In one coal state, renewable energy is set to win by 2028

Indiana ranks 3rd in coal consumption, but a primary energy utility there just declared the end of coal by 2028

(DAVID YOUNG/AFP/Getty Images)
  • Where politicians fail, economic realities mean renewables are far less expensive: A savings of $4 billion over the next 30 years
  • Indiana is 7th in coal production and 3rd in consumption; this is due to change rapidly
  • The big winners? Solar and wind energies
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Scientists can now bottle solar energy, turn it into liquid fuel

The barrier to solar energy has always been storage. Now, bottled sunshine has a shelf-life of 18 years.

Image: Zerbor/zapulzon/Shutterstock/Big Think
  • Researchers have invented a liquid isomer that can store and release solar energy.
  • The team has solved problems other researchers have previously encountered.
  • The discovery could lead to more widespread use of solar energy.
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New, MIT-made battery is powered by CO2

In the near future, we might use the toxic gas to power homes.

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  • New research from an MIT team has resulted in a proof-of-concept battery that uses a CO2-based component.
  • The research made innovative use of technology from existing carbon-capture processes and applied it to battery systems, potentially circumventing the high cost of carbon capture and the inefficiency in prior CO2-based batteries.
  • The system could be installed in power plants to capture excess carbon dioxide and use it to store energy.
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Scientists blow up their lab after creating strongest magnet ever

It's a record magnetic field, but... yeah. That didn't last long.

Photo: The University of Tokyo.
  • Scientists knew that it would probably explode, but they did not expect to reach such a record magnetic field.
  • Magnetic fields are measured in teslas, after Nikola Tesla.
  • This one reached a record 1,200 teslas, 400 times stronger than an MRI; watch it explode in the video
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Bitcoin mining: What is it? Why does it consume so much energy?

Once a lucrative exercise anyone could do, bitcoin mining has grown out of control, and governments are weighing what to do.

Credit: Getty Images.

Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency located completely online and not tied to any central bank. Its origins are shrouded in mystery and very few people predicted the popularity it currently enjoys.

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