China Industrial Cleanup | Good Climate News
China is forcing heavy industries like steel, cement and polysilicon manufacturers to buy renewable energy for the first time, reports Reuters. A new Renewable Portfolio Standard. (RPS) will set a minimum level of renewables factories must buy from 2025 onward. The RPS ranges from 10.8 to 70% and is adjusted by available resource in each province. It is expected to increase each year.
In June solar represented the European Union’s (EU) largest source of electricity generation according to energy think tank Ember. Solar provided 22.1% of the bloc’s electricity over the course of the month, edging out nuclear at 21.8%. It is the first time in history that solar has been the EU’s single largest source of electricity on a monthly basis.
Egypt has completed a massive 650MW wind farm along the Red Sea coast, announces French lead developer Engie. The project - Africa’s largest - is now delivering enough electricity to the grid to power around 1 million homes. Egypt has been a laggard in low-carbon energy but is rapidly developing both its renewable and nuclear capacity.
Australia has announced a $2.3 billion plan to subsidize home batteries, reports ABC News. The lucky country is a world leader in residential solar with around 40% of households with solar PV systems. Adding batteries to these systems will help households use more of the electricity they generate and improve grid stability.
Geothermal energy has been left largely unscathed by the Trump administration’s Big Beautiful Bill, explains Canary Media. Although the megabill largely repealed the Biden administration’s signature climate legislation - the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) - bits and pieces were left intact. Some of those pieces are full IRA-level tax credits for geothermal and nuclear, which remain in place up until 2033 before winding down in 2036.
India’s solar boom has kept coal use flat so far this year, observes Reuters. Solar electricity generation lept 32.4% from January to April 2025 over the year prior. Fossil fuels still make up 75% of India’s generation, but renewables are progressing rapidly.
Rising sea levels could boost mangrove carbon storage, reports Earth.com. Mangroves tend to store more carbon than other ecosystems, and rising sea levels could help them expand deeper inland, according to a recent study, and thus partially mitigate CO2 levels.
The United Kingdom’s largest solar energy farm has entered commercial operation, notes POWER Magazine. The 373 MW Cleve Hill Solar Park will also include 150MW of co-located battery storage. The UK is a leader in wind power, but has only recently begun to explore its solar potential.
