Via The Land Desk, a look at how water scarcity could stop a new Utah mining rush: Myriad proposals to tap lithium deposits in southeastern Utah are progressing from the conceptual to the exploratory phases. But they are running up against a familiar obstacle in these arid parts: concern about how the projects might affect diminishing […]
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Courtesy of The New York Times, an article on the Aral Sea whose demise holds sobering lessons for our water scarce future: Walking toward the shrinking remnants of what used to be the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan was like entering hell. All around was a desert devoid of life, aside from scrubby saxaul trees. Dust […]
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Via Namibia Business Express, a report on Namibia’s water stress: Nafasi Water, Manager for New Business, Brendan Petschel has said that Namibia’s coastal regions which hold the key to future prosperity of Namibia is expected to require 36,500 Ml p.a. (megalitres per annum) of water by 2030 for public and private use. This provides an […]
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Courtesy of The Economist, a look at how he energy transition will mint new fortunes in surprising places: A net-zero global economy, if it materialises, will not just be carbon-neutral. It will also consume far fewer raw materials. Going from here to there, however, will require a heap of them. In the next few decades, […]
Via Energy, Capital, and Power, a report on a German and Namibian collaboration around green hydrogen: German material research institute, the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), has announced a partnership with research agency the Namibia Green Hydrogen Institute (NGHRI) to conduct research on a hydrogen pilot plant and filling station, located near […]
Courtesy of The Economist, a look at the Mediterranean’s push to make the sunny south a “green” hydrogen hotbed Tourists on Mallorca might now marvel at a new attraction on the Mediterranean island: a miniature economy entirely energised by “green” hydrogen. At its heart, two solar plants power an electrolyser, which splits water into oxygen […]
Via Associated Press, a look at solar panels on water canals and why they are not more widely used yet: Back in 2015, California’s dry earth was crunching under a fourth year of drought. Then-Governor Jerry Brown ordered an unprecedented 25% reduction in home water use. Farmers, who use the most water, volunteered too to avoid […]
Courtesy of Energy Daily, a report on Indonesia’s recent inauguration of Southeast Asia’s largest floating solar farm Indonesia on Thursday inaugurated a $100 million floating solar farm, the largest in Southeast Asia, as the country seeks more opportunities to transition to green, renewable energy.The Cirata floating solar farm, which is expected to generate enough electricity to […]
Courtesy of HeatMap, a look at climate change’s impact on American hydro power: Climate change and energy production are in a kind of twisted embrace. There’s the obvious aspect of it: Much of the energy produced today comes from burning hydrocarbons, which leads to further building up of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, causing climate […]
Via Vox, a detailed look at how the centralized, top-down power grid is outdated and could be redesigned from the bottom up: The US power grid is, by some estimates, the largest machine in the world, a continent-spanning wonder of the modern age. And despite its occasional well-publicized failures, it is remarkably reliable, delivering energy to […]
Via Bloomberg, a look at how “bidirectional charging” promises to transform EVs into backup power sources and help utilities hedge against climate-related power disruptions If you’re planning to buy an electric car in 2024, you’ll want to compare models’ price, range and charging speed. But you should also ask whether the car is capable of powering your home […]
Via The Atlantic, commentary on what some call the solar panel backlash where – on sunny days, some states can waste lots of clean energy – and utilities’ response has been to make panels less affordable: In Los Angeles, where I live, the rites of autumn can feel alien. Endless blue skies and afternoon highs […]
Via Bloomberg, a look at Russia’s use of free grain and subsidized agricultural-related research to generate international political support: Somalia, Burkina Faso set to receive first grain shipments Billionaire Melnichenko backs study for ex-South Africa leader Russian shipments of donated grain are due to begin landing in Africa within days, giving fresh impetus to its […]
Via CNN, a report that a UAE company has secured African land the size of the UK to be used to ‘offset’ the nation’s big carbon footprint: In late September, Zimbabwe’s environment minister signed away control over a staggering amount of land — almost 20% of his country — to a little-known foreign company. Blue Carbon was […]
Via Just Food, news of a new McKinsey report that almost 80m hectares of additional cropland will needed to sustain global food demand: An extra 70 to 80 million hectares of cropland is required in the next seven years to meet the growing demand for food and feed worldwide, according to research from McKinsey. Such […]
Via Sports Business Journal, a look at how Gym Class VR is building on its popularity with the addition of NBA logos and venues: The mid-range jumper may be a lost art in the NBA game, but I sank one from just inside the free-throw line at the TD Garden, as the PA announcer called out the basket. […]
Via BBC, a look at the rise of virtual K-pop girl bands: Since releasing their debut single I’m Real in 2021, K-pop girl group Eternity have racked up millions of views online. They sing, dance and interact with their fans just like any other band. In fact, there’s mainly one big difference between them and […]
Via Time, a look at the metaverse and how it will revolutionize many aspect of our lives: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission reports that in the first six months of 2022, the word metaverse appeared in regulatory filings more than 1,100 times. The previous year saw 260 mentions. The preceding two decades? Fewer than a dozen […]
Via Wired, a look at a rooftop laboratory where scientists show how growing crops under solar panels can produce both food and clean energy: Five stories off the ground at Colorado State University, a highly unlikely garden grows under a long row of rooftop solar panels. It’s late October at 9 am, when the temperature is […]
Courtesy of Inside Climate News, a look at state electricity rates, the “15-cent rule,” and what it means for solar: About 5 percent of U.S. households have rooftop solar, a share that may seem like a lot, but it looks low compared to places like Germany (about 20 percent) and Australia (about 30 percent). One of […]
Via The Washington Post, a look at why one couple went all-in on a show-stopping ‘green roof’: When their roof needed to be replaced, D.C. architects Mark and Lucia Freeman installed a green roof. (Jennifer Chase for The Washington Post) When most people offer guests a tour of their home, they give you a spin through […]
Via Bloomberg, interesting commentary on how many – such as crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried couldn’t survive the comparison – but others who actually invest somewhat like the Berkshire Hathaway chairman fare better: A couple of months ago, crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried was peering out from the cover of Fortune magazine above the words “The Next Warren Buffett?” Now he’s at […]
Courtesy of Wall Street Journal, a look at what some consider to be a Mini Berkshire: Tracy Britt Cool spent a decade working for Warren Buffett. She now wants to buy the kinds of companies that might have interested the famed investor 30 or 40 years ago. Those are businesses typically run by founders or […]
Via Business Insider, an article on how an investor hailed as ‘The Chinese Warren Buffett’ just revealed a $245 million stake in Berkshire Hathaway — and now counts Buffett’s company among his biggest bets: A longtime associate of Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger revealed a $245 million stake in Berkshire Hathaway this week. The purchase signals he has […]
Via MIT Technology Review, a look at a previously unreported Alphabet X program to use cameras, computer vision, and machine learning to track the carbon stored in the biomass of the oceans: In late September, Bianca Bahman snorkeled above a seagrass meadow off the western coast of Flores, a scorpion-shaped volcanic island in eastern Indonesia. […]
Via Wired, an article on how some scientists are using microphones and AI to automatically detect species by their chirps and croaks. This bioacoustics research could be critical for protecting ecosystems on a warming planet. THERE’S MUCH, MUCH more to the rainforest than meets the eye. Even a highly trained observer can struggle to pick […]
Via BBC, an article on how a listening built to detect nuclear bomb tests found blue whales instead: Since the 1990s, a global network of sensors has listened for unauthorised nuclear detonations. But as Richard Fisher discovers, its creation has led to unanticipated upsides for science – such as identifying a previously unknown pod of […]