Electric Field Induced Hydrogen Storage: A New Step Forward
Scientists from Virginia Commonwealth University, Peking University in Beijing and the Chinese Academy of Science in Shanghai made a discovery that could help other researchers build hydrogen containers that could make the gas compete with petrol-based fuels in terms of energy density and availability.
Newly Discovered TiO2-Coated Nanotubes Could Build Better Li-Ion Battery Electrodes
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) by itself makes up a very low performance electrode, because the electrons move very slowly through it (can take years until you could fill a millimiter-thick TiO2 piece). When you reduce its thickness, though, TiO2 acts like a very good electrode.
Levitating Magnet: MIT's New Approach to Nuclear Fusion
University of Columbia researchers, along with their colleagues from MIT, have some results in reproducing the Earth's magnetic fields for developing nuclear power plants based on nuclear fusion - the ultimate dream of scientists that uses the same principle that the Sun operates on.
New Piezoelectric Flexible Nanoribbons Prove 80% Efficient Conversion
Pacemaker owners all over the world and other people in need of a reliable, small current source will surely be glad when they'll hear that Princeton University scientists have developed an ultra-efficient (80%) piezoelectric system, able to transform mechanical work into electricity.
USAF Solar Project to Generate up to 500MW of Green Electricity
The partnership that took place a few days ago between United States Air Force and Fotowatio Renewable Ventures of San Francisco could lead to the construction of United State's largest solar project that will be able to produce 500MW of green electricity.
Highly Mismatched Alloys – Solution for Really Efficient Thermoelectrics
Thermoelectric devices convert heat into electricity, and are of great use in recovering wasted heat from thermal engines and transforming it into electricity, thus increasing the engine's overall efficiency, mostly when used in hybrid cars, who have high capacity onboard batteries.
Scientists Hack Tobacco Plants to Grow Synthetic Photovoltaic Cells
A group of scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have developed a way to produce artificial photovoltaic and photochemical cells by infecting the tobacco plants with a genetically engineered virus. Unlike traditional methods of making solar cells, this new technique is more environmentally friendly (because the cells are biodegradable) and cheap.
Weidlinger's Hybrid Roof Solar Panels Delivering Both Electricity and Heat
Usually, heat and light cannot be separated, because heat is a also a form of energy that we can't ignore. Weidlinger Associates, a NY-based company, received a $150,000 grant this week to develop better, more durable hybrid solar roof panels.
A New $6 Billion Renewable Power Plant Complex Built by Samsung and Kepco
Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) and Samsung C&T have signed a contract to build a new $6 billion renewable power plant complex in a small village near Toronto in southern Ontario.
Beam-Down Solar Concentrator Dramatically Reduces Costs at Price of Efficiency
By seeking to cut costs with the production of energy and building the necessary infrastructure, scientists from the Masdar Institute along with their colleagues from the Tokyo Institute of Technology and Cosmo Oil (?) are studying how to convert old, expensive solar concentrator technology to a new and more flexible one: The Beam Down Project.
