Surf’s up. North. Here is the auroral oval, right now:
And here is the K Index, also via NOAA:
Remember that the aurora’s curtains of light stand up to 800 miles above their base, about 100 miles up. So they are visible hundreds of miles away. Such as here, in Southern Indiana.
So go find some dark, and dig.
People are finding new and creative ways to bring more solar power to the world, from agrivoltaics in the US to islands like Jamaica.
The post Cows, Jamaica, & Solar — Winning The Clean Energy Revolution appeared first on CleanTechnica.
This course provides an overview of how geothermal networks can lead the transformation of our thermal system towards a clean renewable energy. A collaboration between HEET (Home Energy Efficiency Team) and MIT, it was offered during the Independent Activities Period (IAP) in January 2025.
The course brings together the diverse perspectives of more than 20 experts and stakeholders, to cover the following topics as they relate to geothermal energy networks (GENs):
Course co-creators:
View the materials, including 26 videos
This course engages students in projects involving rotating tank laboratory experiments, analysis of data on the sphere, and report writing and presentation. Project themes explore fundamentals of climate science and make contact points with major contemporary environmental challenges facing mankind. Topics include heat and moisture transport in the atmosphere; weather and weather extremes; aerosols, dust, and atmospheric pollution; and ocean circulation and transport and plastics in the ocean. Students gain practical experience in interpreting noisy, imperfect datasets and develop essential skills in both written and oral scientific communication.
Instructors: Talia Tamarin-Broksky, John Marshall
After a year of political and economic upheaval, the movement to transition the American steel industry away from fossil fuels faces opportunities and growing challenges, according to three new reports.
The MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative’s Climate, Environment, and Sustainability Infusion Fellowship (CESIF) launched in February 2023 to empower faculty across MIT to cross their disciplinary boundaries and embed topics of climate science, the environment, and sustainability (CES) into the regular undergraduate curriculum.
By infusing CES topics into regular undergraduate subjects, MIT students were introduced to the critical challenges facing society today and the pathways toward planetary sustainability tomorrow.
The fellowship had a duration of two years, continuing until the spring of 2025. It provided faculty with funding and opportunities to build community in a cohort of faculty and instructors across disciplines, to engage in monthly meetings to learn about innovative CES content knowledge and pedagogical methodologies, to work with CES area experts and speakers, to workshop new instructional material, to get feedback from peers and ESI staff and visiting experts, to work closely with peer fellows for additional accountability and feedback, and to have access to a shared online platform for instructional support.
This initial OCW publication includes resources for these subjects:
Mathematics
Biology
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Mechanical and Ocean Engineering
Instructors: Chris Rabe, Jonathan Bloom, Mary Ellen Wiltrout, Katrina LaCurts, Themistoklis Sapsis
In China and Europe, there aren’t really many concerns. Electric vehicle adoption continues to go up, and policies in place in those major markets as well as the natural technological learning curve mean that EV sales will continue to grow year after year, replacing polluting, costly, inefficient fossil-fueled vehicles. In ... [continued]
The post What Drives EV Adoption Now? appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Last Friday, a group gathered inside a building in East London, holding an unusual medley of used goods, from tattered teddy bears and old shoes to an elegant but broken vintage blender.
Two years ago, Colombia's president announced the country would stop exploring for fossil fuels. So how is the energy transition going for Colombia?
The US energy storage startup Antora is manufacturing thermophotovoltaic "heat batteries" that store renewable energy for transfer into electricity or heat, capable of powering industrial operations.
The post Giant Blocks Of Steaming Hot Carbon Are Coming For Your Fossil Fuels appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Treaty Oak Clean Energy recently announced it entered into agreements with the technology company Meta for two utility-scale solar projects totaling 385 MW in Louisiana. The solar projects are backed by power purchase agreements with Meta. Chris Elrod, the Co-Founder and CEO of Treaty Oak Clean Energy, answered some questions ... [continued]
The post 385 MW Of Solar Power To Be Developed In Louisiana Project appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Some social scientists propose a shift in perspective when it comes to the climate crisis. Instead of approaching it as a fight to be won, viewing it as a complex puzzle that can only be solved through global collaboration could help make more sense of the tangled COP30 climate negotiations currently underway through Nov. 21 in Belém, Brazil.
Recently, CleanTechnica published an update on Australia’s progress in transitioning to a grid fully powered by renewables. Batteries are an integral part of that to store and time shift Australia’s abundant solar resources. Here are some more good news stories from Down Under. Despite attempts by the newly elected conservative ... [continued]
The post Long Duration BESS + Solar Replace Coal Mines & Gas Extraction appeared first on CleanTechnica.
It’s happened to you on the internet, some enticing topic, a magic excelsior for weight loss, or a way to get rich quick. You have to open 30 web pages while they beat around the bush, then finally they tell you how buy the excelsior for a special one-time only ... [continued]
The post The Next Great Investment Opportunity: Get Rich Quick From New “Green” Energy appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Elon Musk may be the $1 trillion man, but when it comes to running a car company, he is a dismal failure. Years ago, he was smiling like the Cheshire Cat and begging other automakers to bring compelling electric cars to market — and boy, howdy, did they ever. Having ... [continued]
The post Tesla Sales Crater As Top Executives Flee appeared first on CleanTechnica.
The 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is known by the shorthand “COP30.” These meetings are annual opportunities for leaders from around the world to discuss efforts to combat human-induced climate change. Participants work together to negotiate agreements on topics such ... [continued]
The post How Disinformation Is Affecting COP30 — And You appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Solar power really is the fastest, most accessible, and most economical way to address the "energy emergency" declared by US President Donald Trump, according to the latest report from the US Energy Information Agency.
The post US Expects To Add 32 More Gigawatts Of Solar Power In Next 12 Months appeared first on CleanTechnica.
PowerFlex recently collaborated with the Los Angeles County Internal Services Department and the Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA) to install 20 Level 2 electric vehicle charging ports at the LACDA Carmelitos community in Long Beach, CA. While 20 EV charging ports might not sound like that much, they are ... [continued]
The post 20 New EV Charging Ports Installed In Long Beach, CA appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Did you know that 80% of international trade and the goods we use in our everyday lives travel by sea from port to port? These goods generate 3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, so reducing these emissions is critically urgent to protect our climate, oceans, economy, and human health. ... [continued]
The post How Ports Around The World Are Decarbonizing appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Microinverters from the US-based global firm Enphase are playing a featured role in the gas station solar power movement.
The post Gas Station Solar Power Is Happening, And A US Startup Is On It appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Our readers wouldn’t know this, but I have a job outside CleanTechnica, working for the Colombian government as an analyst of the current conflict waged between Colombia and the various armed groups operating within our territory. The recent impasse between Colombian President Gustavo Petro and US President Donald Trump prompted ... [continued]
The post Oil & The Narco: A Radical Perspective Regarding Cleantech’s Role Amidst the War on Drugs appeared first on CleanTechnica.
As the Cop30 climate conference opens in Brazil and 10 years after the key deal she brokered, Christiana Figueres speaks to Nick Ferris about why Beijing is stealing a march on the West when it comes to renewable energy – and why she is confident that the US will eventually return to the climate fold
The public stoush is really about whether the party will drop the charade or maintain it while shuffling some words
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The best thing that can be said about the Coalition’s internal brawl over whether to abandon its support for reaching net zero emissions by 2050 is that it has some honesty in it. Not much honesty, but if you look closely you may see some light breaking through.
The federal Liberals and Nationals have never supported the idea of reaching net zero by 2050. Some individual MPs have, but not the parties. We know this because they have not backed a policy to help meet it since Scott Morrison adopted the target in 2021 to try to deflect rising pressure at home and abroad.
Continue reading...Renewable energy is booming worldwide — and solar is leading the way. In the first half of 2025, solar energy generation jumped 31%. This record surge meant that renewable energy sources collectively generated more electricity than coal worldwide for the first time earlier this year — despite recent setbacks in the US by the Trump administration.
While China is installing most of the world’s solar infrastructure, solar adoption is a global phenomenon with at least 29 countries now getting more than 10% of their electricity from solar. Every week seems to bring new developments for solar power: from installing panels on iconic football stadiums to new national laws requiring all large parking lots to have solar canopies installed. In the US, 30 states now generate at least 10% of their in-state electricity from solar and wind. These renewables generated enough power in 2024 to power over 70 million American homes — more than triple the amount generated a decade ago.
Solar energy has always been cleaner than fossil fuels, but with rapidly advancing technology, it’s now much more cost-effective as well, with a recent report finding that solar photovoltaics were, on average, 41% cheaper than the lowest-cost fossil fuel alternatives. The simple economics driving solar’s rapid expansion may also be a solution to rising utility costs, which are climbing twice as fast as inflation, driven by an aging grid primarily powered by methane, whose prices remain volatile. With the termination of the $7 billion federal grant program Solar for All designed to expand solar access to low-income Americans and communities, over the summer, cost savings for an estimated 900,000 households have disappeared into thin air.
Julian Spector, a senior reporter at Canary Media, clears up some common misconceptions about solar and offers tips to help journalists report the topic. He has extensively covered solar panels, batteries, and emerging technologies to store clean energy and unlock a carbon-free grid.
Solar already hit the big time. Many still consider solar “alternative energy,” but that’s an outdated framing. The US is building far more solar than any other energy source this year, just like it did last year, and the year before that. Solar also leads installations worldwide. It’s still a small percentage of total annual US electricity production, but coverage should recognize the dominant position solar has seized in today’s power markets.
Intermittency is real, but not a fundamental obstacle. Solar panels obviously can’t generate electricity when the sun is down. Some commenters claim this is a fundamental problem. However, no power source actually runs 100% of the time. Nuclear plants typically run the longest without stopping, but they need to cease operations to refuel and conduct maintenance. Coal plants break down, gas plants turn off for economic reasons.
Weird solar almost never works. Plummeting costs of photovoltaic technology have inspired all manner of inventive concepts. Solar roadways, solar bike paths, solar windows, solar walls — even solar in space. The startups trying to put solar panels into novel formats almost always fail — stemming from the very success of mainstream solar. The compounding benefits of mass production and industrial learning-by-doing have made regular old solar panels extremely tough competition. Exercise caution in devoting reporting time to shiny new ideas — chances are they’re a distraction from the solar that’s actually getting built.
Look to bellwether regions to see where we’re headed. Solar is not evenly distributed. To glimpse what happens when super-cheap solar power is unleashed, look to California and Texas, the two biggest solar states. One got there through dedicated climate policy, the other through free markets. In both cases, solar is pushing power prices down in hot summer afternoons, and, with the help of batteries, serving demand after sundown too. The solar-battery duo has virtually eliminated power shortfalls during historic heatwaves in both places.
The next Locally Sourced will highlight winter weather. Have you reported about how climate change is changing winter weather? Send them to us at local[at]coveringclimatenow[dot]org. We’d love to consider them for the next edition of Locally Sourced and our media trainings and social platforms.
Join CCNow and Climate Central for a one-hour discussion tomorrow, November 12, at 12pm US Eastern Time, recapping how climate change fueled the historic 2025 hurricane season. RSVP.
The Climate Station is a free-of-cost training program from CCNow that equips local TV station newsrooms in the US, including journalists, producers, and meteorologists, to cover climate news more effectively. For inquiries, please email Elena González at elena[at]coveringclimatenow[dot]org. Or apply here.
Want more story ideas? Check out the Locally Sourced archive for more topics to explore, including resilient agriculture, emergency alerts, climate anxiety, and more.
Know someone who might be interested in this newsletter? Forward Locally Sourced to a colleague!
The post Covering Solar Energy appeared first on Covering Climate Now.
Under stage three of the plan, non-essential construction is banned and curbs on industrial activity using polluting fuels are enforced
Simon Stiell told ministers from nearly 200 countries in Belém that governments dragging their feet on cutting fossil fuel use would be held responsible for famines, conflicts, and economic turmoil
Nations have begun climate negotiations at the COP30 summit in Brazil. Studies show the world is not on track to avoid the most damaging impacts of climate change.
CAMP VERDE, Ariz.—In front of Buddy Rocha Jr. stood a group of Arizona’s local and state-level politicians, agency staffers and water experts. Behind the Yavapai-Apache chairman flowed the Verde River.
Exclusive: Airlines’ body dismisses the idea of premium levy as ‘crazy’ – while UN staff travel in business class
Fung-wong is expected to weaken further as it moves across Taiwan, though forecasters warn of ‘torrential rain and strong winds’
After publishing the summary of the study that assessed 2,000 hydrogen projects worldwide, one finding stood out. Across the total spectrum of use cases, electrification provided roughly 80% better emissions reductions than hydrogen. The data also showed that the overall climate benefit of hydrogen, once all losses and logistics were ... [continued]
The post Why Hydrogen Isn’t Cutting Costs Like Solar or Batteries appeared first on CleanTechnica.
World’s biggest polluter on track to hit peak emissions target early but miss goal for cutting carbon intensity
China’s carbon dioxide emissions have been flat or falling for 18 months, analysis reveals, adding evidence to the hope that the world’s biggest polluter has managed to hit its target of peak CO2 emissions well ahead of schedule.
Rapid increases in the deployment of solar and wind power generation – which grew by 46% and 11% respectively in the third quarter of this year – meant the country’s energy sector emissions remained flat, even as the demand for electricity increased.
Continue reading...As COP30 U.N. climate talks start in Brazil, the host country president warns of "extremist forces" spreading climate lies as he calls for a global roadmap to end deforestation and fossil fuels.
A small test in Norway triggered a European debate about connected vehicles and national security. Engineers at Ruter, Oslo’s public transit agency, ran an inspection on new Chinese-made Yutong electric buses before accepting them into service. During controlled testing, they found that the buses’ remote diagnostics system allowed the manufacturer ... [continued]
The post Chinese Buses, European Fears, and the Truth About Connected Fleets appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Plug Power’s announcement that it is suspending work on its Department of Energy–backed green hydrogen projects marks a sobering turning point. Most companies would fight to secure a $1.66 billion loan guarantee from the federal government. Plug Power is walking away from it. That decision, combined with yet another round ... [continued]
The post When Hydrogen Maintenance Meets Meltdown: Inside Plug Power’s Desperation Phase appeared first on CleanTechnica.