** The U.S. House Appropriations Committee releases proposed legislation that would slash funding for the Department of Energy’s office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy by 46% and shift money toward nuclear, critical minerals, and fossil fuels.
** Texas industry associations and energy experts say Trump’s budget bill is “pulling the rug out” from under solar, wind, and battery projects in the state, with one model showing the law’s changes mean the state will add only 27 GW instead of 104 GW of power over the next decade.
** A 5-MW solar canopy proposed for a two-mile stretch of highway median in Lexington, Massachusetts, would be the first such project in the country; developers are confident construction will begin in time to take advantage of disappearing federal tax credits.
** The U.S. Agriculture Department expects biofuel producers to consume more than half of all soybean oil produced nationally next year as federal policies boost the industry.
** Data centers aren’t just stressing the electric grid but also water supplies, as evidenced by an Alabama water authority’s stated inability to supply a data center’s requested water flow of 2 million gallons per day without substantial upgrades.
** The U.S. EPA declares that Maryland environmental regulators last month improperly issued a permit for the US Wind project, ordering developers to rectify their errors, but Gov. Wes Moore is determined to push forward with offshore wind, despite federal challenges.
World
** Canadian solar manufacturer Silfab Solar has faced significant opposition to its plans to open a factory in South Carolina, contrasting with ES Foundry’s success in finding a receptive community for its plant in another part of the state.
** India said on Monday it has achieved 50% of its installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources — five years ahead of its 2030 target under the Paris Agreement, signalling accelerating momentum in the country’s clean energy transition.
** India’s government is seeking to limit temperature settings on new air conditioners to save electricity in the country that is considered the fastest-growing market for them. The power minister proposed a rule in June requiring air conditioners sold in the country to have thermostats that can be set no lower than 20 Celsius (68 Fahrenheit).
** It’s now estimated that the world is now installing one gigawatt worth of solar energy infrastructure every 15 hours — or about the output of a new coal plant. Among other extensive data, the magazine New Yorker, notes that renewables made up 96 percent of demand for new energy throughout the globe in 2024;