ocean

The Canary Islands have just turned on the first platform that generates electricity by “boiling” the ocean

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They have been promising us for decades that the ocean would be the battery of the future. The difference now is that someone has finally plugged in the cable. The British company Global OTEC has installed in the waters of the Canary Islands the world’s first floating platform capable of extracting energy directly from the heat of the sea. It is not a concept. It is not a simulation. It is there, in the Atlantic, working. The end of intermittency. Unlike wind or solar energy, which are dependent on weather conditions, the ocean offers a constant and reliable source 24 hours a day. It’s what experts call “base load power.” Until now, Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) technology had been tested in terrestrial environments. Until now, the main obstacle to bringing this technology to a full scale was infrastructure. The terrestrial prototypes needed huge pipes to pump cold water from the depths to the coast: kilometers of installation, exorbitant costs. For this reason, Global OTEC’s commitment has been to move the platform directly to the sea, eliminating that route. The result: 80% less pipe. And a model that, for the first time, seems truly scalable. A closed circuit that “recycles” the liquid. The system literally takes advantage of the temperature difference that exists between the surface of the sea and its dark depths. The mechanism is an extremely ingenious closed circuit: Evaporation: The warm water on the surface heats a special liquid that, due to its chemical characteristics, boils quickly. Generation: When boiling, this liquid is transformed into steam, which pushes a turbine that, when rotating, generates electricity. Cycle recycling: For the system to never stop, the vapor needs to return to its liquid state. This is where the newly installed deep pipeline comes into play, sucking in very cold water from the deep sea to cool the vapor and restart the cycle. In addition to generating energy completely free of carbon emissions, the installation takes up little space and is silent. It even offers an invaluable additional benefit to island ecosystems: freshwater desalination. An ecological lifesaver. The project was not born thinking about feeding large continental electrical networks. Its objective is more concrete and, in some ways, more urgent. The European consortium PLOTEC, which finances this development, is targeting Small Island Developing States, the so-called SIDS. These are regions that today depend on polluting and expensive diesel generators, and that also fit squarely in the hurricane belt. That is why the platform has been specifically designed to withstand extreme tropical storms. The Canary Islands, the great laboratory of Europe. That this world milestone has occurred in Spain is no coincidence. The platform has been installed on the Canary Islands Ocean Platform (PLOCAN). As explained by Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universitiesit is an infrastructure managed by a consortium financed in equal parts by the State and the Government of the Canary Islands. This enclave has become a true focus of international technological attraction. According to a statement from PLOCANits waters not only host thermal projects, but at the end of 2026 they will also host the European WHEEL project, led by the Spanish engineering company ESTEYCO. This floating offshore wind energy demonstrator reinforces the role of the Canary Islands as a strategic enclave and positions the region as one of the main European poles for the development and validation of technologies. offshore. Next stop: the commercial jump. With the ocean platform already installed and technical validation underway in the Atlantic, the horizon for this technology seems clear. “This is the moment when OTEC technology moves away from controlled environments and into the real world,” says Dan Grech, founder and CEO of Global OTEC. Its next objective is to install the first commercial energy module in Hawaii, an island market with all the conditions that this technology needs. The company estimates that there are more than 25 GW of diesel capacity on tropical islands that could be candidates for this transition. Although it is important not to lose sight of the fact that going from prototype to commercial scale has historically been the valley of death for many promising energy technologies. The learning curve that Grech compares to that of solar or wind took decades to lower costs to competitive levels. That being said, the platform is in the water. And that, in this sector, is already a lot. Image | Global OTEC Xataka | Every year millions of birds die because of wind turbines. The solution: paint them like poisonous snakes

we have turned the ocean into an acoustic hell

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The ocean is no longer the silent paradise it used to be, as beneath the surface a constant cacophony of engines, propellers and giant ship hulls has created an “acoustic fog” that is suffocating marine life. and this It is creating a very serious problemespecially with the whales that are trying to raise their voices to be heard over the noise of the ships, but physically they can no longer scream. We have it close. To understand the magnitude of the problem, one does not have to go far, since in the Strait of Gibraltar itselfone of the busiest maritime highways on the planet, cetaceans are living on the edge. And here science is seeing that the pilot whales of the strait are “screaming” to communicate with their groups. However, the effort is in vain, since the data reveals that, no matter how much these whales try to raise their vocalizations, they barely manage to reach half the noise level generated by maritime traffic continuous. Simply put, the noise of merchant ships and ferries silences them and does not cut their communication links with others of their species. Why not stronger? It would be the most logical question that could come to mind, but the reality is that science points to the existence of an unbreakable physiological limit in their larynxes that makes it impossible for them to raise their ‘voice’ any higher. It must be taken into account that the vocal anatomy of these whales is perfectly adapted for the depths, but becomes ineffective to compete with the frequencies and volume of merchant ships that travel on the surface. In fact, below 100 meters of depth, their ability to compensate for environmental noise hits a biological wall, since maritime noise is masked in such a way that their vocalizations are completely disrupted. The danger of your instinct. Added to this physical limit is a behavioral problem, since evolution has prepared whales to deal with the natural noise of the ocean, but human noise is completely foreign to them. Studies here showed that while these animals know how to react to natural threats by adjusting their singing patterns, they do not have the instinct necessary to evade anthropogenic noise. They simply don’t process the sound of a freighter as a threat they must flee from or adapt to until it’s too late and the end is quite catastrophic. Its impact. It is not limited to the fact that they cannot “talk” to each other, but this sound masking forces the animals to abandon rich feeding areas for more impoverished but quiet areas. Furthermore, since males and females cannot communicate from kilometers away, the rates of encounters to reproduce fall. In the end, we are facing a problem that is serious, which has led institutions such as the Ministry for the Ecological Transition to monitor these hot spots of noise in the Mediterranean that are altering the behavior of fauna. And all because the whales here cannot adapt to the rhythm of our noise, so the solution is to make our boats ‘quiet’ so that they do not have a great impact on the fauna. Images | rawpixel.com on Magnific In Xataka | He dug a 60 cm pond in the garden and in a few weeks clutches of frog eggs appeared: from useless grass to nursery

This is how Spain plans to conquer the ocean renewable industry

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The race for clean energy dominance in Europe has a new battlefield: the sea. And Spain has just put on the table a million-dollar declaration of intentions so as not to be left behind. As announced by the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE)the Government has allocated a provisional injection of 212 million euros from European NextGenEU funds to six state ports. The objective of all this is to adapt its logistical infrastructure for the imminent deployment of offshore wind. In this cast, there is a great winner who monopolizes the spotlight. The group formed by the Galician ports of A Coruña and Ferrol-San Cibrao has taken most of the pie of the PORT-EOLMAR programwith a proposed award that is close to 100 million euros (97.4 million for the joint project and an additional 2.5 million for Ferrol). A figure that supports the strategic nature of the region and that promises to transform its coast into the industrial epicenter of ocean renewables. The historical qualitative leap. Until now, Spain’s role was mainly limited to the manufacturing of different components and their storage. However, the objective of this new aid is make a historical qualitative leap: provide ports with the real capacity to build the immense platforms on which the wind turbines sit and, later, launch them into the sea as if they were frigates. Here the great geographical challenge of our coasts comes into play: unlike what happens in the North Sea – where the bottom is shallower and allows structures to be nailed (offshore fixed)—, the great depth of the Spanish and Galician coastline forces us to opt for floating technology. And floating wind requires colossal space. Carla Chawla Fidalgo, director of the Navantia Fene shipyard, sums it up perfectly in statements to The Opinion of A Coruña: “If we want to be able to assemble several units at the same time, we need enormous surfaces.” Since it is impossible to transport platforms the size of a football field by land, shipyards and ports with deep drafts become the “natural allies” and obligatory of this industry. The five titans. The rain of millions will result in an unprecedented physical transformation. At Punta Langosteira (the outer port of A Coruña), the aid will be used to condition some 100 hectares of surface in the southern area and create a new dock that may reach 450 meters in length. This joint candidacy obtained an almost perfect score, exceeding 90 points out of 100. But the bases of the IDAE They demanded an indispensable condition: Public money had to be backed by private industrial projects of comparable investment. And Galicia has responded. As it breaks down The Voice of Galiciathe port of A Coruña already has five firm projects, bank guarantees included, from true giants of the sector: Navantia: The main Galician naval engine is already a benchmark in building foundations (jackets) in Ferrol, but desperately needs land. Its landing in Langosteira is not a move, but a vital expansion to take on the assembly of large floating structures. WindWaves: The former Nervión Naval Offshore (belonging to the Amper Group) is Navantia’s strategic partner. The firm seeks to complement the facilities it already plans in Ferrol and As Somozas with this new space in the outer port. Acciona: The seventh world operator in wind energy, allied with giants such as Orsted and SSE Renewables, requested space to manufacture, assemble and maintain offshore wind installations. Esteyco: This engineering company already knows what it is like to operate in Langosteira, from where it moved 400-ton pieces for a prototype in the Canary Islands. Saitec: The Basque group promoting floating technology SATH is looking for land to manufacture and assemble its own platforms, with a view to expanding its prototypes before the end of the decade. Beyond the docks. The impact of this deployment transcends the simple civil works of a port. If we add public funds to the commitment of these five colossi, we are talking about a formidable financial muscle: the committed private investment is estimated at 180 million euros, which would raise the total impact of the Galician polo to around 280 million euros. At a professional level, the potential is undeniable. leaning in data from the metal employers’ association (Asime)the marine mill industry already generates about 5,000 direct and indirect jobs in Galicia. A figure that could skyrocket with the consolidation of this macroport. This entire movement is, furthermore, a geopolitical race against time. These investments are the necessary ammunition so that A Coruña and Ferrol can compete head to head with neighboring countries that are stepping on the accelerator, such as France, Italy or Portugal. In fact, times are pressing: the Port will close the adaptation project before August, and the aid stipulates a period of execution of the works of 48 months. The green horizon of Spain. The roadmap is drawn. How the IDAE documentation concludesSpain not only has high civil engineering capabilities and a powerful naval sector, but also optimal weather conditions. The ultimate objective is to take advantage of this competitive advantage to turn the country into a “European and global reference center” in the marine energy supply chain. But this massive industrialization does not want to turn its back on the environment. As a finishing touch to this ambitious plan, all this infrastructure is framed under the umbrella of the strategy ‘A Coruña Green Port’. An initiative that seeks to convert the Punta Langosteira dock into the first to achieve energy self-sufficiency from 100% renewable sources. Definitive proof that Spain is not content with manufacturing the wind giants of the future, but rather aspires for the port where they are born to be as green as the energy they will generate. Image | Unsplash Xataka | Japan has realized that it cannot depend on gas, so it is going to set up a mega wind farm on the coast of Tokyo

The ocean fooled scientists with this “alien egg.” Almost three years later, we have the answer

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Although we try to learn a lot of information about the space that surrounds us, the reality is that there is still a lot to know here on Earth. This is what we evidenced in August 2023 when the Seascape Alaska 5 expedition, at more than 3,200 meters deep in the Gulf of Alaska, found a shiny golden hemisphere and with a hole in the center. And the question was clear: how did he get there? Many questions. When these findings were seen live, the researchers themselves joked that it looked like the beginning of a horror movie, and social networks did not hesitate to dub it the “alien egg.” The problem here is that the scientific community had no idea what that artifact was doing attached to a rock on the seabed. But three years later this mystery has been solved. It’s not alien. After being extracted from the seabed, the enigmatic specimen was sent to the laboratories of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, where a research team set to work to determine what it was. And to the disappointment of many, it is not a specimen that came from outside our planet. The results, published a few days agorelate how the researchers decided to extract and sequence the mitochondrial DNA from the tissue and, from this, they crossed it with the large databases of genomes that are already known and in this way they ruled out that it was not a marine sponge, a bacterial biofilm and it was not an egg either. What was it? Here the genetic code pointed directly to a species that was cataloged in 2006 as Relicanthus daphneae and of which, if we look for a photograph, we will be surprised to see a kind of giant anemone of the depths with tentacles that can measure more than two meters. And this makes us wonder: why did the Alaskan specimen look like a smooth, golden sphere? And here the research team points out that the golden orb found in the deep sea was not an animal itself, but a “cuticular relic.” What exactly is it? In other words, these are the remains of the base or “foot” that this anemone uses to anchor itself to the rocks of the seabed, resisting the strong abyssal currents. In this way, when the anemone dies, it detaches or moves; this fleshy and resistant base is left behind. And the hole? This was a point that greatly worried researchers in 2023, but the reality is that it was not the hatching mark of a creature, but rather it is simply a natural tear in this residual tissue. The curious thing here is that this find also fits with another similar specimen collected in 2021, confirming that this golden “mold” is a common trace of the species after its death. Images | NOAA In Xataka | We have drilled the seabed at a depth of 2,500 meters. And we have found things we didn’t think were possible

A “floating gas station” in the middle of the ocean is making a fool of the US

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In the satellite images of certain points in Southeast Asia there are days in which dozens of oil tankers appear completely stopped in the open sea, forming a kind of improvised parking lot in the middle of one of the busiest shipping routes of the world. Some stay there for hours, others for days, with no apparent direction, as if waiting for something that never comes… or that happens when no one is watching. An invisible map in the middle of the ocean. I told the story this week CNN through data by MarineTraffic reviewed by the media. For years, the Iranian oil trade has followed a logic that barely left a trace in official records, with ships disappearing and reappearing in tracking systems and shipments whose origin changes depending on the document consulted. This dynamic, it seems, has allowed us to sustain a constant flow towards China even under sanctions, relying on a network of intermediaries, opaque routes and an aging fleet that operates on the margins of the international system, similar to the “Russian model”. It happens that what seemed like a succession of dispersed maneuvers begins to draw a much more defined pattern: a floating infrastructure that works away from the spotlight. The “floating gas station”. They explained in the exclusive that, in waters near Malaysia, in the area known as Eastern Outer Port Limitsa key point has been consolidated where dozens or even hundreds of ships remain waiting, exchanging oil in ship-to-ship operations that completely transform crude oil traceability. This enclave acts as a authentic service station intermediate where Iranian oil changes hands, identity and destination before continuing its journey towards Asia, becoming a central gear which allows Tehran to maintain stable exports despite international pressure. Its location, close to critical maritime routes and outside effective control, makes it the ideal place for this type of operations. SAR satellite images show vessels within the outer boundary of the Eastern Harbor off the coast of Malaysia on April 18, 2026 How the shortcut to China works. The system follows a precise and repeated logic: one where large oil tankers load crude oil at Iranian facilities, cross the Indian Ocean and reach this area. where they transfer their cargo to other ships, which in turn transport it to Chinese refineries. In this process, oil change label and appears as originating from countries such as Malaysia or Indonesia, hiding its real origin in official data. This mechanism allows China to continue receiving large volumes of crude oil at reduced prices, while Iran ensures constant income that sustains its economy in a context of sanctions. MarineTraffic data shows the multiple trips the MT Tifani made between the Persian Gulf and the EOPL from April 2025 until its capture by US forces in April 2026 “Ghost” fleet that does not stop. Behind the system are hundreds of vessels that change flag, name and owner frequently, making them difficult to track and reducing their exposure to sanctions. Many operate without identification active for long periods, activating and deactivating its location systems as appropriate, which further complicates any control attempt. The magnitude of the activity is growingwith hundreds of annual transfers that, in practice, turn this maritime space into one of the most active (and least transparent) points of global energy trade. The fight with Washington reaches another board. In the background, a story that remembered the wall street journal the weekend. Recent oil tanker seizures like MT Tifani They reflect a change in strategy on the part of the United States, which has decided to extend its pressure beyond the Middle East and act directly on these distant routes. These interventions they seek to interrupt a system that has operated for years with relative impunity, although they also show the difficulty of stopping such a distributed and adaptable network. Each intercepted ship is a signal, although the total volume of traffic suggests that the mechanism remains fully operational. Floating reserves and economic war. Beyond the immediate exchangethis network also works as a strategic reserve on the high seas, one with millions of barrels stored on oil tankers waiting to be delivered when conditions permit. There is no doubt, this capability offers Iran a mattress facing blockages or interruptions, bringing oil closer to their final buyers and reducing its dependence on vulnerable routes like right now in the Strait of Hormuz. In short, the system represents much more than an evasion of sanctions, approaching an entire logistics architecture designed to keep open a critical avenue of income in the midst of conflict. Image | Department of Defense, MarineTraffic, Sentinel 1/European Space Agency In Xataka | Ukraine taught how to use drones. Iran has gone one step further: turning them into a crusher for US radars and bases In Xataka | If the war resumes again, the US runs a risk unprecedented in the history of war: that the only one with missiles will be Iran.

The most predictable ocean system in the Pacific has collapsed for the first time in 40 years. And no one really knows why.

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For the first time in at least 40 years of systematic records, the Gulf of Panama’s “seasonal upwelling” (the mechanism that pushes cold, nutrient-rich water from the bottom to the surface every first quarter of the year) collapsed in 2025. 2026, fortunately, is not repeating the pattern. But what researchers are discovering is no more reassuring. Has the outcrop “gone”? Not exactly: it didn’t completely disappear; but it started 42 days late, lasted only 12 days (compared to the usual 66) and cooled the waters to 23 degrees (instead of the average 19). And yet, it is counterintuitive. First, because La Niña (the ENSO phase that ruled in 2025) It usually favors blooms in the eastern Pacific. Second, because until now we thought that warming intensifies large outcrops. And, third, because the upwelling has returned this year (with some collapses in between). None of this fits with what we have learned over 30 years of direct ‘in situ’ measurements (and satellite images). But wait a second, what is this “outcrop” thing? It is an effect of the increase in intensity of the ‘Panama low-level jet‘; a jet that pushes surface water deeper and allows cold, nutrient-rich water from the depths of the Gulf of Panama to rise. This outcrop is key to the life of some 60,000 km2 of the Pacific. The fact is that it is also the most predictable system in the Pacific. Since we started measuring it, he had never missed his appointment. What happened in 2025. The allies did not have the strength to break the thermal stratification of the surface and, therefore, were not able to activate the outcrop other than as a simulation. And why should we care? To begin with because, according to the same researcherss, “more than 95% of Panama’s marine biomass comes from the Pacific thanks to the rise of nutrients”: that is 2.76% of the GDP of the Panamanian republic. But it goes beyond the Central American country: the upwelling areas occupy less than 1% of the world’s ocean surface, but They generate around 50% of fishing catches of the planet It also has an important oceanic and climate impact, of course; but it tells us very interesting things about what we can expect in the future. Because if, suddenly, a phenomenon that we thought was very stable (and that we have known about for as long as we can remember) can disappear, what can happen? What, in reality, is the Gulf of Panama telling us? Image | O’Dea et al. (2025) In Xataka | 2023 was the year in which El Niño and climate change competed. In the Amazon we already know who won

We just found an entire ecosystem hidden under the ocean crust

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For decades, science believed it was clear how life worked in the ocean abysses and pointed out that around the hydrothermal vents, which are the classic volcanic chimneys that spit out boiling water, oases of strange creatures flourished on the surface of the seabed. But a recent expedition has broken our schemes and it points out that life not only clings to the surface of these chimneys, but also hides beneath the earth’s crust itself. As we have seen. To achieve this featthe expedition named under the “VentUnderoworld” project entered the waters of the Pacific aboard the research vessel Falkor. But the researchers’ eyes were not enough, they had to use the robot SuBastian ROV submarine. And with this equipment the researchers did something that is rarely attempted: physically lift fragments of the oceanic crust around the hydrothermal vents. And in that underwater “underworld,” a vibrant macroscopic ecosystem thrived. What was seen. Until now, science assumed that benthic animals at these depths lived exclusively at the interface between the ocean floor and water. However, the images and samples collected confirmed the presence of live animals in these underground caves. And the great protagonist of this discovery is the Riftia pachyptila, which is nothing more than a huge tube worm which can measure more than two meters. Organisms that are famous for lacking a mouth and stomach and depending on the bacteria on the seabed to feed themselves while they were living and growing prosperously protected under the crust. But they were not alone, since they also found snails and a complex network of invertebrate animals. How they arrived. One of the great mysteries surrounding marine biology was how tube worms managed to colonize new hydrothermal vents so quickly after a volcanic eruption, especially due to the high temperature it reaches. This discovery provides the missing piece of the puzzle. Here the study concludes that there is a fluid connection between surface and subsurface ecosystems, and this causes the larvae of these animals to travel through hydrothermal fluids below the seabed, moving through cracks in the oceanic crust to colonize new areas from bottom to top. That is, the interior of the crust is not only a refuge, but a kind of underground “highway” of life. A new paradigm. This discovery is not something minor, since if these hidden cavities are inhabited in the Eastern Pacific Ridge, it is very likely that this underground ecosystem extends over a large part of the world’s underwater mountain ranges. In this way, expanding the “biosphere” into the interior of the crust means that the habitable volume of our planet has just become much larger, proving that there are still many mysteries here on our planet to be discovered. Images | bearfotos on Freepik In Xataka | China is making an “invisible ocean” of the planet: when it is finished it will steal the last advantage that the US had left

The entire ocean floor of the Earth, in a spectacular 3D interactive map that reveals 50,000 unknown underwater mountains

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Although we are already looking other planets in the universe (especially interesting are the potentially habitable ones), the reality is that the old Earth still has a few hidden secrets left. Without going any further, the seabed continues to delight us with new species at this point in the film. NASA knows this and that is why in December 2022 it launched a satellite into space with a mission: to achieve topography of surface waters and oceans. Hence its name, SWOT. Already the first year managed to map the ocean floor in more detail than in the last 30 years and is now available in full. It is, in short, the most detailed marine gravity map in history. What he has “seen” is not just the ground, but subtle variations in the height of the sea surface. These variations reveal the existence of thousands of underwater mountains, trenches and faults, invisible to conventional satellites. To prepare this map, NASA has used state-of-the-art phase coherence interferometry, which has made it possible to measure the two-dimensional height of sea level with high precision. Historically, sonar has been used to measure the seabed, but we have only managed to map less than 30% (with the Seabed 2030 project) with this technique. On the other hand, standard satellites offered a resolution well below the achieved spatial resolution, close to 8 kilometers. This exhaustive map of the ocean floor goes beyond satisfying geographical curiosity, the impact of this cartography It is evident in: Biodiversity. Underwater mountains are oases of life and knowing where they are is essential. Safety in navigation, allowing the identification of underwater peaks that may constitute a risk for vessels. Climate change. These types of structures are directly related to ocean currents, responsible for transporting heat. If we do not know the relief, we cannot predict how the sea will warm. The map of the seabed with a level of detail never seen before With this vertical gravitational gradient map, NASA has developed a 3D model through which you can move and zoom through all the depths of the seas and oceans of the Earth. Individual abyssal hills measuring 200 – 300 kilometers in length can be seen along with other small seamounts and tectonic structures, previously hidden. In fact, abyssal hills are the most common landform underwater (in the southern Indian Ocean they can be seen, for example). NASA explains that they are formed by normal faults along the axes of the oceanic ridges. From them, plate reconstruction studies are being carried out. Also in the visualization you can see seamounts located west of Central America, which are actually underwater volcanoes formed by magmatic intrusions through the oceanic crust. Their importance is crucial as they modify ocean circulation, influence the distribution of nutrients and constitute key points of biodiversity. The high-resolution mapping reveals some 50,000 previously unknown seamounts approximately one kilometer high. Tap to go to NASA’s 3D model of the seafloor. Via: NASA/JPL The topography of surface waters and oceans from SWOT also shows great clarity in the continental margins, highlighting the high latitude areas, with tectonic structures buried under sediments and ice. Thus, it allows observing submarine canyons that transport sediment from the mainland to the deep sea along the South American continental shelf, as well as ancient mid-ocean ridges hidden under the ice in the Weddell Sea. In Xataka | Astronomers have stitched together 10,000 images from the Webb telescope to make the largest map of the universe. Something doesn’t fit In Xataka | This is the impressive interactive map to see the Earth in 4K live from space and monitor satellites Cover | POT

Wind turbines planted in the middle of the ocean were a maintenance challenge. Until the scanner drone appeared

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Until very recently, performing a “health check” on an offshore wind turbine was a complex, slow and, above all, expensive logistical process. The industry standard dictated that to inspect the blades, the turbines had to come to a complete stop while specialized technicians traveled by boat to perform manual inspections. This practice represents a direct interruption in the generation of clean energy and loss of income for operators. However, this scenario has changed thanks to Danish startup Quali Drone, which has successfully completed the first contactless drone inspection of a fully operational offshore wind turbine. The landmark in the Baltic Sea. The setting for this advance has been the Rødsand 2 offshore wind farm, operated by RWE since 2010 off the coast of Denmark. There, the AQUADA-GO project team showed that it is possible for a large drone to fly autonomously at a short distance from the blades while they rotate at high speed. As detailed by RWEthe solution has gone from a laboratory experiment to an operational concept successfully demonstrated in real offshore conditions. “We have shown that it is possible to inspect offshore wind turbines with a drone equipped with a visual camera while the turbine is operational,” says Jesper Smit, CEO of Quali Drone. More in depth. To operate in the hostile conditions of the sea, no conventional equipment has been used. The drone is an advanced hardware platform designed for high-precision missions. State-of-the-art sensors: The drone is equipped with high-resolution cameras, infrared thermography and artificial vision systems. Autonomy and precision: It uses mission planning software and an online data infrastructure that allows the drone to track the movement of the blades autonomously. Digital Twins: The technology employs “Digital Twins” to document errors and ensure reports meet industry standards. Subsurface Inspection: Unlike traditional optical methods, this system can scan the internal layers to find damage that is not visible from the outside. Beyond the drone: what the human eye cannot see. The drone is not limited to taking photographs; It is an advanced diagnostic platform. As Xiao Chen explainsassociate professor at DTU (Technical University of Denmark), have developed artificial intelligence models that use algorithms deep learning to identify anomalies. This “digital brain” is capable of detecting everything from surface erosion to internal structural fractures through the use of thermography. Additionally, the AI ​​model learns with every flight: each inspection feeds the system with new data, making it smarter and more accurate each time it is deployed at a wind farm. A paradigm shift. This breakthrough is not just a technical feat; It has profound economic and environmental implications. According to Energy Cluster Denmarkthe impact of the AQUADA-GO project is summarized in compelling figures: Cost reduction: Savings in inspections of at least 50% are estimated in the future. Energy efficiency: By not stopping the turbines, green electricity production is maximized and the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) is reduced by 2% to 3%. Safety and Climate: The risk for workers is reduced by avoiding the deployment of ships and technicians at height, also cutting CO₂ emissions associated with maintenance by between 30% and 50%. Economic driver: This technology is expected to generate between 33 and 55 new full-time jobs and increase the revenue of the companies involved by up to 230 million Danish crowns after commercialization. Towards a smart wind industry. What started as scientific research in Denmark is today a “market-ready commercial solution”, in the words of Jesper Smit. The ability to monitor blade health continuously and without interruption could be the missing piece to make offshore wind energy even more competitive and safer. Image | RWE Xataka | Northern Europe has launched itself into offshore wind. The problem is that there are countries that ‘thieve’ wind

Japan does not want to depend on China for rare earths. And that is why it is drilling the ocean at 6,000 meters deep

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He map of the world’s (known) rare earth reserves makes one thing clear: China is the absolute queen. Although They are neither earth nor are they rareconstitute a real poker of aces in the game of global geopolitics, energy and technology. And it’s not just about having lanthanides in your territory, it’s about discovering them and knowing how to extract them. Within that graph, in the Asia section, we can see that Japan does not even appear on the map. And it’s not because there aren’t any, because there are, there are. But so far they have turned to their trading partner and neighbor: China. Where Christ lost the lighter. In 2024 Japan found an impressive site of 230 million tons that would put it on the front line. But that site had small print: it is at the bottom of the sea, in a coral atoll in the Pacific about 1,900 kilometers southeast of Tokyo. Fair where they suspected. Last summer discovered his roadmap with a first stage that would begin right now, in January 2026. Japan and China, on the brink of the abyss. The two Asian countries are mired in a deep diplomatic crisis. The great trigger was the statements of the Japanese Prime Minister at the end of 2025 suggesting that a Chinese military intervention in Taiwan could be considered an “existential crisis” for Japan, which would open the doors to a Japanese military response. The consequences were immediate: China considered it interference and began to intensify its maritime patrols and areas near Japanese waters in a move that has displeased the Japanese government. consider it reckless in terms of security. 2026 also began with trade consequences from China such as the veto on seafood products, restrictions on tourism and an embargo on the export of dual-use goods (civil and military), including rare earths. So Japan has to expedite another way to obtain rare earths to feed its automotive industry in particular and technology in general. And he has done it. Just in time. Given the rough patch he’s going through with his partner and neighbor, the timing couldn’t be better. Last Monday a mining ship set sail for that remote atoll located in front of the Minami-Torishima Island to begin a month-long mission in which the famous Japanese drill ship Chikyu and a crew of 130 people will have to go all out, literally, to try to continuously extract rare earths from that succulent seabed six kilometers deep. And we say “try” because It’s the first time it’s been done. If successful, a full-scale mining test will follow in February 2027. Japan’s “detox” of Chinese rare earths. It is not the first time that Japan has been in this situation. Without going any further, in 2010 China retained exports after an incident that took place between a Chinese fishing boat and two Japanese patrol boats near the Senkaku Islands (administered by Japan but claimed by China). At that time, Japan managed to reduce their dependence from China from 90 to 60%. The alternative route involved investments in projects abroad (for example, from Australia) or promoting recycling and manufacturing processes that are more independent of the base material. But now it is different because who can obtain rare earths within their own territory. Looking to the horizon. Since the diplomatic crisis of 2010, Japan has been investigating in search of mineral reserves. Without going any further, this one on Minamitori Island has been in development since 2018 and the Japanese government has invested more than 40 billion yen (250 million dollars) since then. It was previously considered economically unviable, but between China’s embargo and the willingness to pay higher prices, it already seems more plausible, explains Kotaro Shimizuprincipal analyst at Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting. The senior director of economic security policy at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan on the China Talk podcast This week’s issue revealed how the government must continually remind companies of the importance of diversifying their supply chains: “Sometimes an event occurs and the company reacts, but when the event ends, the company forgets. We have to maintain a continuous effort” In Xataka | The “B side” of the United States landing in Venezuela: a subsoil full of hypothetical rare earths In Xataka | Greenland has 1.5 million tons of rare earths. The problem is that there are no roads to get to them. Cover | Peggy Greb and Gleam – Photo taken by Gleam., CC BY-SA 3.0

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