Emily Waltz
@emwaltz.bsky.social
Power & energy editor at IEEE Spectrum: spectrum.ieee.org 20-year veteran science and tech reporter. Former writer for the Nature journals. New to BlueSky.
In Sardinia, protesting solar and wind farms has become a household virtue. I traveled to this island in the Mediterranean Sea to understand the cultural forces that have led to this moment of impasse. Here's my deep dive in @spectrum.ieee.org spectrum.ieee.org/sardinia-ren...
Inside Sardinia’s Fierce Fight Over Renewable Energy
How a deep distrust of outsiders keeps the island stuck on coal
spectrum.ieee.org
As the Colorado River shrinks and states argue over water rights and flows, machine learning tools are being deployed to figure out who gets what. Here's what's clear: There's a cost to every decision. @spectrum.ieee.org spectrum.ieee.org/colorado-riv...
AI Can Model the Colorado River Crisis. It Can’t Solve It
Simulations show trade-offs as states fight over water
spectrum.ieee.org
The U.S. will return the nearly $1 billion that TotalEnergies paid for an offshore wind lease on the condition that the company redirect the money to U.S. oil and gas projects. The reason?Costs and national security. Is security a real risk? We investigated. spectrum.ieee.org/offshore-win...
How Do Offshore Wind Farms Affect Military Radar?
With the right technology, offshore wind farms can bolster national defense, not hinder it.
spectrum.ieee.org
Rising physical attacks on grid equipment have pushed utilities to up their game to protect the power supply. One of the main new threats: drones. Here's how utilities are preparing. By @juliatilton.com for @spectrum.ieee.org spectrum.ieee.org/power-grid-a...
How Utilities Are Tackling Rising Physical Threats to Power Grids
Can AI and drones protect power grids from physical attacks? Discover how GridEx tackled this growing challenge.
spectrum.ieee.org
When #BadBunny climbed utility poles at last night's #SuperBowl halftime show, his point came across loud and clear: Puerto Rico's power grid is crumbling, and the U.S. isn't doing enough about it. Here's what's happening in Puerto Rico. Photo: Kathryn Riley/AP. spectrum.ieee.org/puerto-rico-...
Can we collect solar energy in space and beam the power back to Earth? A new startup coming out of stealth mode demonstrates how it would go about it by wirelessly beaming near-infrared waves from a moving aircraft. #energysky spectrum.ieee.org/wireless-pow...
Researchers Beam Wireless Power From a Moving Airplane
Can we beam space-based solar power back to Earth? Startup Overview Energy demonstrates wireless power beaming from a moving aircraft.
spectrum.ieee.org
This giant dome in Sardinia is filled with CO2 and serves an eco-friendly purpose: to store large amounts of excess renewable energy. In 2026, more of these "CO2 Batteries" will start popping up on multiple continents. Spectrum energy editor @emwaltz.bsky.social visited and explains how it works.
This giant bubble in Sardinia stores energy for the grid. Here's how.
Google is betting big on CO2 batteries to power its data centers with clean energy.
spectrum.ieee.org
The US is planning its largest nuclear power expansion since the 1970s with an $80 billion investment in AP1000 reactors. Will the program be dogged by the same cost overruns and delays of past AP1000 construction? @edcrooks.bsky.social with @woodmac.com explains.
Can $80 Billion Transform U.S. Nuclear Energy Landscape?
How will the $80 billion nuclear deal reshape U.S. energy and AI ambitions?
spectrum.ieee.org
Are virtual power plants just as good as conventional ones at balancing electricity supply and demand? A new Turing-like test helps grid operators judge. @spectrum.ieee.org spectrum.ieee.org/virtual-powe...
Can Virtual Power Plants Fool Grid Operators?
Can virtual power plants truly match the reliability of traditional power sources? The Huels test aims to find out.
spectrum.ieee.org
England's grid can't handle all the power flowing south from Scotland's wind farms, but this nifty tech will help. It's called a SmartValve, and moves more power without having to build new transmission lines. @spectrum.ieee.org @peter.fairley.ca spectrum.ieee.org/grid-congest...
Can the U.K.'s Grid Handle More Wind Power?
Can SmartValves and dynamic line rating solve the UK's power grid challenges?
spectrum.ieee.org
Fire-prone counterfeit li-ion batteries are infiltrating the market. Here's how to spot one. By @andrewmoseman.bsky.social with special thanks to experts at @ulresearchinst.bsky.social and University of Maryland. spectrum.ieee.org/counterfeit-...
The Alarming Rise of Fake Lithium-Ion Batteries
How safe are the batteries in your e-bike or vape pen? Discover the risks of counterfeit lithium-ion cells and what you can do to stay safe.
spectrum.ieee.org
Tonight at 5pm EST! Nuclear battery expert Jake Blanchard will make himself available for an Ask-Me-Anything session on Reddit. Bring your questions! Like: Can we power our phones with nuclear batteries so that we never have to charge them? @spectrum.ieee.org www.reddit.com/r/nuclear/co...
A raft of companies are developing nuclear batteries that can power devices for decades. Is that a good thing? Will anyone want to buy them? And will anyone be paying attention to where this radioactive waste ends up in 50 or 100 years? @spectrum.ieee.org spectrum.ieee.org/nuclear-batt...
Nuclear Batteries Can Power Devices for Decades. Is That a Good Thing?
Nuclear batteries that last decades are being developed to power drones, sensors, remote devices and medical implants. Energy storage at its extreme.
spectrum.ieee.org
Cuba's power grid is nearing total failure; how did it get this bad? Cuban economist Ricardo Torres explains in @spectrum.ieee.org spectrum.ieee.org/cuba-energy-...
Can Cuba's Energy Woes Be Solved?
Cuba's energy crisis is more than blackouts; it's a daily struggle for survival. How did it get this bad?
spectrum.ieee.org
The new, hefty tariffs on solar will change industry; one potential winner: next-generation perovskite solar cells, to which the tariffs don't apply. Ossila scientist Mary O'Kane explains: spectrum.ieee.org/perovskite-s...
Could Perovskite Solar Cells Start Competing with Traditional Silicon Solar Amidst New Tariffs?
New solar tariffs and innovative manufacturing could make perovskites cost-competitive
spectrum.ieee.org
Ford is welcoming back a rock-star engine designer after pushing him out four years ago in favor of EV experts. Why does the company need him back? Lem Yueng tells his story: spectrum.ieee.org/ford-powertr...
Why Did This Ford Engine Maestro Leave the Iconic Company and Then Return? Here's His Emotional Journey Through the EV Transition.
After 30 years at Ford, Lem Yeung faced redundancy as the company shifted to EVs. Yet, Ford rehired him as a consultant to tackle rising powertrain warranty claims, highlighting the ongoing need for s...
spectrum.ieee.org
The XPrize in carbon removal went to a surprising choice: enhanced rock weathering startup Mati Carbon, which received $50 million. Noticeably absent from the top winners: direct air capture and ocean carbon removal strategies. spectrum.ieee.org/xprize-carbo...
How Did Mati Carbon Win the $50M XPrize for Carbon Removal?
The XPrize Foundation awarded $50M to Mati Carbon for its innovative carbon removal technique using enhanced rock weathering.
spectrum.ieee.org
What does Trump's $500 billion Stargate AI initiative mean for the U.S. grid? We asked experts to weigh in. #EnergySky With @costasamaras.com spectrum.ieee.org/stargate
Experts Weigh in on $500B Stargate Project for AI
The Trump-announced initiative to build data centers will have big impacts
spectrum.ieee.org
Plug-in hybrids, like this year's Ram 1500 Ramcharger with extended range, are getting a reboot spectrum.ieee.org/plug-in-hybrid
As EV Sales Stall, Plug-In Hybrids Get a Reboot
This year’s Ram 1500 Ramcharger reveals the new focus on extended range
spectrum.ieee.org
Top 10 climate tech stories of 2024 in IEEE Spectrum: spectrum.ieee.org/top-climate-...
IEEE Spectrum's Top Climate Tech Stories of 2024
Carbon capture, solar panel recycling, and clean energy generation
spectrum.ieee.org
China is building a nuclear reactor that will run on fuel bred from thorium, which could be sourced from rare earth waste. Here's what we found out about this new molten-salt reactor in the Gobi Desert. #EnergySky spectrum.ieee.org/chinas-thori...
Why China Is Building a Thorium Molten-Salt Reactor
China’s demo reactor could breed nuclear fuel from rare earth waste
spectrum.ieee.org
These startups are geoengineering the sea to capture and store more CO2 from the air. I visited a few Pacific Ocean operations for this deep dive into marine carbon tech. spectrum.ieee.org/ocean-carbon...
Startups Begin Geoengineering the Sea
These companies are trying to make the oceans a better carbon sink
spectrum.ieee.org
