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Kemmerer, Wyoming, is a frontier coal town. It was organized in 1897 by coal miners and still employs people in the coal and natural gas industries today.
Photo courtesy TerraPower

TerraPower, a start-up co-founded by Bill Gates to revolutionize designs for nuclear reactors, has picked Kemmerer, Wyoming, as the preferred location for its first demonstration reactor. It aims to build the plant in the frontier-era coal town by 2028.

Constructing the plant will be a job bonanza for Kemmerer, with 2,000 workers at its peak, said TerraPower CEO Chris Levesque in a video call with reporters on Tuesday.

It will also provide new clean-energy jobs to a region dominated today by the coal and gas industry. Today, a local power plant, coal mine, and natural gas processing plant combined provide more than 400 jobs — a sizeable number for a region that has only around 3,000 people.

“New industry coming to any community is generally good news,” Kemmerer Mayor William Thek told CNBC. “You have to understand, most of our nearby towns are 50 miles or more from Kemmerer. Despite that, workers travel those distances every day for work in our area.”

The town of Kemmerer, Wyoming. The statue is of J.C. Penney, as Kemmerer is home of the first Penney store, William Thek, the mayor of Kemmerer told CNBC.
Photo courtesy William Thek

For TerraPower, picking a location was a matter of geological and technical factors, like seismic and soil conditions, and community support, said Levesque.

Once built, the plant will provide a baseload of 345 megawatts, with the potential to expand its capacity to 500 megawatts.

For reference, one gigawatt or 1,000 megawatts of energy will power a mid-sized city, and a small town can operate on about one megawatt, according to a rule of thumb Microsoft co-founder Gates provided in his recent book, “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster.” The United States uses 1,000 gigawatts and the world needs 5,000 gigawatts, he wrote.

It will cost about $4 billion to build the plant, with half of that money coming from TerraPower and the other half from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program.

“It’s a very serious government grant. This was necessary, I should mention, because the U.S. government and the U.S. nuclear industry was, was falling behind,” said Levesque.

“China and Russia are continuing to build new plants with advanced technologies like ours, and they seek to export those plants to many other countries around the world,” Levesque said. “So the U.S. government was concerned that the U.S. hasn’t been moving forward in this way.”

Once built, it should provide power for 60 years, Levesque said.

How TerraPower’s reactors are different

The Kemerrer plant will be the first to use an advanced nuclear design called Natrium, developed by TerraPower with GE-Hitachi.

Natrium plants use liquid sodium as a cooling agent instead of water. Sodium has a higher boiling point and can absorb more heat than water, which means high pressure does not build up inside the reactor, reducing the risk of an explosion.

Also, Natrium plants do not require an outside energy source to operate their cooling systems, which can be a vulnerability in the case of an emergency shut-down. This contributed to the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan, when a tsunami shut down the diesel generators running its back-up cooling system, contributing to a meltdown and release of radioactive material.

An artists rendering of a Natrium power plant from TerraPower.
Photo courtesy TerraPower

Natrium plants can store also heat in tanks of molten salt, conserving the energy for later use like a battery and, enabling the plant to bump its capacity up from 345 to 500 megawatts for five hours.

The plants are also smaller than conventional nuclear power plants, which should make them faster and cheaper to build than conventional power plants. TerraPower aims to get its plants to a cost of $1 billion, a quarter of the budget for the first one in Kemmerer.

“One important thing to realize is the first plant always costs more,” said Levesque.

Finally, Natrium plants produce less waste, a problematic and dangerous by-product of nuclear fission.

‘Times are changing’

The Kemmerer plant still faces a couple of hurdles, including federal permitting.

“There’s a comprehensive licensing process overseen by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, that, frankly, is expensive. There, there are many, many reviews,” Levesque said.

Also, the fuel that the Natrium plant uses is called high-assay low-enriched uranium, or HALEU, which is not yet available at commercial scale.

The existing nuclear fleet in the United States runs uranium-235 fuel that is enriched up to 5%, the Department of Energy says, while HALEU is is enriched between 5% and 20%.

“Sadly, we don’t have this enrichment capability in the U.S, today. And this is an area of great concern of the US government, and specifically the Department of Energy,” Levesque said.

But it’s coming, Levesque said. “I’m really certain that we’re going to establish that capability” in another public-private partnership, similar to the way the Natrium power plant demonstration is being built.

Once built, the plant will be turned over to Rocky Mountain Power, a division of Berkshire Hathaway Energy’s PacifiCorp, to operate.

There, it will become part of Rocky Mountain Power’s decarbonization plan.

Coal-fired plants like the Naughton facility in Kemmerer “have benefited our customers for decades with very low cost power,” Gary Hoogeveen, president and CEO of Rocky Mountain Power, said Tuesday. “And we appreciate that. But times are changing,” Hoogeveen said.

“External requirements from the federal government, state governments, regulatory agencies are going to require that we change and we’re going to need to decarbonize and as we go down that path, we see the Natrium project as being incredibly valuable to our customers.”

“Wyoming is a tremendous wind resource state,” Hoogeveen said. And so far, Rocky Mountain Power has built 2,000 megawatts of wind power capacity in Wyoming, and that’s going to grow. “We expect to build many more thousands of megawatts of wind capacity in the state.”

But the nuclear power plant in Kemmerer will be a key bridge for the state, Hoogeveen said.

“It is a great spot for absorbing the intermittency of of the renewable resources and using the storage that’s built in that is so incredibly valuable to us,” he said.

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Rad Power expands e-bike Black Friday Sale with more savings + lows from $999, Anker smart security devices 50% off, GE appliance, more

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14 hours ago

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November 27, 2025

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Rad Power expands e-bike Black Friday Sale with more savings + lows from 9, Anker smart security devices 50% off, GE appliance, more


Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! To celebrate the day, we’ve got another jam-packed edition of Green Deals, with plenty more that you can browse in our official Black Friday Green Deals hub here, encompassing all the sales/deals we’ve collected over the last few weeks that are still alive and well. Headlining today’s features is Rad Power’s expanded Black Friday Sale, which is seeing increased prices to new lows, like the RadExpand 5 Plus Folding e-bike at $1,399, among others. From there, we also have a large collection of Anker eufy solar cams, and other smart security devices starting from $50, as well as GE’s Profile Smart Electric Ventless Heat Pump Washer/Dryer Combo at $2,000, the next EcoFlow 48-hour flash sale, Aiper’s robot pool cleaners, smart composters, hydroponic gardens, and so much more waiting for you below. And don’t forget about the hangover deals that are collected together at the bottom of the page (and also in our Green Deals hub), like yesterday’s first post-launch price cuts on the Heybike Mars 3.0 and Ranger 3.0 Pro e-bikes, the Tesla universal EV charger retaining a $50 discount, and more.

Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

Rad Power expands Black Friday e-bike lineup and increases savings to new lows starting from $999

Rad Power Bikes has expanded its Black Friday Sale with additional offers while retaining the previous lineup of new lows and more. Among the bunch, we’re seeing the biggest price cut yet on the RadExpand 5 Plus Folding e-bike at $1,399 shipped. Coming down from the full $1,899 price tag that it has spent much of 2025 keeping to, we’ve mostly seen a mix of free bundle offers (without price cuts) and occasional discounts as low as $1,699. Now, for Black Friday, this newer model is getting a larger-than-ever $500 markdown to a new all-time low price. Head below to learn more about it and the expanded/increased Rad Power Black Friday savings.

The Rad Power RadExpand 5 Plus comes as the latest iteration of the brand’s space-saving, folding series, able to condense down to 29 inches high by 25 inches wide by 41 inches long to fit inside closets, car trunks, on RVs, and more. The 750W rear hub motor is paired with a 720Wh battery to carry you for up to 60+ miles with its five PAS levels activated at up to 20 MPH top speeds (supported by a torque sensor). Among its updated features, you’ll be getting a hydraulic suspension fork alongside hydraulic disc brakes for smoother rides and greater stopping power. There’s also the puncture-resistant tires, fenders to go over top of them, a rear cargo rack for added versatility, an LED headlight, a brake-activated taillight, a Shimano 7-speed derailleur, a color display with a USB-C port, and more.

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With the brand going through financial turmoil, now’s your chance to cash in on some of Rad Power’s deep clearance-meets-Black Friday savings.

Rad Power’s full Black Friday Sale lineup:

anker eufy solar security camera outside in rain

Anker’s eufy solar security cameras, smart locks, more get up to 50% Black Friday savings to new lows starting from $50

With Amazon’s Black Friday Week Sale in full momentum, Anker’s official eufy storefront is offering up to 50% discounts across its lineup of smart security devices, and the best rate yet on the SoloCam S220 Wireless Solar Security Camera that starts from $49.99 shipped, while its 4-camera package is a great get for multi-point coverage at $179.99 shipped. Normally going for $100 without any discounts, we’ve seen the cost get taken down as low as $60 previously in the year, with this holiday deal bringing even more savings to the mix by cutting the price in half. You’ll save $50 off the going rate for a 50% markdown on the single-cam package, while the 4-camera kit is seeing a 36% cut of $100 – dropping both options to new all-time lows.

If you want to learn more about this model, or check out the full lineup of deals on other cameras, video doorbells, smart locks, and more – be sure to check out our original coverage of these Black Friday deals here.

woman doing laundry with GE 2-in-1 washer dryer

GE’s 2-in-1 Profile smart ventless electric washer/dryer combo with heat pump at $2,000 (Reg. $2,700)

As part of its Black Friday Appliance Sale, Best Buy is offering the GE Profile 4.8 Cubic-Foot Smart Combo Electric Washer & Dryer with Ventless Heat Pump at $1,999.99 shipped. While it carries a $2,999 MSRP direct from the brand, at Best Buy we normally see it starting lower at $2,700, with the discounts we’ve spotted over the year regularly dropping the rate between $2,200 and $2,000, with things having gone as low as $1,750 once this year back during July’s Prime Day event. You’re still looking at a solid $700 markdown off the going rate (and $999 off the MSRP) to land at the third-lowest price we have tracked. There are also alternate options in Samsung’s massive Black Friday Appliance Sale here to weigh your options.

If you want to learn more about this specific model, be sure to check out our original coverage of these savings here.

ecoflow delta pro power station outside with extra battery and solar panel
banner for Aiper robot pool cleaner black friday sale
Govee smart electric composter being used to make soil for garden
AeroGarden Harvest Elite 360 indoor hydroponic system

Best Fall EV deals!

Best new Green Deals landing this week

The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.


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Tesla faces class action over Powerwall recall that leaves people with bricked batteries

Published

15 hours ago

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November 27, 2025

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Tesla faces class action over Powerwall recall that leaves people with bricked batteries

Sunrun residential solar battery storage

Image: Sunrun

Tesla’s poorly handled Powerwall 2 recall is now turning into a potential class action lawsuit over for leaving people with bricked batteries until Tesla replaces them.

We previously reported on Tesla recalling thousands of Powerwall 2 units built between 2020 and 2022 due to a fire risk. We noted several problems with it, as it took months between the recall in Australia and the US, despite the units being identical and affected by the same issue.

We also noted that Tesla has been aware of the problems for years and tried to sneakily replace some units rather than doing a broader recall.

Now, some affected Powerwall owners are also taking issue with how Tesla is handling the recall.

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Tesla’s ability to address issues via over-the-air (OTA) software updates is usually a massive advantage, but not everyone is happy with how Tesla is using its OTA capability in this case.

According to a new class action filing in the Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville Division, that “fix” has left owners with expensive wall decorations instead of backup power systems.

The lawsuit, Brown v. Tesla, Inc., was filed yesterday. It alleges that rather than providing swift replacements for the potentially dangerous hardware, Tesla used its software backdoor to effectively shut down customer installations.

From the complaint:

“Rather than immediately providing full refunds or prompt replacement with non-defective units, Tesla has remotely accessed affected Powerwall 2 systems and discharged or limited their battery charge to near-zero levels to reduce the risk of overheating.”

The result, according to the filing, is that many owners have been “deprived of the core functions for which they purchased Powerwall 2, including backup power and energy storage.”

Imagine paying upwards of $8,000 for peace of mind during a grid outage, only to find out Tesla remotely drained your backup battery to 0% because it might otherwise catch fire.

The lawsuit further alleges that the actual physical replacement process is dragging out. The complaint argues that the replacement process “has been slow, burdensome, and incomplete,” leading to “lengthy periods” where consumers have partially or fully disabled units.

The core legal argument here is about merchantability. The plaintiffs argue that a home energy storage system that must be remotely “bricked” to prevent it from burning down a house is clearly “not fit for its ordinary purpose as a safe and reliable residential battery.”

Tesla has not yet commented on the suit or provided a timeline for when all affected customers will receive physical replacements.

Electrek’s Take

Ever since the first recall in Australia came out, I knew this thing would snowball into something much bigger.

In the Australian recall, Tesla noted that it was “considering compensating people” for revenue lost or higher utility bills due to Powerwalls being down for an extended period.

It looks like this class action lawsuit is trying to ensure that Tesla is not just considering it but actually does the right thing and compensates owners.

Tesla has up to 10,000 Powerwalls to replace in the US alone. We understand that this is a tremendously difficult task and it will take some time, but that’s not the fault of the customers and Tesla needs to own up to it.

Leaving customers in limbo with a dead battery on the wall, especially as we head into winter storm season in many parts of the US, is a massive customer service failure. Tesla needs to accelerate the replacement program and prioritize these recall replacements over new sales immediately.


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Environment

Diesel? Gas? New Holland hybrid uses METHANE to charge its batteries

Published

19 hours ago

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November 27, 2025

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Diesel? Gas? New Holland hybrid uses METHANE to charge its batteries

New Holland Reveals Methane Hybrid Telehandler Prototype

The latest hybrid telehandler from New Holland packs a range-extending combustion engine to boost its battery power during longer shifts – but it doesn’t run on gas or diesel. Instead, this farm-friendly machine is built to run on METHANE.

By collecting pig, cow, or poultry waste (poop), silage waste (corn husks and grass clippings), and food waste from composting and putting into a manure digester, farmers can generate valuable biogas – a renewable, low-carbon fuel that can be burned for heat, electricity, or used as fuel. And because large farming operations can produce huge amounts of biogas at an incredibly low cost compared to conventional grid and fuel costs, any machine that can run on biogas is going to have a real total cost of ownership (TCO) advantage.

Biogas generator

Manure digester, via Ag Marketing Resource Center.

CASE and New Holland (collectively, CNH) understands its customers’ desire to put that biogas to good use. They also understand that nothing is quite as efficient as battery-electric power, though; but big farms have weird duty cycles: 4-6 hour shifts most of the year, then critical, un-skippable, non-negotiable round-the-clock running during harvest.

That need to run 24 hour shifts limits the appeal of pure electric machines, and has led to companies like ZQUIP developing power-agnostic modules that swap-out, power tool-style, to keep the machines going. With its new methane hybrid, New Holland is going a more recognizable EREV and hybrid route.

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“With this prototype, New Holland shows its continuous commitment to the ‘Clean Energy Leader‘ strategy, building on our leadership in alternative fuel machines,” says Marco Gerbi, New Holland T4 and T5 tractor, loader and telehandler product management. “Our aim is to help our customers boost farm productivity and profitability by broadening our range of alternative fuel machines that do not compromise efficiency or productivity yet help to minimize agriculture’s carbon footprint.”

Primarily driven by a 70 kWh lithium-ion battery, the telehandler uses a methane-fueled version of Fiat Powertrain’s four-cylinder F28 engine as a range-extending backup whenever jobs demand more uptime. On the energy stored in the battery alone, New Holland says the machine can handle a full day’s worth of typical farm work — roughly a “350-day duty cycle,” and it can recharge from the grid, a biogas generator, or even rooftop (barntop?) solar.

It’s still just a prototype, but New Holland claims the hybrid setup cuts fuel use by up to 70% compared to a conventional diesel telehandler while delivering 30% better performance and uptime for its operators.

No word yet on availability and pricing.

SOURCE | IMAGES: CNH, via Equipment World.

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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.


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