"While heat officers can advocate for policies, they often lack decision-making power within a city or regional government."

"Incumbents are rushing to develop the technology for the grid, and several startups are betting big on it, too. Natron, an American firm backed by Chevron, an oil giant, is investing $1.4bn to build a sodium-ion battery factory in North Carolina, which is scheduled to open in 2027. Landon Mossburg, the chief executive of Peak Energy, another sodium-ion startup, says he wants his firm to be 'the CATL of America.'"

"The startup aims to eventually deploy thousands of its modular microreactors, though to date it has not brought any online. The first reactor might appear in Europe as soon as 2026, assuming Last Energy manages to meet its extremely aggressive construction, financial, and regulatory timelines — not a common occurrence in the nuclear industry. Venture capital heavyweight Gigafund led the round, which closed early this year but was revealed only today. The startup has raised a total of $64 million since its 2019 founding."

"Prescribed or controlled burns — fighting fire with fire — have long been used by indigenous groups to manage wildfire risk. Clearing excess vegetation reduces a forest’s fuel load, making it less likely a blaze will break out or spread quickly. But it’s a manpower-intensive process. BurnBot’s June burn covered an area the size of an American football field using a five-member crew; Chiverton says the same job sans robot would have needed 10 people."