Anca Gurzu

2 weeks ago | ciphernews.com | Anca Gurzu

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Three contestants stood on stage ready for a round of true-or-false questions about wind energy. Wind turbines cannot be combined with farming — True or false? False. Most blades end up in landfills after being decommissioned — True. Wind turbines attract lightning during storms — True. Wind turbines cause electromagnetic radiation that can make people ill — False. The contestants weren’t just regular participants.

1 month ago | ciphernews.com | Anca Gurzu

LONDON — Renewable energy has a new elevator pitch. At a time of waning climate action and volatile geopolitics, renewable power sources like wind and solar are rebranding from planet-saving, emissions-reducing clean technologies to must-haves for energy security and peace-of-mind. The narrative is shifting around the world due to a confluence of factors, but it’s perhaps most visible across Europe.

1 month ago | ciphernews.com | Anca Gurzu

Rising electricity demand from artificial intelligence data centers is boosting the share of European investments in early-stage clean technologies that focus on power and energy, according to a recent report from lobby group Cleantech for Europe. More than half (53%) of the investments into early- and mid-stage EU cleantech companies in the first quarter of 2025 were in the energy and power sector, up from 34% in the last quarter of 2024.

1 month ago | ciphernews.com | Anca Gurzu

Nothing lays bare the risk the Trump administration’s trade war poses to the United States and the rest of the Western economy quite like critical minerals. Rare earth elements, as well as lithium, graphite, silicon, nickel and other minerals, are all crucial to clean energy technologies, such as electric vehicles and wind turbines. Many are also key components in defense technologies, like drones and stealth war planes.

2 months ago | ciphernews.com | Anca Gurzu

The United States and China account for 80% of the projected growth in electricity consumption from data centers by the end of the decade, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). As artificial intelligence becomes an increasingly important pillar in our day-to-day lives, demand for electricity to power all that AI is expected to rise. Power consumption from data centers in the U.S. is set to increase 130% to 425 terawatt hours (TWh) by 2030 compared to 2024 levels.