More heat pumps than ever are going into homes and businesses in the United States these days. But they are just one small-scale use of geothermal energy, a promising utility-scale technology that is growing worldwide — and with a minimal carbon footprint to boot. But there are drawbacks as well. The new Issue Backgrounder explains how it all works.
"At the North American International Auto Show, tires squeal as gearheads put shiny new vehicles through their paces on a pair of indoor tracks that sprawl across the event space. One of those tracks used to be set aside exclusively for electric vehicles as U.S. automakers sought to quickly build out the cars of the future."
"As electricity prices climb, an unusual disconnect is emerging between what regular people pay — and what data centers pay."
"An epidemic of a deadly lung disease among hundreds of workers who cut kitchen and bathroom countertops has regulators on opposite sides of the country considering two drastically different responses this week."
"The new data bucked the general trend of declining emissions, as booming electricity demand and higher natural gas prices gave coal a temporary opening in the market."
"Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced deals Friday with three nuclear energy companies to help power its AI infrastructure, including the tech giant’s forthcoming Prometheus supercluster."
"A boom in U.S. data centres is devouring fossil fuels in Mexico - and hitting locals with power cuts and pollution."
"Two years ago, Massachusetts regulators created a framework for phasing out the use of natural gas in buildings — a groundbreaking move for the state’s decarbonization efforts. Today, however, momentum has slowed as gas companies clash with lawmakers, regulators, and advocates on a fundamental question: Are utilities legally obligated to provide gas service to any consumer who wants it?"
"A boom in U.S. data centres is devouring fossil fuels in Mexico - and hitting locals with power cuts and pollution."
"The Trump administration said on Tuesday that it had received an application for seabed mining exploration in international waters, the first in its effort to encourage the controversial industry."
