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Japan is aiming to become the first country in the world to beam solar energy from space back to Earth to generate electricity at scale. A public-private partnership led by Japanese space agency JAXA will see the first satellite transmitters set up by 2025, according to local reports, The satellites will convert solar power into microwaves and send them to ground-based receiving stations, which then convert it into electrical energy. “If we can demonstrate our technology ahead of the rest of the world, it will also be a bargaining tool for space development with other countries,” Kyoto University professor Naoki Shinohara told Nikkei. The concept, which was first theorised in 1968, has several advantages over terrestrial solar power setups, notably being able to harvest solar energy for much longer, unhindered by the Sun’s typical cycle. Microwaves are capable of passing through clouds, so the technology is also able to operate in adverse weather conditions. Japan has already achieved several firsts in this field, having been the first to transmit power via microwaves in space in the 1980s. In 2015, JAXA scientists followed this up with another breakthrough that saw 1.8 kilowatts of power beamed down to an Earth-based receiver – roughly enough to power an electrical kettle. Several other countries and regions are also working on the technology, with the European Space Agency unveiling a plan last year to test the viability of space-based solar power. The Solaris program aims to make Europe a global leader in this untapped energy resource, with the hope of setting up a development program in 2025. More research still needs to be done before it becomes feasible at a significant scale, though recent advances in high-efficiency solar cells, wireless power transmission and robotic in-orbit assembly mean that China and the US are also working on ways to tap the Sun’s energy from space. Among the concerns surrounding the technology are the health impacts of low-power microwaves on humans, animals and plants. “These are the kind of technical questions that Solaris will look into, to explore further the feasibility of the concept,” Sanjay Vijendran, ESA’s lead for the Solaris proposal, said last year. “As an added plus, any breakthroughs achieved in these areas will be valuable in their own right, applicable to many other spaceflight endeavours.” Read More Scientists break world record for solar power window material Huge ‘plume’ seen coming out of nearby moon that could support alien life Elon Musk meets Chinese foreign minister on first visit for three years Mitigating ‘extinction’ from AI should be ‘global priority’, experts say

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Twitter is refusing to stand by a $1 billion contract with Google to use its cloud hosting services, according to reports. Elon Musk’s company is in the process of moving away from Google Cloud before the contract expires on 30 June, Platformer reported, leaving the social media firm’s trust and safety teams in peril. The move appears to be part of radical cost-cutting measures that have been underway since Mr Musk’s takeover of Twitter in October 2022, which has already seen thousands of employees laid off and a reduction in infrastructure spending. The deal with Google Cloud relates to hosting services, which include protecting accounts and fighting spam on Twitter. The effort to move to a different platform is reportedly “running behind schedule”, which could potentially impact Twitter’s ability to detect and remove spam and child sexual abuse material. Twitter did not respond to a request for comment – the company’s PR team was effectively eliminated during the lay-offs – while Google is also yet to respond. A separate report from The Information last month claimed that Twitter also delayed payments to Amazon Web Services. The latest issues come after internal documents revealed that Twitter’s advertising revenue is down by more than half since Mr Musk’s takeover. The company’s main revenue stream was initially hit by advertisers withdrawing over concerns related to the direction of the platform and its leadership, though Mr Musk claimed in April that “almost all advertisers have come back or said they are going to come back”. Twitter’s valuation since Mr Musk bought the company for $44 billion has dropped to around $15 billion, according to estimates from investment firm Fidelity. Newly-appointed Twitter chief executive Linda Yaccarino, who took over from Mr Musk last week, has been tasked with improving relationships with advertisers, while Mr Musk focuses on “overseeing product, software and sysops as the firm’s chief technology officer. Read More Twitter ad sales down by more than half since Elon Musk takeover, report claims

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