Liquid Battery Offers Promising Solar Energy Storage Technique
(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the biggest challenges currently facing large-scale solar energy technology is finding an effective way to store the energy, which is essential for using the electricity at...
View ArticleScientists create new enzymes for biofuel production
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and world-leading gene-synthesis company DNA2.0 have taken an important step toward the development of a cost-efficient process to...
View ArticleToward home-brewed electricity with 'personalized solar energy'
New scientific discoveries are moving society toward the era of "personalized solar energy," in which the focus of electricity production shifts from huge central generating stations to individuals in...
View ArticleA chance discovery may revolutionize hydrogen production
Producing hydrogen in a sustainable way is a challenge and production cost is too high. A team led by EPFL Professor Xile Hu has discovered that a molybdenum based catalyst is produced at room...
View ArticleEconomical non-precious-metal catalyst capitalizes on carbon nanotubes
(Phys.org) —Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists have designed a new type of nanostructured-carbon-based catalyst that could pave the way for reliable, economical next-generation batteries and...
View ArticleZSW engineers build lithium-ion battery able to last for 27 years
(Phys.org) —Officials at Germany's Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg, (ZSW) have issued a press release describing improvements they've made to lithium-ion batteries. They...
View ArticlePolymer-coated catalyst protects 'artificial leaf'
Due to the fluctuating availability of solar energy, storage solutions are urgently needed. One option is to use the electrical energy generated inside solar cells to split water by means of...
View ArticleWorking the night shift on the moon
There's never a cloudy day on the moon. It's flooded with sunshine 24/7 during its two-week-long daytime, so it makes sense to use solar energy to power future lunar rovers and other devices. But each...
View ArticleOne-of-a-kind spectrometer reads vibrations between atoms to find structures...
A Rice University laboratory has improved upon its ability to determine molecular structures in three dimensions in ways that challenge long-used standards.
View Article3D graphene: Solar cells' new platinum?
One of the most promising types of solar cells has a few drawbacks. A scientist at Michigan Technological University may have overcome one of them.
View ArticleHighly active catalysts could be key to improved energy storage in fuel cells...
MIT researchers have found a new family of materials that provides the best-ever performance in a reaction called oxygen evolution, a key requirement for energy storage and delivery systems such as...
View ArticleArizona solar plant achieves six hours after sun goes down
(Phys.org) —Abengoa's Solana plant in the desert near Gila Bend, Arizona, passed commercial testing this week The 280-megawatt Solana solar thermal power plant producing electricity without direct...
View ArticleNew device stores electricity on silicon chips
(Phys.org) —Solar cells that produce electricity 24/7, not just when the sun is shining. Mobile phones with built-in power cells that recharge in seconds and work for weeks between charges.
View ArticleNew energy storage system for renewable technologies
Hitachi today announced that it has developed an all-in one, container-type energy storage system as a core energy product for ensuring the stable use of distributed renewable energy such as wind and...
View ArticleWind farms can provide society a surplus of reliable clean energy, study finds
The worldwide demand for solar and wind power continues to skyrocket. Since 2009, global solar photovoltaic installations have increased about 40 percent a year on average, and the installed capacity...
View ArticleForecasting approach aimed at improving revenue, making solar more grid-friendly
(Phys.org) —Penn State's GridSTAR Center and multiple industry partners will be exploring and demonstrating an innovative and collaborative approach to improve the performance of solar photovoltaic...
View ArticleSwitchable material could harness the power of the sun—even when it's not...
It's an obvious truism, but one that may soon be outdated: The problem with solar power is that sometimes the sun doesn't shine.
View ArticleEnergy storage seen as next step for 'green' power
First, Randy Ross bought a Chevrolet Volt. Faced with the need to charge his car and eager to cut his utility bill, he installed solar panels on the roof of his Pleasanton, Calif., home.
View ArticleMonitoring neighbourhood electricity consumption
With more and more households owning one or even two electric cars requiring charging overnight, how will we manage without sacrificing our hot morning shower and fresh bread for breakfast?
View ArticleDeep within spinach leaves, vibrations enhance efficiency of photosynthesis
Biophysics researchers at the University of Michigan have used short pulses of light to peer into the mechanics of photosynthesis and illuminate the role that molecule vibrations play in the energy...
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