Scientists have taken a large step toward making a fiber-like energy storage device that can be woven into clothing and power wearable medical monitors, communications equipment or other small electronics. The device is a supercapacitor—a cousin to the battery. This one packs an interconnected network of graphene and carbon nanotubes so tightly that […]
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State Rejects Science Standards Because of Global Warming Components
Wyoming, the nation’s top coal-producing state, is the first to reject new K-12 science standards proposed by national education groups mainly because of global warming components. The Wyoming Board of Education decided recently that the Next Generation Science Standards need more review after questions were raised about the treatment of man-made global warming. Board President […]
Fueling aviation with hardwoods
A key challenge in the biofuels landscape is to get more advanced biofuels—fuels other than corn ethanol and vegetable oil-based biodiesel—into the transportation pool. Utilization of advanced biofuels is stipulated by the Energy Independence and Security Act; however, current production levels lag behind proposed targets. Additionally, certain transportation sectors, such as aviation, are likely to […]
NASA tests alternative jet fuel
NRC’s CT-133 research aircraft exits the hangar for a morning of final prep and fueling for flights later in the day. Image Credit: NASA / Peter MerlinNASA took to the skies this week – along with international partners the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and National Research Council of Canada (NRC) – to begin a series […]
Photos of the Day: Solar car maxes out at 93mph
In this April 30, 2014 photo, Qazvin Azad University students assemble the rectangular Havin-2, or Brilliant Sun, in Qazvin, Iran. The Havin-2 drove for tests alongside slightly larger gas-powered motor vehicles outside the capital, Tehran, ahead of the eight-day, 1,700-mile (2,700-kilometer) race that will take it from Austin, Texas to Minneapolis. A […]
U.S. Funds China-Backed Windmills State Regulators Rejected
The U.S. Department of Energy promised up to $47 million Wednesday to a Chinese-backed windmill project that has already been rejected twice by New Jersey regulators. Fishermen’s Energy says it hopes the federal funds will convince New Jersey to finally approve its plan to put five windmills about three miles off the coast of Atlantic […]
Offshore Wind Project Loses $47M Grant
A University of Maine-led effort to build an offshore wind pilot project was dealt a significant blow Wednesday when it failed to a win a competition for a $47 million federal grant, expected to be a key source of funding. The U.S. Department of Energy’s decision to pass over the Maine Aqua Ventus project for […]
Offshore Wind Project Loses $47M Grant
A University of Maine-led effort to build an offshore wind pilot project was dealt a significant blow Wednesday when it failed to a win a competition for a $47 million federal grant, expected to be a key source of funding. The U.S. Department of Energy’s decision to pass over the Maine Aqua Ventus project for […]
ECN IMPACT Awards honors outstanding achievement in design engineering
On Tuesday, May 6th, ECN held its first annual IMPACT Awards, honoring outstanding achievement in electronic design and headlining a marvelous EDS 2014. The awards recognized the top products and services across 18 categories spanning the design engineering landscape, and in 2013, the industry beheld no shortage of innovation. The IMPACT Awards acknowledged unparalleled engineering […]
Getting More Electricity Out of Solar Cells
When sunlight shines on today’s solar cells, much of the incoming energy is given off as waste heat rather than electrical current. In a few materials, however, extra energy produces extra electrons — behavior that could significantly increase solar-cell efficiency. An MIT team has now identified the mechanism by which that phenomenon happens, yielding new […]