Manufacturing

ChatGPT & DALL-E generated panoramic image of an electric cement truck covered in circuitry delivering cement to a construction site.

Cement Decarbonization Policy Makers Need To Understand All Levers

The global cement industry, long recognized as a backbone of infrastructure development, faces mounting pressure to reduce its environmental impact. Responsible for approximately 7–8% of global carbon emissions, cement production is one of the most carbon-intensive industrial processes. Yet, as climate policies tighten and innovation accelerates, the industry stands at … [continued]

Slide from Michael Barnard's keynote presentation to DWEA 2025

There Is Optimism For Distributed Wind Energy In United States

Recently the long term leader of the USA’s Distributed Wind Energy Association, Mike Bergey of Bergey Windpower and a long term acquaintance, reached out to ask me to keynote the annual conference in Washington. Putting together my material led me to consider the strategic drives and how they would be … [continued]

ChatGPT generated panoramic image showing a dramatic contrast between a small, cute piggy bank on one side labeled 'H2 Cost Projections' and a massive, heavily fortified bank vault

Hydrogen Electrolysis Cost Projections from Major Organizations Low by 60% to 300%

For years, major organizations like the IEA, IRENA, BNEF, the Hydrogen Council and CSIRO have been projecting future costs for hydrogen electrolysis systems and the future cost of green hydrogen that don’t stand up to scrutiny. As a result, their projections of future costs increase every year, yet real-world data … [continued]

Alabama is now host to a new thin film solar manufacturing facility that will provide solar developers in the US with 3.5 gigawatts' worth of solar panels per year, every year (courtesy of First Solar).

Manufacturers Continue To Move To Renewable Energy-Powered Production

The conversion to renewable energy-powered production has been remarkable over the last few years. At least 160 clean energy manufacturing facilities or expansions have been announced since August 2022, driven by tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act, with 47 declared in 2024 alone. Collectively, these facilities are expected to … [continued]

First Solar Announces Final Sale Amount of 2024 Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credits

First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) (the “Company” or “First Solar”) today announced the final sale amount of Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production tax credits generated by the production and sale of solar modules in the United States in 2024, which transaction was previously announced on December 11, 2024. The transaction … [continued]

EV Transition Drives Apprentice Recruitment As Industry Skills Up For “Green Growth Decade”

While some leaders demonstrate bravery and perseverance in confronting a backward-thinking, money-soaked attack on the poor and the unconscious middle class. Across the Atlantic, people are thinking about current and future generations. Top UK automotive firms are putting resources into a significant skills drive that will boost apprenticeship numbers by … [continued]

Lithium-ion battery factory in Brussels, Belgium. Image courtesy of Kyle Field | CleanTechnica.

EU Commission’s State Aid Plans Fail to Deliver for Cleantech

T&E finds that leaked EU State Aid guidelines do not effectively support EU manufacturing of cleantech products. EU State Aid guidelines do not effectively support EU manufacturing of cleantech products like batteries, a new T&E report finds. To compete globally, Europe needs a revised State Aid framework for cleantech based on “Made … [continued]

ChatGPT generated panoramic bird's eye image of a fleet of abandoned, broken windowed modern hydrogen fuel cell freight trucks covered in dirt and pigeon droppings parked in a weed filled field

Nikola Bankruptcy Just Part Of Crumbling Of Hydrogen For Transportation

Nikola, with its hydrogen trucks, has finally left the building. The company gained widespread attention after going public via a SPAC merger in 2020, briefly reaching a market valuation of over $30 billion. However, founder Trevor Milton was complicit in the SPAC pump and dump, misleading investors about Nikola’s technological … [continued]