Banning the sale of fossil-fuel cars benefits the climate when replaced by electric cars

If a ban were introduced on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, and they were replaced by electric cars, the result would be a great reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. That is the finding of new research from…

Generating electricity from heat using the spin Seebeck device

Thermoelectric (TE) conversion offers a carbon-free power generation from geothermal, waste, body or solar heat, and shows promise to be the next-generation energy conversion technology. At the core of such TE conversion, there lies an all solid-state thermoelectric device which…

Innovating power generation where ‘a river runs through it’

Lehigh University mechanical engineering and mechanics professor Keith Moored partners on multi-institutional hydrofoil turbine project that could help generate cleaner, more cost-effective energy for cities and rural communities alike

Denmark’s largest battery – one step closer to storing green power in stones

The concept of storing renewable energy in stones has come one step closer to realisation with the construction of the GridScale demonstration plant. The plant will be the largest electricity storage facility in Denmark, with a capacity of 10 MWh.

National lab, municipal power utility test energy storage for small hydropower generation

Idaho National Laboratory has turned to its own backyard to test how small hydropower plants can serve as reliable sources of startup power during outages. Working with Idaho Falls Power, a municipally owned utility, INL researchers this week performed tests…

Here comes the sun: Tethered-balloon tests ensure safety of new solar-power technology

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — What do tiny dust particles, 22-foot-wide red balloons and “concentrated” sunlight have in common? Researchers from Sandia National Laboratories recently used 22-foot-wide tethered balloons to collect samples of airborne dust particles to ensure the safety of an…

Professor Qingwei Ma seeks to unlock the potential of marine wave energy

The City, University of London academic will lead on the development of a new generation modelling suite, combining machine learning techniques, for the survivability of wave energy converters in marine environments

New research: Photovoltaics can make the world fossil-free faster than expected

Limitations in models used by the IPCC in its calculations of possible pathways to climate-neutral energy production suggests that the potentials of solar photovoltaics as a powerhouse in the green transition have been drastically underestimated.

Wireless tech a ‘game changer’ for nuclear power plants

Rudy Shankar (Energy Systems Engineering, Lehigh University) leads team of global experts behind newly published IAEA report outlining benefits of wireless technology and guidelines for use in instrumentation, control systems

‘Keep off the grass’: the biofuel that could help us achieve net zero

The Miscanthus genus of grasses, commonly used to add movement and texture to gardens, could quickly become the first choice for biofuel production. A new study shows these grasses can be grown in lower agricultural grade conditions – such as…