Tim De Chant

Tim De Chant

@dechant.bsky.social

Climate reporter at TechCrunch, lecturer at MIT. Previously at KSJ@MIT, NOVA, and Chicago Tribune. https://de-chant.com/tim

6K followers268 following365 posts

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Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

Hello Bluesky people! If you're new here, I cover all things climate tech for @techcrunch.com, from fusion power to heat pumps, carbon removal to carbon-negative concrete. My current work: techcrunch.com/author/tim-d... My (on hiatus but soon to be revived) newsletter: www.futureproofreviews.com

futureproofreviews.comFuture Proof – Lower your carbon footprint, not your standardsFuture Proof helps you lower your carbon footprint by reviewing products and recommending only the best, most eco-friendly ones available.
Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

Two leading fusion startups, Helion and Commonwealth Fusion Systems, gave the U.S. government a stake in their respective companies in exchange for federal award money. Was it worth the tradeoffs? techcrunch.com/2026/10/26/f...

techcrunch.comFusion startups are giving the government shares in exchange for awards. Is it worth it? | TechCrunchFusion startups face a new challenge, one unrelated to plasma physics: Give the government shares in exchange for funding awards or go it alone?

Tim De Chant reposted

Eric Lipton NYT
@ericlipton.nytimes.com

JUST POSTED: Today at The NYT we are publishing a major investigation into how President Trump used his executive powers to expose millions of Americans to greater cancer risks. A six month-long investigation built on more than 10,000 pages of FOIA records. Read it www.nytimes.com/2026/10/24/c...

nytimes.comHow Trump Gave the Worst Polluters a Free Pass (Gift Article)The president temporarily waived clean-air rules for industrial facilities that spew cancer-causing gases. Then his appointees worked to gut the regulations altogether.
Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

@mims.bsky.social took an EV through a charging desert. What happened? Not much. “From Shreveport to New Orleans, the most notable thing that happened was meeting a pecan farmer who told me she taught her grandchildren to hunt alligators with a shotgun.” www.wsj.com/business/aut...

wsj.comI Took America’s Cheapest EV Into the Charging Desert of the Deep SouthReaders challenged our columnist to take an affordable electric car on a route with less-than-ideal charging options. Here’s what happened.
Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

Fusion startup Helion just landed a $175M federal award to make semiconductors that could halve losses of its power electronics. Since fusion power is a game of percentages, even a bit more efficiency makes a commercial power plant that much more viable. techcrunch.com/2026/10/22/f...

techcrunch.comFusion startup Helion is developing new semiconductors that could double output of its power plants | TechCrunchHelion now has another $225 million to help speed development of its first fusion power plant, due to provide Microsoft with electricity in 2028.
Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

Plants are trying to talk, if only we'd listen. Now, one startup says it has decoded their language. “We’re listening more than we’re speaking, but listening’s the first step,” Electric Plant CEO Justin Mast told me. techcrunch.com/2026/10/20/p...

techcrunch.comExclusive: Plants can speak using electricity, so this startup built an AI model to decipher their language | TechCrunchElectric Plant has built an AI-powered translator to help humans listen to what plants are saying with the subtle electricity coursing through their stems.
Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

Volkswagen loves a halo car, and the Mission Efficiency is its latest, capable of traveling over 400 miles on a measly 54.9 kWh battery. It took some keen engineering — and borrowing some ideas from competitors — to get there. techcrunch.com/2026/09/14/v...

techcrunch.comVolkswagen's crazy-efficient EV borrows an idea from Slate | TechCrunchVolkswagen's new efficiency-minded halo car is almost twice as efficient as the most efficient production car, the Lucid Air.
Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

Google said it would revive a nuclear power plant, now the plant's operator is getting a $1.9 billion loan from the DOE, a clear sign of the lengths to which the Trump administration will go to ensure AI data centers get enough electricity. techcrunch.com/2026/09/08/g...

techcrunch.comGoogle’s revived nuclear power plant gets $1.9B loan from US government | TechCrunchGoogle said it would bring an Iowa nuclear power plant back from the dead. Now the plant's owner is getting a $1.9 billion loan from the U.S. Energy Department.
Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

Utilities have been courting fusion startups, hoping to get an early seat at the table for what could be a transformative technology. Wisconsin-based Realta Fusion is the latest to find a partner. Here's what it all means. techcrunch.com/2026/09/03/u...

techcrunch.comUtilities are racing to link up with fusion startups, with Realta Fusion the latest to benefit | TechCrunchThe grid has been straining under the weight of new AI data centers, and that has utilities courting fusion startups.
Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

How do you make fusion cheaper? One step at a time. Today, let's talk about fuel. Inertia Enterprises gave me an exclusive look at how they sped up the fueling process. What used to take a week or more now takes a few hours. techcrunch.com/2026/08/20/i...

techcrunch.comExclusive: Inertia Enterprises finds a way to make its fusion fuel fast | TechCrunchFusion power startup Inertia Enterprises reduced the fuel filling process from a week to just a few hours. It's one of ten hurdles the company must overcome to make a profitable power plant.
Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

What if it wasn't the reactor that's making nuclear power plants expensive, but another overlooked part? Apollo Atomics gave me a peek at how they've shrunk the steam generator, which they say will help nuclear beat natural gas on price. techcrunch.com/2026/08/20/a...

techcrunch.comExclusive: Apollo Atomics wants to make nuclear power cheaper by shrinking an overlooked part | TechCrunchY Combinator alumnus Apollo Atomics is shrinking a key nuclear reactor part, which promises to slash the cost of electricity below natural gas.
Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

Most nuclear reactors are great at running full steam all the time, making them excellent partners for the grid, less so for AI data centers. But TerraPower has a reactor that's almost tailor made for the task. Here's what sets it apart. techcrunch.com/2026/08/19/t...

techcrunch.comTerraPower’s nuclear reactor has a secret weapon for powering AI data centers | TechCrunchTerraPower's nuclear power plant possesses a strategic advantage over competitors, especially when chasing after data center deals.
Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

Amazon, Meta, Google, and Microsoft — seemingly every hyperscaler has embraced natural gas. They're betting it can get them power quickly, but at what cost? If a new forecast proves correct, the costs could be very material to their bottom line. techcrunch.com/2026/08/14/h...

techcrunch.comExclusive: Hyperscalers might regret embracing natural gas if new forecast proves correct | TechCrunchNatural gas prices could triple in some parts of the U.S., which could saddle hyperscalers with massive bills to power their AI data centers.
Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

Being an early adopter means I've thought a lot about heat pump water heaters over the years — the good and the bad. Reservoir's new water heater looks like it could solve a lot of the problems I've encountered while being the same price or cheaper than a replacement. techcrunch.com/2026/08/12/r...

techcrunch.comReservoir raises $8M to make water heaters that people — and the grid — will actually want | TechCrunchReservoir has built an ultra-efficient water heater that can predict hot water demand, store energy, and detect plumbing leaks throughout a home.
Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

For fusion power to hit the grid, it'll need more than a working reactor. Lucky for them, Kyoto Fusioneering is working on everything but the reactor, and it just got a grant to test a key part of the fusion fuel cycle. techcrunch.com/2026/08/11/k...

techcrunch.comExclusive: Kyoto Fusioneering starts work on key fusion power plant device | TechCrunchFusion power startups are turning to Kyoto Fusioneering to supply components for future power pants. The Japan-based startup just received a grant to build a part of the fuel system.
Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

The Trump administration has now spent nearly $4 billion coaxing offshore wind developers into canceling their projects. Much of that money is flowing back into oil and gas projects, creating another taxpayer subsidy for the industry. techcrunch.com/2026/08/07/t...

techcrunch.comTrump administration has spent nearly $4B to cancel offshore wind farms | TechCrunchThe Trump administration has now convinced developers to abandon 12 offshore wind leases. The latest will cost taxpayers $1.2 billion.
Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

Ford has been a company that has lurched from success to success. Now, as Chinese EVs are gaining ground, it needs a hit product more than ever. Is the Fathom pickup it? I doubt it, but maybe that's OK. techcrunch.com/2026/08/06/f...

techcrunch.comFord needs another Taurus, and the $30K Fathom EV pickup isn’t it | TechCrunchFord's CEO has described the new Ford Fathom as a "Model T moment" for the company. But the EV pickup is unlikely to live up to lofty expectations, and maybe it doesn't have to.
Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

Nuclear startup Antares raised $470 million to build small modular reactors for military bases. Given how challenging it'll be to bring down costs for nuclear, chasing after a price-insensitive customer is probably a good idea. techcrunch.com/2026/07/27/a...

techcrunch.comAntares raises $470M to build nuclear reactors for the US military | TechCrunchAntares has raised $470 million to build small modular reactors — 100 kW to 1 MW — for U.S. Air Force bases.
Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

Meta dropped out — or was booted? maybe both? — from the RE100, an industry pact that helps companies transition to 100% renewable energy. The move comes after the company said it would build at least a dozen large natural gas power plants for its AI data centers. techcrunch.com/2026/07/23/m...

techcrunch.comMeta drops out of a major clean energy pact as its natural gas buildout accelerates | TechCrunchMeta has made significant investments in natural gas over the past year. Now, it's dropping out of an industry renewable energy group.
Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

As much as 20% of the electricity on the grid is lost as heat. What if we could get it back? One startup, Arcturus, has developed copper and aluminum that could cut that figure in half. The secret? Using lasers to infuse metals with carbon nanomaterials. techcrunch.com/2026/06/30/a...

techcrunch.comArcturus could halve the grid’s electrical losses using its nano-infused copper | TechCrunchStealthy startup Arcturus uses lasers to infuse carbon nanomaterials into copper, dramatically improving its ability to conduct electricity.
Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

FERC today said that it was directing grid operators to give data centers an interconnection fast lane. And while the regulator also asked grid operators to report on their generating capacity, it didn't do much to address capacity concerns. techcrunch.com/2026/06/18/a...

techcrunch.comAI data centers just got a government-mandated fast lane to the grid | TechCrunchFERC told grid operators to give data centers a fast lane for interconnections, but it failed to address electricity supply shortages.
Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

From the lab to your kitchen: Nanoscale research into the metal alloying processes has led to super metals with some pretty incredible properties. A new startup, Foundation Alloy, will soon be making several tons per day. techcrunch.com/2026/06/16/t...

techcrunch.comThis startup's super metals could soon be in military drones, luxury watches, and chef’s knives | TechCrunchInstead of heating metals, Foundation Alloy beats them into submission. The startup has raised $22 million to scale up production of its alloys.
Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

Two SpaceX alumni used to send sandwich-sized satellites into space, but now they're building massive solar + battery power plants. Their startup, Ambrosia Energy, plans to undercut new natural gas on price and speed-to-power. techcrunch.com/2026/06/10/w...

techcrunch.comWhy two SpaceX alumni are betting on solar and batteries to power the AI craze | TechCrunchAmbrosia Energy wants to build power plants in less than 12 months while undercutting natural gas. It hopes to build gigawatts worth by 2030.
Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

GM’a bid to slash EV prices depends on the success of its new Battery Cell Development Center. It promises to bring new batteries to market a year faster. I recently got an exclusive tour of the new facility and a behind-the-scenes look at GM’s new battery strategy. techcrunch.com/2026/06/05/g...

techcrunch.comGM’s electric future depends on a new battery — and this building | TechCrunchGM wants to slash EV prices by deploying new battery tech up to a year earlier than planned. This building is key to making that happen.

Tim De Chant reposted

NY Times Pitchbot
@nytpitchbot.bsky.social

“I’m Kid Rock.” “I’m Naomi Wolf.” “I’m Kanye West.” “I’m Matt Taibbi.” “I’m Catturd. Those stories, plus Rob Schneider, tonight on 60 Minutes.”

Tim De Chant
@dechant.bsky.social

Pacific Fusion gave me an exclusive look at their latest prototype, a 1:3 scale version of the pulser module that'll be a key building block of its power plant. They liked what they saw, so construction on the plant, slated to come online in 2030, begins this summer. techcrunch.com/2026/06/02/p...

techcrunch.comExclusive: Pacific Fusion's latest prototype packs 440 gigawatts into an 80-nanosecond burst | TechCrunchPacific Fusion's sub-scale prototype delivered enormous amounts of power in a flash, setting the company up for its demonstration power plant.