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A new approach to battery design could provide the key to low-cost, long-term energy storage, according to Imperial College London researchers. The team of engineers and chemists have created a polysulfide-air redox flow battery (PSA RFB) with not one, but two membranes. The dual membrane design overcomes the main problems with this type of large-scale …

An experimental plant-based jet fuel could increase engine performance and efficiency, while dispensing with aromatics, the pollution-causing compounds added to conventional fuels, according to new research. In a study published in the journal Fuel, researchers analyzed a Washington State University-developed jet fuel based on lignin, an organic polymer that makes plants tough and woody. Using …

Imperial researchers have developed a hydrogen fuel cell that uses iron instead of rare and costly platinum, enabling greater use of the technology. Hydrogen fuel cells convert hydrogen to electricity with water vapour as the only by-product, making them an attractive green alternative for portable power, particularly for vehicles. However, their widespread use has been …

New solar cell devices that are cheaper and easier to make could soon make their way to market thanks to materials made at Imperial College London. Traditional solar cells are made from silicon, which has good efficiency and stability, but is relatively expensive to make and can only be manufactured in stiff panels. Perovskite solar …

A new analysis led by North Carolina State University researchers found offshore wind power could help lower wholesale electricity prices on average for six states in New England, with relatively low risk of wind turbines failing during extreme winter storms. Although very high wind speeds during winter storms could cause turbines to go temporarily offline, …

Turmeric, a spice found in most kitchens, has an extract that could lead to safer, more efficient fuel cells. Researchers at the Clemson Nanomaterials Institute (CNI) and their collaborators from the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL) in India discovered a novel way to combine curcumin — the substance in turmeric — and …

New research led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) highlights the areas in Europe and North Africa where the construction of wind turbines or power lines is likely to increase the risk of death for migrating birds. The study used GPS location data from 65 bird tracking studies to understand where they fly more …

A magnetosphere forms around any magnetized object, such as a planet, that is immersed within a stream of ionized gas, called plasma. Because Earth possesses an intrinsic magnetic field, the planet is surrounded by a large magnetosphere that extends out into space, blocks lethal cosmic rays and particles from the sun and stars, and allows …

As the United States works to shift more of its power generation to renewable resources, University of Delaware researchers Sara Parkison and Willett Kempton have co-authored a paper in the journal Energy Policy that sheds light into the infrastructure required to meet targets for offshore wind power generation. In March 2021, the Biden Administration announced …

Engineers at MIT and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have designed a heat engine with no moving parts. Their new demonstrations show that it converts heat to electricity with over 40 percent efficiency — a performance better than that of traditional steam turbines. The heat engine is a thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cell, similar to a …

Renewable energy prices have fallen by more than 70 percent in the last decade, driving more Americans to abandon fossil fuels for greener, less-polluting energy sources. But as wind and solar power continue to make inroads, grid operators may have to plan for large swings in availability. The warning comes from Upmanu Lall, a professor …

Generating power while purifying the environment of greenhouse gases should be achievable using bacteria. In a new publication, microbiologists from Radboud University have demonstrated that it is possible to make methane-consuming bacteria generate power in the lab. The study will be published in Frontiers in Microbiology on April 12. The bacteria, Candidatus Methanoperedens, use methane …

The researchers behind an energy system that makes it possible to capture solar energy, store it for up to eighteen years and release it when and where it is needed have now taken the system a step further. After previously demonstrating how the energy can be extracted as heat, they have now succeeded in getting …

A Stanford University analysis could help policymakers across the U.S. spend billions of dollars in new federal infrastructure funding more wisely. The study, published March 31 in Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, presents a first-of-its-kind framework to design the most efficient building mix for an urban district along with systems that supply wastewater treatment, cooling, heating …

Scientists have created a battery designed for the electric grid that locks in energy for months without losing much storage capacity. The development of the “freeze-thaw battery,” which freezes its energy for use later, is a step toward batteries that can be used for seasonal storage: saving energy in one season, such as the spring, …

Solar energy can directly drive electrochemical reactions at the surface of photoelectrodes. Photoelectrodes consist of semiconducting thin films on transparent conductive-glass substrates that convert light into electricity. Most photoelectrochemical studies have focused on water splitting, a thermodynamically uphill reaction that could offer an attractive pathway for the long-term capture and storage of solar energy by …