Research and Development

The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), a $55-million energy technology program funded by Wells Fargo & Company and co-administered by NREL, the U.S. Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory, has announced the selection of three startups for its next cohort in the Emerging Tech track. This cohort focuses on enhancing resiliency in the built environment through innovative technologies that strengthen building operations, heating and cooling systems, and grid reliability.

Torus, a full-stack energy platform offering storage, management, security, and generation solutions, on September 9 announced a $200-million investment by Magnetar, an alternative asset manager. The investment is expected to accelerate the deployment of Torus’ proprietary modular power plants for utilities, data centers, and commercial and industrial customers across the U.S. Torus builds small, inertia-based […]

AZZO, a global leader in energy integration and management technologies, announced the launch of a new offering of standardized, scalable microgrid solutions for the U.S. commercial and industrial market. This initiative is supported by Schneider Electric, whose EcoStruxure Microgrid Flex platform forms the foundation of the solution. The offering, announced September 9 at the RE+ […]

Solar technology major Nextracker announced the company would expand into the solar power frame market with the acquisition of Origami Solar. Origami is a pioneer in roll-formed steel frame technology. The deal, announced September 8, is an all-cash transaction of about $53 million, including future contingent earnout consideration. “The shift from aluminum to steel is […]

Advances in horizontal drilling, adapted from the oil and gas (O&G) sector, are opening up deep geothermal resources once considered inaccessible. As a result, geothermal is emerging as a viable source of zero-carbon baseload power capable of delivering round-the-clock energy to a grid increasingly reliant on intermittent renewables. In a decarbonizing economy, geothermal is no longer an afterthought. It’s becoming essential infrastructure.

Using modeling through analytics, battery energy storage system operators can determine exactly what size system they need for their site with advanced predictive software.

With national electricity demand surging—driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and data center developments, widespread electrification, and challenging legislative and regulatory policy shifts—utilities are scrambling to keep pace. Add to that mounting supply chain strain and aging infrastructure, and it’s no wonder utilities are facing a costly balancing act.

Solar dominates new energy generation in the U.S., accounting for 69% of new capacity additions in Q1 of 2025. But although most of this added capacity comes from utility-scale projects, the engineering labor force hasn’t scaled to match this demand. Only a limited number of qualified engineers, particularly those with experience as Engineers of Record (EORs), can support the complexity and speed required for current utility-scale solar projects.

Over nearly five decades, nuclear waste has been treated as an intractable problem, locked in dry casks, relegated to repositories that are slow to materialize, and generally viewed as a costly liability

Steam turbine technology is not stagnant. Advanced designs are incorporating innovations in blade design, advanced materials, precision manufacturing, and high-energy steam cycles, delivering significant