HEADLINES ARCHIVE
Hoover Dam completes a pressure-relief valve upgrade
A two-decade-long project to upgrade the Hoover Dam’s original pressure-relief valves has reached its conclusion.
Grid stabilization by use of automobile battery storage
Used automobile battery storage systems can find a second life by being pressed into service to start up energy generating assets.
Federal investigation into heating, electricity issues at Brooklyn jail
Prisoners at the jail endured the recent polar vortex, which plunged the region into sub-zero temperatures, without heat, hot water, hot food and light.
Engineers show the heart can replace batteries in medical implants
Engineers from Dartmouth College have developed a way to eliminate batteries as the power source for implantable medical devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators. The new power source is none other than the heart itself.
Video: Cardiac energy harvester designed to power pacemakers
Kinetic energy generated by the heart could be used to provide electricity for implantable medical devices like pacemakers and defibrillators.
The economics of battery-assisted hydrogen production from solar energy
Cost targets are evaluated for hydrogen production from photovoltaic power generation combined with a battery-assisted proton-exchange membrane electrolyzer.
Video: Drilling a deep hole for nuclear waste storage
Standard oil and gas drilling technology might be used to place nuke waste canisters thousands of feet underground.
New carbon capture sorbent promises efficient emission control
A new class of organic compounds captures carbon from coal-fired power plant emissions in a process that is less energy intensive than existing methods.
Utility hit with record fine for cybersecurity violations
The North American Electric Reliability Corp. issued the fine and said the violations "collectively posed a serious risk" to the bulk power system's security and reliability.
Siemens turbines tapped for coal power plant conversion
The project will use an SGT6-9000HL natural gas-powered turbine, an SGen6-3000W generator and SPPA-T3000 turbine controls system to re-power the facility’s existing coal-powered steam turbines.
Electric grid modernization deals are announced
Energy Department national laboratories agreed to conduct integrated experiments to test and validate novel software and hardware technologies intended to strengthen and modernize the electric grid.
Sea breeze prediction for offshore wind resource assessment
A technique developed to characterize and predict sea breezes could be beneficial for offshore wind turbine construction planning, operations and maintenance.
Doping process boosts solar thin-film efficiency
The technology brings the attainment of voltages over 1 volt and efficiencies of 25% in cadmium telluride closer to reality.
Watch: This fuel cell system consumes carbon dioxide
The system continuously produces electrical energy and hydrogen through efficient carbon dioxide conversion.
Improved performance for permanent magnets
New magnet technology that could benefit virtually any technology that draws power from electric motors or generates power from electric generators.
Report: Growth in renewable energy benefits Gulf Cooperation Council countries
The region will install 7 GW of new power generation capacity from renewable sources by the early 2020s.
Watch: The first 10 MW offshore wind turbine from Siemens Gamesa
The new turbine offers 30% higher annual energy production relative to its predecessor.
Improved performance claimed for gas-insulated switchgear
The technologies are intended to help shrink switchgear size and help to reduce the use of SF6 gas, which has global-warming potential up to 22,800 times greater than that of CO2.
EV wireless charging moves closer to reality with Volvo investment
The technology is similar to wireless recharging with smartphones; instead of a phone, the vehicle rests over a charging pad and electricity is induced through an air gap from a transmitting magnetic coil in the charger to a receiving magnetic coil outfitted under the car.
The case for siting PV Systems on snow-covered mountains
Installing solar panels on snowy mountaintops in midlatitude regions could help close the gap between power demand and production during winter months.