Why the UN says carbon removal will be needed as the world blows past the 1.5°C target, and why removing carbon from the atmosphere could become an enormous undertaking.

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We also explain solar soiling — the surprisingly important problem of dust, pollen, pollution, bird droppings and other material accumulating on solar panels and reducing their output. We look at how rain, cleaning, coatings, sensors and even robots can help.

Plus, contrails. A small percentage of flights are responsible for a large share of contrail-related warming, raising the possibility that simply changing the routes or timing of some flights could reduce their climate impact.

We also open the mailbag and hear from listeners about home solar and plug-in hybrid vehicles, including one PHEV owner who has gone months without filling the gas tank.

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The world's tallest wind turbine is nearing completion in Germany. Standing 300 metres tall before its blades are attached, the finished turbine will reach about 360 metres — roughly the height of a 100-storey building. The goal is to generate more electricity in areas where conventional turbines are less productive.

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We look at why people deliberately start wildfires after France arrests more than 500 suspected arsonists during a record-breaking fire season. The reasons range from revenge and money to impulsiveness, psychological disorders and even firefighters seeking recognition.

Volkswagen is cutting 50,000 jobs and closing four plants as the automaker struggles with excess capacity, falling profits in China and the rapid transition to electric vehicles.

And BYD has demonstrated some seriously impressive cold-weather charging. A Denza Z9GT battery sitting at -30°C for 24 hours went from 20% to 97% in just 12 minutes. For those of us who live somewhere that regularly feels like a walk-in freezer, that's worth paying attention to.

Plus, the Lightning Round: a 1,600-kilometre EV prototype, Canada's projected warming, Idaho reconsidering its renewable-energy ban, solar and batteries cutting electricity prices in Texas, Romania's solar-storage push, Ukraine's damaged power system, rapidly growing global battery demand, and the UN warning that the world is set to blow past the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target.

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Powering reverse osmosis seawater desalination to meet additional UK water demand would require roughly 4 TWh of electricity—adding just over 2% to annual power demand. Declining oil revenues could spark economic instability, reduced public services, and conflict in oil-dependent nations like Nigeria, Algeria, Angola, and Iraq if diversification isn't planned early.

• Extreme summer heat is grounding emergency medical helicopters in locations like Phoenix, where ambient temperatures exceed operating limits.

• New Jersey passed legislation legalizing plug-in balcony solar systems up to 1,200 watts, preventing landlords and HOAs from placing blanket bans on renters and owners.

• Over 10,800 US K-12 schools (1 in 7) now use solar power, reaching a combined capacity of 2.4 GW—enough to power over 450,000 homes.

• Xpeng commissioned its humanoid robot production line with over 80% automated core processes, targeting mass production readiness by year-end.

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An encore of episode 275, featuring stories about the forces fighting offshore wind in the United States, the health benefits of cycling, Saskatchewan's decision to keep burning coal until 2050, and a listener taking the province to court over its climate policies. We also look at expiring U.S. clean-energy tax credits, the falling cost of solar, EV charging across Europe, and plenty of clean-energy developments in the Lightning Round.

Highlights:
• Offshore wind faces a growing wave of lawsuits in the U.S., with fossil-fuel interests and climate-denial groups linked to some of the opposition.
• New research finds cycling is associated with lower risks of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
• Saskatchewan plans to continue coal power until 2050, prompting legal action from climate advocates.
• U.S. homeowners face expiring clean-energy tax credits, including EV incentives.
• A thought experiment looks at what it would cost to power the electrified world with solar.
• A European listener explains how charging apps can help EV drivers find the cheapest way to charge.
• A listener takes us on an EV road trip through northern Canada with charging available along major highways.
• The Lightning Round delivers a rapid-fire look at surging solar and wind generation, batteries, EV adoption, China's clean-energy growth, air pollution, land use, and more.

The Lightning Round:
Green power surges in the UK, solar reaches new heights in Greece and the Netherlands, California batteries meet a huge share of evening demand, China's battery storage passes 100 GW, EV adoption takes off in Turkey, and a 740,000-kilometre EV proves that even the Canadian North is becoming electric.

This is a replay from a year ago — a chance to revisit an episode that shows just how quickly the clean-energy story was already changing.

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Saskatchewan could save billions by moving away from coal, France debates air conditioning as deadly heat waves intensify, London homes are cracking as drought dries out the city's clay soil, and China builds a wind turbine designed to generate power in places with barely any wind. Plus, cruise ships, solar schools, air ambulances, the surprisingly long history of electric cars, and a packed Lightning Round.

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China's latest donation of solar-and-storage systems to Cuba, a new generation of perovskite-silicon solar panels that could push efficiency well beyond 30%, and an Australian homeowner who has decided the grid is no longer worth the connection fees.

Support The Clean Energy Show on Patreon for exciting perks including our monthly bonus podcast out now!

• China has donated another 5,000 solar systems to Cuba, this time with significantly more battery storage than the previous batch.

• Cuba is also introducing new incentives for renewable energy, including a renewable electricity rate and exemptions from customs duties for solar equipment and other clean-energy technologies.

• Tandem PV says its new perovskite-on-silicon solar panel has reached 30.4% efficiency and will go on sale later this year.

• The company is aiming for 37% efficiency by 2030 — potentially producing dramatically more electricity from the same physical footprint.

• Higher-efficiency panels could mean less land, fewer panels and lower balance-of-system costs, helping make solar even cheaper and accelerating grid decarbonization.

• But perovskite-silicon technology still has to prove its long-term durability, bankability and ability to scale up manufacturing.

• And in Australia, rooftop solar and cheap batteries are making it possible for some homeowners to seriously consider — or actually abandon — their connection to the electrical grid.

• We also talk about a fascinating DIY-style microgrid using solar, repurposed Tesla Model 3 batteries and an electric car to power three rental units.

A quick summer episode this week, with a full show coming next week — plus a bonus episode on the way.

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California's new "My First EV" rebate is proving that people really do like free money, with the $270 million incentive program already being snapped up. Plus, Clemson University students have built a remarkably lightweight solar-powered EV designed to generate more energy than it uses, and a centuries-old British cheese maker is saving money and cutting emissions with a heat pump that uses warm milk as its heat source.

• Supplemental material for this episode is posted on our public Patreon page. No need to sign up.

This week on The Clean Energy Show:

• California's $270 million "My First EV" rebate program is being rapidly exhausted, offering $3,500 toward new EVs and $1,750 toward used EVs.
• Clemson University's Deep Orange 17 solar EV packs more than 1,700 solar cells into its body and weighs just 550 kilograms.
• The solar car could potentially add about 50 kilometres of range from a typical 20-kilometre urban commute.
• Barber's Farmhouse Cheesemakers, operating since 1833, is using "milk-source" heat pumps to simultaneously cool milk and heat water.
• The heat pumps have cut the cheese maker's electricity use in half, saving about $94,000 a year and reducing emissions by nearly 66 tonnes annually.
• The Philippines is cutting red tape for small self-consumption and zero-export solar installations.
• More than 7 GW of Chinese solar panels have been imported or are on their way to the Philippines this year.

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Extreme heat is disrupting more than just summer vacations. This week, we look at how climate change is forcing nuclear reactors in Europe offline, why heatwaves are delaying commercial flights, and how the International Energy Agency has once again underestimated the speed of the global EV transition. Plus, Laos takes a bold step by banning nearly all new gasoline and diesel car imports.

• Brian's documentary video and the New York Times story on how things only get worse from here are both free on our pubic Patreon page.

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• Heatwaves are forcing nuclear power plants across southeastern Europe to reduce output or shut down entirely as drought lowers river levels needed for cooling.
• Record heat is also disrupting air travel, with some aircraft forced to leave passengers behind because hot, thin air reduces lift.
• The International Energy Agency raises its global EV forecast, now expecting electric vehicles to account for 29% of worldwide new car sales this year.
• Emerging markets including India, Brazil, Australia, Vietnam and South Korea are driving the next wave of EV adoption.
• Laos bans imports of nearly all new gasoline and diesel passenger vehicles while expanding EV incentives and charging infrastructure.
• Wildfires continue to devastate parts of the northwestern United States.

• Australia reaches 500,000 home batteries and is installing roughly 2,000 more every day.
• Burying Austin's power lines would cost an estimated $50 billion.
• China's coal generation remains high, but electricity demand has grown even faster.
• 29 countries have now installed more than 10 GW of solar power.
• Solar supplied nearly 16% of Texas electricity in May.

The episode wraps up with a sobering look at what today's 1.4°C warmer world is already bringing—and why the decisions we make now will determine how much worse it becomes.

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Copyright 2026 Sneeze Media.