Hacker News with Generative AI: Energy

Nuclear power is officially a clean energy source in Colorado (coloradosun.com)
Nuclear power — an innovative source of fossil-free power potential, or a radioactive risk that threatens public health and the environment, depending on whom you ask — is back on the table in Colorado.

Nuclear Power, Energy, Colorado, Environment

33 points by mooreds 1 day ago | 23 comments

Commercial fusion power companies moving toward test systems (arstechnica.com)
A tokamak moves forward as two companies advance plans for stellarators.

Fusion Power, Energy, Science, Technology

16 points by bentobean 1 day ago | 0 comments

China Plans Ambitious Nuclear Fusion Target for 2030 (gizmodo.com)
China has set its sights on a new fusion-fission power plant that could be up and running by the end of the decade.

China, Nuclear Fusion, Energy, Science, 2030

5 points by mpweiher 1 day ago | 0 comments

The Solar Engineer Transforming Lebanon's Power Grid (ieee.org)
In Mira Daher’s home country of Lebanon, the national grid provides power for only a few hours a day.

Energy, Lebanon, Engineering, Solar Power

5 points by rbanffy 3 days ago | 0 comments

Can Earth's rotation generate power? Physicists divided over controversial claim (nature.com)
Electricity can be generated from the energy of Earth rotating through its own magnetic field — according to a provocative claim put forward by physicists today.

Physics, Energy, Earth Science, Controversial Claims

104 points by qnleigh 3 days ago | 217 comments

Ivanpah Solar Thermal Units Shutting Down, as Tech Shifts (enr.com)
Power plant operator and co-owner NRG Energy Inc. is preparing to close down part of its Ivanpah Solar Power Plant in San Bernardino County, Calif., a little more than 11 years after it began operating.

Solar Power, Energy, Technology, California

17 points by LMSolar 4 days ago | 4 comments

Trump pushes for near-total control of Ukraine's minerals and energy (lbc.co.uk)
US President Donald Trump is trying to force through a new deal that would see America gain control Ukraine’s critical minerals and energy assets in a major expansion on his previous demands.

Politics, Ukraine, International Relations, Energy, Minerals

7 points by croes 6 days ago | 3 comments

China aims to Xinghuo, first fusion-fission power plant, running by 2030 (scmp.com)
China is poised to start building the world’s first fusion-fission hybrid power plant, with the goal of generating 100 megawatts of continuous electricity and connecting to the grid by the end of the decade.

China, Energy, Fusion, Nuclear Power, Science

8 points by chriscappuccio 6 days ago | 2 comments

Is Green hydrogen the "gas of the future"? (2023) (adamtooze.substack.com)
When hydrogen burns it leaves water. Though as a gas it is not dense, by weight hydrogen is three times energy-denser than kerosene. Hydrogen is also the most abundant element in the universe and H2 can be produced by electrolysis by applying an electric current to water. Electricity in turn can be generated from the wind and sun.

Energy, Climate Change, Green Technology, Hydrogen

14 points by simonebrunozzi 7 days ago | 12 comments

China's Energy Transition at Odds with Solar Glut, Cheap Power (bloomberg.com)
China’s Energy Transition at Odds With Solar Glut, Cheap Power

China, Energy, Solar Power, Economics

27 points by toomuchtodo 9 days ago | 32 comments

Perovskite Solar Cells Can Be Completely Recycled (physicsworld.com)
A research team headed up at Linköping University in Sweden and Cornell University in the US has succeeded in recycling almost all of the components of perovskite solar cells using simple, non-toxic, water-based solvents.

Solar Cells, Recycling, Materials Science, Energy

6 points by EA-3167 10 days ago | 2 comments

Big Tech is striking secret deals to make you foot its electricity bill (archive.org)
Tech companies racing to secure power for their data centers have struck dozens of secretive electricity deals with utilities that could cost average Americans a "staggering" amount, Harvard research found.

Big Tech, Energy, Utilities, Data Centers, Costs

38 points by zekrioca 11 days ago | 3 comments

Russian energy giant Gazprom suffers $13.1B loss in 2024 (kyivindependent.com)

Russia, Energy, Business, Finance

17 points by wslh 12 days ago | 1 comments

LED's Efficiency Exceeds 100% (2012) (phys.org)
For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that an LED can emit more optical power than the electrical power it consumes.

LEDs, Physics, Efficiency, Energy

42 points by thunderbong 13 days ago | 34 comments

The U.S. is falling behind China in nuclear fusion, needed to power AI (cnbc.com)

Nuclear Fusion, AI, China, United States, Energy

12 points by mpweiher 14 days ago | 8 comments

Elon Musk Installs Quick and Dirty Turbines to Power XAI's Memphis Data Centers (forbes.com)
When Memphis, Tennessee’s grid couldn’t provide all the electricity needed to power xAI’s new Colossus data center, the Elon Musk led artificial intelligence company turned to a quick and dirty solution: mobile natural gas turbines.

Artificial Intelligence, Data Centers, Energy, Elon Musk, Tennessee

10 points by croes 14 days ago | 1 comments

Solar Generation Surge Sends European Power Prices Below Zero (bloomberg.com)
A patch of clear, sunny weather boosted solar generation across parts of Europe and sent power prices into negative territory for large periods around midday.

Energy, Europe, Renewable Energy, Solar Power, Climate Change

38 points by toomuchtodo 14 days ago | 118 comments

Net Zero by 2050 Is 'Impossible,' UK Tory Leader Badenoch Says (bloomberg.com)
The UK won’t be able to transform its economy to net zero by 2050, according to Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, in a break with the consensus held by Britain’s main parties.

Climate Change, Politics, UK, Energy

22 points by melling 16 days ago | 51 comments

Radioisotope generators − the 'nuclear batteries' that power faraway spacecraft (theconversation.com)
Powering spacecraft with solar energy may not seem like a challenge, given how intense the Sun’s light can feel on Earth. Spacecraft near the Earth use large solar panels to harness the Sun for the electricity needed to run their communications systems and science instruments.

Spacecraft, Energy, Nuclear Energy, Science

8 points by rntn 18 days ago | 0 comments

UK GHG emissions fall 3.6% in 2024 as coal use drops to lowest since 1666 (carbonbrief.org)
The UK’s greenhouse gas emissions fell by 3.6% in 2024 as coal use dropped to the lowest level since 1666, the year of the Great Fire of London, according to new Carbon Brief analysis.

Climate Change, Environment, Energy, United Kingdom

8 points by toomuchtodo 21 days ago | 3 comments

Black Sea Cable to Boost EU Energy Security with Clean Power (ieee.org)
Undersea cable would supply clean electricity from the Caucasus

Energy, Europe, Infrastructure, Sustainability, Geopolitics

8 points by rbanffy 21 days ago | 0 comments

Amazon, Meta, Google sign pledge to triple nuclear power capacity by 2050 (theregister.com)
A group of large-scale energy users including Amazon, Meta, and Google has thrown its weight behind efforts to ramp up global nuclear capacity – aiming to triple it by 2050 – to meet increasing energy demands.

Energy, Nuclear Power, Climate Change, Technology

8 points by rntn 21 days ago | 1 comments

Steam-powered piston system sparks nuclear fusion plasma in Canada (interestingengineering.com)
In a global first, Richmond, Canada-headquartered fusion energy company General Fusion achieved the first-ever plasma in a reactor driven by steam.

Nuclear Fusion, Energy, Canada, Science

32 points by DocFeind 21 days ago | 8 comments

Ontario Raises Electricity Price by 25% for Minnesota, Michigan and New York (bloomberg.com)
A Canadian province that exports electricity to the US raised power prices for three states by 25% on Monday in retaliation for President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Energy, Politics, Trade, Canada, United States

28 points by toomuchtodo 23 days ago | 5 comments

Core Power plans mass production of floating nuclear power plants (world-nuclear-news.org)
Core Power of the UK has announced that it will develop a "US-anchored" maritime civil nuclear programme that will "bring floating nuclear power to market by the mid-2030s".

Nuclear Power, Energy, Technology, Maritime

3 points by rbanffy 28 days ago | 1 comments

Scotland now home to Europe's biggest battery as windy storage site fires up (theregister.com)
What's claimed to be Europe’s largest battery has come to Scotland, after a new facility came online in the country’s north.

Energy, Scotland, Renewable Energy, Europe, Batteries

8 points by defrost 29 days ago | 0 comments

Canada to Cut Off Electricity to US States: 'Need to Feel the Pain' (msn.com)
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Monday that he would block energy exports to the United States "with a smile" if U.S. President Donald Trump moved ahead with plans for a 25 percent tariff on Canadian goods.

Canada, Politics, Energy, International Relations

10 points by Jacquie11 29 days ago | 8 comments

Solar crushed 2024, but emissions were up as industry used more natural gas (techcrunch.com)
The U.S. invested a record-breaking $338 billion in the energy transition last year, according to a new report, but it wasn’t quite enough to lessen the country’s overall carbon emissions.

Energy, Climate Change, Investments, United States

9 points by PaulHoule 29 days ago | 0 comments

Ontario to Slap Export Tax on Electricity to U.S. (wsj.com)
Canada’s province of Ontario will slap a 25% export tax on electricity it sends to 1.5 million homes in Minnesota, Michigan and New York, in retaliation for President Trump’s tariffs, said Doug Ford, Ontario’s leader.