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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Solar power is everywhere in Pakistan—here’s what that looks like - Cipher News

1 week ago | ciphernews.com | Amena Saiyid

To say solar power is booming in Pakistan is an understatement. On a recent trip to my native country, I was overwhelmed by the omnipresence of solar energy in nearly every corner. Generous government policies are enabling cheap Chinese imports to flood the bazaars, turning solar energy into a commodity as accessible as mobile phones in Pakistan. Check out my coverage of how the growth of solar energy is transforming Pakistan and how that growth is built on imports of Chinese solar panels.
Solar power is transforming Pakistan

1 week ago | ciphernews.com | Amena Saiyid

KARACHI, Pakistan — Zahir Shah, a driver who works in a posh neighborhood here, was fed up. With nearly half his monthly salary going toward electricity bills, in April he used his savings to buy a solar panel and small battery to power his modest one-room home. It cut his bill in half. Shah is one of many Pakistanis turning to cheap Chinese solar panels to escape exorbitantly high electricity bills and the power outages common across the country’s fossil fuel-dominated grid.
Fake news causes headaches for Europe’s wind industry

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.
After years of historic growth, industrial cleantech investments falter

3 weeks ago | ciphernews.com | Catherine Clifford

Investments into low-carbon technologies in the industrial sector have grown enormously over the last four years, thanks largely to federal subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act and related new laws — but they’re starting to fall as Washington rolls back those same policies. Such investments include a sundry mix of nascent technologies, like clean hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuel and carbon management, aimed at cleaning up a range of industrial processes.
In a faraway region, winds and nature are powerful forces to balance

3 weeks ago | ciphernews.com | Bill Spindle

PUNTA ARENAS, Chile — The lone wind turbine that towered over us when journalist Patricia Garip and I recently visited the Haru Oni sustainable fuels project in southern Chile does a lot of work. It powers the production of hydrogen (from water) and drives a process that pulls carbon dioxide from the air (via a direct air capture facility). The plant puts those two ingredients together to produce methanol. That methanol can also be made into gasoline and aviation fuel.
Clean hydrogen’s tricky path to production

3 weeks ago | ciphernews.com | Bill Spindle |Patricia Garip

PUNTA ARENAS, Chile — Along the wind-battered Straits of Magellan in the far reaches of southern Chile, the final pieces of a unique demonstration project by Chilean energy company HIF were recently falling into place. The project’s sole wind turbine was getting a tune up. An electrolyzer, a machine that uses electricity to separate hydrogen from water, was up and running.
Global copper supplies won’t keep up with demand: report

1 month ago | ciphernews.com | Amena Saiyid

Global copper supplies will fall short of what the world needs to keep up with electricity demand growth over the next decade, according to the International Energy Agency’s latest outlook for critical minerals. Copper is a ubiquitous material in electronics of all types, including for clean energy. Demand for the metal is surging because it is a key component in electric vehicles, renewable energy technologies like wind turbines and solar panels and electricity transmission lines.
New horizons for nuclear power on the banks of Lake Michigan

1 month ago | ciphernews.com | Catherine Clifford

Eight years ago, the Palisades nuclear plant in Covert, Michigan was slated for closure. But today, it’s humming with activity. In an industry that has been stagnant for years, Palisades is getting a second act. Instead of systematically taking it apart as originally planned, hundreds of workers are bringing the plant back to life. It’s a sign of new investment and interest taking hold in the nuclear industry.
A behind-the-scenes tour of the world’s biggest nuclear power plant

1 month ago | ciphernews.com | Bill Spindle

KASHIWAZAKI, Japan — Seen from a distance down the beach, the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant — the largest nuclear power facility in the world — cuts a giant, sprawling presence along the coast. The highly secured grounds housing its seven reactors cover 4.2 million square meters. Its operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., or TEPCO, compares its size to 90 Tokyo Domes, the home stadium of Japan’s most successful baseball team, the Yomiuri Giants.
Sustainable aviation fuel gets off the ground

1 month ago | ciphernews.com | Bill Spindle

Production of sustainable aviation fuel is beginning to take off in the United States — but cleaner fuels still comprise a tiny slice of the overall fuel used in airplanes, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in aviation, one of the fastest-growing sources of emissions in many parts of the world, is a major challenge. Cross-country and international flights are especially emissions-intensive.