Latest Climate & Energy News Today: 5 November 2026

EDP Renewables North America broke ground on the 250 MW Cypress Knee Solar project in Chicot County, Arkansas, on November 4, with completion expected by 2028. Meta has signed a long-term power purchase agreement, its third with EDPR NA, bringing the total capacity covered by their deals to 545 MW. The project is expected to create several hundred construction jobs and generate an estimated $25 million in county revenue over its lifetime.

The Environment Agency said about 1,000 tonnes of sewage sludge were stored in an uncovered stockpile at the Tetron Finningley landfill near Doncaster. The agency inspected the site on 9 October and gave the operator until 10 November to resolve concerns over approved documents. A nearby motocross venue said it closed after visitors reported headaches and nausea from odours, and the agency identified odour management issues.

Faropoint has started construction on the first of 16 community solar projects on New Jersey warehouse roofs, with a combined capacity of more than 10 MW. The first array is 1.6 MW in Fair Lawn, and 15 more projects totaling about 8.5 MW have been accepted into the state's community solar program. Faropoint and SolarKal expect the portfolio to generate about 12.7 million kWh a year and avoid about 8,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

Toyota has added a built-in NACS charge port to all 2027 RAV4 plug-in hybrid models, enabling Level 3 DC fast charging and use of Tesla Superchargers without an adapter. The PHEV uses Toyota's sixth-generation system with standard all-wheel drive and 321 horsepower, and the base SE trim offers up to 52 miles of pure electric range. All PHEV grades also include an 11 kW onboard AC charger.

Minister Michel Djombo launched a study of electricity supply needs for the Republic of Congo's special economic zones and industrial facilities. It will compare solar with storage, biomass and cogeneration, grid connections and hybrid systems, and set a pricing benchmark, with support from the United Nations Development Programme.

Battery-electric cars took 32 percent of the UK new car market in October, while petrol cars fell to 37.2 percent, the closest the two have ever been. SMMT data shows BEV registrations jumped 32.7 percent to 48,858 units, while petrol fell 11.6 percent. Analysts suggest electric cars could outsell petrol as early as this December if automakers push volume to meet ZEV Mandate targets.

China's operational new-type energy storage capacity reached 167 GW at the end of September 2026, up 63 percent year on year, according to the National Energy Administration. The growth in installed capacity is accompanied by improved system configuration, with average storage duration increasing to 2.61 hours.

This expansion supports the integration of wind and solar, which now account for 48.7 percent of the country's total installed power capacity.

Malawi's Ministry of Energy and the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority have launched a net metering scheme to enable households and businesses to supply surplus solar power to the national grid. An initial pilot programme is expected to involve 34 eligible prosumers with a combined generation capacity of approximately 3.9 MW.

The scheme aims to reduce reliance on costly diesel backup generation and hydropower, which have historically caused grid instability.

Democrats flipped governorships in Georgia, Iowa, Ohio, Nevada and Texas and won five new state trifectas, with Arizona likely to be the sixth. Analysts say the gains could clear the way for state climate and clean energy laws, especially in states that lagged on clean energy support. The likely six states would rival Canada and Saudi Arabia in emissions if they were a country.

Chinese solar inverter manufacturer Hoymiles has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with PCG Global, the Oman Investment Authority, and Greenwill Asset Management to explore renewable energy investment and local manufacturing in Oman. The proposed partnership is valued at $100 million and covers solar project development and a solar inverter manufacturing facility serving the Middle East and North Africa.

The agreement was signed during Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tarik's state visit to China.

Daera confirmed an investigation into a major fish kill in the Gransha, Ballystockart and Inler Rivers in County Down after a pollution incident reported on Tuesday. The pollution killed brown and migratory sea trout, and the Inler Angling Club secretary said about 1,000 fish were killed. Daera is working with the NI Environment Agency to identify the source and finalise the numbers.

New Zealand's Foodstuffs North Island has named its latest electric semi truck Evie, a name chosen by a second-grade student in a local naming competition. The DeepWay Star has travelled nearly 45,000 kilometers since arriving earlier this year, avoiding more than 81,000 kg of carbon emissions. The truck features a 600 kWh battery pack offering more than 500 km of range and 491 kW of power.

Protesters say Google's London headquarters refused a petition with 54,000 signatures over the environmental impact of a planned Essex data centre development. Google plans four data centre buildings and an office building on 52 hectares at the former Arena Essex Raceway near Purfleet. Conservation groups say the project would threaten rare bumblebees, endangered broad-leaved cudweed, butterflies and nightingales at the Local Wildlife Site.

Frankfurt-based Revolta has installed its first sodium-ion home battery at a customer property near Aschaffenburg, Germany. The high-voltage system comprises five battery modules with a combined capacity of 10 kWh and a nominal voltage of 450 V. The company describes the installation as the start of its commercial launch, with further pilot installations planned across Germany to collect data on daily operation.

State-owned Électricité du Liban opened a tender for the operation and maintenance of solar facilities on the Beirut River. The one-year contract will be awarded on price and financed by EDL, with bids due by post on January 7, 2027, and each bid requiring a LBP 250 million bank guarantee. EDL cancelled a similar operation and maintenance tender in June after issuing it in September 2025.

Regulators gave South West Water six weeks to produce an action plan after saying it had missed leak and burst pipe targets for seven years. The company serves 1.8 million people and leaks 113.5 million litres a day, 18.5 percent above forecast and 5.7 million litres more than last year. Officials said the failures raise supply risks in areas still in severe drought, including Exeter and parts of Devon.

A weekend storm killed at least four people and dumped two or three months of rain on Arizona in days. Clovis, New Mexico, received 28.84 inches since September 20 against a 3.3-inch average. NOAA's seasonal outlook links the strongest El Niño on record to increased precipitation across much of the southern United States this winter. The warm Pacific waters add heat and moisture, making such extreme events more likely.

Nippon Steel Kowa Real Estate, Sumitomo Life Insurance and Obayashi Corp. are testing green hydrogen at Shinagawa Intercity in Tokyo. The system uses rooftop solar electricity to make hydrogen by electrolysis, stores it in a hydrogen-absorbing alloy and converts it to electricity with fuel cells for selected common areas. It is the first project funded under Tokyo's green hydrogen support program, and the companies added an off-site solar PPA.

Spain's National Commission on Markets and Competition approved two European methodologies for assessing cybersecurity risks and classifying cyberattacks in the electricity system. They set common criteria for risk assessment, incident severity and reporting, and identify high or critical impact entities that face specific obligations. Entso-E and the EU DSO Entity developed them under the network code for cross-border electricity flows.

Johnson Controls has launched the Frick HeatPAC Reciprocating Ammonia Heat Pump, an industrial system designed to recover waste heat from ammonia refrigeration installations in food and beverage facilities. The system offers heating capacities from 200 kW to 2 MW and can deliver hot water at temperatures between 54.4 and 87.8 degrees Celsius.

Johnson Controls claims the system can be up to seven times more energy efficient than a natural gas boiler in typical applications.

A report by the Indian Solar Manufacturers Association says India's agricultural sector could absorb an additional 116 GW of solar modules, comprising 100 GW for grid-connected pumps and 16 GW for diesel pumps. PM-KUSUM added a record 7.6 GW in FY2025-26 and had solarised over 28 lakh irrigation pumps by July 2026. The report says 13.8 GW had been installed under domestic content requirements by October 2026, supporting Indian manufacturers.

A four-year study warns that warming seas around the UK and the wider north-east Atlantic could destabilize marine food webs and jeopardize food security by 2050. Researchers found that while fish and seabed invertebrates may become more diverse, key plankton groups lower in the food chain are likely to decline. This predator-prey imbalance could fundamentally reshape marine ecosystems in unforeseen ways.

Solar manufacturer JA has debuted its HyperGen Pro module in Australia, offering up to 510 W of power output at a maximum efficiency of 25.5 percent. The module uses n-type back-contact cell technology to eliminate front-side grid lines, increasing the light-receiving area and reducing weight by 12 to 14 percent compared to comparable dual-glass modules.

It is designed for the Australian market with a hail-resistance rating of HW4 and a power temperature coefficient of -0.26 percent per degree Celsius.

Power purchase agreement prices for solar projects in North America experienced a 4.9 percent quarter over quarter increase in the third quarter of 2026, marking a return to an upward trend. The rise is attributed to Section 232 tariffs on imported polysilicon solar materials set to take effect in December, while wind PPA prices remained essentially flat.

The report suggests buyers should act soon to benefit from current Investment Tax Credit economics before policy changes take effect.

A study in Earth's Future found that the world's wettest rainstorms, which produce about half of global annual rainfall, are becoming shorter and more intense. Since 1980, the average length of these intense storms has reduced by about 86 minutes a decade, compressing the same amount of rain into quicker events. The changes are occurring across all continents, with Europe and South America recording the strongest rate of compression.

Latin American EV sales reached 220,000 units in the third quarter, up 140 percent from a year earlier and lifting market share to 12 percent. Year-to-date sales passed half a million units, with battery electric vehicles accounting for 57.5 percent of EV sales. Brazil, Mexico and Colombia led, while the report says strong EV growth is pushing the region toward peak combustion.

A Tesla software update rolling out since October appears to block third-party gear used to power homes in Australia, leaving owners without a backup power solution. While the same update delivered Powershare with Powerwall home backup to owners in the US and Canada, Tesla Australia said Powershare cannot be retrofitted to existing vehicles.

The update, described as security improvements, cuts third-party discharge within minutes, affecting users of EleJoy, Tlyard, and Sigenergy equipment.

The Bay Area Air District voted to move forward with the strongest clean appliance standards in the nation. Beginning in 2028, households must install water heaters that meet clean air standards as old gas units burn out, with exemptions for low-income households and complicated installations. The district estimates the rules could prevent up to 85 premature deaths and 15,000 asthma attacks each year, while RMI estimates annual savings of $360.

The Sierra Club released a legislative policy blueprint for the incoming Democratic Congress, urging lawmakers to address the affordability crisis and hold polluters accountable. The organization recommends passing a make polluters pay package, the Energy Bills Relief Act, and a windfall profits tax to reverse damage from the Trump administration. The blueprint aims to lower costs, strengthen infrastructure, and protect public health and safety.

BLUETTI launched the Apex 200 power station on November 4 with early bird pricing starting at $1,099 through November 18. It offers 2.56 kWh of LFP storage and 3.2 kW of continuous AC output, expanding to 3.6 kW with an expansion battery or while charging. The 26.9 kg unit has built in RV connections, a tilted display and app controllable AC outlets, and BLUETTI says it is more than 50 percent smaller by volume than class competitors.

Democrats swept Congress on Tuesday, winning both houses with victories in Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Michigan and Maine. In California, with more than half of ballots counted, voters appear to be rejecting Proposition 45, which would have limited environmental review of major projects to 365 days. Analysts said the results reflected national disapproval of Trump's second presidency over fuel and food costs, the Iran war and data centers.

High gas prices and new car affordability concerns are pushing used car buyers toward electric vehicles, and demand is outpacing supply. Automotive News and Cox Automotive reported the average new car spent 82 days on dealer lots in October, while the Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron Quattro sold in 29.8 days. iSeeCars found several used EVs averaged 35 days or less, and EV transaction prices rose 9.8 percent last month.

The Alabama Public Service Commission asked Alabama Power to stop billing customers immediately for advertising, with President Cynthia Lee Almond moving to exclude all advertising expenses from retail rate setting until a new law takes effect in 2029. The state's largest electricity provider may now include half of its non-public safety advertising costs in electric bills, though a law passed earlier this year will bar that starting in 2029.