Energy
Energy powers civilization. Developing technologies that can deliver abundant, sustainable energy is the challenge of our time and the promise of our future. Failure is not an option.
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Three founders look to the future at Freethink’s inaugural Great Progression event
The tech community came together for the launch of the Great Progression event series, curated by Peter Leyden and produced by Freethink.
The billionaire building space lasers to power Earth
Space startup Aetherflux has a mission straight out of sci-fi: harvest solar power in orbit and beam it down to Earth via laser.
The missing tech case for how we create an era of abundance
AI and other new technologies could make things that are costly and scarce today, cheap and abundant for all tomorrow.
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Today’s coal plants could be converted to run on clean hydrogen
Australian startup Star Scientific has developed a tech it says makes it easy to use hydrogen fuel at existing coal-fired power plants.
Researchers have found a way to pull more than 95% of uranium from seawater
Seawater contains millions of tons of uranium, but it’s too expensive to extract. A new material may change that.
The challenges of wireless farming technologies – like transmitting data through mud
The Agricultural Internet of Things involves technologies such as wireless underground communications and antennas in soil.
Nuclear power might not be dead in California
California is considering a $1.4 billion plan to delay the retirement of Diablo Canyon, its last nuclear power plant.
Gates-backed company is using robots to build mega solar farms
With new capital from a Bill Gates-backed VC firm, Terabase wants to automate solar farm construction.
Next US energy boom could be wind power in the Gulf of Mexico
Wind power on land has seen remarkable growth in the U.S. over the last 15 years, including in Texas. Is offshore wind next?
AI has mapped all of the world’s known ant species
Using over a million data points and a machine learning algorithm, a team of researchers has mapped all of the ant species currently known.
Cheap carbon capture tech could filter out CO2 in smokestacks
A new carbon capture technology made from the cheap material melamine could help keep emissions out of the atmosphere.
5 ways to cope with increasingly intense heatwaves
Heatwaves in Japan and Italy reached record-breaking temperatures in June. How can humans cope with these dangerous conditions?
This fermented cooking oil could replace vegetable oil
Zero Acre Farms is using fermentation to create a cultured oil that’s healthier and more sustainable than traditional cooking oils.
Bill Gates-backed startup is building sustainable ACs
Blue Frontier is developing a new kind of air conditioner that requires 50-90% less electricity than the units we use today.
Swiss team sets new world record for solar power
Swiss researchers have developed two perovskite-on-silicon solar cells that are more efficient than previously thought possible.
These ancient trees survived a wildfire because of fire
The survival of an ancient grove of trees in Yosemite may be a powerful case study for controlled burns.
The future of meat is sustainable — and a little weird
Ideas to reduce the meat industry’s impact on the environment include 3D-printed steaks, cultivated tiger meat, and potty-trained cows.
Why is Singapore making beer from recycled wastewater?
“I mean, it tastes just like beer, and I like beer.”
Transparent solar panels could soon turn windows into energy harvesters
A new solar panel design can efficiently convert light into electricity, while still allowing almost 80% of incoming light to pass straight through.
You can ride this “flying” electric ferry in 2023
Stockholm is piloting a “flying” electric ferry that’s expected to cut commute times in half and make public transportation more sustainable.
NASA is closer than ever to generating nuclear power on the moon
NASA has given three companies $5 million contracts to develop mini reactors capable of generating nuclear power on the moon by 2031.
Google’s free tool will breathe new life into your old laptop
Google’s free ChromeOS Flex is now widely available, giving anyone the ability to turn their old laptop into a makeshift Chromebook.
GM has a plan to solve the biggest obstacle to EVs
GM, Pilot Company, and EVgo are building a new EV charging network comprising 2,000 stalls at up to 500 travel centers across the US.
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