Articles on or after 3/14/2024: PHYS.ORG - Technology
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A advance in solid-state electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries: Twice the quality with streamlined processes - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 19) |
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Mar 19 · Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) has reached a significant milestone with a study published in Energy Storage Materials, marking a crucial stride toward the commercialization of all-solid-state batteries, free from the inherent risks of explosion and fire. Dr. Park Jun-woo of the KERI Next-Generation Battery Research Center and Sung Junghwan (student researcher at the UST KERI Campus) have successfully engineered a revolutionary technology. This technology, focused on the "size-controlled wet-chemical synthesis of solid-state electrolytes (sulfide superionic conductors)," not only slashes the processing time and cost by over fifty percent but also doubles the ... Read more ... |
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A battery price war is kicking off that could soon make electric cars cheaper - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 20) |
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Mar 20 · But this could change faster than we thought. The world's largest maker of batteries for electric cars, China's CATL, claims it will slash the cost of its batteries by up to 50% this year, as a price war kicks off with the second largest maker in China, BYD subsidiary FinDreams. What's behind this? After the electric vehicle industry experienced a huge surge in 2022, it has hit headwinds. It ramped up faster than demand, triggering efforts to cut costs. But the promised price cuts are also a sign of progress. Researchers have made great strides in finding new battery chemistries. CATL and BYD now make EV batteries without any cobalt, an expensive, scarce metal linked to ... Read more ... |
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A new dawn for flexible electronics: Eliminating energy waste - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 25) |
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Mar 25 · Organic integrated circuits (ICs) have long been hindered by the presence of parasitic capacitance, which degrades circuit performance by reducing operating speed and increasing heat generation. Traditional methods to minimize parasitic capacitance have faced a trade-off between manufacturing costs and accuracy. In a study recently published in SmartMat, a team from Nanjing University presents a cost-effective dual self-alignment (d-SA) technique. This method adeptly eradicates parasitic capacitance through the meticulous alignment of electrodes without any overlap, employing a straightforward photolithographic process. A key demonstration of this technology's potential ... Read more ... |
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A rechargeable, non-aqueous manganese metal battery - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 15) |
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Mar 15 · The team managed to use manganese metal batteries (MnMBs) as the research platform to fully demonstrate the important role of halogen-mediated (with Cl as the main research object) mechanism in lowering the overpotential of the multivalent metal ions deposition and enhancing the Coulombic and the dissolution/deposition efficiencies. With theoretical calculations and experiments, the researchers fully verified that Cl was fully involved in the solvation of Mn2+ in the designed electrolyte, transforming [Mn(Osol)6]2+ solvated structure into [Mn(Osol)3Cl3]2+. Compared with other atoms, Cl atoms have a larger radius and smaller charge density; thus, the solvated Mn-Cl bond ... 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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AI unlocks new solar energy horizons in China - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 15) |
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Mar 15 · In a new study published in the Journal of Remote Sensing in February 2024, researchers utilized data augmentation alongside the LightGBM machine learning model for the estimation of both diffuse and direct solar radiation. By leveraging sunshine duration data collected from over 2,453 weather stations throughout China, this research overcomes the limitations posed by sparse and unevenly distributed ground-based observations. This approach ingeniously utilizes sunshine duration data gathered from more than 2,453 weather stations, effectively bypassing the traditional obstacles of sparse and irregularly distributed ground-based observations. The core of this research lies ... Read more ... |
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AI's excessive water consumption threatens to drown out its environmental contributions - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 22) |
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Mar 22 · Eight safe and just boundaries for five domains (climate, biosphere, water, nutrients and aerosols) have been identified beyond which there is significant harm to humans and nature and the risk of crossing tipping points increases. Humans have already crossed the safe and just Earth System Boundaries for water. To date, seven of the eight boundaries have been crossed, and although the aerosol boundary has not been crossed at the global level, it has been crossed at city level in many parts of the world. For water, the safe and just boundaries specify that surface water flows should not fluctuate more than 20 percent relative to the natural flow on a monthly basis; while ... 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 under investigation for selling illegal electronic devices - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 22) |
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Mar 22 · Amazon is currently being investigated for selling illegal electronic devices, including radio signal jamming devices that can be used to confuse drones, thwart security systems and interfere with Wi-Fi networks. "We have several ongoing investigations into retailers, including Amazon, for potential violations of Commission rules related to the marketing and sale of equipment without proper FCC authorization," the Federal Communications Commission has confirmed to the Daily News. NBC News first reported the previously undisclosed investigation. The FCC website details concerns presented by such illegal equipment, which include blocking 911 calls and interfering ... 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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An effective method for improving energy storage performance in lead-free relaxor ferroelectrics - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 25) |
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Mar 25 · Thus, it is easier to form isolated and weak coupled polar nanoclusters in the dielectric matrix. This characteristic makes it obtain a high relaxor feature and delayed saturation polarization under an electric field, which is beneficial for good energy storage performance. This represents an important advancement over existing methods. The traditional approach to creating relaxor ferroelectrics (RFEs) normally relies on doping heterogeneous ions to cause local compositional inhomogeneity and ion disorder to obtain polar nanoregions (PNRs). "But the solid solubility is limited, even though BNT has good component compatibility," Neng-Neng Luo, the leader of the research team, ... Read more ... |
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An electricity generator inspired by the drinking bird toy powers electronics with evaporated water - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 14) |
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Mar 14 · Inspired by the classic drinking bird toy, scientists in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China have developed an engine that efficiently converts energy from water evaporation into electricity to power small electronics. The device produces energy outputs exceeding 100 volts—much higher than other techniques that generate electricity from water—and can operate for several days using only 100 milliliters of water as fuel, according to a study published March 14 in the journal Device. "The drinking bird triboelectric hydrovoltaic generator offers a unique means to power small electronics in ambient conditions, utilizing water as a readily available fuel source," said Hao ... Read more ... |
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Analysis of transient linear flow-oriented straight-line analysis technique to capture fracking data - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 18) |
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Mar 18 · For unconventional reservoirs, the primary hurdle pertains to the assessment of the stimulated permeability and the success of completion design based on time-dependent patterns in flowrate and pressure, which holds paramount significance in the context of long-term reservoir management, including strategies like enhanced oil recovery and post-depletion CO2 storage and sequestration. Consequently, the analysis of production data through the RTA technique emerges as an effective tool to assess the effectiveness of well stimulation. To meet the requirements of new theories and methods for efficient evaluation and utilization of unconventional resources, Professor Chen and ... Read more ... |
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Assessing the wind vulnerability of Patagonia's oil storage tanks - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 25) |
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Mar 25 · Existing research highlights the importance of understanding the structural integrity of these tanks to prevent accidents. Consequently, a research article titled "Fragility of open-topped oil storage tanks under wind in Patagonia" was published in Emergency Management Science and Technology. The paper focuses on the development of fragility curves for estimating damage states under specific wind pressures in Patagonia's oil-producing regions, aiming to address the issues of shell buckling and loss of integrity in storage tanks to mitigate the risk of accidents and their consequential environmental and economic impacts. In this research, researchers methodically ... Read more ... |
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Bosnia's lithium discovery raises hopes and fears - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 14) |
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Mar 14 · In northeast Bosnia's rolling hills, the local community is torn between fears of environmental ruin and hopes of riches from huge deposits of the critical minerals Europe needs for its green transition. The area around Lopare sits on an estimated 1.5 million tonnes of lithium carbonate, 94 million tonnes of magnesium sulfate and 17 million tonnes of boron - the stuff used to make everything from electric cars to wind turbines and electronics. The potentially game-changing deposits could be a rare boon for this poverty-stricken corner of southeast Europe, with Bosnia's economy having largely stagnated following a devastating war in the 1990s. Bosnia's fiery Serb ... 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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California is wrestling with electricity prices - how to design a system to fix the grid while keeping prices fair - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 21) |
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Mar 21 · However, its expansion is making it harder for electric utilities and power grid managers to design fair and efficient retail electricity rates—the prices that households pay. Under traditional electricity pricing, customers pay one charge per kilowatt-hour of electricity consumption that covers both the energy they use and the fixed costs of maintaining the grid. As more people adopt rooftop solar, they buy less energy from the grid. Fewer customers are left to shoulder utilities' fixed costs, potentially making power more expensive for everyone. This trend can drive more customers to leave the system and raise prices further—a scenario known as the utility ... Read more ... |
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Cheaper batteries are key to shifting transport away from fossil fuels. Can the market deliver? - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 15) |
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Mar 15 · Think of it like this: batteries are the new oil. They power our cars and electric bikes, and increasingly fuel buses, delivery trucks, heavy equipment and even ferries. There are even battery-powered planes—now mostly used for training pilots. Can new technologies compensate for price increases in the metals and minerals needed to produce batteries? How will technologies change over the years to respond to this growing market? And—given the urgency to decarbonize as much of the world's economies by 2050 to limit global warming—what will happen to battery prices in the near to medium term? A new analysis that focused on the cost of battery ... Read more ... |
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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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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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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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Climate-friendly renovations using straw and hemp - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 21) |
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Mar 21 · Switzerland is home to just under 1.8 million residential buildings and a further million non-residential ones. Together, these account for some 40 percent of the country's final energy demand. Buildings represent a key lever in moving Switzerland towards climate neutrality: far more than half of all of its buildings are still heated using fossil fuels like oil and gas. What's more, the vast majority were built at a time before effective efficiency standards, and many are in desperate need of renovation to make them more energy-efficient. Considering a building's life cycle Traditional renovations are geared towards energy consumption and involve two main measures: ... 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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Dig deep: US bets on geothermal to become renewable powerhouse - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 25) |
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Mar 25 · Though geothermal represents only a tiny fraction of current US energy production, several businesses and President Joe Biden's administration are betting on technological advances to make it a backbone of the green transition. "If we can capture that heat beneath our feet, it can be the clean, reliable, baseload-scalable power for everybody from industries to households," Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told the CERAWeek conference in Houston this past week. Her department estimates that geothermal energy could overtake hydroelectric and solar power in the country by 2050. Geothermal, which draws on naturally high temperatures underground and is used mainly to ... Read more ... |
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Emissions impossible? How the transport sector can help make the 2050 net-zero goal a reality - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 18) |
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Mar 18 · As current trends suggest, both energy demand and emissions from transportation are expected to double by 2050, indicating the need for a radical transformation rather than incremental improvements. The shift towards alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), such as plug-in electric or fuel cell hydrogen, is central to this transformation. Estimates suggest that achieving the 2 C climate target would require AFVs to comprise 50 percent of total traffic by 2050. Moreover, achieving the 1.5 C climate target would require AFV sales to reach 75 to 95 percent by 2030. The commercial sector, in particular, stands to benefit from significant GHG reductions, both financially and ... Read more ... |
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Engineers use moisture to pull carbon dioxide out of the air - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 15) |
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Mar 15 · The material could slash the energy costs associated with so-called direct air capture systems, which conventionally rely on energy-intensive temperature or pressure shifts to switch between carbon capture and release. By instead relying on humidity, the material could yield energy efficiency improvements over five times above current technologies. The researchers report their findings in Environmental Science & Technology Letters. Direct air capture systems have been heralded as a way to combat climate change by pulling carbon dioxide out of the air to either store permanently underground or convert into a useful product. "There's been an explosion of interest in direct ... Read more ... |
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Enhancing rechargeable batteries with carbon solutions - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 18) |
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Mar 18 · In a new review published in Resources Chemicals and Materials, a team of researchers from China examined the potential of biomass-derived carbon materials for high-performance rechargeable battery electrodes. A key piece of information that stood out was the authors' emphasis on the hydrothermal method as an approach for synthesizing biomass-derived carbon materials. "In our assessment, we posit that the hydrothermal method stands out as the most promising approach for crafting biomass-derived carbon materials. This technique not only offers a high degree of control but also demonstrates remarkable efficacy in tailoring the microstructure of these materials," says Qiankun ... Read more ... |
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EPA issues new auto rules aimed at cutting carbon emissions, boosting electric vehicles and hybrids - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 20) |
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Mar 20 · The Biden administration announced new automobile emissions standards Wednesday that officials called the most ambitious plan ever to cut planet-warming emissions from passenger vehicles. The new rules relax initial tailpipe limits proposed last year but eventually get close to the same strict standards set out by the Environmental Protection Agency. The rules come as sales of electric vehicles, which are needed to meet the standards, have begun to slow. The auto industry cited lower sales growth in objecting to the EPA's preferred standards unveiled last April as part of its ambitious plan to cut planet-warming emissions from passenger vehicles. The EPA said that ... Read more ... |
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EPA's new auto emissions standard will speed the transition to cleaner cars - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · The original proposal met significant pushback from carmakers and unions, who argued that the industry needed more time to switch from gas-powered cars to EVs. As a result, while the final target that this rule sets is very similar to the one that was initially proposed, the timetable in the final rule—especially in the earlier years—is relatively relaxed. That means more carbon emissions in the short run. Politics is inevitably an important consideration in regulating major industries. The new rule is projected to cut carbon dioxide emissions from passenger cars by nearly 50% in model year 2032 relative to existing standards. This requires a broad shift ... Read more ... |
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Even as the fusion era dawns, we're still in the Steam Age - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 18) |
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Mar 18 · Many of us think the age of steam has ended. But while the steam engine has been superseded by internal combustion engines and now electric motors, the modern world still relies on steam. All thermal power plants, from coal to nuclear, must have steam to function. But why? It's because of something we discovered millennia ago. In the first century CE, the ancient Greeks invented the aeolipile—a steam turbine. Heat turned water into steam, and steam has a very useful property: it's an easy-to-make gas that can push. This simple fact means that even as the dream of fusion power creeps closer, we will still be in the Steam Age. The first commercial fusion plant will ... Read more ... |
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Fast-charging lithium-sulfur batteries on the horizon - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 14) |
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Mar 14 · The University of Adelaide's Professor Shizhang Qiao, Chair of Nanotechnology, and Director, Center for Materials in Energy and Catalysis, at the School of Chemical Engineering, led a team which examined the sulfur reduction reaction (SRR) which is the pivotal process governing the charge-discharge rate of Li||S batteries. "We investigated various carbon-based transition metal electrocatalysts, including iron, cobalt, nickel, copper and zinc during the SRR," said Professor Qiao who is an ARC Australian Laureate Fellow. "Reaction rates increased with higher polysulfide concentrations, as polysulfide serves as the reactive intermediates during SRR." The team designed ... Read more ... |
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Future nuclear power reactors could rely on molten salts - but what about corrosion? - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 21) |
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Mar 21 · "We can say we should have only wind and solar someday. But we don't have the luxury of 'someday' anymore, so we can't ignore other helpful ways to combat climate change," he says. "To me, it's an 'all-hands-on-deck' thing. Solar and wind are clearly a big part of the solution. But I think that nuclear power also has a critical role to play." For decades, researchers have been working on designs for both fission and fusion nuclear reactors using molten salts as fuels or coolants. While those designs promise significant safety and performance advantages, there's a catch: Molten salt and the impurities within it often corrode metals, ultimately causing them to crack, weaken, and ... 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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Google is trying to reduce its food waste without irritating employees - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 18) |
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Mar 18 · It's not just the headcount at Google that's getting smaller. Like other Silicon Valley giants retrenching amid financial uncertainty, Google has cut thousands of jobs since January 2023. But the company is also accelerating changes within its lavish corporate cafeterias - a longtime lure for tech employees - that will both reduce costs and cut the company's food waste. From offering smaller milk containers to cooking eggs on the spot instead of in advance, Google has found ways to put less food in the trash while trying to make sure employees don't feel cheated out of one of the company's most beloved perks. Google's food waste goals are set on a 2025 timeline, ... 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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Honda and Nissan agree to work together in developing electric vehicles and intelligent technology - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 15) |
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Mar 15 · Nissan and Honda announced Friday that they will work together in developing electric vehicles and auto intelligence technology, sectors where Japanese automakers have fallen behind. The chief executives of Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. appeared together at a news conference in Tokyo to announce that Japan's second and third biggest automakers will look into areas with a potential for collaboration. The details of the non-binding agreement are still being worked out, both sides said. The executives said the companies will develop core technologies together, but their products will remain different. Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida stressed that speed is ... 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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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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Kirigami-inspired wind steering to cool sweltering urban canyons, improve ventilation - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 21) |
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Mar 21 · In an article published Feb. 4 in the Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, the researchers found that a cover with a row of evenly spaced, tilting slats, called louvers, can increase the airflow in a box by channeling wind that ordinarily would flow over the open top. "If you cut the lid in a certain pattern and stretch it, it becomes three-dimensional," said Elie Bou-Zeid, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Princeton and one of the lead researchers. "It can guide the flow of air to come in and out in ways that are better for ventilation than having no lid whatsoever." Originally, Bou-Zeid said, the researchers were looking for a ... Read more ... |
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Leaders tout nuclear power as climate tool at Brussels summit - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 21) |
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Mar 21 · More than 30 countries - including European nations, the United States, Brazil and China - took part on Thursday in the first-ever summit held by the United Nations' atomic energy agency to promote nuclear as a "clean and reliable source of energy". "This is a fight where we have to use all the available, dispatchable, CO2-free energy sources for the common challenge," International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi told the gathering at the Atomium in Brussels - a modernist landmark built for the 1958 World Fair. The approach is anathema to a number of other European countries - including Germany and Spain - and to many environmentalists, who see the drive ... Read more ... |
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Major environmental benefits of recycling gold with biodiesel - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 22) |
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Mar 22 · "Pure metals have a number of uses in a modern society, not least for the development of green technologies. Our research shows how the metal industry can accelerate the transition from fossil to bio-based solvents," says Mark Foreman, associate professor of chemistry at Chalmers. The scientific article "Sustainable solvent extraction of gold and other metals with biomass chemicals" has been published in the journal RSC Sustainability. Gold is not only a precious metal that is a symbol of wealth in the form of jewelry and gold bars. A regular smartphone contains slightly more than 0.03 grams of gold, and the metal is found in most of the everyday electronics we have ... Read more ... |
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Monsters, asteroids, vampires: AI conspiracies flood TikTok - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 18) |
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Mar 18 · From vampires and wendigos to killer asteroids, TikTok users are pumping out outlandish end-of-the-world conspiracy theories, researchers say, in yet another misinformation trend on a platform whose fate in the United States hangs in the balance. In the trend reported by the nonprofit Media Matters, TikTok users seek to monetize viral videos that make unfounded claims about the US government secretly capturing or preserving mythical monsters that include -– wait for it –- King Kong. It is the latest illustration of misinformation swirling on the platform - a stubborn issue that has been largely absent in recent policy debates as US lawmakers mull banning the ... Read more ... |
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New advance in all-solid-state battery technology enhances performance of lithium from the bottom - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 14) |
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Mar 14 · Secondary batteries generally rely on liquid electrolytes when used in various applications, such as electric vehicles and energy storage systems. However, the flammability of liquid electrolytes poses a risk of fires. This prompts ongoing research efforts to explore the use of solid electrolytes and the metal lithium (Li) in all-solid-state batteries, offering a safer option. In the operation of all-solid-state batteries, lithium is plated onto an anode, and the movement of electrons is harnessed to generate electricity. During the charging and discharging process, lithium metal undergoes a cycle of losing electrons, transforming into an ion, regaining electrons, and ... Read more ... |
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New all-liquid iron flow battery for grid energy storage - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 25) |
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Mar 25 · Iron-based flow batteries designed for large-scale energy storage have been around since the 1980s, and some are now commercially available. What makes this battery different is that it stores energy in a unique liquid chemical formula that combines charged iron with a neutral-pH phosphate-based liquid electrolyte, or energy carrier. Crucially, the chemical, called nitrogenous triphosphonate, nitrilotri-methylphosphonic acid or NTMPA, is commercially available in industrial quantities because it is typically used to inhibit corrosion in water treatment plants. Phosphonates, including NTMPA, are a broad chemical family based on the element phosphorus. Many phosphonates dissolve ... Read more ... |
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New method that uses quantum mechanics can lead to improved lithium metal batteries - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 25) |
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Mar 25 · In a study published in Nature Energy, Dr. Perla Balbuena and Dr. Jorge Seminario, professors in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, developed a new method for understanding the impact of external pressure on lithium-metal batteries using quantum mechanics. A deeper understanding of the behavior of lithium ions under pressure can advance and improve lithium-metal battery fabrication processes to develop longer-lasting, more efficient battery technologies. "This work is a beautiful demonstration of the impact of first-principles ab initio analysis on the design of macroscopic processes," said Balbuena. "Similar methods can be used for ... Read more ... |
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New model makes it easier to build sustainable structures of textile-reinforced concrete - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 21) |
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Mar 21 · "A great deal of the concrete we use today has the function to act as a protective layer to prevent the steel reinforcement from corroding. If we can use textile reinforcement instead, we can reduce cement consumption and also use less concrete and thus reduce the climate impact," says Karin Lundgren, who is Professor in Concrete Structures at the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering at Chalmers. Cement is a binder in concrete and its production from limestone has a large impact on the climate. One of the problems is that large amounts of carbon dioxide that have been sequestered in the limestone are released during production. Every year, about 4.5 billion metric ... Read more ... |
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New reactor could save millions when making ingredients for plastics and rubber from natural gas - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 21) |
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Mar 21 · The reactor creates propylene, a workhorse chemical that is also used to make a long list of industrial chemicals, including ingredients for nitrile rubber found in automotive hoses and seals as well as blue protective gloves. Most propylene used today comes from oil refineries, which collect it as a byproduct of refining crude oil into gasoline. As oil and gasoline fall out of vogue in favor of natural gas, solar, and wind energy, production of propylene and other oil-derived products could fall below the current demand without new ways to make them. Natural gas extracted from shale holds one potential alternative to propylene sourced from crude oil. It's rich in ... Read more ... |
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New study reports scalable and cost-effective method to assemble a safer and durable lithium metal battery - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 20) |
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Mar 20 · A porous separator membrane lies between the electrodes in a battery, keeping them apart, and is crucial to prevent a short circuit. When a battery is used for some time, tree-like structures or whiskers called dendrites begin to form on one of the electrodes. If these dendrites grow uncontrollably, they may in some sense become a physical bridge between the two electrodes causing a short circuit. Preeti Yadav and Pallavi Thakur, graduate students and lead authors of the study, used a commonly available graphite derivative powder to modify the separator membrane used in a typical battery. This modification suppresses dendrite formation and improves the longevity of the battery ... Read more ... |
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Novel material for perovskite solar cells can improve their stability and efficiency - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 19) |
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Mar 19 · Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have received significant interest from the photovoltaic community due to their skyrocketing power conversion. Moreover, PSCs may be scaled up using a low-cost production process from widely available abundant raw materials. These aspects show promise for PSCs as a future mainstream photovoltaic technology. However, the long-term stability of perovskite solar devices under practical working conditions still requires further improvement to satisfy market demands. A novel 9,9′-spirobifluorene derivative bearing thermally cross-linkable vinyl groups, synthesized by the team of chemists at KTU, Lithuania, could help solving some of the ... 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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Nuclear's EU comeback on show at Brussels summit - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 21) |
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Mar 21 · Promoting nuclear power was long taboo in Brussels, but a high-profile international summit Thursday will send loud and clear the message that atomic energy - now touted by its champions as key to fighting climate change - is back. Gone are the days when Berlin's anti-nuclear stance set the tone: in the past two years atomic pioneer France has been decisive in crafting friendlier regulation, and putting nuclear back on the EU's agenda. Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which is organizing this week's meet in Brussels, is a leading proponent of nuclear as a "clean and reliable source of energy." "The world needs much more of ... Read more ... |
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Pair accused of stealing battery manufacturing secrets from Tesla and starting their own company - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 20) |
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Mar 20 · Two men are accused of starting a business in China using battery manufacturing technology pilfered from Tesla and trying to sell the proprietary information, federal prosecutors in New York said Tuesday. Klaus Pflugbeil, 58, a Canadian citizen who lives in Ningbo, China, was arrested Tuesday morning on Long Island, where he thought he was going to meet with businessmen to negotiate a sale price for the information, federal authorities said. Instead, the businessmen were undercover federal agents. The other man named in the criminal complaint is Yilong Shao, 47, also of Ningbo. He remains at large. They are charged with conspiracy to transmit trade secrets, which carries ... Read more ... |
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Pairing crypto mining with green hydrogen offers clean energy boost, study suggests - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 25) |
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Mar 25 · Pairing cryptocurrency mining - notable for its outsize consumption of carbon-based fuel - with green hydrogen could provide the foundation for wider deployment of renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, according to a new Cornell University study. "Since current cryptocurrency operations now contribute heavily to worldwide carbon emissions, it becomes vital to explore opportunities for harnessing the widespread enthusiasm for cryptocurrency as we move toward a sustainable and a climate-friendly future," said Fengqi You, professor of energy systems engineering at Cornell. You and doctoral student Apoorv Lal are authors of "Climate Sustainability Through a Dynamic ... 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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Perovskite solar cells: Vacuum process may offer a short track to commercialization - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 14) |
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Mar 14 · An international consortium led by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has now analyzed this critical discrepancy between laboratory and industry. They emphasize that if improved, industrially tested vacuum processes could contribute to the rapid commercialization of perovskite solar cells. Their study has been published in Energy & Environmental Science. In perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell research, efficiencies of more than 33% have been shown, exceeding by far those of conventional silicon-based solar cells. However, the technology has not reached the market. One of the major ... Read more ... |
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Predicting energy yields for photovoltaic systems - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 21) |
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Mar 21 · While a solar cell's conversion efficiency is conventionally measured in a controlled environment, its real-world performance, influenced by diverse weather conditions, can significantly deviate. For stakeholders such as solar farm managers and energy providers, the paramount concern lies not in the cell's efficiency percentage, but in understanding its actual annual power generation in a specific location. With this (financial) yield uncertainty, the full potential of solar panels—and their integration into buildings, car roofs or agricultural applications—might remain unharnessed. The pressing need for precision Predictive models of energy yields currently ... Read more ... |
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Reduced risk of PEMFC flooding by gas diffusion media hydrophobic gradient - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 19) |
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Mar 19 · In PEMFCs, both water and reaction gas are transferred through the gas diffusion media (GDM), a porous media composed of a micro-porous layer (MPL) and a gas diffusion layer (GDL). When water accumulates in GDM, the mass transfer in PEMFC will be blocked, leading to flooding. This, in turn, results in a decrease in the output performance and service life of PEMFC. In a study published Fundamental Research, a group of researchers from China outlined a GDM design—GDM hydrophobicity gradient. Specifically, the hydrophobicity gradient reduces the risk of flooding by accelerating the water transport in GDM and improving reaction gas transport. "The wettability of a ... Read more ... |
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Reimagining the future of solar energy - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 18) |
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Mar 18 · While investigating this recently, a group of scientists at the Cavendish Laboratory and AMOLF (Amsterdam NL) have found that improving solar cells' efficiency in this way is harder than we might think, but have discovered other avenues by which it might be possible to improve solar energy capture anywhere on the planet. They integrated this data into an electronic model to calculate the solar cells' output. By simulating various scenarios, they could predict how much energy the solar cells could produce at various locations worldwide. Their findings published in Joule, however, revealed a surprising twist. "Making solar cells super-efficient turns out to be very ... Read more ... |
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Renault CEO urges 'Marshall Plan' for Europe electric vehicles - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 19) |
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Mar 19 · The chief executive of French automaker Renault called Tuesday for a European "Marshall Plan" to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles and reduce carbon emissions in the face of Chinese competition. The post-WWII US program helped rebuild Western European economies, and Luca de Meo argued for a similar effort in a series of proposals made to launch a policy debate ahead of European parliamentary elections in June. "A European Marshall Plan could be put in place to accelerate parc renewal and thus drastically reduce CO2 emissions," he wrote. He likened it to the EU's post-COVID recovery plan, saying a special European fund could finance incentives for the ... Read more ... |
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Renewables toolkit aims to help smooth the road to net zero - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 26) |
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Mar 26 · Working with local authorities, the National Farmers' Union (NFU), the National Trust and industry experts, academics from the University have developed a renewable energy toolkit which provides clear and accessible guidance to those interested in developing local scale renewable energy projects in North East England. Advice is tailored for use at a local level, prioritizing individual farms or smallholdings, and takes into account the region's diverse energy needs, considering not only electricity generation, but also heat, energy efficiency, and energy storage. It covers frequently asked questions on the logistics, finance and planning considerations relating to solar ... Read more ... |
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Research lights up process for turning CO₂ into sustainable fuel - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 25) |
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Mar 25 · An international team of researchers from the University of Nottingham's School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham, University of Queensland, and University of Ulm have designed a material made up of copper anchored on nanocrystalline carbon nitride. The copper atoms are nested within the nanocrystalline structure, which allows electrons to move from carbon nitride to CO2, an essential step in the production of methanol from CO2 under the influence of solar irradiation. The research has been published in the Sustainable Energy & Fuels journal. In photocatalysis, light is shone on a semiconductor material that excites electrons, enabling them to travel through the ... Read more ... |
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Researchers develop bendable energy storage materials - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 19) |
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Mar 19 · Recently, a collaborative team led by Professor Jin Kon Kim and others has brought a step closer to making this realty. This research work was published in Advanced Materials. Mesoporous metal oxides (MMOs) are characterized by pores ranging from 2 to 50 nanometers (nm) in size. Due to their extensive surface area, MMOs have various applications, such as high-performance energy storage and efficient catalysis, semiconductors, and sensors. However, the integration of MMOs on wearable and flexible devices remains a great challenge, because plastic substrates could not maintain their integrity at elevated temperatures (350°C or above) where MMOs could be ... Read more ... |
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Researchers help robots navigate efficiently in uncertain environments - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 14) |
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Mar 14 · The algorithm starts with paths that are certain to be safe and automatically finds shortcuts the robot could take to reduce the overall travel time. In simulated experiments, the researchers found that their algorithm can achieve a better balance between planning performance and efficiency in comparison to other baselines, which prioritize one or the other. This algorithm could have applications in areas like exploration, perhaps by helping a robot plan the best way to travel to the edge of a distant crater across the uneven surface of Mars. It could also aid a search-and-rescue drone in finding the quickest route to someone stranded on a remote mountainside. "It is ... Read more ... |
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Researchers report efficiency breakthrough for narrow-bandgap perovskite cells - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 19) |
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Mar 19 · The study is published in Advanced Energy Materials. The key innovation lies in the creation of a thin film layer that bonds the combined materials, resulting in a substantial increase in battery efficiency. This bonding layer strengthens the internal electric field, reduces defects at the interface, and enhances the movement of electric charges, thereby improving charge extraction efficiency. One of the challenges with tin–lead halide complexes is their limited energy gap between bands, despite their excellent light absorption capabilities in the near-infrared region. The presence of internal defects and short charge movement distances has hindered stable charge ... Read more ... |
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Researchers reveal roadmap for AI innovation in brain and language learning - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 19) |
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Mar 19 · A new multidisciplinary research effort co-led by Anna (Anya) Ivanova, assistant professor in the School of Psychology at Georgia Tech, alongside Kyle Mahowald, an assistant professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Texas at Austin, is working to uncover just that. Their results could lead to innovative AIs that are more similar to the human brain than ever before—and also help neuroscientists and psychologists who are unearthing the secrets of our own minds. The study, "Dissociating Language and Thought in Large Language Models," is published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences. An earlier preprint of the paper was released in January 2023. The ... Read more ... |
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Researchers take major step toward developing next-generation solar cells - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 21) |
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Mar 21 · In a paper published February 26 in the journal Nature Energy, a University of Colorado Boulder researcher and his international collaborators unveiled an innovative method to manufacture the new solar cells, known as perovskite cells, an achievement critical for the commercialization of what many consider the next generation of solar technology. Today, nearly all solar panels are made from silicon, which boasts an efficiency of 22%. This means silicon panels can only convert about one-fifth of the sun's energy into electricity because the material absorbs only a limited proportion of sunlight's wavelengths. Producing silicon is also expensive and energy-intensive. Enter ... 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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Scientists can now remove nanoplastics from our water with 94% efficiency - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 14) |
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Mar 14 · University of Waterloo researchers have created a new technology that can remove harmful nanoplastics from contaminated water with 94% efficiency. The study, "Utilization of epoxy thermoset waste to produce activated carbon for the remediation of nano-plastic contaminated wastewater," was published in the journal Separation and Purification Technology. The amount of plastic pollution in our ecosystem has become an increasingly alarming concern globally. Concerns have frequently been flagged about the impact that plastic pollution has on the toxicity to the environment and humans. The impact of nanoplastics, material that is a thousand times smaller than microplastics, ... Read more ... |
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Scientists develop bifunctional catalyst performance enhancement technology to lower the cost of hydrogen production - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 18) |
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Mar 18 · Bifunctional catalysts are a new generation of catalysts that simultaneously produce hydrogen and oxygen from water using a single catalyst. Currently, electrochemical systems such as water electrolysis technology and CCU (carbon dioxide capture and utilization) utilize separate catalysts for both electrodes, resulting in a high unit cost of hydrogen production. Bifunctional catalysts that can be synthesized in a single production process are attracting attention as a technology that can reduce production costs and increase the economic efficiency of electrochemical energy conversion technologies. However, the problem with bifunctional catalysts is that after each ... Read more ... |
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Self-heating concrete is one step closer to putting snow shovels and salt out of business - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 18) |
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Mar 18 · Tucked inconspicuously next to a parking lot for the university's facilities vehicles, two 30-inch-by-30-inch slabs have been warding off snow, sleet, and freezing rain on their own—without shoveling, salting, or scrapping—for a little over three years. Researchers in Drexel's College of Engineering recently reported on the science behind the special concrete that can warm itself up when it snows or as temperatures approach freezing. Self-heating concrete, like Drexel's, is the latest in an ongoing effort to create more environmentally responsive and resilient infrastructure, particularly in the northern regions of the United States, where the National Highway ... Read more ... |
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Smart meters haven't delivered the promised benefits to electricity users. Here's a way to fix the problems - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 18) |
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Mar 18 · Smart meters are the enabling technology of modern smart electricity grids. Smart grids can use digital technology to fine-tune the management of electricity supply and demand. This ensures the grid can deliver low-cost and reliable power. Countries like Australia are racing to install smart meters extensively. Last year the Australian Energy Market Commission recommended a goal of 100% uptake among small customers by 2030. In response, an Australian Energy Council article suggested these meters aren't living up to their potential. This isn't just an Australian problem—it's a global challenge. Our research offers a solution to unleash the promised benefits of smart ... Read more ... |
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Strengthening the grid's 'backbone' with hydropower - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 21) |
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Mar 21 · Three recent studies by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory advance the role of hydropower in driving the clean energy transition. The research explored hydropower's potential in Alaska, its value to grid operations and its optimal design. DOE's Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) recognized this work in its 2022–2023 Accomplishments Report—a compilation of some of the most impactful WPTO-funded hydropower research. The three studies were supported by WPTO's HydroWIRES Initiative. Why hydropower matters Rapid deployment of wind and solar energy often makes headlines in news coverage of the clean energy transition—and ... Read more ... |
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Sun and space: Harnessing cold universe and solar power for renewable energy - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 14) |
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Mar 14 · Led by Linxiao Zhu, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, the team developed and tested a dual cooling and power strategy that simultaneously harvests solar energy in a solar cell and directs heat away from Earth through radiative cooling. They published their energy solution, which is more efficient than either component on its own, on March 13 in Cell Reports Physical Science. Radiative cooling works by sending infrared light directly into outer space instantaneously without warming the surrounding air. Zhu used a thermal camera to help explain the concept. Invisible, heat-bearing infrared light can only be seen through a thermal camera, which uses color to ... Read more ... |
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Sustainable biomass production capacity could triple US bioeconomy, report finds - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 18) |
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Mar 18 · The 2023 Billion-Ton Report, or BT23, announced by DOE, is the fourth in a series of national biomass resource assessments spanning two decades. The report identifies feedstocks that could be available to produce biofuels to decarbonize transportation and industrial processes. The report examines different levels of market maturity to assess the quantity of biomass that could be produced, its price, geographical density and distribution. The report covers biomass production capacity from some 60 resources, including winter oilseed crops, trees and brush harvested to prevent forest wildfires, purpose-grown energy crops, macroalgae such as seaweed cultivated in ocean farms, ... Read more ... |
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Two-faced solar panels can generate more power at up to 70% less cost - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 18) |
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Mar 18 · These tubes are just 2.2 nanometers across. That is slightly thinner than a strand of human DNA. A piece of paper is thicker than 45,000 nanotubes stacked on top of each other. The study is published in the journal Nature Communications, and the team included Surrey scientists working with colleagues at the University of Cambridge, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xidian University, and Zhengzhou University, China. Dr. Jing Zhang, research fellow at Surrey's Advanced Technology Institute, said, "Our bifacial cells can harvest sunlight from both front and back panels. This generates more energy and depends less on which angle the light hits them. "The carbon ... Read more ... |
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Using drone swarms to fight forest fires - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 21) |
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Mar 21 · "A swarm of drones could be the solution," says Suresh Sundaram, Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, IISc. Although they have not yet been used in India, the use of drones is not entirely new. But in a new study published in IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics: Systems, Sundaram's team proposes taking the technology a step further: Coordinated multi-swarm drones swooping in to quell forest fires. "By the time somebody identifies and reports a fire, it has already started spreading and cannot be put out with one drone," says Sundaram. "You need to have a swarm of drones. A swarm that can communicate with each other." The solution was to ... 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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Vietnamese automaker VinFast to start selling EVs in Thailand - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 26) |
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Mar 26 · Vietnamese automaker VinFast announced Tuesday that it plans to sell its electric vehicles in Thailand and said it had tied up with auto dealers to open showrooms in the country. VinFast, which only began exporting its EVs last year, faces stiff competition in Thailand from Chinese automakers like BYD. Tesla also recently entered the fray. All were displaying their latest models at the Bangkok International Motor Show. The Thai EV market is small but growing fast, buoyed by incentives and subsidies from the government. The country of more than 70 million plans to convert 30% of the 2.5 million vehicles it makes annually into EVs by 2030. VinFast hopes to start ... Read more ... |
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World's first N-channel diamond field-effect transistor for CMOS integrated circuits - PHYS.ORG - Technology  (Mar 15) |
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Mar 15 · A National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) research team has developed the world's first n-channel diamond MOSFET (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor). The developed n-channel diamond MOSFET provides a key step toward CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor: one of the most popular technologies in the computer chip) integrated circuits for harsh environment applications, as well as the development of diamond power electronics. The research is published in Advanced Science. Semiconductor diamond has outstanding physical properties such as ultra wide-bandgap energy of 5.5 eV, high carriers mobilities, and high thermal conductivity, which is promising ... Read more ... |
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