Environment

Covering an area of 6.5 million square meters, VW's huge manufacturing facility in Wolfsburg uses two cogeneration plants that provide it with heat and power.Krisztian Bocsi | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesThe CEO of Volkswagen told CNBC Wednesday that the German automotive giant was keeping its options open in terms of how it powers its huge manufacturing plant in Wolfsburg, admitting coal would still be needed due to ongoing tensions between Russia and Europe.Speaking to CNBC's Annette Weisbach, VW chief Herbert Diess was…

Straddling the border between Brazil and Paraguay, Itaipu commenced electricity production in 1984. The technological upgrades being planned for the site are set to take 14 years.Tifonimages | Istock | Getty ImagesGE Renewable Energy has signed a deal that will see it carry out upgrades to the 14 gigawatt Itaipu hydropower plant, a vast facility straddling the border between Brazil and Paraguay.In a statement earlier this week, GE Renewable Energy said its Hydro and Grid Solutions businesses had signed a contract related…

Sudanse workers test a new electric tuk-tuk. Sudanese entrepreneur Mohamed Samir watches proudly as workers assemble garishly coloured rickshaws, unique in the North African nation because they run on electricity in a bid to tackle soaring costs. In Sudan, three-wheeler vehicles—tuk-tuk rickshaws for…

Peter Thiel has properties all over the world but a proposed luxury lodge in New Zealand may not come to fruition.Marco Bello | Getty ImagesThe future of Peter Thiel's luxury lodge on New Zealand's South Island hangs in the balance after a senior planner for the local council said the tech billionaire's development should be rejected on environmental grounds.In a 978-page report published Monday, Sarah Gathercole, a senior planner for Queenstown Lakes District Council, recommended that planning permission be refused as…

A newly hatched piping plover chick stands next to one of its parents, Monty or Rose, at Montrose Beach on July 10, 2021.John J. Kim | Tribune News Service | Getty ImagesSpaceX must take steps to track and mitigate its impact on endangered species and their habitat in order to gain approvals for testing and commercial launches of its Starship Super Heavy lift-launch vehicle in Boca Chica, Texas, according to documents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service obtained by CNBC.The documents, released by the federal agency in…

SpaceX's Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.Michael Sheetz | CNBCSpaceX is expanding the solar farm at its Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, according to documents obtained by CNBC from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.The FWS documents, known as a draft biological conference and opinion (BCO), reveal that SpaceX is increasing the size of its on-site solar farm by 1.7 acres, or about 30%, making the solar array a total of 7.1 acres. The company has begun clearing and leveling for construction at the site already.Elon…

BODEN, Sweden — Tucked away in snowy Swedish Lapland is a modern-day gold mine. But instead of picks and shovels, it's filled with thousands of computers.These machines, known as mining rigs, are working around the clock to find new units of cryptocurrency — in this case, ethereum, the second-largest token globally.To do so, they must compete with others around the world to find the answer to a complex math puzzle, which grows in difficulty as more and more computers, known as "miners," join the network. The aim is to…

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks about climate change and protecting national forests on Earth Day at Seward Park in Seattle, Washington, April 22, 2022.Jonathan Ernst | ReutersThe Biden administration on Monday announced it will begin a $3.1 billion plan to boost domestic manufacturing of batteries, in a broader effort to shift the country away from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles.The electrification of the transportation sector will be critical to mitigating human-caused climate change. The transportation…

Some of the biggest names in bitcoin — including Jack Dorsey, Tom Lee, and Michael Saylor — have banded together to refute claims made by House Democrats calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the environmental effects of crypto mining.Bitcoin operates on a proof-of-work (PoW) mining model, meaning that miners around the world run high-powered computers to simultaneously create new bitcoin and validate transactions. Proof-of-work mining, which requires sophisticated gear and a whole lot of…

Hydrogen packs a lot more punch than lithium-based batteries. India's federal minister Nitin Gadkari (second from left) seen here launching the country's first green hydrogen-based advanced fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), Toyota Mirai, at his residence in March.Hindustan Times | Hindustan Times | Getty ImagesThe sun's searing heat can be punishing on summer days and India's enormous coastline makes it a challenge to defend. But vast amounts of water and abundant sunlight have opened a path to green energy that could…