Today in power: White House wants PJM to host an auction it doesn't want to host for tech companies to bid on power plants they may not use. techcrunch.com/2026/01/16/t...

Fusion startup Type One Energy has raised nearly $90 million in SAFE notes in advance of a $250 million Series B. New scoop from me @techcrunch.com. techcrunch.com/2026/01/14/b...

We've been making ammonia — mostly for fertilizer — the same way for over 100 years. But Ammobia wants to change that. The startup says it has tweaked the Haber-Bosch process to make it cheaper and friendlier to the climate. techcrunch.com/2026/01/13/a...

The Trump administration plans to set the health benefits of air pollution controls to $0. techcrunch.com/2026/01/12/t...

Commonwealth Fusion Systems has installed the first magnet in Sparc, its demonstration reactor that it hopes to turn on in 2027. All magnets should be in place by the end of the summer, CEO Bob Mumgaard said. techcrunch.com/2026/01/06/c...

Is offshore wind a challenge for radar? Yes. Have people been working for over a decade to minimize the problems? Also yes. Are they insurmountable? No. techcrunch.com/2025/12/22/t...

it's a good sign if your media company randomly merges with a fusion company, right techcrunch.com/2025/12/18/t...

Trump Media, parent of Truth Social, is merging with TAE Technologies, a nearly 30-year-old fusion power company. Might be the most unexpected headline I've helped write this year. techcrunch.com/2025/12/18/t...

It's a good time to be a nuclear power startup. Last Energy told me it recently raised $100 million to build an 8 MW pilot reactor by the end of next year. techcrunch.com/2025/12/16/n...

Thea Energy gave me a sneak peek at its design for a commercial-scale fusion power plant. It's unlike any other device out there, and the startup hopes to flip the switch on its commercial-scale device in the early 2030s. techcrunch.com/2025/12/15/t...

If you've ever donned a cashmere sweater, you know why the fiber is so desirable. But it's expensive and unsustainably produced, which is why Everbloom developed a way to turn waste keratin into fibers that resemble cashmere and more. techcrunch.com/2025/12/16/e...

Fervo received a $462 million vote of confidence from Google and others for its approach to enhanced geothermal, which is on target to generate 100 MW of electricity next year. techcrunch.com/2025/12/10/g...

Boom Supersonic is hoping that data centers it make the first supersonic airliner since the Concorde. The aerospace startup said today that it's developing a version of its turbine for power plant duty, and it's selling the first batch to data center developer Crusoe. techcrunch.com/2025/12/09/b...

Data centers are expected to draw 2.7x more electricity by 2035, driven in large part by massive data centers catering to the AI boom. techcrunch.com/2025/12/01/d...

Maritime Fusion thinks fusion power might have a better chance of making a profit if the first reactors are deployed on boats, not on the grid. techcrunch.com/2025/11/24/t...

X-energy is capitalizing on surging interest in nuclear power from tech companies and data center developers, raising a hefty $700 million Series D to bring its small modular reactor to market within the decade. techcrunch.com/2025/11/24/x...

Large parts of the U.S. are at risk of blackouts this winter as data centers help drive electricity demand skyward. techcrunch.com/2025/11/19/r...

Constellation Energy will get a $1 billion loan from the Department of Energy to restart a reactor at Three Mile Island. Microsoft has agreed to buy all the power from the facility for 20 years, likely at a premium. techcrunch.com/2025/11/18/t...

Hell hath frozen over? techcrunch.com/2025/11/13/t...

Exowatt thinks it has a way to make concentrated solar power not just profitable, but one of the lowest cost sources of 24/7 power available. The startup wasn't looking for more money, but data center fever meant that investors came knocking anyway. techcrunch.com/2025/11/13/s...

In a sign of the times, data centers will attract more investment this year than new oil supplies. And over the next decade, the majority of power for new data centers will come from renewables, not natural gas. techcrunch.com/2025/11/12/d...

As households around the world struggle with rising energy costs, Australia will give millions of people free electricity for 3 hours every day starting next year, all thanks to cheap solar power. techcrunch.com/2025/11/05/m...

How much power will AI need? Even these guys don't know! techcrunch.com/2025/11/03/a...

Plenty of people fear AI is coming for their jobs. Now, they're worried about how it's affecting their utility bills. A backlash might be brewing. techcrunch.com/2025/11/01/r...

What if Americans' dislike of trains stems from the fact that robber barons built and ran the first ones here? Maybe we're not skeptical of government projects — which also build highways — but instead harbor a distrust of wealthy profiteers, one that is etched in our national consciousness.

Arbor was built on the idea that burning biomass could benefit the grid and remove carbon. But over the last year, it has turned its self-described "vegetarian rocket engine" into an omnivore capable of burning natural gas and capturing the carbon. techcrunch.com/2025/10/24/a...

Google will build a natural gas power plant and capturing the CO2 emissions. Sounds good, right? One hitch: carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) hasn't exactly lived up to expectations, and that's before we start talking about methane. techcrunch.com/2025/10/23/g...

To store electricity for less $$$, one entrepreneur is looking out to sea. techcrunch.com/2025/10/22/o...

The DOE has confirmed that it is canceling $720 million worth of contracts that support American manufacturing. techcrunch.com/2025/10/20/t...

Google is working with Commonwealth Fusion Systems again, though not in the way you might think. The tech company's DeepMind division is providing its AI tools to help the fusion startup maximize power from its forthcoming reactor. techcrunch.com/2025/10/16/t...

When EV demand was ramping up, I remember a lot of people wringing their hands about how the grid would cope with the extra load, saying we'd need to slow their adoption. But with the growth of AI data centers, that caution has all but evaporated.

It sounds like sci-fi, and while experts debate exactly how it happens, acoustic energy tuned to the right frequencies can extinguish a flame dozens of feet away. One startup thinks its infrasound generators could protect homes from wildfires. techcrunch.com/2025/10/14/i...

Climate tech has been taking it on the chin… or has it? Despite headlines, investors aren't shying away from it. techcrunch.com/2025/10/10/i...

Anyone who has driven or walked under a concrete bridge knows how problematic rust can be. But one startup thinks a paper-thin stainless steel is all we need to extend a bridge's lifespan from 30 to 100 years. techcrunch.com/2025/10/07/o...

Scoop! The Trump administration is proposing cutting over $500 million worth of grants to more than a dozen startups, according to my analysis of a newly leaked document. techcrunch.com/2025/10/07/t...

The DOE has refused to release a list of cancelled awards, but I obtained a copy and dove into the numbers. Here's what they revealed. techcrunch.com/2025/10/03/l...

Cheaper LFP batteries pushing down the cost of EVs, but one US startup has a technology that could drive prices even lower, all while breaking the world's dependency on China for cathode materials. techcrunch.com/2025/10/01/e...

The Trump administration is now forbidding Department of Energy staffers from using terms like "green," "climate change," and even "tax credits." techcrunch.com/2025/09/29/t...

AI will have plenty of opportunity to drive us apart, but one startup thinks it has the potential to bring us together by helping people to find common ground. And they're starting with climate negotiations. techcrunch.com/2025/09/29/c...

Last year, mobile battery startup Moxion went bust pretty spectacularly. Now, one of its founders is back with a new startup, Anode, to "finish what we started," he told me. techcrunch.com/2025/09/26/b...

The Trump administration wants a 10% stake in Lithium Americas, and it's asking GM to guarantee the purchase of enough lithium carbonate for 1.6 million EVs — even as the government works to undermine automakers' transition to EVs. techcrunch.com/2025/09/24/t...

Fine articulate pollution (PM2.5) is one of the biggest causes of death worldwide, but it doesn't get much attention. So Al Gore and Climate Trace put together a tool to help people see what can't be seen, but is very much impacting their health. techcrunch.com/2025/09/24/h...

U.S. battery materials startup Sila just started production at their factory in Moses Lake, Washington. Soon, it'll be pumping out enough silicon anode material for tens of thousands of EVs — and soon millions more. techcrunch.com/2025/09/23/s...

Climate and weather data is a potential goldmine for AI companies, but first you have to collect and store it. techcrunch.com/2025/09/22/e...

Oil and gas supermajor Eni said that it will buy $1 billion worth of energy from Commonwealth Fusion Systems. techcrunch.com/2025/09/22/c...

What’ll it take to help fleets expand their EV trucks? One startup thinks real estate is the missing link. techcrunch.com/2025/09/18/e...

Plenty of people are talking about iPhone Air's slim design, but that svelte profile is hiding a revolutionary battery that makes it all possible. techcrunch.com/2025/09/17/t...

The world grows enough oil palms to cover the country of Honduras, but one startup is hoping that its tiny microbes can replace palm oil plantations. techcrunch.com/2025/09/17/t...

Searing hot tin, graphite pumps, argon-filled, hermetically sealed chambers. Despite sounding like Bond villain torture devices, Fourth Power's thermal batteries promise to do something very normal: make storing renewable energy incredibly cheap. techcrunch.com/2025/09/16/f...

Quilt recently issued an over-the-air update that boosted the capacity of their heat pumps, including those already installed in customer homes. "Wait, what?" I thought when I heard that. Here's how it happened: techcrunch.com/2025/09/12/h...