Energy and Green Technologies

Batteries, renewable energy, grids, climate, and clean technologies.

147 Articles

Report: NW Natural’s Spending on Biogas Did Not Achieve a Meaningful Reduction in Emissions in Oregon

A report prepared by Sierra Club and Breach Collective says that more than $60 million in NW Natural customer funds was directed to out-of-state biogas projects without a meaningful reduction in emissions, while pollution risks and costs to consumers continue.

2026-09-23

Energy and Green Technologies

Report: Mississippi Power Plans to Add 548 Megawatts of Gas Without Any Renewable Energy Through 2035

A Sierra Club report gave Mississippi Power a score of 44 out of 100 for its plan to add 548 megawatts of gas capacity and no renewable capacity, despite retiring its coal fleet. The 76 U.S. utilities assessed recorded a national average of just 7 points, the lowest in the report’s history.

2026-09-23

Energy and Green Technologies

Amazon Establishes Coalition to Expand the Use of Sustainable Materials in the Fashion Industry

Amazon, Stella McCartney, and Canopy launched a coalition comprising more than 60 brands, innovators, manufacturers, and retailers to support lower-impact materials and technologies in fashion supply chains. The coalition relies on demand aggregation, solution-assessment tools, and financing models aimed at reducing the cost of innovations and moving them from the pilot stage to commercial production.

2026-09-23

Energy and Green Technologies

Meta Agreement with MacroCycle Supports Construction of First Commercial Plastic Recycling Plant

Meta will pay startup MacroCycle for emissions-reduction rights associated with its recycled plastic, providing the company with a revenue source to help build its first commercial plant in the United States. MacroCycle says its PET recycling technology cuts emissions by 80% compared with virgin plastic.

2026-09-22

Energy and Green Technologies

Wabtec 4,400-Horsepower Electric Locomotives Enter Expanded Testing at BHP Mines in Australia

Two Wabtec FLXDrive battery-electric locomotives, each with 4,400 horsepower and a 7-megawatt-hour battery pack, have demonstrated their ability to operate in iron ore transport after about a year of operation at the Jimblebar mine. BHP plans to compare this technology with Progress Rail locomotives in the same operating environment.

2026-09-19

Energy and Green Technologies

Compressed Gas Storage Projects Have Grown, but Their Economics Have Not Improved

Michael Barnard’s analysis finds that compressed-air, liquid-air, and carbon-dioxide electricity-storage projects have moved beyond the small-prototype stage, but have not yet proven their ability to compete with batteries or pumped hydropower storage at scale. Engineering improvements are evident, but infrastructure costs, round-trip efficiency, and the difficulty of replicating projects remain major constraints.

2026-09-18

Energy and Green Technologies

U.S. Department of Energy Launches Competition to Design Energy Solutions for Campuses

The U.S. Department of Energy announced the Energy District Cup competition for multidisciplinary student teams, aimed at developing practical, integrated energy plans for college campuses and educational districts. Registration for teams in the full academic-year track is open until October 14, 2026, with final projects to be presented in spring 2027.

2026-09-18

Energy and Green Technologies

U.S. Department of Energy Establishes National Geothermal Energy Center of Excellence

The U.S. Department of Energy announced the establishment of a geothermal energy center of excellence on the campus of the National Laboratory of the Rockies in Colorado, with the aim of bringing together national laboratories, industry, and academia to address the technical barriers to expanding this resource.

2026-09-17

Energy and Green Technologies

Agricultural Electrification Should Start with the Nature of the Work, Not Tractor Replacement

A CleanTechnica analysis argues that farm electrification should not be built around replacing large tractors first, but around identifying the services most suited to electrification, such as cooling, pumping, heating, and drying. Examples from Ireland and India show that the operating cycle, infrastructure, water use, and downtime costs matter more than the equipment’s rated power alone.

2026-09-17

Energy and Green Technologies

Mazama Energy Raises $135 Million to Develop Geothermal Energy from Superhot Rocks

Startup Mazama Energy has raised $135 million in a Series B round to develop deep horizontal wells in rocks reaching temperatures of 400 degrees Celsius, and is targeting the start of electricity generation next year. The company says each well could produce 15 megawatts, while its first site in Oregon could eventually reach 10 gigawatts of capacity.

2026-09-17

Energy and Green Technologies

Google Supports the Operation of Stegra’s Low-Emission Steel Plant in Sweden

Google announced a partnership with Stegra to support the operation of a large-scale green hydrogen-based steel plant in Sweden, with an expected reduction in production emissions of up to 95% compared with conventional blast furnaces. Google will receive environmental attribute certificates linked to up to 91,000 metric tons of the plant’s output in its first year, to use in reducing the carbon footprint of data center construction.

2026-09-17

Energy and Green Technologies

SEIA to Integrate the Community Solar Coalition to Unify Representation of the U.S. Solar and Storage Sector

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA) announced that they will unify their operations after approval by both organizations’ boards of directors. The CCSA team, resources, and policy work will be integrated into SEIA in early October. The decision gives the expanded association unified representation across the various solar and storage sectors, from large-scale projects to community solar.

2026-09-16

Energy and Green Technologies

Fluxnium startup develops fibers to extract uranium from seawater

Fluxnium has unveiled a technology that uses polymer fibers to attract dissolved uranium in seawater, alongside the closing of a $7 million seed funding round. The company says that improving the fibers’ surface area reduced the process cost, but the source does not yet provide independent figures proving that it can compete with commercial-scale mining.

2026-09-16

Energy and Green Technologies

Study: Expansion plans for 20 European airports exceed carbon budgets by up to threefold

An analysis by Transport & Environment concluded that plans to increase air traffic at 20 of Europe’s largest airports conflict with national carbon budgets and global warming limits, even when sustainable fuel and improved aircraft efficiency are taken into account. According to the study, European aviation will exhaust its remaining budget for the 1.5°C pathway in 2026, and its budget for the 1.7°C pathway in 2033.

2026-09-16

Energy and Green Technologies

Google partners with Terradot to reduce rice methane and remove carbon in Brazil

Google announced an agreement with Terradot to finance and remove one million metric tons of methane-derived carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030, along with permanently removing one million metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2040. The project combines irrigation management across more than 200,000 hectares of rice farms with the deployment of powdered volcanic rock to enhance weathering and remove carbon.

2026-09-16

Energy and Green Technologies

Report Warns of APS Customers Bearing Gas Expansion Costs for Decades to Come

A report prepared by Sierra Club and Synapse Energy Economics warned that Arizona Public Service’s expansion of gas plants could raise customers’ bills and increase their exposure to fuel-price volatility. This comes as the company seeks a 14% rate increase and proposes a mechanism allowing annual increases with less oversight and public participation.

2026-09-15

Energy and Green Technologies

Passenger Hydrogen Aviation Faces Less Than a 1% Chance of Reaching Broad Commercial Scale by 2050

An updated analysis finds that passenger hydrogen aviation does not face a single obstacle, but rather three systems that must mature together: an operable aircraft, an airport fuel network, and sufficient fleet production. Even accounting for current regulatory and engineering progress, the likelihood that this commercial system will be complete before 2050 remains below 1%.

2026-09-15

Energy and Green Technologies

U.S. Data Centers Could Surpass Germany and Japan in Natural Gas Consumption by 2035

A BloombergNEF report expects the expansion of AI-related data centers to raise U.S. natural gas consumption to about 18 billion cubic feet per day by 2035, surpassing Germany and Japan combined. This could put pressure on gas prices and electricity utility bills, in addition to causing a significant increase in emissions.

2026-09-15