Energy & Climate
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NRC Grants Diablo Canyon a 20-Year License Extension, Marking the Agency's 100th Renewal as California's Nuclear Future Hinges on State Lawmakers
Federal regulators approved a 20-year license extension for California's last nuclear plant, but state law limits operations to 2030 without legislative action.
Iran War Energy Shock Triggers European Consumer Rush Toward Solar, Heat Pumps, and EVs
Brent crude has surged more than 50 percent since the Strait of Hormuz closure, and European consumers are responding by dramatically accelerating purchases of solar panels, heat pumps, and electric vehicles.
Aalo Atomics Completes First Nuclear Reactor Built on DOE Land in 50 Years, Targeting Criticality Within Weeks
Austin-based Aalo Atomics unveiled its completed Critical Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory on March 20, built in just 36 days, as the startup races to achieve criticality ahead of the DOE's July 4 deadline.
US New EV Sales Fall 28 Percent in Q1 2026 After Tax Credit Expiration as Used Market Surges to Near Price Parity
Cox Automotive data shows new EV sales dropped to 212,600 units in Q1 2026, while used EV sales climbed 12 percent to 93,500 units with prices approaching parity with gas vehicles.
Arctic Sea Ice Hits Record Low Maximum Extent as Volume and Regional Coverage Plunge Across Multiple Datasets
Arctic sea ice reached its lowest annual maximum extent on record in March 2026, with satellite data showing a continued erosion of the winter ice cap that scientists attribute to accelerating polar warming.
Dominion Energy's 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Farm Delivers First Power to the Grid After Surviving Federal Stop-Work Order
The 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, America's largest offshore wind farm, delivered first power on March 23 after overcoming a federal stop-work order that added $230 million in costs to the $11.5 billion project.
US and Japan Announce $40 Billion Small Modular Reactor Deal as America's Nuclear Construction Pipeline Widens
The US and Japan unveiled a $40 billion plan to build BWRX-300 small modular reactors in Tennessee and Alabama, weeks after the NRC granted TerraPower a historic advanced reactor permit.
Global Wind and Solar Additions Hit Record 814 GW in 2025, Pushing Total Capacity Past the 4 Terawatt Mark
The world installed a record 814 GW of wind and solar capacity in 2025, a 17 percent increase over 2024, lifting total global capacity past 4 terawatts for the first time while wind and solar overtook fossil fuels in EU electricity generation.
The Solid-State Battery Race Reaches a Turning Point as Chinese and Western Players Sprint Toward Commercialization
Eve Energy, QuantumScape, Changan, and others are moving solid-state batteries from lab curiosity to production reality in 2026, but divergent strategies and persistent cost challenges will determine who leads the next era of energy storage.
DOE Deploys $1.9 Billion SPARK Program to Upgrade US Transmission Grid Through Reconductoring Instead of New Construction
The US Department of Energy has opened a $1.9 billion funding round under its SPARK program to accelerate grid modernization by replacing aging transmission wires with advanced conductors, a strategy that can double line capacity at half the cost of building new infrastructure.
Toyota and Hyundai Showcase Competing Hydrogen Strategies at Tokyo Expo as Industry Pivots from Passenger Cars to Industrial Scale
Toyota debuted a 5MW electrolyzer and Hyundai launched its HTWO brand at the Tokyo H2 Expo, while Hyundai deployed South America's first hydrogen truck fleet in Uruguay.
Chemical Recycling of Plastic Reaches Industrial Scale as Neste Opens World's Largest Upgrading Facility and Researchers Crack Low-Energy PET Conversion
Neste has commissioned a EUR 111 million facility in Finland for 150,000 tons of waste plastic per year, while UNIST researchers demonstrate PET decomposition at half the usual temperature with hydrogen co-production.