Energy
Humankind has an insatiable appetite for energy that has put the planet in a very precarious position environmentally, but is also one of the main drivers of prosperity and improved living standards. New Atlas keeps you up to date with the latest breakthroughs in the energy sector, from the expanding field of renewable energy production to the exponential rise of battery technology and the slow march towards cold fusion.
Latest News
-
So far as feedstocks for the production of biofuels go, kelp is a highly promising one on many fronts, and a new technology promises to boost its credentials even further by maximizing its exposure to both sunlight and nutrients. -
In order to promote hydrogen developments outside its own product lineup, Toyota has packaged up a fuel cell module you can buy more or less like a crate engine, ready to plumb into whatever device you'd like to power with hydrogen.
-
Scientists have made a breakthrough in the way we study this plasma, managing to trap an ultracold form of it in a magnetic "bottle" for the first time, an achievement that could act as a springboard for research into nuclear fusion energy.
-
Scientists have made a breakthrough around how lithium-metal batteries function at ultra-low temperatures, building a version that relies on weak bonds in its electrolyte to offer unprecedented performance in the cold.
-
The steel industry is responsible for around 8 percent of all global carbon emissions annually, and decarbonizing it will require an enormous effort. H2GS plans to lead the way with the world's largest fossil-free steel plant, using green hydrogen.
-
A new project in the Australian Outback will trial an innovative technique for converting solar energy into hydrogen by capturing moisture from the air and splitting it via hydrolysis, making it possible for hot, arid areas to become energy exporters.
-
Now is the time, says a new report commissioned by the US Dept of Energy, for "urgent" government and private sector investment in a pilot fusion power plant on US soil by 2040. The report also lays out the key technical challenges that need solving.
-
Scientists at the University of Illinois Chicago have found a catalyst that allows the methane in natural gas to be converted into methanol at room temperature, providing a far less energy-intensive option than current solutions.
-
A new Hydrogen Council report sheds some light on Hydrogen's rise as a green fuel source. Green H2 production prices are falling faster than expected, and some 228 projects are in the pipeline globally, most of which were announced in the last year.
-
BP and Chevron have led a US$40 million investment round for a Canadian startup that claims to have developed a unique way to extract energy from geothermal heat on demand, using an unpowered looping fluid design that's already prototyped in Alberta.
-
Owing to its abundance and low cost, lead is an alternative battery material with plenty of appeal, and scientists have just demonstrated how it can form the basis of a new anode that offers far greater storage capacity than graphite.
-
Denmark's Vestas is looking to become an industry leader in offshore wind, and has introduced the V236-15.0 MW turbine to take the fight to GE. The new design's blades offer the largest swept area in the world.
