Solar energy and batteries are making it easier for utilities to meet surging electricity demand during extreme heat , but prolonged high temperatures are exposing other vulnerabilities in the grid. Why it matters: Electricity demand rises as air conditioners work harder in extreme heat, while high temperatures can make parts of the system less efficient and put additional stress on equipment. The big picture: Climate change is extending periods of extreme heat just as electrification and data centers add new loads, leaving parts of the grid working harder for longer. Between the lines: Michael Webber, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Texas at Austin, tells Axios that grid operators face a "triple whammy" under…
For some electric vehicle batteries, it costs more to recycle them than they're worth. That creates all kinds of problems, which a new Colorado law aims to solve.
Image: The coming nuclear renaissance is small — and mighty Related: Net Zero Bill Balloons Electric London bus bursts into flames during heatwave Andy Burnham & Net Zero The Subsidy Clock Video: FOX 13 Seattle AirPlant [...]
The AI boom is pushing companies across the economy — from tech giants to automakers — deep into the energy business. Why it matters: The scramble for electricity has become the gold rush beneath the AI boom, creating enormous financial value and enormous risk if demand falls short. Driving the news: Electricity — long treated as a cheap, abundant commodity — is suddenly emerging as one of the most valuable strategic assets in business. - "Everyone to some extent is either dependent on energy as a core input or they see energy as a huge opportunity," said Brian Janous, who was Microsoft's first energy hire 15 years ago and is now co-founder of data center developer Cloverleaf Infrastructure. The latest: Ford unveiled earlier this…
An industrial policy of subsidies and import restrictions laid the foundations for China to become almost as dominant in wind turbines as in solar panels.
