Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Tim De Chant

Tim De Chant

@dechant.bsky.social

5.4K followers 240 following 250 posts

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

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · Nov 13

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

Future Proof – Lower your carbon footprint, not your standards

Future Proof helps you lower your carbon footprint by reviewing products and recommending only the best, most eco-friendly ones available.

www.futureproofreviews.com

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · 1d

The DOE has confirmed that it is canceling $720 million worth of contracts that support American manufacturing. techcrunch.com/2025/10/20/t...

Trump DOE confirms it’s canceling over $700M in manufacturing grants | TechCrunch

The Department of Energy said it was canceling grants to build new factories in places like Alabama and Kentucky. Three startups are affected.

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · 5d

Google is working with Commonwealth Fusion Systems again, though not in the way you might think. The tech company's DeepMind division is providing its AI tools to help the fusion startup maximize power from its forthcoming reactor. techcrunch.com/2025/10/16/t...

The real reason Google DeepMind is working with a fusion energy startup | TechCrunch

Google has invested in fusion startups as potential power suppliers. This latest move suggests Google sees them as potential customers, too.

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · 5d

When EV demand was ramping up, I remember a lot of people wringing their hands about how the grid would cope with the extra load, saying we'd need to slow their adoption. But with the growth of AI data centers, that caution has all but evaporated.

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · 7d

It sounds like sci-fi, and while experts debate exactly how it happens, acoustic energy tuned to the right frequencies can extinguish a flame dozens of feet away. One startup thinks its infrasound generators could protect homes from wildfires. techcrunch.com/2025/10/14/i...

Exclusive: Inaudible sound might be the next frontier in wildfire defense | TechCrunch

Sonic Fire Tech has developed a device that can extinguish flames using acoustic energy below the range of human hearing. The startup is building a demo capable of protecting a home.

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · 11d

Climate tech has been taking it on the chin… or has it? Despite headlines, investors aren't shying away from it. techcrunch.com/2025/10/10/i...

Investors are betting $21 billion that the energy transition isn’t going away | TechCrunch

Political shifts might have set back the energy transition, but large investors are betting that renewables are at the future of energy.

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · 13d

Anyone who has driven or walked under a concrete bridge knows how problematic rust can be. But one startup thinks a paper-thin stainless steel is all we need to extend a bridge's lifespan from 30 to 100 years. techcrunch.com/2025/10/07/o...

Exclusive: One startup’s paper-thin stainless steel could change how bridges are built | TechCrunch

By coating regular rebar with a thin layer of stainless steel, Allium Engineering could reduce the amount of concrete needed to build a bridge while also prolonging its life.

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · 14d

Scoop! The Trump administration is proposing cutting over $500 million worth of grants to more than a dozen startups, according to my analysis of a newly leaked document. techcrunch.com/2025/10/07/t...

Exclusive: Trump's DOE proposes cutting billions in grants for GM, Ford, and lots of startups | TechCrunch

Trump's Department of Energy wants to cancel billions more in awards that were granted by the Biden administration, and startups are in the crosshairs.

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · 18d

The DOE has refused to release a list of cancelled awards, but I obtained a copy and dove into the numbers. Here's what they revealed. techcrunch.com/2025/10/03/l...

Leaked doc reveals the chaotic politics behind Trump Energy Department cuts | TechCrunch

Harris-voting states were hit hardest by Department of Energy award cancellations, but not every blue-state project was cut. Politics might play a role.

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · 20d

Cheaper LFP batteries pushing down the cost of EVs, but one US startup has a technology that could drive prices even lower, all while breaking the world's dependency on China for cathode materials. techcrunch.com/2025/10/01/e...

Exclusive: Electroflow promises to make LFP material for 40% less than Chinese producers | TechCrunch

Electroflow drew inspiration from batteries themselves to develop a new way of producing LFP material for EVs. The process could undercut today's lowest price sources in China.

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · 22d

The Trump administration is now forbidding Department of Energy staffers from using terms like "green," "climate change," and even "tax credits." techcrunch.com/2025/09/29/t...

Trump's Energy Department forbids staff from saying ‘climate change’ or ‘green’ | TechCrunch

A Trump appointee emailed Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy employees last week with a long list of banned words.

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · 22d

AI will have plenty of opportunity to drive us apart, but one startup thinks it has the potential to bring us together by helping people to find common ground. And they're starting with climate negotiations. techcrunch.com/2025/09/29/c...

Exclusive: ComplexChaos thinks AI can help people find common ground | TechCrunch

The startup uses an LLM tailored to helping people arrive at a consensus. Is it enough to help bridge our differences?

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · 25d

Last year, mobile battery startup Moxion went bust pretty spectacularly. Now, one of its founders is back with a new startup, Anode, to "finish what we started," he told me. techcrunch.com/2025/09/26/b...

Exclusive: Battery startup Moxion went bankrupt. Now its founder is back to ‘finish what we started’ | TechCrunch

Anode Technology Company wants to build mobile battery generators for construction sites, live events, and EV fleets. But first it has to avoid the pitfalls that claimed its predecessor, Moxion.

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · 27d

The Trump administration wants a 10% stake in Lithium Americas, and it's asking GM to guarantee the purchase of enough lithium carbonate for 1.6 million EVs — even as the government works to undermine automakers' transition to EVs. techcrunch.com/2025/09/24/t...

Trump admin wants 10% stake in American lithium miner that sells to GM | TechCrunch

Lithium Americas asked for a small change to the loan repayment period, which spurred the latest Trump administration request for equity.

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · 27d

Fine articulate pollution (PM2.5) is one of the biggest causes of death worldwide, but it doesn't get much attention. So Al Gore and Climate Trace put together a tool to help people see what can't be seen, but is very much impacting their health. techcrunch.com/2025/09/24/h...

How Al Gore used AI to track 660M polluters | TechCrunch

A new tool from Climate Trace allows people to track the path of fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, which causes as many as 10 million deaths annually.

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · 28d

U.S. battery materials startup Sila just started production at their factory in Moses Lake, Washington. Soon, it'll be pumping out enough silicon anode material for tens of thousands of EVs — and soon millions more. techcrunch.com/2025/09/23/s...

Sila opens US factory to make silicon anodes for energy-dense EV batteries | TechCrunch

Sila has been building the facility on Moses Lake, Washington, for nearly two years. Now, it's poised to start volume production.

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · 29d

Climate and weather data is a potential goldmine for AI companies, but first you have to collect and store it. techcrunch.com/2025/09/22/e...

Earthmover wants to become the Snowflake of weather and geospatial data | TechCrunch

Earthmover found new customers when it started building tools for companies to analyze the output of weather models. The startup has now raised a $7.2 million seed round.

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · 29d

Oil and gas supermajor Eni said that it will buy $1 billion worth of energy from Commonwealth Fusion Systems. techcrunch.com/2025/09/22/c...

Commonwealth Fusion Systems books a $1B+ power deal for its future fusion reactor | TechCrunch

The fusion startup has inked a deal with Italian energy company Eni. The move is likely intended to set a price for fusion power.

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · Sep 18

What’ll it take to help fleets expand their EV trucks? One startup thinks real estate is the missing link. techcrunch.com/2025/09/18/e...

Exclusive: EV Realty is betting the missing link in electric trucking is real estate | TechCrunch

EV Realty wants to create a new class of real estate investment by building charging hubs on parcels near warehouses with power to spare.

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · Sep 17

Plenty of people are talking about iPhone Air's slim design, but that svelte profile is hiding a revolutionary battery that makes it all possible. techcrunch.com/2025/09/17/t...

The iPhone Air’s real breakthrough is its battery | TechCrunch

Apple's slimmest iPhone uses a "revolutionary" battery design that allows the cell to fill more space within the device, boosting overall energy storage.

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · Sep 17

The world grows enough oil palms to cover the country of Honduras, but one startup is hoping that its tiny microbes can replace palm oil plantations. techcrunch.com/2025/09/17/t...

Exclusive: Terra Oleo’s oil-producing microbes could replace destructive palm oil plantations | TechCrunch

Terra Oleo had operated in stealth for years, developing yeast strains capable of producing high-value oils that don't need refining. It has raised $3.1 million.

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · Sep 16

Searing hot tin, graphite pumps, argon-filled, hermetically sealed chambers. Despite sounding like Bond villain torture devices, Fourth Power's thermal batteries promise to do something very normal: make storing renewable energy incredibly cheap. techcrunch.com/2025/09/16/f...

Exclusive: Fourth Power’s sci-fi thermal batteries could be cheaper than pricey natural gas power plants | TechCrunch

Fourth Power has raised $20 million to build a demonstration version of its thermal batteries, which ultimately could store electricity at $25 per kWh.

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · Sep 12

Quilt recently issued an over-the-air update that boosted the capacity of their heat pumps, including those already installed in customer homes. "Wait, what?" I thought when I heard that.

Here's how it happened: techcrunch.com/2025/09/12/h...

Exclusive: How an over-the-air update made Quilt’s heat pumps more powerful | TechCrunch

Quilt's software update unlocked an additional 20% heating and cooling capacity for all of its heat pumps, including those installed in customers' homes.

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · Sep 11

There's a new group of Breakthrough Energy Fellows, and I sat down to talk with Ashley Grosh about how the program has evolved over the years and how it's preparing itself and its fellows for a world filled with uncertainty. techcrunch.com/2025/09/11/h...

Exclusive: How Bill Gates’s fellowship program is adapting to global uncertainty | TechCrunch

As Breakthrough Energy Fellows welcomes a new cohort of 22 startups, it is also diversifying its portfolio to include more global founders.

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · Sep 9

Nobody's about to give AI the keys to a nuclear reactor, but one startup is betting that utilities and power providers will use it to streamline the business side and rein in costs so that nuclear can compete with cheap natural gas. techcrunch.com/2025/09/09/n...

Exclusive: Nuclearn gets $10.5M to help the nuclear industry embrace AI | TechCrunch

Nuclearn has developed AI tools to help reactor operators automate routine paperwork. "Think of it as the junior employee," the company tells customers.

Tim De Chant @dechant.bsky.social · Sep 9

Geothermal has so much potential for heating and cooling, but drilling costs have put it out of reach for most. Dig Energy gave me a sneak peak at their compact drill rig that promises to make geothermal cheaper than fossil fuels. techcrunch.com/2025/09/09/g...

Geothermal is too expensive, but Dig Energy’s impossibly small drill rig might fix that | TechCrunch

Dig Energy's water-jet drilling right promises to cut drilling costs by up to 80%, helping geothermal heating hit price parity with fossil fuel furnaces.