$6.3 million for new projects in the past year covers the breadth of energy challenges, from sustainably powering AI and industrial decarbonization to renewable fuels and energy security.

AI is contributing to a rising demand for electricity – a pressing sustainability challenge. In this first-person account, Prof. Will Chueh says it can also be part of the solution, by accelerating advances and deployment in energy technologies.

A "trilemma" persists for U.S. energy: no single source perfectly balances reliability, affordability, and cleanliness, according to the new report’s chapter on energy. Technologies reviewed include iron-air batteries for long-duration storage, green hydrogen, enhanced geothermal energy, and small modular nuclear reactors.