In 2025, the global energy sector was dominated by the AI-powered data center boom. Governments are striving to develop the most advanced artificial intelligence modelsand data center developers are building them as fast as they can. But no one can make much progress without finding ways to generate and transmit more electricity to these energy hogs.
Spectrum The most popular energy stories in 2025 centered around this topic. Stories about the next generation aroused particular interest among readers. nuclear powersuch as small modular reactors and salt-cooled reactors, and how these technologies can support data centers. Readers also turned to Spectrum to learn about the stress all this is putting on the power grid and new technologies to solve these problems.
Despite the seriousness of the energy sector's problems, we also found some funny and unusual stories. One American company is building the world's largest aircraft – it is larger than football field – and he will have one task: to transport wind turbine blades.
I don't know what 2026 will bring, but how Spectrumenergy editorI will do my best to provide you with stories that are true, helpful, and entertaining. Happy New Year of Energy!
G.E. Vernova
The world suddenly needs more energy, but one proven solution is to reduce energy production and distribute it more widely. One example of this is small modular reactors (SMRs). These nuclear fission The reactors are less than a third the size and power of conventional reactors. And as the April deadline approaches applying for the US$900 million that the United States was offering to develop SMRreaders came to WITHbreast learn about the program en masse from a news article authored by the author Shannon Cutrell.
But SMR's money paled in comparison to the $80 billion United States spends on a large-scale fleet nuclear reactors developed Westinghouse. Will this next group of reactors suffer the same delays and cost overruns as those that Westinghouse delivered to bankruptcy just a few years ago? Spectrum brought readers expert analysis on the topic Ed Crooks of Wood Mackenzie.
Edmond de Haro
The United States may have the most SMRs in development, but China there is one that is farthest away. Linglong One on Hainan Island is expected to begin operations in the first half of 2026. And that's just one component in the buffet. nuclear reactor experiments in China. One of the most interesting projects in the country – thorium-powered molten salt reactorconstruction of which began in 2025 in the Gobi Desert. Before this project, the last operating molten salt reactor was at Oak Ridge National Laboratorywhich closed in 1969.
Attractiveness thorium as a fuel is that it reduces dependence on Uranus. There is very little information about China's progress. thorium reactorbut with the help of our freelancer from Taiwan Yu-Tzu Chiuwe know that it is small – only 10 megawatts – and is scheduled to be operational by 2030. Spectrum for updates about this reactor and Linglong One.
Radium
Although nuclear reactors should become smaller, wind turbines need to get bigger, say something renewable energy defenders. And the biggest obstacle to even more wind – besides the current political reaction – is transport. Roads, bridges and train tracks determine the size of onshore wind turbine blades, and they typically can't accommodate anything longer than 70 meters. That's why Radiumaviation startup in Boulder, Colorado builds the world's largest aircraft. It will be 108 meters long, shaped to accommodate a 105-meter blade, and will be able to land on a makeshift dirt runway. Spectrum participant Atonv summation went to Radia's headquarters to check out the aircraft's design and fly it in the company's simulator. (Spoiler: he landed.)
National Network Power transmission/smart wires
None of this new energy production will matter if we can't get it across the grid to the consumers who need it. However, many key transmission corridors are congested. Power outages are becoming more long-lasting and widespread. Building new power lines takes years and is often thwarted by NIMBY resistance. Queues to get online, whether you're providing power or requesting it, can be ridiculously long.
To bridge this gap, network operators around the world are turning to innovative network technologies. Some of the boldest examples of what are collectively called network enhancement technologies (GET) can be found in United Kingdom. For example, the UK National Grid was introduction of electronic power flow controllerscalled SmartValves, which redistribute electricity from clogged circuits to those with spare capacity.
Great Britain and other countries were also rewiring old lines and setting dynamic line ratingwhich calculates how much current high-voltage lines can safely carry based on real-time weather conditions. AND Scotland is expanding its grid-connected battery stations with improved converters. They take action within milliseconds to release additional power needed when power supply elsewhere in the network is lost. Spectrum participant Peter Fairleywho wrote several of these stories, traveled to the UK to explore the network cluster problems and technical solutions.
Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty Images
At the opposite end of the spectrum lies one of the most abandoned networks in the world. Cuba. There, decades of poor fuel and maintenance have left the country's energy infrastructure in crisis. Lately, Cuba's entire power grid has been collapsing every couple of months. Power outages are so widespread that citizens cooking several meals at the same time and working with a flashlight, says Ricardo TorresCuban economist who explained the situation to Spectrum readers in this popular guest post written by experts.
Nearby Caribbean Island Puerto Rico There are also more frequent power outages, leading some to speculate that the U.S. territory's power grid could be operating in a similar way to that in Cuba. The riots prompted widespread development of solar energy and energy storage systems throughout the island which are financed from private sources, reports Spectrum participant Julia Tilton.
Edmond de Haro
On the other hand, we also explored the world of nuclear power. batteries. These devices store energy in the form of radioactive isotopes. They can last for decades, making them ideal for medical implantsremote infrastructure, robots and sensors. But the appeal of a small battery with a 50-year lifespan has given the sector some false starts. There was a period in the 1970s when surgeons implanted atomic energy. pacemakers over 1,400 people, only to lose track of them over time. Regulators balked when devices containing plutonium-238 began showing up in crematoria and coffins.
There is now a revival of interest in this area. Companies on several continents say they are on the brink commercialization of nuclear batteries. It is unclear whether they will find ready markets. In the function for Spectrumnuclear battery expert James Blanchard details the history of these devices and why there is suddenly more activity in this area than he has ever seen in his 40-year career.
Brittany Greeson
Sometimes a story is so good that we just have to publish it, even if we find it somewhere else. This is what happened with a chapter from a book. Inevitable: Inside the Messy and Unstoppable Transition to Electric Vehicles (Harvard Business Review Press, 2025). This chapter tells the story of one powertrain engineer Ford whose expertise in internal combustion engines gradually became expendable as car companies switched to electric cars. We have published with permission. adapted version of the chapterwhich is full of excellent reports from the author Mike Coliasseasoned automotive reporter. Don't miss it! (Spoiler alert: Engineer Lem Jung, who left Ford after 30 years, returned to the company a few years later to help clean up the mess caused by the loss of old-school talent. We caught up with Jung after his return. in this question and answer.)
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