To find the right balance of moisture and temperature in a specialized type of hydrogen fuel cell, Berkeley Lab scientists have used X-rays to explore the inner workings of its components at tiny scales.
Harnessing the power of the sun can help meet the increasing demand for energy worldwide—and the solar cell research group at South Dakota State University is doing its part to make this possible.
Rural counties continue to rank lowest among counties across the U.S., in terms of health outcomes. A group of national organizations including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National 4-H Council are leading the way to close the rural health gap.
ORNL story tips, November 2017: Fast-learning computing technique supports hurricane damage assessments; neutrons unlock liquid flow mystery; “puckering” 2D material creates tunable energy gap; window air conditioning prototype allows safe use of propane refrigerant; graphene nanoribbons become semiconductors through precise electrical contacts.
Shawn-Yu Lin, professor of physics, applied physics, and astronomy at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has built a nanostructure whose crystal lattice bends light as it enters the material and directs it in a path parallel to the surface, known as “parallel to interface refraction.”
By the time Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) scientists Barry Freifeld and Curt Oldenburg visited the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility in December 2015, the SS-25 well blowout had been leaking natural gas into the air for more than six weeks. The notoriously strong winds at Aliso Canyon carried the natural gas and its added odorant to the nearby Porter Ranch neighborhood, leading to thousands of families evacuating their homes.
Researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York have created a micro-scale biological solar cell that generates a higher power density for longer than any existing cell of its kind.
A new class of plant-specific genes required for flowering control in temperate grasses is found.
Most manure just sits around. Anaerobic digesters take those piles and place them in large covered tanks and convert waste into an energy source. Chemical engineers from Michigan Tech examined the carbon footprint of anaerobic digestion.
First complete picture of genetic variations in a natural algal population could help explain how environmental changes affect global carbon cycles.
Now midway through the competition portion of the 2017 Solar Decathlon, Northwestern is currently in sixth place (out of 11 teams). For scores and standings, visit the Solar Decathlon website (solardecathlon.gov).
While hydrogen is often talked about as a pollution-free fuel of the future, especially for use in fuel cell electric vehicles, hydrogen can be used for much more than zero-emission cars. In fact, from enhancing the flexibility of the grid to greening agriculture, hydrogen could play a major role in a clean and resilient energy system.
To take full advantage of biomass, lignin needs to be processed into usable components along with the plant cellulose. Ames Laboratory scientists are working to develop a method to deconstruct lignin in a way that is economically feasible and into stable, readily useful components.
Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the agriculture and forestry sectors could lead to increased food prices—but new research identifies strategies that could help mitigate climate change while avoiding steep hikes in food prices.
Extracting a substance called glucosinolate from camelina and carinata seeds may help bring these promising sources of biofuel one stop closer to reality.
Students returning to school this Fall may not think much about the significant amount of energy it takes to keep the lights on and their classroom smartboards operating, but principals, superintendents, and building managers are taking note. According to the EPA, schools nationwide spend $8 billion a year on energy – second only to personnel in K-12 operating budgets.
Thanks to extensive renovations, Kresge Hall has been certified as the University's first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum building. Platinum is the the highest sustainable building certification awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council.
“Indirect” emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) represent a large and very uncertain component of the greenhouse gas budget of agricultural cropping systems, but quantifying and reducing indirect N2O emissions have proven to be very challenging. The symposium, “How Can We Improve Our Estimates of Indirect N2O Emissions,” planned at the Managing Global Resources for a Secure Future ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting in Tampa, FL, will address this important topic.
The installation of natural gas wells requires soil reclamation efforts after installation. These efforts are often hindered by salt-affected soils, weed invasions and slow plant establishment. The “Soil Changes Before, During, and After Natural Gas Drilling” presentation planned at the Managing Global Resources for a Secure Future ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting in Tampa, FL, will address this important topic.
Chemical engineers at the University of Notre Dame will contribute their expertise in materials development and modeling to a new research center that will focus on new methods of converting shale gas reserves into chemicals and transportation fuel.
A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore has successfully designed a novel organic material of superior electrical conductivity and energy retention capability for use in battery applications. This invention paves the way for the development of ultra-stable, high capacity and environmental friendly rechargeable batteries.
University of Delaware researchers have invented a more efficient process for extracting sugars from wood chips, corn cobs and other organic waste. This biorenewable feedstock could serve as a cheaper, sustainable substitute for petroleum used to make tons of consumer goods annually.
Ecologist Ted Schuur studies the frozen lands in the Arctic that are thawing as the climate warms, releasing previously captured greenhouse gases into the environment and continuing the cycle.
A team of engineers at the University of California San Diego developed algorithms that would allow homes to use and share power from their renewable energy sources during outages by strategically disconnecting these devices, called solar inverters, from the grid. The algorithms work with existing technology and would improve systems’ reliability by 25 to 35 percent.
A next-generation residential energy management system may help utility companies and consumers save money by reducing the demand for costly peak-time energy.
Binghamton University celebrated the grand opening of its new $70 million, 114,000 square-foot Smart Energy Building today, Thursday, Aug. 31, at the Innovative Technologies Complex, on campus.
Can a group of three single-celled, algae-like organisms produce high quantities of sugar just right for making biofuels? Laboratory results indicate that they can. Sandia National Laboratories is helping Bay Area-based HelioBioSys understand whether these cyanobacteria can be grown large scale.
Solar panels have tremendous potential to provide affordable renewable energy, but many people see traditional black and blue panels as an eyesore. Architects, homeowners and city planners may be more open to the technology if they could install colorful, efficient solar panels, and a new study, published this week in Applied Physics Letters, brings us one step closer. Researchers have developed a method for imprinting existing solar panels with silicon nanopatterns that scatter green light back toward an observer.
A WVU professor will study worldwide data to identify ecological similarities and emergent scaling laws of carbon, water and energy exchanges between the land and atmosphere.
New method turns used cooking oil into biofuel with carbon from waste tires; novel technique protects fusion reactor interior wall from energy created when hydrogen isotopes reach sun-like temps; new catalyst-making process doubles output of BTX used in plastics and tires; thin film vanadium dioxide makes outstanding electrode for Li-ion batteries.
A researcher at Queen’s University Belfast has discovered a way to convert dirty aluminium foil into a biofuel catalyst, which could help to solve global waste and energy problems.
The California State University (CSU) has partnered with the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) to develop the next generation of clean energy entrepreneurs.
Engineers at the University of Maryland have invented an entirely new kind of battery. It is bio-compatible, because it produces the same kind of electrical energy that the body uses: an ion current.
Cornell University chemists have uncovered a fresh role for nitric oxide that could send biochemical textbooks back for revision.
By using advanced lighting and automated shades, scientists from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) found that occupants on one floor of a high-rise office building in New York City were able to reduce lighting energy usage by nearly 80 percent in some areas.
UW engineers have designed the first battery-free cellphone that can send and receive calls using only a few microwatts of power, which it harvests from ambient radio signals or light. It's a major step forward in moving beyond chargers, cords and dying phones.
Producing biofuels like ethanol from plant materials requires various enzymes to break down the cellulosic fibers. Researchers from ORNL and NC State used neutrons to identify the specifics of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction that could significantly reduce the total amount of enzymes used, improving production processes and lowering costs.
The ECS Toyota Young Investigator Fellowship Selection Committee has chosen three winners who will receive $50,000 fellowship awards each for projects in green energy technology. The awardees are Dr. Ahmet Kusoglu, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Professor Julie Renner, Case Western Reserve University; and Professor Shuhui Sun, Institut National de la Rechersche Scientifique (INRS).
The U.S. could slash its energy use by the equivalent of what is currently used by 12 to 15 million Americans if commercial buildings fully used energy-efficiency controls nationwide.
In a classic tale of turning trash into treasure, two different processes soon may be the favored dynamic duo to turn food waste into green energy, according to a new Cornell University-led study.
The most recent study from WVU’s Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines and Emissions measured oxides of nitrogen emissions, or NOx, from five Fiat Chrysler vehicles in real-world and laboratory tests.
Stored energy from electric vehicles (EVs) can be used to power large buildings – creating new possibilities for the future of smart, renewable energy - thanks to ground-breaking battery research from WMG at the University of Warwick.
RSS
Medicine keyboard_arrow_right
Sciencekeyboard_arrow_right
Life keyboard_arrow_right
Business keyboard_arrow_right
Journal News keyboard_arrow_right
By Location keyboard_arrow_right
Meetings, Grants, and Events keyboard_arrow_right