9 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Energy

Summer blackouts are increasing in the USSummer blackouts are increasing in the US
Lost HighwayLost Highway
William Poor
Hydrogen cars flopped, but fuel cells are finding new life in trucks and boats

Mining trucks, cement mixers, and terminal tractors all seem like the perfect use of hydrogen fuel cells. But they run into the same challenges around price and fueling.

Andrew J. Hawkins
EcoFlow’s battery-powered A/C and heater combo is too overblown

6

Verge Score

The Wave 2 heat pump is very capable for its size, but EcoFlow’s absurd marketing sets unrealistic expectations.

Thomas Ricker
Another blow to the US’s offshore wind ambitionsAnother blow to the US’s offshore wind ambitions
Justine Calma
Justine Calma
Puerto Rico faces widespread blackouts after Tropical Storm Ernesto.

Roughly half of customers lost power yesterday. As of this morning, more than 30 percent of customers are still without service, according to power utility Luma Energy.

It shows how vulnerable the US territory’s grid is after Hurricane Maria hit in 2017 and left residents without electricity for up to 11 months. In July, Puerto Rico filed a $1 billion suit against fossil fuel companies.

Half of Puerto Rico has no electricity after Ernesto, utility reports

[The Washington Post]

Justine Calma
Justine Calma
Google and Amazon are reportedly at odds over renewable energy.

They’re on different sides of a debate over how to counteract pollution from data centers’ energy use, Financial Times reports.

Amazon and Meta are part of a lobby group that wants more lax standards for renewable energy certificates, which can pose similar risks as carbon offset credits. Google, meanwhile, backs a different strategy for bringing more renewables online wherever data centers operate.

Amazon and Meta’s bid to rewrite the rules on net zero

[Financial Times]

Ford offers free home EV charging for some Texas residents in first-of-its-kind dealFord offers free home EV charging for some Texas residents in first-of-its-kind deal
Cyberattacks on clean energy are coming — the White House has a planCyberattacks on clean energy are coming — the White House has a plan
Justine Calma
Justine Calma
Solar giant SunPower filed for bankruptcy.

SunPower helped kick off a solar boom in the US, Canary Media explains. But the company was hit hard by soaring interest rates and faced allegations of mismanagement, CNBC reports. Solar companies in the US have grappled with inflation and supply chain kinks pushing up projects costs in recent years, and have struggled to compete with more affordable panels made in China.

SunPower, a solar icon once valued in the billions, files for…

[Canary Media]

‘Dark oxygen’ discovered on the seafloor raises stakes for deep-sea mining negotiations

Scientists discovered ‘dark oxygen’ in the ocean’s abyss, where companies want to mine battery metals.

Justine Calma
Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
Here’s the robot building Amazon’s solar farms.

AES has given its Atlas solar robot some AWS smarts and redubbed it “Maximo.” It helped complete an Amazon-backed solar farm in Louisiana and is now moving on to Bellefield, California, home of the largest solar-plus-storage project in the US. According to Amazon, it can “reduce solar installation timelines and costs by as much 50 percent:”

Besides automating heavy lifting, Maximo can also perform in nearly any weather or lighting condition, which is especially useful for the Bellefield project, which is located in a sandy desert area known for extreme heat. Once Maximo arrives there later this year, the robot will work alongside crews to lift hundreds of heavy solar panels into place.

We’re at a make-or-break moment for US climate goalsWe’re at a make-or-break moment for US climate goals
High hopes and security fears for next-gen nuclear reactorsHigh hopes and security fears for next-gen nuclear reactors
Puerto Rico files $1 billion suit against fossil fuel companiesPuerto Rico files $1 billion suit against fossil fuel companies
Justine Calma
Justine Calma
J.D. Vance has flip-flopped on climate change like he’s flip-flopped on Trump.

Trump’s new running mate went from saying “we have a climate problem” in 2020 to being “skeptical of the idea that climate change is caused purely by man,” The New York Times reports. (Research shows greenhouse gas emissions from human activity are to blame.) Vance suddenly threw his support behind Trump, pushed to repeal EV tax credits and rollback pollution regulations.

J.D. Vance Is an Oil Booster and Doubter of Human-Caused Climate Change

[The New York Times]

This climate tech startup wants to capture carbon and help data centers cool downThis climate tech startup wants to capture carbon and help data centers cool down
Amazon’s carbon emissions fell last yearAmazon’s carbon emissions fell last year
Lithium-ion batteries have a forever chemical problemLithium-ion batteries have a forever chemical problem
Extreme heat and Hurricane Beryl make a disaster pileup in TexasExtreme heat and Hurricane Beryl make a disaster pileup in Texas
Samsung SmartThings takes a step toward a smarter gridSamsung SmartThings takes a step toward a smarter grid
Clean energy has become an even more divided topic in the USClean energy has become an even more divided topic in the US
EcoFlow’s new solar generator is a portable powerhouseEcoFlow’s new solar generator is a portable powerhouse
Congress votes to advance nuclear energy development in the USCongress votes to advance nuclear energy development in the US
Maybe we don’t have to capture so much carbon, study suggestsMaybe we don’t have to capture so much carbon, study suggests
Bluetti SwapSolar review: power and chill with swappable batteries

Sharing this solar generator’s batteries with a 3-in-1 solar fridge, freezer, and ice-making combo is a good idea that might get better.

Thomas Ricker
Ecobee’s smart thermostat can automatically respond to a heatwaveEcobee’s smart thermostat can automatically respond to a heatwave
EcoFlow’s $200 PowerStream is so clever, you might buy a $4,000 solar generator

8

Verge Score

A mini power plant that turns a standard power outlet into a solar power inlet.

Thomas Ricker
Google plans to reuse heat after expanding a data center for AIGoogle plans to reuse heat after expanding a data center for AI
The EV industry can’t shake its human rights abuse problemThe EV industry can’t shake its human rights abuse problem
At a Beverly Hills mansion, where an electric truck is your only source of powerAt a Beverly Hills mansion, where an electric truck is your only source of power
Microsoft’s AI obsession is jeopardizing its climate ambitionsMicrosoft’s AI obsession is jeopardizing its climate ambitions
Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
EcoFlow brings 800W of charging power to vanlife.

The $599 Alternator Charger sits between the starter battery on your RV, van, or truck and the giant EcoFlow battery you use to power your work and play when off the grid. It charges at a rate of 1kWh for every 1.3 hours of driving and can also be used to maintain and jump start the starter battery if needed.

The US moves to stop buying uranium from Russia and start producing it at homeThe US moves to stop buying uranium from Russia and start producing it at home
US to raise tariffs on EVs, batteries, solar cells, and computer chips from ChinaUS to raise tariffs on EVs, batteries, solar cells, and computer chips from China
Justine Calma
Justine Calma
The US doesn’t have enough power lines.

AI, EVs, and Joe Biden’s push for domestic manufacturing are putting more pressure on aging power grids. The nation also needs double the transmission capacity to meet Biden’s goal of 100 percent carbon pollution-free electricity.

To get more transmission lines up, FERC just overhauled rules for new projects — including a mandate that grid operators start anticipating energy needs at least 20 years in advance.

Justine Calma
Justine Calma
“Why are they making us the dumping ground for the rest of the country?”

More residents across the US are asking that question about carbon dioxide, The Washington Post reports, as technologies that capture CO2 from smokestacks become more popular with companies that want to claim they’re fighting climate change. All that captured carbon dioxide has to go somewhere, and concerns are growing about the safety of new CO2 pipelines and underground storage wells.

Biden and oil companies like this climate tech. Many Americans do not.

[The Washington Post]

A rare geomagnetic storm is heading to Earth — here’s what it means for critical infrastructureA rare geomagnetic storm is heading to Earth — here’s what it means for critical infrastructure
The answer to AI’s energy needs could be blowing in the windThe answer to AI’s energy needs could be blowing in the wind
The world’s largest carbon removal plant is here, and bigger ones are on the wayThe world’s largest carbon removal plant is here, and bigger ones are on the way

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