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- Applications for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme hit record numbers in July
- Octopus becomes first major energy supplier to offer plug-in solar
- Chinese solar powers past coal and red soil in Australia could create clean hydrogen
Clean energy continues to make headlines. Following on from the full legalisation of plug-in solar panels last week, Octopus has become the first major energy supplier in the UK to offer them.
They have done so as part of its Nook battery offering. They predict that customers can slice £150 off their energy bills.
It’s really a milestone for billpayers and customers, and here at The Eco Experts we’re excited about how this will help consumers in the long run.
In another big moment for billpayers, the government has confirmed that it’s seen a record number of applications for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in July (81% on June). This has been driven mainly by applications from households who use heating oil or LPG, as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme was updated earlier in the year to include these.
This is promising as we leave a summer of heatwaves behind and move towards the colder months and shows how more and more billpayers see electrification as the way to protect them from volatile gas prices.
It’s not just in the UK that we’re seeing big movements towards cheaper and cleaner energy sources.
China, which is simultaneously the one of biggest polluters in the world and home to the world’s largest solar farm(s), has said installed solar capacity has overtaken coal-fired power for the first time.
The country’s National Energy Administration said that solar now accounts for 31.5% of its power generation. In the first seven months of 2026, solar generated 802.4 bn kilowatt hours, up 15.5% on the first seven months of last year.
This is important for many reasons. The first being that more solar means more cheap and clean energy is being used for home’s and industry. Secondly, it goes towards dispelling a trope that investing in clean energy is pointless because there’s nothing we can do about climate change.
While it’s true that China accounts for more carbon emissions than the UK, they are also leading the way when it comes to transitioning away from fossil fuels. Let’s hope that continues.
We also spotted something else this week to warm the hearts of anyone who knows the value and potential of clean energy.
Researchers from Edith Cowan University in Australia believe they can turn the Outback’s famous red soil into renewable energy. That’s just because just under the surface there are believed to be vast iron-rich formations may be capable of generating naturally occurring hydrogen.
The findings suggest that that Western Australia’s geology could eventually support a new domestic energy source and, if developed at scale, be a huge export for the country, benefitting the world at large.
Every week we say that the clean energy industry is one of the world’s most exciting industries. This is more proof that sources of cheaper power can be found in the most unexpected places.
