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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Betavolt says its diamond nuclear battery can power devices for 50 years
January 16, 2024China's Betavolt New Energy Technology has unveiled a new modular nuclear battery that uses a combination of a nickel-63 (⁶³Ni) radioactive isotope and a 4th-generation diamond semiconductor and can power a device for 50 years. -
"Dirt-powered fuel cell" draws near-limitless energy from soil
January 16, 2024A Northwestern University team has demonstrated a remarkable new way to generate electricity, with a paperback-sized device that nestles in soil and harvests power created as microbes break down dirt – for as long as there's carbon in the soil. -
Orbital reflectors could boost solar energy around dusk and dawn
January 15, 2024Power demand spikes in the early morning and later evening, when solar arrays can't help. But researchers in Scotland say orbital launch costs are getting so cheap that giant space-based reflectors could soon be a viable way to power these timeslots. -
There's hope yet: Clean energy advances that inspired us in 2023
December 28, 2023The world needs gargantuan amounts of clean energy moving forward, making this an area of colossal and growing opportunity for disruptive innovations. Here are some of the fascinating energy ideas and technologies that made us most hopeful in 2023. -
Quantum batteries could charge by breaking our understanding of time
December 17, 2023Causality is key to our experience of reality: dropping a glass, for example, causes it to smash, so it can’t smash before it’s dropped. But scientists have now demonstrated how that understanding of time can be violated to charge a quantum battery. -
White-hot thermal grid battery aims to decimate lithium on price
December 14, 2023Fourth Power says its ultra-high temperature "sun in a box" energy storage tech is more than 10X cheaper than lithium-ion batteries, and vastly more powerful and efficient than any other thermal battery. It's hoping to prove it with a 1-MWh prototype. -
China brings world's first Generation IV nuclear reactor online
December 13, 2023China claims to have brought the world's first Gen IV commercial nuclear reactor online. The Shidao Bay Nuclear Power Plant HTR-PM high-temperature gas-cooled pebble-bed reactor in Shidao Bay, Shandong Province, reportedly went into service this month. -
Disruptive offshore wind pyramid moves to real-world prototype testing
December 07, 2023T-Omega's pyramid-based floating wind turbines are designed with the sole common-sense focus of keeping the cost of offshore wind down to an absolute minimum. With wave tank testing done, the company has now launched its first real-world prototype. -
Double-action solar tower promises clean energy all day and night
December 05, 2023Researchers in Jordan and Qatar have come up with a remarkable design for a "twin technology solar system" capable of generating clean energy 24/7. This double-action design promises more than twice as much energy as a standard solar updraft tower. -
World's largest tokamak fusion reactor powers up
December 04, 2023The world's largest and most advanced tokamak fusion reactor has gone online as the EU/Japanese 370-tonne JT-60SA reactor was fired up for the first time during an inauguration ceremony in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. -
Google switches on first-of-its-kind advanced geothermal project
November 28, 2023Google has announced that its innovative advanced geothermal plant in Nevada is now operational and connected to the grid, pioneering an approach that promises to unlock clean, always-on geothermal energy across a much larger range of locations. -
Container-based mobile battery hub recharged by kite power
November 27, 2023A Dutch startup spun out of the Delft University of Technology has launched the Kitepower Hawk, a wind energy storage solution that's designed to replace diesel generators for small island communities, on construction sites or in agriculture. -
Arizona solar canal project aims to save water while making power
November 23, 2023With most of Arizona in a state of moderate to extreme drought, the Gila River Indian Community and the US Army Corps of Engineers have signed a deal to begin a solar-over-canal project designed to cut down evaporation and boost solar efficiency. -
First commercial-scale ocean thermal energy generator slated for 2025
November 14, 2023In an average day, tropical oceans absorb about 278 petawatt-hours of solar energy. Harvesting just 1/4000th of that energy would supply the entire world's daily electricity – and ocean thermal energy conversion provides a possible method. -
Bill Gates backs novel device promising wind energy at 1/3 the cost
November 07, 2023It looks nothing like a typical "fan on a stick" wind turbine, but this oval track with evenly spaced wing blades could be an enormously disruptive addition to the renewable energy mix, since it slashes the cost of wind power to unprecedented lows.
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