Wood Energy (Biomass Heating)
Modern wood energy sits at the crossroads of tradition and controversy: high-efficiency wood stoves, pellet boilers, and district-scale biomass plants can turn low-value forest and sawmill residues into renewable heat and power, but lifecycle carbon, air-quality impacts, and forest sustainability remain under intense scrutiny. Policy debates are increasingly focused on where wood fuel comes from, how it is burned, and how it compares to fossil fuels over the full carbon accounting period.
Wood Energy News & Resources
- UK using more wood to make electricity than ever, Drax figures show – Report on record wood-pellet generation at a major UK power station and the environmental questions around biomass subsidies.
- EIA predicts increased woody biomass consumption for 2025–2026 – Industry overview of how household and commercial biomass use is expected to grow in the near term.
Renewable Energy & Grid Modernization
Renewable energy has shifted from a niche concept to the backbone of modern power systems, with wind, solar, hydro, and storage now out-competing new fossil-fuel plants in many markets. As renewables surge, planners are wrestling with how to expand and modernize transmission grids so that high-quality wind and solar resources can be delivered reliably across regions, while maintaining resilience and keeping overall system costs down.
Renewable Energy News & Resources
- What’s the best way to expand the US electricity grid? – MIT analysis of different grid-expansion strategies to integrate large amounts of new wind and solar capacity.
- European Commission to unveil €1.2 trillion plan to upgrade the EU’s electric grids – Overview of Europe’s long-term investment push to reinforce and digitalize transmission networks for renewables.
Wind Farms
Utility-scale wind farms, both onshore and offshore, are now delivering record amounts of clean electricity in many countries, often supplying large fractions of national demand on windy days. The technology is mature and cost-competitive, but developers still face complex permitting, wildlife, grid-connection, and community-engagement challenges as they push into new regions and deeper offshore waters.
Wind Energy News & Resources
- Britain records new wind power generation record, NESO says – News on a new national wind-generation record and what it means for the UK’s evolving power mix.
- US judge strikes down Trump order blocking wind energy projects – Legal decision with big implications for how new wind projects on federal lands and waters can move forward.
Biogas Digestion
Biogas digestion, also known as anaerobic digestion, turns food scraps, manure, sewage sludge, and other organic residues into a mixture of methane and CO2 that can be used for heat, power, or upgraded into pipeline-quality renewable natural gas. This circular approach reduces methane emissions from waste, diverts organics from landfills, and produces nutrient-rich digestate that can be returned to farmland as a soil amendment.
Biogas News & Resources
- New data shows rapid growth in US biogas production from food waste – Snapshot of how American utilities and municipalities are scaling food-waste-to-energy projects.
- Global Biogas News Round-Up – International round-up highlighting policy developments, new digesters, and emerging biogas markets.
Biomass Briquettes & Pellets
Biomass briquettes and pellets compress agricultural residues—such as rice husks, sawdust, and crop stubble—into dense, uniform fuels that can substitute for coal or firewood in boilers and industrial furnaces. By turning wastes into energy, briquettes can reduce open-field burning, improve air quality, and provide new income streams for farmers and rural cooperatives while displacing part of the fossil fuel load in heat and power generation.
Biomass Briquette News & Resources
- Biomass Briquette Market Size to Hit USD 2.37 Billion by 2034 – Market research summary covering global growth, major regions, and key drivers for briquette demand.
- Stubble to power: Pellet use soars in Punjab and Haryana – Case study on how crop-residue pellets are cutting stubble burning and fueling local energy systems.
Helioculture & Solar Fuels (Artificial Photosynthesis)
Helioculture and solar-fuel research aim to go beyond traditional solar panels by using sunlight to produce energy-rich chemicals and fuels directly from CO2 and water. Experimental “artificial leaf” devices mimic photosynthesis, using catalysts and light-absorbing materials to generate hydrogen, formate, or other fuels that can power vehicles, industry, and backup generators while potentially creating carbon-neutral fuel cycles.
Solar Fuel News & Resources
- This artificial leaf turns pollution into power – Research highlight on an artificial-photosynthesis device that converts CO2 into useful chemical energy.
- Artificial photosynthesis breakthrough could bring solar fuels closer – Accessible overview of recent advances that could make solar-generated fuels more practical.
Tidal Energy (Tide Harnessing)
Tidal energy harnesses the predictable ebb and flow of ocean tides using underwater turbines, tidal-range barrages, and other marine power systems that convert moving water into electricity. Because tides follow a known lunar cycle, tidal power can provide a highly reliable, low-carbon complement to variable wind and solar, especially in coastal regions with strong tidal currents.
Tidal Energy News & Resources
- Inside the underwater turbine farm set to generate clean energy from France’s tides – Feature on a major tidal-stream project off the French coast and how it will feed renewable power into the grid.
- EMEC completes 3-in-1 tidal energy, hydrogen and battery demonstration – Demonstration of a hybrid system that combines tidal turbines, battery storage, and green-hydrogen production.
Wave Energy
Wave energy captures the constant motion of ocean waves with floating pontoons, oscillating water columns, and shoreline devices that can be integrated into ports and coastal infrastructure. While still an emerging technology, wave power offers a dense, predictable resource that can complement wind and solar, particularly for islands, coastal communities, and offshore facilities that need reliable local generation.
Wave Energy News & Resources
- Eco Wave Power installs core energy conversion unit at Port of Los Angeles – Update on a pioneering wave-energy project being integrated directly into a major port facility.
- Small-scale wave energy converter deployed off Washington coast – News on a field test of a compact wave-energy device designed for remote and smaller-scale applications.
Solar Energy
Solar energy is the fastest-growing pillar of the clean-energy transition, with utility-scale arrays and rooftop systems adding tens of gigawatts of capacity each year worldwide. As costs continue to fall, more projects are being paired with battery storage to shift solar output into evening hours, reduce curtailment, and provide firm capacity that can replace or defer new fossil-fuel generation.
Solar Energy News & Resources
- US solar installations jump 49% in third quarter, report says – Market update on record quarterly solar additions and the factors driving rapid deployment.
- Solar and storage represent 91% of clean power additions in Q3 2025 – Analysis of how solar-plus-storage is dominating new clean-power capacity in the United States.
Green Hydrogen
Green hydrogen is produced by using renewable electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, creating a zero-carbon fuel that can decarbonize fertilizer production, steelmaking, heavy transport, and long-duration energy storage. The industry is currently navigating a reality check as some early mega-projects are delayed or scaled back, but strategically located plants with strong policy support and committed industrial off-takers are still moving ahead.
Green Hydrogen News & Resources
- Green hydrogen developers reckon with reality check in Europe – In-depth look at why some European projects are being re-evaluated and what that means for the sector.
- Rs 50 crore grant awarded to MMMUT for Green Hydrogen Centre of Excellence – Example of new investment in research and innovation focused on cost-effective, scalable green-hydrogen technologies.
Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS)
Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) drill deep into hot, dry rock and create engineered fluid pathways so that heat can be extracted even in regions without naturally occurring hydrothermal reservoirs. As drilling technologies and subsurface imaging improve, EGS is emerging as a serious candidate to provide always-on, zero-carbon electricity and heat in many parts of the world, including areas that currently rely heavily on fossil fuels.
Geothermal News & Resources
- Enhanced geothermal systems: An underground tech surfaces as a serious clean energy contender – Explainer on how EGS works and its potential to supply a large share of future electricity.
- Fifty years of technological progress bring enhanced geothermal systems to the cusp of large-scale deployment – Report summarizing the technological and policy milestones pushing EGS toward commercial scale.
Grid-Scale Battery Energy Storage
Grid-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) are being installed alongside wind and solar farms, at substations, and in urban load centers to shift renewable generation across hours, smooth variability, and provide fast frequency response. Lithium-ion remains dominant today, but a wider family of chemistries and designs is emerging to target longer storage durations and applications that require enhanced safety or lower cost per cycle.
Energy Storage News & Resources
- The grid storage industry set a wild goal for 2025 — and then crushed it – Overview of how rapidly grid-scale storage capacity has grown compared with early expectations.
- Vena Energy builds 408MWh BESS at third phase of South Australia renewable energy project – Example of a large battery system integrated into a major renewable project to provide firm, dispatchable power.
Thermal Energy Storage (Sand & Ice Batteries)
Thermal energy storage systems, including sand batteries and ice batteries, store excess renewable electricity as heat or “cold” that can later be used for district heating, industrial processes, or building air conditioning. By shifting heating and cooling loads in time, these systems help balance the grid, reduce peak demand charges, and displace fossil fuels used in boilers and chillers while taking advantage of cheap off-peak or surplus renewable power.
Thermal Storage News & Resources
- World’s largest sand battery inaugurated – Coverage of a large-scale sand-based heat-storage system designed to supply low-carbon district heating.
- Buildings are turning to “ice batteries” for sustainable air conditioning – Article explaining how thermal storage with ice can cut cooling costs and lower grid stress in hot weather.