21 GW Solar Project in California | Good Climate News
A California water district has announced plans for 21 GW of new solar farms on its territory, heralds PV Magazine. The Westlands Water District plans to convert fallow farmland no longer useful for agriculture into a solar superproject - producing more electricity than any nuclear plant in the US.
“Last year, ‘chronic water shortages’ forced more than 215,000 acres, or more than a third of the water district’s irrigable farmland, out of production”
2. EU Implements Carbon Border Tax
Steel and aluminum producers selling into the European Union will now have to pay a carbon tax, notes Euro News. The border tax seeks to even the playing field between global manufacturers and their European competitors - which already pay such a tax.
“The EU's carbon border tax is intended to send a global signal to countries outside the EU, encouraging them to adopt carbon pricing and cleaner production methods.”
3. China Builds Largest Offshore Solar Farm
The world’s first gigawatt-scale offshore solar farm has opened in China, relays Electrek. The facility - off the coast of Dongying in Shandong province - is fixed to the seabed using massive platforms the size of five basketball courts.
“…this project hints at how offshore solar could play a significant role in the country’s clean energy build‑out – especially in coastal regions where land is scarce”
4. Germany Installs 16.2 GW of Solar in 2025
Germany added 16.2 GW of solar energy capacity in 2025, says PV Tech. Electricity generation from solar was up 21% from 2024 at 87 TWh.
“Electricity generation from solar PV in the EU exceeded the combined total from lignite and hard coal for the first time, with 275 TWh compared to 243 TWh.”
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5. UK University Bets on Geothermal
The University of York has announced a plan to heat its entire campus with geothermal energy reports BBC News. The project - due to be completed in 2027 - could also heat the surrounding community and generate electricity.
“The energy source is ‘pretty much’ infinite and will cut fossil fuel use on the campus by 78%”
6. California Launches Electrification Scheme
The US state of California has launched an incentive program to encourage household electrification, explains Canary Media. The $115 million scheme targets smaller household appliances like plug-in heat pumps and battery induction stoves.
“The initiatives to boost plug-in heat pumps and induction stoves are explicitly meant to help put electrification within reach of renters, low-income households, and frontline communities”
📈 Chart of the Week
‘The energy transition doesn’t exist’ has become a thunderous rallying cry for fossil fuel apologists. And yet in Europe and the Anglosphere, the transition away from fossil fuels is already underway.
CO2 emissions per capita are down 36% from their peak in the United States, 62% in the United Kingdom, and 47% in the European Union.
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