Energy
Energy powers civilization. Developing technologies that can deliver abundant, sustainable energy is the challenge of our time and the promise of our future. Failure is not an option.
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Digital technology can cut global emissions by 15%. Here’s how.
The grand challenge for humanity is to ensure that groundbreaking technologies have a clear purpose for our planet.
Massive turbine turns deep ocean currents into electricity
Deep ocean currents could be an economically viable source of clean energy, based on a recently wrapped demo in Japan.
Portugal set to start up Europe’s largest floating solar park
Floating panels don’t require costly real estate and those on reservoirs used for hydropower are particularly cost effective.
Humans have big plans for mining in space
What’s holding us back from mining in space when we have such big plans already? The sheer cost, for one thing.
Lasers could cut lifespan of nuclear waste from “a million years to 30 minutes,” says Nobel laureate
If no solution is found, we’re already stuck with some 22,000 cubic meters of long-lasting hazardous waste.
Real cheese without the cow
Biotech startup Formo uses genetically modified microorganisms to produce a completely lab-grown milk that can be made into cheese.
Why haven’t plastic-eating bacteria fixed the plastic problem yet?
Texas scientists have created an enzyme that could keep billions of pounds of plastic out of landfills.
What foods will 9.3 billion people be eating in 2050?
Algae, fried insects, and exotic lab-grown meat could all be on the menu.
A massive kite is now generating carbon-free electricity
Airborne wind energy systems put turbines in the sky, where the wind tends to blow faster and more consistently.
IKEA will now sell solar panels
Furniture retailer IKEA will begin selling home solar solutions to US customers to encourage sustainable living.
Ultrathin fuel cell uses the body’s own sugar to generate electricity
Batteries have a limit to how small they can be made, and they need to be charged. What if you could power your own medical device?
Algae-powered computer runs for a year on light and water
An algae-powered computer demonstrates a sustainable, reliable way we could power small IoT devices in the future.
A more efficient way of urban mining gold
Researchers at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology say they have developed the world’s most efficient way of urban mining gold
You can finally reserve a Tesla Semi
Members of the public can now reserve a Tesla Semi, an all-electric, heavy-duty vehicle that Elon Musk first unveiled in 2017.
Solar + battery hybrids are poised for explosive growth
Solar panels and battery storage can generate renewable power when solar energy is at its peak during the day and then release it as needed.
Finland prepares world’s first “nuclear tomb”
Deep beneath Finland, a “tomb” for nuclear waste is set to be a test for geological disposal facilities.
3 emerging technologies that will give renewable energy storage a boost
The U.S. Department of Energy has predicted that renewable energy will be the fastest-growing U.S. energy source through 2050.
See the world’s first floating city: OCEANIX Busan
If the world’s first floating city is a success, other coastal metropolises could use it as a blueprint for adapting to rising sea levels.
A nun built a hydroelectric plant that’s providing free power to a town in Africa
Blackouts are a daily disruption in the country, which sources most of its electricity from a run-down and mismanaged hydropower system.
This German firm is building a floating solar plant on a quarry lake
A German company will switch on a floating solar power plant, a rapidly-installed, renewable technology that could help phase out oil.
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