The archive
Tech
Duke Energy, a major utility serving millions in the Southeast, is betting that small modular reactors (SMRs) can be an integral part of America’s future, providing baseload, clean power.
Energy
Executive Order 14300 explicitly calls for a re-evaluation of the Linear No-Threshold (LNT) model and the As Low As Reasonably Achievable principle (ALARA). These two frameworks have guided nuclear regulation for decades. While these models may have been defensible when first adopted, they have hardened into regulatory doctrines that no longer align with the best available science, economic realities, or the nation’s strategic energy goals.
Infrastructure
According to a recent report delivered by Realtor.com, the U.S. is facing a shortage of roughly 4 million homes. The reasons for this massive supply shortfall are manifold, but one critical factor is the rising cost of essential building materials like wood and steel. To help close this gap, a company called Icon is working to amp up construction and deliver affordable, sustainable, and high-quality homes faster than traditional approaches.
Policy
The United States faces a growing strategic challenge: China has emerged as the world’s dominant energy financier, outpacing the U.S. nearly ten-to-one in global markets and establishing itself as a primary partner in key nations like Brazil. This first-of-a-kind analysis of U.S. and Chinese energy finance shows that, since 2015, China has outpaced the U.S. by more than 100x in public energy finance in Brazil, $60B to $472M.
Culture
When world leaders fly into New York City (just think of the CO2 emissions from all the flights!) to hobnob at the annual UN General Assembly, they think and act as many leaders often do: they are seeking top-down solutions to global problems. They will tell us what to do. If we balk, they will offer to pay us to do it. If we do it, then problem(s) solved.
Energy
This brings us to a recent Tweet by Energy Secretary Chris Wright. “Even if you wrapped the entire planet in a solar panel, you would only be producing 20% of global energy. One of the biggest mistakes politicians can make is equating the ELECTRICITY with ENERGY!”
Energy
During Trump’s visit, the United States and the United Kingdom are expected to sign several nuclear power deals under the Atlantic Partnership for Advanced Nuclear Energy.
Infrastructure
There has been bipartisan support for improving permitting processes, and both Republican and Democratic administrations have acknowledged the need to modernize NEPA. At a recent House Natural Resources Committee hearing, I testified to explain how narrowing the scope of environmental reviews and reining in the delays imposed by protracted litigation would help deliver more affordable power, reliable infrastructure, and a healthier environment.
Tech
Clean tech startup XGS Energy and Meta have announced a new partnership to develop a 150-megawatt (MW) advanced geothermal facility in New Mexico. The next-generation project will supply clean power to support Meta’s carbon-free data center operations in the state.
Science & Tech
Now, Amazon is backing an effort to examine how commercial offshore kelp farms can boost algae-based carbon capture. Even better, the Amazon-backed farm is co-locating kelp cultivation within the same space as offshore wind turbines.
