As Hurricane Dorian threatens to strike Florida, officials are beginning to prepare for its potential impact on electricity, building infrastructure, transportation and more. Umesh Korde, a research professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at The Johns Hopkins…
Tag: Energy
Knowledgebase is power for nuclear reactor developers
Six new nuclear reactor technologies are planned to commercially deploy between 2030 and 2040. ORNL’s Weiju Ren heads a project managing structural materials information. This conversation explores challenges and opportunities in sharing nuclear materials knowledge internationally.
Geothermal system exceeds goals to reduce water, energy use and carbon footprint at five-year mark
After five years of operation, Missouri University of Science and Technology’s geothermal energy system continues to exceed its projected campus impact and efficiency.
$1.75 million X-ray tool is first of its kind in the U.S.
Binghamton University, State University of New York will acquire a sophisticated new X-ray tool useful in materials research and R&D for electronics. The $1.75 million system — the third of its kind in the world and the first outside of Europe — will be funded by $1.23 million from the National Science Foundation’s Major Research Instrumentation program and additional money from the campus.
New technique could streamline design of intricate fusion device
Stellarators, twisty machines that house fusion reactions, rely on complex magnetic coils that are challenging to design and build. Now, a PPPL physicist has developed a mathematical technique to help simplify the design of the coils.
Fracking prompts global spike in atmospheric methane
As methane concentrations increase in the Earth’s atmosphere, chemical fingerprints point to a probable source: shale oil and gas, according to new Cornell University research published in Biogeosciences, a journal of the European Geosciences Union.
Scientists Discover Key Factors in How Some Algae Absorb Solar Energy
Scientists have discovered how diatoms – a type of algae that produces 20 percent of the Earth’s oxygen – absorb solar energy for photosynthesis. The Rutgers University-led discovery, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could help lead to more efficient and affordable algae-based biofuels and combat climate change from fossil fuel burning.
Physicists Make Graphene Discovery that Could Help Develop Superconductors
When two mesh screens are overlaid, beautiful patterns appear when one screen is offset. These “moiré patterns” have long intrigued artists, scientists and mathematicians and have found applications in printing, fashion and banknotes. Now, a Rutgers-led team has paved the way to solving one of the most enduring mysteries in materials physics by discovering a moiré pattern in graphene, where electrons organize themselves into stripes, like soldiers in formation.
Why we should learn from global hydrogen focus
Many countries are now making rapid advances in hydrogen energy technologies and strategy – and the rest of the world has much to learn from their experience, according to the authors of a new report by the University of Adelaide.
New Unprinting Method Can Help Recycle Paper and Curb Environmental Costs
Rutgers-led study shows the benefits of removing toner with pulses of intense xenon light Imagine if your printer had an “unprint” button that used pulses of light to remove toner, curbing environmental impacts compared with conventional paper recycling. A Rutgers-led…
Which Climates Are Best for Passive Cooling Technologies?
If you guessed locations with drier atmospheres and frequent clear skies, you’re right. WASHINGTON, D.C., June 25, 2019 — A group of University of California, San Diego researchers set out to gain a better understanding of the thermal balance of…
Notre Dame professors can offer expertise on Iran from Trump’s tweets to oil security
We can easily arrange TV and radio interviews at Notre Dame’s on-campus studio. Rosemary Kelanic is an expert on oil security and U.S. Grand Strategy. She recently wrote “Why Iran’s ‘oil weapon’ isn’t that scary” for the Washington Post’s Monkey…