DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Column: US wind power generation breaks out of summer doldrums
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Nick Oxford/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLITTLETON, Colorado, Sept 8 (Reuters) - After months of low wind speeds in several key wind farm areas, U.S. wind power generation hit its highest levels in nearly five months in early September as wind speeds picked up. The remaining states recorded an average wind generation drop of 7.1%, which contributed to a 3.1% decline in total national wind generation in the January to May period. The shortfalls in wind power have been evident in the output data of major U.S. power pool markets. Reuters Image Acquire Licensing RightsAs these markets cover over 30 U.S. states as well as the areas with the largest concentrations in wind power generation in the United States, the declines in wind power in these power pools had a direct impact on national level wind output, with knock-on effects for power generation mixes across the country. Similarly, any sustained recoveries in wind power generation totals from these key areas will lead to a commensurate rebound in U.S. power generation totals, and may allow for utilities to pare back use of natural gas and other sources of power to make way for more non-emitting wind power supplies.

Persons: Nick Oxford, Ember, El Nino, Gavin Maguire, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: REUTERS, LSEG, Reuters, Reliability, of Texas, El, Climate Impact, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, U.S, Thomson Locations: Big Spring , Texas, U.S, LITTLETON , Colorado, Texas, Texas , Iowa , Oklahoma , Kansas , Illinois, North Dakota, United States, pare, El Nino

☆ Column: India milestone shows its power emissions will surpass Europe's permanently
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

High-tension power lines are pictured outside a Tata Power sub station in the suburbs of Mumbai, India, August 8, 2017. At the same time, India's power emissions climbed 4.5% to new highs on the back of record use of high-polluting coal, which generates roughly 75% of India's electricity. SOFT PATCH/HIGH POINT OVERLAPDuring the April-June window, when India's emissions exceeded Europe's, India's total power use levels rose on high demand for air conditioning in the hottest months of the year. These conflicting approaches to energy sector management reflect the starkly different developmental phases of each market. India's government has established ambitious long-term goals for boosting renewable energy generation and lowering power sector emissions.

Persons: Shailesh Andrade, RC1F247F86F0, Gavin Maguire, Muralikumar Organizations: Tata Power, REUTERS, Union, Spain, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, LITTLETON , Colorado, Europe, pare, Ukraine

Renewable energy is more reliable but its promise for the region still remains largely unmet. Most households have depended on gasoline generators for power, but recently the government removed a gasoline subsidy, prompting increased interest in solar power, according to dealers. The Nigerian government has not announced incentives to promote solar energy, such as reducing import taxes on solar equipment as demanded by dealers. “The problem was affordability, but now customers can pay installments over a period of 18 months,” said Tunde Oladipupo, an agent for Sun King, a solar power company. Another example of this shift is the Ford vehicle assembly plant in Silverton, Pretoria, which currently sources over 35% of its electricity from solar power.

Persons: Rashmi Shah, ”, William Ruto, Tunde Oladipupo, Sun King, Monsurat Qadri, ” Qadri, ” Mohammed Ettu, Shah, ” Shah, ___ Adebayo, Magome Organizations: Climate Summit, World Bank, CP Solar’s, Associated Press, Kenyan, Solutions, Ford, South, CP, Kenya Power, Lighting Company, Supersport, AP Locations: NAIROBI, Mombasa, Nairobi, Kisii County, Kenya, Africa, Nigeria, Oyo, Lagos, Saharan Africa, South Africa, Stillwater, American, Silverton , Pretoria, Mpumalanga, Kenya —, Abuja, Johannesburg

☆ China's auto workers bear the brunt of price war as fallout widens
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Millions of auto workers and suppliers in China are feeling the heat as an electric vehicle price war forces carmakers to shave costs anywhere they can. State-run China Automotive News estimates there are over 100,000 auto suppliers in the country. Suppliers typically negotiate prices once a year, but many have been pressed to lower prices on a quarterly basis in 2023, two senior executives at auto suppliers said. And in June, a group of small suppliers wrote to state-owned Changan Automobile to push back against 10% price reductions. Three months later, he told Reuters that price cuts had been more aggressive in 2023 than in previous years.

Persons: Aly, Mike Chen, Chen, carmakers, Tesla, George Magnus, Elon Musk, Mike Chen's, Li Auto, Liu, Changan Automobile's, Chen Yudong, They've, Zhang Yan, Brenda Goh, Kripa Jayaram, Marius Zaharia, David Clarke Organizations: SAIC Volkswagen, REUTERS, Rights, Shanghai, SAIC, Volkswagen, VW, Oxford University's China, China Passenger Car Association, Tesla, GM, HK, Changan Automobile, Mitsubishi Motors, Toyota, Hyundai, China Automotive, Automobile, EV, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, China's, Beijing, Shenzhen, Hefei, Chongqing, Chery's, Qingdao

☆ India's launches first sun-studying spacecraft, Aditya-L1
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —India launched its first spacecraft dedicated to studying the sun, building on a month of historic successes for the country’s civil space efforts. The spacecraft, called Aditya-L1, launched from Sriharikota, an island off the Bay of Bengal, at 11:50 a.m. Saturday local time (2:20 am ET). The successful liftoff of Aditya-L1 comes less than two weeks after India’s space agency, the Indian Space Research Organization, made history by landing its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the lunar surface. India’s Aditya-L1 will add to information gathered on other missions designed to study the sun, including NASA’s ongoing Parker Solar Probe that in 2021 became the first spacecraft to “touch” the sun. India’s first dedicated solar mission adds to the country’s status as an emerging space superpower.

Persons: Aditya, India’s Organizations: CNN — India, Indian Space Research Organization, Aditya, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Parker, Probe Locations: Bengal, India

☆ Missing metals hit green economy pressure point
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

On Thursday, copper producer Aurubis said it had discovered large discrepancies in inventory levels at its Hamburg recycling centre, which strips out used copper and precious metals from discarded computer circuit boards. The 3 billion euro company’s initial assessment of the incident, which comes after a separate theft case in June, suggests missing metals may lead to a hit of at least 100 million euros. That’s about one-fifth of its previously projected annual pre-tax profit of 450 million euros to 550 million euros for the financial year ending in September. And it will expand to roughly 30.1 million tons by 2031, according to McKinsey. But the consultancy reckons global demand will reach 36.6 million tons at the start of the next decade, leaving a gap of more than 6 million tons per year.

Persons: Trafigura, Aurubis, Liam Proud, Streisand Neto, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, International Energy Agency, McKinsey, Thomson Locations: Hamburg, European

☆ Brazil eyes tax perks for energy sector, sparking 'green' vs oil debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Marcela Ayres | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Last year, more than 500 qualified energy projects received some 9 billion reais ($1.85 billion) in tax exemptions. However, senior officials at the Mines and Energy Ministry are pushing to broaden the incentives to include oil refineries and fuel storage facilities. Energy Ministry officials have argued that targeting tax benefits too narrowly would curtail oil and gas investments, calling in a technical note to expand incentives to oil and natural gas exploration, production and transportation. The Energy Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Brazilian state-run oil firm Petrobras (PETR4.SA) has forecast oil production for the next four decades, even as it ramps up investments in renewable energy.

Persons: Adriano Machado, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's, Lula, Marcela Ayres, Brad Haynes, David Gregorio Our Organizations: National, REUTERS, Petroleo Brasileiro SA Petrobras Follow, Reuters, Finance Ministry, Mines and Energy Ministry, Finance, Energy Ministry, Mines, Investments, Petrobras, PETR4, Thomson Locations: Brasilia, Brazil, Petroleo Brasileiro SA Petrobras Follow BRASILIA, Ukraine, biorefineries, divestments

☆ German court throws out lower grid operator returns set by regulator
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Electrical power pylons with high-voltage power lines are seen next to wind turbines near Weselitz, Germany November 18, 2022. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsFRANKFURT, Aug 30 (Reuters) - A German court on Wednesday threw out the rates of return for power and gas network infrastructure operators set in 2021 by the grid regulator, saying companies were right to complain they were too low. The federal regulator, called the Bundesnetzagentur, had set permitted future returns for new power and gas infrastructure at 5.07%, versus 6.91% previously, leading 900 operators of local distribution networks to launch an appeal. The court in June heard test cases from 14 selected companies and upheld their arguments, it said in a statement. Leading power grid companies including E.ON (EONGn.DE) and EnBW (EBKG.DE) have said they need more money to remain competitive when billions of euros must be spent to accommodate more wind and solar power production plants on the grids.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Kerstin Andreae, Vera Eckert, Tom Kaeckenhoff, Mark Potter, Mark Porter Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Wednesday, E.ON, Thomson Locations: Weselitz, Germany, Ukraine

☆ Images from the Solar Orbiter spacecraft reveal tiny flares shooting from a 'hole' in the sun. They could explain how the sun blasts Earth with charged particles.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementPicoflares could be the source of the solar wind that's blasting EarthAn animation of the solar wind shows particles streaming from the sun towards Earth. That stream, called the "solar wind," gets supercharged when coronal holes or big solar flares are pointed at our planet. Seeing the sun up close, at smaller scales, could reveal its secretsImages from the Solar Orbiter are the closest ever taken of the sun. "Jets, in general, have previously been observed in the solar corona," Chitta, who led the Solar Orbiter study and a team at Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, told Space.com. NASA/SDONASA and the ESA launched Solar Orbiter in 2020, with a goal of studying these winds at their source.

Persons: Lakshmi Pradeep Chitta, NASA's Parker, Chitta, Space.com, it's, Andrei Zhukov Organizations: Service, Orbiter, Solar Orbiter, NASA Solar Dynamics, NASA, Lights, EUI Team, ESA, CSL, MPS, UCL, Probe, Jets, Solar, Max Planck Institute, Solar System Research, European Space Agency, Royal Observatory of Locations: Wall, Silicon, Royal Observatory of Belgium, Brussels

☆ It is always more expensive to not invest in electric grids, says Columbia's Melissa Lott
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailIt is always more expensive to not invest in electric grids, says Columbia's Melissa LottHosted by Brian Sullivan, “Last Call” is a fast-paced, entertaining business show that explores the intersection of money, culture and policy. Tune in Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. ET on CNBC.

Persons: Columbia's Melissa Lott, Brian Sullivan, “ Organizations: CNBC

A man with American Electric Power (AEP) repairs an electricity cable during a heatwave in Eagle Pass, Texas, U.S. July 28, 2023. REUTERS/Adrees Latif/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 24 (Reuters) - Two U.S. electric grids issued alerts warning of the potential for power shortages on Thursday due to a brutal heat wave blanketing Texas and U.S. Central states. ERCOT faces "a high potential to enter emergency operations this evening" due to low wind generation and high power demand, the grid operator said. AccuWeather forecast temperatures in Houston, the biggest city in Texas, would reach 107 degrees Fahrenheit (41.7 degrees Celsius) on Thursday. MISO projected power use would reach 127,195 MW on Thursday, topping the system's all-time high of 127,100 MW in July 2011.

Persons: Adrees Latif, ERCOT, MISO, Brandon Morris, Morris, Scott DiSavino, Brijesh Patel, Nick Zieminski, Jonathan Oatis, David Gregorio Our Organizations: American Electric Power, REUTERS, Reliability, of Texas, Thomson Locations: Pass , Texas, U.S, Texas, Central, Houston, Dallas, Minnesota, Louisiana

☆ As cracks emerge in Russia, US plots fresh sanctions to crank up pressure on Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN Business —Washington plans to keep piling pressure on Russia through additional sanctions in a bid to force hard choices in Moscow, a senior US official tells CNN. The preparations of further economic punishments come as cracks emerge in Russia’s economy and society because of the war in Ukraine and sanctions from the West. The scramble in Russia to shore up the crumbling ruble shows the pressure on Moscow is working, the senior US official told CNN. The United States has steadily imposed sanctions on Russia and the US official said Washington plans to continue doing so in a bid to ramp up pressure. Former CIA director David Petraeus argues now is the time for the United States to crank up the pressure on Russia.

Persons: . Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, David Petraeus, “, ” Petraeus, Petraeus, ”, Ed Mills, Raymond James, Mills, Biden Organizations: New York CNN Business —, CNN, ., US, United, Washington, CIA, KKR Global Institute Locations: New York CNN Business — Washington, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, United States, South Africa, Washington, United

A man with American Electric Power (AEP) repairs an electricity cable during a heatwave in Eagle Pass, Texas, U.S. July 28, 2023. Power grids carry reserves to ensure the system remains reliable in case a large power plant or transmission line fails unexpectedly. ERCOT forecast demand would reach 85,296 megawatts (MW) on Thursday, just shy of its 85,435 MW record set Aug. 10. MISO projected it would have 125,907 MW of supplies available with 120,656 MW from internal resources and 5,251 MW of imports. That would not be enough to meet the grid's forecast peak of 127,692 MW, which would top the system's all-time high of 127,100 MW in July 2011.

Persons: Adrees Latif, ERCOT, MISO, Brandon Morris, Morris, Scott DiSavino, Nick Zieminski Organizations: American Electric Power, REUTERS, Reliability, of Texas, Thomson Locations: Pass , Texas, U.S, Texas, Central, Houston, Dallas, Minnesota, Louisiana

Alberta, the country's main oil and gas producing province, paused approvals on Aug. 3 of new renewable electricity generation projects over one megawatt until Feb. 29, chilling investment in the fast-growing industry. The pause is necessary to address concerns about renewables' reliability and land use, said a spokesperson for Alberta's utilities minister. A second company has paused design work on its first Alberta project, Dye added. Along with domestic firms, foreign companies like Berkshire Hathaway's (BRKa.N) BHE Canada, EDF Renewables and Enel Green Power generate renewable power in Alberta. The pause directly affects 15 projects in the approvals queue, the government spokesperson said.

Persons: Todd Korol, Danielle Smith, Smith, Justin Trudeau's, Jorden Dye, Dye, Pembina, Grant Arnold, Arnold, BluEarth, Dan Balaban, Rod Nickel, Steve Scherer, Denny Thomas, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Justin Trudeau's Liberal, Business Renewables, THE, THE ALBERTA WAY, EDF Renewables, Companies, Pembina Institute, Renewables, U.S . Alberta Utilities Commission, Greengate, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Thomson Locations: Rocky, Pincher Creek, Alberta, Rights WINNIPEG , Manitoba, Canadian, U.S, Calgary, THE ALBERTA, THE ALBERTA WAY Alberta, Berkshire, Canada, Winnipeg , Manitoba, Ottawa

When President Biden meets with the leaders of Japan and South Korea at Camp David on Friday, the allies will have another nation in mind: China. Japan, South Korea and the United States share the common interest of competing with an increasingly assertive China and ensuring peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Just last week, Mr. Biden banned new American investment in key technological industries that could be used to enhance Beijing’s military capabilities. Washington has also kept a large military presence in both South Korea and Japan in part to counterbalance China’s influence in the region. But China’s economic growth also puts South Korea and Japan in an awkward position.

Persons: Biden, Camp David, Xi, ”, ” Jake Sullivan Organizations: Beijing, Huawei, United States, United, South, U.S Locations: Japan, South Korea, Camp, China, Beijing, United States, Taiwan Strait, U.S, Washington, United, Ukraine, Taiwan, Korea’s belligerence . Washington, Seoul, Pacific

☆ Amazon built a data center empire in northern Virginia. Exclusive filings reveal it's using as much energy as a major city.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Daniel Geiger | Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Amazon does not disclose how many data centers it occupies, where they are located, or how much electricity they consume. Many of Amazon's data centers listed in the permits have been built recently and some may still be under construction. "You cannot run a data center based on the variability of solar and wind," Boston said. Any producer of renewable energy can sell one REC for every megawatt hour of renewable energy it generates. Brady, the Cushman & Wakefield data center executive, said that data centers often match their backup generation to the capacity of a data center's power supply.

Persons: Shaolei Ren, David Ward, Abraham Silverman, Sean Brady, Glenn Youngkin, Steve Helber, Terry Boston, –, Ben Hertz, Wood Mackenzie, Andy Jassy Mike Blake, Amazon's, Priya Barua, We've, Barua, Blackstone, Weston Swenson, Brady, Swenson, Josh Levi Organizations: Amazon, Washington DC, Amazon Web Services, UC Riverside, Columbia University's Center, Global Energy, Cushman & Wakefield, Dominion Energy, France's, AP, Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Republican, State Corporation Commission, Boston, state's Department, Environmental, Reuters, Microsoft, Google, Apple, Clean Energy Buyers Association, Virginia's Department, Industry, Cushman &, Dominion, Data Center Coalition Locations: Virginia, New York City, Washington, Seattle, France, Ward, Northern Virginia, West Coast, Cushman & Wakefield, CBRE

☆ A once-in-century solar storm could fry power grids and knock out satellites. Here's why scientists worry it could happen soon.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Most solar storms are pretty harmless, but every so often, the sun can send hugely powerful storms. The Carrington Event of 1859 is widely considered to be the most powerful solar storm ever recorded. A huge solar flare like this one anticipated the 1989 solar storm. Why scientists are concerned about the next solar peakThe sun's activity is currently growing, and scientists are particularly concerned about the ongoing solar cycle. With enough warning, operators can put in place measures to protect infrastructure from the worst effect of solar storms.

Persons: we've, Mathew Owens, Daniel Verscharen, it's, We've, we'd, Owens, Elon Musk's, Verscharen, Till Organizations: Service, NASA, University of Reading, Solar Dynamics, University College London, Heliospheric, Getty, NOAA, Elon, Elon Musk's SpaceX, Verscharen, European Space Agency Locations: Wall, Silicon, Quebec, Soviet Union, Russia, Canada, Sweden

That is by far the most ever spent on clean energy in a year. Solar and Wind Power Have Taken Off Electricity generation per year, in terawatt hours China 600 TWh 500 Solar Wind U.S. China 400 E.U. It would shred regulations designed to curb greenhouse gases, dismantle nearly every federal clean energy program and boost the production of fossil fuels. 1 2 3 4 5 Even Tulsa, with its strong links to oil and gas, is embracing clean energy. “But we also understand that energy is energy, whether it is generated by wind, steam or whatever it might be.”Around the country, clean energy is taking root in unlikely locales.

Persons: ”, Fatih Birol, Al Gore, Crews, Francis Energy, Dewey, Bartlett Jr, “, J.W, Peters, Mr, Lazard, Gregory Nemet, —, Biden, Tesla, Giovanni Bertolino, Jon Creyts, Steve Uerling’s, Uerling, Cathy Zoi, It’s, Mary Barra, ’, Barra Organizations: Buses, Port, International Energy Agency, India India, Energy, The New York Times, Heritage Foundation, Republican, Ford, University of Tulsa’s School of Petroleum Engineering, “ Oil, Drillers, Navistar, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, Francis, Solar Power, U.S . Steel, Gas, University of Wisconsin -, Panasonic, United, European Union, United States ’, General Motors, RMI, Ford Fusion, Tesla, Postal Service, Amazon, Peterbilt, Companies, Francis Energy, BMW Group, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Benz Group Locations: Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Port of Los Angeles, Houston, Europe, United States, America, China, Britain, terawatt, India, U.S, States, Beijing, London, Tokyo, Washington, Oslo, Dubai, Tulsa, Okla, Italian, Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Texas, Galveston, In Arkansas, Republican, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Georgia, Korean, Nevada, tailpipes, California, New York, San Francisco, Canada, South Korea, Russia, Ukraine, Steve Uerling’s Tulsa, E.U, G.M

☆ Factbox: Resistance to green policies around Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Kuba Stezycki/File PhotoAug 10 (Reuters) - Europe faces growing pushback against policies to address climate change and protect the environment, causing its green agenda to start to fray as severe heatwaves and wildfires rage. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last month warned of climate policies that "unnecessarily give people more hassle and more costs", days after his ailing Conservatives unexpectedly clinched a local election after opposing charges for the most polluting vehicles. Riding a wave of protests against the government's environmental policies, it unexpectedly beat the conservative VVD party in regional elections in March. POLANDPoland's government, long conservative on environmental policies at home and facing elections in October, has gone a step further by suing Brussels. The row has helped propel the far-right Alternative for Germany to second place in the polls.

Persons: Kuba, Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Mark Rutte, Kate Abnett, Sarah Marsh, Gloria Dickie, Anthony Deutsch, Angelo Amante, Pawel, Susanna Twidale, William James Organizations: REUTERS, Union, EU, BRITAIN, Conservatives, Farmer, Movement, Justice, Greens, Thomson Locations: Gryfino, Poland, Europe, ITALY, Italy, BRITAIN Britain, Britain, NETHERLANDS, POLAND, Brussels, GERMANY, Germany, Berlin, Bremen, London, Amsterdam, Rome, Warsaw

☆ Bridgewater's tech chief is leaving the hedge fund giant for Microsoft to focus on the 'relentless tide of cyber threats'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Bianca Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

He told Insider he's making the move to help combat cybersecurity on a broader scale. Igor Tsyganskiy, chief technology officer and president, is leaving the world's largest hedge fund after seven years, Insider has learned. Prior to Bridgewater, Tsyganskiy ran database.com, a division of Salesforce.com, and was the cofounder of Tealeaf Technologies, which was sold to IBM. Bell recently told Insider that AI would give Microsoft the upper hand to "finally turn the tables on the attackers." "Basically, end-to-end strategy on how Microsoft approaches the cybersecurity sector is my job," Tsyganskiy told Insider.

Persons: Igor Tsyganskiy, Tsyganskiy, Greg Jensen, Bridgewater's, Oliver Radwan, Kevin Brennan, Ray Dalio, Nir Bar Dea, Bridgewater, Charlie Bell, Bell Organizations: Bridgewater, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Tealeaf Technologies, IBM, Web Services Locations: Bridgewater, Bay Area, Connecticut, Westport , Connecticut, Salesforce.com

☆ AI Scams, Spam, Hacking, Are Ruining the Internet
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Shubham Agarwal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

A report from Europol expects a mind-blowing 90% of internet content to be AI-generated in a few years. A report from Europol, the European Union's law-enforcement agency, expects a mind-blowing 90% of internet content to be AI-generated in a few years. And while AI bots have telltale signs now, experts indicate that they will soon get better at mimicking humans and evading the detection systems developed by Menczer and social networks. While misinformation has long been a problem with the internet, AI is going to blow our old problems out of the water. But security researchers have discovered that the AI bots in your apps and devices might steal sensitive information for the hackers.

Persons: HBO Max, haven't, ChatGPT, Christian Selig, Reddit, Martijn Pieters, He'd, NewsGuard, Gordon Crovitz, NewsGuard's, Filippo Menczer, NewsGuard's Crovitz, Christopher Cowell, Cowell, John Licato, Bing, Florian Tramèr, Toby Walsh, Walsh, Shubham Agarwal Organizations: HBO, Europol, Market, Indiana University's Observatory, Social Media, Facebook, Microsoft, Google, University of South, ETH Zürich, University of New, University of Oxford, Wired, Company Locations: Cambridge, Europol, Portland , Oregon, Etsy, University of South Florida, University of New South Wales, Ahmedabad, India

During Greece's peak power demand this year, also on July 24, solar photovoltaics covered 3.5GW of the total 10.35GW demand, grid operator IPTO said. Even in cooler and less sunny western countries such as Belgium, solar energy has covered more than 100% of the extra energy needed during midday spikes in power demand. Analysts say a second factor has helped to keep Europe's energy systems running this summer: overall, power demand has been relatively low. That has been the case since Europe's energy crisis last year, when Russia cut gas deliveries to Europe. "The only reason why this has been bearable is the low power demand environment that we're currently in," Refinitiv's Gerl said.

Persons: Nicolas Economou, Kristian Ruby, Electrica, Nathalie Gerl, IPTO, Spain's, Refinitiv's Gerl, Simone Tagliapietra, Kate Abnett, Susanna Twidale, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Analysts, Energy, European Commission, SolarPower, Thomson Locations: Rhodes, Greece, Europe, BRUSSELS, LONDON, Spain, Ukraine, Catania, Etna, Sicily, Athens, Belgium, Russia

☆ The moon is open for business, and entrepreneurs are racing to make billions
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

"Definitely the moon is going to be a big business," said Prachi Kawade, a senior analyst at NSR, a research-and-consulting company focused on the space market. At first, lunar missions could be limited to a couple of weeks or months in a lunar base camp. Another lead for moon mining is the rare-earth elements that millennia of meteorites crashing into the moon may have left behind. Fly me to the moonHowever, the most lucrative part of the moon market by far is rocket development, said Kawade, who leads NSR's lunar-market report. NASA built its own system for its upcoming Artemis moon missions, the Space Launch System (SLS) mega-rocket with its Orion spacecraft.

Persons: Artemis, Brendan Rosseau, Lockheed Martin, Prachi Kawade, that's, Rosseau, Steve Creech, Creech, Kawade, NASA We're, George W, Bush, Rousseau, landers, Per, NASA's, NASA Ames, Daniel Rutter, Elon Musk's, Artemis III, Musk, NASA isn't, Glenn, III, VIII, Bill Nelson, Svetla Ben, Itzhak, Ben Organizations: NASA, Service, Harvard Business School, SpaceX, Origin, Nokia, Lockheed, General Motors, NSR, Apollo, ESA, Payload, Astrobotic Technology, Rover, Exploration Rover, Polar Resources, Mining, Orion, Elon, Elon Musk's SpaceX, Politico, Artemis, China, Air University Locations: Wall, Silicon, China, Pittsburg, Texas, California, Colorado, Japan, Russia, Latin America, Central Asia, Pakistan

☆ World Bank to help fund 1,000 mini solar power grids in Nigeria
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A technician works on solar power panels at the Atlantic Shrimpers farm in Badagry, Lagos, Nigeria July 5, 2022. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja/File PhotoABUJA, Aug 5 (Reuters) - The World Bank is aiming to help fund construction of 1,000 mini solar power grids in Africa's biggest economy Nigeria in partnership with the government and private sector, the lender's president Ajay Banga said on Saturday. Mini grids, made up of small-scale electricity generating units, typically range in a size from a few kilowatts to up to 10 MW, enough to power some 200 households. "Now the idea is not for the World Bank to be the only person putting the money. World Bank data shows that in sub-Saharan Africa, 568 million people still lack access to electricity.

Persons: Temilade, Ajay Banga, Banga, Abraham Achirga, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, Bank, World Bank, Thomson Locations: Badagry, Lagos, Nigeria, ABUJA, Abuja, Banga, Saharan Africa, Africa

Search resuls for: "Grids"

25 mentions found