In Mykolaiv, Ukraine, Danish government-funded off-grid solar arrays and batteries now power an underground water pump in an eastern suburb, supplying residents with drinking water even after Russian strikes knocked out centralized power plants nationwide. The city has also installed five solar-powered desalination systems that convert saline or polluted water into drinking water when sunlight is available, switching to grid power at night or on cloudy days.
energytransition.org
· 2026-10-04
A startup is working with oilfield services giant Halliburton on a plan to dispose of nuclear waste by burying it nearly two miles underground, using horizontal drilling techniques adapted from the oil and gas industry. The approach would place waste in deep boreholes rather than the large centralized repositories traditionally proposed for nuclear waste storage.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-10-02
The Group of Seven wealthy democracies announced plans to release 100 million barrels of oil and fuel products over the coming weeks, with an initial focus on diesel supplies. The move follows a surge in U.S. diesel prices, which reached a national average of $6.37 per gallon on Friday.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-02
Apple expanded its third-party accessories lineup this week with eight new products, led by the Aqara Thermostat Hub W200, which first launched in April after debuting at CES 2026. The device sells for $169.95 through Apple, about $10 more than on Amazon, and supports Apple Home features including Adaptive Temperature and Clean Energy Guidance. Apple also began selling the Aqara Climate Sensor W100 alongside six other new accessories.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-10-02
Tesla delivered 486,532 electric vehicles in Q3 2026, down 2.1% from 497,099 a year earlier, though the figure beat analyst expectations of 456,600. Model 3 and Y deliveries slipped only 0.6% to 478,237, while sales of other models—mainly Cybertruck along with Semi and Cybercab—plunged 48% to 8,295 units, even as total vehicle production rose 3.7%. Tesla's energy storage deployments grew 9.6% year-over-year to 13.7 GWh, and full financial results are due October 21.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-02
A new analysis from Energy Innovation, a nonpartisan think tank, estimates U.S. households will pay an average of $6,500 more for energy cumulatively through 2040 due to federal policy shifts under the Trump administration. Five states — Oregon, Mississippi, South Dakota, Virginia and Wyoming — are projected to see costs rise by about $9,000 per household.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-02
Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Plug and Play Solar Act, making California the tenth US state to legalize plug-in balcony solar systems. The law caps installations at 1,200 watts, requires UL3700 certification, and allows free, immediate approval without the utility registration process required for rooftop solar. It takes effect January 1, 2027.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-02
Fervo Energy said it started delivering electricity to the grid from its Cape Station facility on September 30, a day ahead of schedule, after the plant synchronized with the grid about a week earlier. The initial phase represents one-third of a planned 100-megawatt facility that took 23 months to build from groundbreaking to operation, with the full site potentially scaling to 4 gigawatts.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-10-01
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Collaboration has compiled the largest three-dimensional map of the universe to date, using measurements from millions of galaxies and quasars. Early analysis of the data suggests that dark energy, long assumed to be a constant force, may actually vary over cosmic time, a finding that challenges standard cosmological assumptions.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-10-01
Georgia Tech engineers led by Alex Abramson developed a system called SWANS that lets implanted devices communicate by sending electrical signals through body tissue rather than Bluetooth or NFC radio waves. The system mimics ionic conduction used by neurons, passing voltage signals through tissue instead of nerves to coordinate multiple implants like pacemakers and insulin pumps.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-30
Amazon has agreed to support Constellation Energy's efforts to expand power generation at its Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant in Maryland, including exploring the addition of new reactors. The move follows Amazon's earlier decision to scrap a planned data center deal in the state.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-30
Star Catcher is developing a constellation of satellites designed to collect solar energy in orbit and transmit it to other spacecraft. The system aims to supply power directly to satellites rather than requiring each to rely solely on its own solar panels.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-30
GoKawiil