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Submerged in about 40 meters (44 yards) of water off Scotland’s coast, a turbine has been spinning for more than six years to harness the power of ocean tides for electricity a durability mark that demonstrates the technology’s commercial viability. Keeping a large, or grid-scale, turbine in place in the harsh sea environment that long is a record that helps pave the way for bigger tidal energy farms and makes it far more appealing to investors, according to the trade association Ocean Energy Europe. Tidal energy projects would be prohibitively expensive if the turbines had to be taken out of the water for maintenance every couple of years. Tidal energy technologies are still in the early days of their commercial development, but their potential for generating clean energy is big. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, marine energy, a term researchers use to refer to power generated from tides, currents, waves or temperature changes, is the worlds largest untapped renewable energy resource. The MeyGen tidal energy project off the coast of Scotland has four turbines producing 1.5 megawatts each, enough electricity collectively to power up to 7,000 homes annually. On Thursday, the Swedish company SKF announced that its bearings and seals on one of the turbines had passed the 6 1/2-year mark without needing unplanned or disruptive maintenance. It has been working closely with the industry for a decade on design and testing. Achieving six years in the water with constant operations is a very significant milestone that bodes well for the future of tidal energy, said Rémi Gruet, CEO of Ocean Energy Europe. Scotland and the United Kingdom are global leaders in tidal energy. The MeyGen site, operated by SAE Renewables, has been sending electricity to the grid for about eight years. There are very few tidal energy projects generating electricity continuously. Most have been tests and demonstrations, said Andrea Copping, an expert in marine renewable energy development. Copping said there are still large hurdles to overcome before tidal energy can be adopted more widely, such as dealing with regulatory issues, potential environmental effects and conflicts with other ocean users. Still, the Scotland project seems to have addressed the question of whether the turbines can last in seawater, added Copping, a distinguished faculty fellow in the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs at the University of Washington. I think they have checked the boxes, she said. Because skeptics, and that includes investors of course and governments, said, How on Earth are you going to operate these things especially for any length of time in this very tough environment? And thats what I think they proved. It’s very hard to take what is essentially a wind turbine normally found on land and put it under water, said Fraser Johnson, operations and maintenance manager at MeyGen. The record-setting turbine should keep going for at least another year before it needs to come out of the water for maintenance, he added. The four turbines are in the Inner Sound of the Pentland Firth, a narrow channel between the Scottish mainland and Stroma Island known for strong tidal currents. Tidal energy systems need strong currents to make electricity efficiently. MeyGen plans to add 20 turbines in 2030 to produce more electricity, after needed upgrades to the electricity grid are finished. The site could eventually hold as many as 130 turbines that are more powerful than those at the site today. The MeyGen site is in the open water, while another type of tidal project involves creating a dam-like structure called a barrage across tidal waters. With four turbines, MeyGen is considered the largest tidal energy project of its kind worldwide, said Johnson. It’s a title we wish we didn’t have. We want more, we want others, he said. Unfortunately others are having difficulty achieving what MeyGen has achieved. But working with SKF moving forward, we’ll push the industry forward. ___ The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. Jennifer McDermott, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
Racist AI-generated videos are going viral on TikTok, according to a new report from Media Matters for America, a progressive watchdog group. The videos, which appear to be created with Googles AI video generation tool Veo 3, are filled with racist tropes targeting Black people, immigrants, Jews, and Asian people. Each video has gained hundreds, thousands, or even millions of views. The nonprofit media watchdog identified the Veo watermark in the corner of the clips, along with hashtags, captions, or usernames referencing Veo 3 or AI. Veo 3, launched by Google in May, allows users to generate AI video clips and audio using only a text prompt. Videos made with the tool are limited to eight seconds. Each clip flagged by Media Matters lasted eight seconds or was composed of multiple segments that were each eight seconds or less. Among the clips flagged by Media Matters, one labeled Average Waffle House in Atlanta depicted a restaurant filled with AI-generated monkeys holding buckets of fried chicken and watermelona scene steeped in racist imagery. That video, and others like it, amassed hundreds of thousands of views and were met with comments that echoed and amplified the stereotypes. Additional videos uncovered by Media Matters include antisemitic tropes, reenactments of concentration camps, and racist portrayals of immigrants and Asian people. Some feature AI-generated Bigfoot characters, a social media trend that began with a humorous intent but has since been co-opted to dehumanize minority groups. The Verge reported that some of the same videos highlighted by Media Matters were also found on YouTube, though they received significantly fewer views there. Wired found similar content on Instagram. TikTok’s policies state that it will not recommend content that contains negative stereotypes about a person or group with a protected attribute, and that it uses a combination of technology and human moderators to detect and remove accounts and content that break our rules. Google also states it will block harmful requests and results with its Veo 3 feature. Fast Company has reached out to Google and TikTok for comment. With tools like Veo 3, producing photorealistic AI videos has never been easier. The same is true for using AI-generated content to spread disinformation and target marginalized communities.
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E-Commerce
After more than a week of threats, Elon Musk formally launched the America Party over the July Fourth weekend, a move that not only creates a third political party he says will represent the silent majority of Americans but one that also officially marks his break from the Trump administration. It is, in some ways, a stunning reversal from just a month and a half ago, when Musk was still “first buddy” to Trump and wearing hats that read “Trump was right about everything.” Now, the world’s richest man has declared himself a political opponent of the Republican Party and attracted some notable backers. Starting a political party and effecting real change, however, are two very different things. While the America Party will presumably have plenty of funding, convincing voters en masse to support a candidate who isn’t Republican or Democrat may be easier said than done. Heres a look at Musks America Party and some of the hurdles it faces. Who is supporting Musk’s America Party? Musk says an online poll he ran on whether he should start a third political party showed a two-to-one preference in favor. The poll, though hardly scientific, was conducted on X.com. Still, the passage of the budget bill made it virtually certain that this was happening. By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy.Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom. https://t.co/9K8AD04QQN— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2025 Since then, a few notable figures have shown what appears to be support for the America Party. Mark Cuban has offered advice on how to get candidates on ballots, and former Trump communications director Anthony Scaramucci said he would “like to meet to discuss” the party with Musk. I work with @voterchoice . They will help you get on ballots. That is their mission. https://t.co/o4ERVGwQNH— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) July 5, 2025 What seats will the America Party target? Musk hasn’t offered specifics yet but said the party could be “laser-focus[ed] on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts. Given the razor-thin legislative margins, that would be enough to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws.” He has not said whether the party will run a presidential candidate in 2028. Will the America Party be able to get on ballots? Cuban referred Musk to the Center for Competitive Democracy, whose mission is “to strengthen American democracy by increasing electoral competition.” That may help, but both state and federal requirements must be met before a party or candidate can appear on a ballot. This will likely require gathering a large number of petition signaturesthough Musk could potentially achieve that by hosting rallies and repeating the financial giveaways he used in the 2024 election and the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. It’s worth noting that no third-party candidate managed to appear on every state ballot during the 2024 presidential race. When is the last time a third party won electoral votes? Its been a while. George Wallace of the American Independent Party was the last third-party presidential candidate to win electoral votes, in 1968. Other notable third-party candidates since then, such as Ross Perot and Ralph Nader, won significant portions of the popular vote but failed to secure any electoral votes. Does Musk have the political strength to make the America Party a threat? Thats the big questionand one without a clear answer. Musks endorsement certainly helped Trump win in 2024, but his involvement with DOGE, along with blunt remarks about politicians and federal employees, alienated many who once idolized him. He also tried to influence voters in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race earlier this year, but the election went firmly to Democratsa result many political observers saw as a sign of Musks waning influence. Musk certainly has the financial means to support the America Party. The bigger question is whether his involvement will prove to be beneficial or a liability. Who will run for office as an America Party candidate? So far, no potential candidates have publicly aligned themselves with Musks new party. Does the formation of the America Party benefit Republicans or Democrats more? Right now, the odds are fairly low that America Party candidates will outperform both Republican and Democratic opponents, mainly because the party is so new and lacks a clearly defined platform (aside from Musks opposition to the budget bill and national debt). Given Musks previous alignment with conservatives, the America Party is likely to siphon votes from MAGA-aligned candidates and Republicans. While nothing is certain, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to benefit from having an America Party candidate on the ballot.
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E-Commerce
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