Lifeboat Foundation

WASHINGTON: The most powerful solar storm in more than two decades struck Earth on Friday (May 11), triggering spectacular celestial light shows in skies from Tasmania to Britain — and threatening possible disruptions to satellites and power grids as it persists into the weekend.

The first of several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) — expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun — came just after 1,600 GMT, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Space Weather Prediction Center.

It was later upgraded to an “extreme” geomagnetic storm — the first since the so-called “Halloween Storms” of October 2003 caused blackouts in Sweden and damaged power infrastructure in South Africa. More CMEs are expected to pummel the planet in the coming days.

Hysata raised $111 million from investors including BP to scale its technology, which could help lower the cost of the clean-burning fuel.

An algorithm can monitor the health of retired vehicle batteries used to store surplus power fed into the electrical grid.

The natural vein structure found within leaves—which has inspired the structural design of porous materials that can maximize mass transfer—could unlock improvements in energy storage, catalysis, and sensing thanks to a new twist on a century-old biophysical law.

Hydrogen energy is considered a promising solution with high energy density and zero pollution emissions. Currently, hydrogen is mainly derived from fossil fuels, which increases energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, hindering efforts to achieve carbon neutrality goals.

From the archive:

Each year the average American consumes more than 23 barrels of petroleum products. What does a lifetime of fossil fuel consumption look like?

Researchers used X-ray diagnostics for deeper plasma temperature insights.

The fusion reaction plasma carried 15 percent more energy and had twice the density than before, the researchers said.

Researchers in China have developed a water-based battery, which is claimed to be much safer and energy-efficient than “highly flammable” non-aqueous lithium batteries.

Interestingly, the researchers say that these new batteries will be twice as energy-dense as traditional lithium-ion options. This holds the potential to revolutionize the electric vehicle industry.

Moreover, aqueous batteries use water as the solvent for electrolytes, enhancing their safety. Traditional non-aqueous lithium-ion batteries have a high energy density, but their safety is compromised due to the flammable organic electrolytes, a component that allows the battery to charge and discharge, they utilize.

Astronomers still don’t know what causes fast radio bursts, but they’re starting to use them to illuminate the space between galaxies.