• Climate Change Is Increasing Stress on Thousands of Aging Dams Across the U.S.

    There are more than 91,000 dams across the U.S., in all 50 states, with diverse designs and purposes. The average dam age is 57 years, and more than 8,000 dams are over 90 years old. The most recent report card of the American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that 70% of U.S. dams will be more than 50 years old by 2030. Overall, the report gave U.S. dams a “D” grade and estimates that more than 2,300 are high hazard dams which could cause loss of life or serious property damage if they fail.

  • Boosting Battery Research

    Most Americans don’t leave home without at least one lithium battery-powered device, and someday, the house itself may have a battery backup. Scientists are working to make these large backup batteries less expensive, hold more energy and be less prone to bursting into flame.

  • How Would a Switch to Nuclear Affect Electricity Prices for Households and Industry?

    In a free market, it is very unlikely nuclear could be competitive. But if a future Australian government were to bring nuclear into the mix, energy costs for residential and especially industrial customers would very likely increase.

  • Bringing GPT to the Grid

    Much has been discussed about the promise and limitations of large-language models in industries such as education, healthcare and even manufacturing. But what about energy? Could large-language models (LLMs), like those that power ChatGPT, help run and maintain the energy grid?

  • Countering Coercion: Australia Must Engage with Allies on Critical Minerals Supply

    China’s use of coercion to control critical mineral mining and processing projects, their output and even whole supply chains has motivated several countries to take increasingly strong measures to secure alternative supply chains. Meanwhile, China’s state-linked companies continue to use multiple channels to manipulate markets at scale.

  • Beach Erosion Will Make Southern California Coastal Living Five Times More Expensive by 2050: Study

    The region’s sandy coastlines are vanishing at an alarming rate. It’s a warning sign for coastal communities worldwide, USC research suggests.

  • ‘Time for a Reckoning.’ Kansas Farmers Brace for Water Cuts to Save Ogallala Aquifer.

    in this region of Kansas where water is everything, they’ll have to overcome entrenched attitudes and practices that led to decades of overpumping. After decades of local inaction, Kansas lawmakers are pushing for big changes in irrigation.

  • As Reservoirs Go Dry, Mexico City and Bogotá Are Staring Down ‘Day Zero’

    In Mexico City and Bogotá, reservoir levels are falling fast, and the city governments have implemented rotating water shutoffs as residents are watching their taps go dry for hours a day. Droughts in the region have grown more intense thanks to warmer winter temperatures and long-term aridification fueled by climate change. In South Africa in 2018, Cape Town beat a climate-driven water crisis, and the way it did it holds lessons for cities grappling with an El Niño-fueled drought.

  • Utah FORGE Achieves Crucial Geothermal Milestone

    In $218 million DOE-funded research project, scientists aim to make enhanced geothermal a key part of world’s energy portfolio. “The ability to tap more of the Earth’s natural heat through enhanced geothermal systems will expand access to affordable, secure and resilient clean energy for everyone,” say one expert.

  • A Section of Critical Highway Collapsed in Wyoming. Could It Happen Anywhere?

    The partial collapse of a roadway in Wyoming as a result of a landslide that occurred over the weekend raises serious questions about the state of the nation’s infrastructure. “These failures don’t happen everywhere. The conditions have to be right,” says one expert.

  • With Russian Nuclear Fuel Ban, U.S. Also Tries to Fix a (Self-Inflicted) Problem

    One of the major achievements of U.S. post-Cold War policies was to get Russia to downgrade tons of highly enriched uranium – enough to arm around 20,000 Russian warheads — and turn it into power-plant fuel. The policy had collateral damage, though: The U.S. enrichment industry ended up gutted, unable to compete with cheap Russian uranium. Today, 80 percent of all nuclear fuel used the United States — which has more operating atomic plants than any other country — is foreign.

  • States Beg Insurers Not to Drop Climate-Threatened Homes

    In the coming years, climate change could force Americans from their homes, not just by raising sea levels, worsening wildfires and causing floods — but also by putting insurance coverage out of reach.

  • The Homeowner Mutiny Leaving Florida Cities Defenseless Against Hurricanes

    The only protection the town of Hendrickson, Florida, has from the Gulf of Mexico’s increasingly erratic storms is a pristine beach that draws millions of tourists every year — but that beach is disappearing fast. A series of storms have eroded most of the sand that protects Redington Shores and the towns around it, leaving residents just one big wave away from water overtaking their homes. The federal government is refusing to restore eroded beaches in Pinellas County unless homeowners agree to one condition: public access.

  • ‘Grey Infrastructure’ Can’t Meet Future Water Storage Needs

    A new study maps how energy and food systems depend on stored water to generate hydropower and feed irrigation. Dams and reservoirs won’t be able to meet the demand in coming decades.

  • FloodAdapt Will Help Protect Flood-prone Communities

    The Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has partnered with Deltares USA to conduct demonstrations, trainings, and performance testing for the new accessible compound flood and impact assessment tool, which will help at-risk communities better prepare for and respond to severe weather events.