Powering AI, Mining Lithium, and Evaluating Solar Geoengineering
Big tech signs on for green tech, On Point’s “Elements of Energy” series, solar geoengineering
This week, the New York Times reported that two big tech companies, Meta (Facebook’s parent company) and Google, are investing in renewable energy sources to power their servers. Brad Plumer, who writes about technology and policy, reported on Monday about Meta’s announcement that it is partnering with Sage Geosystems, a Texas-based geothermal energy start-up. What makes Sage Geosystems unique, according to its chief executive, is its experimentation with a new type of geothermal energy process that is “basically the same fracking technology” that is already familiar, but they would be creating a renewable source of power instead of extracting material permanently. In addition, the New York Times article reports that Google has joined up with a different geothermal energy start-up, Fervo Energy. Plumber’s takeaway is that “support from climate-conscious tech companies could be crucial as geothermal start-ups navigate the risks of getting early projects built,” since they are not receiving as much government support as explorations of hydrogen power and nuclear power.
On Point’s Meghna Chakrabarti, who has a science background and was a fellow at the Metcalf Institute for Environmental Reporting, is leading a five-part series on the mining industry and its challenges, in supporting renewable energy technology. The first episode focused on lithium mining which is needed to produce the lithium-ion batteries used in electric cars and other technologies. The lithium episode features an informative interview with Scott Lake, Nevada staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. Lake discusses the various methods for extracting lithium and the environmental impacts.
Chakrabarti also speaks with people from Kings Mountain, North Carolina, site of the first ever functioning lithium mine. Kings Mountain supplied the world with lithium from 1938 to 1988, when the mine was closed due to low demand. Due to higher demand again and new policies, it is set to reopen. According to Chakrabarti, “the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act comes with hefty EV tax credits, but they only apply if the materials used to make the vehicles, batteries included, come from the United States or nations in free trade agreements with the U.S.” This time though, there are concerns in Kings Mountain about making sure the community is properly protected from the effects of a future closure and that the community and workers receive fair compensation for their role in supplying lithium to other industries.
On the Energy Policy Now podcast last month, an episode titled Navigating the Geopolitical Risks of Solar Geoengineering considered a future in which the sun is temporarily blocked out by artificially produced clouds that would, for example, mimic a post-volcano cooling period on Earth. According to one scientist interviewed, this approach would buy some time by slowing climate change, but is not useful unless long-term solutions are also implemented.
The episode also explores the potential effects on different populations, since this would be a global approach that doesn’t just affect one country or region. While there are no specific plans in the pipeline to implement solar geoengineering, its pros and cons are increasingly being discussed in policy circles, as one possible way of slowing climate change if it can’t be mitigated in time by other means. The podcast, which is produced by UPenn’s Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, “offers clear talk on the issues that define our relationship with energy and its impact on society and the environment,” according to their website.
Green Tech Update provides context about news in green technology innovations and public policy changes related to the environment and climate change.
NOTES
Big tech:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/26/climate/meta-facebook-geothermal-fracking-energy.html
On Point:
https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2024/03/07/elements-of-energy-mining-for-a-green-future
Solar Geoengineering:
https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/podcast/navigating-the-geopolitical-risks-of-solar-geoengineering/