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The Energy Transformation Collection
As renewable energy gains momentum, oil and natural gas continue to remain primary global energy sources. This collection delves into latest digital trends enabling breakthroughs in energy transformation.


Article
Mar 18, 2025
Engine Becomes a Chemical Reactor
Author
Mark Crawford
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have repurposed an automobile engine to convert otherwise leaked methane into liquid fuels.


Article
Mar 13, 2025
Energy Blog: Electricity Not a Critical Import
Author
Jeffrey Winters
The cross-border feuding between the U.S. and Canada raised the profile of North American energy flows.


Article
Mar 11, 2025
Do Gravity Batteries Scale to Household Size?
Author
Cassandra Kelly
Some entrepreneurs believe lifting and lower large weights can be an efficient energy storage system. A team of Purdue engineering students tested the concept for home use.


Article
Feb 11, 2025
Desal System Optimized for Sun Power
Author
Mark Crawford
A new desalination process tested by an MIT working in New Mexico removes salt from water at a pace that follows natural changes in solar energy, including changing cloud patterns.


Article
Jan 23, 2025
Energy Blog: Calm in the Midst of an Emergency
Author
Jeffrey Winters
An Inauguration Day executive order set aside many Federal regulations to increase energy supply and reduce prices. But evidence of conditions in need of urgency is difficult to find.


Article
Jan 22, 2025
Using Lasers to Produce Green Steel
Author
Lina Zeldovich
Innovators are devising new processes to decarbonize the crucial alloy humanity can’t live without.


Article
Jan 14, 2025
Fusion Research Receives $49 Million Boost
Author
Mark Crawford
The U.S. Department of Energy is funding 19 projects that target foundational fusion materials, nuclear science, magnet technology, blankets, fuel cycles, and first wall research.


Article
Dec 12, 2024
Energy Blog: How Dangerous Are Gas-Powered Appliances?
Author
Jeffrey Winters
Study points to the benefits of switching away from gas heat to clothes dryers, water heaters, and HVAC systems that use heat pumps.


Article
Dec 11, 2024
Drake’s Oil Well Started a Revolution
Author
Jeffrey Winters
The job was simple: Drill down to get at the source of a persistent oil seep. But the well drilled in Titusville, Pa., changed the course of history.


Article
Dec 5, 2024
DOE’s Geri Richmond Lays Out the Power Challenge of AI
Author
Jeffrey Winters
The Under Secretary for Science and Innovation identifies the areas in need of further investment and the opportunity of STEM careers for young people.


Article
Dec 2, 2024
Below and Beyond for Geothermal's Frontier
Author
Michael Abrams
A new generation of startups is developing the drilling technology needed to reach rocks hot enough to provide clean, sustainable power whenever we need it.


Article
Mar 19, 2024
Energy Blog: Heat Batteries Step into the Spotlight
Author
Jeffrey Winters
Hot bricks won’t power a car, but in the world of grid-scale energy, thermal storage is getting its day in the sun.


Article
Mar 12, 2024
Floating Pyramids Could Make for Cheaper Wind Power
Author
Cassandra Kelly
Standard piles driven into the seabed require specialized ships. A new design rides the waves to make offshore wind farms easier to build.


Article
Mar 11, 2024
New Discovery in Molecular Structure of Perovskite Breaks Efficiency Record
Author
Cassandra Kelly
Northwestern researchers have uncovered a way to limit perovskite’s rapid degradation, which could enhance the material’s potential as a more efficient and cost-effective solar solution.


Article
Jan 31, 2024
Energy Blog: Transportation Emissions Under the Microscope
Author
Jeffrey Winters
Two recent reports explain why reducing the carbon footprint of driving around may be a major challenge.


Article
Jan 23, 2024
Tiny Holes Improve Boiling Performance
Author
Nicole Imeson
Engineers compelled bubbles to jump from a heated plate during boiling to enhance heat transfer. Their research suggests microstructures could increase power plant efficiency.


Article
Jan 18, 2024
New Material Combines Strength and Energy Storage
Author
Poornima Apte
Imagine an EV that stores electricity in its chassis. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have developed a structural supercapacitor that could enable that and more.

Infographic
Jan 18, 2024
Infographic: Rounding the Peak on Carbon Emissions
Nearly 78 percent of the decrease in emissions is accounted for by the electric power sector, but auto efficiency also helped.


Article
Jan 9, 2024
Designing Better Concrete for SMRs
Author
Kayt Sukel
Researchers in Canada are developing a new concrete formula that can resist both structural and radiation damage.


Article
Jan 4, 2024
5 Countries with the Largest Nuclear Power Plants
Author
Jeffrey Winters
Small modular reactors are the subject of intense focus, but gigawatt-scale plants are the workhorses of the nuclear power industry.


Article
Dec 14, 2023
Energy Blog: Mirage or Oasis for Climate Action?
Author
Michael E. Webber
A wealthy petrostate may seem like an odd place for a major climate meeting, but the positive results of COP28 show the importance of getting oil-rich nations onboard with carbon emissions reductions.


Article
Dec 1, 2023
Material Limits Impact Infrastructure Plans
Author
Vaclav Smil
New energy infrastructure will run headlong into production constraints for concrete, copper, and other critical materials. Engineers must solve this problem to decarbonize the energy system.


Article
Nov 29, 2023
Blog: Gas Power Plants Are Efficiency Giants
Author
Jeffrey Winters
A recent report shows how the combined cycle gas turbine fleet is increasingly efficient and reliable.

Infographic
Nov 28, 2023
Infographic: Targets Propel Turbines
78 GW of new wind power capacity was connected to the global power grid in 2022. This number is expected to grow to 136 GW each year over the next five years


Article
Nov 21, 2023
New On-Chip Photonics System Could Reduce Data-Center Costs
Author
Mark Crawford
Researchers have developed an energy-efficient, on-chip method that compensates for the temperature variations that degrade photonic chips--saving energy during data center and supercomputer use.


Article
Nov 1, 2023
Condenser Coating Provides Efficiency Boost
Author
Mark Crawford
Fluorinated diamond-like carbon is a long-lasting coating that may improve process efficiency in steam power plants. The coated pipes form water droplets.


Article
Oct 26, 2023
Green Power Employment Outlook
Author
Jeffrey Winters
The zero-carbon power sector is growing, but which fields provide the most job opportunities?


Article
Oct 17, 2023
Leading Hard-to-Decarbonize Industries to Zero Emissions
Author
Nancy Kristof
Reducing or eliminating emissions, investing in renewable and alternative energies, and implementing carbon capture, usage, and storage are tools common to these industries’ carbon neutral strategy.


Article
Oct 2, 2023
Documenting the Worth of Wind Power
Author
Michael Abrams
Italian reserachers showed the worth of floating wind farms despite a gap in the knowledge of their manufacture and operation.


Article
Sep 26, 2023
Carbon Capture Projects Happening Right Now
Author
Jeffrey Winters
It’s a leading-edge technology that some experts believe could save the planet. See where carbon is being pulled out of energy and industrial processes.


Article
Sep 19, 2023
Top 5 States for Per Capita Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Author
Jeffrey Winters
Everyone is responsible for emitting some greenhouse gases, but people in these states produce the most.