Results for: Environment

Peak Energy, a U.S.-based company developing low-cost, giga-scale energy storage technology, has appointed Liam O’Connor as Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder. O’Connor joins the founding team as Peak Energy scales the first U.S. venture to advance proven sodium-ion battery technology to accelerate grid decarbonization and drastically reduce the cost of energy storage. The rise in AI is putting massive pressure on the grid – the energy needed to power AI tasks is accelerating with no end in sight. The world needs a reliable storage solution to support this growth in a sustainable way. Sodium-ion is the optimal solution for grid-scale storage, offering a safer, more cost-effective way to power the future of AI. With a clear opportunity to make sodium-ion a new clean storage standard, Peak Energy launched last year to industrialize sodium-ion battery systems and establish the U.S. as a global leader in the sodium-ion market. “Affordable and reliable energy storage is the key to unlocking the full potential of renewables, and sodium-ion is the proven, abundant, low-cost battery chemistry to make that a reality,” said Landon Mossburg, co-founder and CEO of Peak Energy. “Liam’s deep expertise in global operations and supply chain will be invaluable as we rapidly scale and begin deploying our sodium-ion systems next year.” As a member of Peak Energy’s founding team, O’Connor reunites with ex-Tesla colleague Mossburg and battery industry veteran, Cameron Patterson, President and Chief Commercial Officer, alongside a broader team with a track record of scaling some of the most iconic companies in energy, mobility, and batteries, including Tesla, Northvolt and Enovix. He brings two decades of operational leadership experience at some of the most successful technology companies in the world, including Tesla, Apple, and Lyft. O’Connor most recently was COO of Zipline, the world’s largest autonomous drone delivery service. At Zipline he oversaw global operations and scaling in eight countries and led core functions including manufacturing, supply chain, and quality. Before that he led Tesla’s global supply chain team and industrialization engineering, and before that managed the worldwide custom semiconductor and sensor supply chain at Apple. “Environmental, geopolitical, and market pressures are all pointing toward an urgent need for a reliable, stable and domestic solution to clean energy storage,” said O’Connor. “I’ve known this team for years, and we have the deep industry knowledge, technical expertise, and the conviction to make the U.S. the leader in sodium-ion battery technology. I’m looking forward to working with Landon, Cameron and the rest of the team to bring this vision to life at scale.” The addition of O’Connor comes on the heels of Peak Energy’s launch from stealth last year with a seed round led by Eclipse and the battery and energy leaders at TDK Ventures. Next year, Peak Energy will begin deploying its sodium-ion systems, while also establishing the first domestic giga-scale battery factory for sodium-ion, with plans to open in 2026.

The Energy Innovation Summit is a three-day event showcasing cutting-edge advancements in clean energy and providing a roadmap for a more sustainable future. Attendees will hear from industry leaders, policymakers, and investors who are driving disruption and innovation in various sectors, including transportation, energy production, and sustainability-linked financing. The Summit offers a platform for networking, collaboration, and knowledge sharing, fostering new partnerships and driving progress towards a greener and more sustainable world.

twentytwo & brand, a leading marketing agency specializing in the renewable energy sector, has been honored with two prestigious TITAN Business Awards for its outstanding work in the public relations and communications space. The agency received a Gold-level ranking for its PR & Communications in Energy, and a Silver-level recognition as “PR Agency of the Year”.

Aeromine Technologies, a pioneer in motionless rooftop wind energy solutions, has closed a significant funding round to expand its operations and drive the transition to clean energy. The funding will support increased production scale and global market development, enabling Aeromine to bring its innovative technology to a wider range of buildings and businesses.

In the sweltering state of Tabasco, Mexico, a devastating heatwave has claimed the lives of at least 138 howler monkeys since mid-May. The primates, known for their vocal roars, have succumbed to heatstroke as temperatures soared to unprecedented heights. Veterinarians and conservationists attribute the deaths to a combination of high heat, drought, forest fires, and logging, which have deprived the monkeys of water, shade, and sustenance. While efforts are underway to rehabilitate affected animals, the plight of these emblematic species highlights the urgent need to address the impacts of climate change on vulnerable ecosystems.

A deadly tornado ripped through Greenfield, Iowa, leaving a trail of destruction and claiming multiple lives. The storm ravaged the town, obliterating homes, uprooting trees, and crumpling cars. Rescuers searched for survivors amidst the wreckage, while the town’s hospital was among the buildings heavily damaged. The storm’s impact was felt across the region, with power outages affecting over 130,000 customers in Illinois and Wisconsin. Authorities have imposed a curfew and restricted media access to the town. The tornado is part of a larger weather system that has brought severe storms and tornadoes to multiple states, including Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska. The National Weather Service warns that more severe weather is possible in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri.

Gen Phoenix, a leader in sustainable material innovation, has partnered with Sabeti Wain Aerospace and Doy Design to launch the aviation industry’s first fully recyclable aircraft dress cover. The Circular Dress Cover is a breakthrough closed-loop solution that allows airlines to recycle 100% of their end-of-life seat covers into new seat cover material with no compromise on quality, durability or certification requirements.

The Circular Dress Cover is upholstered in Helios, a brand-new material innovation developed by Gen Phoenix. Helios is made using recycled end-of-life waste in a closed-loop process, that can continue to be recycled again and again. The Circular Dress Cover marks a paradigm shift in aircraft seating sustainability.

Current seat covers are traditionally made from a mix of non-recyclable materials that are hard to separate and end up in landfills or incinerated after their typical service life. In contrast, Gen Phoenix’s patent-pending technology allows airlines’ old seat covers to be fully recycled, in their entirety, and repurposed at the end of their lives through the company’s innovative process.

Early life cycle analysis shows the Circular Dress Cover reduces the carbon emissions footprint by approximately 30% as compared to traditional dress cover manufacturing. For a typical airline with 180 aircraft, it could prevent over 3 tons of landfill waste per year.

Gen Phoenix, Sabeti Wain Aerospace and Doy Design will debut the Circular Dress Cover at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, with widespread commercial availability targeted for early 2025.

Gen Phoenix, Sabeti Wain Aerospace, and Doy Design have partnered to introduce the aviation industry’s first fully recyclable aircraft dress cover. The Circular Dress Cover is a breakthrough closed-loop solution that allows airlines to recycle 100% of their end-of-life seat covers into new seat cover material without compromising on quality, durability, or certification requirements. This first-of-its-kind, fully circular cover is upholstered in Helios, a brand-new material innovation developed by Gen Phoenix using recycled end-of-life waste in a closed-loop process. The Circular Dress Cover marks a significant shift in aircraft seating sustainability, eliminating traditional non-recyclable materials that end up in landfills or incinerators. Through a take-back program, Gen Phoenix collects and recycles customers’ dress covers at the end of their useful life, breaking them down and rebuilding them, maintaining performance and passenger experience. Early life cycle analysis shows the Circular Dress Cover reduces the carbon emissions footprint by approximately 30% compared to traditional dress cover manufacturing. It could prevent over 3 tons of landfill waste per year for a typical airline with 180 aircraft. The Circular Dress Cover meets all performance specifications for aircraft seating, including the 12-second vertical burn certification. A new bio-based coating provides a premium soft touch for a luxury passenger experience while maintaining required durability.

Goth Day, celebrated annually on May 22nd, is a global event that acknowledges and supports the Goth subculture. It is a time for Goths to express their unique identity and appreciate their shared interests in music, fashion, art, and lifestyle. Despite facing prejudices and discrimination, Goths have remained resilient and continue to embrace their distinct aesthetic, which is characterized by an embracing of darkness, melancholy, death, and rebellion.

Researchers at the University of Groningen have made a groundbreaking achievement by developing an AI sarcasm detector. This innovative technology combines acoustic parameters, speech recognition, and sentiment analysis to accurately discern the presence of sarcasm in text. The AI was trained using the Mustard database, featuring examples from popular TV shows like ‘The Big Bang Theory’ and ‘Friends.’ The researchers believe this technology has immense potential for improving human-AI text interactions, detecting abuse and hate speech, and enhancing sentiment analysis and emotion recognition in various domains, including healthcare.