AI supercharges data center energy use – straining the grid and slowing sustainability efforts

AI is everywhere these days, which means more data centers eating up more electricity. There’s no easy fix, but some combination of efficiency, flexibility and new technologies could ease the burden.

Ayse Coskun, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University • conversation
July 11, 2024 ~8 min

Can humanity address climate change without believing it? Medical history suggests it is possible

In the 19th century, many doctors might not have believed germ theory, but they switched to using protective methods anyway for a simple reason.

Ron Barrett, Professor of Anthropology, Macalester College • conversation
July 10, 2024 ~7 min


Fusion power could transform how we get our energy — and worsen problems it’s intended to solve

Some processes that support fusion energy fuel climate change and may harm the environment.

Sophie Cogan, PhD Candidate, University of York • conversation
July 5, 2024 ~6 min

Giant clams could inspire better solar power systems

"The truth is that clams are more efficient at solar energy conversion than any existing solar panel technology."

Jim Shelton-Yale • futurity
July 2, 2024 ~6 min

Will Labour’s Great British Energy company lower household bills?

Not without a bolder commitment to public ownership.

Vera Weghmann, Research Fellow in Public Services, University of Greenwich • conversation
June 24, 2024 ~8 min

New computer vision method helps speed up screening of electronic materials

The technique characterizes a material’s electronic properties 85 times faster than conventional methods.

Jennifer Chu | MIT News • mit
June 11, 2024 ~8 min

Reducing carbon emissions from long-haul trucks

MIT researchers show a promising plan for using clean-burning hydrogen in place of the diesel fuel now used in most freight-transport trucks.

Nancy W. Stauffer | MIT Energy Initiative • mit
June 5, 2024 ~24 min

What we know so far about Labour’s plan for Great British Energy

Criticisms that this is ‘just a logo’ aren’t entirely unreasonable, but Labour is setting out a green transition on a tight budget.

Renaud Foucart, Senior Lecturer in Economics, Lancaster University Management School, Lancaster University • conversation
May 31, 2024 ~7 min


The UK’s power grid needs upgrading to reach net zero – our new study shows where

Electricity networks in cities need the biggest overhaul – but the public can help.

Sheridan Few, Lecturer in Urban Energy Systems, University of Leeds • conversation
May 29, 2024 ~6 min

Understanding how ions flow in and out of the tiniest pores promises better energy storage devices

To model the inside of a supercapacitor, my team had to rework a common physics law that most high school students learn.

Ankur Gupta, Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
May 28, 2024 ~8 min

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