Technologies

White House outlines plan for solar to make up almost half of US electricity by 2050

By midcentury, 45% of electricity in the country could come from solar energy, according to a new government report.

The White House on Wednesday published the Solar Futures Study, a new report that details ambitious plans to shift US energy reliance on fossil fuels to solar power. According to the study, 3% of the country’s electricity came from solar panels as of 2020. The new plan proposes a dramatic jump to 40% solar energy by 2035 — and 45% by 2050.

The report arrives as the US deals with damage from Hurricane Ida that caused over a million people to lose power. Hundreds of thousands of homes still don’t have power following the high winds and flooding that first hit Louisiana on Aug. 29. Extreme weather events like these are exacerbated by human-caused climate change.

The study, created by the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, further outlines what would need to happen in order to meet these long term goals. Solar panel usage would have to increase by 30 gigawatts per year on average until 2025, by 60 GW per year from 2025 to 2030 in order to reach 1,000 GW by 2035 and, ultimately, 1,600 GW by 2050.

For reference, there are 1 billion watts in 1 gigawatt. An iPhone charger uses 20 watts; microwaves typically range from about 600 to over 1,000 watts. One gigawatt of power is equivalent to that of 110 million LED bulbs, over 3 million solar panels or 1.3 million horses.

A standard American home needs between 20-25 solar panels to run entirely on solar energy. If 1 GW is equal to roughly 3 million solar panels, 1 GW could theoretically power over 100,000 homes. We’re going to need a lot of solar panels: enough to cover 0.5% of the land surface area of the contiguous US, according to the report. Many of these will go on roofs, but others could be on «disturbed or contaminated lands unsuitable for other uses.»

«The study illuminates the fact that solar, our cheapest and fastest-growing source of clean energy, could produce enough electricity to power all of the homes in the US by 2035 and employ as many as 1.5 million people in the process,» Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said in the announcement.

The Solar Futures Study is just one element of the Biden administration’s sustainability plan. On his first day in office, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to rejoin the Paris Climate accord, a multilateral agreement to limit global temperature increases and reduce the impacts of climate change. The administration has also signed executive orders related to the climate crisis and announced plans for half of all new car sales to come from electric vehicles by 2030.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Sunday, Dec. 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 14.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s fairly easy, but 1-Across will make you think. Read on for the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Stringed instrument that becomes an exclamation if you switch its second and third letters
Answer: VIOLA

6A clue: Place for unread emails
Answer: INBOX

7A clue: Back of a 45 record
Answer: BSIDE

8A clue: Olympic fencing event
Answer: EPEE

9A clue: Emergency call in Morse code
Answer: SOS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Good ___ only
Answer: VIBES

2D clue: Bit of creative motivation, for short
Answer: INSPO

3D clue: Theater awards since 1956
Answer: OBIES

4D clue: Ore deposit
Answer: LODE

5D clue: Tool for a firefighter or lumberjack
Answer: AXE

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Dec. 14, #447

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Dec. 14, No. 447.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition has a purple category that could be super-easy, if you spot the connection right away. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Enjoy the game.

Green group hint: Look up there!

Blue group hint: Remember the Alamo.

Purple group hint: The worldwide leader in sports.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Information on a ticket.

Green group: Things in the sky at sporting events.

Blue group: Members of the San Antonio Spurs.

Purple group: Where the initialism «ESPN» came from

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is information on a ticket. The four answers are date, row, seat number and section.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is things in the sky at sporting events. The four answers are blimp, fireworks, flyover and skycam.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is members of the San Antonio Spurs. The four answers are Barnes, Castle, Fox and Wembanyama.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is where the initialism «ESPN» came from. The four answers are entertainment, sports, programming and network.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Dec. 14, #917

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Dec. 14, #917.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is an odd one in that the purple category, usually the toughest, was the easiest — if you know a certain group of fictional animals. If you need help sorting them into groups, you’re in the right place. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Butter up.

Green group hint: Like The Little Match Girl.

Blue group hint: Letter that makes no sound.

Purple group hint: Oink!