In recent years, ChatGPT has exploded in popularity, with nearly 200 million users pumping a total of over a billion prompts into the app every day. These prompts may seem to complete requests out of thin air. But behind the scenes, artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are using a massive amount of energy. In 2023, data … Read more
A small municipality in southern Finland recently installed the world’s largest “sand battery” to supply the town’s heating. The new sand battery, designed by Polar Night Energy, is effectively a giant sandpit encased in a roughly 43 foot tall by 49 foot wide (13 by 15 meter) steel container. The sand is heated using closed-loop … Read more
Red onion dye could be the missing ingredient required to bolster ultraviolet (UV) protection for solar cells, scientists say. Solar cells are typically coated with a petroleum-based film to protect them from UV-induced degradation. These films include oil-based materials such as polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). In the quest to drive the adoption … Read more
NASA is accelerating its plans for a nuclear reactor on the moon. For several years now, the agency has been working to get a 40-kilowatt fission system ready for launch to the moon by the early 2030s. But interim NASA chief Sean Duffy is about to announce a more ambitious path, via a directive set … Read more
A recently concluded experimental campaign at the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) in Greifswald, Germany has smashed previous fusion records and set a new benchmark for reactor performances. Nuclear fusion offers a tantalizing promise of unlimited clean energy. By smashing together isotopes (or different versions) of hydrogen at … Read more
Scientists say they’ve created a battery that can stretch and bend without losing power. The discovery paves the way for wearable technology, smart medical devices, and robots with human-like movements. “The texture is a bit like toothpaste,” senior author Aiman Rahmanudin, an assistant professor at Linköping University in Sweden, said in a statement. “The material … Read more
Recent breakthroughs suggest that hydrogen reservoirs are buried in countless regions of the world, including at least 30 U.S. states. Finding such reservoirs could help accelerate a global energy transition, but until now, geologists only had a piecemeal understanding of how large hydrogen accumulations form — and where to find them. “The game of the … Read more
The burning of fossil fuels — coal, oil and gas — propelled humanity into the industrial revolution, remaking civilization in its wake. Gasoline powers many of the cars we drive; coal and natural gas are central to global energy. But if aliens were building their own society, would they have to go down the same … Read more
For the first time, scientists have observed water molecules splitting in real time to form hydrogen and oxygen. And right before they split, the molecules did something completely unexpected: They flipped 180 degrees. This micro acrobatic stunt takes energy, which offers a crucial explanation for why splitting water takes more energy than theoretical calculations suggested. … Read more
Engineers have showcased a prototype electric vehicle (EV) that can drive for up to 40 miles (64 kilometers) per day using just solar power. The new solar-powered car, called the Aptera Launch Edition, also offers up to 400 miles (640 km) of range from a single charge via an electrical output, company representatives said in … Read more
