Green

Green tea has always been thought to be good for losing fat. Now we know why

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Green tea has been known for centuries for its antioxidant properties and medicinal, and modern science has therefore wanted to investigate whether it really has clear effects on metabolic diseases important such as diabetes or obesity. Now, a new study published in Cell wanted to delve deeper into its mechanisms and reveals that green tea significantly improves glucose sensitivity in obese mice. The diet. To reach these conclusions, the research team put mice on a high-fat diet for four weeks to induce obesity. After this time, they divided the animals: one group continued with the high-fat diet and received a standardized green tea extract (500 mg per kg of body weight), while another group received only water. A third control group consumed a normal diet for comparison. The temperature. The key to the study, and what differentiates it from many others, was temperature control. Mice were maintained in a “thermoneutrality” environment at 28°C. This is crucial because the usual laboratory temperature (about 22 °C) means cold stress for the mice, which forces them to spend more energy to stay warm and therefore lose ‘artificial’ weight. This extra energy expenditure can mask the true effects of the substance studied, such as green tea in this case. In this way, by eliminating this factor, scientists were able to “cleanly” observe the real impact of green tea. The result. They confirmed the powerful effect of green tea on weight control and metabolic health. According to a previous study by the same group, obese mice treated with green tea reduced their body weight by up to 30%, a very significant result. In the current research, it was noted that the treatment “effectively prevented body weight gain.” But in addition to the weight, which can be very good, the most interesting thing is undoubtedly the ability of green tea to make the body better manage blood sugar. Obese mice treated with the extract were seen to restore their glucose levels to levels similar to those of healthy mice, as demonstrated by glucose and insulin tolerance tests (GTT and ITT). Although if you look at the fasting values ​​there are also important changes, since the treated mice had lower sugar values ​​than the obese mice that were not treated. Protective effect. One of the most notable findings was the effect protector on muscle mass. Obesity usually causes a reduction in the diameter of muscle fibers (atrophy), but the study revealed that green tea not only prevented this deterioration, but caused a “significant increase in the cross-sectional area of ​​muscle fibers.” This suggests that green tea protects muscle from the harmful effects of obesity. The mechanism. There are several systems to understand why these effects occur in the body: Fat metabolism: treatment increases the expression of key genes involved in lipid uptake in the muscles, and the creation of new mitochondria is also enhanced, which in the end are the ones that will use up the energy. Glucose uptake: sugar uptake was improved by improving the number of insulin receptors in cells as well as the famous transporter GLUT4 which allows the muscles to capture and use this sugar much better by removing it from the bloodstream. Energy production: increasing the enzyme LDH in the body it is related to an increase in energy metabolism that increased in treated mice. It’s not a miracle. Although the results are promising, researcher Rosemari Otton warns that this is not a miracle solution. The dose used in mice would be equivalent to about three cups of green tea a day for a human, but quality is essential. Otton recommends the use of standardized extracts, since the tea bags we have in the supermarket do not always guarantee the quantity or quality of the flavonoids, which in the end are the beneficial compounds. Images | Towfiqu barbhuiya In Xataka | Solving one of the great myths of losing weight: if “walking quickly” works by itself to lose weight

45,000 tons of green hydrogen per year

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For decades, the North Sea was synonymous with oil and gas, holding a good part of the European economy and energy supply. Today, in full transition to renewables, that same sea is emerging as the scenario of a change of era: there has not been discovered a hidden reservoir, but the production of 45,000 tons per year of green hydrogen. Is this possible? Some media They have replicated The same narrative of finding a natural hydrogen site in the North Sea, but the reality is very different. An official statement from Totalenergies and Air Liquide They announced two projects of electrolysis in the Netherlands and Belgium that, added, could produce that amount of green hydrogen every year from renewable electricity generated in the Oranjewind marine wind park. In short, there is no hydrogen deposit “under the sea”. What there is is production potential thanks to offshore wind turbines that provide energy to electrolyte capable of dividing water into oxygen and hydrogen. Electrolysis It consists of applying electricity (If it comes from renewable sources, such as wind, we talk about “green” hydrogen) to previously treated water to separate its oxygen and hydrogen molecules. Subsequently, hydrogen is compressed or transported by pipes towards its industrial or energy use. There are many plans in sight. The project mentioned above contemplates an electrolyzer of 250 MW in Zeeland with the capacity to produce up to 30,000 tons per year, it is scheduled for 2029. Also, there is one of “Tolling” with the Elygator electrolyzer in Maasvlakte, with 15,000 tons per year for the Refinery of Antwerp, operational within two years. This scheme means that Totalenergies does not build or opera directly that electrolyzer: yields its renewable electricity to air liquid, which transforms it into hydrogen, and totalenergies pay for that production capacity In addition, others develop in Europe projects like Hope (Hydrogen offshore production for Europe), coordinated by French Lhyfe. This will install a 10 MW electrolyzer off the coast of Belgium and hopes to produce its first four tons per day in 2026, demonstrating the viability of generating hydrogen directly on the high seas. But is there anything in motion? Pilots have been tested for three years Sealhyfea small offshore plant also from Lhyfe. However, making the leap to large -scale production faces several obstacles: High costs: a single electrolyzer such as Zeeland is about 600 million euros of investment. Technical challenges: corrosion, storms and maintenance in marine conditions. Environmental Impact: Offshore wind farms They can affect to marine biodiversity, fishing or provoking bird collisions with turbines. Fragmented regulation: Each northern sea country applies different norms, which delays common projects. A strategic sea. The European Union has marked as a goal to boost renewable hydrogen to decarbonize sectors that are difficult to electrify – such as steel, cement or heavy transport – and reduce dependence on fossil gas. By 2030 wants to have dozens of electrolyte gigawatts installed. In parallel, its offshore renewable energy strategy plans to reach up to 300 GW of marine wind capacity in 2050, Much in the North Sea. Now, the North Sea does not belong to the EU as a whole: it is distributed in exclusive economic zones (ZEE) from different countries, including Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, United Kingdom and Norway. That means that each project must first adjust to the country’s regulations in whose Zee is. To overcome this fragmentation and scale the energy transition, Brussels promotes cross -border cooperation initiatives such as the North Seas Energy Cooperationwhich seeks to harmonize rules and interconnect projects between neighboring countries. Goodbye gas and oil. The North Sea was for decades symbol of the European Black Gold and gas dependence. Today it could become a laboratory of the energy transition. The “Treasury” is not hidden in chests under the sea: it is a challenge that requires investment, political cooperation and technological advances. Only if these barriers are exceeded, the figures will cease to be striking holders to become a true energy revolution. Image | Freepik Xataka | How much electricity produces each country with renewable energy, exposed in a graphic

A green elixir distilled by nuns 400 years ago is the best example

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In the seventeenth century, a apothecary entrusted the French Benedictines of Notre-Dame du Calvaire a secret formula made with sage, rosemary, honey and piperite mint. Four centuries later, the nuns of Bozy-La-Forêt They continue to distill His famous “Emerald Water” as a soothing and energizing lotion. A symbol of how “natural” has always accompanied health care, long before social networks They would make him a trend. The self -care is fashionable. In Spain, eight out of ten people consider that self -care is key to maintaining good health, According to the Association for Health Self -care (ANEFP). And this perception does not remain in theory: it is promoting a market in full expansion. This is the case of the Italian company ABOCA, which has billed more than 50 million euros in Spain with natural health products for common problems such as coughing, reflux or irritations, According to El Confidencial. At the same time, supplement fever and nutricheastics It has been installed in supermarkets, pharmacies and social networks. 75% of Spaniards has consumed Some supplement: from collagen to enriched vitamins or coffees. The difference is that older people trust capsules and anti -aging protocols, while young people seek the same in “functional” snacks or drinks. ANDThe self -care is no longer marginal. The I radiography of self -care in Spain (2025), prepared by ANEFPoffers a clear photograph: 85.3% believe that self -care can improve healthcare. 8 out of 10 see it fundamental to preserve health. Only 1 in 3 associate it directly with disease prevention. 42.5% recognize that lack of knowledge is the main barrier to practice it. The conclusion is evident: there is interest and disposition, but health education is still for a responsible self -care. Natural yes, but regulated. Not everything that is sold as “natural” has the same base. Natural health products act for physical or support mechanisms (for example, create a barrier against acidity), and have European regulation (Regulation 2017/745) which guarantees your safety and efficacy. As the EU regulations rememberevery health product must carry the CE marking, which ensures that it meets safety, health and environmental protection requirements. The key, Experts warnIt is not to confuse natural with harmless: any substance, plant or synthetic, has real effects on the body. But is homeopathy? It should be clarified: natural health products and homeopathy are not the same. The former have European regulation, clinical studies and verifiable mechanisms of action. Instead, homeopathy is based on extreme dilutions without scientific evidence beyond the placebo effect. In Spain, the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) has registered more than 1,100 homeopathic products. Despite this, citizen trust It collapses: In 2020 only 17.2% of respondents claimed to believe a lot or much in this type of treatment compared to the more than 50% that said otherwise. The business, which came to move dozens of millions, is in decline. And experts They coincide: Confusing “natural” with homeopathy is a mistake that can undermine the credibility of responsible self -care. A cultural change. More than a fashion, self -care reflects a deep cultural change. As we have already written in Xatakaprevention, aesthetics and emotional well -being are mixed in a new culture that promises energy, youth or health control, but also reveals obsessions and social pressures. Social networks have accelerated this phenomenon and have become shop windows, where self -care appears both as part of the daily routine as in the form of viral tendency. Mental health adds another layer: with high levels of stress and anxiety, many resort to self -care as a personal strategy, although 42.5% recognize the lack of knowledge as the main barrier, According to ANEFP. To this are added social inequalities that condition habits, As investigations of the Clinical Medicine Magazine point out. What seemed before an eccentricity – a lotion of nuns or a functional shake – today is part of a new culture of health that combines science, tradition and marketing, and reflects the contemporary aspiration of control not only how much we livebut how we do it. Between tradition and future. From the discreet distillation of Emerald water in a French convent to viral supplements in social networks, self -care has traveled a long way. Today, it represents a solid, regulated and growing market, but also a cultural phenomenon that reflects our obsessions: living more, living better or simply feeling that we have control of our health. What is clear is that self -care is no longer a marginal practice. It is an industry that combines tradition, science and marketing, and that forces us to ask ourselves not only how we want to take care of ourselves, but with what criteria. Image | Photo by Logan Gutierrez ON Unspash and Photo by Mariana Rascão ON Unspash Xataka | An open microphone in China has reminded us of the great dream of the elites of Russia: living forever

We all know that green is to advance traffic lights. Less Japan, defending that green is actually blue

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A long time ago We count A fascinating story that had the traffic lights and China as protagonists. It turns out that Beijing tried to change the color of these key traffic devices because use red to “stop” It was “anti -communist”. Of colors and traffic lights also goes the following story. In Japan they have no problem with red, but with green. The blue traffic light paradox. In most of the world the traffic signal that invites us to advance is unequivocally green, but in Japan that same light It’s called blue And, in some cases, it even seems bluish in the eyes of those who visit the country. This peculiarity He has baffled to generations of foreigners, but for the Japanese it is a convention as natural as saying that the sky is blue. The explanation is not found in lamp technology or in an arbitrary decision of the road authorities, but in a Cultural and linguistic background that sinks its roots in centuries of history. The linguistic origins of “year”. In ancient Japanese, they only existed Four basic words To designate colors: red, white, black and blue. The term AO served to name a much broader spectrum of shades than we associated with blue today, including what we consider green and cyan. This linguistic heritage lasted until the Heian periodwhen the Midori word to specifically refer to vegetation and the vitality of green color. However, the force of custom kept alive The use of AO In situations where, for other languages, green nuance is evident. Thus, it is not strange that a Japanese speaks of blue apples, mountains or blue vegetables, although in the eyes of anyone they are green. The conflict. When Japan introduced traffic lights in the 1930s, the progress light was described as green, following the global convention. But in 1960, with the entry into force of the Road Traffic Lawthe term AO Shingō, the “blue signal” was officially adopted. The clash with international standards was exacerbated after Vienna Convention of 1968which set the green as the reference color. Japan did not ratify that treaty, and with it the right to continue using its own denomination was reserved. In 1973, to reconcile customary and external demands, the government decided that the lights should be of a green With a bluish enough nuance As if I could continue to be called Ao. The result was a curious balance: greenish appearance traffic lights, but culturally blue. Beyond the signals. The persistence of AO It is not limited to traffic lights. Common expressions such as aoringo to designate the green apple, Aonori for the green algae that is sprinkled on dishes such as the okonomiyaki, or Aoba for the young leaves of the trees, show how blue overlaps green in the Japanese tongue. In addition, AO acquired a symbolic value associated withor new and the immature. To say that a person is AOI means that it is still inexperienced, a metaphor equivalent to that in Spanish or English we express calling someone “green.” This crossing of meanings reveals how the language not only names colors, but also organizes cultural perceptions and associations around them. Convention turned into identity. Today, although Japanese traffic lights are in green practice, they continue being called blue by millions of people who have inherited a particular way of seeing and describing the world. What for a foreigner is a rarity or confusion, for a Japanese is a tradition that does not need justification. If you want, the tongue has been imposedwork visual perceptionand the result is an example of how cultural conventions can challenge international standards and become part of national identity. Thus, Japan’s blue traffic light recalls that the way we name things influences how we understand them, and that even a traffic light can tell a story of centuries of history, language and custom. Image | Redoxkun In Xataka | That Japan has 100,000 people over 100 years explains a problem: they are running out of drivers, literally In Xataka | If the question is why there are so many Japanese with umbrella on the street, the answer is simple: for more than the sun

This is how coffee and green tea have sneaked into the list of allies

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Before looking at the mobile, before speaking with anyone, there is an almost sacred gesture: prepare coffee. Beyond frightening sleep, that cup could have an unexpected benefit to your health: protect your liver. An invisible enemy. More and more people live with a diagnosis that usually goes unnoticed for years: the fatty liver. A disease that in Spain affects one in four adults, According to the Spanish Association for the Study of the Liver (AEEH). Can’t it be detected before? The point is that the liver accumulates fat silently. At first it does not hurt, it does not bother and does not warn. Only when it advances already becomes more serious problems such as fibrosis, cirrhosis or liver cancer. The accumulation can should be mainly two causes: Alcoholic liver disease, linked to alcohol consumption, or metabolic hepatic stanosis (EHMET or MASLD), related to obesity, insulin resistance and metabolic alterations. And a key actor in the equation: sugar, especially the fructose added in sodas, pastries or ultraprocess cereals. Unlike glucose, fructose is almost exclusively metabolized in the liver, which triggers fat manufacturing. An unexpected ally. Among the classic recommendations – e -evident simple sugars, trans and alcohol fats – science has begun to look at coffee. According to Dr. Javier Escalada, Endocrinologist and director of the Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition of the University of Navarra Clinic, This has explained it for Hola magazine: “Coffee is not only safe, but its consumption is associated with less risk of progression of liver damage. It can even reduce transaminases and protect against hepatecellular carcinoma.” Different studies, collected by Cleveland Clinicthey also demonstrate that coffee helps reduce inflammation and prevents the accumulation of fat in the liver thanks to its antioxidants. As Dr. Jamile Wakim-Fleming pointed out to the same medium, a process called autophagy is activated, a kind of internal cleaning that eliminates damaged cells and protects the organ against fibrosis. Another type of allied cup. In parallel, green tea is also consolidated as another ally. Its catechins and antioxidants help reduce liver fat, improve the lipid profile and exert an anti -inflammatory effect. The evidence is more solid in green tea than in black or red. Of course, with an important nuance: the benefits are observed in traditional infusion, not in extracts concentrated in capsules, which in high doses can damage the liver. A great population study in the Netherlands, Published by Journal of Hepatologyanalyzed more than 2,400 people and found that those who took three or more coffee cups a day had less liver rigidity – a fibrosis indicator – against those who did not consume it. The effect was also observed in herbal infusions consumers. Although not everything depends on a cup. It should be put in context. Neither coffee nor green tea are a magical potion. They work, but within a healthy lifestyle. Doctors insist that the basis of fatty liver treatment is to change the lifestyle. That means following a Mediterranean diet, exercising, no alcohol or tobacco, dominating well and controlling stress. As the nutritionist Isabel Higuera has detailed To the Spanish magazine: “The diet set is more important than food in isolation. In these patients it is key to consume enough fiber, healthy lean proteins and fats, but always adapted to each person.” Beyond the cup. The fatty liver does not warn, but it is not an inevitable destination either. There is no miraculous remedy, although science suggests that small daily habits can make a difference. Among them, something as simple as coffee or green tea, which not only clear the dream, also seem to protect the liver. A reminder that health begins in gestures as simple as what we eat, drink and repeat every day. Image | Freepik and Freepik Xataka | To promulgate raw liver as a nutritious food to end up arrested for threatening Joe Rogan, Liver King’s unique route

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

France and Morocco have allied to flood Europe with green ammonia. And compete directly with Spain

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In December 2022, in full energy crisis and with the intention of stop depending on gas and oil from Russia, Spain, Portugal and France joined To define the H2Med green hydrogen corridor. The idea was to start producing green hydrogen for electricity generation, something that Spain can contribute thanks to its reserves and Great surplus of renewable. In April 2024, Europe approved the two axes planned in Spainbut a few months later, France reached a parallel agreement with Morocco. This is the Chbika project, and is as ambitious as controversial. Chbika. Europa presumes being a Power in renewablessomething that has been revealed in recent months, but also wants import a huge amount of energy directly from Africa. According to Europe, it is “essential to meet the objectives of the European green pact And to reinforce energy security ”, and within these agreements is the signed between France and Morocco. In October 2024, taking advantage of the visit of the French president Emmanuel Macron to Morocco, and with the presence of King Mohammed VI, an ambitious plan for the industrial production of green hydrogen and ammonia was signed. Goals. This project is driven For a European consortium formed by TE H2, a Joint-Venture of the French groups Total Energies and Eren, but also with the Danes Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and AP Moller Capital. Their goals are: Build wind and solar infrastructure on land with 1 GW capacity. Green hydrogen production using the electrolysis technique thanks to Desalinated seawater. Use hydrogen to get 200,000 tons of annual green ammonia, mainly for the European market. Green ammonia. Apart from green hydrogen, which is used to generate electricity, the Green ammonia It is a compound formed by nitrogen and hydrogen that is achieved by electrolysis that uses renewable energies. The traditional process to achieve ammonia implies natural gas, so the use of renewables in the process makes it a process without CO₂ emissions. The main use of ammonia is as agricultural fertilizer, but it can also be used as a hydrogen bearer. It has a high energy density and is easier to transport than hydrogen (not needing cooling as extreme as H2), which makes it an energy vector to export hydrogen at long distances. In search of treasure. This agreement seeks not only to strengthen cooperation between Europe and Africa in energy matters, but also consolidates the position of Morocco as a key supplier of clean energy to the European Union. And it is aligned with the Repowereu program that intends to import 10 million tons of green hydrogen before 2030. Although the pact was signed in autumn last year, a few weeks ago the confirmation of land rights in which the plant will be built and advances in technical and legal agreements that settle the bases of the operations that will come below were made. Controversy. Now, the Chbika project is not exempt from controversy. On the one hand, it has been indicated as a Moroccan maneuver to strengthen its position in green hydrogen within Europe, competing directly against Spain. On the other hand, part of the territory destined for the project, in the Guelmim-Oed Noun region, is considered by agencies such as the UN as border or superimposed with areas of the Western Saharaoccupied by Morocco. Activist organizations They denounce that many of these energy projects in Morocco are building On occupied Saharawi territoriesand what is it about *Greenwashing operations* Through clean energy while they continue to oppress the Saharawi people. Spanish plans. Meanwhile … What does Spain do? Well, some of its companies, such as acting or cepsa, They have also signed with Morocco. The objective of the African country is that renewables represent 52% of their installed capacity for 2030 and green hydrogen is a means to achieve it. And, for this, a Moroccan government committee selected five consortiums to develop six green hydrogen projects with the intention of producing ammonia, steel and industrial fuel. Problem? Apart from the competition with Spanish projects, they will be developed in the aforementioned Guelmim-Oed Noun, as well as in Dakhla-Rio de Oro and LaAyoune-Sakia el Hamra, also occupied territories, which can increase diplomatic tensions With Spain and the Sahara. Image | Topsoe Xataka | The price of gas has already reached 2022 levels. Now the European industry depends on one thing: that the cold does not return

Walmart has already approved the first green hydrogen truck in Latin America. Its great limit: the load infrastructure

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What if the future of heavy logistics in Latin America had already begun, and would have done it with a single truck? In a region where the transport of goods depends largely on diesel engines, Walmart has achieved homologation of the First Tonnage Tonnage Moved by Green Hydrogen. It happens in Chile, with a vehicle that, on paper, It can exceed 700 km of operation without issuing CO2. It is a test, for the moment. But one that marks the beginning of something much bigger. Chile has not only been the country chosen to test this truck: it has also been the engine of a public-private collaboration that seeks to open the way in heavy transport without emissions. Walmart participates in the Hidrohaul program, promoted by the Corporation for Production Promotion (Corfo), with an initial investment of 6.15 million dollars and a clear goal: Check if this technology can climb. An experiment that can mark a before and after For Walmart, the experiment fits with Its global objective to decarbonize all its logistics operation before 2040. For Chile, it is a general essay of what could become a National Transportation Network Green hydrogen driven. Manufactured by the Chinese company Feichi Technologythe truck uses a hydrogen fuel battery that generates the electricity that feeds its engine. Can transport up to 49 tons and is designed to travel up to 750 km per full load with 75 kg of hydrogen. Although it does not seem, this truck is also an electric vehicle. The difference is how that electricity generates. Instead of loading a battery connecting to the network, use a Hydrogen fuel battery: A system that mixes hydrogen with oxygen to produce electricity, water and heat. That electricity feeds an electric motor that drives the truck. There is no combustion, there is no CO2. And as a byproduct, it only emits water vapor. It is a different way to reach the same destination: a heavy transport without emissions. It all starts in Quilicurain the metropolitan area of Santiago. There, Walmart Chile installed in 2023 The first green hydrogen industrial plant in the countryin collaboration with Engie. The installation has a 0.6 MW electrolyzer which uses electricity from renewable sources – solar and wind – to separate water molecules and generate hydrogen. That plant not only supplies the new truck: it also feeds a fleet of hydrogen lifting wheelbarrows that already operate in the logistics center. The refueling, the great challenge for this to climb The autonomy of the truck is sufficient to operate within the central area of the country, but not beyond. Today there is no public network of trucks for trucks. The challenge is not only technical, but also logistical and economic: how many trucks will need to justify a hydroiner? ¿Where to place them To cover routes without wasting resources? In scenarios like Californiathe order of dozens of high volume stations is projected to serve several thousand trucks towards the beginning of the next decade. Chile will have to solve its own puzzle. The big question is not whether hydrogen works, but it is worth betting on it. In long -running trucks, it has clear advantages: autonomy, quick recharges, zero emissions and lower impact of weight than in pure electric. But it is still a expensive technology, with a limited refueling network and a lower energy efficiency compared to other options. It is not a universal solution, but a useful tool on the right place. That is precisely what Chile is trying to find out: if the hydrogen fits on its real logistics map. Images | Walmart Chile In Xataka | Welcome to the silent collapse of energy: In the US, AI is beginning to drain the country’s electricity

Google, Amazon and Microsoft have been burning absurd amounts of money in Ia for years. Finally they begin to see green sprouts

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The AI boom made Big Tech will increase their capital spending to limits that had never been seen. The fear that The bubble will explode Rondaba, investors They started to get nervous and the profitability of AI remains in doubt. The last results are a green outbreak, the first in a long time, although with many buts. The cloud reaches capex. They tell it in The Information. Capital or Capex expenses of the Big Tech in recent years have climbed unstoppable, much faster than their income, but in the results of the last quarter the gap is finally closing, but not because chatbots and other products are being profitable, but thanks to revenue from cloud services. The crazy one is committed to AI is beginning to show a slight green outbreak, even if it is not directly because of AI products. Income from cloud services are approaching capital spending. Source: The Information (click on the image to access X) The four riders. There are two clear winners of the departure, one that already brought the duties done and one that goes free. Let’s see who is who: Microsoft: The clear winner with a Income increase of 25% In the last quarter, mainly thanks to the growth of Microsoft Azure. Google: Record a 20% increase In your income thanks to Google Cloud and advertising. Amazon: falls 7%but it is the only one that was in positive numbers. Amazon Web Services is the largest provider of cloud services and was already profitable, although its growth is beginning to slow down. Goal: Your income grows 22%but they basically come from advertising. Goal does not sell cloud services, so it does not generate income directly. Indirectly, yes: AI has allowed them Improve the efficiency of your advertising business. Burning money. The increase in capex by AI has reached madness figures that had never been seen in other technological booms. By the end of 2024 we talked about investing a real barbarity In data centers: Microsoft 30,000 million, Goal 35,000 million, Google 25,000 million… The dizziness figures, and have not stopped increasing. Amazon said at the beginning of the year that He wanted to spend 100,000 million in data centers for AI and goal is building several data centers whose combined cost could rise to 200,000 million dollars. Skepticism. This excessive spending frenzy soon unleashed a wave of skepticism. AND If AI is another bubble And is it about to explode? Milmillionaire investments are not translating in income. Even Satya Nadella himself, one of the protagonists of this revolution, was skeptical because At the moment no one is making gold with AI. It is not that they are not making gold, it is that nobody is earning money. In their newsletter, Ed Zitron had accounts And the difference between what is expected to spend in 2025 and the return that is giving them the AI is not that it is a reason to doubt, it is directly no sense: Capex planned in 2025 BENEFITS IN IA IN 2025 Microsoft 80,000 million 13,000 million Google 75,000 million 7.7 billion Amazon 105,000 million 5,000 million goal 72,000 million 3,000 million Green outbreak Yes, in singular. The latest results are hopeful, but we are very far from being able to say that AI is a profitable business, especially As far as generative AI is concerned. Good results are thanks to cloud services, chatbots or audio or video generators are not profitable. Subscriptions to these tools are a way to monetize, but The income they generate is child compared to spending. Despite doubts, unbridled expense has not stopped and this green outbreak can be more than enough for investors to continue throwing banknotes to the AI well. Image | Microsoft In Xataka | The AI industry has become a kind of ‘game of thrones’. And that reveals a worrying truth for your future

The big problem of green hydrogen is the dependence of fresh water. We have found the solution in the sewers

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In the great darking puzzle, Green hydrogen points ways to become one of the most important pieces. Has become one of the Great bets of the European Union For the Energy transitionbut although renewable energies such as solar or wind are used to produce it, it has a big problem: Consume a huge amount of fresh water. Some researchers want to stop this problem using something we produce in industrial quantities. Sewage. The water problem. Talking about clean energy implies looking at some initial point of the process to realize that there is still an ecological footprint. Electric cars do not emit, but make their batteries yesFor example. Something similar happens with green hydrogen. Solar or wind energy is which is used to perform the electrolysis process With which hydrogen is generated to use as a source of energy, but as we said, a lot of water is consumed, a resource that is increasingly scarce For millions of people. That is why we are investigating alternative ways to generate green hydrogen without those huge amounts of fresh water. For example, using seawaterbut there is a type of fresh water that had not been considered for the process and that has now entered the equation. Trash Treasury in wastewater. These waters contain a series of pollutants that, according to logic, would make it difficult to Electrolysis process. They have nickel, platinum, chromium and other metals that, until now, had to be extracted from water in an expensive purification process before using that water in electrolysis. However, a team from the School of Sciences of the Australian Rmit has found a way to take advantage of these metals to accelerate the production of green hydrogen. In electrolysis, electrodes are a key component because it is the one that facilitates the reaction that separates water in its base components: hydrogen and oxygen. To do this, an anode is used (where water breaks down releasing oxygen and electrons) and a cathode (protons earn electrons and form hydrogen molecules). In the anode and cathode metals such as nickel, platinum or iride are used as those found in wastewater, and what they have done from the RMIT is … take advantage of them. The invention. To do this, the electrode is manufactured with an absorbent carbon surface that attracts those metals present in wastewater, as if it were a magnet. When they “catch them”, form catalysts that conduct electricity and start that task of dividing water into its components. Nasir Mahmood is one of the researchers and, as we read in Miragenewsexplains the reaction as follows: “The catalyst accelerates a chemical reaction without consumed in the process, allowing metals to interact with other elements present in wastewater and enhancing the necessary electrochemical reactions to divide water into oxygen and hydrogen. And, beyond the theory, the team devised a device that managed They expose in ACSa stability of 95%. This pilot device, connected to a small solar plate, is the one you can see in the image that opens this article. And the waters look at everything … except purified water. Potential. Now, it is not as easy as taking the wastewater and using it directly. The team Confirm which used wastewater that had been subjected to some treatment to eliminate solid waste, organic matter and other nutrients. Not metals, yes. The water used for the experiment comes from agricultural waste, which opens another door to the circular economy of the materials. HE esteem that more than 80% of wastewater return to the planet without any treatment (although other sources They point at 50%), but if we started using a part to produce green hydrogen, we would be reducing that percentage, giving a breath to areas with drought problems and allowing to inject energy into those areas without affecting their Drinking water deposits. In developing countries it would have great potential. An upcoming step is to try more types of wastewater, since not all have the same amount of metals in their composition, and as professor Nicky Eshtiaghi, another of the authors of the study, comments, the plan now is to look for partners to climb technology and find commercial applications. Images | Rmit, Hightail Xataka | In Peru, a company has had an idea to take wind energy directly to your home: turbines as a lay way

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