Lifeboat Foundation

Now that we can generate clean, renewable energy from the wind and sun, one of the most pressing questions facing the clean energy transition is how to effectively store that energy for future use. For one city in Finland, the answer is a giant underground cavern.

Vantaan Energia has announced that it will construct a massive underground seasonal thermal energy storage facility for the city of Vantaa, the country’s fourth-most-populous municipality. The facility will be twice the size of Madison Square Garden, New Atlas reported.

Continue reading “City to install massive underground thermal energy storage facility: ‘The world is undergoing a huge energy transition’” »

Tesla has leaked some details about its elusive new Model 3 Performance ‘Ludicrous’, which is expected to launch any day.

The new Model 3 Performance, which could be named ‘Ludicrous’ based on the badges seen on some prototypes, has been expected to launch any day for over a month.

It was confirmed that the automaker was planning a new performance version of the Model 3 Highland with new badges showing up in the updated Tesla parts catalog.

A couple of solar-sector manufacturers have a powerhouse agreement that reaches a unique benchmark. Thanks to a $400 million, three-year deal between Heliene and Suniva, solar panels and cells will be entirely made in the U.S., a unique combination until now.

Electrek reports that to this point, solar cells — the contraption that turns sunlight into electricity — were imported.

Continue reading “Two companies enter historic, multimillion-dollar deal to manufacture solar panels domestically — here’s how it could affect American energy” »

Scientists developed a device that combines wind and solar to harvest clean energy more efficiently and create a self-cleaning solar panel.

Atmospheric water generators can save millions of lives due to new drought conditions even bringing water from air in the desert climates.

• Water scarcity continues to be a pervasive global challenge, cutting across developed and emerging markets, climates and socio-political dynamics.
• Atmospheric water generation (AWG) technology is a promising emergency solution that can immediately generate drinkable water using moisture in the air.
• Distribution of atmospheric water generation technology to communities in need can serve as an effective stopgap measure for municipalities facing immediate clean water shortages.

The statistics underpinning water scarcity are dire and noteworthy – approximately 770 million people lack access to clean water. That is one in ten people on the planet. The average woman in rural Africa walks 6 kilometres (about 3.7 miles) daily to haul 40 pounds of water.

Continue reading “See how atmospheric water generators can help water security” »

From house plants and gardens to fields and forests, green is the color we most associate with surface life on Earth, where conditions favored the evolution of organisms that perform oxygen-producing photosynthesis using the green pigment chlorophyll a.

Land subsidence is overlooked as a hazard in cities, according to scientists from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and Virginia Tech. Writing in the journal Science, Prof Robert Nicholls of the Tyndall Center for Climate Change Research at UEA and Prof Manoochehr Shirzaei of Virginia Tech and United Nations University for Water, Environment and Health, Ontario, highlight the importance of a new research paper analyzing satellite data that accurately and consistently maps land movement across China.

Cheaper electric vehicles are on the way, and Kia believes it has an advantage. With its own “secret sauce,” Kia is moving to launch a series of affordable EVs in the US.

“We’re ahead of most, and we’re trying to rush out ahead because our technology will be more evolved,” Kia America COO Steve Center told Automotive News.

Kia revealed a new range of low-cost EVs during its first annual EV Day in October, including the EV2, EV3, EV4, and EV5.

Amazon is leading the electric delivery van game as the company aims to go net zero in the next 16 years.