Starlight Engine (SLE) and Kyoto Fusioneering (KF) have completed the conceptual design for Japan’s privately-led FAST (Fusion by Advanced Superconducting Tokamak) power demonstration plant, reaching the project’s first major milestone one year after its launch in November 2024. The partners have released a Conceptual Design Report (CDR) that sets out FAST’s objectives, required performance, system configuration, feasibility,...
From Sci-Fi to Strategy: Why Governments Are Betting on Space-Based Solar Power
The future of clean energy may be out of this world—literally.
Researchers around the globe are racing to turn space-based solar power, an idea once dismissed as science fiction, into a practical tool for delivering constant, carbon-free electricity back to Earth.
Shell and Natrx Partner on Scalable Coastal Protection
Shell is spotlighting Louisiana-based startup Natrx in a recent video feature, highlighting a growing partnership focused on protecting coastlines through scalable, nature-based infrastructure. The collaboration underscores how large energy companies and climate tech innovators can accelerate solutions to the increasing risks posed by rising seas and stronger storms. At the core of Natrx’s approach is a modular...
Getting Emissions Numbers Right
As politicians and philanthropists shift their attention to other global issues, many journalists and scientists continue to sound the alarm about climate change. There is a tendency, however, to highlight only the most negative interpretations of new research in order to amplify public concern and emphasize urgency. As a result, press releases and news stories far too often overstate or misrepresent the scientific findings they cite.
Energy secretary says DOE loan office will largely finance nuclear power plants, reflecting Trump priorities
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced Monday that the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) will largely focus on financing nuclear power plants. “By far the biggest use of those dollars will be for nuclear power plants to get those first plants built,” Wright said at a conference of the American Nuclear Society. During President Trump’s first...
Now Tech Moguls Want to Build Data Centers in Outer Space
If things weren’t already frothy enough around AI, now the excitement is headed toward the moon—literally. The world’s richest men are earnestly talking about traveling to outer space to build gigantic data centers to run artificial-intelligence models among the stars. They argue such missions make the most sense for powering energy-hungry operations. “The moon is a gift from...
Chevron Is Getting More Serious About Power
Chevron plans to keep boosting oil-and-gas production through 2030. It is also becoming more serious about entering the power business. As part of an annual presentation to investors Wednesday, the second-largest U.S. oil producer said it is aiming to bring online by 2027 a power plant that would service an artificial-intelligence data center in the...
SC Finalizes 62K-Acre Deal Blending Conservation & Timber
In a major milestone for conservation finance, a 62,000-acre easement project in South Carolina is offering a new model for aligning environmental goals with long-term economic returns. Structured over four separate easements, the Pee Dee Basin Initiative has become the largest conservation transaction ever facilitated by a state agency in South Carolina—without sidelining the land’s...
Energy Department announces $625M for quantum research centers
The Department of Energy announced $625 million in funding Tuesday to renew five quantum research centers established under the first Trump administration. Each research center is set to receive $125 million in funding over the next five years, as they study different facets of quantum science and technology, which rely on the principles of quantum mechanics. Read more...
A tour of global geothermal projects in progress
Breakthroughs in drilling methods and heat extraction techniques are widening the appeal of geothermal power systems across the world, and geothermal generation capacity is on track to double once projects currently in development are completed. Currently, only around 2% of global energy generation comes from geothermal projects, according to Energy Institute data, which places the...









