Daily Debrief · Weekend edition

West Somerset Lagoon would harness renewable energy for UK’s AI boom – and create ‘iconic’ arc around Bristol Channel The architect of the London Eye wants to build a vast tidal power station in a 14-mile arc off the coast of Somerset that could help Britain meet surging electricity demand to power artificial intelligence – and create a new race track to let cyclists skim over the Bristol Channel. Julia Barfield, who designed the Eye and the i360 observation tower in Brighton, is part of a team that has drawn up the £11bn proposal. It would curve from Minehead to Watchet and use 125 underwater turbines to harness the power of the second-highest tidal range in the world. Continue reading...

Supply chain shortages drive developers to use smaller and less efficient power sources to fuel AI power demand

Over the holiday period, the Guardian leader column is looking ahead at the themes of 2026. Today we look at how the struggle to adapt to a dangerously warming world has become a test of global justice The record-breaking 252mph winds of Hurricane Melissa that devastated Caribbean islands at the end of October were made five times more likely by the climate crisis. Scorching wildfire weather in Spain and Portugal during the summer was made 40 times more likely, while June’s heatwave in England was made 100 times more likely. Attribution science has made one thing clear: global heating is behind today’s extreme weather. That greenhouse gas emissions warmed the planet was understood. What can now be shown is that this warming produces record heatwaves and more violent storms with increasing frequency. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Exploration falls to lowest level since oil and gas were discovered in UK basin 60 years ago

Power producers pivot to battery storage to save unprofitable solar farms

Elon Musk says Tesla's automated software will allow its passengers to text in certain conditions.

GreenPowerMonitor, a DNV company, has announced a new contract with Equinor for use of GPM Horizon in its onshore renewable energy portfolio, which can enhance operational efficiency and asset performance.

We’ve been logging a handful of big EV statistics lately, but one nearly snuck under our noses. It’s an amazing one, and it also brings us back to a years-long rivalry. But I’ll wait until the end to circle back to that. First of all, thanks to reader Madan Rajan, ...

Trade unionist Paul Nowak says he wants to see the "closest possible" economic relationship with the EU.

A handful more partnerships between robotaxi companies and ride-hailing apps have popped out in recent days and weeks. Baidu x Lyft & Uber in London First of all, we’ve got Baidu partnering with Uber and Lyft in London. Uber and Lyft testing of the Baidu Apollo Go robotaxi system is ...

Gert Vinther Jørgensen, CEO of Norlys, is concerned about the many cyber attacks that occur every day against critical infrastructure.

The Renault Filante Record 2025 has set a new efficiency record for electric cars, an achievement that will benefit its future cars.

The auto world has been changing fast, but it is likely to change a lot more in the coming 5–10 years. The market is going to keep electrifying, whether legacy automakers like it or not. Furthermore, after decades of simple driver-assist technologies like cruise control, we are venturing into a ...

In our recent Winter 2025 issue of Energy Global, Matteo Saglia, Flyability, Switzerland, answers the question: How can drones help maintain critical energy infrastructure?

Secondhand tobacco smoke and routine tasks such as operating the stove shown to be biggest emitters of indoor pollution in UK homes Christmas and New Year is a time when many people will be at home. Being indoors can give us a degree of protection from outdoor air pollution, but it can also trap pollution we produce inside our homes. Risks from secondhand tobacco smoke are well known and the effect is perhaps best seen by comparison of health data before and after indoor smoking bans. A study of 47 indoor smoking bans in public spaces found hospital admissions for heart attacks decreased by an average of 12%, but people are less aware of other indoor pollutants and how to minimise them. Continue reading...