Hot July Weather Seen Pressuring Europe's Power Supplies

Hotter weather in Europe this summer risks driving up demand while causing output from hydropower and nuclear plants to fall, according to research firm Energy Aspects.
Higher-than-usual temperatures across western Europe next month could add about 3 gigawatts of extra demand, it said, while generation from hydro and nuclear power is expected to take a hit of a similar dimension.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

TechCrunch

an hour ago

• TechCrunch

Nvidia wants in on the nuclear renaissance, invests in Bill-Gates backed TerraPower

TerraPower, the nuclear startup founded and backed by Bill Gates, announced a new $650 million funding round this week. The investment will help the company build its first commercial power plant. Like other nuclear startups, TerraPower has been riding a wave of interest from hyperscalers, data center developers, and, now, chip designers. Nvidia's venture arm, NVentures, participated in the round, marking its first energy investment. Bill Gates and HD Hyundai, both already on the cap table, also invested. TerraPower started building its first power plant in Wyoming in June 2024. The company doesn't have approval for the reactor itself, though it expects to receive permits sometime next year. Given the Trump administration's benign attitude toward nuclear, that timeline seems reasonable. When complete, TerraPower's first reactor will generate 345 megawatts of electricity, striking a middle ground between today's massive conventional reactors and tomorrow's promised small modular reactors. TerraPower's Natrium reactors are cooled not by water but by molten sodium. The Natrium design uses far more sodium than is required to cool the reactor. That's by design: when demand is low, the reactor can continue operating, heating sodium that is then stored in large tanks. When demand rises again, the steam turbines can draw heat from the stored sodium. Because nuclear power plants don't easily ramp up and down, this allows the Natrium reactors to continue operating at a steady state. Techcrunch event Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW The storage system is designed to produce up to 500 megawatts of electricity for more than five hours, helping to fill gaps in solar and wind generation. The startup previously pursued a different reactor design, which it hoped to complete by the mid-2020s. But after uncertainties mounted, it changed course to pursue the current Natrium design. TerraPower claims it can complete a reactor within three years after the first batch of concrete is poured for the reactor. Still, considerable site preparation and construction needs to happen before that occurs. And while there are signs that the first Natrium reactor will be cheaper than recent U.S. reactors, it won't be cheap: the Associated Press reported last year that the bill could reach $4 billion, half of which could be shouldered by the Department of Energy.

Wall Street Journal

an hour ago

• Wall Street Journal

Europe Sees Its Own Ports as Vulnerable in Standoff With Russia

President Trump has demanded Europe spend more on its militaries. The continent is answering the call—in part by broadening its definition of what counts as military spending. Fearing a full-scale war with Russia, the European Union and NATO planners are homing in on the continent's ports as potential chokepoints should the military alliance need to rush large numbers of troops to its eastern border. Governments are boosting their traditional military outlays, but also looking to factor spending on infrastructure and transport hubs into their military budgets.

TechCrunch

an hour ago

• TechCrunch

Deezer starts labeling AI-generated music to tackle streaming fraud

Deezer announced on Friday that it will start labeling albums that include AI-generated tracks as part of its efforts to combat streaming fraud. The company reports that about 18% of the music uploaded each day — more than 20,000 tracks — is now fully AI-generated. Although most of these tracks don't go viral, Deezer says around 70% of their streams are fake and that they are designed to earn royalties fraudulently. To combat this, AI-generated tracks on Deezer are now clearly tagged. These tracks also won't appear in editorial playlists or algorithm-based recommendations, and fraudulent streams are being filtered out of royalty payments. The company says the new labels will be a game changer in helping listeners determine the difference between human-created music and AI content. Image Credits:Deezer Deezer notes that for now, AI-only songs make up just 0.5% of all streams on its platform, but that the trend is growing fast. 'We've detected a significant uptick in delivery of AI-generated music only in the past few months and we see no sign of it slowing down. It's an industry-wide issue, and we are committed to leading the way in increasing transparency by helping music fans identify which albums include AI music,' said Deezer CEO Alexis Lanternier in a press release. 'AI is not inherently good or bad, but we believe a responsible and transparent approach is key to building trust with our users and the music industry,' he continued. 'We are also clear in our commitment to safeguarding the rights of artists and songwriters at a time where copyright law is being put into question in favor of training AI models.' Techcrunch event Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW The move comes as Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music Entertainment are reportedly in talks to license their work to AI startups Udio and Suno. The startups are being sued by the record companies for copyright infringement, and any deal would help to settle lawsuits between them, Bloomberg reported earlier this month.