California has a problem: It’s producing more renewable energy than it’s able to use. Solar and wind energy production ramp up in the middle of the day, when electricity demand is low. And because that renewable energy doesn’t have anything to power, it gets wasted.

Folks in the solar industry call the dilemma the “duck curve” because of what the difference between energy supply and demand looks like on a chart when renewables are over-contributing to the mix of power—sort of like a duck. And the duck curve is an issue other states will face as they bring more and more renewables online, PG&E Principal Project Manager Trevor Udwin told Tech Brew.

But excess clean energy doesn’t have to go to waste: It can be distributed to consumers and homes via virtual power plants (VPPs). That extra solar and wind energy can be taken from the grid and put into VPPs to be used at a later time or date—through projects like PG&E’s Seasonal Aggregation of Versatile Energy (SAVE) VPP, which Udwin worked to bring to life—which in turn helps stabilize the amount of energy the grid is taking in and pumping out. And that, Udwin said, transforms the duck curve from looking like mountains and valleys to smaller dips and hills.

“It’s not just about shaving the peak; it’s about filling the trough,” Udwin told Tech Brew.

Keep reading here.—TC

As the summer heat sets in, the US EV market appears to be cooling off.

Cox Automotive analysts estimated that Q2 EV sales fell 6% YoY, and S&P Global Mobility cited “stalled conditions for BEV demand” in its projection that battery-electric vehicle sales would make up about 7% of the new-vehicle market in June—down from over 8% in January. Meanwhile, numerous major automakers, including US EV market leader Tesla, reported YoY EV sales declines in Q2.

The EV market is likely poised for even more turbulence in the coming months, now that President Donald Trump has signed into law the “Big Beautiful Bill” that will axe the $7,500 federal tax credit for EV purchases beginning Sept. 30.

Meanwhile, the new-vehicle market showed signs of slowing in June after a spring tariff-driven buying frenzy. And analysts have warned of a further decline in the second half of the year, attributed, in part, to tariffs.

“Automakers and consumer[s] alike continue to digest an uneasy and uncertain environment,” Chris Hopson, principal analyst at S&P Global Mobility, said in a statement.

Keep reading here.—JG

AI regulations in healthcare are, well, sort of nonexistent at the moment.

Congress was considering prohibiting states from regulating AI for the next 10 years, though that was scrapped from the June 6 “big beautiful” tax bill for a new proposal that restricts broadband funding in states that regulate AI.

At the same time, AI is popping up all over healthcare, from scribes to agents, and according to the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, 75% of top healthcare companies are experimenting with generative AI. The research organization also reported that 82% of healthcare organizations plan to “implement governance and oversight structures for generative AI.”

That’s where the public-private Coalition for Health AI, or CHAI, comes in. Launched in December 2021, the group of 3,000 providers, tech companies, and other healthcare organizations—including Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, and Mount Sinai—are working together to create standards for AI in healthcare.

CHAI has a 180-page guide for responsible AI use in healthcare, released last June, which companies can reference when building out their models, including principles of trustworthy AI, system design, and monitoring.

“It started with a group of eight of us in the private sector coming together, agreeing that this is an effort building best practice frameworks,” Brian Anderson, CEO at CHAI, told Healthcare Brew. The group hopes to “provide the kind of guardrails and guidelines that build trust” across the spectrum, from payers to providers to patients.

Keep reading here.—CM

Usually, we write about the business of tech. Here, we highlight the *tech* of tech.

Just be real with me: The Washington Post detailed the latest distressing use case for AI: dating app users farming out conversations to chatbots to lure potential mates with their smart insights and witty repartee. For singles, it might be time to start researching kickball leagues and trivia nights.

Do it from scratch: Speaking of attributes to help you land a partner that you probably shouldn’t outsource to AI: cooking. For Wired, food writer Joe Ray tested AI cooking tool DishGen, with predictably middling results. For yourself and your loved ones, Ray (and Tech Brew) recommends The New York Times Cooking app, among other people-vetted recipe sources.