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Archive for the ‘sustainability’ category: Page 18

Jul 2, 2024

Solar Power Investment Will Overtake Oil for the First Time Ever This Year

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, climatology, nuclear energy, sustainability

Year 2023 Basically solar will last several billion years and make type 0 civilization resources obsolete by making trillions of dollars in profits with nearly zero emissions.


Between the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ukraine conflict, inflation, and the renewables transition, the 2020s have been a volatile decade for energy. The pandemic reduced demand for electricity and oil all over the world, causing prices to plummet. Then the Ukraine invasion brought sanctions on Russian oil and gas, pushing energy prices up and leaving European countries scrambling (particularly for natural gas). High energy prices have since contributed to inflation, and in many places utility costs are far surpassing inflation. All the while, worry over climate change has continued to mount, with calls to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels growing ever louder.

In short, the energy situation in the US and around the world is a mess. But the International Energy Agency released some good news in its recent World Energy Investment report. The report is compiled annually, and the 2023 version came out at the end of May. For the first time ever, it found that investment in renewables—specifically solar power—will overtake spending on oil.

Continue reading “Solar Power Investment Will Overtake Oil for the First Time Ever This Year” »

Jul 2, 2024

Solar Power Generates Extreme Heat to Power Steel Furnace

Posted by in categories: solar power, sustainability

Scientists in Switzerland used solar energy to heat an object to over 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit that could potentially replace fossil fuels.

Jul 2, 2024

Tesla seems to have opened an in-house Giga Berlin “rave cave”

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

Tesla Gigafactory Berlin has probably become the most fun factory among the company’s facilities worldwide. While Giga Berlin plays a huge part in ramping Tesla’s output globally, the electric vehicle maker also seems determined to ensure that the facility’s employees are well supported. This means that if employees need to destress, they would not need to go too far.

With this in mind, it appears that Giga Berlin has launched an in-house “rave cave” of sorts. The facility’s teaser was posted by Tesla’s official Tesla Manufacturing account, which, strangely enough, shared its post with a hamster emoji. Amidst scenes of employees entering the apparent “rave cave” from a futuristic narrow tunnel, images of a cyber-hamster mascot could also be seen.

Jul 2, 2024

Tech company unveils tiny spheres that outperform solar panels using both sun and artificial light — and the company says they could hit 60 times the current capacity

Posted by in categories: solar power, sustainability

19 D-shaped magnetic coils that will make up the core of ITER now arrived in France, to begin construction of the tokamak.

Jul 1, 2024

Scientists observe record-setting electron mobility in a new crystal film

Posted by in categories: physics, sustainability, transportation

A material with a high electron mobility is like a highway without traffic. Any electrons that flow into the material experience a commuter’s dream, breezing through without any obstacles or congestion to slow or scatter them off their path.

The higher a material’s electron mobility, the more efficient its , and the less energy is lost or wasted as electrons zip through. Advanced materials that exhibit high electron mobility will be essential for more efficient and sustainable electronic devices that can do more work with less power.

Now, physicists at MIT, the Army Research Lab, and elsewhere have achieved a record-setting level of electron mobility in a thin film of ternary tetradymite—a class of mineral that is naturally found in deep hydrothermal deposits of gold and quartz.

Jul 1, 2024

A desert moss that has the potential to grow on Mars

Posted by in categories: habitats, space, sustainability

The desert moss Syntrichia caninervis is a promising candidate for Mars colonization thanks to its extreme ability to tolerate harsh conditions lethal to most life forms. The moss is well known for its ability to tolerate drought conditions, but researchers report in the journal The Innovation that it can also survive freezing temperatures as low as −196°C, high levels of gamma radiation, and simulated Martian conditions involving these three stressors combined. In all cases, prior dehydration seemed to help the plants cope.

“Our study shows that the environmental resilience of S. caninervis is superior to that of some of highly stress-tolerant microorganisms and tardigrades,” write the researchers, who include ecologists Daoyuan Zhang and Yuanming Zhang and botanist Tingyun Kuang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

“S. caninervis is a promising candidate pioneer plant for colonizing extraterrestrial environments, laying the foundation for building biologically sustainable human habitats beyond Earth.”

Jul 1, 2024

Weird connection found between temperature and brain development

Posted by in categories: climatology, neuroscience, sustainability

Exposure to extreme temperatures during early life is associated with alterations in children’s brain white matter microstructure, particularly in lower socioeconomic status neighborhoods, highlighting potential vulnerability to climate change impacts.

Jun 30, 2024

The 5th Industrial Revolution

Posted by in categories: biological, existential risks, space travel, sustainability

In this episode of the 5th Industrial Revolution VODcast we sit down with Dr. Jordan Okie of Arizona State University School of Earth and Space Exploration to discuss a key relevancy to the next industrial revolution, sustainability, through the lens of Dr. Okie’s area of expertise: Ecology and Biology. Our key takeaways: We are in a race against time and extinction. We will need to find a way to evolve through technology to survive, be it here on Earth or in our exploration of Space.

Jun 28, 2024

New method stores CO2 in cement, enhances strength, durability

Posted by in categories: materials, sustainability

Concrete innovation sequesters CO2:


Engineers developed a method to store CO2 in concrete using carbonated water, achieving 45% sequestration efficiency and enhancing strength.

Jun 27, 2024

Earth Has a Third Form of Life—and It Could Change How We Generate Power

Posted by in categories: energy, sustainability

What if we tapped into billions of years of evolution to harness a greener future?

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