excess

In Finland they already know how to deal with excess heat from data centers: convert it into district heating

by

Helsinki has found an unexpected ally to decarbonize its heating in the midst of the rise of artificial intelligence: waste heat from data centers. The same heat that servers generate when processing millions of queries, training AI models, or moving Internet traffic is no longer wasted. In the Finnish capital, this thermal flow – which is growing at the same rate as the digital world – is beginning to become shelter for tens of thousands of homes. A digital sector that is now heating up cities. For years, data centers were known for one uncomfortable characteristic: they generated a lot of heat and needed huge cooling systems to dissipate it. Now that residual heat is already being channeled to the Helsinki heating network, thanks to agreements signed with operators such as Equinix, Telia and Elisa. Data Center Dynamics remember that the company It has been testing this model for more than a decade – the first pilot tests date back to 2010 – but now the scale is completely different: the thermal demand of the city is enormous and the volume of heat generated by the digital economy is growing non-stop. The result can already be seen, a single data center can heat up to 20,000 homes, according to official figures from Helen. The Telia plant, for example, already recovers up to 90% of the heat generated by its servers, enough to heat 14,000 apartments, and in a few years it could double that figure to 28,000. A change in the way heat is produced. Digital heat recovery is more than just a technological curiosity. It represents a change in the way district heating is conceived. In the words of the Finnish company“the electricity consumed by data centers always ends up being converted into heat.” The difference is that now that heat is no longer released outside: it is reused. The engineering behind urban heat. Finland can convert digital heat into district heating because it has a network of district heating especially advanced: a network of pipes that distributes hot water to homes, schools and public buildings. The process is as follows. A data center generates heat: the servers run 24/7 and are continuously cooled. That heat, instead of being dissipated outside, is captured. It is then recovered and transferred; To do this, data centers can install their own recovery systems or use those offered by the energy company. The heat is sent to an “energy platform”, where heat pumps raise it to useful temperatures. Then, the temperature is adjusted to the 85–90 ºC necessary so that the water can circulate through the urban network. This is where high-temperature heat pumps come into play—some of which, like Patola’sthey work even with outside air at –20 ºC. Finally, the heat is injected into the grid and distributed throughout the city to heat thousands of buildings. Closing the energy circle. To understand why Finland leads this model, we must look at an essential technological element: heat pumps. Not only domestic ones, but also large-scale industrial ones, capable of raising waste heat to temperatures useful for an urban network. Europe—and especially the Nordic countries— has become a world leader of this technology. Finland has 524 heat pumps per 1,000 homes, a figure second only to Norway, and its cities have been electrifying heating for decades. This combination—cold climate, tradition of district heatingheat pump industry and the need to decarbonize quickly—turns Finland into an urban-scale energy laboratory. A model with limits. Although the system works, it is not a panacea. As Middle Parenthesis remembersnot all data centers are close to cores with thermal demand, not all generate enough heat to justify the investment, heat recovery improves efficiency but does not reduce the electrical consumption of data centers, and in hot climates or widely dispersed cities, replicating it is much more difficult. Still, the trend is clear. With the expansion of AI and the growth of cloudthe amount of heat available will only increase. The Nordic countries – Sweden, Norway, Denmark – already take advantage of it, and large operators such as Microsoft and Google They explore similar systems across Europe. From silicon to the stove. The Finnish model shows that, even at the heart of digital infrastructure – those data centers that power our online lives – there can be hidden a useful and concrete source of energy for everyday life. The heat produced by our searches, our videos or our conversations with AI can be transformed, with the right infrastructure, into heating a home in Helsinki. In a world desperately seeking clean heat, Finland has already found a tangible, scalable and surprisingly logical answer: turning the thermal problem of the digital age into a solution for the Nordic climate. A silent reminder that, sometimes, the energy transition advances with a simpler approach: taking advantage of the heat that servers already produce tirelessly. Image | freepik and freepik Xataka | Someone cut five undersea cables in the Baltic. Finland already points to a ship from the “shadow fleet” as responsible

records every excess, sleeplessness and stress in the cells for 20 years

by

As we age, not only do we accumulate experiences and begin to observe the marks of the passage of time such as wrinkles, but something more silent happens in your body: an inflammation that does not hurt, but never completely goes away. Scientists call it inflammationand it is one of the keys to understanding why we age and how we could do it better. Your body remembers what happened 20 years ago. Researcher Juan Pablo de Rivero Vaccari, from the University of Miami so he warns. For years, the modern lifestyle—calorie diets, constant stress, lack of sleep and a sedentary lifestyle—has kept the immune system on a kind of permanent “red alert.” Normally, inflammation is a useful response: it helps repair tissues and defend us from infection. But when that response is not extinguished, it becomes a slow fire that gradually deteriorates the body’s systems. From Mayo Clinic they describe it like an internal civil war: innate immune cells, which should act only when faced with a threat, begin to chronically release inflammatory substances. Meanwhile, adaptive defenses—those that “learn” from viruses—are weakened. The result is felt in practice: a simple flu that takes weeks to pass, wounds that heal more slowly or constant fatigue. Immunologist Jessica Lancaster sums it up in a simple way: “With age, the immune system ages and this constant inflammation can deplete defenses and damage healthy tissues.” An internal fire? The inflammation of aging appears to arise from a combination of cellular stress, metabolism, and lifestyle. According to researcher Alan Cohen of Columbia University, stressed cells release proteins that indicate that “something is wrong,” even in the absence of disease. However, we do not all age the same. a study, published in Nature Aging by Cohen himself and colleagues from several universitiescompared people from Italy and Singapore to indigenous communities from Bolivia (the Tsimane) and Malaysia (the Orang Asli). The finding was surprising: only populations in industrialized countries showed the classic pattern of increasing inflammation with age. The hypothesis is clear: the inflammation It could be, more than an inevitable consequence of the passage of time, a side effect of modern life. Assembling the puzzle. Because science has already found the pieces. AT Yale University, Vishwa Dixit’s team analyzed plasma from adults who reduced their caloric intake by 14% over two years. They found that this moderate calorie restriction markedly reduced levels of a key inflammatory protein, complement C3a, linked to immune activation. In other words, they found that inhibiting C3a reduces age-related inflammation and improves metabolic health. Furthermore, in mice, pharmacological blockade of the same component of the complement system increased longevity and improved metabolic function. In parallel, another team, led by Marissa Schaferidentified a new marker of cellular aging: the interleukin-23 receptor (IL-23R). This biomarker increases with age in both humans and mice and is associated with inflammation in organs such as the kidney or liver. However, there is hope: certain senolytic drugs—such as fisetin (present in strawberries) or venetoclax, used against cancer—managed to reduce these inflammatory levels in old animals. The idea is simple but powerful: eliminate poorly aging cells to relieve inflammation from within. Any plan to avoid it? While science searches for treatments, experts agree: lifestyle remains our best medicine. From Mayo Clinic they explain it simply: sleeping well, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising and eating fewer ultra-processed foods are the most effective keys to strengthening the immune system. In fact, As Dr. Lancaster points out: “Sleep is probably the most critical factor for immunity, more so than diet or exercise.” During sleep, the body releases proteins that fight infections and eliminate brain toxins. For its part, in a report for the Washington Post They add that controlling blood pressure, visceral fat and blood sugar is essential to reduce inflammation. And Yale researcher Vishwa Dixit sums it up with ancient wisdom: “The same thing your grandmother and mine said: do things in moderation, don’t eat too much, and move more.” Towards aging without fire. Scientist Alan Cohen uses a perfect metaphor: “Inflammation is like a fire alarm. It’s not always pleasant, but it indicates that something is wrong. The important thing is not to turn it off, but to prevent it from ringing all the time.” For this reason, experts recommend not becoming obsessed with micromanaging each biological marker or pursuing eternal youth through supplements. Image | FreePik Xataka | The birth rate in Poland is a disaster and some hotels have had an idea: money for those who conceive during a stay

There are economic incentives to detect excess

by

It is one of those situations associated with the arrival of airlines Low Cost in airports around the world. We talked about the waiting in the shipment next to an imposing figure that gives access to the plane: the metal structures or boxes with pre -established measures to verify that effectively the Measures of your suitcase They pass the cut in cabin, or quite the opposite: it is time to pay an extra succulent. It turns out that there was something else in the search for excessive luggage: an economic incentive. A hidden model. The story was told this morning the British newspapers. Apparently, A report That he has seen the light has revealed a practice in the United Kingdom airports so far unknown. A disturbing aspect of the Easyjet operating model: a bonuses system Economics aimed at encouraging employees of land assistance companies, such as Swissport and DHL Supply Chain, to detect passengers with hand luggage that exceeds the dimensions allowed. Through an internal filtered email, it was learned that these workers receive a specific remuneration for each suitcase intercepted at the boarding door: 1.20 pounds per unitwhich translates into 1 net pound for each “gate bag” consigned. This policy was communicated by a Swissport supervisor in November 2023 and remains in force, applying in airports such as Birmingham, Glasgow, Jersey and Newcastle, as well as in others managed by DHL such as Gatwick, Bristol and Manchester. Pressure and poorly paid. The story puts the focus something else. I remembered The Guardian That employees who execute these tasks charge around 12 pounds and, according to testimonies collected by the press, do not have maneuvering margin. An old passenger services manager described the experience as a direct confrontation With passengers, many times tense and proclaimed verbal abuse, especially when it comes to groups such as the typical single farewell travelers, who are required to pay more for a suitcase than by the ticket itself. These agents are not only under pressure to detect breaches, but also to the scrutiny of an internal monitoring system that, although it ensures not having disciplinary purposes, can be used forto “detect training opportunities” according to the language of mail. Despite the apparently neutral tone, the workers, According to The TimesThey understand that compliance with objectives is part of a broader business logic that conditions its permanence and pace of work. Extra income at the expense of the passenger. Easyjet Allows for free To passengers carry a small bag that fits under the seat. However, any additional luggage requires an early payment that begins, in the United Kingdom, In 5.99 pounds. The true friction point occurs when travelers reach the boarding door with a suitcase that exceeds the stipulated measures. In that case, if the bulge has not been declared or paid, the passenger must disburse 48 pounds so that the piece goes to the winery. The amount of surcharge and the moment it imposes makes it a “luck” of economic punishment rather than a transparent rate. In this way, the opera incentive system Like a trap that makes door staff Executors of a policy aimed at maximizing benefits, not facilitating flight experience. Mentioned. Swissport He has responded claiming that it simply applies the rules defined by the airline, without commenting on the bonuses scheme that has generated controversy. Easyjet, on the other hand, has said that It does not manage directly the remuneration of external agents, but strives to ensure a “consistent and fair” application of their policies. Low Cost doubts. It We count The weekend, although low -cost airlines have been built on the logic of basic rates and disaggregated servicesthe revelation that agents are financially rewarded for penalizing the passenger reopens the debate on the model ethics. Far from being an isolated anecdote, this practice seems one more manifestation of the turn they have taken Some airlines In your effort for monetizing every aspect of the trip. While the strict application of standards is necessary to guarantee efficient operations, doing so directly to the land personnel can pervert the balance between control and customer service, generating an atmosphere of suspicion and distrust. Instead of promoting understanding or flexibility in situations of minimal deviation, the reward system Punitive surveillance and converts the boarding door into a friction point between airline and passenger. It was already the closest thing to a psychological horror scene for many, but now that we know that the rules are applied by employees that could have more economic incentives to punish, than to help, it is a little more. Image | Heute, JWH In Xataka | We have been binding to the suitcases to identify them at the airport for years. Your employees warn that it is a bad idea In Xataka | Ryanair will expand the size of the hand suitcase this summer. Its real objective is another

How excess clean energy has tested the electricity grid in Spain

by

This Holy Week has achieved a historical milestone in the energy sector in Spain: for the first time 100% could be covered of the electrical demand with renewables. However, behind this success there is a shadow that does not benefit the electricity grid: the Curtailment. Short. The phenomenon Curtailmentor “renewable cut”, occurs when there is an excess of electric production. Then, the system operator – in this case, the Spanish electricity grid – is forced to temporarily reduce or stop wind turbines or solar panels to maintain the stability of the network, According to EDP Energy. The root of the problem. Although there are optimal wind or sun, the REE must stop the renewable generation for two reasons. On the one hand, there may be excess production over hours that do not coincide with consumption peaks. On the other, As was already being discussedan energy inequality persists in the country: the “emptied Spain” produces and is far from the large consumption centers. As has detailed At eldiario.es, electrical networks were not designed to transport current volumes, creating bottlenecks that force production to stop. The waste. He Curtailment It is causing consequences that alert experts. According to Aurora Energy Researchlast year in Spain, 1.7 Renewable Energy TWH was wasted, sufficient to supply 600,000 homes for a full year. The worrying, as the study has indicated, this figure represents 13% more than in 2023, confirming an upward trend that, if not corrected, can be intensified in the coming years. An opening of solutions. Despite the cut there are different devices to be able to keep the network stable. First, continue building more large -scale storage systems through batteries either reversible hydroelectric plantsallowing to save the surplus to release it when necessary. Another system comes with an innovation of fingering by implementing Intelligent networks that combine IoT sensors with AI algorithms, capable of predicting excess production. These systems, complemented with digital twins that virtually replicate the behavior of the network, allow to optimize energy flows and reduce up to 30% spills, According to data collected by strategic energy. Crossing borders. Looking towards the neighbors, interconnections could be improved with France and Portugal to channel surpluses. As has pointed out In the school environment, these connections will allow the export of energy to be planned in advance, although currently its capacity remains limited. Forecasts Curtailment represents one of the greatest practical challenges of the Spanish energy transition. While Spain continues to beat records in renewable installation, the ability to take advantage of every kilowatt will make the difference between a truly sustainable energy model and another that, paradoxically, continues to waste part of its green potential. Image | Joan Grifols and Pexels Xataka | The production of renewables in Europe is so strong that it is forcing nuclear power plants to work

We have a problem with the future of cement and excess plastic. Someone has come up with the most obvious

by

Mortar is easy. We have been doing thousands of years and, although we have refined the formula so that it is not the same as They used 10,000 years ago in Jericho or in the construction of First pyramids of Egyptthe recipe is simple. A part of cement (or an binder in antiquity), one of water and three of sand. With that, we have a mixture that carries millennia serving perfectly. But, although we have been polishing the formula with best materialsthe mortar has several problems, and the researchers at the University of Newcastle have proposed solve them. As? With an ecological mortar that adds plastic to the dough. Sand at the point of view. The use of sand is Key for mortar production. Also for concrete, this being a material that we have been trying to withdraw thanks to alternatives They appear from time to time. And the reason to use sand is a problem is because We are exhausting reservations World Cups of this material. In addition, make mortar, cement and concrete It is very polluting. HE esteem That the cement industry is responsible for approximately 5% of CO₂ global emissions and, this being a fundamental component of the mortar and concrete, the more we reduce its use, the better. Extracting sand can also cause ecological damage In rivers and beaches, as well as health risks due to particle inhalation, for example. Ecological mortar. It is there where research to create green concrete or the one we mention from the University of Newcastle comes into play. In his studyThe team details how thanks to Aergel Silica and recycled plastic they have created a new mortar that manages to be respectful of the environment. The team developed different mixtures by adding more or less substitute for the sand and found that the most effective is the one with 7% of silica aerogels and 3% of PET plastic. White is the silica aerogel. THE GRAY THE PET Plastic Rescue plastic. But … effective in what? Well, curiously, this new mortar comes to solve several problems of conventional sand. The first thing that highlights is that the new mixture of mortar is able to reduce the loss of heat from a structure by up to 55% if compared to the conventional mortar. This helps both to cool a stay in summer and to retain heat in cold months. This occurs because conventional mortar is a bad thermal insulator, allowing heat to escape easily. But not only this: the new mortar is also lighter than the conventional one, which implies a lower cost in transport by associated fuel savings. Thermal conductivity tests of this ecological mortar. We need to try it in the real world … 2×1. Apart from contributing to a construction more efficient at the energy level, this plastic -based mortar Solve another problem directly. PET plastic particles used come from crushed plastic waste (bottles, mainly), so the massive use in mortar can help reduce that contamination of plastics that brings us head. Tests are missing. The team explains that they have achieved British standards for the construction of this new mortar and are already working on the following big step: finding collaborators as a construction company to request financing and build a house with the ecological mortar. It is what will allow them to obtain the direct evidence of that potential energy savings, something that until they put into practice in a large -scale real environment, it remains only in the theory. But well, while we wait to see if they get that opportunity, the truth is that it is striking how researchers from the whole globe are committed to Jubilate cement, mortar and concrete. Another thing is that the new more ecological alternatives are able to compete in costs, which is what would ultimately convince those who raise the buildings. Images | Newcastle University, Scientedirect In Xataka | In Europe, recycled plastic is worth more than the new and the culprit is a known old man: the councils directive

Fed of excess speed on her street, a Frenchman did the only thing she could do: install a false radar

by

This 2025 will be installed more than 120 new radars in Spain. The location of fixed radars is not a secret and can be easily consultedbut the objective is clear: that the drivers respect the speed limits. There are some who have no machinery And they are only as a deterrent. And, appealing to that deterrence, a Frenchman tired of speeding on a road from his town placed a homemade radar. A shabby, plastic and that has ended up being effective. So much that has even caught the attention of the mayor. The radar. In France they have several guys of fixed radars. They are huge black or gray boxes with a yellow and black tape, but one of them is cylindrical and has technology capable of distinguishing between vehicles and lanes. Thus, it captures the speed of trucks and vehicles separately in case both types come out in the photo. That is the one that is anonymous neighbor of a town called Bezannes has decided to imitate. On January 22, Jean Monnet Avenue, limited to 30 km/h, dawned with a new radar. The City Council had not reported its presence, but there was, imposing, in the median of an area with a high volume of traffic. Its design was exactly the same as HGV radars, with the imitation of the two windows for the sensors, so the neighbor created it conscientiously to pass through a real one. Security: 1, Cost: 0. One of the people who ran into him recognized It shows that it is false, but also that, from a distance, “one might think that it is a real radar.” He also confessed that he was surprised the first time he saw him and raised his foot from the accelerator because “no one leads at that speed” and that he does not understand the limit. Bezannes is a fairly small town, of just over 1,200 inhabitants, but the avenue connects with the city of Reims, a much larger with about 180,000 inhabitants to the northeast of the country. Therefore, that connection avenue has a high traffic volume, but a limit speed of 30 km/h. Before it was 50 km/h, but as in Spain, they decided to limit the speed due to the presence of two pedestrian crossings. Of the mayor’s taste. Who liked the idea was, perhaps, the most unexpected. The morning of that day, the police had already seen that there was an element that should not be there and informed the mayor. Your reaction? “It’s quite well done.” The mayor, Dominique Potar, completed his argument wondering if he was a work of a joker or a conscious citizen who wanted to contribute to security in his own way, but that was something that did not change the result of the action. “Perhaps, we should even congratulate him because he has had a real impact on traffic,” he said. The results seem obvious, since Potar said that, in the area, there were times that the speed was exceeded in 100 km/h what was allowed, so they installed Badenes that managed to reduce it, but that it is not yet enough and there are times that there are times that They place spy radars, which serve to measure those infractions, but that are not useful as a deterrent method. To the ground, of course. Potar joked that “perhaps we should place it in another place in the city”, but not everyone took this joke or action of a neighbor tired of traffic as something as positive. Proof of this is that, soon after, the radar ended on the ground because someone had tried to destroy it. The legality of false radars. As much as it may be, and although the radar was quite shabby, it is evident that it has fulfilled its goal by pointing out that we are going very fast and that we only respond when we touch our pocket. Now, the most curious thing is that this of false radars is not so weird. In fact, in France, any You can put one at home. They do the neighbors who live in areas where the speed is high and fight to try to stop it. There are examples of radars such as the one placed in Bezannes, but also others like a camouflaged mailbox as if it were a radar. According to its owner, it works, but it has already had to screw it because they have thrown it on occasion. There are also some Much elaborate that also seem, clearly, a real radar, with cameras, flash and everything. Outstanding image | Marc Mongenet In Xataka | The 50 radars that are most fine throughout Spain: these are their locations and everything they collect

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.