Climate Tech Newsletter: June 15, 2026

Welcome to last week’s edition of the CBKNY’s Weekly News Highlights. Explore the latest policies, innovations, and market trends driving the future of climate tech.

Climate Tech Insights

Climate-tech momentum this week centered on how energy systems respond to AI-driven electricity growth. New EU data-center standards, Google’s VPP agreement, large-scale battery deployments, fusion funding rounds, and nuclear expansion plans suggest the conversation is moving beyond demand forecasts toward concrete infrastructure, financing, and regulatory responses.

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1. China Opens World's First Wind-Powered Underwater Data Center
   June 10, 2026 – WIRED

2. Majority of US's New AI Datacenters to Be Built on Drought-Hit Land
   June 8, 2026 – The Guardian

3. Why China Is Betting on Big Nuclear Reactors
   June 11, 2026 – MIT Technology Review

4. Applied Digital Signs $5.2 Billion AI Data Center Lease With US Hyperscaler
   June 9, 2026 – Reuters

5. Tracking the World Cup's Heat With Reuters' Climate Monitor
   June 11, 2026 – Reuters

6. Big Tech Deals Propel Geothermal Power Towards Lower Costs
   June 9, 2026 – Reuters

7. As El Niño Arrives, Malaysia Explores Lab-Grown Meat to Fight Food Insecurity
   June 12, 2026 – Green Queen

8. Gartner Says Data Center Electricity Consumption to Grow 26% in 2026
   June 10, 2026 – Gartner

9. SBTi Finalizes Long-Awaited Update to Its Corporate Net-Zero Standard
   June 12, 2026 – ESG Dive

10. Google, American Airlines Sign Long-Term Corporate SAF Deal
    June 10, 2026 – ESG Dive

11. Cameco President: 'SMRs Just Kind of Played This Amazing Trojan Horse Role' as Nuclear Reemerges
    June 8, 2026 – EnergyTech

12. Circular Paths to Linear Solutions: How 19th Century Technology May Innovate 21st Century Power Generation
    June 10, 2026 – EnergyTech

13. RWE Officially Opens Australia's First 8-Hour Battery Storage System
    June 12, 2026 – Energy Storage News

14. General Motors Plots Sodium-Ion Tech Leapfrog Into Grid-Scale Energy Storage Market
    June 10, 2026 – Energy Storage News

15. Shared Grid Connections With Data Centers: A Win-Win Situation for Battery Storage Systems
    June 12, 2026 – ees Europe

16. DOE Unveils Road Map to Develop Fusion for Electricity
    June 10, 2026 – E&E News

17. Minnesota Now Has a Wind-Powered Green Ammonia Plant
    June 12, 2026 – Canary Media

18. Solar Beat Coal on the US Grid in May — a New Milestone
    June 12, 2026 – Canary Media

19. New Qcells Plant Doubles Current US Capacity to Make Solar Cells
    June 9, 2026 – Canary Media

20. AI Firms Are Getting Creative as They Scramble for Energy
    June 12, 2026 – Canary Media

21. $18.3B Budget Plan Incorporates Trump Tax Cuts, Pauses Data Center Subsidy
    June 10, 2026 – Axios

22. The Power Decisions That Could Shape the Next Century
    June 13, 2026 – Axios

23. Trump Administration Emergency Order to Keep Florida Coal Plant Running
    June 8, 2026 – Inside Climate News

24. Wild Rice Faces Numerous Threats — and Has Determined Protectors
    June 8, 2026 – Inside Climate News

25. Air Liquide Launches Industrial Scale CO2 Capture Pilot to Decarbonize Cement Production
    June 10, 2026 – ESG News

26. Adani Green to Commission 14 GWh Battery Storage at Khavda by Fiscal Year End to Cut Clean Energy Wastage
    June 13, 2026 – The Economic Times

27. Banks Up the Ante on Fossil Fuels — Again
    June 9, 2026 – Corporate Knights

28. Carbon Removal Gap Growing Faster Than Solutions — State of CDR Report
    June 3, 2026 – Carbon Herald

29. Top 4 Private Battery Tech Companies to Watch in 2026: Powering the EV and Net-Zero Transition
    June 8, 2026 – Carbon Credits

30. Inside the DOMINANCE Act: America's Push to Secure Critical Minerals Beyond China
    June 12, 2026 – Carbon Credits