Sunday, August 24th, 2025

Time	Event
1:34a	Solar Energy Was America's Largest Source of New Energy for 21 Straight Months "Solar and wind accounted for almost 91% of new U.S. electrical generating capacity added in the first five months of 2025..." reports Electrek, citing new data from America's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. "Solar has now been the largest source of new generating capacity added each month for 21 consecutive months, starting September 2023." The 11,518 MW of solar added during the first five months of 2025 was 75.3% of the total new capacity placed into service... Between January and May, new wind provided 2,379 MW of capacity additions, accounting for 15.6% of all new capacity added during the first five months of 2025. For the first five months of 2025, solar and wind comprised 90.9% of new capacity while natural gas (1,381 MW) provided just 9.0%; the remaining 0.1% came from oil (14 MW). Solar + wind are 22.9% of U.S. utility-scale generating capacity. The installed capacities of solar (11.1%) and wind (11.8%) are now each more than a tenth of the U.S. total. Taken together, they constitute 22.9% of the U.S.'s total available installed utility-scale generating capacity. At least 25-30% of U.S. solar capacity is in the form of small-scale (e.g., rooftop) systems that are not reflected in FERC's data. Including that additional solar capacity would bring the share provided by solar + wind to more than a quarter of the U.S. total. With the inclusion of hydropower (7.7%), biomass (1.1%), and geothermal (0.3%), renewables currently claim a 32.0% share of total US utility-scale generating capacity. If small-scale solar capacity is included, renewables are now about one-third of total US generating capacity.... Taken together, the net new "high probability" capacity additions by all renewable energy sources over the next three years — the bulk of the Trump Administration's remaining time in office — would total 113,097 MW. There is no new nuclear capacity in FERC's three-year forecast, while coal and oil are projected to contract by 24,913 MW and 1,907 MW, respectively... If FERC's current "high probability" additions materialize by May 1, 2028, solar will account for 16.7% of US installed utility-scale generating capacity. Wind would provide an additional 12.7% of the total. Thus, each would be greater than coal (12.2%) and substantially more than nuclear power or hydropower (each 7.2%). In fact, assuming current growth rates continue, the installed capacity of utility-scale solar is likely to surpass that of either coal or wind within two years... At the end of 2024, the mix of all renewables accounted for 30.96% of total generating capacity. Solar alone was 10.19% while wind was 11.68%. By the end of May, renewables' share had risen to 31.98% with solar at 11.13% and wind at 11.80%. FERC also says that 43 "units" of solar totaling 1,515 megawatts (MW) were placed into service in May, according to the article, "accounting for 58.7% of all new generating capacity added during the month." Read more of this story at Slashdot. (Comment on this)
3:34a	Will Google's 'Battery Health Assistant' Throttle Your Pixel 10's Battery? "Google has confirmed that its Battery Health Assistance feature can't be turned off on the Pixel 10 phones," reports Android Authority: Google introduced a Battery Health Assistance feature on the Pixel 9a earlier this year. This feature gradually drops your phone's charging speed and battery voltage in the name of battery health. This tool is mandatory on the Pixel 9a but optional on other Pixel phones. However, there's bad news for the Pixel 10 series. Google confirmed to Android Authority that Battery Health Assistance is mandatory on the Pixel 10 series and can't be disabled. That means your phone's charging speed and effective battery life will drop over time... All smartphone batteries degrade over time, resulting in shorter and shorter endurance. Google says the Pixel 8a and newer Pixel phones can withstand 1,000 charging cycles before their batteries drop down to 80% effective capacity. However, this Battery Health Assistance feature essentially reduces the phone's battery capacity over and above standard degradation. This is particularly disappointing as users aren't given a choice in the matter. It's also disappointing as some rival smartphone makers address battery health concerns by offering more durable batteries. For example, Samsung's top phones can withstand 2,000 charging cycles before dropping down to 80% effective capacity, while OnePlus and OPPO's lithium-ion batteries offer 1,600 cycles before reaching 80% capacity. So there likely wouldn't be a need for a Battery Health Assistance tool if Google's batteries had similar longevity. "The issue also comes after several older Pixel A series models suffered from major battery issues in 2025..." Read more of this story at Slashdot. (Comment on this)
3:34p	A Future Air Taxi? Archer's Electric eVTOL Flies 55 Miles in 31 Minutes Archer Aviation is "the official air taxi partner" of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Electrek reported in May. In June it entered "a key development phase ahead of full-fledged flight certification and commercial operations" by completing a piloted flight in its flagship Midnight aircraft, "demonstrating a conventional takeoff and landing instead of vertical (it can do both)." During that flight, which took place in the skies above Salinas, California, the eVTOL achieved a top speed of 125 mph and a maximum altitude of 1,500 feet above ground level. Most recently, Archer has taken its Midnight eVTOL above Salinas again, achieving its longest flight to date. Per Archer, the recent successful flight in California lasted 31 minutes, and the piloted Midnight eVTOL traveled 55 miles — the company's longest recorded flight yet with a pilot onboard... [Again with speeds exceeding 125 mph] United Airlines CFO Mike Leskinen, who led the airline's early investment in Archer Aviation, was present at the test facility to witness the milestone flight. Leskinen congratulated the Archer team on its longest eVTOL flight and expressed his satisfaction with the Midnight aircraft's quiet operation. Their aircraft even "reached speeds of nearly 150 miles per hour" the week before, according to Archer's announcement. They're calling it another milestone "as the company advances toward FAA certification in the U.S. and near-term commercialization in the United Arab Emirates." And Archer's Founder/CEO said crossing the 50-mile mark at speed "is another clear step toward commercialization that shows the maturity of our program." Read more of this story at Slashdot. (Comment on this)
6:34p	Flames, Smoke, Toxic Gas: The Danger of Battery Fires on Planes "Delta Air Lines Flight 1334 was flying from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale last month when smoke and flames started pouring out of a backpack," reports CNN. "The pilots declared an emergency and diverted to Fort Meyers where the 191 people onboard safely evacuated." The culprit was a passenger's personal lithium-ion battery pack, which had been tucked away in the carry-on bag. At the FAA's William J. Hughes Technical Center for Advanced Aerospace in Atlantic City, New Jersey, fire safety engineers research and demonstrate just how bad it can be. "Lithium batteries can go into what's called thermal runaway," Fire Safety Branch Manager Robert Ochs, explained. "All of a sudden, it'll start to short circuit ... It will get warmer and warmer and warmer until the structure of the battery itself fails. At that point, it can eject molten electrolyte and flames and smoke and toxic gas...." These thermal runaways are difficult to fight. The FAA recommends flight attendants first use a halon fire extinguisher, which is standard equipment on planes, but that alone may not be enough. In the test performed for CNN, the flames sprung back up in just moments... "Adding the water, as much water from the galley cart, non-alcoholic liquids, everything that they can get to just start pouring on that device." The problems are not new, but more batteries are being carried onto planes than ever before. Safety organization UL Standards and Engagement says today an average passenger flies with four devices powered by lithium-ion batteries. "The incidents of fire are rare, but they are increasing. We're seeing as many as two per week, either on planes or within airports," Jeff Marootian, the president and CEO of the organization, told CNN... [T]he latest federal data shows external battery packs are the top cause of incidents, and as a result the FAA has banned them from checked baggage where they are harder to extinguish. But despite all of the warnings, UL Standards and Engagement says two in five passengers still say they check them. Read more of this story at Slashdot. (Comment on this)

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