How We Got the Lithium-Ion Battery

It took decades of research, performed around the world, before a practical lithium-ion battery was possible.

Developers drop out of Appalachian hydrogen hub over strict carbon emission caps

Several of the initial development partners balk at the terms of a federal tax credit that places restrictions on the amount of carbon in the hydrogen production process.

Why Are Cooling Towers Shaped Like That? — Practical Engineering

[Note that this article is a transcript of the video embedded above.] This is not smoke. And this isn’t a smoke stack (at least not the kind we normally think of). It serves a totally different purpose at a power plant than smoke stacks whose job is moving combustion products…

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The Secret, Magical Life Of Lithium

One of the oldest, scarcest elements in the universe has given us treatments for mental illness, ovenproof casserole dishes and electric cars. But how much do we really know about lithium?

The US experienced staggering growth in solar and wind power over the last

With gains in solar and wind, 22 percent of the nation's electricity comes from renewables, bringing the country closer to its climate goals.

Chart: US sets new record with $71B in clean energy investment

In the first quarter of this year, private investors poured 40% more money into clean energy and electric vehicles than they did in Q1 2023.

Coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, is preparing for a long goodbye

Output hit a record last year, and producers expect a future where coal will be required to balance renewable energy for decades.

Turning abandoned mines into batteries | IIASA

A novel technique called Underground Gravity Energy Storage turns decommissioned mines into long-term energy storage solutions, thereby supporting the sustainable energy transition.

The One Climate Policy All 2024 Candidates Support Is Actually Terrible

Ethanol is a comically inefficient form of solar energy—and a toxic one. Putting regular solar panels on some of that land would be better.

Electric Hydrogen is the green hydrogen industry’s first unicorn

Investors have historically been skeptical of green hydrogen. High production costs, expensive infrastructure builds, competition with batteries and

Startup Building Zinc-Based Alternatives to Lithium Batteries Granted $400M

The underbelly of electric vehicles

Mining and processing the minerals needed to meet the growing demand for EVs can be costly for workers, local communities and the environment.

Scientists Made An Artificial "Cloud" That Pulls Electricity From Air

A new prototype compatible with a wide range of materials could grab a continuous supply of renewable energy from the air.

‘It was an accident’: the scientists who have turned humid air into renewab

Tesla speculated electricity from thin air was possible – now the question is whether it will be possible to harness it on the scale needed to power our homes

Magnetohydrodynamic Drive – Silent Water Propulsion

DARPA, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is now working on developing a magnet-driven silent water propulsion system - the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) drive. The primary reason is to develop silent military naval craft. Imagine a nuclear submarine with an MHD…

This startup wants to make nuclear energy huge by making its reactors tiny—

“In one week [in March], we sold more nuclear power plant contracts than any company in all of history,” says @LastEnergy CEO Bret Kugelmass.

Why Copper and Nickel Are the Key Metals for Energy Utopia

I’m in Wyoming to celebrate the next nuclear breakthrough

Bill Gates writes about visiting Kemmerer, Wyoming, the future site of the fourth-generation Natrium nuclear power plant being designed by TerraPower.

Thoughts on Electricity Storage | Turkeys in the Desert

Energy storage – both home-scale and utility-scale – has become more relevant as the use of renewable energy for electricity generation proliferates. It is particularly topical recently, as the Inflation Reduction Act includes tax credits specifically targeting energy storage…

Biden Expected to Move Ahead on a Major Oil Project in Alaska

The decision would allow an enormous $8 billion drilling project in the largest expanse of pristine wilderness in the United States.

Super Hot Sand Could Help Us Store Renewable Energy

It’d be much cheaper than lithium battery storage.

When Coal First Arrived, Americans Said 'No Thanks'

Back in the 19th century, coal was the nation's newfangled fuel source—and it faced the same resistance as wind and solar today

Why clean energy needs financial engineering

Plus: Hydrogen pipelines, Advanced Market Commitments, and what made solar energy cheap

The Quest for Fusion Energy

Despite repeated claims that the prospects for commercialization have never looked brighter, the stark reality is that practical fusion-based electric power remains a very distant prospect.

A new heat engine with no moving parts is as efficient as a steam turbine

Engineers at MIT and NREL have developed a heat engine with no moving parts that is as efficient as a steam turbine.

The excruciatingly long, slow ‘death’ of coal – Grid News

The happiest number I've heard in ages - by Bill McKibben

Doing the right thing makes other right things happen

Gravity Could Solve Clean Energy’s One Major Drawback

Finding green energy when the winds are calm and the skies are cloudy has been a challenge. Storing it in giant concrete blocks could be the answer.

Oil System Collapsing so Fast it May Derail Renewables, Warn French Governm

Forget ‘peak oil’. Nafeez Ahmed reveals how the oil and gas industries are cannibalising themselves as the costs of fossil fuel extraction mount

SoftBank’s first bet in energy storage is a startup that stacks concrete bl

So far, most large investments in energy storage have gone to companies building lithium-ion batteries. SoftBank's newest bet changes that.

Renewables generated more electricity than coal for the first time in US hi

King Coal is being dethroned, and faster than forecast.

How Much Energy Can You Store in a Stack of Cement Blocks?

It's not a trick question: You can make a battery out of concrete by storing gravitational potential energy.

As Economics Improve, Solar Shines in Rural America

Declining costs have helped some of the country's smallest electricity providers expand their use of solar in highly innovative ways

This technology could fundamentally change our relationship to electricity

An “operating system” for power could double the efficiency of the grid.

Age of Invention: The Coal Conquest

There was no shortage of trees

Nuclear Zeitgeist Part 1: A Reactor Primer

AI takes a lot of power. Why did we stop it again? Today's deeper dive on Nuclear power and why I think it will power AI in the future.