Energy Sustainability 9 August 2025 - 16 August 2025

nuclear fusion

Fusion Energy Frenzy: Are We Closer Than Ever to Unlimited Clean Power?

China’s EAST tokamak set a world record in January 2025, sustaining high-performance fusion plasma for 1,066 seconds. ITER in France, funded by 33 countries, targets first plasma in 2035 but faces delays and cost overruns. The US NIF achieved fusion ignition in December 2022. Net power from fusion remains unproven, despite recent milestones.
August 19, 2025
Deep-Water Wind - Floating Turbines

Deep-Water Wind Revolution: Floating Turbines Set to Transform Offshore Energy

Hywind Scotland, the world’s first floating wind farm, began operation in 2017 with five spar-buoy turbines totaling 30 MW and a 54% capacity factor. By mid-2025, global floating wind capacity reached about 200–250 MW, with Europe accounting for 208 MW by late 2023. Industry forecasts expect 6–7 GW operational worldwide by 2030. Current costs exceed $200/MWh but are projected to drop sharply by 2050.
August 16, 2025
Perovskite - flexible solar cells

Perovskite Solar ‘Stickers’ Are Almost Here: How Flexible Laminates Could Turn Walls, Cars & Roofs into Power Plants

A flexible perovskite module with WVTR ≈ 5.0 × 10⁻³ g/m²/day retained 84% of its power after 2,000 hours at 85°C/85% RH. Japan is subsidizing Sekisui Chemical to build a 100 MW film-type perovskite plant by 2027. A Chinese startup unveiled a 1.2 m × 1.6 m flexible module rated 260–300 W and weighing 2.04 kg. Several manufacturers have passed IEC reliability tests for flexible perovskite modules.
August 15, 2025
Metal-Organic Frameworks - MOFs

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs): Sponge-Like Crystals Poised to Transform Carbon Capture, Clean Energy and More

MOFs reach internal surface areas up to 7,000 m²/g, with nearly 90,000 structures created in two decades. CALF-20 captures about one ton of CO2 per day per cubic meter; ZnH-MFU-4l binds over 90% of CO2 from hot flue gas. MOF-303 enabled water harvesting in Death Valley, delivering up to 285 grams per kilogram daily. The EU MOST-H2 project screened 10,000 MOFs for hydrogen storage by 2025.
August 9, 2025