Record solar expansion and steady wind growth driving world’s shift away from fossil fuels in 2025, report finds

The world’s wind and solar farms have generated more electricity than coal plants for the first time this year, marking a turning point for the global power system, according to research.

A report by the climate thinktank Ember found that in the first six months of 2025, renewable energy outpaced the world’s growing appetite for electricity, leading to a small decline in coal and gas use.

As well as embracing ‘beautiful coal’, the president has set about obliterating clean energy projects

Democrats and environmental groups slam move as ‘sick political game’ and say it will drive up energy bills

The Trump administration is cancelling $7.6bn in grants that supported hundreds of clean energy projects in 16 states, all of which voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election.

The move comes as Donald Trump threatens deep cuts in his fight with congressional Democrats over the government shutdown.

Pumped hydro project in Kosciuszko national park is 67% complete, but supply chain cost increases and issues with a borer have caused cost overrun

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Snowy Hydro is preparing for another significant cost overrun on the massive Snowy 2.0 project in the Kosciuszko national park, with a line-by-line reassessment ordered from contractors on Friday.

The giant pumped hydro project, first touted by the Turnbull government in 2017 as costing $2bn, was later revised to a cost of $5.9bn. Escalating to almost $13bn in 2023, construction is due to be completed by the end of 2028.

Tory leader says she would replace it with ‘cheap energy’ strategy, ending decades-long consensus on climate

Kemi Badenoch has vowed to repeal the Climate Change Act if the Conservatives win the next election, doing away with controls on greenhouse gas emissions and dismantling what has been the cornerstone of green and energy policy for successive governments.

The Conservative party leader was already committed to scrapping the UK’s net zero target but repeal of the Climate Change Act would go much further. It would remove the need to meet “carbon budgets” – ceilings, set for five-year periods, on the amount of greenhouse gas that can be emitted – and disband the Climate Change Committee, the watchdog that advises on how policies affect the UK’s carbon footprint.