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
-
Floating artificial leaves produce fuels from water, air and sunlight
August 17, 2022Leaves are impressive machines, converting sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into energy. Cambridge scientists have now created artificial leaves that can float on water, tapping into sunlight above it and water below to efficiently produce fuels. -
TAE on track for billion-degree hydrogen-boron fusion by early 2030s
August 12, 2022Some fusion projects aim to create hundred-million degree working temperatures in magnetically confined plasma. The CEO of TAE Technologies tells us his team's aiming for 10 times that temperature, targeting cheaper, easier and safer boron fuel. -
Climate bill includes massive, game-changing green hydrogen incentives
August 10, 2022The US Inflation Reduction Act is poised to kickstart a global hydrogen revolution. Among the bill's many climate-focused provisions are tax credits that will make American green hydrogen the cheapest H2 in the world, as low as US$0.73 per kilogram. -
Influit moves to commercialize its ultra-high density liquid batteries
August 09, 2022Illinois Tech spinoff Influit Energy says it's coming out of stealth mode to commercialize a rechargeable electrofuel – a non-flammable, fast-refuelling liquid flow battery that already carries 23% more energy than lithium batteries, at half the cost. -
Dead-bug biofilm creates powerful evaporation battery
August 02, 2022Wearable electronics could soon be powered by dead microbes. New research out of UMass Amherst has demonstrated a biofilm that generates electricity from sweat, harnessing the corpses of dead bacteria – and it's at least as effective as a battery. -
Powdered sodium battery design promises a 15% leap in energy density
August 02, 2022An exciting candidate when it comes to alternative battery chemistries is sodium-ion, and a research team in Russia has developed a novel battery of this ilk that boasts some impressive energy density, and may also be resistant to low temperatures. -
US nuclear regulator greenlights its first small modular reactor
August 01, 2022The first generation-IV nuclear reactor design has been approved for certification by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. NuScale's small modular reactor design promises safe, clean energy at radically reduced cost, land use and installation time. -
Blowhole wave energy generator exceeds expectations in 12-month test
July 31, 2022Wave Swell Energy's remarkable UniWave 200 is a sea platform that uses an artificial blowhole formation to create air pressure changes that drive a turbine and feed energy back to shore. After a year of testing, the company reports excellent results. -
EAT's Si+ lightweight hydrogen powder: Your questions answered
July 27, 2022Hydrogen transport and generation powder Si+ was announced last week, causing quite a stir with its promise of making renewable energy incredibly cheap, convenient and safe to transport. Naturally, you had questions – here are the company's responses. -
Another hydrogen transport powder emerges, promising double the density
July 21, 2022Stir this silicon-based powder into water, and hydrogen will bubble out, ready for immediate use. Hong Kong company EPRO Advance Technology (EAT) says its Si+ powder offers an instant end to the difficulties of shipping and storing green energy. -
All-in-one solar tower produces jet fuel from CO2, water and sunlight
July 20, 2022Taking carbon dioxide, water and sunlight as its only inputs, this solar thermal tower in Spain produces carbon-neutral replacement versions of diesel and jet fuel. It's a pilot plant, proving a new all-in-one sustainable fuel production process. -
Earthgrid aims to re-wire the USA using super-cheap tunnel tech
July 20, 2022Bay Area startup Earthgrid says it's developing a plasma boring robot that can dig underground tunnels 100x faster and up to 98% cheaper than existing tech, and it plans to use it to start re-wiring America's energy, internet and utilities grids. -
Film captures wasted wavelengths of light to boost solar cell efficiency
July 19, 2022Solar cells still have plenty of room for improvement. Researchers at New York University Tandon have now developed thin film that boosts solar cell efficiency by converting wasted wavelengths of light into ones that can produce energy. -
Mechanochemical breakthrough unlocks cheap, safe, powdered hydrogen
July 18, 2022Australian scientists say they've made a "eureka moment" breakthrough in gas separation and storage that could radically reduce energy use in the petrochemical industry, while making hydrogen much easier and safer to store and transport in a powder. -
Algae biopanel windows make power, oxygen and biomass, and suck up CO2
July 11, 2022Beautifully designed, energy-generating bio-panels that suck up carbon dioxide and pump out biomass for use as fuel or fertilizer – that's the idea behind Mexican startup Greenfluidics and its nanotech-enhanced microalgae bioreactor building panels.
Load More