It’s estimated that more than half of U.S. energy — from vehicles and heavy equipment, for instance — is wasted as heat. Mostly, this waste heat simply escapes into the air. But that’s beginning to change, thanks to thermoelectric innovators such as MIT’s Gang Chen. Thermoelectric materials convert temperature differences into electric voltage. About a decade […]
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Contractor Selected for First Hydrogen Fueling Station Network in U.S. History
FirstElement Fuel and Black & Veatch are working to rapidly bring hydrogen fueling stations to consumers in California who want a 0 emissions option for their transportation needs. FirstElement Fuel selected Black & Veatch to engineer, procure and construct (EPC) 19 refueling stations across California. The project represents the first stage of a comprehensive program […]
Metal-Based Durables Manufacturers Are Fueled By Electricity, Natural Gas
Unlike many manufacturing industries, the energy used for the production of metal-based durables (MBD) is mostly electricity and natural gas, rather than other fossil fuels (residual fuel oil, diesel, liquefied petroleum gases, natural gas liquids, and coal) or renewable sources. MBD producers are therefore well-positioned to benefit from energy efficiency programs and the increased availability […]
Researchers boost insect aggression by altering brain metabolism
Scientists report they can crank up insect aggression simply by interfering with a basic metabolic pathway in the insect brain. Their study, of fruit flies and honey bees, shows a direct, causal link between brain metabolism (how the brain generates the energy it needs to function) and aggression. The team reports its findings in the […]
The next graphene?
Three University of California, Riverside engineers are part of team recently awarded a nearly $1.7 million grant from the National Science Foundation to characterize, analyze and synthesize a new class of ultra-thin film materials that could improve the performance of personal electronics, optoelectronic devices and energy conversion systems. The team is led by Alexander Balandin, […]
Enhancing biofuel yields from biomass with novel new method
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A team of researchers, led by Professor Charles E. Wyman, at the University of California, Riverside’s Bourns College of Engineering have developed a versatile, relatively non-toxic, and efficient way to convert raw agricultural and forestry residues and other plant matter, known as lignocellulosic biomass, into biofuels and chemicals. The patent-pending method, called […]
LEDs Made From ‘Wonder Material’ Perovskite
A hybrid form of perovskite – the same type of material which has recently been found to make highly efficient solar cells that could one day replace silicon – has been used to make low-cost, easily manufactured LEDs, potentially opening up a wide range of commercial applications in future, such as flexible colour displays. This […]
Used Cigarette Butts Offer Energy Storage Solution
A group of scientists from South Korea have converted used cigarette butts into a high-performing material that could be integrated into computers, handheld devices, electrical vehicles and wind turbines to store energy. Presenting their findings on August 5, 2014, in IOP Publishing’s journal Nanotechnology, the researchers have demonstrated the material’s superior performance compared to commercially […]
New Material Allows for Ultra-Thin Solar Cells
Extremely thin, semi-transparent, flexible solar cells could soon become reality. At the Vienna University of Technology, Thomas Mueller, Marco Furchi and Andreas Pospischil have managed to create a semiconductor structure consisting of 2 ultra-thin layers, which appears to be excellently suited for photovoltaic energy conversion. Several months ago, the team had already produced an ultra-thin […]
Examining the Inner Workings of Supercapacitors
A team of chemists from New York University and the University of Cambridge has developed a method for examining the inner workings of battery-like devices called supercapacitors, which can be charged up extremely quickly and can deliver high electrical power. Their technique, based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), establishes a means for monitoring and potentially […]