1. Exowatt aims to repurpose old tech to deal with new AI power demand

Learning: "Large-scale energy storage today is dominated by lithium-ion batteries, which use an electrochemical reaction to pack away and discharge power. Exowatt, instead, stores solar energy in a thermal battery (a fancy term for a hot brick) that can hold its energy for up to 24 hours."

Implication: "The startup plans to sell its module directly to data center and crypto clients... It expects to begin deployments of its 40-foot container systems later this year. The 25-kilowatt electrical machines can be reserved for a $7,500 deposit."

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2. Study: EV charging stations boost spending at nearby businesses

Learning: "Charging stations for electric vehicles are essential for cleaning up the transportation sector. A new study by MIT researchers suggests they’re good for business, too.

The study found that, in California, opening a charging station boosted annual spending at each nearby business by an average of about $1,500 in 2019 and about $400 between January 2021 and June 2023. The spending bump amounts to thousands of extra dollars annually for nearby businesses, with the increase particularly pronounced for businesses in under resourced areas."

Implication: "While that might sound like a small amount per business, it amounts to thousands of dollars in overall consumer spending increases. Specifically, those percentages translate to almost $23,000 in cumulative spending increases in 2019 and about $3,400 per year from 2021 through June 2023."

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3. EPA issues first set of carbon storage draft permits for Texas

Learning: "The Environmental Protection Agency has issued draft permits to Occidental Petroleum subsidiary Oxy Low Carbon Ventures for three wells aiming to inject carbon dioxide deep underground in Ector County, Texas.

The trio of Class VI permits — which are focused on regulating the geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide — are the first of their kind to be issued to the Lone Star State, according to the EPA’s Sept. 4 press release. Obtaining this level of a permit is a rigorous, multi-year process tailored to ensure that underground sources of drinking water are not contaminated."

Implication: "The EPA said the three proposed wells, located at Occidental’s Stratos direct air capture plant in Ector County, will be able to store approximately 722,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually at a depth of around 4,400 feet."
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4. Sustainability Is Falling on the CEO To-Do List. Customers Still See It as a Priority.

Learning: "Sustainability and other environmental issues are dropping down the list of priorities for chief executives, even as consumer climate concerns are on the rise, according to a new report.

Artificial intelligence, growth, inflation and geopolitical uncertainty are now the top issues for CEOs as they plan their strategies, Bain & Co. said in a report out Monday. At the same time, 60% of consumers are more concerned about climate change than they were two years ago, mainly because of their own personal experiences of extreme weather, the report found."

Implication: "Bain said that customers and business-to-business companies are demanding more when it comes to sustainability, with 36% of the latter saying they would switch suppliers if they didn’t meet their sustainability expectations...

The Bain report also found that Generation Z consumers, usually defined as those born between 1997 and 2012, were more interested in sustainability and willing to pay premiums for goods and services that met with their own beliefs."

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5. AI-powered tool by Google helps cities deploy effective solutions to brutal urban heat

Learning: "Google Research is leveraging artificial intelligence to help cities combat extreme heat. The team's newly developed Heat Resilience tool analyzes satellite and aerial imagery to assist urban planners in quantifying the potential impact of cooling interventions. It's an AI-powered system that uses object detection and other models to assess elements such as green space coverage and roof reflectivity. This granular approach allows city officials to visualize the effects of strategies like planting more trees and adding cool roofs with highly reflective surfaces."

Implication: "Currently being piloted in 14 US cities, the Heat Resilience tool is already informing policy decisions. Miami-Dade County, for instance, plans to use insights gleaned to incentivize heat mitigation measures in new property developments. Meanwhile, Stockton, California, employed an earlier version of the tool to identify potential urban heat island reduction projects."