Energy
Humankind's insatiable appetite for energy has put the planet in a very precarious position environmentally, but it also drives 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 nuclear fusion.
Latest News
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The US federal government has given the green light to the country's largest offshore wind farm to date, and one that will greatly expand its capacity to generate this form of renewable energy by adding 800-MW to the mix. -
Scientists have come up with a promising new design for an experimental battery, one which they say could lead to electric cars that charge in as little as 10 minutes, by combining a sandwich-style layered construction with a solid electrolyte.
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The US Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Kairos Power have announced a new agreement to build Kairos' Hermes low-power demonstration molten-salt cooled, pebble-bed reactor at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
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Perovskite solar cells can suffer from stability issues and quickly deteriorate during use, but scientists at Brown University have come up with a way of addressing this by targeting a weak point with something they call molecular glue.
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Scientists are investigating more eco-friendly chemistries for batteries, and a team at Texas A&M University has just put forward an interesting candidate, demonstrating a metal-free battery that can be placed in acidic solutions to degrade on demand.
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The NSW Government has funded Australia's first dual-fuel-capable power plant to the tune of US$64 million. The Tallawarra B project will initially run on natural gas, but will be gradually upgraded to burn green hydrogen over coming decades.
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A new design out of Washington University in St Louis demonstrates a promising path forward for sodium batteries, with the team producing a device that is smaller and less expensive than lithium batteries, without compromising on performance.
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We've already heard about renewable energy systems that use aerial kites to generate electricity via the wind. Well, the Manta system is kind of similar, although it uses an underwater kite that "flies" in tidal or river currents.
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California is set to be home to two new compressed-air energy storage facilities – each claiming the crown for world’s largest non-hydro energy storage system. Developed by Hydrostor, the facilities will have an output of 500 MW and capacity of 4 GWh.
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Scotland's Orbital Marine Power has completed the build on what it claims will be the world's most powerful operational tidal turbine. It's now on its way to the Orkney Islands, where it'll have a chance to prove its worth connected to the grid.
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It's going to take decades to get aviation, shipping and long-haul transport down to zero emissions – but an interim solution is about to hit the market that can clean up big transport straight away, with no fleet changes – albeit in a strange way.
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One thing holding back perovskite solar cells is an intrinsic instability and a vulnerability to the elements. Scientists believe they may have found a solution to this hiding in hair swept up from the floor of a local barbershop.
