Energy
“Popcorn” particle pathways promise better lithium-ion batteries
June 11, 2013 7:59 am | News | Comments
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have confirmed the particle-by-particle mechanism by which lithium ions move in and out of electrodes made of lithium iron phosphate (LFP), findings that could lead to better performance in lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles, medical equipment and aircraft.
Solar plane to help ground energy use
June 19, 2013 1:01 am | by Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer | News | Comments
When it's in flight, there's no roar of engines. It's strangely quiet. And as it...
Polymer-coated catalyst protects "artificial leaf"
June 17, 2013 6:42 pm | News | Comments
Electrolysis is often used to produce hydrogen that can be used for a storable fuel....
The science of sculpture, nano-style
June 14, 2013 9:53 am | by Angela Herring, Northeastern University | News | Comments
Nanoscopic crystals of silicon assembled like skyscrapers on wafer-scale sub...
South Korean nuclear operator raided in cable probe
June 20, 2013 3:50 am | by YOUKYUNG LEE - AP Business Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsSouth Korea's sole nuclear power plant operator said Thursday that investigators raided its offices, a sign that a probe into faulty nuclear plant cables is widening. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. spokesman Lee Yoon-doing said prosecutors seized documents and computer hard drives from at least four of the company's offices, including its headquarters in southeastern Gyeongju.
Less is more: Novel cellulose structure requires fewer enzymes to process biomass to fuel
June 19, 2013 4:49 pm | News | CommentsImproved methods for breaking down cellulose nanofibers are central to cost-effective biofuel production and the subject of new research from Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center. Scientists are investigating the unique properties of crystalline cellulose nanofibers to develop novel chemical pretreatments and designer enzymes for biofuel production from cellulosic—or non-food—plant derived biomass.
DNA constructs antenna for solar energy
June 19, 2013 8:11 am | News | CommentsResearchers at Chalmers Univ. of Technology have found an effective solution for collecting sunlight for artificial photosynthesis. By combining self-assembling DNA molecules with simple dye molecules, the researchers have created a system that resembles nature's own antenna system.
Japan formally OKs new nuke safety requirements
June 19, 2013 7:48 am | by MARI YAMAGUCHI - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsJapan's nuclear watchdog formally approved a set of new safety requirements for atomic power plants Wednesday, paving the way for the reopening of facilities shut down since the Fukushima disaster. The new requirements approved by the Nuclear Regulation Authority will take effect on July 8, when operators will be able to apply for inspections.
Stop hyperventilating, say energy-efficiency researchers
June 18, 2013 2:10 pm | News | CommentsA single advanced building control now in development could slash 18%—tens of thousands of dollars—off the overall annual energy bill of the average large office building, with no loss of comfort, according to a report by researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
Printing tiny batteries
June 18, 2013 1:52 pm | News | Comments3-D printing can now be used to print lithium-ion microbatteries the size of a grain of sand. The printed microbatteries could supply electricity to tiny devices in fields from medicine to communications, including many that have lingered on laboratory benches for lack of a battery small enough to fit the device, yet provide enough stored energy to power them.
Database helps building owners, investors evaluate energy-efficient buildings
June 18, 2013 7:32 am | News | CommentsA new database of building features and energy use data helps building managers, owners, real estate investors and lenders evaluate the financial results of energy efficiency investment projects and identify high- and low-performing buildings.
New synthesis could make biofuel more appealing for mass production
June 17, 2013 7:32 am | by Anne Trafton, MIT News Office | News | CommentsMassachusetts Institute of Technology chemical engineers have devised a cheaper way to synthesize a key biofuel component, which could make its industrial production much more cost effective. The compound, known as gamma-valerolactone (GVL), is attractive because of its versatility. It has more energy than ethanol and could be used on its own or as an additive to other fuels.
Unzipped nanotubes unlock potential for batteries
June 13, 2013 4:04 pm | News | CommentsResearchers at Rice Univ. have come up with a new way to boost the efficiency of the ubiquitous lithium-ion battery by employing ribbons of graphene that start as carbon nanotubes. Proof-of-concept anodes built with graphene nanoribbons and tin oxide showed an initial capacity better than the theoretical capacity of tin oxide alone.
Nanoparticle opens the door to clean-energy alternatives
June 13, 2013 1:57 pm | News | CommentsCheaper clean-energy technologies could be made possible thanks to a new discovery. A Penn State Univ. research team has found that an important chemical reaction that generates hydrogen from water is effectively triggered—or catalyzed—by a nanoparticle composed of nickel and phosphorus, two inexpensive elements that are abundant on Earth.
Silicon-based nanoparticles could make LEDs cheaper, greener
June 13, 2013 8:07 am | News | CommentsLight-emitting diodes, or LEDs, are the most efficient and environmentally friendly light bulbs on the market. But they come at a higher up-front price than other bulbs, especially the ones with warmer and more appealing hues. Researchers at the Univ. of Washington have created a material they say would make LED bulbs cheaper and greener to manufacture, driving down the price.
Lockheed Martin, SNPAS of China sign agreement for nuclear plant safety systems work
June 12, 2013 3:03 pm | News | CommentsLockheed Martin and State Nuclear Power Automation System Engineering Co. (SNPAS) have signed an agreement to prototype, manufacture and qualify nuclear power plant reactor protection systems for China’s Generation III reactors. Lockheed Martin and SNPAS will develop a nuclear safety instrumentation and control platform based on field-programmable gate array technology.
Alternative-fuel cars are no carbon cure-all
June 12, 2013 8:31 am | News | CommentsMaking cars more fuel-efficient is great for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but rather than promoting sales of electric and other alternative-fuel vehicles, policymakers should turn their focus to cutting emissions in other energy sectors—from oil wells and power plants to farms and forests affected by biofuels production—says a Univ. of Michigan researcher.
Fukushima plant steps closer to fuel-rod removal
June 12, 2013 7:34 am | by MALCOLM FOSTER - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsMore than two years after Japan's nuclear disaster, debris remains strewn about the Fukushima plant. Scores of pipes and hoses cover the ground in some places, part of the company's makeshift system to pump water into the damaged reactors to keep them from overheating. Plant chief Takeshi Takahashi said Wednesday that workers have cleaned up much of the debris, but priorities are keeping the plant stable and working toward shutting it down
Halogenated graphene may replace platinum in low-cost fuel cells
June 10, 2013 10:56 am | News | CommentsThe research team of Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology paved a new way to affordable fuel cells with efficient metal-free electrocatalysts using edge-halogenated graphene nanoplatelets. The research team, for the first time, reportedly synthesized a series of edge-selectively halogenated graphene nanoplatelets by ball-milling graphite flake in the presence of chlorine, bromine or iodine, respectively.
Study provides framework for understanding the energetics of ionic liquids
June 7, 2013 4:25 pm | News | CommentsA new study by researchers at Univ. of California, Santa Barbara provides clues into the understanding of the behavior of the charged molecules or particles in ionic liquids. The new framework may lead to the creation of cleaner, more sustainable and nontoxic batteries, and other sources of chemical power.
Innovative solar cell structure stores, supplies energy simultaneously
June 7, 2013 7:55 am | News | CommentsThe potential energy available via solar power might seem limitless on a sunny summer day, but all that energy has to be stored for it to be truly useful. If you see a solar panel on a rooftop, a bulky battery or supercapacitor is hidden just out of sight, receiving energy from the panel through power lines. However, that's a storage method that doesn't scale well for solar-powered devices with no space for a battery pack.
Multiphysics in the Design of Lithium-Ion Batteries
June 6, 2013 12:37 pm | by Tim Studt | Articles | CommentsNew technologies, new materials, and more sophisticated modeling systems have made lithium-ion (Li-ion)-based systems the battery of choice for many designers looking to implement high-energy advanced electric power systems. For these systems, Li-ion systems have replaced nickel-metal hydride systems.
PEMs Stack Up to the Competition
June 6, 2013 11:57 am | by Paul Livingstone | Articles | CommentsThe element hydrogen offers hope and headaches in equal measure. The most abundant element on the planet is also one of the most attractive for use as fuel. But because it is also the lightest element, it does not naturally occur in pure form. Hydrogen is so crucial in manufacturing, energy supply, and scientific research that new methods to improve production are being eagerly sought.
Japan nuke plant investigates leak from new tank
June 6, 2013 3:31 am | by MARI YAMAGUCHI - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsWorkers at a tsunami-crippled Japanese nuclear plant are scrambling to find the cause of a highly radioactive water leak from a brand-new storage tank amid concerns that the problem is hampering cleanup efforts. The Fukushima Dai-ichi plant suffered multiple meltdowns after the March 2011 tsunami knocked out power and is still on a fragile makeshift cooling system.
All-solid sulfur-based battery outperforms lithium-ion technology
June 5, 2013 2:59 pm | News | CommentsScientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have designed and tested an all-solid lithium-sulfur battery with approximately four times the energy density of conventional lithium-ion technologies that power today's electronics. The ORNL battery design, which uses abundant low-cost elemental sulfur, also addresses flammability concerns experienced by other chemistries.
Miss. regulators consider energy-efficiency rules
June 5, 2013 11:07 am | by JEFF AMY - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsA number of utilities and consumer groups say they support proposed rules that would require Mississippi electric and gas utilities to implement programs to save energy. However, Mississippi Power Co. says it opposes the rules because bills could rise for customers who don't make homes or businesses more efficient. The Public Service Commission began considering energy-efficiency rules in early 2010.
Researchers add eyes, brains to occupancy detection
June 5, 2013 8:36 am | News | CommentsIt's a gnawing frustration of modern office life. You're sitting quietly—too quietly—in an office or carrel, and suddenly the lights go off. The U.S. Dept. of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory has developed and made available for license the Image Processing Occupancy Sensor, which combines an inexpensive camera and computer vision algorithms that can recognize the presence of human occupants.
Simple wavelength detector could speed data communications
June 5, 2013 7:40 am | News | CommentsResearchers at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford Univ. have created a new device, smaller than a grain of rice, that could streamline optical data communications. It can directly identify the wavelength of light that hits it, and should scale down to the even tinier dimensions needed for multichannel optical data receivers on future generations of computer chips.
Study finds disincentives to energy efficiency can be fixed
June 4, 2013 4:19 pm | News | CommentsA new study finds that utilities aren't rewarded for adopting energy-efficiency programs, and that reforms are needed to make energy efficiency as attractive as renewables. The article examines key differences between energy-efficiency projects and renewable resources and outlines ways to increase the amount of energy utilities save each year through efficiency programs.
