Newsroom Archive

Innovation in Carbon-Free Energy Will Define the 2020s. Technology solutions are shaping up to play a major role in how we will mitigate the impacts of climate change. And nuclear energy is very much part of this innovation boom.

A renewable portfolio standard is inherently valuable for environmental goals, because it brings more zero-carbon electricity onto the grid. A clean energy standard focuses on a broader goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

On Jan. 9, BlackRock Inc.—a global investment firm that manages nearly $7 trillion dollars in assets—joined an investment pact focused on reducing carbon emissions, Climate Action 100+. With BlackRock’s commitment, Climate Action 100+ represents more than $41 trillion dollars in investments. That’s a lot of capital and another influential name committed to protecting the climate.

2019 was a big year for nuclear energy, from significant bipartisan support for nuclear innovation, to state policy actions, to Congress funding nuclear energy programs at historic levels. Before 2020 gets old enough for us to forget our New Year’s resolutions, let’s take a look at the top stories you read and shared the most in 2019.

In 2020, we can expect to see a great deal of attention on policy proposals to reduce carbon emissions. States and utilities have already begun to map out where we need to go and including nuclear as part of the solution will help to get us there.

Nuclear energy companies that export their technology abroad just achieved a major win with the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank for seven years. Congress approved the authorization as part of H.R. 1865, the Consolidated Domestic and International Assistance Bill of 2020.

There’s a dispute going on now in the energy sector where it seems like the parties have no names, only letters. Ditto for the thing they’re fighting over: FERC can’t figure out how to handle PJM’s beef over ZECs.

Last month, the Los Alamos National Laboratory became the first national lab to join Gender Champions in Nuclear Policy, seeking to break down barriers in nuclear policy.

The U.S. nuclear industry prides itself on having safety in its DNA. That means that safety is the highest priority and that every decision, step and precaution is grounded in that approach. In fact, the U.S. industry continues to be recognized as one of the safest industrial working environments in the nation.

Nuclear plants produce waste—which is a debatable term—while generating electricity, but what it is exactly and how it’s handled are different than you might think.

Today, nuclear reactors produce electricity and are the largest tool to decarbonize the power grid. But soon, they may be producing carbon-free hydrogen that will clean up other industries, including steel, agriculture and even the gasoline-powered car in your driveway.

Michl Binderbauer, chief executive officer of TAE Technologies Inc. is among a group of visionary innovators seeking to harness the power of the sun and stars right here on earth. It sounds like something straight out of a sci-fi novel or comic book, but TAE is one of about a dozen private companies around the world—including General Fusion and Commonwealth Fusion Systems—working to make fusion power a reality.