Interesting Ideas

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

This week’s question: The inside of my cardigans never become bobbled. Can’t the pieces be sewn together inside out?

I must admit to cracking a smile when I read the story about the revolting result of a tofu spill last month in Missouri. About 18,000kg (40,000lb) of extra-firm tofu was left to rot for three weeks after a road accident – no one was hurt – turned into an insurance dispute. Local officials described the smell as “unforgettable” and “like a dead animal, but worse”. So, what are history’s greatest bad smells? Liz Prior, Southampton

Send new questions to nq@theguardian.com.

Manila Electric Company, commonly known as Meralco, is the largest private electric distribution utility in the Philippines, serving Metro Manila and surrounding provinces with a franchise area that covers more than seven million customers. Its role is comparable to a regulated distribution utility in the United States, responsible for delivering ... [continued]

The post “Guerilla” Solar Installations Discovered, Need To Be Controlled, Says Philippine Power Distributor appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The US startup Lucid Motors has hooked up with Uber and the autonomous mobility specialist Nuro in a robotaxi partnership supported by the new Hertz fleet management affiliate Oro.

The post Look Out Tesla, There’s A New Robotaxi In Town appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Councillors in Leicestershire support move in efforts to reduce flooding as Reform faces divisions on nature policy

A Reform UK council has backed the release of wild beavers into the countryside, despite the party’s opposition to rewilding.

The Reform-led Leicestershire county council has backed the release of the rodents as part of efforts to reduce flooding.

As I sit at my computer, writing, the Queensland sun is pouring in the window. It is autumn and the expected high temperature is 28 degrees Celsius (82° Fahrenheit). My grandsons will visit this afternoon and at least one of them will hop in our pool. My solar panels are ... [continued]

The post Renewable Energy Transition Powers Ahead in Australia appeared first on CleanTechnica.

In December 1982, South African Rodney Wilkinson walked four bombs into Koeberg power station – the crown jewel of the apartheid state – pulled the pins and then left on his bicycle. How did he do it?

At 21, Rodney Wilkinson was the best fencer in South Africa: national champion in foil and sabre, second in epee. He had toured Europe and Argentina. He had not stood on the Olympic podium, because South Africa was banned. The apartheid state had taken that from him, along with everything else it took from everyone.

One evening in August 1971, Wilkinson stood in the gym at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, foil in hand. He was facing his coach Vincent Bonfil, a 25-year-old Englishman who had represented Britain as a reserve at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, and who was now in Johannesburg finishing a master’s thesis in metallurgy. They were working on a technique in which both fencers lunge simultaneously, and the one who reads the other’s move a split second earlier wins the point. They came at each other. Wilkinson’s foil caught the edge of Bonfil’s sleeve. There was a pop.

Australia’s biobanks store everything from seeds of native plants to the cells and tissue of threatened animal species

In the mudflats of Swan Bay, Victoria, royal spoonbills sweep their paddle-shaped bills through shallow water. Nearby, under the grass-covered roof of the Queenscliff marine research centre, a team of scientists from Deakin University are trying to bring the ecosystems those birds and many others rely on back from the brink.

Some of that involves associate professor Prue Francis’s beakers – filled with bubbling brown gunk – that are bathed in red light inside a fridge equipped with sensors, alarms and a backup generator.

International Energy Agency analysis shows methane leaks remained at near-record highs in 2025

Methane emissions from the energy sector remained at near record levels in 2025, the International Energy Agency has concluded.

Tackling the emissions could make billions of cubic metres of gas available to international markets, a top priority as the war in the Middle East squeezes energy supplies, the IEA said in a report.

Exclusive: ‘Fish sludge’ in coastal waters now has nutrient levels equivalent to those in untreated effluent of country the size of Australia, report finds

Norwegian fish farms are filling fjords and other coastal waters with nutrient pollution equivalent to the raw sewage of tens of millions of people each year, a report has found.

Norway is the largest farmed salmon producer in the world, and nutrients in fish feed are excreted directly into coastal waters. Analysis from the Sunstone Institute found that Norwegian aquaculture released 75,000 tonnes of nitrogen, 13,000 tonnes of phosphorus and 360,000 tonnes of organic carbon in 2025.

Lobbyist Tara Singh says stripping projects of subsidy contracts would undermine investor confidence in UK

Britain could be beset by levels of economic chaos last seen under Liz Truss if a Reform UK government were to fulfil its promise to strip renewable energy projects of subsidy contracts, according to the industry’s chief lobbyist.

The anti-renewables policy put forward by Nigel Farage’s populist party would severely undermine investor confidence in the energy industry and across the wider UK economy, the new chief executive of RenewableUK said.

Crops grown between food harvest cycles or on low-quality land are seen as green solutions for powering planes, but T&E’s new study shows that so-called “intermediate crops” or crops grown on “severely degraded land” could only meet 4% of the EU’s demand for bio-SAF by 2050. Intermediate crops, grown during ... [continued]

The post Intermediate & Degraded Land Crops No “Miracle” Solution for SAF, New Study Shows appeared first on CleanTechnica.

OMAHA, Nebraska — At Berkshire Hathaway’s first annual shareholder meeting since Warren Buffett’s retirement, CEO Greg Abel claimed 93% of MidAmerican Energy’s electricity comes from renewable sources built in an affordable way. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, MidAmerican only produced about 65% of its power from renewable sources in 2024, while ... [continued]

The post Sierra Club Response to Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Meeting appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The IAA proposal is a solid start, but T&E’s position paper argues that many loopholes must be closed to effectively scale a European battery value chain. T&E supports strong Made-in-EU policies to build Europe’s economic resilience, safeguard jobs and advance its climate and security objectives. The EU should ensure a ... [continued]

The post Boosting Made-in-EU EVs & Batteries with the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Buxton, Derbyshire: A glimpse of gloop in the water, a hasty net purchase, and it was confirmed – palmate newts have moved in. But how long had they been there?

It has been a source of excitement for weeks that we have found ourselves custodians of newts. Judging by the numbers present and the age of our pond, they have probably been here at least a decade. Yet neither our neighbours nor our predecessors at the address knew of any.

I happened to notice a gloop of air rise at the pond surface. That glimpse triggered a few minutes’ scrutiny, and lo, there it was: a palmate newt. It led to a hasty net purchase. Several days later, at the first speculative sweep of the mesh, with which we had hoped to catch at least a single example, it came up with nine. They have been the talk of the house ever since.

Melbourne zoo’s new breeding centre hopes to safeguard the future of the critically endangered Victorian grassland earless dragon

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The dragons’ lair looks deceptively ordinary: a pair of pale green portables, tucked behind the reptile enclosure at Melbourne zoo.

But the plain exterior belies its hidden treasures. Inside, dozens of Victorian grassland earless dragons, blissfully unaware of their status as Australia’s most imperilled reptile, are basking on rocks, gobbling up crickets or lapping up “dew”, expertly misted by their keeper Zac Harkin.

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Apparently the United States can manage aircraft carriers, satellites, nuclear submarines, stealth bombers, hypersonic missiles, cyber commands, and a colossal defense budget, but it now needs emergency protection from farmers leasing land for wind turbines. That is the story Washington is asking Americans to take seriously. The Trump Administration has ... [continued]

The post America’s New National Security Threat: Farmers With Wind Leases appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The first quarter of 2026 saw plugin EVs at 98.6% share in Norway, up from 95.2% in Q1 2025. BEV share grew year on year (YoY), and PHEV share declined. Overall Q1 auto volume was 27,175 units, down some 14% YoY. The Tesla Model Y was the best-selling BEV in ... [continued]

The post EVs At 98.6% Share In Norway – Tesla Model Y Best-Seller appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The permit contains significant flaws & inconsistencies that should prompt thorough review by LDEQ. Baton Rouge, LA — Today, Sierra Club submitted a detailed analysis to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality highlighting the flaws and errors in Hyundai Steel’s air permit application for its proposed steel plant in Ascension Parish. The ... [continued]

The post Hyundai Failed to Consider Cleaner Alternatives in Air Permit for Proposed Louisiana Steel Plant in Violation of the Law & Company Promises appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Exclusive: Minister says proposals show government’s ambition, as it faces unprecedented pressure from Greens

Tree nurseries could be built at prisons, and military ranges could be turned into heathland or peat bogs as part of an ambitious plan to make government land more nature-friendly, the environment secretary has said.

Speaking before elections this week in which Labour is under pressure from the Green party, Emma Reynolds said such projects showed the government’s intent in restoring natural habitats.

Sierra Club urges “NO” votes for directors Craver and Davis. Charlotte, NC — The Sierra Club is urging climate-conscious investors to vote against Duke Energy directors at May’s shareholders meeting due to the utility’s failure to follow through on stated climate goals. Specifically, Sierra Club is urging votes against Chair of the ... [continued]

The post Duke Lags on Goals, Should Concern Climate Investors Ahead of Shareholder Meeting appeared first on CleanTechnica.