Whilst agrivoltaics offer clear benefits in sunnier climes by protecting plants from heat stress, you wouldn't necessarily expect the same to be true in Alaska. www.pressreader.com/malaysia/the...

Energy systems are at the heart of climate change, technology, and the future of how we live, but they’re far more complex than most people realise. This is a great explainer video by @chrisjardineenergy.bsky.social that helps to make sense of the energy system. www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCXG...

So, what are energy systems, exactly? In my latest video, I look at 3 different ways of looking at energy systems - a technical view, as a social system, and even looking at chaos theory and feedback loops. Which one of these approaches resonates with you? youtu.be/sCXGmh4sdP0

There's a lot of talk about the growing energy demand for data centres. But could we use small distributed data centres in homes for heating? That's the novel solution being trialled as part of UKPN's SHIELD project. Would you swap your boiler for a server farm? www.aol.com/articles/cou...

Tesla is recalling over 10,000 Powerwall 2 units in the US due to overheating concerns and potential fire risk. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

This could have the potential to rewrite the record books for offshore wind power. The current largest offshore turbine in commercial operation is the 15MW Siemens Gamesa. Yet this double-headed monster of a floating turbine is being developed with a capacity of 50MW split between the 2 rotors. 😲

Here's a neat bit of solar innovation - vertically mounted floating solar panels. 😲 1.87 GW of panels have been installed in a gravel pit in Bavaria. The panels are vertical, and face east-west. The reason: to optimise generation in the morning and evening to access higher electricity prices.

Well, this isn't just disappointing ... it's shockingly bad 😡 Of the 23,000 homes that had external wall insulation fitted under the ECO and GBIS schemes, 98% of them are in need of repair. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

A start-up called Reflect Orbital plans to launch thousands of satellites with mirrors to redirect sunlight to ground-mounted solar farms. So, a genius way of extending the operating hours of solar plants? Or unnecessary technology meddling? 🤔 www.latimes.com/science/stor...

Wind turbine blades are difficult to recycle at end of life. Europe is expected to produce 10,000 tonnes of turbine blade waste per year as sites are decommissioned or repowered. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Solar panels? Made out of onions? 😲 Well, part of them anyway ... scientists have found that nanocellulose coupled with the dye from red onions providea a natural alternative to petrochemical-based UV filters on the surface of solar panels. 👍 www.popularmechanics.com/science/gree...

🎬 ICYMI ... my latest video looks at the Kaya Identity - an equation that splits carbon emissions into its 4 driving forces of lifestyles, energy efficiency, cleanliness of fuels and population. 👇 This, and all other episodes of Energy 101, can be viewed here 👇 www.chrisjardine.energy/energy-101

🎬This is the film I've always wanted to make 🎬 The Kaya Identity is one of the most important insights in the study of energy and climate. It breaks down carbon emissions into 4 different factors: lifestyles, energy efficiency, carbon intensity and population. youtu.be/6XN6Inie6Rw

"Sunlight is everywhere — it falls on the earth in almost unimaginable quantities, bathing us in a steady supply of energy that far exceeds anything we could ever conspire to actually use" ☀️ ☀️ www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

🤔 Can we stop talking about range anxiety now? Another 17,000 public EV chargepoints have been installed in the UK in the last year. That's about 300 new chargepoints added per county ... www.evinfrastructurenews.com/public-charg...

🤔 Have CO2 emissions in China peaked? Amidst a massive rollout of renewable generation, CO2 emissions in China have plateaued, if not decreased slightly, even against a backdrop of continued economic growth.

When looking at the energy transition, wind and solar get all the attention, but what about other renewables? 🤔 All renewables - PV, CSP, onshore wind, offshore wind, hydro, biomass and geothermal - are generating at a cost of less than $.10/kWh. That's lower than 91% of fossil fuel projects. 💪

If you thought China's 3 Gorges dam was big, then check this - plans for the largest power station in the world at the Inga Falls in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It's a massive 70GW 😮 By comparison, peak demand in the UK is about 50GW. www.newsweek.com/worlds-large...

🎬NEW VIDEO ALERT 🎬 In this second episode of the #Energy101 series, I look at the key concept of energy services. youtu.be/n1lZimZVPvc

🏆 BIG MILESTONE 🏆 Solar was the largest source of electricity in the EU in June - the first time it's topped the monthly charts. Coal is at a low of just 6.1%, and fossil fuel generation is just 23.6%. More great analysis from Ember, as always. ember-energy.org/latest-insig...

Balcony solar has been big in Germany for a while, and it seems Ed Miliband is keen for the UK to follow suit. I've been pretty sceptical about balcony solar ... poor solar resource when vertical, easily shaded, and concerns over the safety of DIY installations. www.msn.com/en-us/money/...

Solar rice, anyone? 🌾 🍚 This agrivoltaic trial in Japan has been testing the use of vertical panels in a rice paddy. The E/W panels produce more electricity in the morning and evening peak, and the overall rice yield was only 5% down. www.asahi.com/ajw/articles...

🔔🔔Very excited to share that I'm launching a brand new Youtube series - Energy 101. 😊 I'll be sharing key concepts about energy and the energy transition as a series of bite-sized videos over the coming months. Episode 1 - What is Energy is out now 👇 youtu.be/wnVnYCuuqL0

The direction of travel is clear - the future's electric ⚡ Sales of electric vehicles have doubled in the last 2 years, and heat pumps are up 50% over the last year. Couple this with the incredibly low carbon electricity we now have in the UK, and the benefits are clear.

MAJOR MILESTONE 🏆 China's installed capacity of solar has now reached 1TW☀️ It's an astonishing achievement, and seemingly accelerating. 92GW were commissioned in May 2025 alone 😮 By contrast, total UK solar capacity is just over 20GW. Just amazing. www.pv-magazine.com/2025/06/23/c...

This is the Oxford Eco-house, and I was blessed to have been invited to its 30-year anniversary last week. It's an icon of solar design in the UK, and it still looks razor sharp 3 decades on. Of the millions of solar roofs installed since, I'd still struggle to name one with better aesthetics 😍

Agrivoltaics isn't just solar farms ....in India a quiet revolution is taking place at a much smaller scale ☀️ Dubbed micro-agrivoltaics, small farmers have started to install solar water pumps, but continue to grow crops underneath them. www.iisd.org/articles/ins...

NEW WORLD RECORD 🏆 Solar panel manufacturer Longi have launched a new product - a 700W module with 25.9% efficiency 😮 Incredible to see the 25% mark broken for a commercially available panel (and by some distance too). www.pv-tech.org/longi-launch...

A couple of upcoming events from me: First up, the half-day "Progress in solar architecture" event on 20th June. With the price of PV now so incredibly cheap, I'll be questioning whether PV should be brought forward in the design hierarchy, rather than an add-on at the end.

Will India be the next nation to transition away from coal? India's coal use declined 9.5% in May, following a year of zero/negative growth. Are we at a tipping point? Cost-competitive wind and solar, along with surging renewables investment, suggest we are ☀️ cleantechnica.com/2025/06/06/i...

The climate movement keeps saying 'stop talking about system change' and inaccessible jargon. Well, if this makes you sad then see 'system' and 'feedback loops' and 'levers' jargon put to excellent use in our new report. Summary in @carbonbrief.org too www.carbonbrief.org/guest-post-h...

You've heard of a heat battery ... now welcome the ice battery! 🧊 In places where air conditioning use is high, ice batteries could be a way of saving costs. ❄️ Cheap off-peak electricity is used to freeze water; this process is then reversed when cooling is needed. www.cbsnews.com/news/innovat...

Keep an eye on this field trial from the University of Iowa, which looks to be one of the most comprehensive studies ever of agrivoltaics and food crops. pv-magazine-usa.com/2025/06/04/i...

Here's a quiet success story - the rise of solar in Eastern Europe. Poland has an installed capacity of 20 GW, about the same as the UK. And whilst the installed capacity in some countries is modest, so is their demand.

Here's an interesting question: "Why isn't the payback period for heat pumps ever really spoken about?" Yet if someone were considering solar panels, it would be the first (only?) question on their lips.

Another barrier to decarbonisation broken down 🎉 Planning permission was previously required for homeowners wanting to install a heat pump within 1m of their property boundary. This restriction has now been lifted 👍 Every little helps. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This is well worth a read 👇 Does the world need a global treaty on minerals? With growing demand for minerals needed to drive the energy transition, a global scramble risks geopolitical unrest, & the classic 'resource curse' that blights many nations. www.climatechangenews.com/2025/05/26/d...

More positive agrivoltaics news ... wool quality increases for sheep living between solar panels! farmingdale-observer.com/2025/05/22/1...

Should renewable energy developers be required to provide mandatory community benefits to the areas impacted by their development? The Government has launched a consultation to assess this, and how such a scheme might work. renews.biz/100727/uk-co...

Great news! All new homes must have solar panels installed from 2027. 🎉 🎉 This feels like a long overdue, no-brainer piece of legislation for building quality homes with low carbon impacts and low running costs for future inhabitants. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Should gas power plants be nationalised? Here's an interesting take from Common Wealth. 🔋 In the absence of alternatives (such as batteries) fossil gas can set exorbitant prices at peak 🤔 Nationalising plants as a National Strategic Reserve could solve this. www.common-wealth.org/publications...

I had to check the date on this to make sure it wasn't an April Fool. But no, scientists really have invented a white solar panel. It's a modest 13% efficient. Why? Improved architectural aesthetics and a range of different finishes. 🤔 Genius or madness? www.ecoticias.com/en/first-whi...

Energy regulator Ofgem is considering increasing the standing charge for higher earners to spread the costs of our energy infrastructure more progressively. www.theguardian.com/money/2025/a...

How did solar PV go from an expensive curiosity to a mainstream power generator? It's one of the great technology stories of our time - it's up there with the rise of the internet or smartphones. youtu.be/OEMQAbIs6SE

Solar panel efficiency records tumble again ... as Longi produce a 27.81% efficient cell. The Chinese manufacturer beat their own record set just last year. The Chinese aren't just great at mass-producing cheap panels. They're at the cutting edge of technology and developing remarkable products.

An article in the Times today claims the space requirement of our 2030 green energy targets will take just 0.4% of UK land area - less than we currently use for golf courses. www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...

Solar postbox, anyone? In the biggest design change to the iconic red pillar box in a century, solar cells have been added to the top surface to power a barcode scanner and a hatch for dropping off medium-sized parcels. news.sky.com/story/postbo...

The biggest markets for solar PV are China, US, India, Germany ... and Pakistan? Yes, with a massive 22GW of solar installed last year alone, Pakistan is charging ahead with the clean power revolution. How? This is well worth 5 minutes of anyone's time 👇 cleantechnica.com/2025/04/04/p...

Interesting data from US about the impact of Tesla's "brand issues" on the home battery market. 🆙 Mentions of Tesla in enquiry emails doubled 😮 68% of people specifically sought quotes for non-Powerwall ✊ 13% expressed anti-Musk or anti-Tesla sentiment in their enquiry electrek.co/2025/03/31/h...

This website is an absolute delight for solar energy geeks like me 😍 It's a huge collection of artefacts collated by the Museum of Solar Energy - from solar cells of the 1920s to dresses from the 2020s. Who else first came across PV in calculators in the eighties? solarmuseum.org/cells/