Grid Resilience (U.S.): Lake Mead hit its lowest level since it was filled ~90 years ago, underscoring the Colorado River crisis and raising pressure on hydropower and water supplies. Solar Reliability (U.S.): Texas avoided a near-meltdown during peak demand thanks to rapid solar plus storage buildout, with solar delivering a large share of generation during extreme heat. Solar Expansion (Zambia): Zambia is funding a 100MW Kasama solar project with US$84.2M to diversify away from rainfall-dependent hydropower. Storage & Policy (California): California says it has surpassed 21,000MW of battery storage and hit a “world-first” 51% solar share in May—while a separate outage analysis argues the grid still faces vulnerability. Wind Permitting (Norway): Norway moves to cut permitting delays for onshore wind and grid connections, targeting a 50% reduction in grid development timelines. Offshore Wind Backlash (U.S.): The Trump administration is paying about $4B in settlements to cancel offshore wind projects, including a $1.22B deal with RWE. Cross-Border Power (India-Sri Lanka): India and Sri Lanka reviewed HVDC interconnection and solar plans, aiming to expand cross-border electricity trade. Energy Access (Ethiopia): Ethiopia’s EEU says it connected 664,505 households to electricity and electrified hundreds of rural areas using off-grid solar. Embedded Solar (Philippines): Citicore began a Pampanga embedded solar project with battery storage tied to a distribution utility, targeting completion by 2027. Climate Risk (Europe): Grid operators are preparing for a solar eclipse-driven dip in European solar output next week. Energy & Food (Iraq): In Iraq’s desert, groundwater-backed cultivation is expanding wheat and livestock production, with calls to extend the grid to power farm equipment.