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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WaveRoller sea-floor generator approaches commercial deployment
February 02, 2024Wave energy remains one of the least-exploited clean energy options, with huge potential as part of a green energy grid. Finland's AW Energy is preparing to field a contender at scale – the Waveroller – which sits on the sea bed generating up to 1 MW. -
Quantum dot solar cells break efficiency record, silicon in its sights
January 30, 2024One of the most promising, emerging solar cell technologies has received a major efficiency boost. Engineers at UNIST in South Korea have created quantum dot solar cells with a world record efficiency of 18.1%. -
Battery-free sensor harnesses the power of speech
January 29, 2024Researchers developed a battery-less sensor that reacts to particular sounds, like spoken words, producing vibrational energy to power an electronic device. It could power medical devices like cochlear implants or monitor buildings for faults. -
Self-powered emergency seawall could generate power during tsunamis
January 25, 2024Self-deploying sea barriers offer coastal towns some protection from the destructive forces of tsunamis – but one problem can arise when power goes out in a disaster scenario. Hence this Japanese proposal for a wall that generates its own power. -
"Power plant" generates electricity via the wind and rain on its leaves
January 22, 2024While renewable energy sources certainly are eco-friendly, most of them only produce electricity in one way, such as using sunlight … which isn't always available. A new system, that has been built into an artificial plant, uses both wind and rain. -
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.
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