milestone reflects a genuine structural shift away from fossil fuels, with coal hitting historic lows. Federal investment through the Inflation Reduction Act has accelerated deployment well ahead of earlier projections. While significant challenges remain in battery storage and grid infrastructure, the achievement confirms that the U.S. energy transition is advancing at a pace that once seemed unlikely.

Rows of solar panels extending across a vast installation for an article about China's 1 terawatt solar milestone

China becomes the first country to install 1 terawatt of solar power

By / / Good News For Humankind

China’s solar milestone reached one terawatt of installed photovoltaic capacity in 2025, making it the first nation in history to hit that mark, arriving ahead of schedule. The achievement is equivalent to 1.6 million utility-scale solar arrays running simultaneously and now represents half of all solar capacity installed worldwide as recently as 2024. Beyond climate goals, the buildout reflects a strategic push toward energy independence, reducing exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets. Most significantly, China’s manufacturing scale has driven global panel prices to historic lows, making clean energy newly affordable for developing nations that once had no realistic alternative.

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U.K. commits £21.7 billion to carbon capture and storage across two industrial clusters

By / / Good News For Humankind

Carbon capture and storage gets a major boost as the UK commits up to £21.7 billion over 25 years to build CCS infrastructure across two historic industrial regions. The investment targets HyNet in the North West and the East Coast Cluster near Teesside, expected to create 4,000 direct jobs and support up to 50,000 long-term. Initial projects will remove more than 8.5 million tonnes of CO₂ annually while helping hard-to-decarbonize industries like steel, cement, and chemicals stay competitive. The UK’s North Sea geology offers an estimated 200 years of storage capacity, giving this commitment rare real-world credibility.

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China’s CO2 emissions fall for the first time as renewables surge past coal

By / / Good News For Humankind

China’s carbon dioxide emissions declined in 2024 for the first time on record, marking a potential turning point in the global fight against climate change. Driven by an extraordinary surge in wind and solar power, clean energy now generates more electricity in China than coal and gas combined. China alone installed roughly 300 gigawatts of new solar capacity last year, more than the entire United States has ever built. Because China accounts for nearly 30 percent of global CO2 emissions, this shift could accelerate worldwide emissions reductions years ahead of previous projections.

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England to require solar panels on all new homes by 2027

By / / Good News For Humankind

Solar panel mandate on new homes in England marks a significant shift in how the country approaches energy and housing. Starting in 2027, housebuilders will be legally required to install rooftop solar on virtually all new construction, with homeowners expected to save more than £1,000 annually on energy bills. The policy supports the U.K.’s goal of decarbonizing its electricity grid by 2030 and signals the government’s commitment to staying the course on net zero despite growing political debate. Across 1.5 million planned new homes, the cumulative impact on household finances and grid demand could be substantial.

Solar panels and wind turbines generating power on open land for an article about U.S. clean electricity

Fossil fuels fall below half of U.S. electricity for the first time on record

By / / Good News For Humankind

U.S. clean electricity reached a historic milestone in April 2025, when fossil fuels dropped below 50% of American electricity generation for the first time since the coal-powered grid emerged in the 1800s. According to energy research firm Ember, coal, oil, and natural gas fell to roughly 47% of total generation, with wind, solar, hydro, and nuclear powering the rest. This shift was driven by a 90% drop in wind and solar costs since 2010, triggering sustained investment now visible in real grid output. The milestone matters because it breaks the long-held assumption that fossil fuels are the inevitable backbone of modern electricity.

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France runs fusion reactor for record 22 minutes

By / / Good News For Humankind

A fusion reactor in southern France has kept a hydrogen plasma stable for 1,337 seconds — more than 22 minutes — beating the previous record by roughly 25%. The WEST Tokamak pulled this off using just 2 megawatts of heating power, and crucially, without damaging the reactor’s interior, which is the part that has tripped up so many earlier attempts. The data feeds directly into ITER, the much larger international fusion project being built nearby. Net energy gain — the real threshold for practical fusion — still hasn’t been reliably crossed, and this milestone doesn’t change that. But each stable second brings the dream of clean, limitless energy closer to something the world can actually build.

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China sets new fusion endurance record of over a thousand seconds

By / / Good News For Humankind

Fusion energy took a real step forward this month: a reactor in China held superheated plasma stable for 1,066 seconds — more than 17 minutes, and over double the 403-second record the same machine set in 2023. The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak in Hefei pulled it off after engineers doubled the system’s power output while keeping the reaction from collapsing, which is the hardest part of fusion research. Sustained stability like this is exactly what a future fusion plant would need to actually generate continuous electricity. Findings from EAST will also feed directly into ITER, the massive international reactor rising in southern France. It’s a reminder that the dream of clean, nearly limitless energy is being built one patient breakthrough at a time.