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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Lab-grown milk proteins prove more environmentally friendly
It’s less environmentally costly to produce milk proteins in the lab than to source them from cows, according to a new report.
Can tech rentals solve the problem of electronic waste?
To combat the problem of electronic waste, German startup Grover is now selling Americans subscriptions to laptops, phones, and other tech.
These nuclear reactors can recycle radioactive waste
The future of the nuclear industry lies in developing cheaper and more nimble reactors.
China’s experimental thorium reactor is ready for testing
An experimental thorium reactor in China could greatly expand the number of people who can benefit from clean nuclear energy.
New 3D-printed batteries could change energy storage forever
A 3D-printing startup has created a solid state battery that “equals or betters” the performance of current lithium-ion batteries.
Scientists make sustainable coffee from lab-grown cells
Finnish researchers are making sustainable coffee in the lab to combat the negative environmental effects of coffee production.
How oyster reefs protect against hurricane damage
Coastal cities are turning to eco-engineering to protect their coastline from storm surges and hurricane damage. Their floodwater solution: building oyster reefs to act as a natural breakwater.
“Agrihood” puts a farm in the center of Silicon Valley housing
An “agrihood” under construction in Santa Clara, CA, will give low-income residents access to cheap produce grown onsite.
Can these mirrors give us solar power at night?
Concentrated solar power plants could help us achieve our clean energy goals, but it won’t come cheap.
Study suggests preserving food using tech developed for organs
By preserving food with isochoric freezing, we could improve quality and decrease energy usage in the frozen food industry, say scientists.
Can the woolly mammoth save Siberia from climate change?
Harvard geneticist George Church’s new de-extinction startup aims to resurrect the woolly mammoth to help combat permafrost thaw.
Probiotics could help coral survive the changing climate
A new study has found that probiotics can help corals fight coral bleaching.
How artificial clouds could save the Great Barrier Reef
Scientists conducted the first “cloud brightening” field experiment to artificially thicken clouds with seawater mist, creating shade for the Great Barrier Reef
Twisty nuclear fusion reactor gets twice as hot as the sun
Physicists optimized a nuclear fusion reactor to overcome a problem that causes heat loss and prevents the device from sustaining fusion.
Think smart about disposable packaging with this scorecard
A new scorecard called the Understanding Packaging (UP) Scorecard is helping businesses make sustainable decisions on disposable packaging.
Unique underwater sculptures thwart harmful illegal fishing
Paolo Fanciulli, a fisherman from Maremma, is sinking artists’ sculptures to the seafloor to stop bottom trawling.
The world’s largest direct air capture plant just opened
A partnership between Climeworks and CarFix just started the largest direct air capture plant, storing carbon dioxide in solid form deep underground.
Saving the ozone layer avoided 2.5 degrees of global warming
A new study shows that banning CFCs in the 80s also protected the depleting ozone layer and reduced the rate of global warming.
Don’t want to buy an e-bike? Subscribe to one.
German startup Dance’s e-bike subscription service gives people a chance to enjoy the benefits of the bikes without the hassles.
Is it possible to flood-proof the subways?
In the wake of Hurricane Ida and the flooded New York City subway system, can we rebuild flood-proof subway tunnels?
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