Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) reported significant advances in the thermoelectric performance of organic semiconductors based on carbon nanotube thin films that could be integrated into fabrics to convert waste heat into electricity or serve as a small power source. The research demonstrates significant potential for semiconducting single-walled […]
NREL Researchers Capture Excess Photon Energy to Produce Solar Fuels
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have developed a proof-of-principle photoelectrochemical cell capable of capturing excess photon energy normally lost to generating heat. Using quantum dots (QD) and a process called Multiple Exciton Generation (MEG), the NREL researchers were able to push the peak external quantum efficiency for hydrogen […]
Cybersecurity Initiative Aims To Wall Off the Smart Grid From Hackers
A new initiative underway at Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is intended to prevent hackers from gaining control of parts of the nation’s power grid, potentially damaging electrical equipment and causing localized power outages. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided the Energy Department with $4.5 billion to modernize the electric […]
New Efficiency Record Set With Dual-Junction Solar Cell
Scientists at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and at the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM) have jointly set a new world record for converting non-concentrated (1-sun) sunlight into electricity using a dual-junction III-V/Si solar cell. The newly certified record conversion efficiency of 29.8 percent was set using a top cell made of […]
Research Identifies Increased Potential For Perovskites As A Material For Solar Cells
Unlocking Secrets of New Solar Material
A new solar material that has the same crystal structure as a mineral first found in the Ural Mountains in 1839 is shooting up the efficiency charts faster than almost anything researchers have seen before—and it is generating optimism that a less expensive way of using sunlight to generate electricity may be in our planet’s […]
Active Power Control of Wind Turbines Can Improve Power Grid Reliability
The Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), along with partners from the Electric Power Research Institute and the University of Colorado have completed a comprehensive study to understand how wind power technology can assist the power grid by controlling the active power output being placed onto the system. The rest of the power system’s […]
Scientists find asymmetry in topological insulators
Surprising findings bolster case for energy efficient quantum computer New research shows that a class of materials being eyed for the next generation of computers behaves asymmetrically at the sub-atomic level. This research is a key step toward understanding the topological insulators that may have the potential to be the building blocks of a super-fast […]
NREL Launches Interactive Tool for Developing a Cleaner Energy Future
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has created an energy analysis tool to help individuals and educators experiment with future energy use scenarios. The interactive Buildings, Industry, Transportation, Electricity, and Transportation Scenarios (BITES) allows users to explore how changes in energy demand and supply can impact carbon dioxide emissions and […]
Device Tosses Out Unusable PV Wafers
Silicon wafers destined to become photovoltaic (PV) cells can take a bruising through assembly lines, as they are oxidized, annealed, purified, diffused, etched, and layered to reach their destinies as efficient converters of the sun’s rays into useful electricity. All those refinements are too much for 5% to 10% of the costly wafers. They have […]
