https://techxplore.com/rss-feed/energy-green-tech-news/ en-us The latest news on energy sciences and green technology, energy technology, energy renovation, alternative energy, and green energy. The moment a nuclear reactor begins operation, a complex chain of events is initiated within the fuel: Heavy atoms split into fission products, knocking other atoms out of place and creating defects that can change how the fuel swells, transfers heat and reacts chemically over time. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-hidden-pore-networks-nuclear-fuel.html Engineering Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:20:09 EDT news705841267 Magnesium supplements are gaining popularity to treat conditions such as insomnia, migraines and constipation. Most magnesium salts are extracted from rocks by crushing and heating them, which requires a lot of energy. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Energy Letters have developed bismuth electrodes that selectively pull magnesium ions from seawater, another abundant source of the element. They say their electrochemical approach could be more sustainable and less expensive than current methods. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-electrochemical-method-seawater-source-magnesium.html Engineering Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:00:03 EDT news705753901 AI data centers get a bad rap, not least because of concerns that they drive climate change by consuming massive amounts of electricity. But one potentially larger impact of AI on global carbon emissions may be that it's helping the fossil fuel industry become more productive. That's the main finding of a paper published in the journal npj Climate Action that looked at how boosting productivity across both clean and dirty energy sources affects net CO2 emissions. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ai-boost-carbon-emissions.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:40:06 EDT news705755250 Smartwatches, phones and even some drones rely on lightweight, rechargeable energy storage systems. Once those devices wear out, many end up as electronic waste. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Energy Letters have developed a compact supercapacitor that can be quickly disassembled into reusable components. They used the devices to power a glider's propeller and then took apart one supercapacitor and sequentially reused parts in two new ones that performed as well as the original device. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-energy-storage-device-recycled.html Electronics & Semiconductors Wed, 12 Aug 2026 09:40:06 EDT news705745561 One of the most promising technologies is perovskite solar cells. They are highly efficient at converting sunlight into electricity, can be manufactured as thin and flexible devices, and require less energy and lower production costs than conventional silicon modules. However, their commercial adoption has long been limited by a fundamental challenge—insufficient long-term stability when exposed to moisture, heat and oxygen. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-neutral-salt-layer-perovskite-solar.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 11 Aug 2026 09:20:01 EDT news705657121 Most batteries spend more than 70% of their lifetime at rest. Yet few studies have examined calendar aging, which is how a battery degrades when it is neither charging nor being used. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-aim-battery-aging-idle.html Engineering Mon, 10 Aug 2026 17:40:05 EDT news705601261 Cornell researchers are using artificial intelligence to speed the search for better battery materials while using a creative approach to chemistry to expand the design space for electrolytes, unlocking new possibilities for safer, higher-performing energy storage. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ai-electrolyte-paths-batteries.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 10 Aug 2026 11:00:09 EDT news705577981 Researchers have developed a process for converting carbon dioxide and industrial waste into green hydrogen, reporting in a new study that turning trash into valuable mineral products could usher in a more efficient way to produce clean fuel. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-chemists-industrial-renewable-resource.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 06 Aug 2026 15:40:03 EDT news705249181 Imperial and Arup pioneer a new approach to designing tall buildings that uses the building's own weight to reduce movement in high winds and earthquakes. Inspired by traditional Japanese pagodas, it makes towers safer while cutting carbon and construction costs. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-pagoda-floors-tower-sway-material.html Engineering Thu, 06 Aug 2026 13:20:01 EDT news705241142 Improving the efficiency of solar cells is key to reducing the cost of solar power. Now, scientists have developed a new synergistic metallization strategy for tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cells. The approach achieved a certified power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 26.31%, among the highest reported for this technology. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-laser-strategy-topcon-solar-cells.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 06 Aug 2026 11:00:08 EDT news705159302 Fusion power plants of the future will not only require extremely hot plasmas and strong magnetic fields but also a fuel cycle in which the hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium can be recovered, separated and reused. Together with partners, a team from HZDR has now demonstrated a highly efficient method for separating hydrogen isotopes using a silver-containing zeolite. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-silver-zeolite-route-fusion-fuel.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 06 Aug 2026 10:20:03 EDT news705228481 A renewable energy future will rely on cheap and scalable battery technologies. A promising option is an all-iron redox flow battery, which uses iron—an abundant, low-cost, and safe material. Battery performance depends on how iron ends up on the negative electrode during battery use. Uniform iron deposits are best, but this doesn't always take place. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-neutron-imaging-peers-iron-redox.html Engineering Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:40:01 EDT news705154321 The explosive growth of AI data centers has brought the commercialization of "giant batteries" one step closer. A KAIST research team has developed a process that cuts the production time for a core material used in large-capacity batteries by 67%, resolving the largest production bottleneck standing in the way of commercialization. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-giant-batteries-closer-commercialization-ai.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:20:03 EDT news705153961 Lithium-ion batteries are the leading choice in today's electric vehicle and battery energy storage system industries, but they contain a number of critical minerals—including lithium, cobalt, nickel and graphite—that are considered essential for economic and national security reasons and therefore vulnerable to supply chain disruptions. As renewable energy, electrified infrastructure and high-power digital technologies continue to grow, there is an increasing need for energy storage systems that are low-cost, resource-abundant and capable of fast charging and discharging. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-solvent-problem-sodium-metal-batteries.html Engineering Tue, 04 Aug 2026 16:20:08 EDT news705078121 Researchers at Kyushu University have shown that microwave (MW) radiation can dramatically speed the conversion of biomass into useful gases by creating localized high-temperature regions on nickel nanoparticles. Using advanced X-ray techniques to observe the catalyst during conversion reactions, the team found that these microscopic hot spots form on the catalyst even when the surrounding material remains much cooler, helping explain why MW-assisted catalytic reactions can outperform conventional heating. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-microwave-bamboo-hydrogen-fuel-conversion.html Engineering Tue, 04 Aug 2026 13:00:01 EDT news705066421 Michael Sweeney roasts coffee beans using energy from the sun at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility at Sandia National Laboratories. Sweeney has been collaborating with Sandia as part of a program to use solar energy to heat his coffee roasters. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-solar-bed-powers-coffee-roaster.html Engineering Tue, 04 Aug 2026 11:20:05 EDT news705059600 A new artificial intelligence tool developed by researchers at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and Florida State University's Center for Advanced Power Systems could help make electric grids more reliable and reduce operating costs. The system improves forecasts of electricity demand and renewable energy generation, giving grid operators better information to balance supply and demand. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-grid-ai-blackout-precise-power.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 03 Aug 2026 13:00:08 EDT news704980681 When people picture a data center, they often imagine something remote: a huge warehouse humming quietly far from the city. New research from NYU Tandon School of Engineering shows that assumption is largely wrong. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-power-grids-centers-cities.html Energy & Green Tech Sun, 02 Aug 2026 11:00:01 EDT news704729126 Industrial wastewater from electronics manufacturing, metal processing and other sectors often contains two difficult pollutants at once: high levels of salt and toxic heavy metals. Current treatment methods typically address those problems separately, creating costly, complex systems that can produce hazardous brines or metal-laden sludge. Now, a group of researchers at Rice University and Vanderbilt University has created an electrochemical platform that could do both jobs at once. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-ion-platform-simultaneously-salty-wastewater.html Engineering Fri, 31 Jul 2026 12:00:03 EDT news704717402 Using neutrons at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, researchers from The Ohio State University are studying residual stress caused by friction stir welding (FSW) to reveal how to strengthen armor steel welds, like those used in military vehicles. Their findings were published in the Journal of Materials Processing Technology. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-neutrons-reveal-friction-welding-steel.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 30 Jul 2026 17:20:08 EDT news704649661 University of Wisconsin–Madison and Princeton University nuclear engineers have identified a major blind spot in nuclear accounting with global nuclear security implications. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-massive-quantities-undeclared-uranium-exported.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 30 Jul 2026 05:00:07 EDT news704536228 Thousands of peer-reviewed papers on battery devices are published each year. Despite this rapid growth, the data contained within these publications are often reported in different formats and with varying levels of detail and accessibility. The resulting patchwork of information makes it difficult for scientists, engineers, industry partners and policymakers to fully leverage published research and identify opportunities for innovation. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-standardized-battery-database-ai-solid.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 29 Jul 2026 15:20:01 EDT news704556422 A joint research team—led by Ki-Jae Kim, a professor in the Department of Energy Science and the Department of Future Energy Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), alongside Jang Wook Choi's research team from Seoul National University—has developed a high-performance hybrid polymer binder for thick-film electrodes. The breakthrough significantly boosts the energy density of lithium-ion batteries while extending their lifespan. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-hybrid-battery-binder-ev-range.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 29 Jul 2026 12:00:05 EDT news704539780 As the need for sustainable electric vehicles grows, cobalt-free, high-nickel cathode batteries (such as manganese-coated nickel-core batteries) have emerged as one of the most promising technologies. These batteries increase driving range while reducing dependence on expensive critical minerals. However, a new study suggests that a hidden weakness in the battery material could significantly reduce the life span of these next-generation batteries. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-hidden-battery-flaw-shorten-ev.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 28 Jul 2026 12:40:05 EDT news704458624 Concrete ranks second among the most widely used materials on the planet and is regarded as highly versatile for climate-resistant infrastructure. However, the main ingredient of concrete is Portland cement, which is made by heating limestone and clay to about 1400°C, and this energy-intensive process now accounts for roughly 7–8% of global CO₂ emissions. Rapid urbanization and growing cement-related CO₂ emissions are driving the search for more sustainable and fire-resistant building materials. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-based-geopolymer-mortar-greener-fireresistant.html Engineering Tue, 28 Jul 2026 12:20:05 EDT news704457831 Moving away from oil and gas and toward solar, wind and hydropower: that is the energy transition. To stop global warming, we must shift our energy infrastructure toward renewable sources in the coming years. The large-scale construction of solar cells and wind turbines requires, among other things, minerals and metals. At the same time, the existing fossil fuel infrastructure is becoming obsolete. So, could we recycle parts of our old energy system to build a new one? Researchers from Empa's Technology and Society laboratory investigated this question in a study. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-recycling-fossil-fuel-infrastructure-trillions.html Business Tue, 28 Jul 2026 11:40:06 EDT news704456761 After a closet cleanout, what options are there for recycling our old threads? Not many. Apart from bringing used clothes to a donation center, there is no process for recycling textiles like there is for bottles and cans. The average American throws out around 81 pounds of clothing each year. That amounts to more than 11 million tons of textiles that end up in landfills or incinerators. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-recyclable-yarn-strong-stretchy-spandex.html Engineering Mon, 27 Jul 2026 15:41:25 EDT news704385631 Recycled materials promise a cleaner future, but recycled content alone does not necessarily make a product sustainable. At Georgia Tech's Daedalus Lab, assistant professor Christos Athanasiou and postdoctoral researcher Danqi Sun are working to provide greater certainty to designers and engineers by rethinking how materials are tested for their fracture characteristics. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-faster-fracture-path-sustainable-material.html Engineering Mon, 27 Jul 2026 11:40:05 EDT news704370842 Can we fuel gas turbines with hydrogen instead of fossil fuels and cut 15% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions? Gas turbines generate around 22% of the world's electricity. Replacing fossil fuels is a key step toward more sustainable power generation. Hydrogen is widely considered a promising alternative fuel for gas turbines in both power generation and aviation. However, before hydrogen can be used safely on a large scale, researchers need to better understand how it affects the materials exposed to the extreme operating conditions inside turbines. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-gas-turbines-ready-hydrogen-economy.html Engineering Mon, 27 Jul 2026 09:40:02 EDT news704362921 Solar cells, devices that can convert sunlight into electricity, are now widely used in many countries, where they are helping to reduce reliance on electricity generated from fossil fuels. While most solar cells used today are made of silicon, energy engineers have been assessing the potential of cells based on other materials with lower manufacturing costs. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-seed-crystals-solventfree-perovskite-cells.html Engineering Sat, 25 Jul 2026 10:40:01 EDT news703943200