Canary Media's top 10 clean energy stories in 2023

Canary readers stampeded to these clean energy stories, from close looks at fatty fuels and electric lawn tools to California’s controversial solar policy moves and an inspiring account of one country’s recent renewable-power streak. Did your favorites make the list? Check out 10 … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

Chart: The US hits new highs for oil and gas production

Canary Media’s chart of the week translates crucial data about the clean energy transition into a visual format. COP28 concluded last week with what many called a " historic ” achievement: The final agreement signed by all countries included language explicitly calling for “trans … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

After 2023's wild ride, climate venture capital poised for strong 2024

It’s been a topsy-turvy year for cleantech venture investing, complete with unexpected corporate implosions. 2023 began on a somber note, with foreboding signs from the broader economy. Demoralizing interest rates, inflation and lingering supply-chain weirdness had investors and … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

After a brutal 2023, offshore wind looks to overcome growing pains

ATLANTIC OCEAN — Three huge blades spin hypnotically overhead, illuminated by the morning sun shining through cotton-ball clouds. Our vessel cruises over gentle waves past the yellow foundation of a 600-foot-tall wind turbine, one of five rising from the waters off the coast of R … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

Seattle and other cities mull creative workarounds to ditch gas

This story was first published by Grist . A new law in Seattle marks the latest in a wave of local efforts to electrify homes and other buildings. Under the city’s Building Emissions Performance Standard , signed into law last week, all existing commercial and multifamily residen … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

Suddenly, US electricity demand is spiking. Can the grid keep up?

For the past two decades, demand for electricity across the United States has hardly increased. But those dynamics appear to have dramatically reversed — and U.S. electric utilities, regulators and power grid planners aren’t prepared to deal with this new paradigm of surging elec … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

5 lessons from Portugal’s 6-day renewables streak

Years of renewables development set Portugal up for stunning success this fall when the country met all of its electricity needs with renewable sources for six days straight . For five of those days, no fossil fuels had to be burned at conventional power plants to keep the grid h … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

UK’s Octopus Energy raises $800M to expand global clean energy push

Octopus Energy, the many-tentacled British clean energy juggernaut, just raised an additional $800 million to fund its next phase of expansion. Octopus started as a retailer in the U.K.’s competitive power markets, but it promised to source clean energy for its customers. It also … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

One cool way to help speed up heat-pump adoption

Dear Canary Media readers, I love making the clean energy transition something everyone can embrace in their own homes and lives. And I couldn’t ask for a better time to be doing this work. The Inflation Reduction Act unleashed a bonanza of incentives to help us get off fossil f … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

This welding supply company is venturing into the EV charging business

This story was first published by ENN . A 128-year-old Cleveland-area industrial equipment manufacturer is among the newest makers of fast chargers for the growing electric vehicle market. Lincoln Electric’s new Velion DC fast charger adapts and adds to technology the company ha … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

EV school bus rollout off to slow start despite billion-dollar subsidies

Back in October 2022, the Biden administration announced the first investment from its historic program aimed at addressing the climate and health impacts of the nation’s nearly 500,000 diesel-burning school buses. The initial award of nearly $1 billion in rebates was enough to o … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

This seasoned electrician is helping to build a clean energy workforce

As a child, Tonya Hicks was fascinated by car engines. She spent her summers in her grandparents’ garage with her uncle, an industrial mechanic, who taught her how to build a motor from scrap by the time she was 8. She constantly got in trouble with her mother and grandmother for … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

The clean energy backlog barely budged this year. What’s the way forward?

When it comes to the existentially important process of connecting new clean energy to the grid, 2023 is ending much as it began: in a literal gridlock. Despite getting a ton of attention from policymakers — and a major push from federal regulators demanding interconnection refor … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

Clean energy factories, thermal storage get boost from new tax credits

The U.S. clean energy manufacturing sector got a major boost Thursday when the Internal Revenue Service released long-awaited tax credit rules . The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act created unprecedented manufacturing incentives for wind, solar, batteries and critical materials produ … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

Chart: The US installed more solar in 2023 than ever before

Canary Media’s chart of the week translates crucial data about the clean energy transition into a visual format. This has been a record-shattering year for U.S. solar power. When 2023 comes to a close, nearly 33 gigawatts of solar capacity will have been installed across the coun … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

Charging Up: A chat with Suzanne Leta, head of policy and strategy at SunPower

Canary Media’s Charging Up column chronicles gender diversity in the climatetech sector. Part one is a short Q&A with an industry role model about their career path. Part two features updates on career transitions. Please send feedback and tips to wesoff@​canarymedia.​com. Suzann … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

Harnessing the heat beneath our feet: Geothermal's past and future

This story was first published by Distilled . Geothermal power is having a bit of an unexpected moment. After two decades of slow growth, most energy experts wrote the technology off as an unrealistic way to generate large amounts of electricity. In an era dominated by incumbent … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

Why I keep putting on hard hats

Dear Canary Media reader, My reporting for Canary Media can require me to wield more than a notebook and pen. Sometimes, it means donning a hard hat, too. I’ve amassed a collection of photos of myself wearing protective headgear in noisy factories, at construction sites, and whil … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

Will universally compatible EV chargers ever be a reality in the US?

This is the final piece in a three-part series exploring the biggest problems with public EV charging — and how to fix them (read Part 1 and Part 2 ). Canary thanks EnergyHub for its support of the series. Erika Myers can talk about EV charging standards all day. After all, as h … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

Wins, losses and participation trophies for US nuclear power in 2023

With this bumpy year for nuclear coming to a close and the world’s energy stakeholders having just gathered for the most nuclear-focused COP meeting ever , it’s a good time to assess the state of atomic power in the U.S. Government pledges and consumer support for nuclear power i … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

What’s behind the epidemic of unreliable EV chargers?

This is the second piece in a three-part series exploring the biggest problems with public EV charging — and how to fix them (read Part 1 ). Canary thanks EnergyHub for its support of the series. In the U.S., electric vehicle charging infrastructure has a reliability problem — a … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

EV battery repair is dangerous — but some mechanics want to do it anyway

This story was first published by Grist . About three times a day, Rich Benoit gets a call to his auto shop, The Electrified Garage , from the owner of an older Tesla Model S whose car battery has begun to fail. The battery, which used to provide several hundred miles of range, m … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

Join Canary Media’s virtual holiday bash

We are an independent, nonprofit newsroom covering the transition to clean energy and solutions to the climate crisis. We report on how the world is decarbonizing — from electricity to transportation, buildings and industry — with a critical focus on finding out what works and wh … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

Americans like home electrification — but also still love their gas stoves

This story was first published by Grist . Most Americans would prefer to live in a home where almost all major appliances run on electricity — but only if they can keep their gas stoves. Just 31 percent want to go fully electric. Researchers asked roughly 1,000 people to what ext … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

EV chargers have a big reliability problem. Can the government fix it?

This piece is the first in a three-part series exploring the biggest problems with public EV charging — and how to fix them. Canary thanks EnergyHub for its support of the series. Rosana Francescato is an electric vehicle enthusiast who likes to plan ahead. So when she and her hu … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

Jeff St. John’s adorable dog has a request

Dear Canary Media reader, Could you resist a plea from this lovable pup? I know I can’t. When Lily wants another walk around the block, I’m powerless to resist. I’m hoping that some of Lily’s persuasiveness will rub off on me today as I make my plea. Hear me out. I’m one of the l … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

Innovative solar tracker startup Sunfolding has folded

Sunfolding , a venture-capital-funded solar startup with a novel pneumatic tracker solution, is winding down its operations. The news was confirmed by a former employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity and singled out manufacturing challenges and a lack of solar-project ex … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

Chart: Lithium-ion battery prices are falling again

Canary Media’s chart of the week translates crucial data about the clean energy transition into a visual format. After a brief hiatus, lithium-ion battery prices are back to their regularly scheduled nosedive. Throughout the 2010s, batteries got cheaper and cheaper, cheering th … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

The Biden administration has a chance to do clean hydrogen right

It’s not often you get to write the rules to govern an entirely new industry. But that’s exactly what the Biden administration is set to do next week with proposed rules that will define what kinds of hydrogen production methods count as clean. If recent reports on the leaked rul … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

Yes, it’s possible to electrify a home on just 100 amps

Canary Media’s Electrified Life column shares real-world tales, tips and insights to demystify what individuals can do to shift their homes and lives to clean electric power. In 2022, Wayne Szeto was psyched to electrify his home. But his electrical panel presented a potential hu … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

'Green' hydrogen debate heats up ahead of tax-credit decision

The Biden administration plans to set strict requirements on the sources of carbon-free electricity used by hydrogen producers seeking lucrative federal incentives, according to news reports citing leaked information regarding long-awaited rules for the Inflation Reduction Act’s … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

Airlines have a big climate problem, and it’s not just CO2 emissions

A Virgin Atlantic flight from London to New York City grabbed the world’s attention last week when it successfully crossed the Atlantic Ocean without burning fossil fuels — a first for a major airline . But proving that planes can safely fly on 100 percent sustainable aviation fu … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

The US EV industry now faces a choice: Tax credits or Chinese batteries

Last week, the Biden administration released long-awaited proposed guidance for how it plans to enforce one of the most complex and controversial aspects of the electric vehicle incentives created by the Inflation Reduction Act: the requirement that the country’s fast-growing EV … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

A message from Canary's most cantankerous correspondent

Dear Canary Media readers, You might know me as the Canary reporter who's dubious about the cost-effective rollout of fuel cells, hydrogen cars, food-based fuels, cow-fart inhibitors and a litany of other impractical technologies. I suspect bad faith in the push to slap new … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

20-plus countries pledge to triple the world's nuclear energy by 2050

COP28 might be remembered as the “nuclear COP.” More than 20 countries including the U.S., France, Japan and the United Kingdom have pledged to triple global nuclear energy generation by 2050 at the launch of COP28 in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, the world’s annual climate … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

Is solar the future of boating? This engineer turned boat-builder says yes

KINGSTON, New York — Behind the diesel-powered Rip Van Winkle party boat, across from Mathilda, the decommissioned 19th-century tugboat, and about 1,000 yards upriver from the rusted husk of a retired New York City hospital barge named the Lila Acheson Wallace, you will find the … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

California regulators cut incentives for rooftop solar even further

The California Public Utilities Commission has insisted that its decision last year to slash the compensation that households can receive from rooftop solar systems comes with a silver lining — a financial incentive for households to add batteries to their solar systems. The CPUC … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

An IRA grant could help low-income residents in New Hampshire go solar

This story was first published by Energy News Network . New Hampshire’s Department of Energy has requested a $70 million federal grant to expand community solar programs for low-income residents, an infusion of funds that supporters say could lower energy bills, accelerate decarb … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

California’s rooftop solar policy is killing its rooftop solar industry

It’s been six months since California regulators slashed the value of home rooftop solar systems — and the market crash that the state’s solar industry warned would result is now well underway. On Thursday, the California Solar and Storage Association unveiled data showing a 77 t … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

Chart: How much are oil and gas firms spending on clean energy? Not much

Canary Media’s chart of the week translates crucial data about the clean energy transition into a visual format. Oil and gas companies, eager to distance themselves from the planet-warming reality of their core business, aren't shy about touting their investments in clean en … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

Sen. Merkley condemns Biden admin for rubber-stamping LNG buildout

America’s soaring exports of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, threaten to “destroy” the Biden administration’s clean energy goals and undermine U.S. leadership on climate change — yet the nation’s top officials are standing idly by, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) told Canary … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

Charging Up: A chat with Constance Thompson, senior vice president of DEI at ACORE

Canary Media’s Charging Up column chronicles gender diversity in the climatetech sector. Part one is a short Q&A with an industry role model about their career path. Part two features updates on career transitions. Please send feedback and tips to wesoff@​canarymedia.​com. Consta … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

AI-powered permitting is speeding up solar deployments in California

At the start of September of this year, John Caprarelli, a city building official for Santa Clarita, California, had a deadline to meet. By the end of the month, his city of about 220,000 people had to start issuing “instant permits” for all residential solar and solar-battery pr … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

New investment firm aims to scale up urgently needed battery materials

Switching the global economy to run on clean energy instead of fossil fuels depends on a massive ramp-up in minerals extraction to supply batteries, solar panels, transmission lines and more. This has a lot of people worried that a lack of access to minerals will eventually hold … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

America's first 'enhanced' geothermal plant just got up and running

A next-generation geothermal plant backed by Google has started sending carbon-free electricity to the grid in Nevada, where the tech company operates some of its massive data centers. On Tuesday, Google and geothermal developer Fervo Energy said that electrons began flowing from … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

In a first, a major airline will cross the Atlantic without fossil fuels

A Virgin Atlantic flight taking off this week from London to New York City will last about eight hours, span around 3,500 miles — and emit only a fraction of the planet-warming gases associated with a typical transatlantic flight. On Tuesday, the British airline is set to pluck a … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

Chart: Here's where utility-scale solar is located in the US

Canary Media’s chart of the week translates crucial data about the clean energy transition into a visual format. The recipe for a fossil-free future includes a big dollop of solar — and in recent years, that solar has started popping up all around the U.S. But where, exactly, are … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago

Heat-pump water heaters are a winner for the climate — and your wallet

Canary Media’s Electrified Life column shares real-world tales, tips and insights to demystify what individuals can do to shift their homes and lives to clean electric power. Water heaters toil away, often unseen in basements and garages, to keep our showers hot, clothes cleanse … | Continue reading


@canarymedia.com | 2 years ago