Caltech Archives – The Green Optimistic

Caltech’s ‘Artificial Leaf’ Could Revolutionize the Hydrogen Economy

Satya Sivani — Mon, 14 Sep 2015 19:42:20 +0000

Caltech institutions’s newly invented ‘Artificial leaf‘ is a highly efficient stand-alone photoelectrochemical (PEC) device which can split water into hydrogen and oxygen using sun light. “The first car driven by a child born today could be powered by hydrogen and pollution free,” ex-President George W. Bush said in his 2003 State of the Union address to the scientists […]

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Cheaper Graphene Possible, say Caltech Researchers

Benji Jerew — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 19:13:26 +0000

Since its official discovery just over a decade ago, graphene has taken the scientific world by storm, and scientists and researchers are just scratching the surface of possible applications in the modern and future world. Indeed, we’ve seen graphene applications in everything from electric vehicle battery packs to water purification, not to mention supercapacitors, hydrogen […]

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Vehicle Fuel Economy Could be Improved by 3D-Printed Composites

Benji Jerew — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 15:38:03 +0000

Lightweight and strong natural design, as found in balsa wood, has been replicated in the lab, and could improve vehicle fuel economy, in addition to other applications. Hollow-core construction, the same natural design found in avian bones, also enables man-made flight and lighter and safer cars. Balsa wood, 95% of which comes from Ecuador, is […]

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Atwater’s Light-Splitting Solar Cell Could Be 50% Efficient

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:35:28 +0000

The ability to dissociate light into fundamental colors could make today’s solar panels 50 percent efficient. If you compare this figure to the 20 percent efficiency found in many solar cells on the market, that’s a game-changer. Harry Atwater, a professor of materials science and applied physics at Caltech thinks he has the solution. The […]

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If Bigger Wind Turbines are Better, then Why Go Smaller?

Benji Jerew — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:34:14 +0000

Recent developments in blade technology and turbine size have proven that bigger is better when it comes to wind turbine costs, efficiency and overall power output. This is true, for the most part, and wind energy is becoming cheaper per kWh than even fossil fuels in some areas. By increasing blade length, and therefore the […]

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Caltech Researcher Improves Heat-Driven Hydrogen Production Technology

Ovidiu Sandru — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 19:36:15 +0000

Usually, to get hydrogen, the first method that you think of is the electrolysis of water. However, this is not the most efficient way to get the precious energy-carrying gas, and as hydrogen cars will slowly emerge on the market it will need production efficiency, not only the mere fact that it works. So far, […]

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A New Research Center to Develop Methods of Generating Fuel from Sunlight

Mike Sandru — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:07:44 +0000

A new research center in California is about to be established after the U.S. Department of Energy has invested $122 million. Researchers from the new center will try to find ways of generating fuels made by using sunlight. The project will be led by a team of researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Caltech.

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