Skip to content

energy

Our coverage spans conventional power generation, renewables, nuclear, grids, storage, and emerging energy technologies.

9/9/2026
China unveils Gen-III+ nuclear reactor with 66% more automation, 33% less installation

China unveils Gen-III+ nuclear reactor with 66% more automation, 33% less installation

Hualong One 2.0 cuts plant complexity while extending accident resilience and raising automation for China’s nuclear fleet.

Neetika Walter

28 minutes ago

Scientists 3D print steel pressure vessel for nuclear reactors using three robots

Scientists 3D print steel pressure vessel for nuclear reactors using three robots

Over 350 leaders gathered at ORNL for the Materials and Manufacturing Innovation Days.

Mrigakshi Dixit

7 hours ago

Google-backed 615 MW nuclear plant set for 2029 return to power 500,000 homes

Google-backed 615 MW nuclear plant set for 2029 return to power 500,000 homes

A shuttered Iowa nuclear plant could return to service in 2029 with Google helping secure its future power output.

Sujita Sinha

9 hours ago

New 10 MWe ocean-cooled nuclear reactor aims to power 15,000 coastal homes

New 10 MWe ocean-cooled nuclear reactor aims to power 15,000 coastal homes

The reactor will be capable of powering roughly 15,000 homes and can operate for years on a single fueling.

Mrigakshi Dixit

9 hours ago

Rolls-Royce explores automation for 470 MW nuclear reactors’ speedy deployment

Rolls-Royce explores automation for 470 MW nuclear reactors’ speedy deployment

The collaboration targets scalable deployment of factory-built nuclear power.

Atharva Gosavi

9 hours ago

9/8/2026
1 GW nuclear campus advances in Louisiana as reactor technology screening begins

1 GW nuclear campus advances in Louisiana as reactor technology screening begins

A planned Louisiana nuclear campus is entering its next phase, with site studies and reactor technology screening ahead.

Secret Syrian nuclear reactor could have made material for weapons use, UN reports

Secret Syrian nuclear reactor could have made material for weapons use, UN reports

UN inspectors found hidden uranium and confirmed the reactor’s capabilities.

US nuclear reactor prototype completes 2,000 hours of testing before full build

US nuclear reactor prototype completes 2,000 hours of testing before full build

The Engineering Test Unit 3 demonstration in Tennessee is helping Kairos refine the construction, maintenance and operator-training systems.

Kaif Shaikh

a day ago

World’s first 22.9kV solid-state transformer developed to electrify US data centers

World’s first 22.9kV solid-state transformer developed to electrify US data centers

Hyosung’s high-voltage solid-state transformer uses power semiconductors to control electricity.

Aamir Khollam

2 days ago

9/7/2026
New additive helps lithium-ion batteries retain 95.6% capacity after 1,000 cycles

New additive helps lithium-ion batteries retain 95.6% capacity after 1,000 cycles

A fluorinated additive stabilizes graphite’s protective layer, helping lithium-ion cells retain more capacity over time.

Neetika Walter

2 days ago

Huawei’s new chip design tackles overheating with 55% higher transistor density

Huawei’s new chip design tackles overheating with 55% higher transistor density

Huawei’s Tau Scaling Law design stacks chip layers to boost density, reduce power use and tackle thermal limits.

Neetika Walter

2 days ago

Lithium manganese-rich battery cuts gas buildup, retains 92.2% energy after 883 cycles

Lithium manganese-rich battery cuts gas buildup, retains 92.2% energy after 883 cycles

Researchers found a way to control oxygen reactions and reduce gas buildup in large-format LMR battery cells.

Neetika Walter

2 days ago

China begins construction of Hualong One nuclear reactor with 666-foot-tall cooling tower

China begins construction of Hualong One nuclear reactor with 666-foot-tall cooling tower

The 180,000 square feet area of each cooling tower will naturally cool the steam, shifting the heat sink to the atmosphere.

Ameya Paleja

2 days ago

New iron strategy lifts sodium batteries to 206 Wh/kg with 87.8% retention rate

New iron strategy lifts sodium batteries to 206 Wh/kg with 87.8% retention rate

Sodium-ion batteries have emerged as a promising alternative to ubiquitous lithium-ion systems.

Mrigakshi Dixit

2 days ago

9/6/2026
First-of-its-kind US magnet recycling plant soon to be built, target high-purity rare earths

First-of-its-kind US magnet recycling plant soon to be built, target high-purity rare earths

US Strategic Metals and Ionic Rare Earths plan a $100 million Missouri facility to recycle permanent magnets.

Maria Mocerino

3 days ago

Powering 1.4 million US homes: Untapped dams could generate 15.2 TWh electricity

Powering 1.4 million US homes: Untapped dams could generate 15.2 TWh electricity

The researchers made the data and software publicly available for independent analysis.

Aman Tripathi

3 days ago

9/5/2026
US closes in on resurrecting shuttered nuclear power plants with key findings

US closes in on resurrecting shuttered nuclear power plants with key findings

These reviews rely directly on protocols established for Michigan’s Palisades Nuclear Plant.

Aman Tripathi

4 days ago

New digital twin studio to advance power grid research and resilience

New digital twin studio to advance power grid research and resilience

The goal is to deliver a fully operational, minimum viable platform by December 2026.

Mrigakshi Dixit

4 days ago

Over 50,000 US public-sector entities gain direct access to hybrid power systems

Over 50,000 US public-sector entities gain direct access to hybrid power systems

The partnership brings battery-generator microgrids to public-sector sites where reliable grid power is limited.

The Blueprint
Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.
By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Policies
You may unsubscribe at any time.

About Energy

Energy sits underneath almost everything, industry, transport, computing, and cities, but is often discussed only when something breaks or gets expensive. This category examines how energy is produced, stored, moved, and used in the real world, and how those systems are changing under technical, economic, and political pressures.
Coverage at Interesting Engineering spans conventional power generation, renewables, nuclear, grids, storage, and emerging energy technologies. That includes solar and wind systems, batteries, hydrogen, carbon capture, advanced reactors, transmission infrastructure, and the software increasingly used to monitor and manage them. The focus isn't on abstract targets or idealized transitions, but on the engineering decisions that determine whether new systems are reliable, scalable, and affordable.
Energy systems are defined by constraints. Power density, intermittency, materials availability, land use, safety, and cost all shape what can be deployed and where. This category examines those trade-offs, along with the reasons many promising technologies struggle to move beyond pilots or subsidies. Grid integration, permitting delays, supply chains, and long build times, matters as much as technical performance.
We also look at how energy demand is shifting, driven by electrification, data centers, AI workloads, industrial decarbonization, and transportation. These pressures are forcing upgrades to aging infrastructure and raising questions about resilience, redundancy, and long-term planning. Reliability is as central as sustainability, especially as energy systems become more complex and more interconnected.
Energy also examines who builds these systems, who pays for them, and what determines whether new energy projects survive beyond early pilots.
Rather than framing energy as a single transition, this category treats it as a series of overlapping, uneven changes. It tracks what's being deployed now, what’s quietly failing, and what still requires significant engineering work before it can operate at scale. The emphasis is on systems that endure; not just technologies that look good on paper, but those that can deliver power consistently, safely, and economically over decades.