Stephan: More good news on the transition out of the carbon energy era. This trend is picking up momentum, as the commitment to make this change becomes stronger and stronger. Notice also that this Polish firm was founded by a woman scientist based on her own research.
Saule Technologies has received funding from Poland’s green energy leader Columbus Energy and multimillionaire Japanese investor Hideo Sawada.
A Polish company on Friday launched the world’s first industrial production line of solar panels based on groundbreaking perovskite technology, which could revolutionise access to solar power.
Named after the Baltic goddess of the sun, Saule Technologies makes sheets of solar panels using a novel inkjet printing procedure invented by company founder Olga Malinkiewicz.
“We’re scaling up, going from laboratory to production line,” said Malinkiewicz, whose firm is based in the southern city of Wroclaw.
The cutting-edge technology has been in the works for close to a decade but the plant opening comes at a fortuitous time, as the EU member is experiencing a solar boom.
Poland has long relied on coal for most of its energy needs but under an EU plan to cut emissions, its mines are set to shut by 2049.
Photovoltaic panels coated with perovskite film are light, flexible and can easily be fixed to almost any surface to produce electricity even inside buildings.
Manufacturing costs are down thanks to the inkjet printing procedure for […]
Stephan: There were many competitors today but I had to choose one because I did not want to give over an entire issue of SR to Republican scummery. Here is today's winner of the Republican Scum Award, Trumper Jason Miller, and his scumminess is particularly deserving of the award.
Senior Donald Trump advisor Jason Miller has been ordered to pay Gizmodo Media Group $41,868.23 following a failed defamation lawsuit.
Today’s Republican Scum Award,Jason Miller Credit: Fox News/screen grab
“The ongoing custody battle between former Trump campaign operatives Jason Miller and A.J. Delgado has taken another nasty turn: In an explosive new court filing, Delgado’s legal team alleges that Miller—prior to their own high-profile extramarital romance—carried out an affair with a woman he met at an Orlando strip club. Additionally, the court documents claim, when the woman found out she was pregnant, Miller surreptitiously dosed her with an abortion pill without her knowledge, leading, the woman claims, to the pregnancy’s termination and nearly her death,” Katherine Krueger reported.On the Raw Story Podcast: Marcus Flowers Marjorie Taylor Green’s worst nightmare
“According to the court documents—which were filed in Miami-Dade […]
Stephan: The Covid pandemic has severely stressed America's illness profit system, and its international manifestation and brought the pharmaceutical industry's imperfections into stark focus. Its financial structure is insane, and has nothing to do with fostering wellbeing. But for a few people, it is unbelievably profitable. Here is the confirming data.
Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel, left, and BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin.
Vaccine billions
BioNTech, which received €325 million ($397 million) from the German government for the development of the vaccine, said it is committed to supplying low-income countries with its vaccine at cost. “We all know that no one will be safe until everyone is safe,” the company added.In a statement shared with CNN Business, it said that complex manufacturing processes and the length of time it takes to build new factories are among the major obstacles to increasing the global supply of vaccines. “Patents are not the limiting factor,” it said.BioNTech made a net profit of €1.1 billion ($1.3 billion) in the first three months of the year, largely thanks to its share of sales from the Covid-19 vaccine, compared with a loss of €53.4 million ($75.9 million) for the same period last year.
Stephan: Here is what I see as a major data point on a good news emerging trend: electronic aircraft. I cann see first short hop commercial flights, then long haul. The positive impact on earth's biosphere is going to be enormous.
Beta Technologies ALIA-250 electric aircraft, image courtesy Beta Technologies
The Vermont-based electric aviation startup Beta Technologies has just closed a Series A round of funding that brought in $368 million. The funding round was led by Fidelity Management & Research Company, and includes an investment from the high profile Amazon Climate Fund. What portion of the investment came from the Amazon fund is as yet unknown. The Amazon fund is a $2 billion pledge fund set to invest in sustainable technologies, and it has already made investments into companies such as battery and e-waste recycling company Redwood and electric vehicle company Rivian.
Beta Technologies Series A fund is the second round of funding the company has brought in during 2021. Earlier this year, it raised $143 million in private capital. The new round of funding sees the company reach a valuation of $1.4 billion, which gives it unicorn status. Beta now joins companies like Joby Aviation in the exclusive electric aviation billionaires club.
What is interesting about Beta Technologies in comparison to other eVTOL companies is that it is not totally focused on air […]
Stephan: Here is further confirmation of the point I made in yesterday's edition of SR concerning what I see as a change in international social consciousness concerning Israel. What the government has done, the choices Netanyahu has made, are an enormous miscalculation that is dispelling people's sense of tolerance and support for Israel.
People march through Central London during a pro-Palestinian rally and a protest against Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip in United Kingdom on May 22, 2021. A cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas reached with Egypt mediation took effect at 2 a.m. Friday. (Photo: David Cliff/Anadolu Agency /Getty
Nearly 200,000 people gathered in London Saturday for what organizers said was one of the largest demonstrations of solidarity with Palestinians in the United Kingdom’s history.
Organizers with the Stop The War Coalition, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Friends of Al-Aqsa, Palestinian Forum in Britain, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and the Muslim Association of Britain had planned the protest before Hamas and Israel reached a ceasefire that began early Friday after an 11-day bombing campaign targeting the Gaza Strip.
The attacks killed more than 230 Palestinians including dozens of children. Rockets launched by Hamas killed 12 Israelis, according to authorities.
The groups went ahead with the demonstration despite the ceasefire—which was brokered by diplomats from Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations—noting that “Palestinians in Gaza still face a 15-year long siege that entraps them and violates […]
