Daily Digest for

Uppsala University researchers published an AI model that improves robustness of EV battery health predictions by up to 70% using short charging segments and chemical-process modelling; study with Aalborg University published in Energy & Environmental Science (DOI:10.1039/D5EE03268G).

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) invites feedback on draft offshore renewables research and demonstration licence guidelines, with submissions open until 3 October 2025.

South Africa’s Minister Dr Dion George signed Regulations for Environmental Management of Offshore Ship-to-Ship Transfer to ban STS in protected zones, set operational and wildlife-monitoring requirements (wind <22 knots, waves <2m in Algoa Bay), require EMPlans and spill-response readiness, and impose penalties up to R2 million.

Governor Gavin Newsom announced the Sites Reservoir infrastructure project is advancing and received a nearly $219 million funding increase from the California Water Commission.

• Main action: The state advanced the Sites Reservoir project with a nearly $219 million funding increase from the California Water Commission to address added costs from delays (inflation and construction cost increases); with this infusion, Sites is eligible for $1.094 billion in Proposition 1 funding and the total project cost is estimated up to $6.8 billion, of which roughly $780 million is expected to be financed through the federal government.
• Background & implementation details: Sites Reservoir will capture Sacramento River water in wet seasons and store up to 1.5 million acre-feet (enough for over 4.5 million homes for a year); the administration has streamlined approvals (defeated a CEQA legal challenge) and announced a legislative package to fast-track the Delta Conveyance Project to improve conveyance and complement Sites; no specific construction start date or completion timeline is provided in the release.

Google releases a comprehensive methodology to measure energy, water, and carbon emissions for its AI models.

• Main announcement: Google released a comprehensive methodology for measuring the energy, water, and carbon emissions of Google’s AI models and published a linked technical report with methodology details. The company reports that over a 12-month period the median energy and carbon footprint per Gemini Apps text prompt fell by 33x and 44x, respectively.
• Background and data points: Google states the energy per median prompt is equivalent to watching television for less than nine seconds, and notes that in 2024 it reduced data center energy emissions by 12% while electricity consumption grew by 27% year-over-year due to business expansion. The post links to a Google blog explanation and a full technical PDF report.

The UK Government Office for Science has released the Net Zero Technology Outlook report.

• The report sets out a best estimate of the technology mix needed in key emitting sectors to reach net zero by 2050, covering 18 sub-sectors within 5 major sectors (industry; transport; heat and buildings; agriculture, land use and waste; power) and identifies the R&D needed to achieve that mix.
• The analysis drew on >20 interviews and a peer review with ~45 experts, includes input from relevant government departments, synthesises established scenario modelling, policy documents and industry sources, and sets R&D challenges for 3 cross-cutting strands: greenhouse gas removals and carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, and biomass.