Canary Media | Covering the clean energy transition

Clean energy supply chain

New investment firm aims to scale up urgently needed battery materials

Kinterra Capital has raised a $565 million private equity fund dedicated to investing in new mines and processing plants to supply battery and EV factories.

By Julian Spector

Geothermal

America’s first ‘enhanced’ geothermal plant just got up and running

Next-generation geothermal could be a huge source of carbon-free power. A first-of-a-kind project from Google and Fervo Energy is a step in that direction.

By Maria Gallucci

Fervo Energy breaks ground on next-generation geothermal plant

Startup claims breakthrough in turning the earth's heat into clean power

Why this NYC apartment complex will use a giant underground heat pump

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By Canary Staff
Air travel

In a first, a major airline will cross the Atlantic without fossil fuels

Virgin Atlantic will use 100% sustainable aviation fuel on a flight from London to New York. It’s an important step toward slashing emissions from planes.

By Maria Gallucci
Heat pumps

Heat-pump water heaters are a winner for the climate — and your wallet

The tech costs more than conventional options upfront, but federal tax credits, new 120V models and strong savings have made them more appealing than ever.

By Alison F. Takemura

Videos

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Video

LNG exports are a 'really, really big' climate threat, McKibben says

Canary Media talks with Bill McKibben about the Biden administration’s stance on LNG, the gas’s outsize climate impacts and the miracle of renewables.

By Nicole Pollack
Transmission

California's grid is hindering its climate goals. Can a new law fix it?

The state's grid isn't growing fast enough to support a surge of EVs, heat pumps and more. A new law offers a potential path forward — and could be a model for other states.

By Jeff St. John
Solar

California makes it harder for schools, farms and rental housing to go solar

Regulators have slashed the value of shared-solar systems, starting in early 2024. School districts, community advocates and politicians have expressed outrage over the decision.

By Jeff St. John
Electric vehicles

Chart: US EV sales are having a record-setting year

Ignore the gloomy headlines. Despite some inevitable growing pains, EVs are still on track to transform the U.S. auto industry.

By Eric Wesoff, Dan McCarthy

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Canary Library: Research and white papers

Download the latest intel from our partners

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Shifting EV Adoption into Overdrive: Technology and policy innovations for short and long-term success

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Electric Mobility for All

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Brighter Future: A Study on Solar in U.S. K-12 Schools

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Steel Yourself: Implications of Peak Demand in the Energy Transition

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Marine transport

America's first hydrogen-powered ferry is set to sail

Switch Maritime aims to start operations early next year in San Francisco. It just raised $10M to help take zero-emissions ferries nationwide.

By Maria Gallucci
Fun stuff

Cartoon: Making transmission cool

By Climatoonist
Clean energy

Portugal just ran on 100% renewables for six days in a row

For nearly a week, the country of 10 million met customer needs with wind, hydro and solar — a test run for operating the grid without fossil fuels.

By Julian Spector
Workforce diversity

Charging Up: A chat with Cynthia Adams, CEO of Pearl Certification

Plus, climatetech career moves at Intersect Power, CarbonQuest, Aurora Solar, AtmosZero, Mission Possible Partnership, EnergeiaWorks, SolarKal and more.

By Maria Virginia Olano, Eric Wesoff

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The Tough Stuff: Decarbonizing steel, cement and chemicals

Cleaning up steel, cement and chemicals is tough — and entirely doable

These top-emitting industries make the materials we depend on. In a special series, Canary Media explores the complex, tricky path to decarbonizing all three.

By Maria Gallucci

The huge climate problem of cement, steel and chemicals, visualized

To decarbonize cement, the industry needs a full transformation

AN outdoor industrial site with tractors, scaffolding, storage tanks and other equipment

6 innovative startups that are kicking CO2 out of cement and concrete

A human figure with khaki pants and blue latex gloves moves a tray of brown bricks

The trillion-dollar quest to make green steel

A large warehouse facility filled with rolls of shiny silver metal material wrapped up in coils

Electric vehicles

Bankrupt EV bus-maker Proterra finds buyers for its business units

The oldest U.S. electric bus manufacturer filed for bankruptcy protection in August. Can Proterra's businesses survive and thrive under new ownership?

By Jeff St. John
Electric vehicles

The humble trash truck is ready for an all-electric upgrade

Oregon's first battery-powered garbage truck offers a look at the clean, carbon-free future of the dirty, diesel-powered world of waste collection.

By Maria Gallucci
Utilities

Maine utilities eye move to time-varying electric rates to boost electrification

"Time-of-use" rates that encourage customers to cut energy use at times of peak demand could help the state meet its electrification goals without straining the grid.

By Annie Ropeik
Energy storage

Will this startup finally crack the code on flow battery tech?

Germany's CMBlu just pulled in a 100-million-euro investment, is ramping up manufacturing and has contracts with major utilities. Can it succeed where others have failed?

By Julian Spector

Sponsored

Electrified Life | Demystifying home electrification

Heat-pump water heaters are a winner for the climate — and your wallet

The tech costs more than conventional options upfront, but federal tax credits, new 120V models and strong savings have made them more appealing than ever.

By Alison F. Takemura

This simple score can help you find an energy-efficient home

1-story gray house with slanted roof, yellow door, covered entryway, and green bushes.

Heat pumps are everywhere — even in clothes dryers

Woman with brown curly hair stands with load of laundry in front of gleaming metal stacked clothes dryer and washer..

Here's why electric lawn mowers are cutting down the gas-fueled competition

A beginner’s guide to the different types of heat pumps

A long white appliance mounted on a wall with its cover popped open, revealing bluish material inside.

Transmission

It's hard to connect clean power to the grid. New software can help

Startups Nira Energy and Pearl Street Technologies are helping clean-energy developers find rare openings on crowded grids, faster.

By Jeff St. John
Climate crisis

A new wave of startups is tackling a huge emissions source: wildfires

The growing field of "firetech" is reinventing the age-old practice of prescribed burns and devising other novel methods of preventing and suppressing fires.

By Eric Wesoff
Climatetech finance

Chart: Clean energy attracting nearly twice as much investment as fossils

But for the world to meet its climate goals, the money needs to stop flowing to fossil fuels — and flow even faster into clean energy.

By Dan McCarthy
Nuclear

Future of small reactors at stake as NuScale deal flops

The startup’s most promising project has been canceled. It was supposed to build the first next-gen reactor in the U.S. — and usher in a new era for nuclear.

By Eric Wesoff

Sponsored

Chart of the week

Chart: Here’s where utility-scale solar is located in the US

Though a few states are leading the way, big solar installations are spread all around the country — and many more will get built in the years to come.

By Dan McCarthy, Maria Virginia Olano

Chart: US EV sales are having a record-setting year

A man sits in the driver seat of a car connected to an EV charger in a drugstore parking lot. Graphic reads Chart of the Week

Chart: Clean energy attracting nearly twice as much investment as fossils

An image of a pile of $100 bills with a yellow overlay that reads "Chart of the week"

Chart: Which clean energy sector is creating the most new jobs?

two workers with hardhats stand next to a long row of gray energy storage batteries; graphic overlay says chart of the week

Chart: Here's where the carbon-intensive steel industry is concentrated

Carbon capture

America’s first commercial direct air capture plant just got going

The startup Heirloom says it’s capturing CO2 from the sky and locking away the planet-warming gas, making it the first and only commercial U.S. plant to do so.

By Maria Gallucci
Politics

Michigan just passed one of the country’s most ambitious clean energy bills

The state’s Democrat-controlled legislature passed bills that aim to accelerate the energy transition — including a mandate for 100% carbon-free power by 2040.

By Jeff St. John
Just transition

The West is making mistakes as it helps developing nations get off coal

As emerging economies look to switch from coal to clean energy, some globally funded initiatives leave workers and communities behind.

By Saqib Rahim
Utilities

Mainers reject historic bid to make for-profit utilities publicly owned

The ballot initiative aimed to bolster Maine’s energy transition, grid reliability and affordability. Utilities fought the effort with a torrent of cash.

By Julian Spector

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Podcasts

Browse Podcasts

A dark, gloomy sky over a large solar array

Clean energy

The impact of AI: Solar forecasting, EVs and virtual power plants

We explore a few areas where artificial intelligence is bringing real benefits to grid operators and customers.

The Carbon Copy . 63m

Nuclear

The cost of nuclear

Building reactors in South Korea is far cheaper than building in the U.S., but why?

Catalyst with Shayle Kann . 48m

A black transmission tower and power lines against a light blue sky with cotton-y white clouds

Sponsored

The future of the ‘broken’ grid: A partner-supported episode

A conversation with Intersect Power's Sheldon Kimber on how to get around the grid problems in America.

The Carbon Copy . 19m

Three speech bubbles with question marks on a bright yellow background

Clean energy

Mailbag episode! Interest rates, carbon dioxide removal, load growth and more

It’s another 'ask me anything' episode with Shayle.

Catalyst with Shayle Kann . 55m

Energy efficiency

This simple score can help you find an energy-efficient home

A growing number of cities are mandating Home Energy Scores, a metric that makes it easy for potential renters or homebuyers to grasp a home’s energy use.

By Alison F. Takemura
Liquefied natural gas

FERC decides if LNG facilities benefit the public. Is it doing its job?

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is about to weigh in on CP2, a massive liquefied-natural-gas export terminal. Climate activists fear it will be business as usual.

By Nicole Pollack
Clean energy

Kauai became a clean energy leader. Its secret? A publicly owned grid

Making the island’s utility a cooperative resulted in cheaper and cleaner power. It could hold lessons for communities around the country debating local utility control.

By Julian Spector
Electric vehicles

BP buys $100M of Tesla chargers as oil majors prep for a post-gas future

It's the first-ever sale of Tesla charging equipment to an outside company. But will EV drivers really want to charge up in dreary gas-station parking lots?

By Gabriela Aoun Angueira
Transportation

Full steam ahead for electric freight trains

Wabtec Corp. unveiled the world's first battery-powered, heavy-haul locomotive this week in Pennsylvania. Freight rail is only just catching up on electrified transportation.

By Maria Gallucci
Clean energy jobs

Chart: Which clean energy sector is creating the most new jobs?

More than 200,000 jobs have been announced since the IRA, most of them in battery manufacturing.

By Maria Virginia Olano
Wind

The US offshore wind industry faces a moment of reckoning

East Coast offshore wind projects are being canceled or forced to rebid amid skyrocketing costs. States have a tough choice: pay more now or bear the costs of delay.

By Jeff St. John
Solar

How one solar company is succeeding in coal country

Solar advocates in southwestern Virginia say being local, proving the technology works and building a coalition to support it have been key.

By Hannah Wilson-Black
Fun stuff

Cartoon: Autumn interlude

By Climatoonist
Clean energy jobs

How many jobs is the Inflation Reduction Act spurring? A lot

A new analysis finds 400,000-plus jobs will be created from the 210 EV, battery and clean energy projects launched since the climate law passed.

By Jeff St. John

Sponsored

New investment firm aims to scale up urgently needed battery materials

America’s first ​‘enhanced’ geothermal plant just got up and running

Canary Media needs you!

In a first, a major airline will cross the Atlantic without fossil fuels

Heat-pump water heaters are a winner for the climate — and your wallet

Editor's picks

1 California makes it harder for schools, farms and rental housing to go solar

2 Chart: US EV sales are having a record-setting year

3 Will this startup finally crack the code on flow battery tech?

4 America’s first commercial direct air capture plant just got going

5 This simple score can help you find an energy-efficient home

Chart: Here's where utility-scale solar is located in the US

Air Force rescinds $100M award for Oklo microreactor

US government deploys $41M to train clean energy workforce

The LNG export boom just hit a snag in Texas

Videos

LNG exports are a 'really, really big' climate threat, McKibben says

Video: Canary discusses cleaning up heavy industry on the Weather Channel

Canary on TV: Confronting the downsides of mining for battery materials

Video: How the US can decarbonize steel, cement and chemicals

Video: See how this NYC factory traps CO2 in concrete blocks

Career experts answer 6 top questions from climate jobseekers

Video: How the Inflation Reduction Act has transformed US clean energy

Video: Canary Media talks Inflation Reduction Act on The Weather Channel

Video: Canary Media talks EVs and air pollution on The Weather Channel

Video: Canary hits the airwaves to chat about hydrogen fuel-cell buses

LNG exports are a 'really, really big' climate threat, McKibben says

California's grid is hindering its climate goals. Can a new law fix it?

California makes it harder for schools, farms and rental housing to go solar

Chart: US EV sales are having a record-setting year

Canary Library: Research and white papers

Shifting EV Adoption into Overdrive: Technology and policy innovations for short and long-term success

Electric Mobility for All

Brighter Future: A Study on Solar in U.S. K-12 Schools

Steel Yourself: Implications of Peak Demand in the Energy Transition

America's first hydrogen-powered ferry is set to sail

Cartoon: Making transmission cool

Portugal just ran on 100% renewables for six days in a row

Charging Up: A chat with Cynthia Adams, CEO of Pearl Certification

The Tough Stuff: Decarbonizing steel, cement and chemicals

Cleaning up steel, cement and chemicals is tough — and entirely doable

The huge climate problem of cement, steel and chemicals, visualized

To decarbonize cement, the industry needs a full transformation

6 innovative startups that are kicking CO2 out of cement and concrete

The trillion-dollar quest to make green steel

Bankrupt EV bus-maker Proterra finds buyers for its business units

The humble trash truck is ready for an all-electric upgrade

Maine utilities eye move to time-varying electric rates to boost electrification

Will this startup finally crack the code on flow battery tech?

Electrified Life | Demystifying home electrification

Heat-pump water heaters are a winner for the climate — and your wallet

This simple score can help you find an energy-efficient home

Heat pumps are everywhere — even in clothes dryers

Here's why electric lawn mowers are cutting down the gas-fueled competition

A beginner’s guide to the different types of heat pumps

It's hard to connect clean power to the grid. New software can help

A new wave of startups is tackling a huge emissions source: wildfires

Chart: Clean energy attracting nearly twice as much investment as fossils

Future of small reactors at stake as NuScale deal flops

Chart of the week

Chart: Here’s where utility-scale solar is located in the US

Chart: US EV sales are having a record-setting year

Chart: Clean energy attracting nearly twice as much investment as fossils

Chart: Which clean energy sector is creating the most new jobs?

Chart: Here's where the carbon-intensive steel industry is concentrated

America’s first commercial direct air capture plant just got going

Michigan just passed one of the country’s most ambitious clean energy bills

The West is making mistakes as it helps developing nations get off coal

Mainers reject historic bid to make for-profit utilities publicly owned

Podcasts

The impact of AI: Solar forecasting, EVs and virtual power plants

The cost of nuclear

The future of the ​‘broken’ grid: A partner-supported episode

Mailbag episode! Interest rates, carbon dioxide removal, load growth and more

This simple score can help you find an energy-efficient home

FERC decides if LNG facilities benefit the public. Is it doing its job?

Kauai became a clean energy leader. Its secret? A publicly owned grid

BP buys $100M of Tesla chargers as oil majors prep for a post-gas future

Full steam ahead for electric freight trains

Chart: Which clean energy sector is creating the most new jobs?

America’s first ‘enhanced’ geothermal plant just got up and running

The future of the ‘broken’ grid: A partner-supported episode