A turbine the size of a room can power ten thousand homes
By squeezing carbon dioxide until it acts like both a liquid and a gas, engineers can shrink massive power plant machinery to the size of a desk.
Modern power plants usually rely on steam turbines the size of cathedral halls, where boiling water spins massive blades to generate electricity. However, engineers are now replacing these giants with a substance called supercritical carbon dioxide. When this gas is heated above 31 degrees Celsius and pressurized to about 7.4 megapascals, it enters a physical limbo. In this state, it is as dense as a liquid but flows as easily as a gas, allowing it to carry far more energy than steam ever could. This density means a turbine capable of powering ten thousand homes can fit inside a standard living room.