Energy: Alternative Fuels
Published

A little strain goes a long way in reducing fuel cell performance      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers report that strain caused by just a 2% reduction in the distance between atoms when deposited on a surface leads to a whopping 99.999% decrease in the speed at which the materials conduct hydrogen ions, greatly reducing the performance of solid oxide fuel cells. Developing methods to reduce this strain will help bring high-performance fuel cells for clean energy production to a wider number of households in the future.

Energy: Alternative Fuels
Published

Solar energy breakthrough: Perovskite cell with greater stability, efficiency      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have made a technological breakthrough and constructed a perovskite solar cell with the dual benefits of being both highly efficient and highly stable.

Energy: Alternative Fuels
Published

Super-dense packing of hydrogen molecules on a surface      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists describe the formation of a superdense monolayer of hydrogen on highly ordered mesoporous silica near the boiling temperature. Theoretical studies and simulations confirm the experimental observations of the unusually high hydrogen density in the adsorbed layer and may also open new possibilities for enhancing the volumetric capacity of cryogenic hydrogen storage systems.

Energy: Alternative Fuels
Published

Major leap for stable high-efficiency perovskite solar cells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Solar cells manufactured from materials known as 'perovskites' are catching up with the efficiency of traditional silicon-based solar cells. At the same time, they have advantages of low cost and short energy payback time. However, such solar cells have problems with stability -- something that researchers have now managed to solve. The results are a major step forwards in the quest for next-generation solar cells.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Batteries
Published

A sustainable battery with a biodegradable electrolyte made from crab shells      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Accelerating demand for renewable energy and electric vehicles is sparking a high demand for the batteries that store generated energy and power engines. But the batteries behind these sustainability solutions aren't always sustainable themselves. Scientists have now create a zinc battery with a biodegradable electrolyte from an unexpected source -- crab shells.

Energy: Alternative Fuels
Published

Wind turbine blades could someday be recycled into sweet treats      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Wind power is an increasingly popular form of renewable energy. But when it's time to replace the huge turbine blades that convert wind into electricity, disposal is a problem. Today, scientists report a new composite resin for making these behemoths that could later be recycled into new turbine blades or many other products, including countertops, car taillights, diapers and even gummy bears.

Energy: Alternative Fuels
Published

Report highlights technology advancement and value of wind energy      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Wind energy continues to see strong growth, solid performance, and attractive prices in the U.S., according to a recent report.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Do wind instruments disperse COVID aerosol droplets?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Orchestral ensembles have faced many challenges when starting to perform again during the COVID pandemic, and contamination is a chief concern: specifically, whether wind instruments are vectors of contamination through aerosol dispersion. Researchers worked with musicians to deepen our understanding of how much aerosol is produced and dispersed by wind instruments. They used visualization to characterize the flow, tracked fog particles in the air, and measured aerosol concentration from wind instruments with a particle counter. Then they combined these to develop an equation to describe aerosol dispersion.

Energy: Alternative Fuels
Published

New faster charging hydrogen fuel cell developed      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new design for solid-state hydrogen storage could significantly reduce charging times.

Energy: Alternative Fuels
Published

A new method boosts wind farms' energy output, without new equipment      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Engineers have developed a method to increase wind farms' energy output. Whereas individual turbines are typically controlled separately, the new approach models the wind flow of the entire collection of turbines and optimizes the control of individual units.

Energy: Alternative Fuels
Published

Tweaking turbine angles squeezes more power out of wind farms      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New algorithm forces turbines in wind farms to be team players, boosting energy output overall.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels
Published

Local renewable energy employment can fully replace U.S. coal jobs nationwide, study finds      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Across the United States, local wind and solar jobs can fully replace the coal-plant jobs that will be lost as the nation's power-generation system moves away from fossil fuels in the coming decades, according to a new study.

Energy: Alternative Fuels
Published

Understanding how rechargeable aqueous zinc batteries work      (via sciencedaily.com) 

While scientists have hoped that rechargeable zinc-manganese dioxide batteries could be developed into a viable alternative for grid storage applications, engineers have now identified the atomistic mechanism of charge and discharge in such batteries.

Energy: Alternative Fuels
Published

New wind sensor uses smart materials to improve drone performance      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Engineers have designed and successfully tested a more efficient wind sensor for use on drones, balloons and other autonomous aircraft.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels
Published

Just 10 financial actors hold the key to climate change      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new report has identified the 10 financial actors with the most influence on the fossil fuel economy and outlines the decisive role they can play in helping de-carbonize our future.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels
Published

All-in-one solar-powered tower makes carbon-neutral jet fuel      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have designed a fuel production system that uses water, carbon dioxide (CO2), and sunlight to produce aviation fuel. They have implemented the system in the field, and the design could help the aviation industry become carbon neutral.

Energy: Alternative Fuels
Published

Ultrasonic detectors reveal the detrimental effect of wind turbines at forest sites on bats      (via sciencedaily.com) 

As more and more wind turbines (WTs) are installed in the course of the energy transition and distance regulations to human settlements are tightened, suitable locations are becoming increasingly difficult to find. As a result, wind turbines are increasingly being erected in forests -- to the detriment of forest specialists among bats.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels
Published

Fuel cells: Novel multi-proton carrier complex as efficient proton conductor at high temps      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Fuel cells often fall short when it comes to operating at temperatures beyond 100 degrees Celsius owing to their dependence on water as a proton conduction medium. To overcome this issue, a team of researchers designed a new hydrogen-bonded starburst-shaped metal complex consisting of ruthenium (III) ion and six imidazole-imidazolate groups. The resulting single molecular crystal shows excellent proton conductivity even at temperatures as high as 180°C and as low as --70 °C.

Energy: Alternative Fuels
Published

Solar-powered chemistry uses carbon dioxide and water to make feedstock for fuels, chemicals      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Solar-powered synthesis gas could recycle carbon dioxide into fuels and useful chemicals, an international team of researchers has shown.

Energy: Alternative Fuels
Published

Caught in the act: Key chemical intermediates in pollutant-to-fuel reaction identified      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers identified chemical intermediates in the hydrogenation of copper-adsorbed formate. Depending on the temperature, some of the hydrogenation product decomposed into formaldehyde. The activation energy was also quantified, based on experimental and computational work. These results will be useful for optimizing production of methanol fuel from carbon dioxide.