Leks Energy LLC

06/15/2026

For the first time in recorded history, solar power supplied more electricity than coal across the entire United States. ☀️ Solar generated 45.5 terawatt-hours in May 2026, giving it a 12.8% share of the US electricity mix, while coal fell to just 12.2%. Coal's share of the US power mix has nearly halved over the past five years, falling from 19.7% in May 2021 to 12.2% in May 2026, while solar's share more than doubled from 5.4% to 12.8% in the same period. Energy think tank Ember analyzed data from the US Energy Information Administration to confirm this historic milestone.

Solar and battery storage now account for 91% of all new energy generation capacity added in the first quarter of 2026, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie. 🌍 Solar has grown from a niche contributor to the third-largest and fastest-growing source of power in the US electricity system, according to Ember senior analyst Nicolas Fulghum. The country that built its economy on coal is now running on sunshine. 🔋 Every rooftop panel, every solar farm, every clean energy investment made this moment possible.

📚 Source: Ember Energy Analysis of US EIA Data, June 2026. Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie, Q1 2026 Report.

06/15/2026

Japan's shipping industry is exploring innovative technologies to reduce emissions from one of the world's most carbon-intensive transport sectors. Projects such as MOL's Wind Hunter initiative are investigating how renewable energy and hydrogen production can contribute to cleaner maritime operations.

The concept involves using renewable energy sources, including wind and solar power, to generate hydrogen through electrolysis processes that separate water into hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen produced onboard could potentially be used as a zero-emission fuel for propulsion and other ship systems.

Maritime transport accounts for a significant share of global trade and greenhouse gas emissions, prompting growing interest in alternative fuels such as hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol. Developing sustainable fuel solutions is considered essential for achieving international decarbonization targets within the shipping industry.

Experimental vessels and demonstration projects help researchers evaluate the technical feasibility, efficiency, safety requirements, and economic viability of producing and utilizing clean fuels at sea. These initiatives provide valuable insights for the future development of low-carbon maritime technologies.

Japan's investment in hydrogen-powered shipping reflects a broader global effort to transform ocean transport through innovation. While challenges remain before widespread adoption becomes possible, advances in renewable marine fuel systems could play an important role in building a more sustainable shipping industry.

Sources: Interesting Engineering, The Cooldown, MOL Wind Hunter Project

06/13/2026

With Engineering Facts – We just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

06/13/2026

With Technologia – We just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

06/11/2026

Global solar power growth has reached a historic pace as countries continue installing massive solar farms, rooftop systems, and commercial projects.

The expansion is being driven by falling panel prices, improved manufacturing capacity, better financing, and strong demand for cleaner electricity.

Solar energy is especially attractive because projects can be built relatively quickly compared with many traditional power plants.

This rapid growth helps reduce reliance on fossil fuels, but grids also need more transmission lines, storage, and smarter planning to handle variable solar output.

The milestone shows how solar has moved from an alternative energy source into one of the central pillars of the global power transition.

06/11/2026

Join Maryland Energy Administration Director Kelly Speakes-Backman this July 20-22 at Aspen Ideas: Climate 2026 in Chicago.
The conference is hosted by The Aspen Institute in partnership with Chicago Climate Corps.
Join us: as.pn/climate

06/10/2026

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2026/06/10/ja-solar-changes-name-into-ja/

The move marks a shift toward a fully integrated cleantech ecosystem spanning solar, storage, smart energy, and financing in line with broader industry trends toward end-to-end energy solutions.

06/09/2026

Ocean current energy is being explored as a way to generate electricity from powerful, predictable flows of seawater such as the Gulf Stream near Florida.

Unlike solar and wind, ocean currents can move continuously, which makes them attractive for producing steadier renewable power if the technology can be deployed reliably.

The Gulf Stream carries enormous amounts of moving water, but turning that energy into grid-scale electricity requires turbines that can survive deep water, strong currents, corrosion, storms, and marine growth.

Engineers also have to consider environmental impacts, including effects on marine life, navigation, seabed equipment, and long-term maintenance in difficult offshore conditions.

If commercial ocean-current power becomes practical, it could add another clean energy source alongside solar, wind, nuclear, batteries, and pumped hydro.

06/09/2026

Spain faces 2 compounding resource crises: an energy system requiring transition away from fossil fuels and a water scarcity driven by persistent drought in regions where freshwater supplies are already stressed by demand exceeding renewable supply. The country just built a floating ocean solar farm that addresses both simultaneously from the same infrastructure. Photovoltaic panels mounted on a floating platform generate clean electricity from sunlight while the seawater beneath them is converted into fresh drinking water through a desalination process powered by a portion of the electricity the panels produce. The installation produces 2 outputs from 1 device occupying ocean surface that had no competing use: clean power for the grid and clean water for communities running dry.

The elegance of combining solar generation and desalination on the same floating platform is that neither function interferes with the other and both benefit from the marine location. Water keeps the solar panels cooler than ground based installations in the same climate, increasing their electricity output above what equivalent panels achieve on land. The seawater providing the cooling also becomes the input for desalination, eliminating the need for pipeline infrastructure to transport water from the coast to where it is needed inland. Spain did not build 2 separate systems that happen to share a platform. It built 1 integrated system where energy production and water production are inseparable parts of the same process. The floating solar farm that also produces fresh water is not a compromise between 2 different technologies. It is the recognition that the 2 resources Spain needs most can both come from the ocean that surrounds it.