Energy

Aerial view of a data center with cooling systems releasing vapor, showing water use for server cooling

Amazon’s sparkling cloud hides a dirty secret: its AI gulps more water than rivals and still calls itself “efficient

June 22, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Aerial view of a modern cruise ship used to illustrate the scale difference between existing passenger vessels and the proposed Freedom Ship.

A “floating city” proposal is back with a ship about one mile long designed to hold 80,000 people, and the uncomfortable detail is that it is being pitched as nuclear-powered while funding still decides whether it is real or just renderings

June 20, 2026 at 12:30 PM
Kawasaki hydrogen facility with spherical storage tank and industrial equipment, illustrating Japan’s push to use hydrogen in commercial power generation.

In 2026, Japan will launch the first commercial engine that generates electricity by burning a mixture containing up to 30% hydrogen, with a warranty and upgrade option, after 11 months of testing in Kobe and with the promise of decarbonization without changing the pipes

June 18, 2026 at 8:47 AM
Man in warm clothing uses a remote control to adjust a wall-mounted air conditioner in winter.

The “perfect” winter thermostat setting can keep you warm without exploding your power bill, and small changes can save big money

June 17, 2026 at 3:00 PM
MARMOK-A-5 wave-power buoy being prepared in Spain before deployment at the Biscay Marine Energy Platform

Spain just put a wave-power buoy about 138 feet tall into the Bay of Biscay, and the twist is that the new tests suggest the ocean’s up-and-down motion can feed electricity to shore in a way that could actually scale

June 17, 2026 at 5:51 AM
Aerial view of Pripyat with the Chernobyl reactor in the distance inside the exclusion zone.

Forty years after Chernobyl, its legacy still echoes across health, politics, and the land itself, and the disaster’s long tail has not stopped reshaping lives

June 16, 2026 at 3:00 PM
A close-up of a residential wall-mounted HVAC air vent, demonstrating the airflow that is restricted when these registers are closed.

Closing vents in unused rooms sounds smart, but HVAC experts warn it can raise pressure, waste energy, and even damage your system over time

June 14, 2026 at 8:45 AM
Basalt quarry with exposed volcanic rock layers and excavator, showing material proposed as a low-carbon alternative for cement production.

Cement’s carbon problem may have a blunt fix, swap limestone for basalt, because modeling suggests energy demand could drop by more than 40% and emissions by over 80%, cutting CO2 from about 1,343 lb per ton of cement to roughly 110 lb with certain rock types

June 12, 2026 at 8:45 AM
Aerial view of floating solar panels covering a reservoir in Singapore with green islands in the background.

Singapore covers about 111 acres of the Tengeh Reservoir with 122,000 floating solar panels, a bid to cut an energy dependence the city-state can’t afford

June 11, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Cracked dry earth at sunset symbolizing AI water use, data center cooling demand, and growing drought concerns.

A 100-word email written with ChatGPT may use about 17.6 fluid ounces of water, roughly the size of a stan

June 11, 2026 at 6:04 AM
Sheep grazing between solar panels at a solar plant using livestock for vegetation control and land management.

A solar farm in southern England put 40 native sheep under 20,000 panels across about 30 acres to graze in winter, and the twist is that the flock didn’t just “mow the grass”, it helped protect wildflowers and pollinators while using the panels as storm shelter, turning a power site into a two-job landscape called agrivoltaics

June 10, 2026 at 11:17 AM
Aerial view of tankers docked at the SUMED Ain Sukhna oil terminal on Egypt’s Red Sea coast.

Can SUMED steal Hormuz’s spotlight? Saudi Arabia and Egypt move to secure oil routes into Europe and reduce reliance on the strait

June 10, 2026 at 8:45 AM
Driver using an electric tricycle with a solar panel roof in Havana, boosting range and supporting daily work.

In Cuba, a 21-year-old builds a homemade solar panel “factory,” equips 15 electric trikes, and boosts their range, a local fix that kept multiple workers’ livelihoods alive

June 9, 2026 at 12:30 PM
Aikido floating offshore wind turbine with an integrated AI data center module at sea

A floating wind turbine could become the next AI data center, packing 10–12 MW of compute, a 15+ MW turbine, and seawater cooling into one offshore platform as land, power, and water constraints tighten toward 2030

June 9, 2026 at 5:40 AM
An aerial rendering of the proposed Padma Barrage construction site near Pangsha, highlighting the 1.3-mile infrastructure spanning the river.

Bangladesh approves a 1.3-mile mega-dam to store about 2.35 million acre-feet of water and benefit 70 million people, amid rising pressure on the Padma River and growing water scarcity

June 7, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Panoramic view of the rocky Venusian surface captured by the Soviet Venera 13 lander in 1982.

In 1982 the Soviet Venera 13 lander survived 127 minutes on Venus in about 855°F heat and pressure comparable to roughly 2,950 feet underwater, long enough to beam back two panoramas of basaltic rock under an orange sky

June 6, 2026 at 10:15 AM
Rows of vertical floating solar panels installed on a lake, designed to capture sunlight from both sides.

Germany covers an artificial lake with solar panels without harming the ecosystem, and the experiment hints at a future where water becomes a rooftop for power

June 3, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Brazil’s oil reserves could soar with $30B a year as the Equatorial Margin becomes the country’s next big test.

Brazil could jump its oil reserves from 17 billion to 23.5 billion barrels with $30 billion a year in investment, and exploration along the Equatorial Margin is being pitched out to 2042

June 3, 2026 at 11:22 AM
Kalu Putik wearing a fashion design made from recycled tires, cardboard, wires, and other discarded materials in Ethiopia

A young Ethiopian turns trash into fashion using tires, cardboard, and electrical wire, and his viral videos look like luxury editorials while teaching recycling without speeches

June 3, 2026 at 6:30 AM
Massive underground redox flow battery construction site in Laufenburg, Switzerland, built for grid-scale energy storage

Switzerland dug a hole the size of two soccer fields to install the world’s most powerful underground battery, able to release 1.2 GW in milliseconds and store 2.1 GWh at a multibillion-dollar price tag

June 2, 2026 at 6:08 AM
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