Sustainability & Green Living

Brussels – September 10, 2026 -- Euro NCAP has awarded GAC's fully electric AION UT hatchback a five-star safety rating under its newly overhauled 2026 testing protocols, one of the toughest crash-test standards in the world.

The AION UT is among the first Chinese-brand production models to pass the updated 2026 Euro NCAP criteria and secure the top score, with balanced results across all four assessment categories: safe driving, accident prevention, crash protection, and post-crash safety.

The car's body is built with 71% high-strength steel

GAC engineered the AION UT with a hot-stamped dual-ring monocoque structure, a 180mm extra-large crash absorber, and a high-strength bumper crossbar designed for extreme load capacity.

Hangzhou – September 09, 2026 -- Hoymiles has launched the V2X DC Charger, a bi-directional charging device designed to work with its HiOne All-in-One battery energy storage system (BESS), letting homeowners use an electric vehicle as a backup power source for the house.

The charger turns parked EVs into backup power for the home

The V2X supports Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) charging, which can supply power to a household when the grid goes down. It also enables Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) functionality, allowing homeowners to participate in peak shaving and virtual power plant dispatch programs. An integrated EU MID-certified meter tracks energy flow for monitoring purposes.

Berlin – September 09, 2026 -- ABOK GmbH is showcasing a new lineup of home battery storage and portable power systems at IFA 2026, aiming to help households and small businesses store and manage solar energy more efficiently.

ABOK sets up shop in Hall 2.2 at Booth H2.2-179

The company is displaying four product lines: the Brio balcony solar storage system, the Elux and Ark portable power stations, and the foldable Asp-series solar panels. The goal is to link solar generation, storage, and smart energy management into a single connected system for everyday use.

Brio targets balcony solar owners looking to store excess power

Designed for households with balcony solar setups, the Brio system lets users store surplus solar electricity generated during the day and use it later, rather than losing unused output back to the grid. ABOK says this can significantly increase how much self-generated solar power a household actually consumes.

Berlin – September 09, 2026 -- OSCAL is showcasing a new lineup of home energy storage systems, rugged smartphones, and connected devices at IFA Berlin 2026, running September 4-8 at Messegelände Berlin, stand H3.2-171.

The Power Storage 3000 brings balcony solar storage with AI-driven tariff management

The balcony energy system delivers 2,500W output with capacity expandable from 3 kWh to 15.3 kWh. It includes a 4,000W MPPT solar input, AI-based energy management tuned to peak and off-peak electricity rates, micro-inverter compatibility, and both on-grid and off-grid operation.

New York – September 09, 2026 -- A new episode of the climate interview series Net Zero Speaks features David W. DuBois, State Climatologist of New Mexico, discussing why extreme heat, drought, and water scarcity are becoming hyper-local problems rather than distant global statistics.

DuBois links declining snowpack and dust storms to daily life in the Southwest

Hosted by youth climate advocate Ivan Ransom, the episode examines how prolonged drought, worsening air quality, and declining mountain snowpack are already reshaping agriculture, water management, and emergency planning across the American Southwest. DuBois, who also directs the New Mexico Climate Center and chairs the state's Drought Monitoring Workgroup, argues that communities need hyper-local data to prepare rather than react.

Berlin – September 08, 2026 -- The German environmental group Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) has filed a lawsuit at the Administrative Court of Braunschweig challenging the approval of the pesticide Joystick, arguing it releases the persistent chemical trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) into the environment.

EFSA toughens its health risk assessment of TFA

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recently strengthened its health risk evaluation of TFA, citing evidence that the substance can alter levels of thyroxine, a thyroid hormone. EFSA also flagged the need for further research into long-term risks, including potential cancer risk and effects on the immune system.

Joystick's active ingredient breaks down into TFA

Joystick, a herbicide used in field crop farming, contains the active ingredient diflufenican. According to recent scientific findings cited by DUH, this compound degrades in the environment partly into TFA.

Berlin – September 08, 2026 -- Poposoap showcased a complete solar-powered water garden setup at the Global Connect Show during IFA 2026, pairing a preformed pond with solar fountain and waterfall pumps for a DIY outdoor installation.

The display combined three products into one working water garden

The setup paired Poposoap's Rigid Preformed Plastic Pond with its Solar Fountain Pump and Solar Waterfall Kit, letting visitors see how the pieces work together without custom liner-cutting or professional wiring.

The pond ships pre-shaped so users just dig and drop it in

Instead of cutting or folding flexible liners, buyers excavate a hole matching the pond's shape and set it in place. Built-in planting zones are designed to support a more natural pond ecosystem, while the rigid structure holds shape under water pressure.

Berlin – September 08, 2026 -- TCL Industries and TCL Technology are showcasing a connected home-energy ecosystem at IFA 2026, running from September 4 to 8 at Messe Berlin's Hall 21A.

The exhibit links solar panels, batteries and appliances under one platform

Under the theme "Inspiration Habitat," the display combines new SunPower Origin back-contact panels, TCL T5 Pro TOPCon shingled panels, C2 back-contact panels, residential battery storage and heat pumps. An intelligent Home Energy Management System ties generation, storage, heating and household demand into a single interface, giving homeowners visibility over energy use.

Baker, La. – September 08, 2026 -- Homeowners in Central Louisiana weighing materials for a new deck or fence now have a clearer answer on what holds up best against relentless humidity: cypress wood. A recent HelloNation feature examines the material's performance in Baton Rouge's climate, drawing on insights from Wes McAdams, a lumber expert at Cajun Cypress in Baker, Louisiana.

Natural oils help cypress resist rot better than many alternatives

The article explains that cypress wood contains natural oils that slow moisture absorption, a key advantage in a region marked by high humidity, frequent rain, and intense heat. That resistance to rot makes it a practical choice for outdoor projects left exposed to the elements year-round.

Berlin – September 08, 2026 -- Zendure will showcase a new home energy platform called Agentic HEMS at IFA 2026, moving smart-home energy management beyond simple AI scheduling toward systems that can predict, plan and act on their own. The company will present the technology in Hall 2.2, Booth 124, from September 4 to 8.

Three layers work together to run the system automatically

Agentic HEMS is built on three components: ZenPulse, a proprietary large time-series model that forecasts solar generation, electricity prices, household loads and weather; ZENKI AI agents, which turn those forecasts into decisions covering savings, comfort, backup power and safety; and Zen+OS, an open platform that connects those decisions across connected devices in the home.