Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 8h

🇪🇺 Europe is investing about $600 million in #CleanEnergy and electricity #infrastructure across Africa, from #microgrids to transmission lines, aiming to boost access to power and shift away from fossil fuels. ⚡🌍

Europe Pledges $600 Million for Clean Energy Projects in Africa

The EU’s Global Gateway plan is challenging China’s Belt and Road Initiative to influence Africa, by providing funding that will expand access to electricity.

www.wired.com

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Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 8h

Hydrogen and batteries power ‘first-of-its-kind’ California microgrid

Interest in hydrogen fuel cells has grown as data centers and other large-load customers seek alternatives to diesel generators, said Frank Wolak, president and CEO of the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energ...

www.utilitydive.com

Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 8h

Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association built a first-of-its-kind #microgrid in a small California town that uses #hydrogen fuel cells + #batteries instead of diesel, letting the community run off clean power for backup. It’s meant to show how future energy systems might ditch fossil fuels.⚡🔋

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Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 8h

The #Wired magazine is featuring an article on how 🇦🇺 Australia is transitioning away from coal and building a power grid that runs almost entirely on #renewable energy. It details how it's grid is backed by #storage, smart transmission and #grid-stability tech. 🌞🔋

Australia’s March Toward 100 Percent Clean Energy

The country’s grid operator says shifting from coal to clean power is not only possible but inevitable. The work there could provide a road map for other countries.

www.wired.com

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Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 23h

Scientists and engineers are deploying AI-powered robotic #beehives that can monitor, care for, and protect bee colonies from climate stresses (like heat, disease, and food shortages) to help reduce hive losses and support #pollination. 🐝

How robotic beehives use AI to protect bees from climate change

A robotic beehive from startup Beewise is using AI to protect bees from the various impacts of climate change. Essential bee colonies are dying off quickly.

www.cnbc.com

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Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 1d

World's first solar-powered furnaces unveiled to recycle luxury steel

A company in Switzerland has built solar-powered furnaces to recycle metal waste from the watchmaking industry using clean energy.

interestingengineering.com

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Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 1d

🇨🇭 A Swiss company has built the world’s first #solar-powered #furnaces to make fully recycled #steel using clean energy 🔆🔥. The pilot systems will recycle high-grade steel waste from local watchmaking and medical industries known for precision and sustainability 🕰️🏥🔩.

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Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 1d

MacKenzie Scott Donates $50M to Nonprofit Boosting Native Student Scholarships

Native Forward receives a $50 million gift from MacKenzie Scott, one of the largest-ever donations to a Native nonprofit, aimed at boosting scholarships.

observer.com

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Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 1d

💖 Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated $50 million to the #NativeForwardScholarsFund, which supports scholarships for #Native students 🎓🌾. It’s one of the largest-ever gifts to a Native #nonprofit, following her $20 million contribution in 2020 🙌🏽💫.

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Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 1d

Vogue publisher Condé Nast stops showing fur in all editorial and advertising | CNN

Vogue will no longer feature “new animal fur in editorial content or advertising,” according to updated guidelines on the website of its parent company, Condé Nast.

www.cnn.com

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Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 1d

#Vogue has ended the use of fur across all 29 editions, a major cultural turn for luxury fashion. The policy follows years of advocacy from #animal-welfare groups and reflects a wider industry pivot toward ethical, innovative materials

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Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 1d

Global Safety Research Center

Gallup's Global Safety Research Center measures countries' progress toward achieving the United Nations' goal for peaceful, secure societies.

www.gallup.com

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Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 1d

🌍 Gallup’s 2025 Global Safety Report shows 73% of people feel safe walking alone at night, the highest level ever recorded 🚶‍♀️🌙. After a pandemic dip, perceptions of safety rebounded in 2024, led by gains across Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and Africa 💪🏽✨.

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Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 1d

Burkina Faso raises the legal age for marriage to 18 years old

Burkina Faso has adopted the bill for the new Personal and Family Code (CPF), changing the minimum legal age for marriage to 18 years old for both girls and boys.

www.girlsnotbrides.org

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Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 1d

🇧🇫 Burkina Faso has raised the legal marriage age for girls to 18, aligning with global human-rights standards 👩🏽‍⚖️✨. The move crowns years of advocacy, with child marriage rates already dropping from 51% to 38% between 2015 and 2021 💪🏽🌍💐.

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Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 1d

Nigeria launches large-scale vaccination campaign to protect 106 million children against measles, rubella and polio

Abuja – Nigeria is rolling out one of the largest integrated vaccination campaigns in its history, aiming to protect around 106 million children against measles, rubella and poliomyelitis. The nationw...

www.afro.who.int

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Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 1d

🇳🇬 Nigeria has launched its biggest-ever public health campaign, aiming to immunize 106 million children against measles, rubella, and polio by 2026 💉👶. The drive unites vaccines and child health services under one program, brings care to remote areas and boosts data, logistics and transparency 📊🚐🌍.

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Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 1d

As the energy transition ramps up, a global philanthropic coalition has secured $4.2 billion to expand #renewables and energy access across Africa 🌎 🔌⚡🔋.

Renewable energy alliance mobilizes $4.2B for green projects in Africa

The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet has already financed projects such as solar minigrids in Nigeria.

www.semafor.com

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Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 1d

New England’s very last coal-fired power plant shut down three years early because it just wasn’t economical 🔌🌱, and now the site may turn into a #CleanEnergy hub with #solar and #batteries.

New England’s final coal plant shuts down years ahead of schedule

Poor economics drove the aging New Hampshire plant offline three years early, even as the Trump administration pushes to revitalize coal.

www.canarymedia.com

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Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 2d

🇦🇺 Australia could soon see its first-ever day without coal, much sooner than expected 🌞💨⚡. With ageing coal plants giving way to #wind, #solar, and #batteries, analysts say 100% #renewables is now within reach by 2035 🌏🔋🌿.

As coal fades, Australia looks to realize dream of 100% renewable…

The country’s grid operator says shifting from coal to clean power is not only possible but inevitable. The work there could provide a road map for other…

www.canarymedia.com

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Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 2d

Designers are creating shoes made entirely from #bacteria-grown materials (PHAs), with no petrochemicals or glue, so they can fully #biodegrade and leave (almost) no footprint 🌱👟

Step forward the ‘fully biodegradable’ shoe that leaves no footprint

Made from organic materials and designed to return harmlessly to the earth, could this be the end of landfill-bound footwear?

www.positive.news

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Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 2d

Germany 🇩🇪 is extending the tax exemption for new battery #electric cars until 2035 to give buyers and the auto industry more certainty and push forward the shift toward greener transportation 🚗🔋

Germany Extends EV Tax Exemption to 2035 in Bid to Accelerate Green Transition

**Berlin, Germany** – In a significant move aimed at further accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and reinforcing its commitment to climate goals, Germany has announced plans to extend...

chronicleai.org

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Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 2d

Engineers are developing #solar-powered and #weak-grid-tolerant #refrigerators backed by a new IEC standard to help people in places with unreliable electricity still keep food and medicines cold 🌞❄️

Solar fridges for the developing world

As climate change leads to more electricity blackouts and brownouts, the reliability of everyday refrigeration is at risk. A new IEC Standard, together with solar innovations in Africa and Asia, demon...

www.pv-magazine.com

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Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 2d

The International Energy Agency says global #renewable power capacity is expected to double by 2030, with nearly 60 % of that growth coming from China 🇨🇳 thanks to a surge in #solar, #wind, and clean tech development 🌍⚡

World renewable power capacity set to double by 2030

Global renewable power capacity is on track to double by 2030, the International Energy Agency said on Tuesday, with nearly 60 percent of the growth projected to come from China, whose record-setting ...

www.chinadaily.com.cn

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Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo @0lsi.bsky.social · 4d

Scientists at #Caltech have built a 6,100 #qubit neutral-atom system that works at room temperature and holds quantum #superposition for 12.6 seconds, setting a new record for scalability and coherence in quantum computing. 😮🔬

Quantum record smashed as scientists build mammoth 6,000-qubit system — and it works at room temperature

A new system, made by splitting a laser beam into 12,000 tweezers and trapping 6,100 neutral atom qubits, hit new heights for coherence times.

www.livescience.com

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