Next-Gen Energy: Fusion, Geothermal, Orbital Solar & Advanced Batteries Emerge

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r/futurology

What are some interesting breakthroughs (or concepts) that have a huge potential in future?

Posted by u/notthevcode•05/31/2025

CRISPR-Cas9: Precise gene-editing that could change medicine and farming. AlphaFold: Predicts protein structures that could be huge for biology. Quantum Computing: Solves certain problems w

Top Comments

u/captainshar

100% agree. It's going to supercharge every other technology change because of rapid discovery, digital modeling and experiments, and soon autonomized engineering, manufacturing, and deployme

u/Riversntallbuildings

To me, everything comes back to energy and what I’m looking for is a company that can deliver over 1GW of batteries on an annual basis that have energy density greater than 500Wh/kg. I thin

u/captainshar

100% agree. It's going to supercharge every other technology change because of rapid discovery, digital modeling and experiments, and soon autonomized engineering, manufacturing, and deployme

u/RawenOfGrobac

LLM's having huge potential i dont agree with, But AI's (real AI) im excited for.

u/DerekVanGorder

Calibrated Basic Income. It is a Universal Basic Income (UBI) except the payout is adjustable. This prevents inflation while maximizing the benefit. https://www.greshm.org/files/2025-04-01-

u/djjcinthehouse

DSM framework will replace blockchain infrastructure

u/Riversntallbuildings

To me, everything comes back to energy and what I’m looking for is a company that can deliver over 1GW of batteries on an annual basis that have energy density greater than 500Wh/kg. I thin

u/notthevcode

David Graeber Wrote about this UBI a lot in his book Bullshit Jobs. I don't know that the world is taking that idea seriously. If that comes many people would benefit for sure. Basically wha

u/Dull_Ratio_5383

That was my first thought. Energy is the largest constraint, and this is true for unicellular bacteria and the entire human civilisation. Getting almost limitless, clean energy will have, by

u/notthevcode

David Graeber wrote about this UBI a lot in his book Bullshit Jobs. I don't know that the world is taking that idea seriously. If that comes many people would benefit for sure. Basically wha

u/coren77

I don't have the scientific or engineering chops to determine true viability, but there is a company called Quaise that is trying to use new drilling/ boring methods to create geothermal powe

u/cscottnet

Oh, I agree AI/LLMs are going to have a huge impact. Just probably not a good one. They've exploited a fundamental weakness in how humans evaluate information and form models of reality, an

u/captainshar

Synthesized food molecules. Custom healthy food with amazing flavors and nutrients for very cheap, freeing up land to be restored to sustainable ecosystems and solving hunger and healthy nutr

u/novis-eldritch-maxim

none as none of us will ever be able to afford them

u/HeyGuySeeThatGuy

Universal Basic Income. The math looks really good - people are more productive, healthier, happier, and better humans when they are not starving, homeless, stressed about losing their wor

u/Same-Barnacle-6250

My three pillars are ai, energy, and compute. AI is bottled necked by energy and computer. So to make ai limitless, we need limitless energy and compute.

u/iShakeMyHeadAtYou

there was a post on here yesterday about a Lithium Fuel cell that would allow electrification of airplanes. tat would be MASSIVE for carbon reduction.

u/drunnells

I think that a lot of use cases don't require you to be running a model locally.. in those cases, the existing infrastructure is fine. BUT I can see some cases where you would need to. You me

u/Same-Barnacle-6250

My three pillars are ai, energy, and compute. AI is bottled necked by energy and computer. So to make ai limitless, we need limitless energy and compute.

u/captainshar

Custom medicine. Soon, health will be cheaper and more effective than ever.

u/YsoL8

And also: deep geothermal - pilot plants being built orbital solar - Companies are actively looking to put up a pilot plant this decade Solar - Currently scaling on track to be Earths prim

u/drunnells

This sub is going to HATE this - I'm saying AI/LLMs :)

u/Nulmora

I agree. Digital Intelligence and the infrastructure that comes with it plus energy needed to sustain it. How do you miniaturize the infrastructure similar to a powerwall or even smaller tha

u/djjcinthehouse

DSM framework will replace blockchain infrastructure

u/marrow_monkey

Yeah, a lot of people are still delusional about AI. Will probably end up being more transformative than the Industrial Revolution. Might make us understand ”consciousness” soon. Might end hu

u/NaCHO3657

I have feeds from many science and tech outlets and this is the first time I've heard of this cold fusion breakthrough. Cold fusion is the holy Grail of energy production. If that discovery

u/SpiritGaming28

Stem cells could also be a game changer in medicine.

u/anotherfroggyevening

Fusion https://www.reuters.com/press-releases/quantum-kinetics-corporation-arc-reactor-cold-nuclear-fusion-technology-ready-for-industry-2025-02-05/

u/8to24

New research plants the seed to grow food crops with sea water https://www.newcastle.edu.au/newsroom/featured/new-research-plants-the-seed-to-grow-food-crops-with-sea-water

u/Calactic1

Room temperature/ambient pressure superconductors. If they exist, and become viable, the world will undergo a shift akin to the industrial revolution. Anything involving electricity will be m

u/marrow_monkey

Yeah, a lot of people are still delusional about AI. Will probably end up being more transformative than the Industrial Revolution. Might make us understand ”consciousness” soon. Might end hu

u/Dull_Ratio_5383

That was my first thought. Energy is the largest constraint, and this is true for unicellular bacteria and the entire human civilisation. Getting almost limitless, clean energy will have, by

u/Riversntallbuildings

Cultivated proteins could be huge if we can build more bioreactor capacity and solve the contamination challenges. Vertical farms can grow nutrients, but they can’t grow calories more effici

u/IsayDamar

Life extension baby! I really want to live as long as possible!

u/Nulmora

I agree. Digital Intelligence and the infrastructure that comes with it plus energy needed to sustain it. How do you miniaturize the infrastructure similar to a powerwall or even smaller tha

u/iShakeMyHeadAtYou

there was a post on here yesterday about a Lithium Fuel cell that would allow electrification of airplanes. tat would be MASSIVE for carbon reduction.

u/novis-eldritch-maxim

none as none of us will ever be able to afford them

u/YsoL8

I find the standard reddit response to AI ridiculous A. the copyright battle is a sideshow that will ultimately change or stop nothing except maybe to disadvantage your own country B. The t

u/DerekVanGorder

Calibrated Basic Income. It is a Universal Basic Income (UBI) except the payout is adjustable. This prevents inflation while maximizing the benefit. https://www.greshm.org/files/2025-04-01-

u/pinkfootthegoose

It's highly unlikely considering the estimated cost to build and operate a theoretical fusion plant will be astronomically high compared to any other source of electricity. The true limits o

u/YsoL8

And also: deep geothermal - pilot plants being built orbital solar - Companies are actively looking to put up a pilot plant this decade Solar - Currently scaling on track to be Earths prim

u/8to24

New research plants the seed to grow food crops with sea water https://www.newcastle.edu.au/newsroom/featured/new-research-plants-the-seed-to-grow-food-crops-with-sea-water

u/cscottnet

Oh, I agree AI/LLMs are going to have a huge impact. Just probably not a good one. They've exploited a fundamental weakness in how humans evaluate information and form models of reality, an

u/anotherfroggyevening

Fusion https://www.reuters.com/press-releases/quantum-kinetics-corporation-arc-reactor-cold-nuclear-fusion-technology-ready-for-industry-2025-02-05/

u/drunnells

This sub is going to HATE this - I'm saying AI/LLMs :)

u/Yasimear

Once we have the energy to support it cleanly, 100%!! Right now, the amount of resources that LLMs are taking up is INSANE fqor what they provide. They're causing too much damage for now :/

u/drunnells

I think that a lot of use cases don't require you to be running a model locally.. in those cases, the existing infrastructure is fine. BUT I can see some cases where you would need to. You me

u/seamustheseagull

The problem is that AI was over promised. When ChatGPT landed everyone thought, "Holy shit this is good enough to change everything". It's not, but it did give us a glimpse into what was

u/Yasimear

Once we have the energy to support it cleanly, 100%!! Right now, the amount of resources that LLMs are taking up is INSANE fqor what they provide. They're causing too much damage for now :/

u/seamustheseagull

The problem is that AI was over promised. When ChatGPT landed everyone thought, "Holy shit this is good enough to change everything". It's not, but it did give us a glimpse into what was

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r/futurology

What are some interesting breakthroughs (or concepts) that have a huge potential in future?

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