Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social
Climate reporter at TechCrunch, lecturer at MIT. Previously at KSJ@MIT, NOVA, and Chicago Tribune. https://de-chant.com/tim
The Trump administration was wrong to claw back grant money already given to nonprofits, a federal appeals court said. But for many organizations, plenty of damage has been done. techcrunch.com/2026/08/05/t...
Trump EPA wrongly canceled $20B in climate funds, appeals court rules | TechCrunch
Climate nonprofits can again access their federal funding more than a year after the Trump EPA ordered Citibank to freeze their accounts.
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Commonwealth Fusion Systems has now raised $4 billion, making it the best funded fusion power startup. So when will it go public? Signs point to sooner than later. techcrunch.com/2026/07/30/w...
When will fusion power startup Commonwealth Fusion Systems go public? | TechCrunch
There are fresh signs that fusion power startup Commonwealth Fusion Systems will list in the next two to three years.
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Commonwealth Fusion Systems was already the best funded fusion power startup, and today it extended its lead with another $1 billion round. techcrunch.com/2026/07/30/f...
Fusion power darling Commonwealth Fusion Systems raises another $1B | TechCrunch
Commonwealth Fusion Systems raised $1 billion as the startup moves toward its first commercial fusion power plant.
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A lot of people thought Ferrari's first EV was dead on arrival. Why? It flew in the face of what *they* thought a Ferrari should be. Turns out, people who actually buy Ferrari's don't agree. The Luce is sold out for 2026. techcrunch.com/2026/07/29/s...
Sorry, haters. Ferrari’s first EV is doing just fine | TechCrunch
To the horror of commenters across the internet, the Ferrari Luce appears to be a sales success.
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Nuclear startup Antares raised $470 million to build small modular reactors for military bases. Given how challenging it'll be to bring down costs for nuclear, chasing after a price-insensitive customer is probably a good idea. techcrunch.com/2026/07/27/a...
Antares raises $470M to build nuclear reactors for the US military | TechCrunch
Antares has raised $470 million to build small modular reactors — 100 kW to 1 MW — for U.S. Air Force bases.
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Meta dropped out — or was booted? maybe both? — from the RE100, an industry pact that helps companies transition to 100% renewable energy. The move comes after the company said it would build at least a dozen large natural gas power plants for its AI data centers. techcrunch.com/2026/07/23/m...
Meta drops out of a major clean energy pact as its natural gas buildout accelerates | TechCrunch
Meta has made significant investments in natural gas over the past year. Now, it's dropping out of an industry renewable energy group.
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from me this am: Is the Chinese open-weight model roiling the AI world built on or copied from from American models? Probably not. techcrunch.com/2026/07/23/e...
Experts say exploiting Anthropic's Fable isn't how Kimi K3 got so good | TechCrunch
"I don't think you get a model this strong and this quickly on the heels of Fable doing strictly distillation," one expert told TechCrunch.
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OpenAI will spend the equivalent of Sweden's GDP on infrastructure in the next four years. Its first project will include 5.8 GW of natural gas power and just 4 GW of batteries/renewables. techcrunch.com/2026/07/22/o...
OpenAI's AI spending spree has ballooned to $750B | TechCrunch
OpenAI will spend the equivalent of Sweden's GDP on infrastructure through 2030.
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As much as 20% of the electricity on the grid is lost as heat. What if we could get it back? One startup, Arcturus, has developed copper and aluminum that could cut that figure in half. The secret? Using lasers to infuse metals with carbon nanomaterials. techcrunch.com/2026/06/30/a...
Arcturus could halve the grid’s electrical losses using its nano-infused copper | TechCrunch
Stealthy startup Arcturus uses lasers to infuse carbon nanomaterials into copper, dramatically improving its ability to conduct electricity.
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The Trump administration's embrace of red tape has killed 7 GW of clean power and threatens 92 GW more, all while demand for electricity is surging. techcrunch.com/2026/06/29/t...
Trump administration threatens 92 GW of new electricity supply with red tape | TechCrunch
The Trump administration's moves threaten $121 billion in new solar and wind power, two energy sources that are the biggest contributors to new capacity in the U.S.
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No, Nvidia hasn't solved AI's water problem. techcrunch.com/2026/06/22/n...
Nvidia wants to cut data center water use, but that's not the same as fixing AI's water problem | TechCrunch
Nvidia announced a new cooling system that cuts water use inside the data center. But it does nothing to address AI's biggest water use — fossil fuel power plants.
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The fusion industry has been raking in the funding lately — lots of new additions to my list of top-funded fusion startups. techcrunch.com/2026/06/19/e...
Every fusion startup that has raised over $100M | TechCrunch
Fusion startups have raised $7.1 billion to date, with the majority of it going to a handful of companies.
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FERC today said that it was directing grid operators to give data centers an interconnection fast lane. And while the regulator also asked grid operators to report on their generating capacity, it didn't do much to address capacity concerns. techcrunch.com/2026/06/18/a...
AI data centers just got a government-mandated fast lane to the grid | TechCrunch
FERC told grid operators to give data centers a fast lane for interconnections, but it failed to address electricity supply shortages.
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Anthropic hasn't done much about its (likely) massive carbon footprint, but that's starting to change. The AI startup just joined Frontier, the carbon removal coalition. techcrunch.com/2026/06/17/a...
Anthropic becomes first AI startup to join the Frontier carbon removal coalition | TechCrunch
Anthropic has joined the Frontier coalition, which received another $915M in pledges to fund carbon removal projects.
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Geothermal energy could deliver gigawatts per year by 2030, far faster than nuclear, fusion, and maybe even natural gas (given the shortages). But to get there, they'll need geothermal-specific turbines. techcrunch.com/2026/06/17/s...
SpaceX alum nabs $22M to turn rocket engines into geothermal power plants | TechCrunch
Critical Energy is turning rocket engines into geothermal power plants, and it wants to build 300 GW per year by 2045.
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From the lab to your kitchen: Nanoscale research into the metal alloying processes has led to super metals with some pretty incredible properties. A new startup, Foundation Alloy, will soon be making several tons per day. techcrunch.com/2026/06/16/t...
This startup's super metals could soon be in military drones, luxury watches, and chef’s knives | TechCrunch
Instead of heating metals, Foundation Alloy beats them into submission. The startup has raised $22 million to scale up production of its alloys.
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Offshore geothermal could provide terawatts worth of electricity, and Endurance Energy just raised $54 million to turn mid-ocean ridges and other geologic hotspots into underwater powerhouses. techcrunch.com/2026/06/11/e...
Endurance Energy raises $54M to harness a massive untapped energy source | TechCrunch
SpaceX alumni Andrew Redd is betting the ocean has vast amounts of untapped geothermal energy.
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Avalanche Energy became the latest fusion startup to join the 1 keV club — a key milestone in which a plasma is heated above 10 million degrees C. And they did it for under $50 million, a pittance in the fusion world. techcrunch.com/2026/06/10/a...
Avalanche's desktop fusion reactor delivers blistering-hot plasma | TechCrunch
Fusion power startup Avalanche Energy said its reactor prototype heated a plasma to over 10 million degrees C.
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Two SpaceX alumni used to send sandwich-sized satellites into space, but now they're building massive solar + battery power plants. Their startup, Ambrosia Energy, plans to undercut new natural gas on price and speed-to-power. techcrunch.com/2026/06/10/w...
Why two SpaceX alumni are betting on solar and batteries to power the AI craze | TechCrunch
Ambrosia Energy wants to build power plants in less than 12 months while undercutting natural gas. It hopes to build gigawatts worth by 2030.
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GM is betting big on sodium-ion batteries to deliver it a slice of the growing energy storage market. I got the inside scoop for @techcrunch.com from Kurt Kelty and team at GM during my recent visit to Detroit. techcrunch.com/2026/06/09/g...
GM joins race to build batteries for AI data centers and the grid | TechCrunch
GM is developing an entirely new sodium-ion battery chemistry for use in everything from data centers to its own factories.
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GM’a bid to slash EV prices depends on the success of its new Battery Cell Development Center. It promises to bring new batteries to market a year faster. I recently got an exclusive tour of the new facility and a behind-the-scenes look at GM’s new battery strategy. techcrunch.com/2026/06/05/g...
GM’s electric future depends on a new battery — and this building | TechCrunch
GM wants to slash EV prices by deploying new battery tech up to a year earlier than planned. This building is key to making that happen.
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Fusion startup Helion has raised $465 million as it races to complete its first power plant by 2028. Microsoft has agreed to buy power from the 50 MW, first-of-a-kind facility. techcrunch.com/2026/06/04/h...
Helion, the Sam Altman-backed fusion startup, raises $465M to build a power plant for Microsoft | TechCrunch
Fusion startup Helion is racing to complete a power plant for Microsoft by 2028. A fresh infusion of cash should help with that.
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“I’m Kid Rock.” “I’m Naomi Wolf.” “I’m Kanye West.” “I’m Matt Taibbi.” “I’m Catturd. Those stories, plus Rob Schneider, tonight on 60 Minutes.”
Pacific Fusion gave me an exclusive look at their latest prototype, a 1:3 scale version of the pulser module that'll be a key building block of its power plant. They liked what they saw, so construction on the plant, slated to come online in 2030, begins this summer. techcrunch.com/2026/06/02/p...
Exclusive: Pacific Fusion's latest prototype packs 440 gigawatts into an 80-nanosecond burst | TechCrunch
Pacific Fusion's sub-scale prototype delivered enormous amounts of power in a flash, setting the company up for its demonstration power plant.
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Mike Schroepfer and the Gigascale team are betting that climate tech isn't down or out. The new $250 million fund will back founders who are working on energy, grid, and other technologies that have a clear climate impact. techcrunch.com/2026/06/01/z...
Zigging when most are zagging, ex-Meta CTO raises $250M climate fund | TechCrunch
Mike Schroepfer's Gigascale Capital has raised a large fund to back founders building climate-friendly solutions for the world's energy and material shortages.
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Fusion startup Thea Energy has raised $100 million to help build a demonstration reactor based on its pixel-inspired magnets. But recent developments at the company suggest the modular magnet approach might be hitting some walls. techcrunch.com/2026/05/27/w...
With a new $100M raise, Princeton's Thea Energy is now a top-funded fusion startup | TechCrunch
Thea Energy's pixel-inspired magnets could give its power plant plans a boost. The fusion startup hopes to get a commercial reactor working by 2034.
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Everyone's bagging on the Ferrari Luce, and while I'm not sure the design works as a Ferrari, I'm withholding judgement until I see one in the flesh, if ever. But I think my colleague @okane.fyi is right, the Luce isn't for you (and not because you don't have the 💸) techcrunch.com/2026/05/26/f...
Ferrari's first EV is not for you | TechCrunch
The Ferrari Luce seems to be more aimed at regulatory compliance and China, putting a lot of pressure on the Jony Ive-designed EV.
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Have we reached peak fission power hype? Deep Fission, which was struggling to raise $15 million at this time last year, said it was going public...for the second time in 9 months. This time, it's seeking 5x more money from the offering. I've got questions. techcrunch.com/2026/05/23/n...
Nuclear startup Deep Fission says it's going public, again, and I have questions | TechCrunch
Deep Fission is seeking an IPO that could raise $157 million, though investors may have trouble buying the nuclear startup's story.
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Elon Musk was all about solar power 10 years ago when he had Tesla buy Solar City. Now, he's apparently given up on solar power as we know it. techcrunch.com/2026/05/23/e...
Elon Musk has given up on solar power (on Earth) | TechCrunch
Elon Muks's xAI has gone all in on natural gas, while SpaceX is obsessed with orbital data centers. What happened to the "solar-electric economy" he promised?
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NEW: Trump Mobile finally confirms that it was exposing customers' names, email addresses, mailing addresses, and cellphone numbers. The company blamed a third-party provider and said it found no evidence that credit card numbers, SSNs, or other financial information spilled online.
Trump Mobile confirms it exposed customers' personal data, including phone numbers and home addresses | TechCrunch
President Trump’s branded cell phone maker and cell provider said the exposure was linked to a third-party platform, and was evaluating whether it needs to notify customers.
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