• Move Over Lithium-Ion: Zinc-Air Batteries a Cheaper and Safer Alternative

    New research shows batteries built from zinc and air could be the future of powering electric vehicles. The project tested zinc-air batteries using a combination of cheaper, safer and sustainably sourced materials, which allowed for improved lifespan and performance.

  • Fast Reactor Technology Is an American Clean, Green and Secure Energy Option

    Pivotal partnerships between industry and national laboratories steer advances that will help combat climate change. Companies in the nuclear industry work closely with national labs and the DOE Fast Reactor Program to develop next-generation nuclear reactors.

  • Engineers Develop an Efficient Process to Make Fuel from Carbon Dioxide

    The approach directly converts the greenhouse gas into formate, a solid fuel that can be stored indefinitely and could be used to heat homes or power industries.

  • Fueling the Future of Fusion Energy

    Long considered the ultimate source of clean energy, nuclear fusion promises abundant electrical power without greenhouse gas emissions or long-lasting radioactive waste. The process has fueled the core of the sun for more than four billion years – with billons more to go. Nore scientists are joining the global pursuit of harnessing that reaction.

  • Modular Dam Design Could Accelerate the Adoption of Renewable Energy

    Researchers have developed a new modular steel buttress dam system designed to resolve energy storage issues hindering the integration of renewable resources into the energy mix. The m-Presa modular steel buttress dam system cut dam construction costs by one-third and reduce construction schedules by half.

  • Finland: Pipeline Leak Likely Caused by 'External Activity'

    Damage to an underwater gas pipeline and telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia may have been a deliberate act, according to Finnish authorities.

  • Using Petroleum Reservoirs to Store Carbon

    Oil and gas produced from reservoirs are traditionally thought of as sources of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. In recent years, scientists in government and industry have been looking more at oil and gas reservoirs as places to store the very carbon that was previously taken out of the reservoirs. Injecting carbon dioxide into oil reservoirs also increases oil production in areas that have already produced a lot of oil. 

  • Wind and Solar Power Could Significantly Exceed Britain’s Energy Needs

    Britain’s energy needs could be met entirely by wind and solar, according to a policy brief from Oxford University. Wind and solar can provide significantly more energy than the highest energy demand forecasts for 2050 and nearly ten times current electricity demand (299 TWh/year). The research shows up to 2,896 TWh a year could be generated by wind and solar, against the demand forecast of 1,500 TWh/year.

  • How Do We Dismantle Offshore Oil Structures Without Making the Public Pay?

    More than 12,000 offshore oil and gas installations straddle the globe, and industry analysts anticipate annual offshore oil and gas investments to reach $173 billion by 2024. A number of oil companies are expected to significantly expand their offshore drilling activities in the coming years. At the same time, many jurisdictions face a growing need to dismantle offshore infrastructure, whether because it is aging, the resources are depleted, or mandated net-zero strategies require some installations to be decommissioned earlier than expected.

  • Railroads May Use Their Monopoly Power to Buffer Coal Plants from a Carbon Emissions Tax

    Railroads are likely to cut transportation prices to prop up coal-fired plants if U.S. climate policies further disadvantage coal in favor of less carbon-intensive energy sources. A new study argues that “If policymakers ignore real distortions in the market, like monopoly power in rail shipping, their climate policy efforts may not achieve the intended results.”

  • Significant Design Advances Across Floating Offshore Wind Sector

    The UK’s renewable energy sector is well placed to take advantage of the expected boom in floating offshore wind technology. Studies highlight the huge advances in platform technology which have taken place over the past two decades.

  • More Efficient Battery Designed for Storing Energy from Wind or Solar Farms

    Jimmy Jiang envisions a future where every house is powered by renewable energy stored in batteries — perhaps even those he and his students are designing today.

  • Watching Trends: Helping the NRC Model Risk and Reliability

    Nuclear power accounts for 0.03 deaths per terawatt-hour of electricity generated, when including both accidents and deaths due to air pollution. This fatality rate is a factor of 820 lower than electricity produced using coal. One reason U.S. nuclear power plants have such an impressive safety record is that utilities embrace a safety culture, one that uses probabilistic risk assessments, also known as PRAs.

  • The Future of Grid Energy Storage Starts Today

    In a decarbonized, electrified future, next-generation batteries will improve the reliability and resilience of the electrical grid while allowing increased integration of renewable energy. These batteries will also be able to provide backup power during or after natural disasters.

  • How Much Wave Energy Is in Our Oceans?

    The ocean is never still, but exactly how much energy surges through our ocean waves is a matter of debate. That uncertainty makes it challenging for countries to weave wave energy into their future climate goals. New study could help countries better estimate how much power their waters carry.