energy

China seeks that each glass facade produces clean energy

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In recent decades, electric self -consumption has grown unstoppable in many countries. First were the roofs covered with photovoltaic panelsThen they arrived The solar balconies. Now, innovation points even higher: converting each glass window into a clean and transparent energy generator. A team of Chinese researchers has just presented a technology that could transform the glazed facades of buildings into invisible solar centrals. A panel that is not a solar panel. The research of the University of Nanjing, Posted in Photonix magazinepresents a transparent, colorless and unidirectional solar concentrator (CUSC). The device is applied directly to the standard glass of a window and allows you to capture sunlight without altering its appearance. How does it work? A simple explanation of the process would be that the window looks the same as always, but the special coating causes part of the sunlight to “slide” to the edges of the glass. There, small solar cells transform that light into electricity. In summary: the window is still transparent, but behaves like a hidden solar panel. From a more technical point. The secret is in some layers of colestric liquid crystals (CLC), which redirect sunlight selectively. The glass maintains a visible transparency of 64.2% and a chromatic reproduction index of 91.3, very similar to that of a normal window. The tests are promising: a prototype of just an inch moved a 10 MW fan under the sun. And the simulations show that a two -meter window could concentrate the light 50 times and reduce by 75% the amount of solar cells necessary, As explained in the investigation. Self -consumption reinvents itself. The rise of these innovations fits the global bipv tendency (Building Integrated Photovoltaics), the integration of photovoltaic into architectural elements. As we have detailed Xatakathere are already solar railings such as the solar system, developed by the Canadian Miterx, which turns balconies into electric generators. Europe will also force all new construction buildings to be zero emissions from 2030. This accelerates the search for solutions that not only produce energy, but also respect urban aesthetics and take advantage of each possible surface. China steps on the accelerator. It is no accident that this innovation arises in China. The country has become the largest World Laboratory of Solar Energy, with a deployment at an unprecedented pace. As we have indicated Xatakaonly in the first quarter of 2025 installed 36 GW of solar energy on roofs, more than Europe in several years. In total, there were 60 GW in just three months, figures that show the magnitude of its bet. With this context, the transparent solar window is not only a laboratory experiment, but one more piece in a national large -scale electrification and decarbonization strategy. While Europe progresses with bureaucratic procedures, China seems determined to cover roofs, balconies and now also facades with technologies that generate clean electricity. Forecasts The Nanjing equipment already works to improve broadband efficiency, optimize polarization control and apply this technology beyond skyscrapers: agricultural greenhouses and transparent solar screens are two of the fields in which its use is raised. “The design of the CUSC is a step forward in the integration of solar technology in the environment built without sacrificing aesthetics,” He has underlined Eurekalert Professor Wei Hucorresponding author of the study. A future of generating facades. The cities of the future could be covered with glass that not only lets the light pass, but also feeds with it. From solar balconies to photovoltaic railings, self -consumption is evolving towards complete integration in urban architecture. The window that does not seem solar panel, but it is, is emerging as one of the most promising innovations to meet the climate challenge: each facade as an invisible solar plant. Image | Freepik and Center for Liquid Crystal and Photony/ Nanjing University Xataka | One of the most arid areas in China is reverde. The reason: a plant with seven million solar panels

How much electricity produces each country with renewable energy, exposed in a graphic

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Europe has been Up on the Renewable Train. This summer they have SOLAR ENERGY PRODUCTION REGRESSESwe are installing new huge wind turbines And, although with contradictions such as import energy from Africait is evident that the continent carries a Cruise speed in renewables. However, that train goes to two speeds, with countries in which renewables are hardly nothing in their electricity generation. And it is something that we can perfectly appreciate on this map elaborated by Visual Capitalist. Vanguard. With Eurostat data until December 2024, we can see that The transition to renewables He goes with the wind in favor. The generation of energy from wind, solar, hydroelectric, the Geothermal and the biofuels They already represent values ​​that exceed 99% of the net electricity generation of some countries. In general, it is estimated that, as of December 2024, the European Union obtained almost 42% of its net electricity from the renewable sources, being wind and hydroelectric plant the fundamental legs of this change. Interestingly, despite all Advances in panel technology and wind turbines, the countries in which renewables are more important have as the protagonist the hydroelectric. This is the case of Albania, which leads the list by generating more than 99% of its electricity from renewables, or Norway. In the case of Denmark, a country that occupies third place, it is the wind that marks the guideline. To the tail… When we said that the train goes to two speeds, we refer to cases such as the Czech Republic, Moldova and Malta. In some areas of Central and Eastern Europe, the fossil fuels are still crucialand the three countries mentioned are the least proportion of renewables in their electricity generation. As a red lantern, we have Kosovo with just 8.8% of its energy from renewables. The sources. Something interesting is to know which are those renewables that are pushing clean energy in Europe. In Spain, for example, We throw ourselves into the arms of the plotbut the energy mix that has contributed to these numbers, depends a lot on each country, and in the European photo, the plot is in third place. According to Eurostat, wind energy meant 39.1% of the renewable energy produced in 2024, followed by 29.9% of the hydroelectric and 22.4% of the solar. The biofuel is far, with 8.1%, and the geothermal energy is marginal, contributing only 0.5%. Situation in 2024 A devastating advance. And beyond distinguishing in countries, if we look at the global situation, we see that more than 40% of the net energy produced by the EU in 2024 comes from renewables. According to Eurostat, 47.3% of electric production, which translates into 1.31 million GW/Hy an increase of 7.7% compared to 2023. Evolution of energy production during the last 35 years In that same graph We can see that fossil fuels have fallen by 7.2% compared to the previous year (almost the same as renewables) and nuclear, despite the plans of some countries, grew by 4.8%. We will see what course this has in 2026, since a Eurobarometer survey carried out in June 2025 Indian Strong support from EU citizens to the adoption of renewables, but we will have to see if that renewable deployment is compatible with another that is being performing ambitious and You need huge amounts of energy: the one Data centers. Images | Eurostat In Xataka | Something is happening with wind energy. Its deployment has stopped while solar energy grows unstoppable

Spain has more green energy than ever but the system does not endure it

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Spain presumes to be a world leader in renewables. In spring he covered 100% of the demand with clean energy and in July came to beat records in renewable energy with more than 10,000 GWh, According to Electric Red Data. The paradox is still evident when taking a look to the light of the light: The green boom has collided with an invisible wall – with saturated networks and a chronic storage foul – just when heat waves shoot the demand and check the electrical system. The abundance that became a problem. In just five years, Spain has gone from irrelevance to becoming the second European country that has installed more solar capacity, only behind Germany. However, that abundance has ended up becoming a headache. In May, wholesale prices came to zero or even negative for a third of the month, According to Electric Red Data cited by Financial Times. And in July, despite beating a new renewable production record, with 13,850 GWh, the light invoices continued up, As we pointed out in Xataka In full peak of the heat wave. The paradox is clear: at noon there is fun cheap energy, but when the sun falls the network cannot sustain the demand and prices shoot again. The window of the energy transition. The contrast is even more evident if you look at the energy mix. Since July 15, Spain It has not generated electricity weeks From coal for the first time in more than 140 years. A milestone that consolidates the country as a world showcase of energy transition. However, the face B of success is that it is ruining the profitability of the sector. Projects that were just two years ago sold for € 200,000/MW today they barely reach between 28,000 and € 89,000/MW, According to a Financial Times report. The boom has resulted in a wave of “Fire Sales” and a much more uncertain market for investors. The price of running too fast. The renewable expansion has been brilliant, but the infrastructure to sustain it has not accompanied the same rhythm. Since 2020, Spain has allocated $ 0.30 to reinforce its electrical networks for every dollar invested in new solar and wind plants, compared to 0.70 European average, According to Bloombergnef collected by FT. The result is a bottleneck: more than thirty “hot knots” where the network is saturated, especially in Cáceres, Badajoz, Toledo and Ciudad Real. Only in July, more than half of the production cuts –The so -called Curtailments– They corresponded to photovoltaic, with about 392 GWh wasted, According to the Spanish. In addition, the low storage capacity aggravates the painting. When the sun sets, photovoltaic production collapses but the demand remains high, forcing the system to resort to gas to cover the hole. That same gas, more expensive in international markets, has become one of the engines of the price increase. To this was added in January the return of the electric VAT to 21%, after years of fiscal reduction to mitigate the energy crisis, As we have described in Xataka. The result is noted by the consumer: in July, the average price of light reached € 164/MWh, which meant that an average family would pay between 20 and 25 euros more on its monthly bill compared to last summer. Heat has something to say. To structural problems have been added short -term factors. The heat waves of the summer have stressed the system: in June, the electrical demand increased by 14% in Spain, 9% in France and 6% in Germany, As we have explained in Xataka. With the air conditioners operating at full performance, the demand is triggered just when the nuclear and thermal plants reduce their capacity due to the lack of cold water in the rivers to refrigerate. France has been the country most affected by this phenomenon, but Spain has also felt pressure. A decree waiting for the end of summer. The third leg of this whole issue has to do with politics. After the April blackout, the government Approved in June a decree “Antiapagon” which sought to reinforce the network and give an impulse to energy storage. However, on July 22 the norm was rejected in Congress with 183 votes against, in a coalition of rejection between the conservative opposition and part of the left. Since then, the Executive tries to carry out some of these measures through regulatory reforms that do not need parliamentary approval. The other face of the solar boom. Given this panorama, the market looks for exits. One of them are the long -term energy sale contracts (PPAS), which ensure stable prices to corporate customers. The Zelestra project in Belinchón, for example, closed an agreement with pharmacists such as Takeda and Teva when the average of the PPAS in Spain was around € 39/MWh, According to FT. Another change vector is marked by technological giants. Amazon, Meta and Microsoft have announced large data centers in Spain, attracted by the abundance of cheap energy. “There is an enormous interest, they consider Spain the number one fate in Europe,” admitted the CEO of Zelestra in statements collected by expansion. However, enthusiasm ranges with the same obstacles: slow permits and lack of network connection points. It is not exclusive to Spain. As they have detailed in the Spanish report, Germany needs to reinforce 14,000 kilometers of high voltage lines to transfer their renewable energy from north to the industrial south; Scotland has come to pay wind parks for not producing; And in the United States there are about 1,000 GW of renewable projects waiting for a network connection, almost four times the installed capacity. A brilliant future among cracks. Spain has potential, but its electrical system is not prepared to manage so much clean energy. As a summary cited by Financial Times summarized: “The problem is not that Spain has gone too fast with renewables, but has been too slow with networks.” The future of the energy transition will not depend on installing more panels, but on … Read more

The region with the largest energy deficit in Spain is staying data centers

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Spain is being filled with data centers. A report The Iberian Peninsula reveals from the real estate consultant CBRE has the interest of large technology companies. The fact is striking, but it is even more the fact that the great focus of these technology is in a region that a priori It would not seem ideal For these facilities: Madrid. Hyperscalers. The cbre study cited In five days It points out this unique concentration in Spain of various data centers projects of the so -called “hyperscales” (Hyperscalers). A Hyperscaler is a Mass provider of cloud services that operates a gigantic network of data centers distributed throughout the planet. Amazon is a good example of this type of companies, but there are more, and they all seem to focus their attention on the Iberian Peninsula. Big Tech bet on Spain … Elliot Zounon, responsible for the report, explained how “there is no investor, a large operator or technological that does not have in its strategic plans to establish its data center project in the Iberian market.” But especially for Madrid. Especially striking was the deployment of projects that indicated the current and future capacity expected in the Community of Madrid, and which amounts to a total of 203 MW. Some of the most important companies in the sector, such as Microsoft, Google, Oracle, IBM, Kyndryl or Ovhcloud have data centers in the community. Various projects with an investment of 23.4 billion euros Until 2028 they propose sensitive growth in this area, and it is expected that by 2026 the capacity of Madrid ascends at 222 MW. Madrid, near the “flap-d”. In the European Union this market has been dominated by the group called Flap-Dwhich is an acronym for Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam and Paris, to which in recent times Dublin has joinedwith a capacity of 328 MW. Madrid is part of the so-called Tier-2, a kind of “second division” of cities with a lot of capacity in data centers. The capital is ahead of Milan, Zurich, Berlin and Oslo, and is also in this Barcelona group, which occupies the tenth position of the TIER-2 with 42 MW installed. And the energy, what? This proliferation of data centers in the Community of Madrid is paradoxical, especially since it is the region that produces less energy from all over Spain and It depends almost completely on external supply. In 2024 Madrid produced 1,334 GWh, more or less the same as in 2021, while its annual electricity consumption in 2024 was of 27,487 GWh. Thus, the community concentrates 11% of the national electricity demand. Of course: Spain is becoming a real Power Exporter Powersomething that favors that role in Madrid as a focus of attention for the creation of future data centers. Emptied Spain produces, the big cities consume. The truth is that the situation of the Madrid energy deficit is logical if we take into account that it brings together a great population and industry density. Here, as in other great Spanish capitals, Energy inequality is clear: while energy occurs in much more depopulated regions – the example of Aragon with wind It is remarkable – that energy ends up taking advantage of in large cities. Our country He has opted very strong for renewablesbut Madrid is a separate case: for not, in Madrid There are no wind farms. Not everything is megawatts. The choice of Madrid not only depends on the gross megawatts, but also on a combination of intangible advantages that technological ones take into account. The capital concentrates interconnection nodes and a dense network of operators that facilitate the exchange of data traffic (something crucial for cloud services and AI applications). The presence of corporate venues also influences, as does the fact that logistics costs are reduced against remote locations that can have cheaper energy, but are more isolated in terms of network and services. The human factor. There is also the Welfa Market and its technical profiles. For companies, deploy infrastructure near where talent is compensated, and professionals in the sector They usually establish their residences in large cities like Madridprecisely because there and other capitals it is where the job offer is concentrated. The same happens in the case of that “first division” of large capitals with data centers in Europe. Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam and Paris also agglutinate that range of technical profiles. The risk of being an energy black hole. Its practically zero self -production converts the Community of Madrid into a kind of “energy black hole”: it absorbs resources generated far and depends totally on the strength of the Spanish network, which recently suffered a worrying one – although it is difficult to be repeated– General blackout. But. Even with that energy deficit, hyperscalars reach these agreements with long -term contracts (PPAS, Power Purchase Agreements), previous agreements with networks and even investments in renewables. The idea is to disconnect the location decision of these data centers where the local energy production is. Madrid must of course ensure its capacity for interconnection and supply – perhaps with network reinforcement if necessary – but energy production in Spain (even Pull energy in the trash) It is a guarantee for this type of facilities. Image | Kyndryl | Community of Madrid In Xataka | Spain was supposed to have a “antiapagones” plan. It has encountered an insurmountable obstacle: politics

feed solar and wind energy the darkest and colder place in the world

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In a place where the nights last six months, wind gusts can reach 300 km/hy them the temperatures collapse below the −40 ° C, the idea of using solar and wind energy sounds like a joke. For a few months, however, China is feeding its Antarctica base with renewable energy. How the hell have they done it? Short. Five years ago, electrical engineer Sun Hongbin, today president of the Technological University of Taiyuan, received what seemed an impossible mission: to build a renewable energy system capable of supporting the most extreme conditions of the earth. As he has told Scientific AmericanThe objective was to align the new Qinling Antarctic Station with the green commitments of the Chinese government. The result cost 14 million dollars, was officially inaugurated in early 2025 and is a technological feat that now other countries with Antarctica bases want to imitate. Diesel logistics nightmare. Antarctica stations work almost exclusively with diesel generators, but this dependency has a very high cost. Not only because diesel is expensive, but because transporting it is a logistics nightmare that requires mobilizing breakwinds and military personnel for each replenishment trip, which is usually annual. In addition, environmental risk is huge. The spills are frequent and, in such a fragile ecosystem, where the low temperatures slow down the decomposition, any discharge is a catastrophe. Not to mention the emissions of the combustion itself. The renewables did not endure. The problem of conventional renewable systems is that they do not work in Antarctica. The extreme cold causes the blades of the wind turbines to become brittle, the performance of the solar panels plummeted and the lithium batteries stop working. And that without counting the polar night: six months without seeing the sunlight. Provided to overcome these obstacles, Sun Hongbin did not walk with little ones. His team raised A 2,000 square meters laboratory At the Technological University of Taiyuan that, basically, it was a piece of Antarctica in China. To put to the limit each component, they simulated freezing temperatures, winds of more than 200 km/hyams artificial. How the hell did it. After four years of tests, the team found a robust system that combines wind energy, solar energy, batteries and, the key of everything, hydrogen. The wind turbines have a vertical design reminiscent of an egg blender, which reduces the structural tension and lowers the center of gravity so that the wind does not take them. The solar panels are mounted on a special frame made of reinforced plastic with carbon fiber. This material has a lower thermal conductivity than aluminum, so it does not deform so easily with sudden temperature changes. As for the batteries, instead of the typical lithium ions, they used lithium-ditana. Its internal chemistry facilitates the movement of ions at temperatures below zero. In addition, they put them in a thermal housing that takes advantage of their own residual heat to stay at an optimal temperature. The cake widge. During the polar summer, when there is a sun and spare wind, energy is used to feed an electrolyzer that separates water into oxygen and hydrogen. Hydrogen is stored in high pressure tanks. When winter arrives and the other sources falter, hydrogen is recombine with oxygen in a fuel pile to generate electricity. The only residue? Water and heat, which are recycled to heat the system itself. According to those responsible for the project, the base can work for about 48 hours only with the energy stored in the form of hydrogen. The way to follow. The integrated wind, sun, hydrogen and batteries system has a total capacity of about 230 kW, which It is 60% of the capacity Total Qinling generation. The remaining 40% continues to depend on diesel as support, but the savings is gigantic, so it has received praise from the international scientific community. This is the “first large -scale clean energy system in the world capable of working all year in a polar environment.” And there are already other countries investigating how to adopt it while China maintains its goal of reaching 100% renewable energy. Image | CCTV

Europa presumes to be a renewable power, but it turns out that it wants to import energy directly from Africa

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The desert sun hits strongly the dusty plains of Tunisia and Algeria. At first glance, they look like empty lands, but they could soon become a mosaic of wind towers, solar fields and batteries capable of storing as much electricity as to feed millions of European homes. It will not be energy for nearby cities: the Mediterranean will cross through submarine cables to light homes, factories and trains on the other side. The European Union has decided that its energy transition will not be built only at home: a good part of its green future will travel from North Africa. A priority list. The European Commission He has just updated Its list of cross -border projects of renewable energy, incorporating five new plans that will have preferential access to the financing of the mechanism connect Europe (CEF) and greater international visibility. Among them, one stands out that symbolizes the new energy strategy of the block: Medlink. According to documents cited by BloombergMedlink plans to install 10 GW of wind energy, solar and storage systems in Tunisia and Algeria. Electricity will travel through two high -voltage marine cables to Italy, with an annual capacity of 28 SWH, enough to cover about 8 % of the Italian electrical demand. The project, promoted by the Italian company ZHEROcould be extended to supply energy to Austria, Germany and Switzerland from 2030. The European Commission establishes that, to enter its list, a project must involve at least two Member States or a Member State and a third country. With this update, thirteen initiatives are part of this special category. Other in motion actors. The impulse is not limited to Tunisia and Algeria. Starting with Morocco that aspires that renewable energies represent 52 % of its installed capacity in 2030 and has launched six green hydrogen megaprojects. Among the companies involved are the Spanish Action and Cepsa, together with European, Arab, Chinese and American giants. These projects will not only produce hydrogen, but also ammonia, steel and green industrial fuels, bound for both international markets and the supply of Europe, According to data collected in Xataka. For its part, Egypt has attracted billions in European investments for solar, wind and green hydrogen plants, much of whose production is destined for export. However, A report reported by The Guardian de Greenpeace He warns that this strategy could limit local decarbonization, keeping the country dependent on imported fossil fuels such as mazut, a oil derivative with high contaminating content. In parallel, Themed also advancesan underwater interconnection project of 600 MW between Tunisia and Italy, independent of Medlink and centered on hydroelectric energy. With its scheduled implementation for 2028, it has financing from the European Reconstruction and Development Bank, the Green Climate Fund and the German Development Bank, As reported Enterprise. The implication of this bet. In Brussels they see it as a double play: accelerate the green transition and reduce the dependence of Russian gas, which collapsed after the invasion of Ukraine. Italy gains weight as a renewable entrance door to the north, and countries like Spain They restore key energy relationships, as the agreement between Naturgy and the Algerian Sonatrach to set gas prices until 2027. The European Commission defends that these interconnections and megaprojects are “essential to meet the objectives of the European Green Pact and reinforce energy security” at a time of global uncertainty. Critical voices have not been long in coming. As they have detailed in a reponnet for The GuardianGreenpeace denounces that Europe runs the risk of “outsourcing” socio -environmental costs to the global south: intensive use of water in arid areas, displacement of communities and prioritization of the European supply on local development. Hanen Keskes, responsible for campaigns of the organization in the Middle East and North Africa has sentenced: “The global north must assume its responsibility and build domestic renewable capacity, instead of outsourcing costs to the global south.” Looking to the future (almost) immediate. The EU has set the objective of importing 10 million tons of renewable hydrogen in 2030. Morocco wants to be one of the main exporters together with Algeria and Egypt, a trend that extends throughout North Africa. In the European energy map, the south of the Mediterranean is ceasing to be a border. Under the sea, high voltage cables will join sunny deserts with industrial cities. It is a historical opportunity to accelerate the decarbonization of the continent provided that, as critics warn, the light that comes to Europe does not leave those who live under the sun that generate it in shade. Image | Unspash and Unspash Xataka | The white gold that unites Morocco and the US in the Sahara: phosphate

New generation nuclear energy is still extremely expensive

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The future of fission energy is unquestionably linked to Modular and compact nuclear reactorsknown as SMR for its English denomination (Small Modular Reactor). They carry out more than two decades, and some of them are being designed according to The principles and requirements established for equipment Fourth Generation Nuclear Fission. In fact, they are being devised for the purpose of not being weighed down by the deficiencies introduced in the previous generations. One of the characteristics that, in theory, allows them to outdo conventional nuclear reactors is that their commissioning and maintenance costs have to be comparable to the expenses required by other energy sources. However, for the moment they are not. Csiro, the National Scientific Agency of Australia, has prepared a report in which it analyzes the cost of the energy sources currently used, and the renewables are the cheapest. This conclusion was predictable, but the surprising thing is that next -generation nuclear reactors are the most expensive energy generation technology. To reach this conclusion CSIRO has analyzed the costs of the Darlington (Canada) SMR Nuclear Nuclear Plan SMR plan, which in principle will ascend to 23.200 million dollars. China and Russia already have SMR reactors In operation, but Darlington’s will be the first built in a western country. The shocking thing is that, According to Csirothis project will be much more expensive than any other option, including a conventional nuclear power plant. Cheaper energy generation technologies are photovoltaic and wind solar. Secondly, the gas resides, and then the nuclear on a large scale, the coal, and, finally, the SMR reactors. Despite all SMR reactors are the future of nuclear energy Before moving forward it is important that we keep in mind that the costs derived from the Darlington nuclear project will probably be reduced in other posterior SMR reactor facilities. This plan is a pioneer in the West, and, therefore, everything is new and presumably expensive. Even so, for the moment it is not clear if this technology will really equate its costs with those of other generation sources. It is currently difficult to anticipate that in the future an SMR reactor plant will have costs similar to those of a photovoltaic or wind solar installation. 4th generation designs can be very different from those of previous generations In any case, the SMR reactors that respect the established principles for fourth -generation nuclear fission equipment have other advantages that are worth not overlooked. On the one hand they have to reach the maximum possible sustainabilityso that the fuel is maximized to produce energy, the amount of radioactive waste resulting from the process is minimized and its management is as efficient as possible. In addition, modular and compact reactors can be installed in locations where it would be unfeasible to build a conventional nuclear power plant, such as, for example, On a floating platform. And finally, something also very important: their safety and reliability must be high enough to minimize the probability that the reactor core suffers damage. In addition, if an accident occurs, it should not be necessary to take emergency measures beyond the facilities of the nuclear power plant. Image | Nuclear forum More information | Indaily In Xataka | European historical milestone in nuclear fusion: the JET reactor has broken a crucial record on the road to commercial fusion energy

Google has signed the largest hydroelectric agreement in history. You no longer know where to get more energy to feed your AI

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Google closed on July 15 A historical agreement With Brookfield Asset Management worth $ 3,000 million to access hydroelectric energy for 20 years. This is the largest corporate cleaning of the world in this modality, which will allow technology to access up to 3 gigawatts of hydroelectric power in the United States. The magnitude of the problem. Artificial intelligence has triggered the energy consumption of large technology to levels never seen. According to The International Energy Agencyfor 2030 the United States will consume more energy by processing data than by manufacturing aluminum, steel, cement and chemicals together. There are studies that indicate that data centers could consume 945 theravats of electricity time globally that same year. Although of course, the same agency also concluded that the energy consumption of AI It is overestimated. What includes the agreement. The initial contract covers two hydroelectric facilities in Pennsylvania: Holtwood and Safe Harbor, which Brookfield acquired between 2014 and 2015. These plants will initially provide 670 megawatts of power, but Google will have the option of expanding the agreement to the 3 gigawatts through future updates of the facilities. At the same time, the company will invest 25,000 million dollars in data centers in Pennsylvania and neighboring states over the next two years. Why now hydroelectric energy. While previously technological ones focused on wind and lots, now They look for “firm” renewable energy sourcesthat is, they provide constant supply regardless of the weather or time. Hydroelectric energy fits perfectly in this category. Besides, Trump’s recent legislation He has maintained fiscal credits for hydroelectric projects until 2036, while those of wind and plot will lose these incentives unless they are launched before the end of 2027. The energy career. Google is not alone in this desperate search for clean energy. Meta signed an agreement for Buy the production of a nuclear plant In Illinois for two decades. Microsoft, Amazon and other technological giants also They are closing similar contracts. The pressure is such that these direct agreements have become a way that technology funds to new generation capacity, thus relieving pressures on electricity prices at home. What comes after. Google Plan Expand this model beyond Pennsylvania towards the Middle Atlantic and the US western environment. The company has already signed other pioneer agreements during the last year, including Geothermal energy No carbon and advanced nuclear. He is also working with the country’s largest electricity operator to use AI and accelerate the process of connecting new energy sources to the network. The arrival of AI in our lives has overcome any energy forecastand now it is the great technological ones that have to guarantee a constant supply of their AI at any price if they want the business to be profitable. Cover image | Greg Bulla and Nuclear forum In Xataka | The AI has folded the price of an ultrarrao metal. The problem is that we need it to store renewable energy

Generate day energy and hunt asteroids at night

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At the time they seemed the future of solar energy for their ability to follow the sun with oscillating mirrors. Today the solar concentration plants, which direct the light by heliostats towards a large central tower, They cannot compete with photovoltaic prices collapse. But when a door closes, sometimes a window opens to the universe. Short. A pilot project in the United States has begun to take advantage of these gigantic mirrors when the sun falls for the Planetary Defense. For the day, heliostats generate energy concentrating sunlight in a tower connected to steam turbines. At night, they defend the planet of potentially dangerous asteroids. The figures are devastating. The thermoelectric solar energy has lost the battle against photovoltaic by win. In 2023, the world installed the record figure of 345.5 gigawatts in solar panels, but the solar thermos I barely added 0.3 GW in total. And what is worse, since then construction is not started of no new plant. Although Spain, the world leader in concentration technology, maintains its centrals working, other projects are canceled or reconvisaged. Morocco has replaced the Termosolar part of the MEGACOMPLEJO NOOR MIDELT by photovoltaic after qualifying it as “immature and face technology”. And iconic projects, such as the gigantic Ivanpah plant in Californianow face their closure for not being able to compete with the low price of photovoltaic kilowatt. Save the planet, and incidentally investment. Given this panorama, what can be done with these huge and expensive infrastructure? John Sandusky, scientific researcher at Sandia laboratories, has been turning an idea for almost 20 years. “Heliostat fields do not have a night job. They are simply there, without using,” Explain in a statement. “We have the opportunity to give a night work at a relatively low cost to find objects close to Earth.” The proposal is not to use heliostats to take photos of the sky. Its optical quality is not enough to form crisp images such as a telescope. The genius of the proposal, embodied in a Study of the late 2024 That has already been put into practice, lies in using what these mirrors do best: concentrate light. A lot of light. How it works. The traditional method seeks in the long exposure images the steles that the asteroids leave when moving against the fund of fixed stars. Sandusky’s method is radically different and is based on frequency analysis. Instead of aiming at a fixed point, the plant’s software causes the heliostats (mirrors designed to follow the sun) oscillate, sweeping a small portion of the sky at a constant and repetitive rate. The light of the stars, swept at this constant pace, generates a signal in the tower receiver with a specific and predictable frequency. It is the “tone” base of the sky. If an asteroid crosses that field of vision, moves at a different angular velocity from that of the stars. This makes the light that reflects generates a signal with a slightly different frequency from that of the “tone” base. It is a tiny change, but measurable with current technology. And can be used to detect asteroids due to its speed relative to the stars. From theory to practice. A team has demonstrated its viability using a single heliostat, and is already working to climb the project to a large solar plant to increase sensitivity and to detect smaller and more distant objects. Even tracking satellites and other objects in the cislunar space, to sell the idea to the space force. Sandusky’s idea is a masterful example of lateral thought. Instead of building new and very expensive observatories, it reuses a multimillion -dollar infrastructure that would otherwise be inactive half of the time. A technology that fights to survive in the competitive energy market and that could find a second life, a second job. Image | Pexels In Xataka | It was inaugurated in 2014 as the largest solar thermal energy plant in the world. Will close after setting fire to birds

Europe has promised to spend 250,000 million dollars in US energy. The problem is that the USA surely does not have it

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On the facade of the Turnberry golf course, between the Scottish Greens and the handshakes of hand, Europe and the United States They avoided a commercial war with an agreement that has been received with relief, but with considerable skepticism. As a headline, diplomatic victory sounds, but energy reality hides much greater complexity. The tariff pact. Donald Trump described the agreement as “the greatest of all”, announcing it from his Scottish resort. For his part, Ursula von der Leyen stressed that they had avoided reaching 30 %tariffs, which Washington had threatened to impose if an agreement was not reached before August 1. The agreement establishes a 15% tariff On European exports to the United States, accompanied by investment and import commitments that seek to “rebalance” a historically asymmetric commercial relationship. However, among the headlines a figure stands out: 250,000 million dollars annually in European Liquefied Natural Gas Purchases (LNG), Petroleum, coal and even US nuclear fuel. And there begins the problem. Does the United States have the capacity? The answer, As the journalist Clyde Russell has analyzed in ReutersIt is a clear “no.” In 2024, the total value of the United States energy exports to the European Union – including raw, gas, coal and refined products – was approximately 65,000 million dollars. To reach 250,000 million promised, they should quadruple. Even if Europe bought 100 % of US exports of crude oil, gas and coal – and no other country received a single drop of American energy – it would continue to be well below the objective. Russell He has described it As “an illusion”, comparable to the failed “phase 1” agreement between Trump and China in 2019, when energy purchases of 200,000 million were promised that were never fulfilled. So what is motivation? The explanation is more in politics than in logistics. The EU has preferred to avoid an escalation that threatened to paralyze its industrial exports, especially in sensitive sectors such as motor, pharmaceutical or semiconductors. As Columnist Pierre Briançon has explained in Reutersit is a “chapter disguised as success.” The new 15 % tariff multiplies by ten the previous average (1.6 %) and is not accompanied by equivalent tariff concessions by the US, beyond some specific sectors such as aviation or certain chemicals. Meanwhile, the European bloc also promises an additional 600,000 million dollars in direct investment in the United States during Trump’s mandate, including armament purchases. All this in a context of increasing tension by war in Ukraine, the dependence of NATO and American pressure on European technological regulations. From Moscow to Texas. One of the key justifications presented by Von der Leyen is that this energy turn reinforces European independence with respect to Russia. As pointed out in The Telegraphimporting US gas and oil will allow the continent “to free itself from Russian energy blackmail.” However, As several diplomats cited by Financial Times have pointed outThis also means a deeper dependence on an unpredictable and volatile trade partner. “Trump knows exactly where our pain threshold is,” an ambassador confessed to the British newspaper. In fact, it is not the first time that Trump threat directly to the EU with punitive tariffs if there are no immediate concessions. In addition, the London medium has detailed That the EU had a retaliation package worth 93,000 million euros, but was never activated due to lack of internal consensus. Germany, Ireland and Italy pressed to soften measures and protect national interests. Brussels’s “commercial bazuca” never shot. A word flies over: renewable. This energy turn also puts the European ecological transition under pressure. The pact does not mention concrete commitments in renewables, and on the contrary, Trump took advantage of the summit to load against wind energy, describing it as “the most expensive energy form” and a “scam”, As the Telegraph has collected. This raises a contradiction: while Brussels promotes projects such as Invest ai To create chips gigafactories and boost green digitalization, at the same time compromises astronomical sums on fossil fuels. A dissonance that, As the expert Mujtaba Rahman recalled in statements to Nyt“It reflects European concern for other geopolitical scenarios rather than for energy coherence.” Are they winning time? To ask ourselves, this is the first thing that comes to mind: it seems that Europe has bought time. Time to avoid immediate reprisals, to keep Trump moderately satisfied, and for the next administration – be it or not – redesign the rules of the game. A strategy that reminds the “Run the Clock” with which China sailed the 2019 trade war. Meanwhile, neither 250,000 million exist, neither gas flows yet, nor are the details closed. As The journalist Tim Wallace has summarized: “What seems like a tactical victory today, tomorrow can reveal its strategic cost.” Image | Unspash Xataka | The US has come to threaten Apple to manufacture the iPhone in the country. Your answer: spend 500 million in magnets

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