A town in Finland has begun using the world's largest "sand battery" to help provide heat. The unusual method of storing energy allows the town to create heat when electricity prices are cheap, and store it for long periods of time. The heat can then be used whenever it's needed.
Posts tagged as “electricity”
A huge offshore wind farm project near Rhode Island has been suddenly stopped by the US government. The project, which is 80% completed, was meant to bring clean energy to hundreds of thousands of homes. Some people worry that the government is making it too hard for wind power projects to succeed.
On Monday, a massive loss of power left nearly all of Spain and Portugal without electricity. The outage lasted through the night, but power has now been restored in both countries. The cause of the problem is still unknown.
Yesterday was the 55th celebration of Earth Day. This year's theme was "Our Power, Our Planet", with a focus on how rapidly growing renewable energy sources are promising hope in the fight against the climate crisis.
Last year, the US got more of its electricity from wind and solar power than from coal. It's the first time that's ever happened, and it shows how quickly the US is moving toward cleaner energy sources. Because renewable energy is so cheap, it will probably continue to grow, despite President Donald Trump's push to increase fossil fuel use.
Cuba is facing a serious power problem. On Friday, the entire island lost electricity. As of Monday, much of the island was still without power. The blackout shows how much work is needed to improve Cuba's electricity system. Making things worse, parts of the island were hit by a hurricane on Sunday.
The United Kingdom said goodbye to coal-powered electricity on Monday when the last coal-fired power plant in the country closed down. The closing of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station marks the end of a 142-year history of coal-powered electricity in Great Britain.
On August 1, new rules went into effect in the United States that make it against the law to sell most incandescent light bulbs. These are older-style light bulbs that create light by heating a wire. The law is expected to save energy and help the environment.
Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have invented a new way to make electricity. Their method uses super-tiny holes to make electricity from moisture in the air. The scientists hope the method will one day lead to cheap, clean electricity anywhere at any time.
Switzerland has opened a massive "water battery" that will help store energy for Europe. The plant works by storing water, which can later be used to generate power. Storing energy is very important as the world depends more and more on renewable energy.
In today's news roundup, William Ruto is sworn in as the president of Kenya, credit card companies agree to a new plan that could help track problem gun sales, and the lights on the Eiffel Tower will be turned off early to save electricity.