Cipher News

The term "Cipher" signifies zero, which resonates with us at Breakthrough because we have a challenging yet straightforward mission: to reduce the current annual emission of 51 billion tons of greenhouse gases to zero by the year 2050. Additionally, Cipher represents code. Our goal is to simplify intricate subjects related to the climate crisis, making them accessible to everyone from experts to those who simply want to stay informed and engaged. We distribute our newsletter every Wednesday morning, Eastern Time in the U.S. Additionally, we host a regular video series where we chat with influential figures and innovators in the field.

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Trump’s former FERC chair: Compromise key to AI energy race

4 days ago | ciphernews.com | Catherine Clifford

NEW YORK — Using solar energy plus battery storage, with natural gas as backup, is the only “plausible path forward” to meet surging energy demand from artificial intelligence data centers in the near-term, said Neil Chatterjee, a former top energy regulator during the first Trump administration. “If we’re genuinely in an AI race — and we need to win the AI race against the Chinese Communist Party — we need the power right now.
Why tariffs pose a bigger risk to renewable energy than fossil fuels

1 week ago | ciphernews.com | Catherine Clifford

Tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump will likely hit the supply chains for wind and solar much harder than supply chains for fossil fuels. Energy research company Rystad Energy shows this in the second edition of its “Trump and Energy” report, published in April, which analyzed supply chains for various fossil fuel and renewable sources of energy in the United States.
Five states lead on solar and wind manufacturing. Here’s why.

1 week ago | ciphernews.com | Jillian Mock

Just five states have received nearly half of all the investments into wind and solar manufacturing projects in the United States since 2018, according to a Cipher analysis. In the seven years ending in 2024, 118 solar manufacturing projects were announced nationwide, amounting to $26 billion in investments, according to an analysis of Cipher’s Cleantech Tracker. In the same period, 28 wind manufacturing projects were announced worth $5 billion.
U.S. oil exports have boomed — but could be leveling off - Cipher News

2 weeks ago | ciphernews.com | Bill Spindle

There are two things to note about the chart above. One is easy to spot; the other is less so. What leaps out is the sharp rise in U.S. oil exports after 2015. That’s when the United States Congress lifted prohibitions on exporting oil that had been in place since 1975. Equally important to note, though, is that exports grew only slightly in 2024. They hit a new record, barely, rising just 1%. That raises the question of where exports go from here. Forcefully upward, if Donald Trump has his way.
How China dominates critical minerals in three charts

2 weeks 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.
In Argentina’s vast and little populated middle, I saw the energy transition in action

3 weeks ago | ciphernews.com | Bill Spindle

NEUQUÉN, Argentina — Argentina is wrangling with the push and pull of the global energy transition, where opportunities and risks abound. That much was obvious during my three weeks of reporting recently in a nation with a turbulent political history, running from populist legends Juan and Evita Perón to today’s controversial President Javier Milei. I saw two faces of Argentina’s fast-expanding energy industry.
The U.S. and China drive data center power consumption

3 weeks 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.
How liquefied gas is remaking energy markets and climate risk

3 weeks ago | ciphernews.com | Bill Spindle

HOUSTON — A trio of countries has orchestrated the global trade in liquified natural gas as it’s grown into an energy mainstay for the world over the last 30 years. The Persian Gulf emirate of Qatar built the foundation, the United States has added flexibility and Japan is providing the demand. In the process, the shipped natural gas trade has reshaped worldwide energy markets and geopolitics.
Natural gas presents an energy transition puzzle

3 weeks ago | ciphernews.com | Bill Spindle

NEUQUÉN, Argentina — From his office deep in Argentina’s Pampas region, Gustavo Medele, the minister for mining and resources for Neuquén Province, puzzles over the future of natural gas. He’s far from the only one. Medele’s province sits atop what’s known as the Vaca Muerta, a geological formation that contains some of the world’s richest oil and gas reserves.
The U.S. imports virtually all its uranium for nuclear power

1 month ago | ciphernews.com | Catherine Clifford

The United States imports 99% of the uranium concentrate it needs to make fuel for its nuclear reactors — but that could be changing. The country’s 54 nuclear power plants produce about a fifth of all U.S. electricity. Most of the uranium they use is imported from Canada, Kazakhstan, Australia, Russia and Uzbekistan. But domestic uranium production has recently grown due to technological developments that bring U.S. mining costs down.