China’s Car Market Stalls Even as Global Demand Keeps Growing

China’s domestic car sales have fallen significantly this year; however, sales of Chinese cars have risen substantially in some international markets, such as Mexico, demonstrating the growing global demand for Chinese-made vehicles. This demand growth has been driven by the launch of a wide range of affordable and competitive Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) from companies such as Build Your Dreams (BYD). China’s car market could experience its worst year since 2021, based on recent low consumer demand, compared to the record-high sales…

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Tidal Energy Could Cover 57% of US Electricity Demand, NREL Study Finds

An Alaska-based tidal energy company is testing a new kind of small, modular turbine in the waters off of Massachusetts to try to take advantage of the United States’ vast and untapped tidal power potential. The turbine is being piloted in the strong tidal currents of Cape Cod to test the technology’s performance and durability in real-world conditions in order to explore whether it could be suitable for commercial scaling. Tapping into the country’s tidal energy potential could be a major game changer for decarbonization and…

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China Doubles Down on Clean Energy Even as Coal Keeps Growing

China has announced plans to double down on its already ambitious renewable energy targets by massively expanding its solar and wind capacity by the end of the decade. China has been rapidly growing its renewable energy portfolio for several decades to become the world leader in green energy. However, despite its ambitious renewable energy plans, it also plans to continue expanding its coal production. China is the largest energy consumer and greenhouse gas emitter in the world; however, it has also grown to become the biggest renewable energy…

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Record Vaca Muerta Output Fails to Lift Argentina’s Wider Economy

Argentina’s Vaca Muerta is booming as the key shale province outside the United States has seen record oil and near-record natural gas production in recent months. Vaca Muerta’s fortunes, however, appear to be confined so far to the area in which the shale patch is located, the province of Neuquén in the western region of Patagonia. The rest of Argentina continues to struggle with sluggish growth, high inflation, weak consumer spending, and business and mortgage defaults, all the while South America’s second-largest economy…

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Suriname’s $26 Billion Oil Bet Is Finally Paying Off

Middle East turmoil, centered on the U.S. war with Iran, is playing havoc with world energy markets. An ongoing dispute over access to the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of world oil and natural gas supply is shipped, is causing prices to surge. This is a boon for South America's oil industry, particularly Suriname's emerging petroleum boom, which was delayed by conflicting drilling results and seismic data. The former Dutch colony is on the cusp of becoming South America's next major oil-producing nation. Since 2019, Suriname's government…

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AI’s Electricity Demand Is Not the Real Problem. Its Inflexibility Is

The electricity demand created by artificial intelligence is usually presented as a simple supply problem. AI requires increasingly large data centers, those facilities consume enormous amounts of electricity, and utilities must somehow build enough power plants to serve them. The numbers appear to support the alarm. Data centers consumed around 485 terawatt-hours of electricity globally in 2025. The International Energy Agency expects this to rise to approximately 950 TWh by 2030, while consumption from AI-focused facilities could triple. Some…

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The Controversial Space Mirrors Designed to Boost Solar Power

In line with greater funding for renewable energy and cleantech in recent years, several companies have sought to use innovative technologies and techniques to enhance clean energy production. Tech and energy startups from around the world have raised funds to test out a wide range of technologies aimed at accelerating the deployment of renewable energy capacity and enhancing the stability of certain energy sources, such as solar power. The California-based startup Reflect Orbital was recently granted permission from the United States Federal Communications…

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Finland’s Sand Battery Cuts Emissions 70% Without a Single Rare Earth

Europe is falling far behind on energy storage installation exactly when it’s most needed. The continent’s energy security is under significant threat as it contends with its third energy crisis in four years thanks to the region’s over-reliance on imported fossil fuels. While the European Union has made major inroads toward adding solar and wind capacity to help diversify the bloc’s energy mix, energy storage capacities have lagged behind, creating new vulnerabilities for the grid and for energy markets alike. “Without…

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The Bank of England Is Moving Away From Coal

Environmental groups have been campaigning to encourage banks and other financial institutions to divest from fossil fuels for years, with efforts growing stronger since the Covid-19 pandemic and the global push to transition away from oil, gas, and coal to renewable alternatives. In June, the Bank of England quietly announced that it would no longer be accepting bonds associated with coal operations for key loan arrangements. The ban will be enforced from October. It is the latest move to encourage a shift away from thermal coal for electricity…

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VC Money Floods Into U.S. Nuclear Startups as AI Power Demand Explodes

Venture capitalists are taking a major interest in nuclear energy start ups. Funding is surging for both nuclear fusion and fission firms as the technology becomes an increasingly essential part of a feasible pathway toward sustainable energy security in the face of the artificial intelligence boom. According to reporting by Axios, global investment in both fission and fusion has topped USD $4.5 billion across 81 companies in 2026 so far. At this pace, by year’s end, this year will shatter 2025’s previous record of $6.2 billion for…

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