Most recent 20 articles: PHYS.ORG - Technology
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China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 28) |
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Mar 28 · Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars. The tech company will start taking orders for the SU7, a sporty four-door sedan, following a launch event with founder Lei Jun in Beijing on Thursday evening. Analysts think it will be priced in the 300,000 yuan ($40,000) range. Government subsides have helped make China the world's largest market for electric vehicles, and a bevy of new makers are locked in fierce competition. Most of the industry's sales have been domestic, but Chinese makers are pushing into overseas markets with lower-priced models, posing a potential challenge to ... Read more ... |
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A solar cell you can bend and soak in water - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 27) |
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Mar 27 · One of the potential uses of organic photovoltaics is to create wearable electronics—devices that can be attached to clothing that can monitor medical devices, for example, without requiring battery changes. However, researchers have found it challenging to achieve waterproofing without the use of extra layers that end up decreasing the flexibility of the film. Now, in work published in Nature Communications, a group of scientists have been able to do precisely that. They took on the challenge of overcoming a key limitation of previous devices, which is that it is difficult to make them waterproof without reducing the flexibility. Photovoltaic films are typically ... Read more ... |
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Amazon pours an additional $2.75 billion into AI startup Anthropic - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 27) |
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Mar 27 · Amazon said Wednesday it is pouring an additional $2.75 billion into Anthropic, bringing its total investment in the artificial intelligence startup to $4 billion. Amazon will maintain a minority stake in San Francisco-based Anthropic, a rival of ChatGPT maker OpenAI. "Generative AI is poised to be the most transformational technology of our time, and we believe our strategic collaboration with Anthropic will further improve our customers' experiences, and look forward to what's next," said Swami Sivasubramanian, vice president of data and AI at AWS, Amazon's cloud computing subsidiary. The Seattle-based tech giant made an initial investment of $1.25 billion in ... Read more ... |
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Amazon's pharmacy will offer same-day delivery in LA and NYC and plans to expand - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 27) |
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Mar 27 · Amazon will soon offer same-day delivery of several prescription medications in Los Angeles and New York, yet another example of the online shopping giant's bet on consumers' growing dependence on ease and speed. As Amazon Pharmacy expands into the nation's two biggest markets, Angelenos and New Yorkers will be able to order several common medications, including those used to manage high blood pressure, diabetes and the flu, online and have them delivered on their doorstep within hours, the company said in a statement Tuesday. Amazon plans to offer the service in more than a dozen U.S. cities by the end of the year, the company said, noting that it already offers ... Read more ... |
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Climate change puts global semiconductor manufacturing at risk. Can the industry cope? - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 27) |
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Mar 27 · The 21st century chip manufacturing industry has been described as "at least as significant geopolitically as oil was in the 20th." But semiconductor manufacturing requires vast quantities of water to keep machinery cool and wafer sheets free of debris, and the unfolding climate emergency puts the industry at risk. Despite the industry's dependence on water, little attention has been paid to how changing environmental conditions may impact it. Reporting by journalists and think tanks tend to overlook climate as a risk factor for the future of the industry. Yet, globally and regionally there are signs of trouble. Taiwan, for example, produces about 90 percent of the ... Read more ... |
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Critical materials assessment tags potential supply chain bottlenecks - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 27) |
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Mar 27 · As demand jumps for these critical materials, which are sourced from all over the world, the risk of disruption to supply chains also increases. One way the United States can reduce supply chain risks is to develop a strong domestic manufacturing sector with a diverse set of producers, according to a new report developed by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) national laboratories, including Argonne. The report "draws upon mature expertise in complex supply chains and our understanding of the underlying causes of disruptions," said Allison Bennett Irion, director of supply chain research at Argonne. "It can help strengthen America's energy security and help ... Read more ... |
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Heat, cold extremes hold untapped potential for solar and wind energy, climate scientist suggests - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 27) |
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Mar 27 · The findings, detailed in the journal Environmental Research Letters, suggest that using more renewable energy at these times could help offset increased power demand as more people and businesses turn on heaters or air conditioners. "These extreme events are not going away anytime soon. In fact, every region in the U.S. experiences at least one such event nearly every year. We need to be prepared for their risks and ensure that people have reliable access to energy when they need it the most," said lead author Deepti Singh, a Washington State University climate scientist. "Potentially, we could generate more power from renewable resources precisely when we have ... Read more ... |
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High-resolution solar data enables renewable energy expansion across two continents - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 27) |
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Mar 27 · It comes in the form of a new, high-resolution solar timeseries data set on the Renewable Energy Data Explorer (RE Data Explorer) tool, tailored to the needs of stakeholders in energy sectors across national governments, academia, and private industry. Development of the data set was motivated by the unique challenges facing two countries working with NREL and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID): Tanzania and Ukraine. In both countries, the availability of reliable, long-term resource data is a barrier in accelerating the deployment of renewable energy. In Ukraine, planners are working to find ways to rebuild and decentralize a grid that has been ... Read more ... |
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Highest power efficiency achieved in flexible solar cells using new fabrication technique - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 27) |
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Mar 27 · Current flexible perovskite solar cells (FPSCs) suffer from lower power conversion efficiency than rigid perovskite solar cells because of the soft and inhomogeneous characteristics of the flexible base material, made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the perovskite films of FPSCs are built upon. FPSCs also have lower durability than rigid solar cells that use glass as a base substrate. Pores in flexible solar cell substrates allow water and oxygen to invade the perovskite materials, causing them to degrade. To address these issues with current FPSC technology, a team of material scientists from the State Key Laboratory of Power System Operation and Control at ... Read more ... |
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Hyundai to invest more than $50 bn in South Korea in major EV push - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 27) |
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Mar 27 · Hyundai on Wednesday revealed plans to invest more than $50 billion in South Korea by 2026, with a huge chunk dedicated to boosting the development and production of electric vehicles. Along with its affiliate Kia, Hyundai is the world's third-largest automaker by sales, but the South Korean giant lags in the EV sector behind Elon Musk's Tesla and Chinese firm BYD. Hyundai is keen to break into the global EV top three, saying last year that it was aiming to boost electric car production to more than 3.6 million units by 2030. With the 68 trillion won ($50.5 billion) investment announced Wednesday, Hyundai Motor Group said it wants to "secure future growth engines ... Read more ... |
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Paving new paths for sustainable construction - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 27) |
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Mar 27 · To address such challenges, researchers at the Center for Sustainable Technologies (CST), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), are exploring ways to store carbon dioxide from industrial flue gas in excavated soil and C&D waste. These materials can then be used to partially replace natural sand. This would not only reduce the environmental impact of construction materials but also impart properties that can enhance their use for construction. "CO2 utilization and sequestration can be a scalable and feasible technology for manufacturing low-carbon prefabricated building products, while being aligned with the nation's decarbonization targets," explains Souradeep Gupta, Assistant ... Read more ... |
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Vast Vienna wastewater heat pumps showcase EU climate drive - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 27) |
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Mar 27 · In a large hall on the outskirts of Vienna, shiny pipes carry treated wastewater through three giant heat pumps, part of Austria's drive to reduce carbon emissions and its dependence on Russian gas, with more and more European cities eyeing this alternative. The plant - billed as Europe's most powerful one - is churning out district heat to up to 56,000 Vienna households, with operator Wien Energie planning to double its capacity to 112,000 households by 2027. "It is very clear that we have to restructure our energy system to become independent of fossil fuels or of different individual countries," Wien Energie manager Linda Kirchberger told AFP. Heat pumps work ... Read more ... |
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Rethinking wind power's towers and turbines - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 26) |
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Mar 26 · At first glance, the wind-turbine tower that rises from the green landscape in the Swedish municipality of Skara looks like any other. It reaches a height of 105 meters and, at the top, supports a familiar trio of big rotating blades. But unlike most wind-turbine towers, which are made of steel, this one is wooden. It represents the first commercial installation by Swedish engineering company Modvion—and it could point to the future of wind energy. When it comes to renewable energy, wood can make wind power even greener by serving as the material for the towers. What's more, wood can help wind turbines to become cheaper and more powerful, providing an ... Read more ... |
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Building energy management platform uses AI and statistical methods to optimize operations - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 26) |
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Mar 26 · Buildings exhibit varying levels of energy consumption depending on their use, location, and the characteristics of their users, even down to different floors and zones within the same building. In light of initiatives such as carbon neutrality and RE100, many buildings are now implementing renewable energy solutions like solar panels, fuel cells, and energy storage systems. Furthermore, as the usage of high-end electrical appliances continues to grow, it has become crucial to manage building energy for efficient consumption effectively. Existing Building Energy Management System (BEMS) technologies primarily rely on simple monitoring of energy usage and the experience ... Read more ... |
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Chinese EV giant BYD announces record annual profit for 2023 - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 26) |
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Mar 26 · Chinese battery and automotive giant BYD achieved a record profit in 2023, annual results showed Tuesday, despite fierce competition in the country as demand for electric vehicles grows. The Shenzhen-based company is now moving quickly overseas - including into countries in Southeast Asia but also further afield in Latin America and Europe - as a price war continues to be waged in China, the world's largest automotive market. BYD overtook Elon Musk's Tesla in the fourth quarter of 2023 to become the world's top seller of EVs. The firm recorded a net profit of 30 billion yuan ($4.16 billion) last year, according to a filing to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, up 80.7 ... Read more ... |
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Chinese EV makers challenging market leaders at auto show in Bangkok - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 26) |
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Mar 26 · Companies like BYD, XPeng and Great Wall Motors are quickly growing their sales in Thailand, challenging longstanding market leaders like Toyota, Isuzu and Ford, as they expand exports across the globe. And Thailand, one of the biggest markets in Southeast Asia, a region of more than 600 million people, has made developing its EV market a priority. Tesla launched sales in late 2022, offering its popular Model 3 and Model Y at prices aimed at competing with rivals like China's BYD. BYD, or Build Your Dreams, displayed a wide range of its EV lineup, including its Dolphin, a pure EV that it says runs 490 kilometers (about 300 miles) on a single charge and is priced at ... Read more ... |
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Ghana's decades-old ambition to build an integrated aluminum industry faces a new hurdle: The clean energy transition - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 26) |
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Mar 26 · Under the Volta River Project, Nkrumah's vision was to construct a dam on Ghana's Volta River to provide dedicated electricity to a newly built smelter. The smelter was to be run by the Volta Aluminum Company (Valco) in the new industrial city of Tema. The smelter would be linked to a refinery to process Ghana's bauxite, currently estimated at 900 million tons. Ghana has the second largest reserves in Africa after Guinea. Successive Ghanaian governments have pursued this strategy over the decades. The most recent push came in 2017 when the government embarked on its latest drive to develop an aluminum producing capacity. Since then, the Ghana Integrated Aluminum ... Read more ... |
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If you've got a dark roof, you're spending almost $700 extra a year to keep your house cool - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 26) |
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Mar 26 · It's very different in Australia. New housing estates in the hottest areas around Sydney and Melbourne are dominated by dark rooftops, black roads and minimal tree cover. Dark colors trap and hold heat rather than reflect it. That might be useful in winters in Tasmania, but not where heat is an issue. A dark roof means you'll pay considerably more to keep your house cool in summer. Last year, the average household in New South Wales paid A$1827 in electricity. But those with a lighter-colored cool roof can pay up to $694 less due to lower cooling electricity needs. Put another way, a dark roof in Sydney drives up your power bill by 38%. When suburbs are full of dark ... Read more ... |
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International researchers explore new territory in the grand challenges of wind energy science - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 26) |
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Mar 26 · That is the thesis of a new report co-authored by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) along with global industry and academic experts. The report, "Grand Challenges Revisited: Wind Energy Research Needs for a Global Energy Transition," follows a previous report published in the journal Science, which outlined three grand challenges of wind energy research. Broadly speaking, these original three challenges focused on our inadequate understanding of and inability to accurately model atmospheric physics, wind turbine technology, and wind power plant integration into the grid. The new report expands those three original ... Read more ... |
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Novel multifunctional additive boosts efficiency, stability of inverted perovskite solar cells - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 26) |
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Mar 26 · The study was published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition. PSCs have attracted considerable attention in the field of new-generation photovoltaic technologies due to their exceptional optoelectronic properties, low fabrication cost, and the prospect of large-area device fabrication. However, the commercialization and practical applications of PSCs have still been limited by the relatively low power conversion efficiency (PCE) and poor long-term stability, which can be attributed to the open-circuit voltage loss in devices and crystallographic defects in perovskite films. To address this issue, the researchers used potassium (4-tert-butoxycarbonylpiperazin-1-yl) ... Read more ... |
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