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Technology

Circuits and a wind turbine.
Technology

America Needs an Energy Policy for AI

Additionality isn’t just for hydrogen.

Technology

Google Locks in Carbon Removal at a Milestone Price: $100 a Ton

DAC startup Holocene has a novel chemistry and backing from Breakthrough Energy and Frontier Climate.

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Technology

What If We Get Fusion — But Don’t Need It?

Even if the technology works, the economics might not.

Green
Technology

Only You (and AI) Can Prevent Wildfires

One VC dedicated to funding tech-based fire solutions has already found hundreds of potential investments.

A Last Energy microreactor.

Why Really Tiny Nuclear Reactors Are Bringing In Big Money

Last Energy just raised a $40 million Series B.

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A family in a sci-fi landscape.

It Is Finally, Possibly, Almost Time for Fusion

Getting a commercial reactor online by the 2030s doesn’t sound as crazy as it used to.

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Sparks

Why the World Needs Yet Another Methane Satellite

Carbon Mapper’s ultra-precise Tanager-1 is headed to space.

Methane pollution.
<p>Heatmap Illustration/Carbon Mapper</p>

Yet another methane satellite is launching into orbit Friday, as early as 11:19 a.m. Pacific time, on a SpaceX rocket. Developed by a coalition of public and private partners and led by the nonprofit Carbon Mapper, its precision imaging helps fill a gap in the methane detection universe and complements the abilities of MethaneSAT, the Environmental Defense Fund-developed, Google-backed satellite launched back in March.

Riley Duren, CEO of Carbon Mapper, likens his company’s satellite to a telephoto lens, saying it “has a resolution that's about 10 times higher than the MethaneSAT instrument” — although the tradeoff is that the field of view is about 10 times smaller. The ultimate goal is to identify “super-emitters” of methane and carbon dioxide at the facility level. So while MethaneSAT can detect the total emissions emanating from a particular basin, state, or country, Carbon Mapper can zoom in to figure out what’s going on within 50 meters of accuracy so that operators and regulators can be notified.

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Technology

AM Briefing: Coming Soon to the Texas Grid

On the EarthStore project, nuclear-powered ships, and plastic pollution.

Geothermal Energy Storage is Making a Big Leap in Texas
<p>Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images</p>

Current conditions: Hurricane Ernesto could strengthen into a category 3 storm by Friday • Several days of heavy rain in Majorca, Spain, flooded streets and grounded flights • The heat index is hovering around 115 degrees Fahrenheit for parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

THE TOP FIVE

1. Texas to host first grid-connected geothermal energy storage project

Plans are underway in Texas to build what will become the first geothermal energy storage project to deliver power to the grid. The 3-megawatt EarthStore project will be located in Christine, Texas, and operated by Sage Geosystems. It will connect with the ERCOT grid, storing energy to be deployed on demand. Advanced geothermal reservoirs harness the heat under the Earth’s surface to generate energy. They can store power that’s been generated by wind or solar in the form of hot water or steam, and some research suggests this process could be more efficient and perhaps cheaper than using batteries. Either way, as renewable capacity ramps up, the more storage options, the better. The project is expected to be ready by the end of 2024.

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