As much as 15.2 terawatt-hours of electricity could be generated annually at non-powered dams — enough to supply more than 1.4 million homes, according to an updated assessment of hydropower technical potential across the nation compiled by researchers at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Idaho National Laboratory (INL).

read more

This week marks six months since the outbreak of military conflict between the United States and Iran. This on-again, off-again, on-again conflagration has severely disrupted exports of oil, liquefied natural gas, and other vital commodities through the Strait of Hormuz.

read more

Luther “Sunny” Miller is nearly 80, but in his younger days, he worked at Aerojet, a rocket and missile manufacturer located quite literally in his backyard. He can’t prove it, but he worries that his thyroid and bladder problems, and his wife’s kidney disease, can be traced to the plant.

read more

Energy security concerns augmented by recent years of war in Ukraine and the Middle East have fueled a global resurgence of nuclear energy. In Asia, Europe, and elsewhere, governments are looking to nuclear energy as a stable power source in the face of geopolitical uncertainty, increasing electricity demand, and accelerating climate change. This includes the United States, which recently signed a thirty-year civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, though it has yet to go into effect. This resurgence marks a stunning reversal.

read more

U.S.

read more

This coverage is made possible through a partnership between Grist and The Salt Lake Tribune, a nonprofit newsroom in Utah.

Utah’s solar generation eclipsed all other electricity sources for the first time ever in May, the culmination of a slow but steady years-long shift away from coal. Energy experts are calling it a win for the environment and the state’s economy. 

read more

A federal judge has ordered the Department of Defense to lift its blockade of wind energy projects and resume the permitting process that has ground to a halt during President Donald Trump’s second term. 

Under Trump, the Pentagon has stopped conducting the national security reviews that are required for wind turbines over 200 feet tall. Renewable energy companies and Democratic attorneys general sued the administration, saying the refusal to conduct the once-routine reviews has stalled more than 155 onshore wind projects. 

read more

For nuclear to be considered as a viable clean energy source, it has to be competitively priced and economical to produce. 

Lauren Fortier, a second-year doctoral student in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE), is helping the cause by developing remote operation protocols for autonomous control of nuclear plants. 

read more

Oil is often imagined as a shortcut to prosperity. In reality, it has frequently done the opposite, showering poor countries with sudden wealth while leaving them less diversified, more corrupt, and more politically brittle than before, a pattern described in detail by the Natural Resource Governance Institute.

read more