Google and Muon Space launch a new satellite to battle wildfires. The first satellite of the Google-backed FireSat constellation successfully made it to orbit over the weekend, kicking off what promises to be a new era in wildfire detection and monitoring. The constellation will keep a close eye on wildfires. When fully operational, the constellation’s
For someone who wants solar panels, the question is often: “How many?” And for a heat pump, it’s “how big?” Answering those questions typically requires a contractor to set foot on your property. Yet over the last decade, solar installers have trimmed that time-consuming process considerably. Some, like Tesla, have eliminated it entirely. The secret
Arizona lawmakers are debating a bill that would protect utilities from wildfire-related lawsuits, a move that would likely send shockwaves through the insurance industry. The bill would make it harder to prove that utilities are to blame for wildfires started by faulty or poorly maintained equipment while also limiting damages. In exchange for reduced liability,
Geothermal startup Fervo Energy is reportedly eyeing an initial public offering in the next two years. Driving the consideration is the growing concern over power demand growth from data centers, which could double by 2029. “There’s clearly a huge hunger in the public markets right now to figure out, how are we going to solve
Citibank revealed in court filings on Wednesday that the FBI, the EPA, the EPA inspector general, and the Treasury Department have all requested that the bank freeze accounts of several nonprofits and state government agencies. The accounts were frozen in February, but the new documents make public details that had previously been unknown, including a
Sometimes the smallest of news items can point to bigger trends lurking beneath the surface. Case in point: Google announced late last month that it has installed 100 million lithium-ion cells across its data centers to provide backup power to its servers. On its own, it’s not earth-shattering news. But it shines a light on
Northvolt filed for bankruptcy in Sweden on Wednesday, the latest blow to Europe’s attempts to create a battery manufacturing juggernaut that could rival the Chinese giants. Though the Swedish startup has raised more than $14 billion, it has been running short on cash recently. Northvolt filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. in November. Since
There’s a power crunch looming as AI and cloud providers ramp up data center construction. But a new report suggests that a solution lies beneath their foundations. Advanced geothermal power could supply nearly two-thirds of new data center demand by 2030, according to an analysis by the Rhodium Group. The additions would quadruple the amount
