Energy & Climate
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Fourth Power Nears Completion of Thermal Battery Prototype That Stores Grid Energy as White-Hot Heat in Liquid Tin
The MIT spinout plans to demonstrate a 1 MWh thermal battery in Bedford, Massachusetts this year, using graphite bricks heated to 2,400 degrees Celsius and liquid tin to deliver grid-scale storage at a claimed $25 per kilowatt-hour, a fraction of lithium-ion costs.
Carbon Capture Enters Its Commercial Era as First Megascale DAC and CCS Plants Near Operations
With the Stratos direct air capture facility in Texas targeting Q2 startup, California's first CCS project nearing injection, and Norway's Northern Lights expanding, the carbon capture industry is transitioning from pilot projects to commercial-scale operations in 2026.
Fervo Energy Secures $421 Million in Debt Financing for Cape Station as IPO Plans Take Shape
Fervo Energy closed a $421 million non-recourse financing package for its flagship Cape Station enhanced geothermal project in Utah, with first power expected in 2026 and an IPO filing reportedly underway.
Deep-Sea Mining Regulations Stall at ISA as Scientists Catalog 788 Unknown Species in the Zone Slated for Extraction
The ISA adjourned without completing deep-sea mining rules as a Nature study found 90 percent of species in the target zone remain unknown and the US fast-tracks its own permits.
Flocean One Nears Launch at Mongstad as the World's First Commercial Subsea Desalination Plant Prepares to Deliver Freshwater from 600 Meters Below the North Sea
Norwegian startup Flocean is preparing to launch Flocean One, the world's first commercial subsea desalination plant, at Mongstad in Q2 2026, using deep-ocean pressure to cut energy use by up to 50 percent.
Unprecedented March Heat Wave Shatters Records Across the Western US as Phoenix Hits 105 Degrees
An extraordinary heat dome is delivering summer-like temperatures across the American Southwest in mid-March, breaking century-old records and threatening already depleted snowpack.
Proxima Fusion Signs Agreement to Build Europe's First Commercial Stellarator Power Plant at Former German Nuclear Site
Munich-based Proxima Fusion, RWE, Bavaria, and the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics have agreed on a two-stage, multibillion-euro roadmap to build a demonstration stellarator and a grid-connected commercial fusion plant at the decommissioned Gundremmingen reactor site.
Sodium-Ion Batteries Reach the US Grid as Peak Energy and RWE Launch First Pilot on the MISO Network
Peak Energy and RWE Americas have deployed the first sodium-ion battery system on the MISO grid in Wisconsin, marking a milestone for the cheaper, cobalt-free chemistry in the US.
Denmark's 1.1 GW Thor Offshore Wind Farm Delivers First Power to the Grid, Less Than Two Weeks After First Turbine Installation
RWE's Thor offshore wind farm off Denmark's west coast delivered its first electricity to the Danish grid on March 16, just twelve days after installing its first turbine. The 1.1 GW project, Denmark's largest, will power over one million households when fully operational in 2027.
All but Two of Austria's 96 Glaciers Have Retreated in Two Years as Alpine Ice Loss Accelerates
Austrian Alpine Club reports 94 of 96 monitored glaciers retreated during 2024-2025, with average losses exceeding 20 metres and the largest glacier showing progressive disintegration.
China, Brazil, Italy and Belgium Join Nuclear Tripling Pledge at Paris Summit as 38 Nations Now Back 2050 Target
The second Nuclear Energy Summit in Paris brought four new signatories to the Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy, with the EU announcing a 200 million euro guarantee for advanced reactor investment.
California Prepares to Launch Its First Carbon Capture and Storage Facility at Elk Hills This Spring
Carbon TerraVault has completed construction of carbon capture equipment at Elk Hills and targets first CO2 injection in spring 2026, marking a milestone for California's carbon management ambitions.