HEADLINES ARCHIVE
New Materials Developed for Smart Solar Cell Windows
Berkeley Lab researchers have developed thermochromic windows using a perovskite solar cell.
Power Without Propellants for Satellites
A low-work-function tether has been devised by researchers in Spain for generating electric power on-board satellites.
Germany to Host World’s Largest Hydrogen Electrolysis Plant
Hydrogen produced at the 10 MW peak capacity Rhineland facility will be used for the processing and upgrading of refinery products.
Vertical Stability Improved for South Korean Tokamak
A new control algorithm has improved the ability to control the vertical position and resulted in record tall plasmas that exceed the KSTAR design specifications.
Measuring Mechanical Properties of 2D Monolayer Materials Achieved
Researchers have succeeded in characterizing the mechanical properties of free-standing single-atom-thick membranes of graphene.
DC-DC Single-output PCB-mount High Voltage Module
Single-output high voltage modules with a wide input voltage range are designed and built utilizing state-of-the-art power-conversion topology.
Data Collection System Supports the Smart Grid
A real-time, brokerless and message-oriented middleware system interfaces and interconnects the digital and physical assets of a smart building.
Chernobyl Getting Second Life as Solar Farm
Although uninhabitable due to toxic levels of radiation in both the air and the soil, Chernobyl, Ukraine — the site of the worst nuclear accident in human history — will play host to a future solar plant.
IRENA Analysis: Renewable Energy to Be Cost-competitive with Fossil Fuels by 2020.
All renewable energy technologies are predicted to compete with fossil fuels on price by 2020.
Multi-Model Effort Highlights Progress, Future Needs in Renewable Energy Modeling
Models of the U.S. electricity sector are relied upon by sector stakeholders and decision makers, but the recent surge in variable renewable energy (VRE), such as wind and solar, led a team of modeling experts to examine how these models would represent scenarios with high penetrations of VRE.
Newly Installed Section of Solar Road Stolen in China
While solar panels on rooftops have become more and more commonplace, solar roads are still less common and thus interesting enough to still attract a great deal of attention and curiosity. In fact, the technology is such a novelty that it has recently attracted the attention of thieves in Jinan, China, who removed a recently-installed section of experimental solar road.
3D-printed Home That Can Be Built in Just Eight Hours
Imagine being able to simplify the construction of a brand-new home so much so that instead of dealing with unending time frames and an ever-increasing budget, you could have an inexpensive home in just eight hours. Thanks to help from its 3D-printing robot, PassivDom has been able to achieve such a feat.
Tiny Thumbnail Sensor Tells Users When They Have Had Too Much Sun
The sensor — which is called UV Sense — is powered by a capacitor that charges from a wireless NFC connection to the wearer’s phone.
Watch: Looking Back to Move Ahead
Our Engineering360 News Brief offers a few examples where drawing inspiration from the past is broadening the horizon of the future. Topics include CES 2018, the consumer technology show that runs next week in Las Vegas, drawing inspiration from an ancient technique to improve fuel cells and new evidence to believe that life on other planets is likely.
New Report Guides States to Optimize Modern Electric Grid
The guide for state regulators on Hosting Capacity Analyses introduces leading insights to optimize distributed energy resources.
Next-gen Fuel Cell System for Drones Launched by Ballard
The 1.3 kW fuel cell propulsion system will power test flights of Insitu’s ScanEagle UAV platform.
Solar Frontier Breaks Thin-film Efficiency Record
A conversion efficiency of 22.9 percent was documented on a 1 cm2 cell based on the company’s copper-indium-selenium photovoltaic technology.
Model Predicts Regional Climate Influence on Solar Cell Performance
Researchers can now predict how much energy solar cells will produce at any location worldwide.
UK Regulators Approve Hitachi-GE’s Advanced Boiling Water Reactor Design
The new design meets regulatory expectations on safety, security and environmental protection and is suitable for construction in the U.K.
Designer Flows from Dams Favor Native Fish
Designer flows engineered downstream from dams might be tailored to meet the water needs of humans while promoting the success of native fishes over undesirable invasive species.