Energy and Resources News

September 30, 2016

Manufacturing More Efficient Solar Cells

More Efficient Way to Split Water; Make Hydrogen

Thermal Metamaterial: Waste-Heat Harvesting

Fabric Uses Sun and Wind to Power Devices

Latest Headlines

updated 6:14am EDT

Toward 'Greener,' Inexpensive Solar Cells

Sep. 28, 2016 — Solar panels are proliferating across the globe to help reduce the world's dependency on fossil fuels. But conventional panels are not without environmental costs, too. Now scientists report a new ... read more

New Steel for Better Electric Motors Under Development

Sep. 28, 2016 — A new kind of steel for the motors in electric vehicles is now under development. The new steel would help make the motors smaller, lighter, more powerful and more ... read more

Way Found to Make Alane a Better Hydrogen Fuel Option for Vehicles

Sep. 27, 2016 — A less-expensive, more energy-efficient way has been found to produce alane – aluminum trihydride – a hydrogen source widely considered to be a technological dead-end for use in automotive ... read more

Marriage Made in Sunlight: Invention Merges Solar With Liquid Battery

Sep. 22, 2016 — As solar cells produce a greater proportion of total electric power, a fundamental limitation remains: the dark of night when solar cells go to sleep. Lithium-ion batteries ... read more

Discovery Could Lead to Safer, Cheaper Production of Amine-Boranes

Sep. 20, 2016 — A newway to produce amine-boranes has been created that promises to be safer and cheaper, and could lead to new uses in medicine, energy storage, rocket propulsion and other technologies. ... read more

Popeye Was Right: There’s Energy in That Spinach

Sep. 22, 2016 — Using a simple membrane extract from spinach leaves, researchers have developed a cell that produces electricity and hydrogen from water using sunlight. Based on photosynthesis, and technology paves ... read more

Not All Bioplastics Are Created Equal

Sep. 21, 2016 — Conventional plastics are seen as environmentally unfriendly because they're made from fossil fuels. As plastic production grows -- it's expected to double over the next 20 years -- plant-derived ... read more

Making Catalysts Smarter

Sep. 20, 2016 — The industrial catalysts of the future won’t just speed up reactions, they’ll control how chemical processes work and determine how much of a particular product ... read more

Inexpensive Semiconducting Organic Polymers Can Harvest Sunlight to Split Carbon Dioxide Into Alcohol Fuels

Sep. 20, 2016 — Chemists have been the first to demonstrate that an organic semiconductor polymer called polyaniline is a promising photocathode material for the ... read more

New Anode Material Set to Boost Lithium-Ion Battery Capacity

Sep. 19, 2016 — A team of researchersclaims to have made yet another step towards finding a solution to accelerate the commercialization of silicon anode for Lithium-ion ... read more

CA Farmers Use Advanced Drone Tech to Save Water

The Range Of Electric Vehicles Isn't As Big A Problem As You'd Think

The Thai Village Using Cow Dung to Power Homes

Shell: Big Oil Struggles as Profits Dive

Nine Innovative Approaches That Utilities Are Using to Plan for Increased Rooftop Solar

Sep. 20, 2016 — A new report surveys utility planning practices from roughly 30 studies across the United States. The rapid growth of rooftop solar has not been distributed equally across U.S. utility territories, ... read more

Turning Ubiquitous Lignin Into High-Value Chemicals

Sep. 16, 2016 — Abundant, chock full of energy and bound so tightly that the only way to release its energy is through combustion — lignin has frustrated scientists for years. With the help of an unusual soil ... read more

When Hackers Turn out the Lights

Sep. 16, 2016 — The development of the smart power grid and the smart meter in our homes to accompany it brings several benefits, such as improved delivery and more efficient billing. Conversely, any digital, ... read more

New Tech Promises to Boost Electric Vehicle Efficiency, Range

Sep. 15, 2016 — Researchers have developed a new type of inverter device with greater efficiency in a smaller, lighter package -- which should improve the fuel-efficiency and range of hybrid and electric ... read more

Assessing Health Risks from Oil and Gas Operations

Sep. 15, 2016 — A new study of air pollutant emissions from northern Front Range oil and gas operations has been presented to state officials in ... read more

Food Waste Could Store Solar, Wind Energy

Sep. 15, 2016 — Saving up excess solar and wind energy for times when the sun is down or the air is still requires a storage device. Batteries get the most attention as a promising solution although pumped ... read more

New Tech to Boost Electric Vehicle Efficiency, Range

Sep. 15, 2016 — A new type of inverter device has been developed with greater efficiency in a smaller, lighter package – which will improve the fuel-efficiency and range of hybrid and electric ... read more

Advancing Lithium-Air Batteries With Development of Novel Catalyst

Sep. 15, 2016 — A fundamental step forward has been taken in advancing Li-air through the development of mixed metal catalyst that could lead to more efficient electrode reactions in the ... read more

Using Nature's Own Solvents for the Preparation of Pure Lignin

Sep. 15, 2016 — Lignin can now be efficiently and cost-effectively separated from sawdust, by using eutectic solvents. A research group has developed solvents using which 50% of the lignin from wood can be extracted ... read more

Proton Diffusion Discovery a Boost for Fuel Cell Technologies

Sep. 13, 2016 — Scientists have made an important breakthrough which could lead to the design of better fuel cells. They demonstrate how they synthesized nanometer-sized cage molecules that can be used to transport ... read more

New Tools Assess the Future of Wind Power

Sep. 13, 2016 — The largest expert survey yet on any energy technology, in this case wind energy, has been completed by researchers. Wind power costs are expected to continue falling for the next several decades, ... read more

Hierarchical Control, Energy Balancing Is Obligatory for Storage Systems in Modern Grids

Sep. 13, 2016 — A new technology has been developed for the decentralized control of microgrids, especially in the energy storage section, and adopted a new standard for hierarchical control in the system. The ... read more

World's Largest Database of Crystal Surfaces and Shapes

Sep. 13, 2016 — Nanoengineers have created the world's largest database of elemental crystal surfaces and shapes to date. Dubbed Crystalium, this new open-source database can help researchers design new ... read more

Carbon-Coated Iron Catalyst Structure Could Lead to More-Active Fuel Cells

Sep. 12, 2016 — Fuel cells have long held promise as power sources, but low efficiency has created obstacles to realizing that promise. Researchers have identified the active form of an iron-containing catalyst for ... read more

New Technology Puts Solar Power to Work All Night Long

Sep. 12, 2016 — Current thermal energy storage systems for solar power plants rely on materials of low energy density and thermal conductivity, requiring more material at greater cost to meet storage requirements. ... read more

Couple Solar Panels With Lead-Acid Batteries to Increase Electricity Self-Sufficiency in Households

Sep. 12, 2016 — Couple solar panels with lead-acid batteries to increase electricity self-sufficiency in households, say investigators. Their simulations reveal that the maximum rate of self-sufficiency of solar ... read more

From Leaf to Tree: Large-Scale Artificial Photosynthesis

Sep. 12, 2016 — Scientists have developed the first complete and compact design for an artificial photosynthesis facility. This is a decisive step towards applying the technology. The concept is flexible both with ... read more

Scientists Expect to Calculate Amount of Fuel Inside Earth by 2025

Sep. 9, 2016 — Scientists have developed numerous models to predict how much fuel remains inside Earth to drive its engines -- and estimates vary widely -- but the true amount remains unknown. In a new article, a ... read more

Seeing Energized Light-Active Molecules Proves Quick Work

Sep. 8, 2016 — To understand how molecules undergo light-driven chemical transformations, scientists need to be able to follow the atoms and electrons within the energized molecule as it gains and loses energy. In ... read more

Taking the Momentum out of Vibrations

Sep. 8, 2016 — Diesel engines vibrate. This produces tremendous stress on the components of ships. Adaptronic systems effectively reduce these vibrations. At the maritime trade fair researchers are presenting a ... read more

Tuesday, September 20, 2016