Energy & Green Tech news

Engineering

Volcanic rock formula cuts cement emissions by two-thirds

Researchers have developed a volcanic rock formula that cuts carbon emissions by 67%, potentially offering an affordable alternative to increasingly scarce cement additives.

Energy & Green Tech

Polymer electrolyte lets the ions flow for solid-state batteries

Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have uncovered a path to design superionic polymer electrolytes for solid-state batteries and other energy applications that could help ensure a future ...

Engineering

Safer sodium battery eliminates thermal runaway with a heat-triggered polymer barrier

Some batteries have been known to catch fire or explode at high temperatures or when under stress. This safety concern has pushed researchers to experiment with different ways to design safer batteries that can ideally still ...

Hardware

Prototype chip could boost efficiency of power management in data centers

In an effort to meet the rising energy demands of data centers, engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a new chip design that could improve how graphics processing units (GPUs) convert and manage ...

Engineering

Solar-powered device disinfects drinking water in under an hour

For many people living in developed nations, towns and cities take care of ensuring that residents' water is clean and safe. Municipalities have advanced filters and UV light disinfection technologies at their disposal. Some ...

Energy & Green Tech

How electric cars could help tropical cities run on solar

In tropical cities, afternoon thunderstorms can plunge entire neighborhoods into brief moments of darkness. When civil engineer Markus Schläpfer moved to Singapore a decade ago, he recognized these thunderstorms as an emerging ...

Business

Researchers expose fossil fuel companies' communications facade

Fossil fuel companies say that they want to be on the front lines of renewable energy, with advertisements, social media, and even their own shareholder corporate reports espousing their commitment to green energy and combating ...

Energy & Green Tech

How electric vehicles could back up the power system

Electric vehicles (EVs) could do more for our environment than simply replace gasoline. Published in Joule, a new assessment of EV charging strategies suggests that EVs could serve as a vast network of mobile batteries, storing ...

Energy & Green Tech

Organic polymer paves the way for recyclable water-based batteries

Aqueous batteries have been around for centuries. They are safe and relatively low-cost, but their adoption in new energy storage systems—such as grid storage and electric vehicles—has been limited. One major reason is material ...

Energy & Green Tech

Solar breakthrough—hotter panels mean better storage

Scientists have uncovered a surprising advantage in next-generation solar technology—the hotter it gets, the better it can store energy. Traditionally, heat has been seen as the enemy of solar power. Standard solar panels ...

Engineering

Test procedure developed for gridforming inverters

In addition to expanding renewable energy generation, a successful energy transition requires stable system operation at all times. To achieve this, renewable energies and storage power plants will have to take on extensive ...

Energy & Green Tech

This hidden electricity drain can have a massive impact

The lights are off, the house is quiet and nothing seems to be running. But electricity is silently flowing through the plugs in your home. This hidden drain is known as phantom energy.

Energy & Green Tech

New method could offer a sustainable solution for lithium recovery

Society is experiencing increased global demand for lithium, a critical resource for rechargeable batteries in electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and energy storage systems. Conventional lithium extraction methods from ...