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Category: sustainability – Page 71

Fusion energy has long been hailed as the holy grail because of its potential for limitless amounts of clean energy. But that promise has trailed reality for decades, with billions of dollars in research leading to few breakthroughs. Now there’s optimism that is about to change, partly because of new startups funded by the likes of Sam Altman, Jeff Bezos, and Bill Gates.

Yahoo Finance went inside the country’s largest magnetic fusion facility for an exclusive look, to explore the challenges of bringing this technology to commercial use for the latest episode of NEXT.

“The race is on to actually see who can develop this and who can get it to the masses the fastest,” said David Callaway, former editor-in-chief of USA Today and founder of Callaway Climate Insights, a news and information service focused on the business of climate change.

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Japanese carmaker Nissan has announced plans to boost its electric vehicle lineup with an additional 34 models, and is aiming for price parity with internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles by 2030.

This week, at a press conference in Atsugi, near Tokyo, Nissan revealed its medium to longer-term business roadmap. The plans, which cover the period from 2024 to 2030, include a dramatic expansion of vehicle electrification, a significant reduction in costs, and a number of technological innovations.

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Chinese researchers have allegedly developed a new, powerful Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) using technology found in electric vehicles.

The catapult can launch a 30-tonne projectile from 0 to 230 feet/s (0 to 70 m/s) in around 2.1 seconds.

Developed by a team of scientists and engineers in Beijing, the new system could slash the cost of aircraft carrier EMALS catapults.

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We – a team from Rwanda and Germany who work in the field of renewable energy scientific modelling – set out to find the answer by building the Renewable Power Plant Database Africa, the first on the continent. It’s a database of available open access data on hydro, wind and solar energy sources that we’ve analysed.

The database shows that some countries, such as Nigeria and Zimbabwe, have enough projects in the pipeline to potentially transition away from fossil fuels by 2050. And that 76% of all electricity required on the continent could come from renewable resources by 2040. This would happen if the capacity of existing hydro-, solar and wind power plants were fully utilised and if all plants currently on the drawing-board were built.

The 76% from renewables would be met by 82% hydropower, 11% solar power and 7% wind power. Hydropower has been the main renewable energy resource to date, but declining costs for solar photovoltaics (90% decline since 2009) and wind turbines (55%–60% decline since 2010) mean solar and wind have potential to lead sustainable renewable energy options.

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The Sun emitted a strong solar flare, peaking at 4:56 p.m. ET on March 28, 2024. NASA

Established in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government that succeeded the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). It is responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. Its vision is “To discover and expand knowledge for the benefit of humanity.” Its core values are “safety, integrity, teamwork, excellence, and inclusion.” NASA conducts research, develops technology and launches missions to explore and study Earth, the solar system, and the universe beyond. It also works to advance the state of knowledge in a wide range of scientific fields, including Earth and space science, planetary science, astrophysics, and heliophysics, and it collaborates with private companies and international partners to achieve its goals.

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Kia’s first three-row electric SUV is off to a good start. However, Kia will accelerate EV9 momentum with plans to begin US production by May. Kia expects the EV9 will qualify for the full $7,500 EV tax credit by early next year.

After launching the EV9 in the US late last year, Kia has handed over 3,839 models in the US. Starting under $55,000, Kia calls its electric family move an “industry wake-up call.”

Despite the strong start, Kia expects the momentum to pick up. Kia currently builds the EV9 in Korea but expects to move production to the US by the end of May.

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Tesla executive Rohan Patel clarified some facts about Supercharger NACS access for non-Tesla vehicles like Rivian and Ford.

Patel—Tesla’s Vice President of Public Policy and Business Development—recently replied to a question from Teslavangelist, who questioned the number of Supercharger stalls non-Tesla owners actually had access to with NACS connectors.

Tesla recently opened the Supercharger Network to Ford and Rivian electric vehicles (EVs) through its NACS connecter. Both automakers claim that NACS connectors provide Ford and Rivian owners access to over 15,000 Tesla Supercharger locations. Teslavangelist pointed out that non-Tesla EV owners only have access to V3 and V4 Superchargers, doubting they have access to 15,000 Supercharger stalls.

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Tesla is working on “private 5G” infrastructure to be connected to its electric vehicles and Optimus robot.

The automaker was early in including internet connectivity in all its vehicles. There were many reasons for this. It enabled over-the-air software updates and connectivity features, and it also allowed Tesla to collect a lot of data.

Tesla started with 3G connectivity and later updated to 4G LTE, but now, we learn that the automaker is looking to upgrade to 5G.

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