China is wasting renewable power at an alarming rate, approaching limits that the government had relaxed only two years ago to accelerate solar and wind usage. The amount of solar power generated without being delivered to customers rose to 9.2% in January and February, from 6.1% in the same period last year, according to the National New Energy Consumption Monitoring and Early Warning Center. For...
China is wasting renewable power at an alarming rate, approaching limits that the government had relaxed only two years ago to accelerate solar and wind usage. The amount of solar power generated without being delivered to customers rose to 9.2% in January and February, from 6.1% in the same period last year, according to the National New Energy Consumption Monitoring and Early Warning Center. For wind, curtailments rose to 8.5%, from 6.2%. Those rates are pushing up against the ceiling raised by the government in 2024 — a clear signal that the grid is struggling to absorb all the extra power from the rapid growth in renewables. Two years ago, the authorities allowed curtailments to rise to 10% from 5% for energy-rich regions, enabling record-breaking installations through 2024 and 2025. But persistent grid congestion and an oversupply of renewable power during off-peak hours has made the curtailment rate an increasingly urgent issue , threatening the financial viability of projects. Large renewables hubs in sparsely populated inland regions like Tibet and Gansu, which rely on power lines stretching thousands of kilometers to China’s eastern megacities, face the worst curtailment rates. There are seasonal factors behind the drop off in renewables utilization early in the year, according to Guosheng Securities Inc. It’s often windier in winter, while the daily window for solar generation is narrower. There’s also less industrial demand for electricity over the Lunar New Year holiday. The situation is particularly concerning for solar power, which has already seen weaker installation growth this year. The slowdown could mark a turning point for the industry. The top solar lobby forecasts annual installations could fall to as low as 180 gigawatts, from the record 315 gigawatts delivered in 2025. China has two levers to pull to keep the clean energy boom on track. It needs to keep spending more to expand and upgrade the grid, which the government has recognized as a pri...
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee examining the causes of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, which claimed 168 lives at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, begins its second round of hearings on Wednesday. Chung Kit-man, director and engineer of Victory Fire Engineering, the ...
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee examining the causes of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, which claimed 168 lives at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, begins its second round of hearings on Wednesday. Chung Kit-man, director and engineer of Victory Fire Engineering, the contractor responsible for the estate’s fire service equipment, is expected to testify again on...
高价看比赛,正成为当代年轻人新的「烧钱方式」。 订酒店、做攻略、准备现场OOTD,到打卡当地景点、美美出片,几乎已经成为当下观赛的一种固定「模板」。 而当一场比赛被拆解成一套关乎「到场」本身的To Do List时,观众对票价的敏感度也在逐渐钝化:美加墨世界杯决赛门票直接迈入「万元时代」;2026年F1中国大奖赛,仅是普通区域就比去年票价上涨超20%;国际乒联澳门世界杯票价看似仅小幅上涨,但对应的...
BJP7images/iStock via Getty Images Rare earth elements have come under increasing focus owing to their criticality to defense equipment manufacturing and clean technology. China has monopolized this supply chain for over two decades and has not shied away from using it for geopolitical leverage, forcing others to think of a diversification strategy. This is the first article in a five-part series ...
BJP7images/iStock via Getty Images Rare earth elements have come under increasing focus owing to their criticality to defense equipment manufacturing and clean technology. China has monopolized this supply chain for over two decades and has not shied away from using it for geopolitical leverage, forcing others to think of a diversification strategy. This is the first article in a five-part series in which Platts News explores the strategies under play and the challenges they face. Rare earth elements are now indispensable to modern technology, driving advancements across the energy transition, electrification, automation and defense sectors. As global demand for these critical metals surges, their strategic importance — and the risks of supply concentration — have come into sharp focus. This overview explores the pivotal role of rare earth elements (REE) in manufacturing, their diverse applications, and the evolving landscape of supply chain resilience shaped by government policy and private investment. REEs comprise 17 metals, including the 15 lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium. They are foundational to the world's most advanced and rapidly growing technologies, spanning energy, digitization and aerospace. In manufacturing, REEs are essential for high-strength permanent magnets, enabling compact, energy-efficient electric motors and generators. These components are critical to electric vehicles, industrial robotics and wind turbines. Beyond manufacturing, REEs play a vital role in consumer electronics, such as smartphone vibration motors and display color phosphors. They are also integral to energy and environmental technologies, including catalysts, refining processes, and emerging clean-tech supply chains. Defense and aerospace systems rely on REE-based components for precision guidance, sensors, radar, and high-temperature alloys — making supply chain resilience a matter of national security. Demand growth drivers Magnetic rare earths — neodymium, praseodymiu...
War Unicorn Hermeus Raises $350 Million For Unmanned Supersonic Fighter Jets Atlanta-based aerospace startup Hermeus Corp. has secured $350 million in a funding round that values the builder of uncrewed supersonic and hypersonic fighters at north of $1 billion, according to a Bloomberg report. Today we’re announcing a $350 million Series C financing led by @khoslaventures , bringing us to a $1B va...
War Unicorn Hermeus Raises $350 Million For Unmanned Supersonic Fighter Jets Atlanta-based aerospace startup Hermeus Corp. has secured $350 million in a funding round that values the builder of uncrewed supersonic and hypersonic fighters at north of $1 billion, according to a Bloomberg report. Today we’re announcing a $350 million Series C financing led by @khoslaventures , bringing us to a $1B valuation. Our mission is straightforward: build today’s fastest aircraft for the American Warfighter. The concept is simple but the task is monumental. We still have so much… pic.twitter.com/60YSZ3Qpxh — Hermeus (@hermeuscorp) April 7, 2026 Bloomberg reports that the company will use the proceeds from the latest funding round to build two more supersonic jets, called "Quarterhorse," and to expand manufacturing as it works on an uncrewed aircraft designed to fly at Mach 3 or faster. Meet Quarterhorse Mk 2.1: an F-16-sized jet built to break the sound barrier. It’s the first of three jets in the Mk 2 lineup. Instead of waiting years between tests, we build and fly them in rapid succession. Real data from one flight feeds directly into the next, letting us… pic.twitter.com/g6qA07QbrS — Hermeus (@hermeuscorp) February 24, 2026 The company is also working on a hypersonic uncrewed jet called "Darkhorse." DARKHORSE: Radically Accelerate Air Power Hypersonic aircraft represent a major step change in defense capabilities, bringing unprecedented responsiveness and survivability to the United States and our allied partners. [ Video: Artist’s Conception ] pic.twitter.com/dpY5KSBbC7 — Hermeus (@hermeuscorp) January 18, 2024 The round was led by Khosla Ventures and included investors such as Founders Fund, Canaan Partners, RTX Ventures, and In-Q-Tel. The company says it has now raised more than $500 million in total and is valued at $1 billion. Hermeus says the aircraft is designed to deliver fighter-jet-level payload capacity in a cheaper, unmanned platform for defense use. Founded in 20...