Parts of San Rafael, a city just north of San Francisco, are sinking about half an inch per year. That might not sound like much, but altogether, it has meant that some neighborhoods — like the Canal District that borders the bay — have sunk three feet, placing them at greater risk of flooding from […]
How one founder plans to save cities from flooding with terraforming robots Read More »
Chris Sacca’s venture firm Lowercarbon Capital is raising a second fund to back nuclear fusion energy hopefuls, the VC said at the SOSV Climate Tech Summit on Thursday, as reported by Bloomberg. The firm has backed leading fusion startup Commonwealth Fusion Systems, as well as others like Pacific Fusion. It raised a $250 million, fusion-geared fund in 2022. Fusion believers, who include a number
Chris Sacca’s VC firm is raising a second nuclear fusion fund Read More »
Google announced Thursday it is buying 200,000 metric tons of carbon removal from Mombak, a forest restoration company based in Brazil. The project will buy farmland in the Amazon and reforest it. The deal was made through the Symbiosis Coalition, an advance market commitment intended to develop a market for nature-based carbon removal schemes that
Google to buy carbon credits from massive Amazonian reforestation project Read More »
For years, Australians have been been installing solar panels at a rapid clip. Now, that investment is paying off. The Australian government announced this week that electricity customers in three states will get free electricity for up to three hours per day starting in July 2026. Solar power has boomed in Australia in recent years.
Millions to receive free electricity in 2026 thanks to Australia’s solar boom Read More »
How much power is enough for AI? Nobody knows, not even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman or Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. That has put software-first businesses like OpenAI and Microsoft in a bind. Much of the tech world has been focused on compute as a major barrier to AI deployment. And while tech companies have been
Altman and Nadella need more power for AI, but they’re not sure how much Read More »
Google announced this week it is working with NextEra Energy to revive a nuclear power plant in Iowa that had closed in 2020. NextEra has been looking for a partner to reopen the reactor for the past year, and it found one in Google, which has been steadily adding zero-carbon energy sources to power its
Google to bring shuttered nuclear power plant back from the dead Read More »
As grids come under strain from growing demand from data centers and EVs, geothermal startups have been racing to unlock energy that lurks deep within the Earth. Now, one startup has developed the world’s hottest geothermal well — one that harbors enough energy to power thousands of homes. Mazama Energy said today that it had
Khosla-backed Mazama taps super-hot rocks in race to deliver 24/7 power Read More »
Even before a building accepts its first occupant, it has racked up a steep carbon debt. Worldwide, the materials and construction required to erect buildings contributes 11% of global carbon emissions, according to the World Green Building Council. Some places have begun experimenting with multistory timber buildings, and while they’ve recently reached new heights, timber
Strong by Form will show its ultralight engineered wood at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 Read More »
When it comes to supplying electricity to large enterprises with multi-building campuses, the allocation system is archaic. Unlike homeowners, who pay for what they actually use, campuses buy a standard monthly capacity. This capacity must, by common-sense necessity, be based on max usage needs. This is true even if the company only consumes such max
Google said today that it will invest in a natural gas power plant in Illinois that intends to capture the majority of its carbon emissions. The 400-megawatt power plant will be built outside of Decatur next to an ethanol plant run by Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), which already captures CO2 from its operations. Google will
Google’s bets on carbon capture power plants, which have a mixed record Read More »
