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dechant.bsky.social
Climate reporter at TechCrunch, lecturer at MIT. Previously at KSJ@MIT, NOVA, and Chicago Tribune. https://de-chant.com/tim
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A federal judge was not impressed with the EPA's "vague and unsubstantiated" claims of alleged fraud. She ordered Citibank to give nonprofits access to their money. techcrunch.com/2025/03/19/j...

EPA was ‘arbitrary and capricious’ when it froze nonprofits Citibank accounts, judge finds

We have some exciting news! We’re partnering with the Reynolds Journalism Institute to build a resource to help journalists integrate more science directly into their daily work. It’s an extension of the ongoing work at TON to support local journalists. 🧪

China has the battery materials market cornered, but one U.S. startup's clever silicon tech might break the country's stranglehold. techcrunch.com/2025/03/18/c...

Lithium-ion batteries are cheap, thanks in large part to demand from EVs. And because they're cheap, people are finding new ways to use them, often leading to unexpected benefits. techcrunch.com/2025/03/12/l...

Already on the ropes, Northvolt filed for bankruptcy in Sweden, its home country. techcrunch.com/2025/03/12/b...

What if the solution to data centers' power woes was right under their foundations? techcrunch.com/2025/03/11/g...

General Fusion has been chipping away at its unique approach to fusion for years. Now, it's lighting up its latest prototype as new competitors give the startup fresh urgency. techcrunch.com/2025/03/11/g...

Heavy batteries have been dragging down EVs, sapping range and making them less fund to drive. But a new startup that's just out of stealth is working with an inexpensive material that could transform batteries and battery manufacturing. techcrunch.com/2025/03/10/d...

Mujeeb Ijaz returns to the corner office at Our Next Energy, just over a year after he stepped aside to serve as CTO. techcrunch.com/2025/03/06/f...

I tend to think that interesting things happen at the edges, when one idea bumps up against another. Case in point: Renaissance Fusion, where plasma physics and semiconductor lithography have inspired a new take on the stellarator, a type of fusion reactor. techcrunch.com/2025/03/06/r...

Adversity makes strange bedfellows. techcrunch.com/2025/02/21/t...

Renewable power now supplies 24% of the electricity in the U.S. and nearly 10% of all energy. Impressive progress, but still a ways to go. techcrunch.com/2025/02/20/s...

Nuclear startup X-Energy added another $200 million to an already significant fundraise from October. techcrunch.com/2025/02/07/l...

Ever visited an EV charger that looked fine on the map but was either broken or blocked? One startup is using AI to guide drivers to the best EV chargers. techcrunch.com/2025/02/06/p...

With its fourth fund in five years, Hitachi Ventures is looking for more deep tech startups to invest in. techcrunch.com/2025/02/04/h...

Displacing fossil fuels isn't easy — they have a century-plus head start, and they're really cheap. But one company found a way to undercut fossil fuels in one market using nothing but a pilot-scale reactor. It might be the first domino of many. techcrunch.com/2025/02/04/e...

New from me: OurSky, founded by former SpaceX's software VP, and telescope manufacturer PlaneWave have merged. The new company is called Observable Space, backed with $11 million (including money from CIA's venture fund In-Q-Tel) techcrunch.com/2025/02/04/t...

Nature-based carbon removal gets another big vote of confidence from Microsoft. techcrunch.com/2025/01/30/m...

Climate change played a big role in LA's wildfires, a new study found. Given that this is our future, I looked at a range of startups that are helping us adapt to the new reality. techcrunch.com/2025/01/29/c...

Mexico is also in the middle of a power crunch, and the sunny country is increasingly turning to solar. Now, a startup is building the first virtual power plant to help smooth the transition. techcrunch.com/2025/01/29/s...

Have to admit that, as a journalist, the irony of the situation has crossed my mind. www.404media.co/openai-furio...

Few fusion companies are as closely watched as Helion. I spoke with CEO David Kirtley about his company’s huge $425 million round and its latest prototype, Polaris. techcrunch.com/2025/01/28/h...

It's not just Nvidia that's threatened by DeepSky's efficiency: Nuclear startups have become the darlings of the energy-hungry tech industry on the promise of stable, affordable power. But what happens to those startups if AI doesn't need as much power as predicted? techcrunch.com/2025/01/27/h...

It's not just commercial airlines thirsting for e-fuels. The U.S. military would love to eliminate a huge part of its supply chain by making aviation at forward operating bases in conflict zones. techcrunch.com/2025/01/27/l...

Why would a Trump-touted AI initiative like Stargate turn to renewables for power? Despite big tech's love affair with nuclear, there's a very good reason why solar and batteries are favored by many. techcrunch.com/2025/01/24/s...

Geothermal could be a great way to heat and cool buildings, but it's still too expensive. One startup thinks deeper wells could bring prices down. techcrunch.com/2025/01/23/b...

Amused with the sudden concern politicians have about whales and birds. Where have they been the past 50 years?

Incredible to think that billions of dollars of AI chips are fed power from transformers, a technology that has changed little since it was invented over a century ago. One company thinks it's time for a change. techcrunch.com/2025/01/21/a...

Data centers are howling for so much energy that they're waking the dead. A South Carolina utility is considering restarting construction of two failed reactors that were so late and over budget that they caused a statewide-scandal and helped bankrupt an American icon. techcrunch.com/2025/01/22/z...

One of Trump's first moves as president was to cancel federal offshore wind leases. Existing ones might still sail through, but the U.S. is likely to slip even further behind Europe and China in this developing industry. techcrunch.com/2025/01/21/t...

A startup wants to bury hundreds of small nuclear reactors one mile underground to power data centers. techcrunch.com/2025/01/07/n...

Rare earth metals are a perennial bargaining chip in the tit-for-tat trade disputes that define Sino-American relations. But a new startup says its technology can help break the cycle by making e-waste a viable option. techcrunch.com/2025/01/07/a...

Hydrogen startups have been waiting for this news for years. “We’re grateful to have a final rule,” one industry executive told me. techcrunch.com/2025/01/03/h...

Electra found a way to make iron without fossil fuels, and now it's raising $257 million, likely to scale up. Read my scoop at @techcrunch.com. techcrunch.com/2025/01/03/e...

Mining for critical minerals is often more misses than hits. But KoBold Metals has hit it big, raising $537 million from investors to find more deposits and to develop what might be one of the biggest copper resources of all time. techcrunch.com/2025/01/02/k...

What's in store for 2025? No one knows with certainty, but cultural, economic, and social inertial can give us some clues. I dug into something I know well, climate tech, to forecast some trends that might persist and which might get derailed. techcrunch.com/2025/01/02/2...

A lot of people have been saying it's the end of the road for climate tech. With a tough fund raising environment coupled with shifting political priorities, they might be right. Or maybe climate tech is on the verge of something else entirely. techcrunch.com/2024/12/21/i...

Automakers are making a strategic error in pivoting to PHEVs. It'll take them at least a couple years to get new PHEVs to market, at which point EV charging networks will be dramatically better, neutering the PHEV sales pitch.

Nuclear startup Oklo just inked a massive 12-GW contract with a data center operator. But it's not a slam dunk. techcrunch.com/2024/12/18/s...

Commonwealth Fusion Systems has picked a site for Arc, its first commercial fusion power plant that's scheduled to come online in the early 2030s. techcrunch.com/2024/12/17/c...

Fusion startup Focused Energy just bought two of the world's most powerful lasers. The massive devices be installed in their future facility in the San Francisco Bay Area, where they'll help the company refine its commercial power plant design. techcrunch.com/2024/12/17/f...

Pretty important update on the black plastic spatula drama: nationalpost.com/news/canada/...