Colorado · Regional Lead · 2026-10-05
Boulder company advances seafloor pumped-storage concept
Sperra will test a design that stores electricity using hollow, 3D-printed concrete spheres below the ocean surface.
Boulder-based Sperra was selected for proposed support from the Energy Department’s Hydropower Testing Network.
The project will work with Polaris EcoSystems on a subsea pumped-storage design using hollow concrete spheres made through 3D printing. The concept uses pressure differences below the ocean surface to store and release energy.
The selection advances testing of the concept, not construction of a commercial storage facility. Engineering results will determine whether the system can move to a larger demonstration.
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Nation · 2026-10-09
FDA finalizes rule allowing salt substitutes in standardized foods
Manufacturers may use qualifying alternatives in 139 food standards that previously specified salt without permitting substitutes.
The Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule allowing salt substitutes in foods governed by federal standards of identity that require or permit salt.
Standards of identity define ingredients and, in some cases, production methods for named foods. FDA says 139 standards previously allowed or required salt but did not provide the same flexibility for substitutes.
Read articleBusiness · 2026-10-09
USDA reports $28 million in rural self-help housing grants
The program funds technical assistance for lower-income households that help build or rehabilitate their own homes.
The Department of Agriculture reported obligating $28 million in fiscal 2026 through its Mutual Self-Help Housing Technical Assistance Grants program.
USDA says it redirected $7 million from underperforming oversight contracts to direct grant awards. Section 523 grantees organize and supervise groups of eligible households as participants work on construction or rehabilitation.
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