Research and Development

  • 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 […]

  • Laser Wireless Power Transmission Breakthrough Could Transform Remote Energy Delivery

    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 […]

  • Energy Startups Receive Funding from Wells Fargo Technology Program

    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.

  • Magnetar Investment Supports Torus’ Deployment of Modular Power Plants

    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 Announces Launch of Standardized, Scalable Microgrid Solutions

    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+ […]

  • Nextracker Acquires Origami Solar in $53 Million Deal

    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 […]

  • Horizontal Drilling Powering Zero-Carbon Baseload with Geothermal

    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.

  • Analytics Can Help Energy Storage Operators Find More Revenue

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

  • Behind-the-Meter DERs: A Practical Strategy to Offset Rising Grid Construction Costs

    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.

  • Where Are All the Solar Engineers? How to Ease Utility-Scale Solar’s Technical Bottleneck with Smarter Software

    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.

  • Policy Shift, Private Sector Drive Put Nuclear Recycling Back on the Table

    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

  • Advancements in Steam Turbine Efficiency for Modern Power Generation: Reducing Costs and Emissions

    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

  • Beyond Basic Sealing: Advanced Carbon Seal Rings Are Driving Industrial Decarbonization

    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 […]

  • Power Density, Not Just Cost, Will Define Next Generation of Hydrogen Fuel Cells

    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 […]

  • AI and the Energy Transition: Building a Smarter, Decarbonized Energy System

    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 […]

  • Carbon Removal Company Closes on Major Investment

    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 […]

  • Achieving maximum reliability with drive systems

    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.

  • Trump Administration to Overhaul Drone Rules, Fast-Track Nuclear Reactor Deployment on the Moon

    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 […]

  • Lightstar Announces Agrivoltaics Project at New York Farm

    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. […]