Nearly $7.9 billion in clean energy investments were nixed and downsized in the first quarter of 2025 due to tax credit uncertainty, reports E2. The cancellations, which include 16 large-scale factories, were expected to create 7,800 jobs. Despite the uncertainty, $1.6 billion in investments were announced in March.

Most Americans consider climate change a "major threat," per the Pew Research Center, yet the majority "rarely or never" discuss the issue due to a phenomenon known as the "spiral of silence," according to new research from George Mason University and Yale University. "When we don't hear an opinion, or we don't hear our thoughts out there, we assume we're in the minority, and we become sort of afraid to speak out about it," said lead author Margaret Orr. To combat the issue and prevent it from slowing climate action, Orr says people should make a point about expressing their concerns more openly.

The clean energy sector is grappling with significant uncertainty due to tariffs and shifts in domestic policy under the Trump administration. In this episode of the Open Circuit podcast, the team discusses how the situation is driving interest in other types of projects, such as virtual power plants, and why emerging technologies present a bright spot.

A Texas State Senate-approved bill that imposes regulations, permit requirements and taxes on solar and wind projects could slow growth and is a move in the wrong direction at a time when energy demand is expanding, said the Solar Energy Industries Association. "With energy demand rising fast, Texas needs every megawatt it can generate to keep the lights on and our economy strong," said SEIA's Daniel Giese.

Many states are revising net metering policies, community solar programs and distributed solar valuation, according to the "50 States of Solar Q1 2025" report from the NC Clean Energy Technology Center. The report highlights 193 distributed solar policy actions in Q1, with the most in Virginia, Minnesota and New Jersey.

President Donald Trump has issued executive orders to bypass the traditional regulatory process, a move legal scholars call a significant and potentially illegal power expansion. The orders include repealing regulations without public comment and sunsetting long-standing environmental protections. "[W]e could see, again, a radical reshaping of the regulatory ... structure in a very short time," said Nina Mendelson of the University of Michigan.

An appeals court has temporarily blocked a lower court's order to release contested climate funds to green banks. District Judge Tanya Chutkan had previously stopped the Environmental Protection Agency from reclaiming funds given to climate finance organizations during the Biden administration. The funds are part of a $20 billion program from the Inflation Reduction Act.

Fossil fuels accounted for nearly 60% of electrical generation worldwide last year, with coal representing a whopping 35% of all output, per the International Energy Agency. This infographic takes a look at major economies such as the US, EU, China and India to see how their energy mix compares to global averages. The US uses less coal than India and China, but leads the quartet for gas-fired generation.

China's solar cell production reached a record 78.44 gigawatts in March, driven by developers rushing to install projects before new regulations and pricing schemes take effect in May and June, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The China Silicon Industry Association expects demand to dip after the deadline.

Longi has established a new world record for power conversion efficiency in a two-terminal tandem perovskite solar cell, achieving 34.85%. This marks a significant advancement over the previous record held by Longi, and the result has been confirmed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

A genomic analysis published in Nature Plants reveals that all roses, regardless of color, trace back to a common ancestor with yellow petals and seven leaflets. The study, which involved sequencing more than 200 samples representing 84 species, highlights that regardless of the current variations in rose color, they all share this singular origin.