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UrduThe big holes in Swiss cheese help make it a tasty treat. Now, scientists at PPPL are adding tiny, Swiss-cheese-type holes to components to improve the process of bringing to Earth the fusion energy that powers the sun and stars.
Tag: Energy
Tulane wins share of $35 million Department of Energy clean energy grant
Tulane University will share in a U.S. Department of Energy award designed to advance new technologies to decarbonize the biorefining processes used to convert organic material, such as plant matter, into fuel.
New technology in train to reduce rail energy costs and improve driver safety via iPad app
An app developed by Australian mathematician Professor Peter Pudney to make trains safer, more fuel efficient and run to time, is now used in 8000 passenger, freight and heavy haul trains on four continents.
ORNL partners on science kits for STEM schools
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Center of Science and Industry and the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network have partnered to deliver hundreds of free science kits called Learning Lunchboxes to STEM-designated schools in East Tennessee.
Expanded Partnership Helps Secure Texas Tech’s Place in Energy Industry’s Future
American Resources Corporation will operate its sponsored research program in electrolytic cells through the Innovation Hub at Research Park and in collaboration with Gerardine Botte.
Researchers unveil roadmap to expand NY solar energy, meet green goals
Solar-power developers need to explore using lower-quality agricultural land for solar energy, incentivize dual-use (combined agriculture and solar) options, avoid concentrated solar development and engage communities early to achieve New York’s green energy goals, according to forthcoming Cornell University research.
Empowering citizens for successful energy transitions
A new study explored options for empowering citizens as a driver for moving from awareness about the need to transform energy systems to action and participation.
Battery parts can be recycled without crushing or melting
Researchers at Aalto University have discovered that electrodes in lithium batteries containing cobalt can be reused as is after being newly saturated with lithium. In comparison to traditional recycling, which typically extracts metals from crushed batteries by melting or dissolving them, the new process saves valuable raw materials, and likely also energy.
Pathways clear for decarbonising heavy industry
The production of green steel will be a critical step to enable the world’s heavy industry to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and Australia is well placed to be an important player in this space.
Thermal Power Nanogenerator Created Without Solid Moving Parts
As environmental and energy crises become more common, a thermal energy harvester capable of converting abundant thermal energy into mechanical energy appears to be a promising mitigation strategy. The majority of thermal power generation technologies involve solid moving parts, which can reduce reliability and lead to frequent maintenance. This inspired researchers in China to develop a thermal power nanogenerator without solid moving parts. In Applied Physics Letters, they propose a thermal power nanogenerator that converts thermal energy into electrical energy.
Shining, Colored LED Lighting on Microalgae for Next-Generation Biofuel
As biofuels continue to present challenges, microalgae are gaining momentum as a biofuel energy crop. In the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, researchers show how a combination of monochromatic red and blue LED illumination on one type of microalga can enhance its growth and increase the biosynthesis of critical components, such as lipids, for microalgae feedstock development. The researchers focused on Dunaliella salina, typically extracted from sea salt fields and found in salt lakes.
Do You Know the Way to Berkelium, Californium?
Scientists at Berkeley Lab have demonstrated how to image samples of heavy elements as small as a single nanogram. The new approach will help scientists advance new technologies for medical imaging and cancer therapies.
Critical mass of talent and expertise
Ongoing and secure supply of critical minerals is essential to the transition to a high-tech and clean energy world.
Launched on Thursday 11 March, the University of Adelaide’s Australian Critical Minerals Research Centre will carry out multidisciplinary research in the discovery and extraction of critical minerals to benefit society.
Tired at the Office? Take a Quick Break. Your Work Will Benefit.
Recent research shows that people are more likely to take “microbreaks” at work on days when they’re tired – but that’s not a bad thing. The researchers found microbreaks help tired employees engage with their work better over the course of the day.
MTU Experts in Snow, Solar, and Power Outages
Michigan Technological University resides in the Keweenaw, a part of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula that gets more than 200 inches of snow every winter. Michigan Tech researchers—engineers, sociologists, computer scientists—study renewable energy grids, their strengths and weaknesses, community resilience and impact…
Experts: Atmospheric Scientists Available to Discuss the Texas Power Crisis
ALBANY, N.Y. (Feb. 18, 2021) – A blast of winter weather knocked out power for more than 4 million people in Texas, as record-low temperatures brought on a demand for heat that the state’s electric grid could not keep up…
Solar awnings over parking lots help companies and customers
Michigan Tech engineers look into the untapped potential of parking lots in a study that investigates the energy-related benefits of developing charging stations powered with solar canopies built into the parking infrastructure of large-scale retailers like Walmart.
Deep Learning Trains Buildings to Optimize Efficiency
New approach allows nonexperts to optimize control of a building’s energy systems without adding computing power or proprietary software.
General Atomics Completes Fabrication and Testing of First ITER Central Solenoid Module
After nearly five years of fabrication and a battery of rigorous testing and troubleshooting, General Atomics (GA) has completed the first major milestone in one of the United States’ largest contributions to the ITER fusion project in France. The first module of the ITER Central Solenoid will join six others still in fabrication to make up the largest pulsed superconducting magnet in the world. The Central Solenoid will play a critical role in ITER’s mission to establish fusion as a practical, safe and nearly inexhaustible source of clean, abundant and carbon-free electricity.
Biden oil, gas leasing ban signals shift away from ‘climate-damaging’ fuel
President Biden is expected to ban new oil and gas leasing on federal land Wednesday. The move marks one of the first actions taken by the Biden administration as part of its plan to combat climate change and shift toward…
Making solar power more efficient
Case Western Reserve University computer scientists and energy technology experts are teaming up to leverage the diagnostic power of artificial intelligence (AI) to make solar-power plants more efficient.
WashU Expert: Biden energy plan is aggressive, but much can be done
Geophysicist Michael Wysession, professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, teaches a popular undergraduate course called “Energy and the Environment” and is author of The Great Courses lecture series “The Science…
UNC Charlotte’s Energy Production and Infrastructure Center is One of 10 Selected Nationwide for U.S. Department of Energy Award
UNC Charlotte’s Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) has been selected for a $3.6 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) to improve the resilience and reliability of the regional grid.
Framework sheds light on nitrogen loss of producing common food items
Differences in nitrogen loss intensity between livestock and crops confirm the need for change.
Can Sodium-Ion Batteries Replace Trusty Lithium-Ion Ones?
Sodium-ion batteries are a potential replacement for lithium batteries, but different anodes are needed for the same level of performance. Amorphous carbon is known to be a useful anode, because it has defects and voids that can be used to store sodium ions. Nitrogen/phosphorus-doped carbon also offers appealing electrical properties. In Applied Physics Reviews, researchers describe how they applied basic physical concepts of atomic scale to build high-performance anodes for sodium-ion batteries.
Cornell University to Extract Energy from Manure to Meet Peak Heating Demands
Cornell University is developing a system to extract energy from cattle manure to meet the campus’s peak demands for heat in the winter months. In the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, scientists involved with the project give a detailed analysis of the issues required to make this work, including scientific, economic, and energy policy considerations.
Research Breakthrough Could Transform Clean Energy Technology
A team of researchers has developed a new method of harnessing solar energy, moving us closer to a clean energy future.
Proteins enable crop-infecting fungi to ‘smell’ food
New research shows the same proteins that enable human senses such as smell also allow certain fungi to sense something they can eat.
Engineers go microbial to store energy, sequester CO2
By borrowing nature’s blueprints for photosynthesis, Cornell University bioengineers have found a way to efficiently absorb and store large-scale, low-cost renewable energy from the sun – while sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide to use later as a biofuel.
Cooperation across boundaries and sectors could boost sustainable development in South Asia
A new analysis of food, energy, water, and climate change in the Indus Basin shows how a cross-boundary and multi-sectoral perspective could lead to economic benefits and lower costs for all countries involved.
Report: U.S. trails other countries in building macro grids for moving, sharing electricity
Countries around the world are way ahead of the United States in building “macro grids” capable of moving electricity across grids or regions, according to a new report by an Iowa State engineer and a former doctoral student. The report was sponsored and released by Americans for a Clean Energy Grid.
Breakthrough material makes pathway to hydrogen use for fuel cells under hot, dry conditions
A collaborative research team, including Los Alamos National Laboratory, University of Stuttgart (Germany), University of New Mexico, and Sandia National Laboratories, has developed a proton conductor for fuel cells based on polystyrene phosphonic acids that maintain high protonic conductivity up to 200 C without water.
Best Region For Life on Mars Was Far Below Surface
The most habitable region for life on Mars would have been up to several miles below its surface, likely due to subsurface melting of thick ice sheets fueled by geothermal heat, a Rutgers-led study concludes. The study, published in the journal Science Advances, may help resolve what’s known as the faint young sun paradox – a lingering key question in Mars science.
An escape route for seafloor methane
Methane, the main component of natural gas, is the cleanest-burning of all the fossil fuels, but when emitted into the atmosphere it is a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
Creating Higher Energy Density Lithium-Ion Batteries for Renewable Energy Applications
Lithium-ion batteries that function as high-performance power sources for renewable applications, such as electric vehicles and consumer electronics, require electrodes that deliver high energy density without compromising cell lifetimes. In the Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology A, researchers investigate the origins of degradation in high energy density LIB cathode materials and develop strategies for mitigating those degradation mechanisms and improving LIB performance.
Transactive Energy: Negotiating New Terrain
PNNL’s longstanding grid and buildings capabilities are driving two projects that test transactive energy concepts on a grand scale and lay the groundwork for a more efficient U.S. energy system.
The Motivation for Sustainable Aviation Fuels
A new report outlines future research paths that are needed for airlines to reduce carbon emissions and notes that the only way to achieve emission reduction goals is with Sustainable Aviation Fuels.
Gut Microbiome Manipulation Could Result from Virus Discovery
Scientists have discovered how a common virus in the human gut infects and takes over bacterial cells – a finding that could be used to control the composition of the gut microbiome, which is important for human health. The Rutgers co-authored research, which could aid efforts to engineer beneficial bacteria that produce medicines and fuels and clean up pollutants, is published in the journal Nature.
Lawrence Livermore Lab to Co-host Bay Area Battery Summit
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), New Energy Nexus and CalCharge are co-hosting the sixth annual Bay Area Battery Summit (BABS), to be held virtually on Nov. 17-18.
Genetic Code Evolution and Darwin’s Evolution Theory Should Consider DNA an ‘Energy Code’
Darwin’s theory of evolution should be expanded to include consideration of a DNA stability “energy code” – so-called “molecular Darwinism” – to further account for the long-term survival of species’ characteristics on Earth, according to Rutgers scientists. The iconic genetic code can be viewed as an “energy code” that evolved by following the laws of thermodynamics (flow of energy), causing its evolution to culminate in a nearly singular code for all living species, according to the Rutgers co-authored study in the journal Quarterly Review of Biophysics.
Improving High-Energy Lithium-Ion Batteries with Carbon Filler
Lithium-ion batteries are the major rechargeable power source for many portable devices as well as electric vehicles, but their use is limited, because they do not provide high power output while simultaneously allowing reversible energy storage. Research reported in Applied Physics Reviews aims to offer a solution by showing how the inclusion of conductive fillers improves battery performance.
Story Tips: Ice breaker data, bacterial breakdown, catching heat and finding order
ORNL story tips: Ice breaker data, bacterial breakdown, catching heat and finding order
$39 Million to better integrate renewables into power grid
The National Science Foundation has awarded $39 million to a team of engineers and computer scientists at the University of California San Diego to build a first-of-its-kind testbed to better understand how to integrate distributed energy sources such as solar panels, wind turbines, smart buildings and electric vehicle batteries into the power grid. The goal is to make the testbed available to outside research teams and industry by 2025.
DIII-D Scientists to Work with PPPL to Find a Path to Sustained Fusion Energy
Researchers from the DIII-D National Fusion Facility are preparing to support their colleagues at the National Spherical Tokamak Experiment-Upgrade (NSTX-U) at the U.S Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) in a quest to develop sustained fusion energy. Under recently announced DOE funding programs, two teams at DIII-D will perform research on physics and instrumentation for NSTX-U as the facility’s staff work to restart operations late next year.
A renewable solution to keep cool in a warming world
A new study explored the pros and cons of seawater air-conditioning as an alternative cooling solution.
UAlbany Partners on New Weather Forecasting Tool for New York Utilities
UAlbany is partnering to create a new weather forecasting tool that will offer real-time predictions on storm outages, electrical load and renewable energy generation.
Pandemic lockdowns caused steep and lasting carbon dioxide decline
An international team of climate experts, including Earth system scientists at the University of California, Irvine, today released an assessment of carbon dioxide emissions by industry, transportation and other sectors from January through June, showing that this year’s pandemic lockdowns resulted in a 9 percent decline from 2019 levels.
Grant supports development of efficient offshore wind farms
A new interdisciplinary Cornell University research project is designed to unlock the power of wind energy by optimizing the spacing between wind turbines and wind turbine arrays to maximize power production.
EU building renovations plan ‘bold’ example of green recovery
The European Union is set to announce a large-scale building renovation project on Wednesday — an effort to cut carbon emissions and energy costs across the 27-nation bloc, while stimulating an economy struggling with the effects of COVID-19. The plan…
Decoding the Structure of Petroleum with Yunlong Zhang
ExxonMobil chemist and user of Brookhaven Lab’s Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) Yunlong Zhang is characterizing molecules in petroleum with high-resolution atomic force microscopy.