We already saw how the new $1.6 billion sarcophagus—the 843-foot wide, 354-foot tall steel shield that entombs the radioactive material leaking from the damaged nuclear reactor left over from the Chernobyl disaster—was going to be put in place to replace the old concrete structure that enclosed the damaged reactor…
The act of boiling water helps us brew coffee and cook pasta—and it’s also what fuels most of the world’s energy sources. But boiling is really all about the bubbles, and until now their formation had been seen as random and haphazard. MIT engineers say they can now control the formation of bubbles, which might change…
Biomass cogeneration doesn't scream "family fun for all ages" to most of us, but the city of Uppsala, Sweden, is hoping it might some day. Its plan involves a geodesic dome, stained glass, and a zany Danish architect.
Just 90 miles off the tip of Florida lies a half-baked, abandoned relic of the Cold War-era arms race—what was once going to be a joint Cuban-Soviet nuclear reactor. And thank god it never panned out. Because not only do we now have these incredible shots from photographer Darmon Richter, but every last aspect of…
On June 2, President Obama proposed new EPA regulations to reduce the carbon dioxide pollution that's causing global warming. The new rules would reduce the carbon emissions of US power plants 30 percent by 2030. But not all plants are created equal—in fact, some are much dirtier than others.
It's come to light that two US power plants were hit by malware attacks in 2012, after employees used infected USB sticks.
Keeping the Western hemisphere's single largest coal-fired power plant running nonstop is no easy feat—especially, when the fuel coal is located on the other side of the country. Here's how Georgia Power does it.
How does a court seize a nuclear plant? Well, that damn Russian floating nuclear plant is cursed. After a series of early setbacks, the plant, Akademik Lomonosov, is now close to completion. Too bad the shipyard building it is going to go bankrupt.
The U.S.' nuclear plants are getting older, becoming more unstable with age even as we demand more power of them. Meanwhile, population growth around these powerhouses has sky-rocketed, by as much as a factor of four in some places. Say you live in one of these cities. In the event of an emergency, how likely is it…
A new hybrid power plant to be built in Turkey will combine a traditional gas-fired steam turbine with solar thermal power and wind power, according to GE. It's a step toward integrating renewable sources into the traditional power grid, using steam and mirrors.
The Japanese authorities have announced that radiation levels surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant are increasing to potentially harmful levels. New Scientist investigates the health risks associated with nuclear power plant explosions.
After today's earthquake in Japan, there was concern over the country's nuclear power plants: though 13 of the affected plants automatically shut down, two caused a scare. This raises the question: how does a nuclear plant stay safe during an earthquake, and why were there problems in Japan?
Bourne Energy's BPP-2 puts a 30-pound, 500-watt generating hydroelectric plant on your back. That's like being able to walk around with 60 solar panels. And when civilization finally collapses, I'll be dragging mine to an as yet undisclosed location.
Shockingly cheap Apple tablets, Twitter books, Google power plants, Samurai Mario and a bunch of things that didn't make the cut today. Some of it we didn't like, and some are fun gems from our (riveting!) staff chat room.
Poor Mr. Polar Bear. When he's not jumping from melting ice chunk to ice chunk trying desperately not to drown, he's avoiding the floating Russian nuclear power stations and their potential toxic waste.
Maybe you've heard the plans for "clean coal" (aka carbon capture and storage), a technology that collects carbon-dioxide exhaust from formerly high-polluting power plants, condensing and freezing it for storage in depleted natural-gas fields. This month, energy provider Vattenfall fired up the CO2 collection process…
Here's an idea that's not going to go over well with the Department of Homeland Security: Toshiba has reportedly developed a nuclear reactor that will fit in your basement. Measuring 20 feet wide by 6 feet long, it cranks out 200kW and doesn't even require Homer Simpson to operate, since it's supposedly totally…
The idea sounds simple. If winds are stronger than 10km up in the air, why not build a power plant that can harness that energy? That's what Cali-based Sky WindPower is proposing with their flying power plants. But how would these plants work and more importantly, how much cash would be saved? Well, the ideas is…
