Interesting Ideas

Jay Morris denies experts’ claims that he violated ethics rules over land deals near the site of Meta’s Hyperion datacenter

This story is from Floodlight, a non-profit newsroom that investigates the powers stalling climate action

For more than two years, John “Jay” Morris, a Louisiana state senator, helped pave the way for Meta to build one of the world’s largest datacenters, called Hyperion, in Richland Parish.

Just a bit ago, WattEV ordered 370 Tesla semi trucks, which is quite a large order for electric heavy-duty cargo trucks in the US. The Tesla Semi has been in development for years, including various pilot operations for real companies. Now comes news of a California state program to provide ... [continued]

The post $1 Billion Electric Truck Rebate Program Announced appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Definition of green facilities made in 2022, before release of ChatGPT, says Action to Protect Rural Scotland

A Scottish government policy designed to encourage datacentres to build in Scotland could lead to a massive volume of carbon emissions being ignored, according to an analysis by a Scottish charity.

“Green datacentres” are at the heart of Scotland’s ambitions to develop economically. Enshrined in national policy, they are part of a larger, UK-wide effort to attract big AI investment to Scotland.

Scientists say record-breaking heat is a reminder of how climate crisis is affecting lives

The fierce heat sweeping across Europe over the bank holiday weekend has beaten the UK’s all-time temperature record for May, with scorching highs of close to 35C.

A temperature of 33.5C was recorded at Heathrow airport on Monday lunchtime, according to provisional data from the Met Office, beating the previous May record that was set in 1922 and reached again in 1944. Later in the afternoon a temperature of 34.8C was recorded at London’s Kew Gardens.

I try to interview every manufacturer that brings a new or refreshed heat pump water heater (HPWH) to market. My nerdy thought is that we in the cleantech space should be as up to speed on new, efficient water heaters the way we know about the latest model of Rivian, ... [continued]

The post Rheem’s Refreshed ProTerra Heat Pump Water Heater — Manufacturer Interview appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Audi will unveil the new A2 e-tron in fall 2026, complementing its portfolio with an all-electric entry-level model family in the compact class. The A2 e-tron, manufactured in Ingolstadt, will rejuvenate the Audi model range and open up access to premium electric mobility. At the Audi Annual Media Conference, CEO Gernot Döllner announced the A2 e-tron — ... [continued]

The post Audi A2 e-tron Clocks Up Test Kilometers appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Rain overwhelms sewer system in parts of US city, while temperatures in France break May record

New York City saw flash flooding on Wednesday, as large parts of Brooklyn and Queens received about 2in (50mm) of rainfall in as little as 20 minutes. Officials said the deluge caused water to flow into the sewer system at a rate of up to 6in an hour, quickly overwhelming an aged network that was designed to accommodate just 1.75in an hour.

Residents and commuters found themselves wading knee-deep through flood water that flowed with dangerous speed in places. One video showed a woman alighting from a bus losing her footing and being dragged along by the torrent of water. Several major roads were blocked, including the Long Island Expressway, and subway services were disrupted as water spilled into stations. Large amounts of mud and other debris was left behind; videos showed bags of rubbish being swept down streets along with loose litter.

The US firm Plug Power started with hydrogen fuel cell fork lifts before staking out territory in the emerging global green hydrogen industry.

The post Dogged Pursuit Of Green Hydrogen Continues In Europe, With An Assist From The US appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Much of the current “AI generation” is driven by ideas explored and popularized in science-fiction novels, movies, TV shows, and comic books. The hype is overflowing, and so is some fear. On the one hand, AI fanatics want us to believe AI will solve all the world’s problems. (The naivete ... [continued]

The post Is AI Already Getting Nutso? appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Like so many Britons, I usually consult a weather app before venturing out of the house – and often cancel plans if I don’t like what I see. Here’s what happened when I went cold turkey for a week

When I heard on the radio that more than half of British people would consider cancelling an outing if they saw a 40% chance of rain all day on their weather app, I felt seen. I, too, am a slave to my app. Not that I would ever make a decision based on one whole-day percentage. I pore over three-hourly breakdowns for chances of rain versus minutes of sunshine. If rain is on the cards, I check the probable millimetres. Less than one? I may well throw caution to the wind. Speaking of which, wind speed and direction must also be considered, along with overall and “feels like” temperatures. For the cherry on top, I’ll compare notes with a loved one’s app if they use a different one, quietly mistrusting theirs, and simmering in silent rage if theirs wins.

I’ll admit, though, that my compulsion to check my app (I long ago chose WeatherPro, which I knew nothing about, but liked its layout and name) is borderline neurotic; I fret over probabilities and outfit appropriateness, when I could simply step outside for real-time hyper-local accuracy. I can lose procrastinatory hours consulting long-range forecasts, or checking the weather in Melbourne (where my sister lives) and holiday destinations I have no immediate plans to visit.

Talybont, Ceredigion: On a crisp, post-rain morning, I take a walk among bright hawthorn blossom and the glittering pools of Cors Fochno

On the edge of Talybont, the small cemetery, kempt and cared for, overlooks the coast and the wild brown swathe of Cors Fochno (Borth Bog). A burial ground is perhaps an odd place to begin a walk, but, as a friend remarked, it’s infinitely better than ending one there.

The early rain has cleared so the air is crisp and the colours deep. In the foreground, grassland fields slope away towards the wild expanse of the bog, bounded by wooded hedgerows bright with hawthorn blossom. The first cut of silage has been secured, baled and removed, and a few cattle are grazing the aftermath with interest while red kites traverse overhead. The surface of the bog, marked here and there by glittering open pools, shimmers slightly in the heat of the day. Across the Afon Dyfi, the steep-faced sand dunes of Aberdyfi are visible before the eye is drawn further off to the line of hills that defines the Llŷn peninsula.

Charter to be adopted along river’s entire catchment from Cambrian mountains to Chepstow and Bristol Channel

The entire catchment of the River Wye has been formally recognised as a living ecosystem with intrinsic rights in a charter, a UK first that campaigners hope will help save the highly polluted river.

The charter was celebrated at a community event at the Hay-on-Wye literary festival on Sunday. It includes the right to flow, to biodiversity, to be free from pollution, to be supported by a healthy catchment, to regenerate, and the right to be represented, described as a “significant step” towards protecting and restoring one of the UK’s most beloved rivers.

Most people have joyful memories of playing outside as children – and now wildlife charities are urging people to ‘rewild their inner child’

Climbing trees, squelching in mud, paddling in ponds or making dens in the woods – people’s memories of playing outside as children are often vivid and, a new poll has found, overwhelmingly positive, even those who remember falling in cowpats.

Almost 90% of UK adults had rosy memories of the excitement and the feeling of freedom that outdoor play had brought them, the survey found. However, almost half of adults now spend less than three hours a week in natural settings such as gardens, parks, fields or woods, according to the survey. For one in 10 it is less than one hour.

An Post, the national postal service of Ireland, has achieved its carbon reduction plans three months early.

The post An Post Reaches Emissions Milestone 3 Months Early appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The state saw 33 tornadoes last year and severe flooding as researchers say links to climate change are undeniable

The tornado hit west Ann Arbor at 1.45am on 15 April, passing through Veterans Memorial park, where it knocked several mature oak trees and ripped up baseball field fences before setting its sights on a local ice rink.

“It came up through the parking lot and, in that time, the pressure differential between the tornado and the air inside the rink collapsed the wall,” said Scott Spooner, a manager at Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation.

Home energy is moving beyond individual upgrades toward one intelligent, connected system. Homes are using more electricity than they did a decade ago. EVs charge in the driveway. Heat pumps are replacing traditional heating and cooling systems. Induction ranges, home offices, smart thermostats, connected appliances, solar panels, batteries, and energy ... [continued]

The post The Future of Home Energy Is an Intelligent Ecosystem appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Charing, Challock and Molash worst affected, as South East Water says ‘technical failure at pumping station’ to blame

Hundreds of homes in Kent and Sussex have been left without water by a company that MPs recently accused of incompetence.

South East Water said the hot weather and extra demand for water meant it was having to pump more drinking water than usual to higher ground.

Uh, oh. Did someone just poke the bubble? AI is apparently the 8th wonder of the world. It will bring everyone out of poverty, solve world hunger, eliminate our need to work, and make us all prosperous beyond our wildest beliefs. As crazy as that sounds, that’s what some prominent ... [continued]

The post Uber: Getting Hard to Justify High AI Costs appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Something most people still don’t know is that the US solar power and storage industry has gotten quite large. The US solar industry employs about 280,000 people. The energy storage industry employs another 80,000 or so. These are a significant economic engine for the United States. However, they could be ... [continued]

The post US Solar & Storage Manufacturers Flood DC To Highlight Global Leadership & Jobs appeared first on CleanTechnica.

In recent articles on XPENG, I have focused on the development of human employees who make technology possible and the technology tools that they use. However, the output of the people using automation and AI tools is what matters the most to customers. It is especially noticeable in autonomous driving ... [continued]

The post XPENG Offers More Human-Like Autonomous Driving appeared first on CleanTechnica.