Energy & Climate
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CATL Unveils Third-Generation Shenxing LFP Battery That Charges to 98 Percent in 6 Minutes 27 Seconds, Leapfrogging BYD's Blade 2.0
At its April 21 Super Technology Day in Beijing, CATL introduced a new ultra-fast charging LFP cell that outpaces BYD's recently unveiled Blade Battery 2.0 and reshapes the fast-charging race.
New Jersey Lifts 50-Year Nuclear Moratorium as NRC Unveils First New Licensing Framework Since 1989
New Jersey ends a de facto nuclear construction ban while the NRC finalizes Part 53, a landmark rule that streamlines reactor approvals for the first time in decades.
EPFL and CSEM Break 30% Efficiency Barrier With Perovskite-Silicon Triple-Junction Solar Cell
Swiss researchers set a new certified record of 30.02% efficiency for a triple-junction solar cell combining silicon with two perovskite layers, published in Nature.
China's Battery Makers Are Building 900 GWh of Storage Capacity as Export Rebates Fade
Chinese battery makers are racing to add stationary-storage capacity while Beijing phases out export rebates, a shift that could tighten margins abroad and deepen domestic grid-storage demand.
Wright Tells Congress First 5 to 10 New US Nuclear Reactors Will 'Almost Certainly' Get DOE Loans
At an April 16 House Appropriations hearing, Energy Secretary Chris Wright pledged that the first five to ten new planned US nuclear reactors will almost certainly receive financing from the DOE lending office, directing the agency's renamed loan authority toward first-of-a-kind projects.
ERCOT Projects Texas Peak Demand Could Quadruple to 367 GW by 2032 as Data Centers Drive Over 60% of Growth, but Grid Operator Warns Forecast Is Likely Inflated
ERCOT's preliminary 2026-2032 load forecast filed April 15 projects peak demand reaching 367,790 MW, more than four times the current record, with data centers accounting for over 60% of the projected growth. CEO Pablo Vegas and the PUCT say the number is almost certainly too high.
UK Signs Landmark Contract With Rolls-Royce SMR to Build Three Small Modular Reactors at Wylfa, Backed by 2.6 Billion Pounds in Public Funding
Great British Energy-Nuclear and Rolls-Royce SMR signed a contract on April 13 to begin design and delivery of three 470 MW pressurised water reactors at Wylfa in North Wales, targeting grid connection by the mid-2030s.
Forecasters Warn of a Possible Super El Nino in 2026, With Half of European Models Projecting Record-Breaking Intensity
Climate models increasingly project a super El Nino emerging by late summer 2026, with roughly half of ECMWF ensemble members forecasting sea surface temperature anomalies exceeding 2.5 degrees Celsius, which could make it the strongest event in recorded history.
China Flies World's First Megawatt-Class Hydrogen Turboprop Engine on a 7.5-Tonne Unmanned Cargo Aircraft
AECC's AEP100 liquid hydrogen turboprop completed a 16-minute maiden flight in Zhuzhou, producing zero carbon emissions and establishing China's lead in hydrogen aviation propulsion.
Quaise Energy Targets One-Kilometer Depth in 2026 as Millimeter Wave Drilling Rewrites the Geothermal Playbook
MIT spinout Quaise Energy plans to extend its record-setting millimeter wave drilling from 118 meters to one kilometer this year, advancing a technology that could unlock superhot geothermal energy virtually anywhere on Earth.
Microsoft Pauses New Carbon Removal Purchases, Sending Shockwaves Through an Industry It Dominated
Microsoft staff have informed carbon removal developers that the company is pausing new purchases, a move that rattles a market in which the tech giant accounted for 96 percent of 2025 credit purchases.
MIT Spinout 1s1 Energy Develops Boron-Based Membrane That Cuts Green Hydrogen Electrolyzer Energy Use by 30 Percent
The startup's chemically tailored boron polymer membranes already achieve the U.S. Department of Energy's 2031 efficiency target of 77 percent for proton exchange membrane electrolysis, while partner tests show a 60 percent reduction in operating costs.