Tag Archives: Environment

Japan will try to beam solar power from space by 2025

Posted on by

Japan and JAXA, the country’s space administration, have spent decades trying to make it possible to beam solar energy from space. In 2015, the nation made a breakthrough when JAXA scientists successfully beamed 1.8 kilowatts of power, enough energy to power an electric kettle, more than 50 meters to a wireless receiver. Now, Japan is poised to bring the technology one step closer to reality.

Nikkei reports a Japanese public-private partnership will attempt to beam solar energy from space as early as 2025. The project, led by Naoki Shinohara, a Kyoto University professor who has been working on space-based solar energy since 2009, will attempt to deploy a series of small satellites in orbit. Those will then try to beam the solar energy the arrays collect to ground-based receiving stations hundreds of miles away.

Using orbital solar panels and microwaves to send energy to Earth was first proposed in 1968. Since then, a few countries, including China and the US, have spent time and money pursuing the idea. The technology is appealing because orbital solar arrays represent a potentially unlimited renewable energy supply. In space, solar panels can collect energy no matter the time of day, and by using microwaves to beam the power they produce, clouds aren’t a concern either. However, even if Japan successfully deploys a set of orbital solar arrays, the tech would still be closer to science fiction than fact. That’s because producing an array that can generate 1 gigawatt of power – or about the output of one nuclear reactor – would cost about $7 billion with currently available technologies.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/japan-will-try-to-beam-solar-power-from-space-by-2025-214338244.html?src=rss

Ford EV drivers will get access to 12,000 North American Tesla Superchargers next spring

Posted on by

Last February, the Biden administration unveiled its $5 billion plan to expand EV charging infrastructure across the country. Not only with the Department of Transportation help states build half a million EV charging stations by 2030, the White House also convinced Tesla to share a portion of its existing Supercharger network with non-Tesla EVs. On Thursday, Ford became the first automaker to formalize that pact with Tesla, announcing during a Twitter Spaces event that "Ford electric vehicle customers access to more than 12,000 Tesla Superchargers across the U.S. and Canada," starting in Spring 2024, per the company release.

Because Teslas uses a proprietary charger port design for its vehicles, Ford owners will initially need to rely on a Tesla-developed adapter connected to the public charging cable in order to replenish their Ford F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E and E-Transit vehicles. Ford also announced that, beginning with the 2025 model year, it will switch from the existing Combined Charging System (CCS) port to Tesla's now open-source NACS charge port. These 12,000 additional chargers will join Ford's 84,000-strong Blue Oval charging station network.   

“Tesla has led the industry in creating a large, reliable and efficient charging system and we are pleased to be able to join forces in a way that benefits customers and overall EV adoption,” Marin Gjaja, chief customer officer of Ford Model e, said in the release. “The Tesla Supercharger network has excellent reliability and the NACS plug is smaller and lighter. Overall, this provides a superior experience for customers.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ford-ev-drivers-will-get-access-to-12000-north-american-tesla-superchargers-next-spring-221752191.html?src=rss

White House proposes 30 percent tax on electricity used for crypto mining

Posted on by

The Biden administration wants to impose a 30 percent tax on the electricity used by cryptocurrency mining operations, and it has included the proposal in its budget for the fiscal year of 2024. In a blog post on the White House website, the administration has formally introduced the Digital Asset Mining Energy or DAME excise tax. It explained that it wants to tax cryptomining firms, because they aren't paying for the "full cost they impose on others," which include environmental pollution and high energy prices. 

Crypto mining has "negative spillovers on the environment," the White House continued, and the pollution it generates "falls disproportionately on low-income neighborhoods and communities of color." It added that the operations' "often volatile power consumption " can raise electricity prices for the people around them and cause service interruptions. Further, local power companies are taking a risk if they decide to upgrade their equipment to make their service more stable, since miners can easily move away to another location, even abroad. 

It's no secret that the process of mining cryptocurrency uses up massive amounts of electricity. In April, The New York Times published a report detailing the power used by the 34 large scale Bitcoin miners in the US that it had identified. Apparently, just those 34 operations altogether use the same amount of electricity as three million households in the country. The Times explained that most Bitcoin mining took place in China until 2021 when the country banned it, making the United State the new leader. (In the US, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation that restricts crypto mining in the state last year.) Previous reports estimated the electricity consumption related to Bitcoin alone to be more than some countries', including Argentina, Norway and the Netherlands. 

As Yahoo News noted, there are other industries, such as steel manufacturing, that also use large amounts of electricity but aren't taxed for their energy consumption. In its post, the administration said that cryptomining "does not generate the local and national economic benefits typically associated with businesses using similar amounts of electricity."

Critics believe that the government made this proposal to go after and harm an industry it doesn't support. A Forbes report also suggested that DAME may not be the best solution for the issue, and that taxing the industry's greenhouse gas emissions might be a better alternative. That could encourage mining firms not just to minimize energy use, but also to find cleaner sources of power. It might be difficult to convince the administration to go down that route, though: In its blog post, it said that the "environmental impacts of cryptomining exist even when miners use existing clean power." Apparently, mining operations in communities with hydropower have been observed to reduce the amount of clean power available for use by others. That leads to higher prices and to even higher consumption of electricity from non-clean sources. 

If the proposal ever becomes a law, the government would impose the excise tax in phases. It would start by adding a 10 percent tax on miners' electricity use in the first year, 20 percent in the second and then 30 percent from the third year onwards. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/white-house-proposes-30-percent-tax-on-electricity-used-for-crypto-mining-090342986.html?src=rss

TikTok begins removing videos with climate change misinformation

Posted on by

Last month, TikTok updated its community guidelines to add policies that prohibit videos with climate change misinformation on the app. As The Daily Beast notes, the change is taking effect today, April 21st. According to the service's announcement, TikTok will no longer allow content that "undermines well-established scientific consensus" regarding the climate crisis. 

TikTok will still allow videos that tackle discussions about climate change, such as government policies related to it, as long as they don't go against scientific consensus. However, it will start deleting content that violate its new policy today, and any user searching for climate information will be directed to "authoritative information" that TikTok had decided on in partnership with the United Nations. 

Back in 2022, internet trust researchers at NewsGuard have published a report about misinformation. They had found that TikTok is full of false information about, among other topics, climate change, and looking for the term brings up search suggestions like "climate change debunked" and "climate change doesn’t exist." During the height of the pandemic, looking for COVID-19 videos would also bring up suggestions that include "covid vaccine hiv." In addition, misinformation was especially prevalent during the presidential election season in the US. TikTok had ended up removing over 300,000 election-related videos and over 50,000 videos sharing COVID-19 misinformation. 

When TikTok introduced its new policy regarding climate change, it also added new rules covering AI tech that creates content. All digitally manipulated or created media on TikTok must now come with the appropriate tag, such as "synthetic," "fake" or "altered."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tiktok-begins-removing-videos-with-climate-change-misinformation-105652995.html?src=rss

TikTok begins removing videos with climate change misinformation

Posted on by

Last month, TikTok updated its community guidelines to add policies that prohibit videos with climate change misinformation on the app. As The Daily Beast notes, the change is taking effect today, April 21st. According to the service's announcement, TikTok will no longer allow content that "undermines well-established scientific consensus" regarding the climate crisis. 

TikTok will still allow videos that tackle discussions about climate change, such as government policies related to it, as long as they don't go against scientific consensus. However, it will start deleting content that violate its new policy today, and any user searching for climate information will be directed to "authoritative information" that TikTok had decided on in partnership with the United Nations. 

Back in 2022, internet trust researchers at NewsGuard have published a report about misinformation. They had found that TikTok is full of false information about, among other topics, climate change, and looking for the term brings up search suggestions like "climate change debunked" and "climate change doesn’t exist." During the height of the pandemic, looking for COVID-19 videos would also bring up suggestions that include "covid vaccine hiv." In addition, misinformation was especially prevalent during the presidential election season in the US. TikTok had ended up removing over 300,000 election-related videos and over 50,000 videos sharing COVID-19 misinformation. 

When TikTok introduced its new policy regarding climate change, it also added new rules covering AI tech that creates content. All digitally manipulated or created media on TikTok must now come with the appropriate tag, such as "synthetic," "fake" or "altered."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tiktok-begins-removing-videos-with-climate-change-misinformation-105652995.html?src=rss

CATL’s new battery tech could inch electric planes closer to reality

Posted on by

With the world gradually moving toward electric cars, it’s only a matter of time before EVs take to the skies, at least for shorter trips. Inching us closer to that milestone is Chinese battery maker CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited), which on Wednesday launched a battery at the Shanghai Auto Show that it claims can power electric passenger aircraft. The semi-solid state battery with condensed electrolyte has a density of up to 500 Wh/k, meaning it can store 500 Watt hours of energy for every kilogram of its weight.

The company says it can “achieve mass production of [the] condensed battery in a short period of time,” and it expects to begin mass production of an automotive-focused variant later this year. “The launch of this cutting-edge technology breaks the limits that have long restricted the development of the battery sector and will open up a new scenario of electrification centering on high level of safety and light weight,” stated CATL’s announcement. However, NASA has been testing electric planes throughout the past decade, and others are working on hybrid planes, like ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric aircraft that completed a 10-minute flight this January. Rolls-Royce even flew an all-electric plane at 387 MPH in a recent test.

CATL says it’s working with unnamed partners to develop flying EVs. “At present, CATL is cooperating with partners in the development of electric passenger aircrafts and practicing aviation-level standards and testing in accordance with aviation-grade safety and quality requirements,” the battery maker stated.

Additionally, CATL says it’s working to improve the carbon footprint of its batteries and plans to achieve carbon neutrality for its manufacturing plants by 2025 and across the battery value chain by 2035. It plans to focus on mining, bulk raw materials, battery materials, cell manufacturing and battery systems to achieve the goal. “As electrification extends from the land to the sky, aircrafts will become cleaner and smarter,” the company stated. “The launch of condensed batteries will usher in an era of universal electrification of sea, land and air transportation, open up more possibilities of the development of the industry, and promote the achieving of the global carbon neutrality goals at an earlier date.”

However, it’s worth tempering our expectations about flying EVs. Some movement in that direction could help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from the aviation industry, which accounts for about three percent of global emissions. But it would require more significant advances than CATL’s new battery for them to become a viable alternative to today’s jet-fuel-powered aircraft. So although we may see some commercial electric planes take to the skies within the next decade, don’t expect batteries to power much beyond small and short-distance planes anytime soon.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/catls-new-battery-tech-could-inch-electric-planes-closer-to-reality-200531533.html?src=rss

CATL’s new battery tech could inch electric planes closer to reality

Posted on by

With the world gradually moving toward electric cars, it’s only a matter of time before EVs take to the skies, at least for shorter trips. Inching us closer to that milestone is Chinese battery maker CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited), which on Wednesday launched a battery at the Shanghai Auto Show that it claims can power electric passenger aircraft. The semi-solid state battery with condensed electrolyte has a density of up to 500 Wh/k, meaning it can store 500 Watt hours of energy for every kilogram of its weight.

The company says it can “achieve mass production of [the] condensed battery in a short period of time,” and it expects to begin mass production of an automotive-focused variant later this year. “The launch of this cutting-edge technology breaks the limits that have long restricted the development of the battery sector and will open up a new scenario of electrification centering on high level of safety and light weight,” stated CATL’s announcement. However, NASA has been testing electric planes throughout the past decade, and others are working on hybrid planes, like ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric aircraft that completed a 10-minute flight this January. Rolls-Royce even flew an all-electric plane at 387 MPH in a recent test.

CATL says it’s working with unnamed partners to develop flying EVs. “At present, CATL is cooperating with partners in the development of electric passenger aircrafts and practicing aviation-level standards and testing in accordance with aviation-grade safety and quality requirements,” the battery maker stated.

Additionally, CATL says it’s working to improve the carbon footprint of its batteries and plans to achieve carbon neutrality for its manufacturing plants by 2025 and across the battery value chain by 2035. It plans to focus on mining, bulk raw materials, battery materials, cell manufacturing and battery systems to achieve the goal. “As electrification extends from the land to the sky, aircrafts will become cleaner and smarter,” the company stated. “The launch of condensed batteries will usher in an era of universal electrification of sea, land and air transportation, open up more possibilities of the development of the industry, and promote the achieving of the global carbon neutrality goals at an earlier date.”

However, it’s worth tempering our expectations about flying EVs. Some movement in that direction could help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from the aviation industry, which accounts for about three percent of global emissions. But it would require more significant advances than CATL’s new battery for them to become a viable alternative to today’s jet-fuel-powered aircraft. So although we may see some commercial electric planes take to the skies within the next decade, don’t expect batteries to power much beyond small and short-distance planes anytime soon.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/catls-new-battery-tech-could-inch-electric-planes-closer-to-reality-200531533.html?src=rss

Apple’s batteries will use 100 percent recycled cobalt by 2025

Posted on by

Apple is promising more eco-friendly batteries ahead of Earth Day. The company has committed to using 100 percent recycled cobalt in all Apple-designed batteries by 2025. It also expects to use completely recycled rare earth elements in its magnets by that point, and all in-house circuit board designs will use fully recycled gold plating and tin soldering.

Only 25 percent of the cobalt Apple used last year was recycled. While thats's up from 13 percent in 2021, that makes the new target more ambitious than others. Apple already uses 73 percent recycled rare earth elements and 38 percent recycled tin. Apple has custom battery designs in most of its portable products, including the iPhone, iPad and MacBook lines.

The company eventually hopes to make all products exclusively with recycled and renewable materials. It expects its products to be carbon neutral by 2030. As of 2022, just 20 percent of the material in Apple hardware was recycled or renewed.

Yes, this is partly about burnishing the company's image. You may be more likely to buy an iPhone or Apple Watch if you believe it's relatively gentle on the planet. However, the cobalt goal may be more significant than most. Cobalt is widely used in batteries, including in electric vehicles, but it also has significant environmental and social problems. The mining process contaminates the air, earth and water, and can lead to health issues for both miners and the general population. There are also concerns about miner exploitation in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Companies have been developing cobalt-free batteries that could lessen the environmental impact across the tech industry. For now, though, efforts like Apple's could reduce the demand for additional cobalt and the associated mining.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-batteries-will-use-100-percent-recycled-cobalt-by-2025-132837439.html?src=rss

Apple’s batteries will use 100 percent recycled cobalt by 2025

Posted on by

Apple is promising more eco-friendly batteries ahead of Earth Day. The company has committed to using 100 percent recycled cobalt in all Apple-designed batteries by 2025. It also expects to use completely recycled rare earth elements in its magnets by that point, and all in-house circuit board designs will use fully recycled gold plating and tin soldering.

Only 25 percent of the cobalt Apple used last year was recycled. While thats's up from 13 percent in 2021, that makes the new target more ambitious than others. Apple already uses 73 percent recycled rare earth elements and 38 percent recycled tin. Apple has custom battery designs in most of its portable products, including the iPhone, iPad and MacBook lines.

The company eventually hopes to make all products exclusively with recycled and renewable materials. It expects its products to be carbon neutral by 2030. As of 2022, just 20 percent of the material in Apple hardware was recycled or renewed.

Yes, this is partly about burnishing the company's image. You may be more likely to buy an iPhone or Apple Watch if you believe it's relatively gentle on the planet. However, the cobalt goal may be more significant than most. Cobalt is widely used in batteries, including in electric vehicles, but it also has significant environmental and social problems. The mining process contaminates the air, earth and water, and can lead to health issues for both miners and the general population. There are also concerns about miner exploitation in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Companies have been developing cobalt-free batteries that could lessen the environmental impact across the tech industry. For now, though, efforts like Apple's could reduce the demand for additional cobalt and the associated mining.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-batteries-will-use-100-percent-recycled-cobalt-by-2025-132837439.html?src=rss

Philips’ new ‘Ultra Efficient’ LED bulbs use 40 percent less energy

Posted on by

LED light bulbs are already supposed to be energy-efficient, but Signifiy thinks it can improve on the formula. The company has released Philips Ultra Efficient LED bulbs that, as the name implies, use 40 percent less energy than the brand's usual LED options. The "advanced" LEDs and optics reduce the yearly energy cost to between 55 cents and $1.03 per bulb, Signify claims. For context, a Philips Ultra Definition 60W bulb uses an estimated 97 cents each year.

The new lights might also be helpful if you're trying to minimize waste. Signify estimates that the Ultra Efficient line has an average lifespan of 50 years, or more than three times the usage of Philips' standard LED bulbs. There's a real chance this lighting might outlive you.

The Philips range is available now as a Walmart exclusive. It starts at $10 for a 60W-equivalent A19 bulb ($17 for two) in soft white and daylight variants. A 65W BR30 bulb costs $11, while a 100W A21 light is $15. You're paying considerably more than you would for standard LEDs — a four-pack of Philips Ultra Definition 60W bulbs costs $14. However, Signify is clearly betting that the lower energy costs and increased longevity will ultimately save you money on top of being kinder to the environment.

The catch, of course, is that these aren't smart bulbs. You'll need to live with higher energy consumption if you insist on Philips Hue and don't want to use smart plugs. If that isn't an obstacle, though, you may see your energy bills shrink if you replace enough bulbs around your home.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/philips-new-ultra-efficient-led-bulbs-use-40-percent-less-energy-193033312.html?src=rss