1. India has approved the construction of ten indigenously designed pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWR). India approved the construction of ten 700 MWe units in a “significant decision to fast-track India’s domestic nuclear power program”. The Cabinet’s announcement did not give any timeline or locations for the new plants, but said the project would result …
Dong Energy has built over 1000 large offshore wind turbines. They will be building new taller and bigger wind turbines. They will go to 195 meters tall and 8 Megawatts and larger. In the United States today, a loose convention draws the lower limit for a skyscraper building at 150 meters. An extremely tall skyscraper, …
Japan is restarting unit 4 of its Takahama nuclear power plant in Fukui prefecture. The reactor – which together with unit 3 has been offline since March 2016 – is expected to re-enter commercial operation next month. The company said the 830 MWe (net) pressurised water reactor (PWR) was restarted at 3.00pm today and is …
Canada nuclear fusion energy startup General Fusion is working with Microsoft to analyse its fusion energy experimental results using cloud-based big data techniques. General Fusion will work with Microsoft’s Developer Experience Team to build a new, cutting-edge computational platform that will enable General Fusion to mine over 100 terabytes of data from the records of …
Rethinkx has a new report Rethinking Transportation 2020-2030: The Disruption of Transportation and the Collapse of the ICE Vehicle and Oil Industries. By 2030, 95% of U.S. car miles traveled will be in self–‐driving, electric, shared vehicles. Nextbigfuture has discussed similar concepts in prior articles. Rethinkx has put together a comprehensive report and analysis. Nextbigfuture …
Battery material testing machines that Tesla and Jeff Dahn h ve developed enabled them to test new chemistries more accurately and much faster. This has enabled significant discoveries for the longevity of batteries. Aluminum coated batteries lasted longer than any other material. Novonix is a specialized start-up company spun out of Dr. Jeff Dahn’s lab …
Researchers from the University of Antwerp and KU Leuven have succeeded in developing a process that purifies air and, at the same time, generates power. The device must only be exposed to light in order to function. “We use a small device with two rooms separated by a membrane,” explains Professor Sammy Verbruggen (UAntwerp/KU Leuven). …
There is updated technical information on the Lockheed compact fusion reactor project. It was originally believed that the compact reactor would fit on a large truck. It looked like it might weigh 20 tons. After more engineering and scientific research, the new design requires about 2000 ton reactor that is 7 meters in diameter and …
Enzinc is working with the US Navy to develop a better and safer battery. Enzinc and the Navy Research lab have a unique three-dimensional (3D) zinc electrode. The research aims to bring a safer, more affordable rechargeable battery to market for electric vehicles, ebikes, and home and grid energy storage.“This breakthrough in rechargeable battery technology …
The UK’s newest fusion reactor has been turned on for the first time and has officially achieved first plasma. The reactor aims to produce a record-breaking plasma temperature of 100 million degrees for a privately-funded venture. This is seven times hotter than the centre of the Sun and the temperature necessary for controlled fusion. Oxford, …
Researchers have made a seaweed-derived material to help boost the performance of superconductors, lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells. Seaweed is an abundant algae that grows easily in salt water. While Yang was at Griffith University in Australia, he worked with colleagues at Qingdao University and at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the U.S. to make …