The government’s leading laboratory for renewable energy has detailing the strengths and flaws of concentrated solar energy. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) published the report with the stated goal of using very mixed feedback on existing concentrated solar projects to create a list of suggested best practices going forward.The “is titled CSP Best Practices, but it can be more appropriately viewed as a mix of problematic issues that have been identified, along with potential solutions or approaches to address those issues,” it begins. What’s inside includes problems shared...…The government’s leading laboratory for renewable energy has detailing the strengths and flaws of concentrated solar energy. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) published the report with the stated goal of using very mixed feedback on existing concentrated solar projects to create a list of suggested best practices going forward.The “is titled CSP Best Practices, but it can be more appropriately viewed as a mix of problematic issues that have been identified, along with potential solutions or approaches to address those issues,” it begins. What’s inside includes problems shared...WW…

Engineers have installed the of the (ITER) fusion project in France. The gigantic assembly begins with this piece, the steel base, which weighs more than 1,200 tons.Meet the Big BoyITER has been in the works for 30 years. The experimental tokamak fusion reactor—a nuclear fusion plasma reactor where extremely hot, charged plasma spins and generates virtually limitless energy—is one of a handful of extremely costly “miniature suns” around the world. The tokamak is on track to switch on in 2025, and then the reactor will begin to heat up to temperatures hot enough to induce nuclear fusion....…Engineers have installed the of the (ITER) fusion project in France. The gigantic assembly begins with this piece, the steel base, which weighs more than 1,200 tons.Meet the Big BoyITER has been in the works for 30 years. The experimental tokamak fusion reactor—a nuclear fusion plasma reactor where extremely hot, charged plasma spins and generates virtually limitless energy—is one of a handful of extremely costly “miniature suns” around the world. The tokamak is on track to switch on in 2025, and then the reactor will begin to heat up to temperatures hot enough to induce nuclear fusion....WW…

The Madison, Wisconsin-based startup has scouted a team of nuclear elites for a new frontier: that can revolutionize medical imaging, munitions scanning, and even for quality assurance.And in the longer term, scientists say training people to run neutron generators helps to familiarize and speed up the future of nuclear fusion. Phoenix’s small reactor uses an age-old idea, but brings it from research programs into the commercial sector. Tiny reactors like are in a different category of tiny altogether—that’s power plant scale, not the small reactors used in physics labs in universities and...…The Madison, Wisconsin-based startup has scouted a team of nuclear elites for a new frontier: that can revolutionize medical imaging, munitions scanning, and even for quality assurance.And in the longer term, scientists say training people to run neutron generators helps to familiarize and speed up the future of nuclear fusion. Phoenix’s small reactor uses an age-old idea, but brings it from research programs into the commercial sector. Tiny reactors like are in a different category of tiny altogether—that’s power plant scale, not the small reactors used in physics labs in universities and...WW…

Researchers from Washington State University (WSU) and the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have released new data on a . Their design avoids some classic sodium-ion battery problems, making for the best results ever achieved with this technology—almost on par with lithium-ion batteries.Sodium-ion batteries have long been held back by one major obstacle: salt crystals accumulate within the structures and eventually ruin them. To solve that, these researchers added even more salt. By choosing a liquid electrolyte with more room for sodium ions, the...…Researchers from Washington State University (WSU) and the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have released new data on a . Their design avoids some classic sodium-ion battery problems, making for the best results ever achieved with this technology—almost on par with lithium-ion batteries.Sodium-ion batteries have long been held back by one major obstacle: salt crystals accumulate within the structures and eventually ruin them. To solve that, these researchers added even more salt. By choosing a liquid electrolyte with more room for sodium ions, the...WW…

For the first time, scientists have of a rare and baffling form of matter called . The crystals look at a glance like “regular” crystals, but they have a relationship to time that both intrigues and puzzles scientists because of its unpredictability. Now, experts say they could have applications in . Scientists only theorized the existence of time crystals starting in the 2010s, making this the state-of-matter equivalent of so-called —is it really a new thing or just a special case of something else? (Sorry, ruby chocolate, we’re not convinced.)You Have to Read ThisBy 2015, researchers time...…For the first time, scientists have of a rare and baffling form of matter called . The crystals look at a glance like “regular” crystals, but they have a relationship to time that both intrigues and puzzles scientists because of its unpredictability. Now, experts say they could have applications in . Scientists only theorized the existence of time crystals starting in the 2010s, making this the state-of-matter equivalent of so-called —is it really a new thing or just a special case of something else? (Sorry, ruby chocolate, we’re not convinced.)You Have to Read ThisBy 2015, researchers time...WW…

Two highly stressed and massive glaciers in Antarctica of some of their naturally grounded restraints, scientists say. If the glaciers continue to meander and reach open water, they could raise the sea level by as much as 10 feet. That could cover most of the Netherlands or the whole city of New Orleans, not to mention cause coastal creep around the entire world.DIVE DEEPER ➡ , starting now.First, let’s look at what’s actually happening with these glaciers. Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers are huge, although they aren't biggest in the world—those glaciers are that includes mountain ranges....…Two highly stressed and massive glaciers in Antarctica of some of their naturally grounded restraints, scientists say. If the glaciers continue to meander and reach open water, they could raise the sea level by as much as 10 feet. That could cover most of the Netherlands or the whole city of New Orleans, not to mention cause coastal creep around the entire world.DIVE DEEPER ➡ , starting now.First, let’s look at what’s actually happening with these glaciers. Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers are huge, although they aren't biggest in the world—those glaciers are that includes mountain ranges....WW…

Researchers with the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) of the Department of Energy have documenting a way to help enable . They describe the scientific reasons for a phenomenon within tokamak reactors called Alfvén mode chirping.Let’s race through some terms here. A tokamak is the donut-shaped great hope of nuclear fusion. (Its cousin, the , has great potential, but is less developed so far.) Inside, a stream of unfathomably hot plasma—as hot as or even far hotter than our sun—is contained by a powerful magnetic field that must be totally effective for the reactor to stay at...…Researchers with the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) of the Department of Energy have documenting a way to help enable . They describe the scientific reasons for a phenomenon within tokamak reactors called Alfvén mode chirping.Let’s race through some terms here. A tokamak is the donut-shaped great hope of nuclear fusion. (Its cousin, the , has great potential, but is less developed so far.) Inside, a stream of unfathomably hot plasma—as hot as or even far hotter than our sun—is contained by a powerful magnetic field that must be totally effective for the reactor to stay at...WW…

A researcher from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology hopes to make molten salt reactors by fine-tuning how they behave under extreme heat and pressure. Could his work help to stabilize this volatile area of nuclear energy?There are active molten salt plants like in Nevada, which has experienced setbacks that reduce its overall efficiency from a . A recent report from the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) found that molten salt tanks had that required costly full drainage and refilling for repairs. The technology is very new at the commercial scale, NREL emphasizes, and needs to be...…A researcher from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology hopes to make molten salt reactors by fine-tuning how they behave under extreme heat and pressure. Could his work help to stabilize this volatile area of nuclear energy?There are active molten salt plants like in Nevada, which has experienced setbacks that reduce its overall efficiency from a . A recent report from the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) found that molten salt tanks had that required costly full drainage and refilling for repairs. The technology is very new at the commercial scale, NREL emphasizes, and needs to be...WW…

A new material called Proteus is billed as just 15 percent the density of steel, but . That means cyclists around the world may be blessed with for the first time ever.Keep Your Ride SafePeople who want to steal the outdoor furniture from restaurant patios will have to cut the furniture now instead of the cable lock. Most importantly, TV writers will have to work even harder to make it seem easy to get into a locked electrical storage or nuclear facility.Researchers in Germany and the U.K. have teamed up to make a material they say uses harmony and vibration to thwart any attempts to cut...…A new material called Proteus is billed as just 15 percent the density of steel, but . That means cyclists around the world may be blessed with for the first time ever.Keep Your Ride SafePeople who want to steal the outdoor furniture from restaurant patios will have to cut the furniture now instead of the cable lock. Most importantly, TV writers will have to work even harder to make it seem easy to get into a locked electrical storage or nuclear facility.Researchers in Germany and the U.K. have teamed up to make a material they say uses harmony and vibration to thwart any attempts to cut...WW…

Thursday marked the of the world's largest all-electric aircraft. The manufacturer, magniX, hosted the historic demo .This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.— magniX (@magniX)On a clear and gorgeous day in inland Moses Lake, Washington, the specially fitted Cessna 208B Grand Caravan took off for an expected 20- to 30-minute test flight. The aircraft seats up to nine people, and a chase plane—one designated to assist and document the flight—followed along for what ended...…Thursday marked the of the world's largest all-electric aircraft. The manufacturer, magniX, hosted the historic demo .This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.— magniX (@magniX)On a clear and gorgeous day in inland Moses Lake, Washington, the specially fitted Cessna 208B Grand Caravan took off for an expected 20- to 30-minute test flight. The aircraft seats up to nine people, and a chase plane—one designated to assist and document the flight—followed along for what ended...WW…