Trump Media is merging with fusion energy company TAE Technologies in a $6 billion deal to develop the world's first utility-scale fusion power plant, signaling a pivot into nuclear energy and diversifying beyond its social media platform, Truth Social, amid financial struggles and growing energy demands.
The US Department of Energy has selected 11 advanced nuclear reactor projects to fast-track their development and testing by July 2026, aiming to make the US a global leader in nuclear energy and support a continuous energy supply through innovative reactor designs like molten salt reactors and modular reactors for data centers.
Researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, in collaboration with German universities, have developed a quantum engine powered by quantum entanglement, rather than traditional combustion or heat. This engine operates by cyclically converting fermions into bosons and vice versa, utilizing the energy difference between these states. While the engine's efficiency can reach up to 25% in controlled lab conditions, practical applications remain distant due to the delicate and cold conditions required for operation. This innovation highlights the potential of quantum mechanics to revolutionize energy extraction methods.
Scientists from the UK Atomic Energy Authority and the University of Bristol have developed the world's first carbon-14 diamond battery, capable of powering devices for thousands of years. This innovative battery uses the radioactive decay of carbon-14 to generate power, offering potential applications in medical devices, space technology, and extreme environments. The technology leverages expertise from fusion energy research and could revolutionize power sources for long-term use.
Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin are pioneering a method to produce hydrogen from iron-rich rocks without CO2 emissions, potentially revolutionizing the hydrogen industry. The project aims to stimulate a natural geologic process called "serpentinization" using natural catalysts to produce hydrogen gas at lower temperatures and depths easily accessible by today’s technology. If successful, this could jump-start a brand-new type of hydrogen industry, offering a low-carbon alternative to current methods and significantly impacting the sustainable energy landscape.
A YouTube channel, Double M Innovations, conducted an experiment to harvest electricity from high-voltage transmission lines using regular fences, using a capacitor, full bridge rectifier, and coax cable. The results showed the capacitor charging up to 1000 V before the experiment was stopped, indicating the potential to collect significant power from a few kilometers of fencing wire underneath such lines. However, the legal implications of storing the power inductively coupled on fence wire should be discussed with local energy companies.