Chart of the Week
California generated more than 50% of its electricity from solar in May
In May, California became the first US state to source more than half of its electricity from solar for an entire month. The state drew power from large- scale installations as well as rooftop arrays to achieve the record, leveraging 16 gigawatts of battery storage capacity to help meet demand during non- peak hours. [Canary Media]
Energy Transition
US thermal energy storage firm Antora Energy closed a $550 million funding round to scale the manufacturing and domestic deployment of its carbon- block battery technology for industrial and data center applications. The company's thermal batteries, which were recently deployed in a 5 gigawatt hour storage project in South Dakota, can store renewable electricity as heat in solid carbon blocks for days on end at temperatures up to 2,400°C. [Energy Storage News]
US utility Georgia Power completed the 49.5-megawatt Moody Battery Facility ahead of schedule, retrofitting an existing solar site to provide 198- megawatt hours of energy storage capacity. The project anchors a statewide rollout featuring 715 megawatts of storage currently in development and over 3 gigawatts of recently approved capacity to accelerate the regional transition to net zero. [Solar Power World]
Indian solar manufacturer RAYZON Solar and California-based perovskite specialist Caelux announced a five-year, 5 gigawatt partnership to commercialize high-efficiency tandem solar modules in India by 2028. The collaboration will integrate Caelux’s power-generating perovskite-based glass with RAYZON’s manufacturing platform to achieve a conversion efficiency of up to 28% compared to a baseline efficiency rate of ~25%. [PV Magazine]
Green Mobility & Sustainable Fuels
San Francisco-based robotics startup Revoy developed a detachable electric dolly that converts existing diesel rigs into electric trucks, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by up to 85% per journey. The company secured $27 million in funding to scale the battery-powered technology, which enables 80,000-pound trucks to travel more than 200 miles on a single charge at an operating cost competitive with diesel. [Bloomberg (Subscription)]
Chinese automotive giant BYD filed a patent for a dual-electrolyte cathode structuredesigned to decrease interface degradation in high-density solid- state EV batteries, improving energy capacity retention by up to 18%. The new system, expected to debut in 2027, blends smaller-particle halide and larger-particle sulfide electrolytes to eliminate microscopic gaps caused by active materials expanding and contracting during charge cycles. [Car News China]
Canadian developer SUSTAERO signed a licensing agreement with Danish technology firm Topsoe and South African energy provider Sasol to deploy a SAF facility in Canada targeting an initial production of 3,200 barrels per day by 2031. The project, which could expand to produce as much as 9,600 barrels a day, will utilize gas-to-liquid technology to convert sustainable wood waste into high-yield jet fuel. [Hydrocarbon Processing]
Sustainable Materials & Products
German steel producer Salzgitter AG signed a contract with Italian engineering firm Tenova to install Germany’s largest electric arc furnace, capable of producing up to 2.5 million metric tons of low carbon steel annually. Supported by a $270 million investment from the German government, the plant will utilize energy-efficient technology that preheats scrap metal using exhaust heat to decrease carbon emissions. [Steel Orbis]
Chinese industrial pyrolysis firm Niutech commenced construction on a 300,000-ton demonstration plant that will recover titanium from mining waste, reducing carbon emissions by up to 40%. The facility will use low- temperature pyrolysis to release reductive gases from waste plastic, converting titanium-bearing tailings into critical minerals through a single integrated system. [MSN]
Mercedes-Benz partnered with Norway’s largest aluminum firm, Hydro, to integrate recycled aluminum containing at least 75% post-consumer scrap into the production of the car company’s next-generation large EVs in Europe. The collaboration utilizes renewable-powered electrolysis and circular recycling processes to reduce the carbon footprint of aluminum car components by 70% relative to global averages. [Just Auto]
Notable Corporate Commitments
UK carbon intelligence firm Sylvera leveraged $900,000 in funding from Meta and The Rockefeller Foundation to launch a first-of-its-kind, open-access dataset for carbon credits in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The Open Carbon Data Project will provide benchmark-grade measurement and verification data to help scale private investment in forest protection and lower entry barriers for community-led carbon market projects. [Carbon Herald]
Global industry organization SAI Platform launched a standardized regenerative agriculture framework and independent verification system to provide consistent environmental performance metrics across global supply chains. The program enables over 40 major corporations to scale sustainable sourcing, including Nestlé’s recent commitment to procure 50% of its primary ingredients through regenerative practices by 2030. [New Food Magazine]
Global Climate Commitments and Progress
Japanese energy consortium Oga Katagami Akita Offshore Green Energy secured the world’s first seismic certification for 15 megawatt-class turbines as part of a 315 megawatt offshore wind project slated for commercial operation in June 2028. The new turbines utilize specialized foundation designs to account for nonlinear soil-structure interaction during earthquakes, preventing seabed liquefaction-induced toppling. [Tech Times]
Malawi commissioned its first standalone 40 megawatt hour battery energy storage system, offsetting up to 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. Funded by $20 million in catalytic grant financing from the Global Energy Alliance, the 20 megawatt facility will support Malawi’s goal of achieving 70% electricity access by 2030. [Renewables Now]
Multimedia Insights
This installment of Volts explores battery technology company Group14’s new silicon-carbon composite anode material which can enable up to five times the energy density of traditional graphite anodes and reduce chargingtimes from hours to minutes. Featuring Rick Costantino, the company’s co- founder and CEO, the podcast presents a 5-year outlook for the technology.
This episode of Wood Mackenzie’s Energy Gang podcast discusses how Los Angeles can utilize the 2028 Olympic Games to accelerate large-scale investments in transportation electrification and grid infrastructure. Guest Matt Peterson, CEO of the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, argues that the city’s increased transportation needs can enable long-term decarbonization efforts through initiatives like electric buses and cleaner freight.
Climate Events
Climate Week - Baku September 2026 (CW4)
Dates: September 7-11, 2026
Location: Baku, Azerbaijan
Preview: The UN’s fourth biannual climate week will mobilize public and private stakeholders to accelerate regional climate solutions and urban resilience. The event aims to foster whole-of-society engagement through high-level policy dialogues and innovative partnerships, focusing on key themes such as the green energy transition, methane abatement, and sustainable finance.
Dates: September 22-23, 2026
Location: London, UK
Preview: The 2026 SAF Global Summit will bring together over 1,000 cross- sector executives, from OEMs to policymakers, to fuel investments and discuss the growth of the SAF market. Centered on policy, investment, production scalability, and innovation, the summit will explore how landmark initiatives like ReFuelEU, the UK Mandate, and the US Inflation Reduction Act are shaping the industry’s future.
Thank you for reading the Rise Climate Insight Digest. We will return soon after a brief summer hiatus.
This material is solely for informational purposes and shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation to buy securities. The views expressed herein are those of the third-party sources and not necessarily those of TPG.