Asian inventions dominate energy storage systems
In recent years, the number of patent applications for electrochemical energy storage technologies has soared. According to a study by the Technical University Munich, the largest volume of...
View ArticleStoring solar energy
A research project conducted by Leclanché S.A., the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Romande Energie and with the financial support of the Canton of Vaud could bring a real added value...
View ArticleParaffins to cut energy consumption in homes
Thermal energy storage is a common strategy in energy production systems in which the period of production does not coincide with that of consumption. This happens with the production of hot water by...
View ArticleCarbon-based nanomaterials could lower cost of solar energy
When Mike Arnold thinks about solar energy, he thinks big, as in the "more than one-hundred-million-billion watts of sunlight that the Earth continuously bathes in." But he also thinks very, very...
View ArticleMatched 'hybrid' systems may hold key to wider use of renewable energy
The use of renewable energy in the United States could take a significant leap forward with improved storage technologies or more efforts to "match" different forms of alternative energy systems that...
View ArticleSmart money is on storing energy, not carbon, says economist
The question of whether the future will be powered by coal and oil or by renewable energy is crucially important, both to the medium-term future of the Australian economy and to the long-term future of...
View ArticleStructure control unlocks magnetization and polarization simultaneously
Scientists at the University of Liverpool have controlled the structure of a material to simultaneously generate both magnetisation and electrical polarisation, an advance which has potential...
View ArticleBattery energy storage project shows promise for electricity network
With rising electricity prices one of the biggest issues facing households, Griffith University (Australia) research into energy storage and supply holds the promise of cheaper, better quality power...
View ArticleChemistry student makes sun harvest breakthrough
The sun is a huge source of energy. In just one hour, Earth is hit by so much sunshine that humankind could cover its energy needs for an entire year, if only we knew how to harvest and save it. But...
View ArticleSolar power storage units reduce costs of the Energiewende
The increasing share of electricity based on solar and wind power results in an increasing load of distribution and transmission grids. At the 'Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU) for Electrochemical Energy...
View ArticleProfessor of materials/physics chemistry discusses Tesla's Powerwall for...
Last month Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled a grand plan for home energy storage, and preorders for the system have already sold out until mid-2016. The Powerwall home battery unit comes in two options: a...
View ArticleThe race for better batteries
"The worldwide transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy is under way…" according to the Earth Policy Institute's new book, The Great Transition.
View ArticleSimple hydrogen storage solution is powered by solar energy
(Phys.org)—By using solar energy to reversibly attach and detach hydrogen atoms on a 6-carbon ring called benzene, scientists have developed a simple and efficient method to store, transport, and...
View ArticleResearchers develop new storage cell for solar energy storage, nighttime...
A University of Texas at Arlington materials science and engineering team has developed a new energy cell that can store large-scale solar energy even when it's dark.
View ArticleNew cathode material creates possibilities for sodium-ion batteries
Led by the inventor of the lithium-ion battery, a team of researchers in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin has identified a new safe and sustainable cathode...
View ArticleNew low-cost battery could help store renewable energy
Wind and solar energy projects are growing at a respectable clip. But storing electric power for days when the air is still or when the sun goes down remains a challenge, largely due to cost. Now...
View ArticleFive ways chemicals can save the world from climate change
When it comes to the environment, the chemical industry doesn't have the best reputation. Yet it has a vital role to play in developing technological solutions to help save us from climate catastrophe,...
View ArticleWhy you should stay on the grid, even with your solar-powered batteries
Anything that can help cut our electricity bill is to be welcomed, and Tesla's solar rechargeable batteries, now available in Australia, are just the latest option.
View ArticlePhotovoltaic cells are to be combined into one device with electrochemical...
Whether fair weather or foul, sustainable energy supply must be independent of natural fluctuations of renewable energy sources, such as sunshine. The coupling of "green" energy sources with reliable...
View ArticleSolar power home storage systems put to test
Home storage systems for electricity produced by photovoltaics facilities are gaining attractiveness, as their costs are declining. However, standardized, verifiable criteria for the end client to...
View ArticleTesla opens Gigafactory to expand battery production, sales
It's Tesla Motors' biggest bet yet: a massive, $5 billion factory in the Nevada desert that could nearly double the world's production of lithium-ion batteries.
View ArticleSolar panels plus lead-acid batteries to increase electricity self-sufficiency
Photovoltaic systems coupled with lead-acid batteries do not ensure electrical self-sufficiency for a residence at a reasonable cost. This is th conclusion of a study from the Université libre de...
View ArticleStorage technology puts solar power to work all night long
Energy storage is crucial for taking full advantage of solar power, which otherwise suffers interruptions from cloudy skies and nightfall. In the past few years, concentrating solar power plants have...
View ArticleStoring solar power increases energy consumption and emissions, study finds
Homes with solar panels do not require on-site storage to reap the biggest economic and environmental benefits of solar energy, according to research from the Cockrell School of Engineering at The...
View ArticleHydro storage can secure 100 percent renewable electricity
Pumped hydro storage can be used to help build a secure and cheap Australian electricity grid with 100 per cent renewable energy, a new study from The Australian National University (ANU) has found.
View ArticleLiquid storage of solar energy – more effective than ever before
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have demonstrated efficient solar energy storage in a chemical liquid. The stored energy can be transported and then released as heat whenever...
View ArticleSolar heating could cover more than 80 percent of domestic heating...
According to researchers at Aalto University, by using suitable systems, more than 80 percent of heating energy for Finnish households could be produced using solar energy. As the price of heating...
View ArticleSevering ties with utilities isn't as easy as cutting the cable cord
If disaster ever struck, Joe Fleischmann could keep the lights, refrigerator and big-screen TV running in his Orange County home, even if the power company went dark.
View ArticleEngineers develop tools to share power from renewable energy sources during...
If you think you can use the solar panels on your roof to power your home during an outage, think again. During an outage, while your home remains connected to the grid, the devices that manage your...
View ArticleNREL investigates coatings needed for concentrating solar power
Next-generation concentrating solar power (CSP) plants require high-temperature fluids, like molten salts, in the range of 550-750 degrees Celsius to store heat and generate electricity. At those high...
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