Clean energy and the grid

Solar, wind, storage, electricity markets and what a cleaner grid changes.

Questions this desk answers

Is an EV only as clean as the grid?
Can cars support the grid?
What makes home solar worthwhile?

Reports and analysis

China's 67% plug-in share is cutting oil use faster than it is straining the grid

Two-thirds of new cars sold to Chinese households in September 2026 plugged in. The oil effect is already visible in national fuel demand, while charging is still a small, fast-growing slice of electricity use.

Analysis Energy 18 October 2026 10 sources

PG&E's October shutoff shows what an electric pickup can and cannot do as home backup

About 86,000 PG&E customers lost power for safety between 14 and 17 October 2026. A bidirectional electric truck could have covered an average Californian home for that long, but PG&E's own programme for using EVs this way remains small.

Report Energy 18 October 2026 9 sources