Climate Tech Newsletter: May 18, 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

AI’s rapidly rising electricity demand dominated climate-tech discussions this week, driving debates over grid costs, permitting reform, and massive transmission expansion in the US and Canada. Simultaneously, record battery deployment, geothermal momentum, corporate renewable procurement, and cultivated-meat investment reflected accelerating commercialization, while DAC delays and climate-policy rollbacks exposed growing friction between climate ambition, infrastructure realities, and political constraints.

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1. The Emerging Weather Threat Facing the South
   May 15, 2026 – The Washington Post

2. The Tesla Semi Could Be a Big Deal for Electric Trucking
   May 14, 2026 – MIT Technology Review

3. 1,250-MW CHPE Transmission Line Into NYC Reaches Commercial Operation Early
   May 13, 2026 – S&P Global

4. Are Data Centers Pushing Grid Costs Onto Consumers?
   May 12, 2026 – Reuters

5. US Power Use to Beat Record Highs in 2026–2027 as AI Use Surges, EIA Says
   May 13, 2026 – Reuters

6. Canada Unveils Plan to Double Capacity of Electricity Grid by 2050
   May 14, 2026 – Reuters

7. SuperMeat Raises $6M, Eyes Switzerland Launch of Lab-Grown Meat
   May 13, 2026 – Green Queen

8. Oishii Closes $150M Series C Funding Round to Scale Tech-Led Indoor Farming Platform
   May 14, 2026 – FoodBev Media

9. Smurfit Westrock Introduces 2030 Sustainability Goals
   May 15, 2026 – ESG Dive

10. NY's 2027 Budget Includes Climate, Emissions Reduction Rollbacks: Gov. Hochul
    May 14, 2026 – ESG Dive

11. Corporate Clean Energy Demand Remains 'Extremely Strong': CEBA CEO
    May 12, 2026 – ESG Dive

12. Energy Department Awards $94 Million to American Companies to Help Expedite Deployments of Small Modular Reactors
    May 14, 2026 – U.S. Department of Energy

13. EPA Plan Would Let Work Start on Data Centers, Power Plants Before Air Permits
    May 11, 2026 – E&E News

14. Analysis: UK No Longer Top UN Green Climate Fund Donor After Latest Aid Cut
    May 15, 2026 – Carbon Brief

15. Where Does Balcony Solar Stand in Your State?
    May 13, 2026 – Canary Media

16. North Carolina Groups Fight Regulator's Order to Cancel Solar for 2026
    May 14, 2026 – Canary Media

17. Amazon Bets on What Could Be a Game-Changing Heat Pump
    May 13, 2026 – Canary Media

18. Fervo Energy's IPO Is a Milestone for Next-Gen Geothermal
    May 13, 2026 – Canary Media

19. The World Is Installing Grid Batteries at a Blistering Pace
    May 15, 2026 – Canary Media

20. The Energy Crisis Is Becoming a Currency Crisis in Asia's Emerging Markets
    May 14, 2026 – Bloomberg

21. Power Prices Are Up 76% on America's Biggest Grid, and a Watchdog Is Pointing Fingers
    May 15, 2026 – TechCrunch

22. Some Climate Shocks Can Increase the Likelihood of War
    May 11, 2026 – Inside Climate News

23. Lightrock Launches $500 Million Fund to Expand Energy Access Across Emerging Markets
    May 15, 2026 – ESG News

24. India's Steel Sector Is Cleaning Up, but Green Standards Remain Murky
    May 13, 2026 – Corporate Knights

25. Occidental's Stratos DAC Facility Delayed by Unexpected Component Issue
    May 11, 2026 – Carbon Herald

26. California Opens Funding Round for Direct Air Capture Demonstration Projects
    May 6, 2026 – Carbon Herald

27. Meta and D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments Expand 2.5 GW Renewable Partnership Across Nine U.S. States
    May 15, 2026 – Carbon Credits

28. Google's Wild AI Strategy: 500 MW Solar Deal and Potential SpaceX Orbital Data Centers
    May 15, 2026 – Carbon Credits

29. China and Europe Build Carbon Pricing Alliance as US Takes a Different Energy Path
    May 12, 2026 – Carbon Credits

30. Startups Are Installing Tiny Data Centers in People's Homes to Reduce Strain on the Beleaguered Electrical Grid
    May 15, 2026 – Fortune