Total, a French oil company, recently agreed to give the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) $4 million for a 5-year research project to develop stationary batteries that can more efficiently store solar energy. More efficient energy storage has been a difficult issue for scientists to crack. It is a major … [continued]
Researchers at Rice University have announced the discovery of a new breakthrough method for producing carbon nanotubes in bulk fluids. Rice’s new nanotube “stew” could spur the inexpensive mass production of carbon nanotube-based products, much like the plastics industry employed bulk loads of melted polymers as a cheap base for … [continued]
A Florida school district was way ahead of the clean energy curve in the ’80’s. The Hillsborough School District contracted with the first companies pioneering the use of cheap excess off-peak night time power to freeze water at night which would then provide simple cooling by day for air conditioning. … [continued]
New research at the University of Florida (UF) has just brought to light a new method in the capturing and guiding of energy that may lead to cheaper and more efficient solar cells.
New advances in lithium-ion batteries are making energy storage more effcient, less expensive, and more ready for a deep plunge into the mass market. With application far beyond electric cars – think cell phones, laptops, grid storage, power tools, and even lawn mowers – it is only a matter of … [continued]
Pumped hydro storage is a simple technology already in wide use. Pump water up a hill when you have available energy, let it fall when you need its power. But Riverbank Power; a new start-up founded by a former wind developer who wants to develop large-scale energy storage, is trying … [continued]
In a surprising find, scientists have discovered a microbe that can efficiently convert direct electrical current into methane. That may be good news for wind and solar power enthusiasts, who have long been faced with the dilemma of how to store energy when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun … [continued]
Scientists at Pennsylvania State University have discovered a solution to the problem of reliable storage for alternative energy: a bacteria that can convert electricity to methane when combined with CO2. [social_buttons] Any surplus power from wind, solar, or tidal sources is fed into the bacteria and combined with CO2 from … [continued]
Imagine using only the energy from the sun to power your home. You would never have to pay an electric bill again and or be impacted by power outages. It may sound great, but there are numerous advantages to having a solar home that is on-the-grid when available.
Steve Jobs’ absence hasn’t prevented exciting things from happening at this week’s MacWorld Expo in San Francisco. This morning, Apple unveiled the new 17 inch MacBook Pro, complete with a new energy efficient lithium-polymer battery.
