Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin announced that Commonwealth Fusion Systems will build the world’s first grid-scale commercial fusion power plant outside of Richmond, Va.
Google and Apex Clean Energy announced a power purchase agreement for the full capacity of the 79.3-MW Rocky Forge Wind farm in Virginia. Apex plans to complete construction on the farm next year and enter commercial operations by 2026. The northern side of Virginia is home to the nation’s densest concentration of data centers with more than 1.2 GW of capacity.
The U.S. Department of Energy announced that 10 of its National Laboratories will participate in the CHIPS Manufacturing USA institute for Digital Twins. Recently, the Department of Commerce entered negotiations with the Semiconductor Research Corporation to establish and operate the new Semiconductor Manufacturing and Advanced Research with Twins USA Institute.
Green cement manufacturer Fortera and multinational Sumitomo Corporation agreed to a memorandum of understanding to focus on deploying Fortera’s bolt-on low-to-zero-carbon cement plants with some of Asia’s largest cement manufacturers.
MITRE and Montana State University are collaborating on research to reduce U.S. reliance on Chinese rare earth elements for quantum technology. They will use artificial intelligence and density functional theory to develop a catalog of functional materials for quantum applications.
Westinghouse Electric Company and Aecon signed two major agreements creating a collaborative framework for the development and deployment of advanced nuclear new-build projects in Canada and around the world.
Idaho National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville agreed to work together in areas such as nuclear fuels and materials, reactor safety, optimizing plant operations, and advanced manufacturing. The two organizations are discussing hosting seminars, teaching new courses, and providing internships over the next five years.
Stanford University recently joined as a member of the National Semiconductor Technology Center. This consortium brings together academia, industry, government, and nonprofits to help the Department of Commerce administer all the projects and initiatives outlined in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.
After four years, Switzerland finally sealed a deal with Brussels that will allow its researchers to have near full access to the EU’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program. However, there is a risk that Swiss voters could reject the deal in an as-yet unscheduled referendum.
SCHOTT announced the closing of their fiscal year with strong financial performance, meeting all of its targets and exceeding previous goals. The company increased its equity ratio to 66%, providing a strong foundation for future investments and continued growth.
Shell’s head of renewables in the Americas Amanda Dasch will leave the company to join Danish offshore wind giant Orsted in January 2025 as head of its U.S. operations. The departure of the veteran executive comes shortly after Shell announced it will halt investments in new offshore wind projects as CEO Wael Sawan focuses on higher margin operations.
The U.S. Department of Energy published its long-awaited study of U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas. In a Center for Strategic and International Studies article, CSIS experts react to the study’s most notable highlights and implications for U.S. energy strategy, industry, and the global climate.
China-based CATL announced plans to open 1,000 swap stations next year in China, including in Hong Kong and Macao, with a long-term goal of 10,000 stations built with partners. If the company follows through, it could rival Nio, a 10-year-old Chinese electric car brand that has opened more than 2,700 stations and has plans for at least 5,000.
U.S. data-center power demand could nearly triple in the next three years, and consume as much as 12% of the country’s electricity, as the industry undergoes an AI transformation, according to a Department of Energy-backed study.
A wave of new liquefied natural gas terminals is expected to be constructed along the Texas–Louisiana Gulf Coast should President-elect Donald Trump carry through on his pledge to end the Biden administration’s nearly year-long pause on permitting LNG projects.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office issued a notice of allowance for SINTX’s patent application no. 17/237,687, titled “Methods of Silicon Nitride Laser Cladding.” The patent protects a new method for laser bonding bioactive silicon nitride to various biomedical implant substrates, including titanium, alumina, zirconia, and advanced polymers.
DMEGC, a Chinese industrial group that makes photovoltaic modules, launched new lightweight bifacial TOPCon solar panels for residential rooftop solar projects. The double-glass modules offer power outputs of 250 W to 270 W and measure 1,542 mm x 766 mm x 30 mm.
