Electrification Surge, Defense Minerals & Free Energy Microchips
This week’s top energy and tech stories cover the continuing fall in renewable electricity costs, major progress in electrification, and a key shift for clean heating in Europe. We also dive into a detailed breakdown of critical minerals in U.S. defense systems and explore an innovative graphene-based microchip that could replace traditional batteries.
AI’s Energy Hunger: Driving a Coal Comeback?
The rise of artificial intelligence is reshaping the digital world—and now, the energy system that powers it. As demand for AI accelerates, so does the need for electricity to run the vast data centers behind it. While tech companies are investing in renewables at record levels, the sheer scale and immediacy of AI's energy appetite are forcing a rethinking of what powers the grid.
New Trump Executive Order Fast-Tracks Energy for AI Data Centers
The White House has unveiled a sweeping executive order designed to accelerate the development of power-hungry AI data centers by streamlining federal permitting and prioritizing energy infrastructure. The directive, issued July 23, 2025, underscores the growing intersection of artificial intelligence and energy policy, as surging electricity demand from computing facilities strains grids and reshapes power generation planning.
UN Chief: Fossil Fuel Age Is Fading — Clean Energy Future Is Here
In a powerful speech at UN Headquarters, Secretary-General António Guterres declared the world has reached a turning point in the global energy transition. With solar and wind now cheaper than fossil fuels, and clean energy investment soaring, Guterres said the fossil fuel era is “flailing and failing.”
Solar Innovation, Heat Pump Hurdles & Global Gas Reserves
From solar breakthroughs on farmland and rooftops to the latest push for fairer energy pricing, this week’s stories spotlight the global energy transition in action. Inventions in photovoltaics are booming, UK EVs are pulling more weight on the roads than their numbers suggest, and California farmers are turning to solar for survival. Meanwhile, a policy rethink could be key to heat pump adoption—and a fresh look at natural gas reserves shows which nations still hold the biggest cards in the fossil fuel game.
EU Puts Nuclear on Par with Renewables in Green Spending Plan
The European Commission has proposed a sweeping long-term budget for 2028–2034, with more than €700 billion earmarked for climate and environmental objectives — and for the first time, new nuclear fission capacity is classified as 100% climate mitigation.
UK Sets Global Precedent with Fusion Planning Reforms Amid Nuclear Push
The UK government has announced it will become the first country in the world to introduce dedicated planning rules for nuclear fusion energy, aiming to fast-track clean energy projects and bolster its ambitions to become a “clean energy superpower.” The move is part of a wider push to reinvigorate the country’s nuclear sector, which currently plays a modest but critical role in the national energy mix.
EV Subsidies Across Europe: How the UK’s £3,750 Grant Compares
The UK government has reintroduced a major electric vehicle (EV) purchase incentive, aiming to accelerate the transition to zero-emission transport. From 16 July 2025, car manufacturers can apply for the new £650 million Electric Car Grant, which offers discounts of up to £3,750 on new EVs priced at £37,000 or less.
EU Solar Soars, China Tightens Green Rules & OPEC Sees Oil Rising
This week’s energy stories span major solar records, long-term oil outlooks, and critical policy shifts in China. Solar took the top spot in Europe’s power mix for the first time, while global solar generation hit its fastest growth rate in six years. Meanwhile, OPEC doubles down on fossil fuel forecasts, China brings its industrial giants into the renewables fold, and new data reveals just how reliant the U.S. remains on China for rare earth supplies.
Zonal Pricing Rejected: UK Stays with Single Electricity Market
The UK government has confirmed it will retain a single national electricity wholesale price, rejecting proposals to divide the country into regional pricing zones—a move that had been under serious consideration and was supported by some prominent voices in the energy sector.
Trump Ends Subsidies for Wind and Solar, Declares Push for 'Reliable' Energy
President Donald J. Trump signed a new Executive Order on Monday to eliminate federal support for wind and solar power, calling the technologies “unreliable” and “foreign-controlled.” The move advances the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and significantly alters the energy policy landscape, as the administration pivots toward what it calls “reliable, dispatchable” sources like natural gas, coal, and nuclear.
EV Growth, Microreactors & the Carbon Footprint of 36 Giants
From electric vehicles taking off in emerging markets to new microreactor experiments in the U.S., this week’s energy stories reveal how technology, policy, and power systems are shifting fast. China continues to set the pace on solar, a new AI model draws inspiration from energy principles, and a striking report shows that just 36 companies are behind half of fossil fuel and cement CO₂ emissions. Here’s what you need to know.
Energy in the Crossfire: Reactions to Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill
With President Donald Trump's sweeping budget bill — dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill” — poised to become law, the energy provisions inside are already stirring fierce debate. The legislation bundles together a range of measures affecting fossil fuels, renewables, nuclear, climate programs, and energy-related tax policy. Supporters see it as a bold reset of national priorities, while critics warn of clean tech rollbacks and a weakened climate agenda.
UK Launches Strategy to Double Onshore Wind by 2030
The UK government has unveiled a major new plan to revive the country’s onshore wind sector, aiming to more than double capacity by 2030 after nearly a decade of stagnation in England. Published today, the strategy is described as a cornerstone of Britain’s mission to become a “clean energy superpower” and reduce reliance on volatile global gas markets.
Wright Backs Trump’s Energy Overhaul in ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’: Maximum Output, Fewer Subsidies
Energy Secretary Chris Wright is fully behind President Donald Trump’s sweeping Big, Beautiful Bill. While the package spans taxes, regulation, and trade, it also marks what Wright called a “tremendous pivot in American energy policy”: more domestic production, fewer clean energy breaks, and a return to what he described as “common sense.”
Trump vs. Musk 2: Clash Over Spending, EV Mandates & the Future of Energy
The simmering tension between former President Donald Trump and Elon Musk has boiled over again, as both men traded jabs over Trump’s signature second-term legislation—dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill.” What began as policy disagreements over electric vehicle (EV) mandates and federal subsidies has now escalated into a broader feud over government spending, energy priorities, and political loyalty.
Tesla’s New Battery Plant Marks a Milestone for U.S. Energy Independence
Tesla is nearing completion of a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cell factory in Nevada, with Elon Musk calling the project essential for America’s energy future and warning of policy threats to clean energy growth. Tesla’s new facility in Sparks, Nevada, marks a major milestone for domestic battery production.
Second-Life Batteries, Electrification Momentum & Offshore Wind Innovation
Tesla co-founder JB Straubel is back with a new venture—Redwood Energy—using second-life EV batteries to power the grid. This week also brings a new observatory tracking AI’s growing energy footprint, warnings over lagging climate pledges, and EU-backed innovation in offshore wind maintenance. Electrification continues to play a key role in cutting fossil fuel imports.
Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Weapons: A Shared Origin with Diverging Paths
Nuclear energy harnesses the immense power stored in the nucleus of atoms. In civilian power plants, this energy is released through a process called nuclear fission, in which atoms of uranium-235 or plutonium-239 are split in a controlled chain reaction. The heat generated is used to produce steam, which drives turbines to generate electricity. This process, while complex, is generally stable and closely monitored for safety and efficiency.
Powering the Future: UK Links Clean Energy to Economic Growth
The UK government has unveiled a new strategy linking clean energy development with industrial growth, workforce opportunities, and regional investment. The Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan outlines a roadmap to double annual clean energy investment to over £30 billion by 2035 — with a strong emphasis on expanding domestic supply chains and revitalising the industrial regions that once powered the nation.