Emerging energy and water harvesting technologies encompass a suite of materials, devices, and systems designed to capture, convert, and store dispersed environmental resources such as solar radiation, wind, moisture, and ambient heat. Work in this area integrates atmospheric water harvesting architectures, triboelectric and moisture-induced generators, solar thermal and molecular solar thermal storage, barocaloric and magnetic cooling, and long-duration energy storage concepts. These approaches often rely on nanoengineered surfaces, phase-change and barocaloric materials, and hybrid thermodynamic cycles to improve efficiency, reliability, and sustainability of power, cooling, and freshwater supply.
Energy & Green Tech
A Yale-led research team has developed the first standalone device that produces the liquid fuel methanol using only sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide as the ingredients. The artificial "leaf," like its namesake in nature, ...
Jun 4, 2026
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Energy & Green Tech
The United Nations estimates that 2.2 billion people lack safely managed drinking water, and communities from California to the Middle East rely on desalination plants to convert ocean water to fresh water. Common desalination ...
May 27, 2026
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Electronics & Semiconductors
In a study published in Nano Energy, researchers from Queen Mary, the University of Warwick, Imperial College London, and Universitas Mercatorum report a highly stable, biodegradable Moisture-Electric Generator (MEG). The ...
May 22, 2026
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Engineering
CIRCE—the Technology Center has coordinated the design and construction of an electric furnace for ceramic frit melting that has successfully completed its first operational tests. This milestone is the result of the joint ...
May 12, 2026
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Engineering
Scientists in recent years have sought to efficiently draw moisture from ambient air and condense it into potable water using materials made of salt and absorbent polymers. But these materials, known as hydrogels, until now ...
May 11, 2026
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Energy & Green Tech
Scientists are advancing a promising solution to two of the world's biggest challenges—plastic pollution and clean energy—by transforming waste plastics into valuable fuels using sunlight.
Apr 28, 2026
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Energy & Green Tech
Connecting ships to charging stations is a bit of a hassle when you are out at sea. But with a new magnetic charging plug for boats—it is about as easy as putting a cup in a cup holder.
Apr 27, 2026
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Engineering
An ultrathin silicone film being developed at Saarland University enables pumps to operate without motors, without compressed air and without lubricants or external sensors. These film-based pumps can be switched on and off ...
Apr 21, 2026
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Energy & Green Tech
With the rapid expansion of the global solar energy industry, the number of solar panels has surged in recent years. However, pollutants accumulating on panel surfaces can significantly reduce energy conversion efficiency ...
Apr 21, 2026
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26
Energy & Green Tech
A research team has introduced a new concept device termed the Gas Capture and Electricity Generator (GCEG), which produces electrical power as greenhouse gases are adsorbed from the atmosphere. This innovation goes beyond ...
Apr 20, 2026
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