energy innovation

  • MARVEL, under development at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), is a 85-kWth/20-kWe sodium-potassium-cooled microreactor that will help researchers explore advanced reactor applications, including microgrid integration, remote monitoring, and autonomous control technologies. TRIGA International recently began fabricating fuel for MARVEL, with the first shipment expected by spring 2025. Fuel loading is planned for 2026, and the reactor is projected to be operational by 2027. Source: DOE
    Research and Development

    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,” […]

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    Commentary

    Bill Gates: ‘The Future of Energy Is Subatomic’

    I’m lucky to learn firsthand about some of the world’s most cutting-edge technologies. I’ve seen artificial intelligence ace an AP biology test, long before AI became an everyday tool. I’ve seen genetically modified mosquitoes that stop malaria in its tracks. I’ve seen geothermal wells that go 15,000 feet below the surface of the earth.   But […]

  • X-energy’s Xe-100 is a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) that operates at over 750C. Its fuel system uses 200,000 continuously cycling pebbles, each embedded with 18,000 TRISO particles, containing a uranium core protected by carbon layers. The compact design contains over 99.99% of byproducts, reducing the need for large containment structures. Helium, which absorbs heat without becoming radioactive, drives the reactor’s steam turbine. The reactor has a 60-year-lifetime, producing baseload, carbon-free power. Courtesy: X-energy
    Legal & Regulatory

    Dow and X-energy Advance Landmark Nuclear Project in Texas With Construction Permit Filing

    Advanced reactor developer X-energy and global materials science company Dow have submitted a construction permit application (CPA) to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a first-of-its-kind small modular reactor (SMR) project at Dow’s Union Carbide Corp. (UCC) Seadrift Operations in Calhoun County, Texas. The filing marks a major step forward for the much-watched commercial-scale […]

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    Nuclear

    DeepGEO, Copenhagen Atomics Sign Pact to Align Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing with Spent Fuel Management

    DeepGEO, a multinational spent nuclear fuel (SNF) repository developer, and Copenhagen Atomics, a Danish advanced thorium reactor innovator, have signed a first-of-its-kind collaboration agreement that seeks to revolutionize the nuclear fuel cycle by aligning emerging waste management solutions with next-generation reactor technologies. The landmark collaboration marks an industry-first effort to unite a reactor designer and […]

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    Geothermal

    Delving Deeper: New Optimism for Enhanced Geothermal Systems

    Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) have long held promise. New developments suggest dramatic progress may be on the horizon. Can innovation feasibly overcome technical and economic hurdles that have

  • The eVinci microreactor has very few moving parts, working "essentially as a battery, providing the versatility for power systems ranging from several kilowatts to 5 MW of electricity, delivered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for eight-plus years without refueling," Westinghouse says. "It can also produce high temperature heat suitable for industrial applications including alternative fuel production such as hydrogen, and has the flexibility to balance renewable output." The technology is 100% factory built and assembled before it is shipped in a container to any location. Courtesy: Westinghouse
    News

    DOE Picks Nuclear Designs for First Microreactor Experiments at INL’s New Test Bed

    The Department of Energy (DOE) has unveiled three nuclear microreactor developers that will design the first experiments at Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL’s) new Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) test bed, which repurposes the Experimental-Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II) containment structure.  Westinghouse, Radiant Nuclear, and Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. (USNC) will receive a combined $3.9 million to further their […]

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    Trends

    U.S. Deploys $3.5B Boost for Grid Resilience: Major Projects Revealed

    Fifty-eight projects spearheaded by major U.S. power stakeholders will receive up to $3.5 billion in federal funding to improve grid flexibility and boost power system resiliency against extreme weather and climate change, the Biden administration announced on Oct. 18. The projects mark the  Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) first competitive selections under the Grid Resilience and […]