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.
Featured
“Stopping climate change” is the wrong goal
Anything that matters to humans should be under our control. The climate matters—so we should control the climate.
What is The Great Progression: 2025 to 2050?
We have a historic opportunity to harness AI and other transformative technologies in order to make a much better world in the next 25 years.
These red-hot “green jobs” could help Gen Z cope with its eco-anxiety
“Green” jobs that help combat the climate crisis are on the rise, according to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs 2025 report.
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Will battery recycling be ready when all these new EV batteries die?
The growing usage of lithium-ion batteries, particularly in vehicles, is outpacing the technology to recycle them. But researchers and innovators are scrambling to find an effective and eco-friendly battery recycling technique.
Can CRISPR keep the beer flowing?
Researchers are turning to CRISPR to create barley better able to remain dormant in climate change — while being still ready to make beer.
Metal-eating bacteria could clean up dirty mining sites
A unique metal-chomping microorganism ate through a nail in just three days. Now they might be tasked with an enormous mission: cleaning up mining waste.
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Just Might Work
Fast fashion is killing the planet. These chemists are fighting back
Your clothes are mostly plastic. These chemists have figured out how to recycle them.
Agrivoltaics let farmland serve double duty
Agrivoltaics combines farming with renewable energy, using the shade of solar panels to help plants thrive in a changing climate.
Here’s what the world will look like 4°C warmer
This map, which shows some of the effects a 4°C rise in average temperature could have on the planet.
Students get $5 million from Elon Musk for carbon-removal ideas
An Elon Musk-funded XPrize competition has given teams of students $5 million to develop ideas for carbon removal systems.
Electric cars could one day power your house – here’s how to make it happen
Electric cars could power millions of households by plugging their battery power back into the grid instead of being stored.
AI reveals that the Sahara actually has 1.8 billion trees and shrubs
AI analysis of satellite images sees trees and shrubs where human eyes can’t.
Are mini reactors the future of clean energy?
The U.K is giving Rolls-Royce nearly $300 million to develop small modular reactors (SMRs) to increase its supply of clean energy.
Moving endangered species could save them — or turn them into invasive species
As climate change destroys ecosystems, some scientists propose helping animals pack up their bags and move to more hospitable parts of the world. But helping animals migrate is a complicated and fraught task. Now, some scientists want to lay the ground rules for assisted colonization, before the animals become refugees.
Nuclear fusion would change the world. Has its time arrived?
Energy startup Helion claims it will generate electricity from a nuclear fusion device by 2024 — a milestone that could transform the world.
Zero-emission natural gas power plants are coming to US, UK
Net Power has designed a new kind of natural gas power plant that can efficiently capture almost all of the carbon dioxide it generates.
We need to rethink global food production to have a shot at our climate goals
Emissions from food alone could use up all of our budget for 1.5°C or 2°C – but we have opportunities to avoid this.
You can repair this sustainable phone yourself
Fairphone’s sustainable phone is easy to repair and contains ethically sourced materials — two major departures from the industry standard.
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Just Might Work
The secret lab making the most sustainable food in the world
The secret lab making the most sustainable food in the world
Climate transparency is about to get real with this independent database
A new independent database uses satellite data and AI to track global greenhouse gas emissions in near real-time, boosting climate transparency.
Data centers need to be greener — Microsoft is leading the way
Microsoft’s plan for sustainable data centers includes more renewable energy, better temperature control, and new construction materials.
Climate tech is booming — and this is better news than COP26
It’s estimated that 65% of emissions reductions can be achieved by existing technologies. The other 35% will need to come from tech breakthroughs.
Solar energy is about to get a whole lot cheaper
Bottlenecks in the production of silicon thwart solar panel manufacturing. Some companies are turning to perovskite instead.
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