Research and Development

NTT Inc. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI) conducted an optical wireless power transmission experiment using a laser beam to wirelessly transmit energy over a distance of one kilometer. By irradiating a laser beam with an optical power of 1 kW, the team succeeded in receiving 152 W of electric power. This marks the world’s […]

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

Carbon seal rings are silently revolutionizing industries—from oil rigs to rocket engines. Carbon seal rings can have significant effects. Take a recent upgrade by ExxonMobil. By switching to advanced carbon seals in refineries, the company cut fugitive emissions by almost 30% and saved millions of dollars in downtime. Or SpaceX, which relies on ultra-durable carbon-graphite […]

For decades, fuel cell innovation has been guided by two main benchmarks: cost per kilowatt and stack durability. These remain important, especially in applications driven almost entirely by project economics. However, in many of the sectors where fuel cells are poised to make the biggest impact—including aviation, long-haul mobility, and distributed energy—traditional metrics no longer […]

Solar energy generation from a rooftop panel system can be monitored quickly and easily, an example of how artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tools are empowering businesses to optimize energy use and contribute to a decentralized, decarbonized grid. The energy transition is accelerating. Electrification is surging, renewable power generation is expanding and energy consumption patterns […]

A California-based carbon removal company said it has completed a funding round in support of the company’s first 100-kilotonne carbon dioxide removal (CDR) commercial facility. Equatic, which is considered a pioneering company in combined carbon dioxide removal and green hydrogen production, on August 11 announced the successful closure of its Series A round, with Catalytic […]

This white paper explores how using a holistic, application-driven approach can help minimize drivetrain failures, reduce Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), enable predictive maintenance, and deliver long-term cost savings via lower total cost of ownership (TCO). It explains how an integrated approach to drive system design ensures maximum efficiency, reliability, and performance.

The Trump administration has proposed new drone regulations that will eliminate case-by-case approval processes for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS)  operations, while Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy confirmed accelerated plans to deploy a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Transportation (DOT), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and […]

An agricultural farm in New York will add solar power at the site in a project designed to benefit both farmers and the solar energy community. Lightstar Renewables LLC on August 4 announced the launch of the Plains Road Agrivoltaics project, which integrates solar energy with agriculture on the DiMartino Farm in Montgomery, New York. […]

The explosive growth of hyperscale data centers is reshaping the power sector at unprecedented speed. In just a few short years, load requests from data center operators have gone from occasional filings to a full-on wave of gigawatt-scale development across North America. While much attention has been paid to the trend of co-locating data centers […]

EMerge Alliance, along with its industry partners, each year builds an operating microgrid that is displayed at the RE+ renewable energy conference. This year’s show is scheduled Sept. 8-11 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The microgrid demonstration is part of the Grid Edge Theater at RE+. Each year, different technologies are used in the microgrid, and […]

Nuclear microreactors developed separately by Westinghouse and Radiant are poised to become the first fueled designs tested at the Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) facility—the world’s first dedicated microreactor test bed slated to open at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in early 2026. The first fueled experiment is expected to begin as early as spring 2026. […]

NASA strives to understand the universe, whether that be the stars above us or Earth around us. One way NASA focuses on the Earth is through satellite, ground, and airborne Earth observations and modeling. NASA’s Earth Science projects work to further understand the Earth and its systems to better help humanity now and in the […]

The fleet industry is approaching a pivotal juncture, with electrification increasingly positioned as a potential path forward for businesses working to reduce emissions and operating costs. Yet, during this period with evolving expectations and uncertain environmental regulations, the direction and pace of this transition remain fluid. While momentum is building around the shift from traditional […]

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched a novel pilot program that will allow private developers to build and operate full-scale advanced nuclear test reactors outside of the national laboratory system, without a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Through a new authorization model grounded in the Atomic Energy Act and a Trump-era […]

In the proverbial shadow of the Naughton Power Plant, a station in Kemmerer, Wyoming, that will stop burning coal at the end of this year, TerraPower is constructing what it calls “the only advanced, non-light-water reactor in the Western Hemisphere being built today.” The project represents more than just a new power source—it’s a symbolic […]

Intelligent power management company Eaton is working with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to repurpose the utility’s retired Bull Run Fossil Plant in Clinton, Tennessee, into a critical asset supporting reliable and clean energy. The two groups on June 25 noted the importance of maintaining grid stability as more electricity comes from variable renewable energy […]

A revolution is underway in the nuclear energy sector. For the first time in decades, the field is brimming with urgency, ambition, and capital. Buoyed by growing energy demands, geopolitical recalibration, and climate pressures, nuclear power is undergoing a renaissance, one that will be driven not just by next-generation reactor designs, but by the materials […]

Small modular reactor (SMR) technology developer NuScale Power has unveiled research programs that could advance an energy system that integrates its nuclear technology to produce desalinated water and hydrogen, while reusing brine waste as an industrial feedstock. The research, developed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and […]

As artificial intelligence (AI) usage and sophistication grows, questions about the sustainability of the traditional model of utilizing huge, centralized data centers are frequently raised. Hyperscale data centers handle most AI workloads today, but they come with high energy demands and environmental costs.

By their very nature, all chemical fuels contain energy that needs to be released easily and are therefore inherently flammable. However, if that release is not sufficiently controlled, it presents a significant injury risk both to people and property through explosions and fires. Hydrogen, of course, is especially flammable. Counterintuitively, when it comes to safety, […]