Energy news
Hybrid Cars -- Pros and Cons
Jan 19, 2006 |
3.6 / 5 (793) |
1
If you listen to the makers, hybrid cars are the best invention since sliced bread. While there are many reasons to buy a hybrid car, including a new tax incentive for US owners, it helps to have a good understanding ...
40% efficient solar cells to be used for solar electricity
Jun 01, 2007 |
4.6 / 5 (456) |
0
Scientists from Spectrolab, Inc., a subsidiary of Boeing, have recently published their research on the fabrication of solar cells that surpass the 40% efficiency milestone—the highest efficiency achieved ...
Why a hydrogen economy doesn't make sense
Dec 11, 2006 |
4.2 / 5 (435) |
13
In a recent study, fuel cell expert Ulf Bossel explains that a hydrogen economy is a wasteful economy. The large amount of energy required to isolate hydrogen from natural compounds (water, natural gas, biomass), ...
Scientists mimic essence of plants' energy storage system
Jul 31, 2008 |
4.7 / 5 (307) |
46
In a revolutionary leap that could transform solar power from a marginal, boutique alternative into a mainstream energy source, MIT researchers have overcome a major barrier to large-scale solar power: storing ...
Mini Nuclear Power Plants Could Power 20,000 Homes (Update)
Nov 12, 2008 |
4.6 / 5 (240) |
102
(PhysOrg.com) -- Underground nuclear power plants no bigger than a hot tub may soon provide electricity for communities around the world. Measuring about 1.5 meters across, the mini reactors can each power ...
Micro Fuel Cells Get Closer to Replacing Batteries
Nov 17, 2008 |
4.5 / 5 (121) |
16
(PhysOrg.com) -- Mobile electronics have the potential to offer digital luxuries beyond our imagination, but they will never get there on today’s lithium ion batteries. Power has been the weak spot in the ...
H2CAR could fuel entire U.S. transportation sector
Apr 24, 2007 |
4.4 / 5 (113) |
0
In a recent study, scientists have demonstrated that a hybrid system of hydrogen and carbon can produce a sufficient amount of liquid hydrocarbon fuels to power the entire U.S. transportation sector. Using ...
NREL Solar Cell Sets World Efficiency Record at 40.8 Percent
Aug 13, 2008 |
4.6 / 5 (105) |
23
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have set a world record in solar cell efficiency with a photovoltaic device that converts 40.8 percent of the light ...
Professor demonstrates new hydrogen fuel system
Feb 23, 2007 |
4.1 / 5 (115) |
0
Northern Nevada energy consumers can be excused if they have a sense of "sticker shock" when their power bills come due following the holiday season. Or, that they have a feeling of powerlessness as the price of gasoline ...
Kites could provide electricity for 100,000 homes
Aug 08, 2008 |
4.2 / 5 (111) |
46
High-flying kites tethered to generators could supply as much as 100 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 100,000 homes, according to researchers from the Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands. ...
Team sets solar cell record
Jul 24, 2007 |
4.7 / 5 (93) |
0
Using a novel technology that adds multiple innovations to a very high-performance crystalline silicon solar cell platform, a consortium led by the University of Delaware has achieved a record-breaking combined solar cell ...
IBM Research Unveils Breakthrough In Solar Farm Technology
May 15, 2008 |
4.7 / 5 (88) |
10
IBM today announced a research breakthrough in photovoltaics technology that could significantly reduce the cost of harnessing the Sun's power for electricity.
Make Ethanol in Your Own Backyard
May 09, 2008 |
3.9 / 5 (104) |
24
A Silicon Valley start-up called E-Fuel is showing exactly how ethanol can live up to its name as "the people´s fuel." The company recently announced that it will soon start selling a home ethanol system, ...
Quiet wind turbine could provide up to 30% of a home's power
Oct 31, 2008 |
4.2 / 5 (95) |
27
(PhysOrg.com) -- A quiet wind turbine developed in Scotland is now available in the US and Canada. Its developers say that the roof-based turbine can provide significant power for homes and commercial buildings ...
Harnessing sunlight on the cheap
May 07, 2008 |
4.5 / 5 (89) |
15
For a project that could be on the very cutting edge of renewable energy, this one is actually decidedly low tech--and that's the point.
