Solar energy is beating Wind in china's race to renewability.

Hey there! Welcome to Clean Tech News, the newsletter so hot you'll be calling it the Komodo Dragon Pepper.

What's coming up:

• Solar energy is beating Wind in china's race to renewability.

• Meme - Renewable energy is important!

• European Commission approves €28B euro funding for clean energy projects led by the US.

• Fact - Old Solar Cells.

• Bite sized bits.

Solar energy is beating Wind in China's race to renewability.

Solar energy is having too much success in China.

Installing solar panels has become so popular that Chinese officials have drafted regulations to make sure developers don’t put them on land needed for other uses. And data suggests this new solar frenzy has only just begun.

Solar panels have overtaken wind turbines in the world’s biggest renewables market as solar panel manufacturers ramp up output to lead the energy transition.

China’s solar capacity rose 1.9% to 349.9 gigawatts in August, surpassing wind, which grew by just 0.2% to 344.5 gigawatts.

Meme of the week.

European Commission approves €28B euro funding for clean energy projects led by the US.

The Clean Energy demonstration challenge, spearheaded by the United States, has been granted €28 billion by the European Commission to aid in the commercialization of new technologies and speed up the energy transition.

This challenge is part of a larger push to reach net zero emissions by 2050, US President Joe Biden launched the clean energy challenge in June, promising $90 billion in public investment from 2022 to 2026. Funding from the EU is provided through the Horizon Europe research program, the Innovation Fund, and InvestEU.

Industries have had a hard time transitioning away from fossil fuels, which is why the government funding is meant to attract private investment to speed up the rollout of large-scale clean energy technology demonstration projects.

The eventual $94 billion in pledges to the Clean Energy Technologies demonstration challenge, goes far above projections.

The fact of the week.

The first solar (collector) cell was designed and built in 1767.

Bite-sized bits.

• Denmark becomes the first country to pay for ‘loss and damage’ from climate change. In September, it became the first country to offer “loss and damage” compensation for those in the most climate-vulnerable regions of the world.

• The European Central Bank (ECB) said on the 19th of September that it will give corporations climate scores before it buys their bonds.

• Patagonia and Ecosia: The big companies profiting the Earth thanks to eco-conscious founders. Patagonia’s billionaire founder has been praised for giving the company a way to help fight climate change.

• A Finnish city is testing whether a green lifestyle has a positive impact on your health. Lahti, Finland, has invited a group of local residents to try a ‘planetary health plan’ to see if making greener choices could be good for your health.