Stanford Energy

YouTube video by Stanford Ecopreneurship Batteries, AI, and Perfect Timing, with Mitra Chem’s Will Chueh & Vivas Kumar

Entrepreneurial timing — among other ingredients — in cleantech can make or break a venture, says Will Chueh, director of Stanford's Precourt Institute for Energy, in the debut episode of Stanford's new Ecopreneurship Podcast.

Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5-_...

Unexpected momentum ahead of COP30 next week:
• Renewables are now so cheap they're the logical choice for developing economies;
• Petroleum exporters are investing in clean energy;
• Small island states are stepping up.

Read the Q&A: woods.stanford.edu/news/who-lea...

#EnergyTransition

Scientists unlock new energy potential in iron-based materials Researchers have created a more energy dense storage material for iron-based batteries. The breakthrough could also improve applications in MRI technology and magnetic levitation.

Pushing iron to repeatedly donate five electrons instead of the usual two or three per atom in chemical reactions was thought impossible. Breakthrough could lead to higher voltage lithium-ion #batteries and magnetism devices.
news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...
#Batteries #CleanEnergy #EnergyTransit

The Environmental Protection Agency "has gotten out of the environmental protection business, and they have started to abandon the tribes," Pilar Thomas, '83, said to a packed lawn of Stanford students Tuesday evening in a discussion on tribal energy policy.

Read: stanforddaily.com/2025/10/28/m...

Slow progress on burying power lines leaves U.S. grid vulnerable to extreme weather Analysis by Stanford researchers shows how strategic investment in undergrounding power lines could shave hours off some long lasting blackouts tied to extreme weather.

New study shows where burying power lines could cut blackout hours the most. Undergrounding increases grid resilience, but remains expensive and unevenly implemented.

Read: sustainability.stanford.edu/news/slow-pr...

Understand Climate Change

Energy use is driving climate change, mainly from burning fossil fuels. Millions of people worldwide are experiencing the impacts. The good news: We have solutions.

Read October's Energy Spotlight from Stanford's Understand Energy Learning Hub: understand-energy.stanford.edu/news/underst...

New observation method improves outlook for lithium metal battery Stanford researchers developed a flash-freezing observation method that reveals battery chemistry without altering it, providing new insights to enhance lithium metal batteries.

Flash-freezing reveals what’s really happening inside batteries

Stanford researchers found that standard tests were changing battery chemistry. Their new “cryo-XPS” method can preserve it, offering a clearer path to longer-lasting lithium metal batteries.

Read: news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...

How Southeast Asia Can Move to Occupy a Lead Role on the World Stage In his new book, What It Takes: Southeast Asia, Gita Wirjawan examines how Southeast Asia can unlock its untapped potential by leveraging its massive economic and human scale to claim its place on the...

Southeast Asia’s $4T economy and 700M people remain underutilized on the global stage. In What It Takes: Southeast Asia, Gita Wirjawan argues that energy access, STEM education, and climate-friendly investment are key to the region’s rise.

Read here: fsi.stanford.edu/news/how-sou...

Stanford and Technical University of Munich hosted the first Living Lab Summit, uniting 100+ participants from 10 countries to explore how campuses can test real-world sustainability solutions. Next stop: TUM in six months.

Read more here: stanforddaily.com/2025/10/08/l...

Researchers solve model that can improve sustainable design, groundwater management, nuclear waste storage, and more Scientists can now accurately determine where randomly distributed components appear in concrete, soil, and other common materials using a statistical model. The findings could enable the design of be...

Researchers solve model that can advance underground storage of #nuclear waste and CO2, enhanced #geothermal systems, conductivity of heat and electricity, and decarbonization of making #cement
Read at Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability:
sustainability.stanford.edu/news/researc...

Scientists seek to turbocharge a natural process that cools the Earth Terradot, a carbon removal company, is using “enhanced rock weathering” to sequester carbon by spreading crushed volcanic rock over farmland.

Getting CO2 credits for farmers while improving their soil sounds like a wonderful combination.
Read @washingtonpost.com's feature about Stanford spinout Terradot:
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solu...
#climate #co2 #Brazil #Stanford #Terradot

Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City signed a memorandum of understanding this morning to partner in accelerating clean energy and sustainability across Southeast Asia.
#EnergyTransition #Vietnam #industry

Uncovering policy lessons from the rise of clean energy industries in China Stanford economist Shanjun Li models how policy choices in the U.S., China, and around the world shape the energy transition and give rise to clean energy leaders.

How does a nation gain clean energy leadership? Stanford economist Shanjun Li reflects on lessons from China’s rise, and his own path from rural China to researching global energy transitions.

Read his story: sustainability.stanford.edu/news/uncover...
#EnergyTransition #ElectricVehicle

To reduce emissions while increasing profit, aim for efficiency Delta Electronics leader Yancey Hai and energy efficiency expert Amory Lovins shared advice for companies, countries, and students in Stanford’s Big Ideas in Sustainability series.

Energy efficiency isn’t a constraint; it’s a source of profit and competitive advantage. Former Delta CEO Yancey Hai and Precourt scholar Amory Lovins show how integrative design and efficiency can cut emissions and increase profit and revenue.

Read: sustainability.stanford.edu/news/reduce-...

Stanford Energy news is out!

The Week That Was:
Energy #policy; MacArthur Fellow; #EV incentives; #Nuclear power

Plus, all your guide to all energy events @stanforduniversity.bsky.social in the week ahead...
mailchi.mp/stanford/941...
@stanforddoerr.bsky.social
@stanfordjournalism.bsky.social

William Tarpeh receives MacArthur Fellowship The chemical engineering professor was granted the award for his advances in recovering valuable materials from wastewater.

Tarpeh designs devices and membranes that sort molecules from waste mixtures based on their chemical properties. His projects include recovering ammonia from #wastewater for use as fertilizer and extracting lithium from spent #batteries for reuse.
engineering.stanford.edu/news/william...
#recycling

The Oil and Gas Industry Is Costing American Taxpayers, Consumers, and Communities (SSIR) Investing in people and places is an antidote to the climate crisis.

Annual US subsidies to #oil & #gas firms have risen from $5B to at least $12B following recent legislation. Meanwhile, the same firms eliminated 4.7k jobs in the first half of 2025, with big corp's. planning significantly more workforce cuts.
Read @ssir.org: ssir.org/articles/ent...
#government

In 2024, renewables added 582 GW (91% of new power) while nuclear added as much as renewables added in two days. "Nuclear costs are huge and rising," write Stanford's Mark Jacobson, Amory Lovins, and co-authors.

Read the full opinion piece: www.newcivilengineer.com/opinion/a-go...
#nuclear

The $7,500 federal EV incentive expired Sept. 30, but California buyers can still save thousands by combining incentives from regional programs. Bay Area's Clean Cars for All offers up to $12K; PG&E adds more rebates.

Read more on Peninsula Press: peninsulapress.com/2025/10/07/f...

Construction of the ACP100 SMR demonstration project at the Changjiang site in China's Hainan province. Image: CGTN.

Are small modular reactors about to take off, or stuck in the demonstration phase? 74 new projects worldwide, $15.4B in financing to date, but only 2 operating today.

Read more in September’s Energy Spotlight from the Understand Energy Learning Hub: understand-energy.stanford.edu/news/underst...

Will Chueh and Andrey Shuvalov

Cleantech fails to scale because companies constantly redesign instead of standardizing. Repeating proven designs cuts costs and emissions dramatically.

Read The Stanford Daily article on key insights from the latest Energy Transition seminar: stanforddaily.com/2025/10/01/p...

Three Stanford Energy postdocs are bringing science beyond the lab: Lev Tsypin taught biology at San Quentin Prison, Liat Adler introduced high schoolers to hornworts, and Yukio Cho writes to students through Science Penpals.

Read the story here: energypostdoc.stanford.edu/news/postdoc...
#STEM

Stanford study confirms savings, benefits for households that opt for solar If it's in your home and runs on electricity, you'll probably find it in the Stanford Bits and Watts lab. And that includes solar panels to help power and test consumer appliances.

Most U.S. families could reduce #electricity bills by around 15% on average using #solar panels with battery storage. The combination could also help most homes affordably weather blackouts, @stanforduniversity.bsky.social study finds.

Read and watch:
abc7news.com/post/stanfor...
#batteries

The Laws that Hold Utilities Liable for Wildfires are Changing As wildfire risk grows across the West, lawmakers are reconsidering when and how to make utilities pay for fire damages. Will changes to liability law prevent a crisis or create a new one?

Wildfires threaten #utilities with bankruptcy-level liabilities, prompting Western states to reconsider when and how #electricity companies are responsible for #fire damages, according to new legislative changes.
Read the #Stanford analysis:
cepp.substack.com/p/utility-fi...
@woods.stanford.edu

Study reveals roadmap for carbon-free California by 2045 A new study shows California can go carbon-free mostly using current and emerging solutions – but to get there, it must overcome regulatory challenges and scale technologies at an unprecedented pace.

1/2 of emissions cuts are achievable with existing technologies.
Another quarter could come from early-stage technologies.
The final fourth of reductions will require breakthrough technologies still in the research phase.

news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...
#climate #NetZero #California #electricity

“Beyond Scientific Dispute” New report examines links between greenhouse gas emissions and harms […]

Not just about #ClimateChange: Report confirms human health threats from #GHG emissions

Michele Barry, MD, a co-author of the report and director of the @StanfordCIGH.bsky.social, boils down the findings in this brief Q&A:
globalhealth.stanford.edu/planetary-he...
#PublicHealth #FossilFuels

Exclusive: Climate Tech Leaders Form New Coalition to Map Out the Future of Decarbonization Elemental Impact, Breakthrough Energy, Speed & Scale, Stanford, Energy Innovation, and McKinsey are all partnering to form the “Climate Tech Atlas.”

Climate Tech Atlas, a new, comprehensive roadmap for climate innovation developed over a year with 80 contributors, is open to the public.

Read the exclusive article, with link to the Atlas, @heatmap.news:
heatmap.news/climate-tech...

#cleantech #climate #buildings #decarbonization

Stanford Energy newsletter is out!

The Week That Was:
#California & AI; "50 by 2050"; #Wastewater; Endangerment

Plus, all the energy events in the week ahead...

Check it out and subscribe for free:
mailchi.mp/stanford/941...

@woods.stanford.edu
#EnergyTransition #electricity

Six of Congruent Ventures’ “50 by 2050” in climate tech have Stanford roots Five of the six got their start from TomKat Center’s Innovation Transfer program.

Six of Congruent Ventures’ “50 by 2050” in climate tech have Stanford roots
Five of the six got their start from TomKat Center’s Innovation Transfer program: Antora #Energy, Fervo Energy, Nitricity, Tandem PV, and WeaveGrid. The sixth startup is Redwood Materials.
tomkat.stanford.edu/news/six-con...

5 ways California can meet rising AI power demand During a recent Stanford roundtable, experts outlined strategic approaches to prevent a tech exodus while expanding the electricity grid sustainably and affordably.

#California has approximately 24 months to course correct or risk losing its competitive advantage in AI and data centers to states that better align their policies with explosive AI growth demands, the experts estimated.

Read the news:
news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...
#DataCenters #electricity