On a Christmas morning in the early 1990s, in a small town north of Barcelona, a young Violeta Sanchez i Nogue’s interest in chemistry was born. She unwrapped a junior chemistry lab kit that would ignite a love of science and lead to a successful career as a senior researcher at NREL. … [continued]
A very valuable classic car gasses up with “solar gasoline,” demonstrating that advanced renewable fuels can replace conventional gas on a drop-in basis.
For the past week I’ve been working with a team of deep and broad experts in decarbonization in the Netherlands. The transmission system operator TenneT invited me and other experts to assist them with their Target scenario for 2050 to enable them to plan for transmission upgrades and space requirements … [continued]
Recent adjustments to my projections for global steel demand through 2100, reflecting a significant slowdown in Chinese infrastructure and cement consumption, have sharpened my economic focus on competing new steelmaking technologies. With lower growth trajectories for steel firmly established, every ton produced in the coming decades will increasingly face stringent … [continued]
This week, I had the opportunity to participate in TenneT’s scenario planning for its ambitious 2050 Target Grid project. The session was notable for including Professor Heleen de Coninck, one of the Netherlands’ experts on industrial decarbonization and climate change. Her involvement emphasized the critical importance of identifying scalable pathways … [continued]
A new milestone in decentralized renewable energy is taking shape in the Swiss Alps. The alpine cleantech company SYNCRAFT has begun construction of a high-altitude climate positive power plant in the world famous Engadine region, located at over 1,600 meters above sea level. The Engadine valley is where winter sports … [continued]
In 2024, the United States produced a record amount of energy, according to data in our Monthly Energy Review. U.S. total energy production was more than 103 quadrillion British thermal units in 2024, a 1% increase from the previous record set in 2023. Several energy sources—natural gas, crude oil, natural gas plant liquids, biofuels, solar, … [continued]
Canada stands at a crossroads in its energy future, and the path it chooses will define its economic resilience, environmental integrity, and quality of life for generations. As a Canadian who is involved in shaping Ireland’s 2050 energy roadmap through my work with Trifecta Ireland, I see an immense opportunity … [continued]
India’s energy landscape is at a pivotal crossroads, exemplified by the notable recent decline in coal- and gas-fired power generation, which in May 2025 marked the steepest year-over-year drop since COVID-19. The rapid contraction in coal usage, attributed to an amalgamation of economic slowdowns, surging renewable deployment, and increasingly cost-competitive … [continued]
Public–Private Partnership Advances Research That Turns US Biomass Into National Sources of Fuel, Rubber, and Battery Materials The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is known for its groundbreaking research in impactful bioenergy technologies and invention of performance-advantaged chemicals and materials. But some of its most … [continued]
