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New long-duration, extended capacity Na-Al battery design for grid storage

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The new sodium-based molten salt battery uses two distinct reactions. The team previously reported a neutral molten salt reaction. The new discovery shows that this neutral molten salt can undergo a further reaction into an acidic molten salt.

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ARPA-E announces $12M for five projects in nuclear materials science; first OPEN+ cohort

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The OPEN+ advanced nuclear projects are: Additive Manufacturing of Spacer Grids for Nuclear Reactors, Carnegie Mellon University, $1,000,000. Spacer grids are used to provide mechanical support to nuclear fuel rods within a reactor and reduce vibration, and they are a particularly difficult component to manufacture.

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Estonian startup UP Catalyst secures €2.09M; sustainable carbon nanomaterials and graphite from CO2

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The pre-seed round was led by Sunly, a developer of wind and solar parks in the Baltics and Poland, and joined by Scottish Baltic Invest, an investment company linked to Interconnect Product Assembly (IPA), which specializes in the production of electro-mechanical solutions; and Little Green Fund that focuses on investments in cleantech innovation.

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ARPA-E awarding up to $24M to 10 projects to support advanced nuclear power plants

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In the building phase, cost savings may be realized through modular and advanced manufacturing techniques that bring most of the work to the factory instead to the construction site. Terrestrial Energy USA: Magnetically Suspended Canned Rotor Pumps for the Integral Molten Salt Reactor – $3,150,000.

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ARPA-E awarding $30M to 12 hybrid solar projects; conversion and storage

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Under the FOCUS program, projects will develop advanced solar converters that turn sunlight into electricity for immediate use, while also producing heat that can be stored at low cost for later use as well as innovative storage systems that accept both heat and electricity from variable solar sources. Cogenra Solar, Inc.

Solar 300
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UP Catalyst offering carbon-negative graphite for European battery supply chain

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Conventional production of graphite not only takes place far away from battery manufacturing centers but also poses environmental challenges. Samsung SDI, LG Chem, and Panasonic—the three largest manufacturers of lithium-ion batteries—are all looking for sustainable alternatives thus putting a strain on Chinese imported graphite.

Carbon 186
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Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Receives $10.2M Contract for Concentrated Solar Power Tower with Thermal Storage Technology

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million from the Department of Energy to design and develop technologies aimed at significantly lowering electricity costs using a Concentrated Solar Power Tower with Thermal Storage (CSP Power Tower). The energy from this stored molten salt is available on-demand to drive a steam turbine to create electricity.