Genetics

• [New] We are likely to see a new generation of nuclear power stations by 2060-2070 based on nuclear fusion, which is a radically different technology from splitting the atom (fission) and involves fusing two different atoms together to release energy, with far less radioactive waste.
• [New] Gas will still be widely used in power generation in 2060, as a rapid and flexible balancer between sources like nuclear and wind or solar, and will be a central element of national power management.
• [New] Biden's once-in-a-generation effort to tackle climate change and create jobs could kill jobs, too, specifically the steady, fixed-location work provided by coal mines and power plants.
• [New] Floating city states could mean new jobs that will attract the oppressed masses and may generate enough wealth to address global poverty.
• [New] Solar energy: The ability to use dye-sensitive PV coatings on building cladding to generate electricity is being pioneered in Swansea by Tata Steel for instance, and will become available and cost effective in just a few years.
• [New] ESB plans to invest in a green hydrogen production, storage and generation facility at the Co Clare site towards the end of the decade.
• [New] In the April STEO, EIA said overall, it expects hydroelectricity to account for 7% of U.S. electricity generation in 2021, almost one percentage point lower than in 2020.
• [New] General Motors Co. will halt production at several North American factories and extend shutdowns at others because of a chip shortage that has been worsening for U.S. auto giants and poses a threat to a strong sales rebound.
• [New] Consisting of three ground-mounted commercial distributed generation sites in Utah, the behind-the-meter projects are expected to start construction in the third quarter of 2021 and reach commercial operation by the end of the year.
• [New] Unchecked, China's bitcoin mines will generate 130.5m metric tons of carbon emissions by 2024 - close to the annual greenhouse gas emissions of Italy or oil-rich Saudi Arabia.
• [New] Even if General Motors, like many other manufacturers, is moving to an electrified future, gas-guzzlings big SUVs will remain part of the automobile landscape still for many years to come.
• [New] If more acute hospitals introduced consultant-led surgical assessments, the NHS could reduce unnecessary emergency admissions for general surgery by 30% - one of 20 ways to improve patient outcomes that together could save £160 million a year.
• [New] The Thacker Pass lithium mine in Nevada is expected to generate 20,000 tonnes a year of the battery metal, once operational in 2023.
• [New] In a three-year pilot demonstration, National Grid will assess the economics of Standard's 1 MW electrolytic hydrogen plant for three separate applications: generating electricity, mixing hydrogen with natural gas, and powering fuel-cell and battery electric vehicles.
• [New] Standard Hydrogen, based in Albany, New York, will go one step further by including a power-generating stationary fuel cell in its energy transfer system.
• [New] Younger voters-millennials and Generation Z - are less likely to have confidence in the U.S. military than their elders, believe in the wisdom of supporting allies militarily, and view China as the main threat to the United States.
• [New] The energy usage of the Bitcoin blockchain would peak in 2024 at almost 297 terawatt-hours and generate 130.50 million metric tons of carbon emissions.
• [New] The Saudi Green Initiative entails the planting of 10 billion trees in the Kingdom, restoring 40 million hectares of degraded land, generating 50% of electricity from renewables by 2030 and eliminating more than 130 million tons of carbon emissions.

Last updated: 11 April 2021