Clean energy

Food and farms

The investment boom in ‘renewable natural gas’ is sparking debate

Oil and gas giants are spending billions to develop RNG projects from trash, food and manure. But experts say there’s a limited future for the waste-derived fuel.

By Maria Gallucci . 8 May 2023
Transmission

Clean energy transmission line in New England gets go-ahead from jury

The new wires will deliver cheap Canadian hydropower to a region still dependent on gas and oil.

By Jake Bittle . 3 May 2023
Batteries

Battery firms set to thrive under new California rooftop solar regime

Home battery installs could double in California this year, now that the state has ditched net metering and overhauled incentives for rooftop solar owners.

By Julian Spector . 28 April 2023
Clean energy

Chart: Americans actually agree on supporting solar and wind power

But polling data shows a big partisan divide and age gap on the question of whether climate change is a serious problem.

By Eric Wesoff, Dan McCarthy . 28 April 2023
Nuclear

Avalanche raises $40M to pursue vision of tiny nuclear fusion reactor

The startup is spurning room-sized reactors in favor of a small, modular design. But it’s unclear when or if fusion technology — large or small — will pan out.

By Eric Wesoff . 27 April 2023
Solar

How the rooftop solar industry is adapting to California's new rulebook

The state’s once-thriving industry faces an uneasy future now that California has slashed financial incentives for people to put solar panels on their roofs.

By Julian Spector . 26 April 2023
Solar

Google’s latest climate plan? Skip grid backlog, mimic community solar

EDP Renewables and Google plan to spread a big solar buildout across 80 small projects, with 10% of revenue dedicated to environmental-justice benefits.

By Jeff St. John . 25 April 2023
Energy storage

Tesla's battery-storage sales are growing way faster than EV sales

Deployments of Tesla batteries surged 360% as the EV maker opened a factory for grid-scale batteries. Now it’s getting into lithium refining too.

By Eric Wesoff . 24 April 2023
Wind

Republican donors are funding misinformation about offshore wind

There's no evidence that offshore wind development harms whales, but fossil-fuel-backed groups have latched onto the claim as a way to hamper the industry.

By Akielly Hu . 24 April 2023
Solar

Sunnova lands $3B DOE backing for low-income solar and battery loans

DOE’s first-ever “virtual power plant” conditional loan guarantee aims to bring solar-battery systems to underserved communities and help balance the grid.

By Jeff St. John . 20 April 2023