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UrduRaindrops, evaporating water, and even moisture in the air are all potentially sources of decentralized clean electricity generation, but many of the technologies that take advantage of this ambient and vast source of energy—many of which are inspired by the electricity harvesting techniques of plants and animals—remain at the lab-bench stage.
Tag: Energy
Fusion ‘breakthrough’ is big, but more efficient methods needed
The Department of Energy has announced the first ever fusion reaction to generate more energy than used to start the reaction. Gennady Schvets is an expert on fusion and plasma physics at Cornell University who will lead Cornell’s Laboratory of…
Capsule-sized ingestible biobatteries could allow new view of digestive system
A new biobattery being developed at Binghamton University, State University of New York could power ingestible cameras in the small intestine.
GW Expert Available to Discuss Impacts of Severe Drought Conditions and Climate Change on Hydropower
Officials are continuing to sound the alarm on the severe drought conditions impacting the American Southwest and Colorado River. According to a report by The Washington Post, further receding water levels at the Glen Canyon Dam of Lake Powell could…
PPPL awarded more than $12 million to speed development of a fusion pilot plant
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded PPPL funding of more than $12 million to work with laboratories around the world to accelerate the development of a pilot plant powered by the carbon-free fusion energy that drives the sun and stars and can counter climate change.
Solar Park 2.0: Higher Yield on the Same Area
Shade, dirt, or aging considerably reduce the yield of large photovoltaic facilities. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and partners from science and industry have now launched the Solar Park 2.0 project to reduce these losses.
New approach to ‘cosmic magnet’ manufacturing could reduce reliance on rare earths in low-carbon technologies
Researchers have discovered a potential new method for making the high-performance magnets used in wind turbines and electric cars without the need for rare earth elements, which are almost exclusively sourced in China.
A new energy frontier
The University of Delaware has launched the new Center for Clean Hydrogen to accelerate the transition to clean energy by reducing the cost of hydrogen and hydrogen-related technologies. The center will be fueled by an initial $10 million in funding from the Department of Defense.
Power Supply: Understanding Unstable Grids
A sustainable energy supply requires the expansion of power grids. However, new transmission lines can also lead to grids becoming more unstable rather than more stable, as would be expected. This phenomenon is referred to as the Braess paradox. For the first time, an international team, including researchers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), has now simulated this phenomenon in detail for power grids, demonstrated it on a larger scale, and developed a prediction tool, which is to support grid operators in decision-making. The researchers report in the journal Nature Communications. (DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32917-6)
Europe can rapidly eliminate imports of Russian natural gas
Using a new power sector model, a team of researchers, including faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York, have proposed a method for Europe to eliminate natural gas imports from Russia.
On the Way Towards CO2-neutral Aviation
Within the KEROGREEN Project, Researchers Developed an Innovative Production Process for Sustainable Aviation Fuel and Built a Research Facility
Game Changers in Fighting Climate Change: Refuels Are Suitable for Everyday Use
Synthetic fuels produced from renewable sources, so-called refuels, are deemed potential game changers in fighting climate change. Refuels promise to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90% compared to conventional fuels and they allow for the continued use of existing vehicle fleets with combustion engines and of the refueling infrastructure, from fuel production to transport to sales. Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) carried out extensive fleet tests in a large-scale project with industry partners and proved that refuels can be used in all vehicles and produced in large quantities in the foreseeable future. The results of the research project “reFuels – Rethinking Fuels” were presented on Monday, September 19, in Karlsruhe.
European energy standoff amid reports of damage to the Nord Stream pipelines. UNLV professor Christian Jensen specializes in the politics of the European Union.
With reports of heightened energy tensions following the escalation of the war in Ukraine, UNLV professor Christian Jensen is a perfect source for answers. He specializes in the politics of the European Union and its neighbors, and his work has…
Report reveals inequity in electricity pricing, calls for rate reform to help fight climate change
In a report released today, UC Berkeley researchers analyze the impact of a hidden electricity “tax” on Californians. They recommend two significant policy reforms to ease the burden on low-income households and spur consumer interest in the adoption of electric vehicles, heat pumps, and other electric technology.
UCI and national lab researchers develop a cobalt-free cathode for lithium-ion batteries
Irvine, Calif., Sept. 21, 2022 – Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and four national laboratories have devised a way to make lithium-ion battery cathodes without using cobalt, a mineral plagued by price volatility and geopolitical complications. In a paper published today in Nature, the scientists describe how they overcame thermal and chemical-mechanical instabilities of cathodes composed substantially of nickel – a common substitute for cobalt – by mixing in several other metallic elements.
Recycling Materials: Turning Old Batteries into New Ones
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is largely involved in a new battery recycling project. LiBinfinity focuses on a holistic concept for recycling materials of lithium-ion batteries. A mechanico-hydrometallurgical process without energy-intensive process steps will be transferred from the lab to an industry-relevant scale. KIT will then check whether the recycled materials are suited for the manufacture of new batteries. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) funds LiBinfinity with nearly EUR 17 million. Of these, about 1.2 million euros go to KIT.
HK Tech Forum on Carbon Neutrality and Sustainable Environment
Energy transition to clean and renewable energy is an urgent task for all of us to tackle both the climate and environmental crises that loom before us.
UNC Hires First-Ever Energy and Sustainability Manager to Continue Environmental Action
After advocacy from UNC students, Chris Bowers, who previously worked in Facilities Management at UNC, was hired as the newly created energy and sustainability manager.
The Race is On: Nevada is in the Driver’s Seat for Burgeoning Lithium Industry. UNLV economic geologist talks lithium battery supply chain, green energy, and self-sustainability
The ‘Lithium-Ion Battery State’ may not have the same ring to it as ‘Battle-Born’ or ‘Silver State,’ but the reality is that Nevada could soon be a leader in the lithium battery supply chain – potentially giving the U.S. an edge in the arms race for the in-demand metal that’s the key to powering everything from your cell phone to electric vehicles.
Study Sheds Light on Residential Energy Use
Now that the U.S. Senate has passed the Inflation Reduction Act—expected to provide homeowners with access to thousands of dollars in cash incentives for new hot water heaters, HVAC, insulation, and other enhancements—a spotlight has been cast on the residential energy…
PPPL in the spotlight: national CBS news program focuses on fusion energy
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and Steve Cowley, PPPL’s director, were featured on the July 23 “CBS Saturday Morning.”
Expert available to speak on Russian gas cutoffs
Scott Montgomery is a geoscientist and lecturer in the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. Montgomery is an expert on a wide variety of topics related to energy, including geopolitics, technology and resources. He can speak…
Smaller, stronger magnets could improve devices that harness the fusion power of the sun and stars
PPPL researchers have found a way to build powerful magnets smaller than before, aiding the design and construction of machines that could help the world harness the power of the sun to create electricity without producing greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
Photovoltaics: Fully Scalable All-Perovskite Tandem Solar Modules
Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed a prototype for fully scalable all-perovskite tandem solar modules. These modules have an efficiency of up to 19.1 percent with an aperture area of 12.25 square centimeters. This result, the first of its kind reported worldwide, was made possible by improving efficiency with optimized light paths, high-throughput laser scribing, and the use of established industrial coating methods. The researchers present their results in the journal Nature Energy. (DOI: 10.1038/s41560-022-01059-w)
Nitrogen Footprint: Heavy Pollution and Resource Losses Due to Liquid Manure
Factory farming for meat production is harmful to the environment. In addition to its direct emissions of methane, its use of liquid manure releases climate-damaging nitrogen compounds such as ammonia and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere and pollutes the groundwater with nitrates. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have analyzed how the liquid manure produced by livestock farming, which is often used as fertilizer, affects its nitrogen footprint. They showed that the nitrogen pollution caused by liquid manure from the production of beef is three times higher than that for pork and eight times higher than that for poultry
Schaeffler and KIT: Strategic Partnership Boosts Mobility Research
Electric drives, batteries, hydrogen technology, autonomous vehicles: the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the industrial supplier Schaeffler have been cooperating on pioneering mobility solutions for many years. Now a strategic partnership aims to strengthen their efforts to develop and deploy new technologies and ideas; the partners signed an agreement in Karlsruhe on July 4, 2022.
GeoLaB: Future with Geothermal Energy
Locally available, emission-free and baseload-capable: geothermal energy is an essential component of the energy transition. With GeoLaB, a new and unique underground research infrastructure, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) are looking to expedite research and prepare the technology for broad application. The facility is to be built in the Black Forest or the Odenwald range, with the Helmholtz Association providing 35 million euros in funding.
New biobatteries use bacterial interactions to generate power for weeks
Researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York have developed a “plug-and-play” biobattery that lasts for weeks at a time and can be stacked to improve output voltage and current.
$2.3 million NIH grant to fund research on ’smart’ knee replacements
A researcher at Binghamton University, State University of New York has received a five-year, $2,326,521 grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases to further her research into smart knee replacements.
URI doctoral student among 80 graduate students chosen for U.S. Department of Energy program
URI doctoral student Cali Antolini receives six month fellowship at Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago to research photochemical and photocatalytic reactions and photovoltaic material performance.
New feedback system can improve efficiency of fusion reactions
PPPL scientists have refined the use of magnetic fields to improve the performance of doughnut-shaped fusion facilities known as tokamaks. The improved technique protects internal parts from damage by instabilities and allows tokamaks to operate for longer without pausing.
Uncovering a novel way to bring to Earth the energy that powers the sun and stars
PPPL scientists have uncovered critical new details about fusion facilities that use lasers to compress the fuel that produces fusion energy. The new data could help lead to the improved design of future laser facilities that harness the fusion process that drives the sun and stars.
UCI scientists observe effects of heat in materials with atomic resolution
As electronic, thermoelectric and computer technologies have been miniaturized to nanometer scale, engineers have faced a challenge studying fundamental properties of the materials involved; in many cases, targets are too small to be observed with optical instruments. Using cutting-edge electron microscopes and novel techniques, a team of researchers at the University of California, Irvine, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other institutions has found a way to map phonons – vibrations in crystal lattices – in atomic resolution, enabling deeper understanding of the way heat travels through quantum dots, engineered nanostructures in electronic components.
Lithium-ion batteries that last longer in extreme cold
To improve lithium-ion batteries’ performance in extreme cold, researchers reporting in ACS Central Science replaced the traditional graphite anode with a bumpy carbon-based material, which maintains its rechargeable storage capacity down to -31 F.
Dammed If You Do, Dammed If You Don’t
New research shows dams may enhance flood risk, contrary to previous understanding.
Frontier supercomputer debuts as world’s fastest, breaking exascale barrier
The Frontier supercomputer at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory earned the top ranking today as the world’s fastest on the 59th TOP500 list, with 1.1 exaflops of performance. The system is the first to achieve an unprecedented level of computing performance known as exascale, a threshold of a quintillion calculations per second.
UCI scientists turn a hydrogen molecule into a quantum sensor
Irvine, Calif., April 22, 2022 — Physicists at the University of California, Irvine have demonstrated the use of a hydrogen molecule as a quantum sensor in a terahertz laser-equipped scanning tunneling microscope, a technique that can measure the chemical properties of materials at unprecedented time and spatial resolutions.
New method for enabling a more reliable electric grid
Case Western Reserve University chemical engineers are working on a new generation of smaller, safer and less expensive batteries they say could allow electrical energy to be stored four times longer.
Desperate for change, island nations explore suing polluters
Facing an increasing amount of extreme weather and ever-rising sea levels, two island nations raised the possibility of claiming damages from major polluting countries through judicial means. The Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda and the Pacific nation of Tuvalu…
100% Renewable Energy Using Building Science
In the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory describe results from a techno-economic analysis aimed at identifying pathways to 100% renewable power systems. By analyzing readily available supply and demand strategies within specific U.S. regions, the team found a combination of resource diversification, excess generation, building efficiency, and demand flexibility improvements could reduce or even eliminate the need for long-duration energy storage in some regions.
UCI becomes two-time recipient of STARS Platinum rating for sustainability efforts
For a second time, the University of California, Irvine has achieved a rare platinum rating through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System, maintaining its status as one of the environmentally outstanding universities in the world.
Europe’s energy crisis shows electricity and gas still ‘intimately’ tied
European officials are grappling with an energy crisis that is sending gas prices soaring and creating divisions over how to tackle the issue as the winter months approach. Jacob Mays, an assistant professor in the School of Civil and Environmental…
Renewable Energy Pioneer Wins Lifetime Achievement Award
Peter Lehman, founding director of Humboldt State University’s Schatz Energy Research Center and a professor emeritus of Environmental Resources Engineering at HSU, will receive this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Energy Commission’s Clean Energy Hall of Fame.
Affordable policy which could stop fossil fuels causing global warming – report
Imagine a single policy, imposed on one industry, which would, if enforced consistently, stop fossil fuels causing global warming within a generation.
California’s climate crisis examined on UCI special report website
For the past half century, the University of California, Irvine has been home to some of the world’s leading experts on the environment, energy, oceans and atmosphere in the Golden State. To share their stories, UCI today is launching a web special report, “California’s Climate Crisis.”
Agricultural decarbonization gets new emphasis at ORNL
Finding a way to reduce metric tons of carbon dioxide while sustaining food products to feed the country and the world is becoming an area of increased focus in national decarbonization efforts and is attracting increased attention at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The Lab in the living room: Summer interns delve into plasma and fusion research from their homes
Summer interns working for PPPL did hands-on research from their computers in their bedrooms or on their dining room tables all over the U.S. They worked closely with PPPL physicists and engineers on research aimed at understanding ionized gases called plasmas.
UCI is No. 2 in Sierra magazine’s 2021 ‘Cool Schools’ ranking of sustainability leaders
Irvine, Calif., Sept. 9, 2021 — The green streak continues! Sierra magazine has named the University of California, Irvine No. 2 overall in its annual “Cool Schools” ranking of sustainability leaders among U.S. and Canadian universities and colleges, marking the 12th time in a row that UCI has placed in the top 10 of the widely acclaimed list.
When walked on, these wooden floors harvest enough energy to turn on a lightbulb
Researchers from Switzerland are tapping into an unexpected energy source right under our feet: wooden floorings.
LED Material Shines Under Strain
A team led by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and UC Berkeley has demonstrated an approach for achieving LEDs with near 100% light-emission efficiency at all brightness levels.