Farms and rooftop panels contribute 14.4% to the grid – and figures reveal a surge in new installations
Solar energy supplied more power to Great Britain’s grid in July than in any previous month as households turned to rooftop panels to cut their energy bills.
Solar farms and rooftop panels provided 14.4% of the country’s electricity after some parts of the UK recorded almost twice the average sunshine hours for the time of year.
Vor anderhalb Woche hat auf einem Flug der China Eastern Airlines eine Powerbank Feuer gefangen. Wegen solcher Vorfälle haben Behörden und einzelne Fluggesellschaften die Regeln zur Mitnahme der Powerbanks verschärft. Diese sind seit Ende März in Kraft und betreffen die herkömmlichen Lithium-Ionen-Powerbanks sowie Ersatzbatterien für bestimmte Geräte.
Diese Regeln gelten für Powerbanks im Flugzeug:
Powerbanks bis 100 Wattstunden kann man mitnehmen, Powerbanks von 100 bis 160 Wattstunden bedürfen der Erlaubnis der Fluggesellschaft, Powerbanks ab 160 Wattstunden gelten als Gefahrgut und sind verboten (diese Grenzen wurden 2009 festgelegt).
Es sind zwei Powerbanks oder Ersatzbatterien pro Person erlaubt.
Powerbanks oder Ersatzbatterien dürfen nicht mehr im Aufgabegepäck transportiert werden.
Wenn Sie eine Powerbank im Handgepäck mitnehmen, darf sie nicht im Gepäckfach über dem Sitz aufbewahrt werden, nur in der Sitztasche, am Körper oder im Gepäck, das unter dem Sitz platziert ist.
Während des Fluges ist die Nutzung der Powerbank verboten: Sie dürfen damit also weder Ihre Peripheriegeräte aufladen noch dürfen Sie die Powerbank über die Stromanschlüsse im Flugzeug laden.
Jede Powerbank muss separat und sicher aufbewahrt werden – entweder in der originalen Verkaufsverpackung, in einer Plastiktüte oder in einem speziellen Beutel.
Viele Fluggesellschaften haben die Regelungen der ICAO fast buchstäblich übernommen. Die Lufthansa hat folgende Einschränkung bereits vor der offiziellen März-Ankündigung im Januar 2026 eingeführt:
Ab dem 15. Januar 2026 dürfen Powerbanks an Bord von Flügen der Lufthansa Group Airlines weder genutzt noch geladen werden. Pro Passagier dürfen maximal zwei Powerbanks ausschließlich im Handgepäck mitgeführt werden. Die Geräte dürfen nur in der Sitztasche des Vordersitzes, am eigenen Körper oder im Handgepäck unter dem Sitz verstaut werden.
Ryanair beschränkt Powerbanks auf 100 Wattstunden Kapazität. Alle Geräte, die diese Grenze überschreiten, sind verboten. Die Fluggesellschaft verbietet das Aufladen der Powerbank an Bord, erlaubt jedoch das Aufladen der Geräte damit während des Fluges, außer beim Rollen zur Startbahn, beim Abheben und beim Landen. Ansonsten sind die Regelungen vergleichbar mit den Richtlinien der ICAO.
Auch Air France hat die ICAO-Richtlinien übernommen: In einem Rundschreiben erlaubt die Fluggesellschaft Powerbanks mit bis zu 160 Wattstunden im Handgepäck, schreibt jedoch weiter in der Erklärung, dass für Batterien mit einer Kapazität von 100 bis 160 Wattstunden eine Transportgenehmigung bei Air France oder Ihrem Reisebüro eingeholt werden soll.
Die Gründe für die Beschränkungen
Die Gründe für diese Beschränkungen in den Flugzeugen sind laut Dr. Gerald Wissel von Airborn Consulting GmbH eine rasche Verbreitung dieser Peripheriegeräte im Alltag. Eine Folge davon ist, dass besonders Billighersteller nicht immer den Teststandards der UN-Richtlinie 38.3 entsprechen, die Fluggesellschaften können das Risiko beim Transport der Powerbanks nicht einschätzen. Gleichzeitig steigt von Jahr zu Jahr die Anzahl der berichteten Vorfälle mit Rauch, Feuer oder extremer Hitze auf Passagier- und Frachtflugzeugen. Laut dem Experten hat die US-Amerikanische Flugsicherheitsbehörde Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) im Jahr 2024 89 Vorfälle mit sich erhitzenden Lithium-Ionen-Batterien registriert, im Jahr 2025 stieg die Zahl auf 93. Die Powerbanks verantworten in dieser Kategorie rund 39 Prozent aller Vorfälle.
Ich persönlich halte die Bestimmungen für sinnvoll im Hinblick auf die Vorfälle und im Interesse der Sicherheit an Bord!
Dr. Gerald Wissel, Airborn Consulting GmbH
Wie viele Wattstunden hat meine Powerbank?
Die meisten Powerbank-Hersteller werben für ihre Produkte mit Milliamperestunden-Angaben (mAh). Diese messen die Ladungsmenge, also wie viel Energie über welche Zeit geliefert wird. Die Wattstunden sind die Energiemenge der Batterie. Milliamperestunden können Sie in Wattstunden umrechnen, wenn Sie die Spannung in Volt wissen. Bei den meisten modernen Lithium-Ionen-Powerbanks liegt die interne Spannung bei 3,6 bis 3,8 Volt. Haben Sie also eine Powerbank mit 20.000 mAh, sind das umgerechnet rund 74 Wattstunden (20.000 mAh × 3,7 V/1000 = 74 Wh). Auch eine Powerbank mit 25.000 mAh liegt knapp unter der erlaubten Grenze von 100 Wattstunden (25.000 mAh × 3,7 V / 1.000 = 92,5 Wh).
Die meisten Hersteller weisen diese Daten jedoch irgendwo auf der Powerbank direkt aus. Suchen Sie die Angaben mit den Zertifizierungszeichen der lokalen Behörden und viel Kleintext. Achten Sie am besten bereits beim Kauf der Powerbank darauf, dass die Angaben zur Energiemenge direkt auf dem Gerät aufgedruckt sind. So stehen Sie auf der sicheren Seite.
Beim Belkin Boost Charge stehen die relevanten Angaben auf der Rückseite: Maximum capacity: 38 Wh, 3,6 Volt, 10.000 mAh.
Halyna Kubiv
Grundsätzlich gilt: Sie dürfen kleinere Powerbanks bis 100 Wattstunden im Handgepäck mitnehmen, jedoch in den meisten Fällen nicht während des Fluges nutzen. Die Powerbank müssen Sie sicher verstauen – entweder im Handgepäck unter dem Sitz, in der Sitztasche oder nah am Körper. Eine Auswahl der besten Powerbanks, die wir getestet haben, finden Sie in unserem Ratgeber.
If you value your home décor and don’t want an out-of-place ugly charger sitting by your bed or on your minimalist desk, the Journey Nova offers style-magazine looks alongside the fastest wireless charging speeds.
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We have reviewed a lot of MagSafe and compatible magnetic chargers ever since the first wireless iPhone 8 and later magnetic wireless iPhone 12. Check them out in our best MagSafe chargers roundup. Some have been useful as phone stands, some have folded into pocketable travel companions, while others have included built-in power banks to save you on the road.
But few have been able to grace a bedroom nightstand or designer desk without incongruously looking exactly like something there do charge your devices. That’s where the Journey Nova stands out, and a new black model adds a touch of sultry class.
Design
The Journey Nova looks like no other wireless charger and is sure to grace the pages of your favorite home-style magazine. Journey has directly tried to find an “anti-tech aesthetic” that it believes will complement decors “much like a vase, chair, or pot plant might”.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Its 6-inch vertical hollow block gives it a feeling of both weight and lightness while taking up little space with its small footprint: 3.2 x 3.6 inches (8 x 9.2cm). The split-material—with either wood grain or what Journey calls “Sparkle Gray” below a matte Corian-like white and now black—look gives it a Skandi design identity. The look won’t be for everyone, but there’s no denying the striking pose it cuts on a desk or table.
The iPhone magnetically connects to the 15W Qi2 wireless charging space above the hollow 5W Qi pad for AirPods charging. Inside that hollow is a guiding night light that can be switched on or off with a light touch under the roof.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
At the back you can flip out the 5W Apple Watch charger module, keeping it both hidden and protected when not in use. That means each device gets as fast a wireless charge as can be got outside of Apple’s unique (iPhone 16-only) 25W MagSafe Charger. Additionally, the Apple Watch module is certified by Apple for fast Watch charging, and 5W is plenty for a swift AirPods power-up.
A new black model has joined the white Nova.
Journey
If there anyone out there who owns an Apple Watch and AirPods but an Android phone (unlikely given the Watch doesn’t play well with Android and AirPods work best with an iPhone), Journey includes a magnetic ring to update non-MagSafe smartphones to work with Qi2.
Journey
Price
The Journey Nova costs $139.99 / £119.99 / AU$189.99. This is not a huge extra expense on some of our favorite 3-in-1 wireless chargers such as the Twelve South HiRise 3 Deluxe, which is more flexible but looks utilitarian in comparison to Nova.
The Mophie StealthCharge 4-in-1 Wireless Charge Stand (also available as a 3-in-1) is a speedier 25W charger with a spare retractable USB-C cable for your MacBook, but it doesn’t have the interior design chic of the Nova.
There are certainly cheaper 3-in-1 chargers but none would grace the style section of the Sunday newspapers with the possible exception of the squatter but still lovely Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Dock.
Journey
What you get is a bold, décor-friendly look allied with top-end charging tech that features just one cable to power all your mobile and wearable gadgets in a style sympathetic to the smartest homes.
Journey
Verdict
If you value your home décor and don’t want an out-of-place ugly charger sitting by your bed or on your minimalist desk, the Journey Nova offers style-magazine looks alongside the fastest wireless charging speeds, and now a new black model if you prefer your chargers dark and moody.
Emergency crews say situation remains ‘dynamic’ as more than 100 firefighters battle Dunwich Heath blaze
A wildfire near Britain’s biggest nuclear power station has caused “total devastation” to one of the UK’s most important landscapes, as fire crews said the situation remained “dynamic”.
More than 100 firefighters have been battling the blaze on Dunwich Heath, near Leiston, on the Suffolk coast since Wednesday evening. The fire service said on Friday afternoon the situation was stabilising but remained a “major incident” that was “dynamic and potentially changeable”.
We would like to hear from people who have recently installed renewable energy sources in their home, or considered doing so
Great Britain has recorded more new solar power installations in the first half of this year than in any six-month period since 2011, with most of the new panels going onto household rooftops rather than large-scale solar farms.
The government’s data also shows a rise in households turning to other low-carbon technology: applications to the boiler upgrade scheme, which offers grants for replacing gas boilers with greener alternatives, reached 4,512 last month – up 21% on June last year – with demand for heat pumps expected to climb further in the months ahead.
Ten U.S. states have legalized systems that can be plugged into standard wall outlets. The technology typically does not require permits or electricians.
Ten U.S. states have legalized systems that can be plugged into standard wall outlets. The technology typically does not require permits or electricians.
Boom in solar farms and home installations in first half of 2026 began shortly after start of US-Israel war against Iran
Great Britain has recorded more new solar power installations in the first half of this year than in any six-month period since 2011, as households turn to rooftop panels to help cut their energy bills.
An analysis of the government’s official figures shows that Great Britain added 142,536 solar installations in the first six months of the year, putting it on track to top last year’s record solar additions.
In the latest example, the Energy Department will convert a shuttered Cold War-era uranium enrichment facility into a data center campus and gas plants.
President Trump and Energy Secretary Chris Wright during a White House event last week in which 200 companies vowed to prevent A.I. data centers from driving up power costs.
In the latest example, the Energy Department will convert a shuttered Cold War-era uranium enrichment facility into a data center campus and gas plants.
Organised campaigns against wind and solar energy have proved “extremely effective” in undermining community support for renewable energy but enthusiasm for electric vehicles has jumped after Donald Trump’s attack on Iran, according to a detailed snapshot of Australian attitudes to the clean energy transition.
The survey found levels of “deep support” for clean technologies were highest for home batteries and rooftop solar and also improving for major infrastructure projects such as transmission lines, which have been a target for critics of renewables.
Infinitum’s advanced motor system improves power quality by reducing harmonics at the source, helping customers unlock additional electrical capacity while lowering energy use.
A research team from MIT demonstrated a low-temperature process that could unlock cleaner lithium from America’s abundant hard rock while minimizing waste.
Enphase’s new SST architecture, which aligns with NVIDIA’s 800-V DC roadmap, uses a meshed array of sub-1-kV bidirectional GaN switches to provide scalability and distributed redundancy.
A different kind of energy project has arrived in central Utah’s Castle Valley, with the launch of Green River Energy Center—a facility boasting a million solar panels and close to 500 batteries spanning several square miles.
The sprawling new facility, which officially went online in June, was recently captured in satellite images obtained by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Landsat-8 satellite.
The region has long been associated with energy production, beginning with coal mines beneath Utah’s Wasatch Plateau, which, in the late 1800s, helped establish the region as an important source of fuel well over a century ago.
Now, with the launch of the Green River Energy Center, the massive energy facility, located around 130 miles south of Salt Lake City, reportedly boasts 400 megawatts of solar-generating capacity along with another 400 megawatts of battery storage.
At such production levels, the new facility now ranks among some of the largest and most promising utility-scale solar and battery projects that U.S. officials anticipate will be linked to the U.S. electrical grid by the end of the year.
(Image Credit: Lauren DauphinUSGS/NASA)
Growing Concerns of U.S. Power System Failures
The Green River Energy Center has launched its operations amid growing concerns about the strain on the power grid that ensues during the summer amid elevated temperatures. On Sunday, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued an emergency order to help ensure power could be maintained across 17 U.S. states that are currently being impacted by extreme temperatures.
The order specifically orders generation units maintained by Southwest Power Pool, Inc., to be dispatched, along with maintaining its backup generation resources only as a last resort before any declaration of an Energy Emergency alert (EEA) 3.
“The Trump Administration is tapping into an abundant supply of unused backup generation to maintain affordable, reliable, and secure power for hardworking American families and businesses,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright in a statement.
Batteries and a Million Solar Panels
With its unprecedented million-solar-panel facility, the Green River Energy Center is anticipated to become a major provider to Salt Lake City and other parts of Utah, with project staff estimating that it could generate enough electricity to serve more than 100,000 homes.
Although the site’s massive solar array is what is most eye-catching in the newly released satellite imagery, it is the facility’s battery system that has been getting attention. A primary reason is the system’s ability to store electricity produced during periods of strong sunlight and heat, the likes of which many states are currently experiencing. This allows the facility to continue supplying power even after sunset, or during periods of cloud coverage where less solar generation is available.
Additionally, the project leverages Castle Valley’s existing energy infrastructure. Transmission lines dating back to the region’s coal-powered energy facilities can now help move electricity back into the broader grid, which helps the project build off of existing power infrastructure in the region.
Coal Remains Important
Coal still plays an important role in Utah’s history. The state’s official rock, this fundamental fuel source has long been what drives the state’s energy systems, although that has significantly declined in recent years.
Coal still accounted for close to 75 percent of Utah’s electricity generation a little more than a decade ago. As of 2025, that figure had fallen to nearly half, while solar power had seen a major increase in use during the same period, rising from almost no use in 2015 to producing close to 14 percent of the state’s electricity by 2025.
The Big Picture
More than just revealing a view of power generation facilities like the Green River Energy Center from space, satellite observations that include the new Landsat imagery can help document changes like these, as energy infrastructure expands across the landscape.
That data can often be vital in terms of helping planners and policymakers working to evaluate the renewable energy potential of a region like central Utah, as well as helping to monitor how new energy systems are adopted and perform over time.
For Castle Valley, the Green River Energy Center represents the latest chapter in a long history of producing energy for Utah, and one that builds on some of the fundamental infrastructure that taps into the state’s history of coal production.
Additional details about the new Landsat-8 imagery can be found here.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached atmicah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com.
New 3.3-kV mSiC modules from Microchip are meant to help accelerate the adoption of solid-state transformers in AI hyperscale data centers and other high-voltage power applications.
Successful U.S. Navy field trials of Menlo’s MEMS-based 1,000-V, 125-A smart circuit-breaker modules validate how they can improve reliability and efficiency while saving space in MW-scale power systems.
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