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This analysis and news roundup come from the Canary Media Weekly newsletter. Sign up to get it every Friday.
It’s been a month since the U.S. and Israel first attacked Iran, sparking a conflict that has all but shut down the critical shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz and sent oil prices on a roller coaster. The effects have been obvious in the U.S.: Average gasoline prices are hovering at just under $4 a gallon, a threshold they haven’t hit since 2022.
Elsewhere, it’s not just petroleum products that are causing price shocks. While the U.S. produces much of its own natural gas, many countries rely on imports from the Middle East to cook, heat homes, and run power plants. Governments, especially in Asia, have had to enact retail fuel price caps and other mechanisms to stop costs from becoming unbearable.
But some countries have another shield against the price hikes: wind turbines, solar panels, batteries, and other fossil fuel–free technologies that provide power unbothered by global upheaval.
Spain’s prime minister boasted that on a recent Saturday, electricity in his country cost about seven times less than in France and Germany, thanks to its investments in clean energy. That margin typically isn’t so high, The New York Times notes: A rainy spring season has unlocked more hydropower than usual in Spain, which will have to turn back to gas in the summer. Still, the United Kingdom, too, hit a record for renewable power output this week, reducing the country’s gas usage and its exposure to the fuel’s rocky prices.
China, meanwhile, is the world’s largest importer of oil and natural gas. Much of that gas comes from Qatar, which has curbed its production amid the attacks. But China is also a renewable energy powerhouse, installing tons of wind and solar over the past decade. That clean power supply, along with some fossil fuel stockpiles, is now helping insulate China from the price spikes and supply disruptions wracking other countries.
While China still relies heavily on fossil fuels, experts say the conflict in Iran could speed its energy transition — and boost business for its cleantech manufacturers, which churn out most of the world’s wind turbines, solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicles. Over the last month, investors have already ramped up spending on these firms.
At the same time, used EVs are seeing surging interest in both Europe and the U.S. — and rising costs are already giving some consumers the final push they need to install solar panels, heat pumps, and other appliances that get them off fossil fuels and their volatile prices for good.
Trump’s latest offshore wind attack is — surprise — legally dubious
The Trump administration is trying a new route on its journey to upend offshore wind, but some critics say the scheme may not pass legal muster.
On Monday, the Interior Department said it had worked out a deal with TotalEnergies, in which it would reimburse the company nearly $1 billion to forfeit its leases, signed in 2022, for offshore wind development near the coasts of New York and North Carolina. In exchange, TotalEnergies agreed not to work on further offshore wind projects in the U.S. and to put the refund toward gas investments, Canary Media’s Maria Gallucci reports.
The deal raises a ton of questions. For starters, as is often a concern: Is the Trump administration allowed to do this, and can anyone sue to stop it? Former U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management head Elizabeth Klein told Maria that it’s legally dubious, though it’s unclear who could challenge the deal in court.
And another question: Where will that money come from? Federal officials haven’t clarified, but because TotalEnergies’ lease payment hasn’t been sitting untouched in a vault for years, taxpayer funding is its likely source.
But there’s a bit of good offshore wind news this week, too: The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project has started sending power to the grid.
States change their tune on nuclear power
Nuclear power’s reputation is in the middle of a remarkable shift.
Just a decade ago, at least 16 states curtailed nuclear power development in some way, whether through an outright ban or other conditions. But over the past few years, five states looking to meet rising energy demand have repealed those moratoriums, and another five are considering legislation that would do the same, Alexander C. Kaufman reports for Canary Media.
All these rollbacks come as the Trump administration pushes to reopen shuttered nuclear plants and build both conventional and next-generation nuclear — though it’s not just Republican-led states that are riding the nuclear wave. Just this week, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) announced that a $1.76 billion nuclear fuel enrichment project is coming to his state.
Harvesting the sun: A plan to build the world’s largest solar and battery project on fallowed land in California’s Central Valley could provide a lifeline for farmers and supply a significant portion of the state’s clean energy needs. (Canary Media)
Critical climate impacts: A new study finds U.S. greenhouse gas emissions have led to $10 trillion in global damages by driving up temperatures and exacerbating extreme weather, with a quarter of those damages happening in the U.S. (The Guardian)
Batteries surge: Grid batteries are expected to make up nearly a third of U.S. power plant capacity built this year — and new data shows that for the first time, the country will be able to produce enough batteries to meet that growing demand on its own. (Canary Media)
Renewables acquitted: A report from European grid operators blames the massive blackout in Spain and Portugal last April on a sudden increase in voltage combined with other factors, dispelling speculation that the region’s dependence on renewables caused the outage. (BBC)
Funding finds a way: U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has reportedly overstated the extent to which the Trump administration dismantled a Biden-era clean energy loan program, which is still supporting the buildout of infrastructure across the nation. (Grist)
Wind’s Maine event: Maine tried and failed for years to build out tons of wind power production, but its latest attempt, which has backing from neighboring New England states, may have a better chance at success. (Canary Media)
New England plugs in: All six New England states are considering bills that could legalize plug-in balcony solar panels, with Maine on track to get its legislation to the governor as soon as next week. (Canary Media)
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