Research and Development

  • Trump Media Group, Fusion Company TAE Merging in $6-Billion Deal

    The Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) is merging with a California-based company focused on development of nuclear fusion in a $6-billion deal. The all-stock transaction announced December 18 would create one of the first publicly traded fusion companies.

  • The Long Arc of Efficiency: What Refrigerators Teach Us About the Future of AI Data Centers

    As AI demand accelerates, the race is on to bend the power curve before it bends the grid. The first electric refrigerators were mechanical curiosities—loud, bulky appliances that consumed staggering amounts of electricity. But they spread anyway, because the productivity gains were too great to ignore. Daily habits shifted. Food systems reshaped. Household labor changed […]

  • Development Deal Will Provide Hydrogen for California Data Centers

    Vema Hydrogen, developer of a sustainable hydrogen production technology, said it has entered a hydrogen purchase and sale agreement with Verne, a provider of on-site power and cooling solutions. Verne will leverage Vema’s clean energy, known as Engineered Mineral Hydrogen (EMH), to provide low-emission power for its data center customers.

  • Thea Energy Completes Fusion Power Plant Preconceptual Design

    Fusion technology company Thea Energy said it has completed its preconceptual fusion power plant design. The company, founded in 2022 as a spin-out of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and Princeton University, is advancing the stellarator as part of its Helios system.

  • Nuclear Startup Announces Kansas Site for Mile-Deep Reactor Pilot

    A California-based nuclear energy company with plans to place small modular reactors (SMRs) in mile-deep boreholes said it will break ground December 9 for a pilot project at a site in Parsons, Kansas. Berkeley-headquartered Deep Fission on December 4 said the company’s Gravity Nuclear Reactor is bring prepared for the Great Plains Industrial Park. Deep […]

  • INL Taps AWS, GE Vernova, Oil Majors for First MARVEL Microreactor Experiments

    Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has selected the five commercial teams that will potentially demonstrate advanced applications—including data center integration—at its much-watched Microreactor Application Research Validation and Evaluation (MARVEL) platform, an 85-kWth/20-kWe liquid-metal-cooled test bed currently under construction at the lab. The initial selections, unveiled on Dec. 4, mark the “first potential end users for MARVEL,” […]

  • China’s Molten Salt Reactor Reaches Thorium-Uranium Conversion Milestone

    China’s Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) in November reported it had achieved thorium-to-uranium fuel conversion inside an operating molten salt reactor (MSR). The milestone provides the first

  • Finding a Longer-Duration Alternative to Battery Storage

    The limitations of lithium-ion batteries are prompting a search for longer-duration solutions. Compressed air energy storage (CAES) and other emerging technologies are gaining traction as safer, scalable

  • UK Confirms Wylfa as Launch Site for First Nuclear SMR Fleet

    The UK has confirmed that Wylfa on the island of Anglesey, North Wales, will host three Rolls-Royce small modular reactors (SMRs) that could deliver first power in the mid-2030s—launching a state-backed, fleet-based nuclear deployment through publicly owned entity Great British Energy–Nuclear (GBE-N). The UK government has framed the SMR project, which is underpinned by more […]

  • Get the White Paper: Boost Efficiency with Advanced Water Analytics

    Sponsored by:
    Mettler Toledo

    Global shifts in energy demand are prompting power plants to reassess their production and efficiency needs. Energy-intensive AI data centers and increased renewable power loads to grids demand greater plant flexibility. Ramp-up and shutdown cycles require plants to rely more on cycle chemistry analytics to support fluctuations. The loss of personnel expertise due to layoffs […]

  • Amogy, Samsung Heavy Industries Partner on Ammonia-to-Power Systems

    Ammonia-to-power solutions provider Amogy will join with South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries in a multi-year strategic contract manufacturing partnership. The companies on November 12 said SHI plans to establish a dedicated facility in South Korea to produce and test Amogy’s ammonia-to-power systems.

  • Beyond Traditional Controls: Managing Power Project Schedule and Cost Overruns

    From financial dashboards to factory-based assembly, utilities and their contractors are deploying new tools and processes to improve project cost performance. In decades past, the decision to pursue a major

  • Rhythm Energy Launching New VPP to Support Battery Integration

    Rhythm Energy, a provider of renewable energy for U.S households and businesses, said it will introduce a new virtual power plant (VPP) offering that enables residential customers in major markets to better integrate home batteries, and other connected assets, with the energy grid. The new offer announced November 11 will help customers lower their electricity […]

  • Power, Proximity, Policy: The Legal Landscape of Siting Data Centers Near Natural Gas Resources

    The explosive growth of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and enterprise data storage has transformed data centers into the critical infrastructure of the digital economy. Yet their extraordinary and continuous electricity demands—often exceeding 100 megawatts per site—have made energy access and reliability the single most consequential factor in determining where these facilities are built. Across the […]

  • Wedge Kammprofile Gasket Critical to Complete Turnaround in October 2021

    In this case study, Lamons helped a Montana refinery overcome a critical flange misalignment issue during the final stages of an FCC unit turnaround. Traditional methods and standard gaskets failed to resolve the problem, threatening costly delays and safety risks. Leveraging our engineering expertise and rapid response capabilities, Lamons designed and delivered a custom wedge […]

  • Hydrogen Powering UK Airport Through CHP Unit

    A novel hydrogen combustion engine technology trial, led by EMEC at Kirkwall Airport in Orkney in the UK, was completed in October. This marks the first time hydrogen has been used to meet both the power and heat demands of a commercial airport in the UK.

  • Denmark Group: Old Coal-Fired Plants Can Be Converted to Thermal Energy Storage Facilities

    Officials with Denmark-headquartered Aalborg CSP said the company has developed technology that could convert retired coal-fired power plants into thermal storage facilities for renewable energy.

  • Fusion Energy Group Hits Construction Milestone at Massachusetts Campus

    A key component of a system that would deliver fusion energy in the U.S. has arrived at Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ (CFS) campus in Devens, Massachusetts. The company on October 28 said the first half of the vacuum vessel at the heart of SPARC, the group’s tokamak machine, is now on-site.

  • AI’s Growing Appetite: What the Grid Needs to Keep Up

    The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t just transforming industries; it is also transforming the energy grid. Behind every AI breakthrough lies a massive surge in computing power, and with it, an unprecedented demand for reliable and affordable electricity. As the U.S. positions itself for continued technological leadership, meeting the energy needs of AI data […]

  • Ballast Water Treatment System Deployed on Offshore Wind Project in Mediterranean

    BIO-UV Group has completed the first commercial deployment of its containerised BIO-SEA ballast water treatment system (BWTS) at Port-la-Nouvelle in southern France, supporting the installation of the pioneering EFGL floating offshore wind project in the Mediterranean.

  • The Evolution of Data Center Cooling: From Water to Emerging Technologies

    Data centers are the backbone of the digital age, housing the servers and networking equipment that power everything from cloud computing to streaming services. As these facilities grow in size and complexity, so does the challenge of keeping them cool.

  • Nitrogen as the Safety Blanket for Your Industrial Process

    Sponsored by:
    AIr Products

    In this paper, Air Products’ representatives explain the basics of nitrogen blanketing, how to elucidate its various value propositions to maximize safety and efficiency, as well as how to practice it effectively and efficiently across a variety of industrial settings. Download the full white paper to learn more.

  • California Energy Company Launches World’s Largest Industrial Heat Battery

    California-based Rondo Energy said its 100-MWh Rondo Heat Battery (RHB) has entered daily automatic operation, with energy provided by a solar photovoltaic array. The system is delivering continuous high-pressure industrial heat and steam to an enhanced oil recovery site run by Holmes Western Oil Corp. Rondo on October 16 said Holmes has replaced one of […]

  • Japan’s Nuclear Group Will Work with newcleo On Next-Gen Technologies

    Newcleo, a European developer of advanced nuclear reactors, and the Japanese Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) have signed a collaboration agreement to test key materials for newcleo’s Lead-cooled Fast Reactor (LFR) technology. The partnership announced October 1 will leverage the world-class expertise and experience of JAEA, making use of Joyo, a sodium-cooled fast reactor located in […]

  • Buildings Will Devour 50% of New Global Electricity by 2035—Here’s How Smart Design Can Change That

    Nations around the world are undergoing a seismic shift, switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy to meet net-zero targets. But one sector is set to dominate new demand—buildings.

  • Award-Winning Cogeneration Project Turns Hydrogen-Rich Waste into Industrial Energy

    In Brazil’s industrial heartland, a pioneering energy project has earned a POWER Top Plant award for turning hydrogen-rich waste into clean, reliable power. The Vesta Cogeneration Plant not only boosts

  • Power Under Pressure: How a Gas-Fired Plant Has Helped Address Taiwan’s Energy Transition

    Taiwan’s energy transition faces a unique challenge: powering its world-leading semiconductor industry while phasing out nuclear power and reducing coal dependence. Part of the solution emerged from an unlikely location—a former pineapple field in Tainan—where engineers built what has been recognized as a POWER Top Plant award-winning facility critical to the island’s energy future.

  • Igniting Fusion: The Key to Closing Our Energy Gap and Powering the Future

    Fusion is the only technology that can deliver continuous, dispatchable power 24/7/365. Not only is fusion clean, sustainable, and cost-effective, but fusion plants can also be built into existing urban and industrial locations, plugging directly into today’s grid, significantly lowering development time and deployment costs.

  • Young Americans Are the Future of Energy—It’s Time to Unleash Them

    Throughout the first nine months of the Trump Administration, “energy dominance” has been the agenda. To win the artificial intelligence (AI) race, ensure energy reliability for Americans, and beat China on the world stage, we need more energy – period. But we can’t do it without America’s young people. Fortunately, it’s a dynamic time to get […]

  • Grid Modernization: A Utility’s Guide to Resilience and Flexibility

    Sponsored by:
    Honeywell

    Utilities are confronting a convergence of challenges, including aging infrastructure, rising energy demand and the accelerating shift to renewable energy sources. The electric grid, much of which is decades old, is increasingly exposed to risks like extreme weather and cyber threats. Digital transformation can offer a practical path forward, helping utilities modernize operations, improve visibility […]