China's solar power can finally compete with coal

NASA found signs of persistent water vapor on a planet ripe for alien life, Putin may accept cryptocurrencies as payment in future transactions Oct 15, 2021 # Good morning. There's a real chance that life exists beyond Earth’s atmosphere, and if we look hard enough in the right direction, we might just find it. Some scientists say that place is Europa, where NASA has found signs of persistent water vapor — but, strangely enough, only in one hemisphere. Our next stops are China and Russia. Things are looking bright for China as solar has reached a point where it's cost-competitive with coal in the country. On the other hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin has acknowledged that cryptocurrencies have value, but we should take that with a grain of salt. This is The Blueprint. Keep reading. SCIENCE [NASA Found Signs of Persistent Water Vapor on a Planet Ripe for Alien Life]( [Jupiter's icy moon, Europa.]( Our Solar System may appear cold, lifeless, and bleak beyond Mars. But according to some scientists, Europa, Jupiter’s most enigmatic moon, might be hiding tiny, extraterrestrial organisms beneath its thick, icy crust. ​And now, a new study has revealed [Europa has more water vapor than we previously thought](. - A thin veil of water vapor. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope data, which stretches between 1999 and 2015, suggests Europa has a long-term and consistent presence of water vapor above its surface, and mysteriously, it's only present on one hemisphere. Water vapor has been observed on Europa before, but these instances typically involved plumes erupting extravagantly through the moon's ice. The new findings reveal similar amounts of water vapor, but dispersed over a far larger region in Europa’s trailing hemisphere — the section of the moon that constantly faces the opposite direction of motion along its orbit. We don't know what causes this asymmetry between the leading and trailing hemispheres yet. Chilled to the bone. The novel technique used to make the discovery [also found water vapor]( in the atmosphere of Jupiter's other moon, Ganymede, recently. However, the detection of a stable water abundance on Europa is a bit more surprising than on Ganymede, since Europa's surface temperatures are lower than its sister moon. Days on Europa can be unbearably cold, with brain-numbing temperatures as low as -260°F (-162°C). Move over, Mars. The finding serves as a prelude to tantalizing opportunities for new observations since this could have substantial implications for future missions to Europa, including probes like [NASA's Europa Clipper]( the European Space Agency's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE), and more. Whether or not these probes discover signs of life on Jupiter's moons, we will certainly learn more about the evolution of the Jovian system, which will teach astronomers more about other Jupiter-like planets orbiting faraway stars. [Read More]( INNOVATION [It's Official. China's Solar Power Can Finally Compete With Coal]( [A solar panel array under the setting sun.]( The best way to incentivize sustainable energy is to make it affordable, and the sharp drop in the price of photovoltaic systems has made solar capable of rivaling coal power in China. - Here comes the sun. [Researchers in China released an analysis]( indicating that solar has become cost-competitive with coal in the country. Furthermore, they claim that solar, when combined with storage equipment, could support nearly half of China’s energy needs by roughly 2050. The analysis takes account of economics, developing technology, solar resources, and the projected state of China's power grid from 2020 to 2060 to generate what the researchers dubbed the "technical potential", which is the amount of [solar energy]( that could be produced if all accessible sites were put to work to generate it. The estimations. In 2020, China's technical potential was nearly 100 petawatt-hours, or roughly 13 times the country's total electricity demand. And as technology continues to advance, the researchers think that technical potential could surge to nearly 150 PW-hr by 2060. Also, by 2022, over 80 percent of potential capacity could reach price parity, and the gap would widen further as solar prices continue to decline. It’s currently [$49.3 per MW-hr]( but the researchers expect it to fall to $13 per MW-hr by 2030 and $3 per MW-hr by 2060. Brighter than ever. Similar to other countries, China has seen the price of solar decline in the last decade, where, between 2011 and 2018, the cost fell 63 percent. In reaction to this plummeting price, solar installation has risen to unprecedented levels. Right now, one-third of the world's new solar capacity is being commissioned in China, with over 250 GW active. Crucially, the country has ambitions to reach net-zero emissions by 2060, and most likely, [it won't stop here](. [Read More]( CULTURE [Putin May Accept Cryptocurrencies as Payment In Future Transactions]( [Vladimir Putin.]( Russian President Vladimir Putin is making headlines in the crypto world after he tentatively [acknowledged that cryptocurrencies have value]( but that it's still too early to tell given their "unstable" nature. - Leaving the door open. In an interview with CNBC, Putin stated that cryptocurrency "has the right to exist and can be used as a means of payment." He also emphasized that it was too early to discuss the use of digital currencies for trading oil and other commodities, which account for the majority of Russia's exports. Putin also mentioned cryptocurrency's enormous energy usage as a potential impediment to their use. Cryptocurrency "mining" for Bitcoin, which involves complex computer operations to validate transactions, consumes around 121.36 terawatt-hours (TWh) every year, [putting Bitcoin ahead of Argentina in terms of electricity use](. Crypto in Russia. Digital currencies are not permitted to be used as a form of payment in the country, and the Bank of Russia has warned investors on many occasions that the crypto market is extremely volatile. Still, there don't seem to be any plans for a blanket ban like China's. The world of crypto. Looking at this year alone, Bitcoin has dipped and then gone back up in a matter of months. In February, Bitcoin surged past $50K for the first time ever, only to drop below $32K in May, before rocketing back to nearly $60K this month. Given the volatile behavior of cryptocurrency, many countries have been hesitant to fully invest. China has stepped up its anti-digital currency efforts, [making all cryptocurrency transactions illegal as of last month](. Time will tell where Russia genuinely stands on the issue, but for the time being, we’ll have to wait. [Read More]( QUOTE OF THE DAY “ In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion. ” Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays [Video]VIDEO OF THE DAY [How Electric Generating Tiles Power Streets and Collect Traffic Data]( Generate 7W of off-grid electricity with each step! [How Electric Generating Tiles Power Streets and Collect Traffic Data]( TODAY IN HISTORY In 2004, a 6.5-foot (3.2-m) chunk of a Chinese satellite crashed onto an apartment building in southwest Sichuan Province, China, shattering the roof and leaving a wreckage of shattered beams and bricks. There were no injuries since the incident occurred five minutes after the tenant left her home. The unit was returning to Earth when it reportedly crashed due to weather conditions and [mechanical issues in its propulsion system]( , whereas the scientific satellite from which it originated remained in its planned orbit. Watch out. According to [Mark Matney]( a scientist in NASA's Orbital Debris Program Office, the odds of any of the world's 7 billion people being hit by a piece of a falling satellite are 1 in 3,200. But the odds that you will take the fall is much lower; at 1 in several trillion. AND ANOTHER THING... - Skyhooks combine the best of ancient and future technology to make rockets redundant. [Here’s why they are so revolutionary](. - After predicting the COVID-19 pandemic, Bill Gates has now penned [what the world needs to do to achieve vaccine equity](. "If the world makes the right investments and decisions now, we can make things better next time. And maybe even make sure there is no next time at all," he says. (GatesNotes) - [Meet the USS Gerald Ford]( The most advanced carrier ever built, with a $13.3 billion production cost and some of the most cutting-edge technologies ever seen on a warship. - Hooking trees up to internet-connected sensors is providing a new way to study how they interact with their surroundings — and [how the public interacts with their tweets](. (The Conversation) - A group of Star Wars enthusiasts from Yakutsk, Siberia, has built a life-size model of the X-wing fighter of the Rebel Alliance, and [it's a sight for sore eyes](. - Memory, responsibility, and mental maturity have long been difficult to objectively explain in the legal system, but neuroscientists are beginning to detect patterns. [Coming soon to a courtroom near you]( (Knowable Magazine) - The U.S. military’s new Defiant X helicopter [could fly twice as fast as]( the high-profile Black Hawks, which can already reach speeds of 193 knots! - A fossil-fuel scramble is revealing energy markets in desperate need of a redesign. [This episode of The Economist Podcasts]( looks at what has to be done to secure a renewable future. Prepared by Derya Ozdemir and Brad Bergan Enjoy reading? Don't forget to forward to a friend! Was this email forwarded to you? [Subscribe]( [About Us]( | [Advertise]( | [Contact Us]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to our newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( to manage your newsletter subscriptions. © Copyright 2021 | The Blueprint is by Interesting Engineering, Inc. 201 Spear Street, Suite 1100 San Francisco, CA 94105 | All Rights Reserved [Interesting Engineering]