Published on 13/04/2026
Clean energy drove more than a third of China’s GDP growth in 2025
Solar power, electric vehicles (EVs) and other clean-energy technologies drove more than a third of the growth in China’s economy in 2025 – and more than 90% of the rise in investment. Clean-energy sectors contributed a record 15.4tn yuan ($2.1tn) in 2025, some 11.4% of China’s gross domestic product (GDP) – comparable to the economies of Brazil or Canada. The new analysis for Carbon Brief, based on official figures, industry data and analyst reports, shows that China’s clean-energy sectors nearly doubled in real value between 2022 and 2025 and – if they were a country – would now be the 8th-largest economy in the world.
Clean-energy industries are expanding much more quickly than China’s economy overall, with their annual growth rate accelerating from 12% in 2024 to 18% in 2025. Behind these figures, the “new three” of EVs, batteries and solar continue to dominate the economic contribution of clean energy in China, generating two-thirds of the value added and attracting more than half of all investment in the sectors. To put this into perspective, China’s investments in clean energy reached 7.2tn yuan ($1.0tn) in 2025, roughly four times the still sizable $260bn put into fossil-fuel extraction and coal power.
Source: Carbon Brief
Iran conflict sparks renewables boom as Europeans rush to buy solar, heat pumps and EVs
Energy markets have been shaken by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil chokepoints. As a consequence, brent crude prices have jumped more than 50% since the conflict began, while European gas prices have surged sharply, prompting consumers and businesses to look for alternatives to imported fossil fuels.
Energy crises historically accelerate the adoption of new technologies, and this latest geopolitical shock appears to be driving a renewed push toward electrification and renewable energy. In fact, by reducing dependence on oil and gas imports, solar power, heat pumps, and EVs could simultaneously enhance energy security and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
If high fossil fuel prices persist, demand for distributed energy technologies is likely to continue rising across Europe. Policymakers face pressure from some political groups to expand domestic fossil fuel production, such as drilling in the North Sea, despite evidence that renewables could deliver larger and more stable savings for households. “British families are tired of being held hostage by global fossil fuel prices,” said Rebecca Dibb-Simkin of Octopus Energy, further illustrated by heat pump sales in the UK rising 51% in the first three weeks of March compared with the previous month.
Source: Illuminem
Lithuania halves train fares for two months amid fuel price surge
Lithuania will cut domestic train ticket prices by 50% for two months in response to soaring fuel costs linked to tensions in the Middle East, Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said in April. The discounts, introduced by passenger rail operator LTG Link, will apply from April 1 through May 31 on all local routes. The measure aims to ease financial pressure on households and encourage a shift to public transport.
The program is expected to cost the government about €1.5 million, with passenger numbers projected to rise by around 200,000 to a total of roughly 1.2 million over the two-month period. Officials said the impact should outweigh the cost, noting the measure could encourage more people to try rail travel for the first time and continue using it in the future.
“People will be able to choose a significantly cheaper alternative to rising fuel costs,” Ruginienė told reporters. “The measure is intended to reduce the financial burden, expand mobility options and promote public transport use” said Transport Minister Juras Taminskas.
Source: LRT
Investors press Amazon, Microsoft and Google on water, power use in US data centers
Ahead of annual shareholder meetings this spring, investors are pressuring Amazon, Microsoft, and Google to disclose more information about their water and power usage in US data centers. Trillium Asset Management, with a total $4bn in assets under management, has filed a resolution with Alphabet seeking clarity on how it will meet its climate goals. The company had pledged to halve its emissions by 2030 but emissions rose by a half since 2020 instead.
Shareholders want more data on water usage, with North American data centers using nearly 1 trillion liters of water in 2025. Meta, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft have started using closed-loop cooling, but the data on usage varies. Meta's water usage rose 51% from 2020 to 2024, while Google and Microsoft reported incomplete data. Josh Weissman, Amazon's director of infra capacity delivery, said the company is increasing disclosure of site-specific water consumption data. Investors are seeking more transparency on water usage and conservation efforts, as well as efforts to replenish water supplies. Jason Qi, lead technology analyst at Calvert Research and Management, said the companies have not disclosed enough information about their water consumption and its impact on local communities.
Green Century Capital Management shareholder advocate Giovanna Eichner, meanwhile, said it was in discussions with Nvidia about submitting a resolution "to ensure that short-term AI gains do not come at the cost of long-term climate and financial risk," declining to share more details.
Source: Reuters
School in the United States are making big savings by adopting green energy solutions
Schools across the U.S. are cutting costs by adopting green energy, redirecting savings to education needs. In Warren County, Kentucky, solar panels and efficiency upgrades saved over $2 million in utility costs, while Jamestown, Rhode Island, saves $60,000 annually thanks to solar energy. A report by the Building Power Resource Center highlights how such investments reduce expenses—like Boulder Valley, Colorado’s $10,000 annual savings—despite federal rollbacks under Trump. David R. Eichenthal, the study’s author and a former Biden official, notes that "recurring operating savings" are a major draw for cash-strapped districts. Putnam Valley, New York, has saved $1.5 million since switching a middle school to geothermal in 1998, with projected savings of $18 million by 2039. The district’s David Spittal warns they’d face tax hikes or teacher cuts without these measures.
Federal support has waned, but state programs still help fund projects. New York, Maryland, and Texas offer grants or loans for clean energy, while West Virginia’s power purchase agreements let districts like Wayne County install solar at no upfront cost, saving $200,000 yearly—enough for two teacher salaries. Superintendents like Todd Alexander call it a "no-brainer," though political pushback persists. State Senator Craig Hart tried to block such deals, arguing they "politicized schools," but the bill failed. Solar Holler’s Dan Conant says rising electricity prices make solar cost-competitive even without federal incentives, noting, "we’re going to be okay without the [federal] incentives."
The report emphasizes that proven savings—like Putnam Valley’s decades-long geothermal success—could drive wider adoption. Eichenthal points to "solid case studies" showing tangible dollar-and-cents benefits, urging districts to leverage available state funds. While federal tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act face uncertainty, local examples from Colorado’s geothermal grants to Ohio’s efficiency programs demonstrate bipartisan momentum. Conant’s optimism reflects a shift: as energy prices climb, green solutions are increasingly seen not as ideological choices but as financial necessities.
Source: Reasons to be cheerful
Meta faces legal setbacks over social media harm and child safety concerns
- Company: Meta Platforms Inc
- Sector: Technology
- Clover rating: 1/5
Meta and Google were found negligent in a Los Angeles case for designing harmful social media platforms, with Meta liable for $4.2 million and Google for $1.8 million. A 20-year-old woman, known as Kaley, claimed she became addicted to YouTube and Instagram due to their attention-grabbing design. The jury found the companies failed to warn about the dangers of their platforms.
In a separate case, a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million in penalties for violating the consumer protection law. The state attorney general, Raúl Torrez, accused Meta of misleading users about the safety of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and enabling child sexual exploitation. Meta disagreed with the verdict and plans to appeal.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in the Los Angeles trial, saying he decided to let users express themselves by lifting a temporary ban on beauty filters. The company faces thousands of lawsuits accusing it of designing addictive products, leading to a nationwide mental health crisis. Meta argues it is shielded from liability by the First Amendment and Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
Italian prosecutors seek trial for Amazon over tax evasion
- Company: Amazon
- Sector: Technology
- Clover rating: 1/5
The e-commerce and datacenters giant said it had reached an agreement with Italy's tax agency over VAT it should have paid on behalf of third-party sellers. Amazon did not disclose the amount, but Italian media said it paid more than 500 million euros ($575 million) to settle the dispute regarding a total amount that Reuters claims could be as high as 1.2 billion euros. The deal did not stop prosecutors from seeking criminal proceedings against the company, the Ansa news agency said in March. The investigation into Amazon covers a three-year period, from 2019 to 2021, when the EU adopted reforms simplifying e-commerce tax regulations across the bloc.
Prosecutors say that between 2019 and 2021, Amazon failed to provide required data on non-EU sellers and imported goods through its Marketplace platform. This allegedly misled tax authorities and allowed the company to avoid the VAT payments. Since 2019, Italian law has made e-commerce platforms responsible for VAT owed on all sales from outside the European Union ahead of an EU reform that took effect in 2021.
Amazon said it would contest any case brought against it, stressing it is among the top 50 taxpayers in Italy. The company warned that unpredictable rules and lengthy legal procedures would hurt Italy's business climate, but said it would comply with its tax obligations. The request for a trial still needs a judge's approval.
Pressure is mounting at oil giant BP ahead of its annual general meeting
- Company: BP
- Sector: Energy
- Clover rating: 1/5
Pressure is mounting on BP ahead of its annual general meeting due to environmental concerns. The Local Authority Pension Fund Forum (LAPPF) recommends voting against BP Chair Albert Manifold and other board-supported resolutions. This comes after proxy advisers Glass Lewis and ISS and asset manager Legal & General Investment Management made similar recommendations.
BP is pivoting back to oil and gas, away from renewables, under new CEO Meg O'Neill. The company has been criticized for excluding a shareholder proposal from Follow This, which would have required BP to share its strategy under scenarios of falling oil and gas demand. Mark van Baal, founder of Follow This, says BP has "crossed a red line" by refusing to table the proposal.
LAPFF will support a proposal from climate group ACCR, seeking clearer disclosure on BP's oil and gas investments. Glass Lewis and ISS have recommended supporting this proposal, while Legal & General Investment Management will vote against BP on several resolutions. BP's Manifold says the proposed resolution would "pull the company in the opposite direction" of simpler reporting, but van Baal argues it's about transparency and shareholder democracy.
Is this world’s first quantum battery?
Australian scientists claim to have built the world’s first working quantum battery, a concept first theorized in 2013. The prototype, developed by a team led by Dr. James Quach of CSIRO, completes a full battery cycle—charging, storing, and discharging energy—using quantum mechanics. Unlike conventional batteries, where charging slows as size grows, quantum batteries exploit "collective effects," meaning larger units charge faster. The team previously demonstrated this in 2022 but couldn’t extract energy; now, their laser-charged prototype charges in femtoseconds and holds energy for nanoseconds—six orders of magnitude longer than earlier attempts.
The current model stores only a few billion electron volts, far too little for practical use, and its charge lasts mere nanoseconds. Quach admits the next challenge is extending storage time, noting that a one-minute charge should ideally last "a couple of years" for real-world applications like phones. Still, the breakthrough hints at future possibilities: instant-charging batteries for quantum computers, drones recharged mid-flight, or even electric cars powered wirelessly on the move. Quach envisions a world where "you would no longer need to stop your car at a petrol station to charge it up; you could charge it on the go."
Outside experts like Prof. Andrew White of the University of Queensland call the work "a really nice piece of work," proving quantum batteries are more than theory. While he doubts they’ll appear in electric vehicles soon, their first impact may be in quantum computing, where they could supply energy "coherently … with the minimum energy cost." The prototype’s rapid charging—though still limited in capacity—marks a critical step toward harnessing quantum mechanics for next-generation power solutions.
Sources: The Guardian, Ouest France