Pacific Northwest scientists and engineers are chasing a watershed moment in clean energy.
In Central Washington, what could be the world’s first nuclear fusion plant is under construction, though the technology is far from proven. Two hours to the south, a site has been selected for one of the nation’s first Small Modular nuclear reactors, a design that promises to revolutionize nuclear energy as we know it. Farther south, Amazon is preparing to break ground on a solar farm that could power the entire city of Portland when running at full tilt, one of the largest on the planet. A few hours east, a startup is developing technology to harness the power of ocean waves.
These projects have something in common: They are all being bankrolled by tech, an industry with an insatiable appetite for energy thanks to the artificial intelligence boom…