Energy — Page 6 | XenoSpectrum

Tech
US Plans 50 Nuclear-Powered Merchant Ships While China, Japan, and South Korea Build 95% of the World's Ships
On August 24, 2026, the U.S. Maritime Administration and Britain's Core Power signed a memorandum aiming for 50 U.S.-flagged nuclear-powered merchant ships. Construction is reportedly targeted to begin in 2028, at roughly $700 million per vessel. Of the four nuclear cargo ships ever built, two were retired within a few years to a decade. Japanese trading houses and shipbuilders are also major shareholders in Core Power.
September 1, 202615 min read
Tech
How Power Bank Fires Start, and What New Safety Rules Target
モバイルバッテリーの充放電を支えるセルと保護回路を分け、内部短絡が熱暴走へ進む過程を解説。第三者検査で減らせる製造時の危険と、使用時に残る高温・衝撃のリスクを見分ける。
September 1, 20269 min read
Science
Charged Raindrops Can Electrically Punch Holes in Metal Coatings, Study Finds
Researchers have demonstrated in the lab that static electricity of several thousand volts, generated when water droplets slide down an insulating surface, can electrically break down a metal's protective coating and trigger corrosion. The finding points to a new pathway for rain-induced corrosion distinct from chemical reactions or physical wear.
September 1, 202615 min read
Science
Helical Fusion Advances in Japan's Fusion Power Program — But the ¥60 Billion Isn't All Its Own
Helical Fusion's conditional selection is examined as one of four approaches chosen under a government program, not a ¥60 billion grant to a single company, alongside a look at what HTS magnet test data show about the remaining integration hurdles before net electricity generation.
September 1, 20269 min read
Tech
Aptera Solar EV Beats 4kWh Daily Charging Target, But 68km Range Is Still Just an Estimate
TÜV Rheinland measured Aptera's test vehicle delivering 4.2332 kWh of solar charging to the battery in one day. The roughly 42-mile range figure is a calculation based on a target efficiency rate, not an actual driving test, and mass production still requires funding and real-world verification.
August 30, 20267 min read
Tech
US Adds $100 Million to Sole Alumina Refinery, But Key Funding and Gallium Claims Remain Unverified
This article examines a public-private $800 million plan for the only operating alumina refinery in the US, drawing on primary sources to outline three unresolved constraints: undisbursed funds, gallium recovery still in pilot testing, and imported raw materials.
August 30, 20267 min read
Science
Finland's Onkalo Begins Drilling World's First Nuclear Waste Disposal Holes
Finland's Posiva began drilling the world's first permanent disposal hole at the Onkalo facility on August 26, 2026. The hole's specifications—8.4m deep with a 25mm tolerance—reveal a design philosophy built on multiple barriers under the KBS-3 method, standing in contrast to Japan, which remains stalled at the literature survey stage.
August 30, 202610 min read
Science
SLAC Stops Solid-State Battery Short Circuits by Redirecting Dendrites Sideways
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University used a shape-memory alloy ring to biaxially compress a solid electrolyte at 170°C, deflecting lithium dendrite growth from vertical—toward the electrodes—to horizontal. Even with unprecedented dendrite density, the cells reportedly avoided short circuits through thousands of charge-discharge cycles, according to a paper in Nature.
August 29, 20269 min read
Tech
X Identifies 200,000 Suspected China-Linked Accounts, but Only 200 Targeted AI Power Debate
X identified a roughly 200,000-account "bot farm" suspected of ties to China. Only 200 of those accounts posted about AI and power policy, underscoring the need to assess scale and actual impact separately.
August 29, 20268 min read
Science
Interlune Recreates Solar-Wind-Weathered Lunar Soil in the Lab, Advancing Helium-3 Mining Plans
US company Interlune says it implanted helium into simulated ilmenite soil and reproduced heat-release characteristics matching Apollo lunar samples. The advance moves hardware development forward, but peer review and verification with actual helium-3 remain outstanding challenges.
August 28, 202615 min read