New battery design could help solar and wind power the grid
(Phys.org) —Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have designed a low-cost, long-life battery that could enable solar and...
View ArticleUCLA scientists double efficiency of novel solar cell
Nearly doubling the efficiency of a breakthrough photovoltaic cell they created last year, UCLA researchers have developed a two-layer, see-through solar film that could be placed on windows, sunroofs,...
View ArticleScientists create tiny bendy power supply for even smaller portable electronics
Scientists have created a powerful micro-supercapacitor, just nanometres thick, that could help electronics companies develop mobile phones and cameras that are smaller, lighter and thinner than ever...
View ArticleCheaper Chinese solar panels are not due to low-cost labor
A study of the photovoltaic industries in the US and China shows that China's dominance in solar panel manufacturing is not driven solely by cheaper labour and government support, but by larger-scale...
View ArticleMolten-air battery's storage capacity among the highest of any battery type
(Phys.org) —Researchers have demonstrated a new class of high-energy battery, called a "molten-air battery," that has one of the highest storage capacities of any battery type to date. Unlike some...
View ArticleMinuscule bumps improve anti-reflective coating
M. S. M. Saifullah and Hemant Raut of A*STAR's Institute of Materials Research and Engineering in Singapore and their co-workers have developed a coating that matches the optical properties of the best...
View Article'Survival of the fattest': Promising developments for oil production from algae
Algae are interesting candidates for the large-scale production of biodiesel. Researchers at TU Delft have developed a clever way of finding the fattest and therefore the most suitable examples among...
View ArticleIn just seconds, low-cost porous organic polymer can cut toxic metal...
Aquifers, lakes, and rivers that supply drinking water rarely contain metal contaminants. When water passes through service lines and home plumbing systems, however, corrosion can introduce small...
View ArticleWind farms can provide society a surplus of reliable clean energy, study finds
The worldwide demand for solar and wind power continues to skyrocket. Since 2009, global solar photovoltaic installations have increased about 40 percent a year on average, and the installed capacity...
View ArticleThermoelectric generator on glass fabric for wearable electronic devices
Wearable computers or devices have been hailed as the next generation of mobile electronic gadgets, from smart watches to smart glasses to smart pacemakers. For electronics to be worn by a user, they...
View ArticlePower arm band for wearables harvests body heat
(Phys.org) —A group of Korean researchers have turned their focus on supplying a reliable, efficient power source for wearables. Professor Byung Jin Cho of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and...
View ArticleFueling aviation with hardwoods
A key challenge in the biofuels landscape is to get more advanced biofuels—fuels other than corn ethanol and vegetable oil-based biodiesel—into the transportation pool. Utilization of advanced biofuels...
View ArticleAviation offers a way forward in biofuels research
(Phys.org) —Biofuels researchers are increasingly thinking about how the energy market is changing, which challenges them to balance the basic science of new fuels with a more holistic view of the most...
View ArticleNew solar cells serve free lunch
One of the most common complaints about solar power is solar panels are still too expensive to be worth the investment. Many researchers have responded by making solar cells, the tile-like components...
View ArticleModified algae enzymes enable efficient hydrogen production
(Phys.org) —Hydrogen as a regenerative fuel produced in gigantic water tanks full of algae, which need nothing more than sunlight to produce the promising green energy carrier: a great idea in theory,...
View ArticleNew battery technology for electric vehicles
Scientists at the Canadian Light Source are on the forefront of battery technology using cheaper materials with higher energy and better recharging rates that make them ideal for electric vehicles (EVs).
View ArticleResearchers find way to turn sawdust into gasoline
Researchers at KU Leuven's Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis have successfully converted sawdust into building blocks for gasoline. Using a new chemical process, they were able to convert the...
View ArticlePerovskites provide big boost to silicon solar cells
Stacking perovskites onto a conventional silicon solar cell dramatically improves the overall efficiency of the cell, according to a new study led by Stanford University scientists.
View ArticleCalculating the future of solar-fuel refineries
A team of University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers has developed a new tool to help plot the future of solar fuels.
View ArticleMethane storage targets are too high
Using natural gas for car fuel is a challenge, requiring massive research efforts to find materials that can efficiently store it. However, a Swiss-US study concludes that the best materials have not...
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