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.
Top News
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China has approved what is set to become the biggest hydropower dam complex in the world, capable of producing nearly three times as much power as the current record-holder, the Three Gorges Dam. -
A new report has assessed the feasibility of deploying small modular nuclear reactors to meet increasing energy demands around the world. The findings don't look so good for this particular form of energy production. -
Minesto's fully operational Dragon 12 looks like some sort of futuristic military drone – but it behaves remarkably like a kite underwater. It uses lift generated by tidal flows to fly patterns faster than the currents, harvesting renewable energy.
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Latest News
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January 18, 2025 | Abhimanyu GhoshalSwiss researchers claim to have devised a functional living battery powered by the combined efforts of two types of fungi – all in a biodegradable, non-toxic 3D-printed package to run sensors for agriculture and environmental research. -
January 16, 2025 | Michael FrancoSince founding TerraPower in 2008, Bill Gates has had his eye on developing a safe, efficient, and clean next-gen nuclear plant. That project, called Natrium, has already broken ground in Wyoming and has just leaped over a critical hurdle. -
January 07, 2025 | Joe SalasNYC will soon be getting its own personal offshore wind farm. The Empire Wind 1 project has received a $3 billion project financing package and is expected to go online in 2027, powering roughly half a million borough residents. But what's the catch? -
December 27, 2024 | Joe SalasThe first and largest of its kind: a 30 MW, pure-hydrogen electrical generator called the Jupiter One just completed its first successful full-system test. -
December 22, 2024 | Joe SalasNo, this isn't the return of Marvel's Iron Man. Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) has announced plans to build the world's first grid-scale fusion power plant near Richmond, Virginia. -
December 16, 2024 | Abhimanyu GhoshalIn the latest bid to greenify ammonia production, researchers have built a portable device to cheaply produce ammonia wherever it's needed by simply using air at room temperature and standard atmospheric pressure. -
December 14, 2024 | David SzondyAs a way to keep small natural gas power plants operating in anticipation of a hydrogen economy, the German Aerospace Center and Power Service Consulting have tested a way for micro-turbines to burn hydrogen, gas, or both. -
December 14, 2024 | Michael FrancoBy commandeering smart thermostats and water heaters and sipping power from in-home EV chargers, virtual power plants are being formed across the country. Here's how they work and how they help green energy efforts. -
November 26, 2024 | Abhimanyu GhoshalMonash University researchers' new lithium-sulfur battery tech delivers roughly twice the energy density of lithium-ion batteries, as well as speedy charging and discharging – enabling the sort of power delivery that's critical for eVTOL flight. -
November 19, 2024 | Paul RiddenBack in 2022, Eco Wave Energy announced plans to relocate its wave energy array from Gibraltar to the Port of Los Angeles. Now the company has secured final approval for what will become the first onshore wave energy project in the US. -
November 16, 2024 | Michael FrancoIn Kentucky, bourbon demand is expected to double in the next five years, while the state's cattle population has reached its lowest point since 1951. Here's how these facts could combine to turn bourbon distilleries into a new source of biofuels. -
November 14, 2024 | Michael FrancoLithium-ion batteries power everything from our vape pens to electric cars, but they have one glaring issue: they rely on lots of hard-to-harvest lithium. A new reactor from Rice University is set to make the whole process easier and safer. -
November 10, 2024 | David SzondyUK startup Space Solar has signed an agreement with Reykjavik Energy that could see Iceland become the first country to receive power beamed from a space-based solar power plant. The 30-MW demonstrator is scheduled to go online by 2030. -
October 26, 2024 | Joe SalasImagine your local nuclear plant is a zero-emissions cozy community center. Oklo’s Aurora microreactor could make this vision a reality – delivering clean power to remote areas with a "fire-and-forget" reactor that runs 20 years without refueling. -
October 23, 2024 | Joe SalasChina, the undisputed global leader in wind energy, has just set another world record for the tallest and highest capacity offshore wind turbine, taller than the Eiffel Tower, The Chrysler Building, and longer than the longest US aircraft carrier.
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