Floating solar PV power has been one of the most interesting and fun segments of the global solar power industry in the past decade. When it started popping onto the scene, it was catchy, but one wondered, was it really practical and cost effective? As it turns out, the benefits … [continued]
New solar PV module efficiency record from III-V germanium PV module — 34.4% efficiency. © Fraunhofer ISE / Photo: Daniel von Kutzleben.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) is no stranger to solar power records, and it’s just set another one. Via its own III-V germanium solar PV module, the institute reached 34.4 percent solar module efficiency. The solar record march goes on. “The solar cells were developed by AZUR … [continued]
The energy-efficient desalination system produces fresh water without chemical additives and transforms leftover salts into useful materials. Big takeaways A new desalination method produces drinking water from seawater without chemical additives. The solar-powered system uses specially engineered black metal to absorb sunlight. Its self-cleaning surface separates and collects salts, instead of dumping them as harmful … [continued]
CATL said this week it is developing lithium air batteries that could have an energy density of up to 12,000 Wh/kg.
"Lentil burger with pesto and hot chilli sauce - Lentil As Anything" by avlxyz is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
My friend’s brother once told me we humans must eat meat because of the shape of our teeth, which he claimed are good for biting and chewing meat. I replied that we use our brains to make decisions about what to eat and teeth don’t make decisions. Is it true … [continued]
"Topographic map of the Nordic Seas and subpolar basins with surface currents (solid curves) and deep currents (dashed curves) that form a portion of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Colors of curves indicate approximate temperatures." Courtesy of R. Curry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution/Science/USGCRP (CC BY 3.0 license)
The US administration is shutting down an important ocean research operation and removing its sensors from the water.
Energy, retail, transportation, food, and other corporate sectors are backing away from their original sustainability goals. For example, US automakers have announced tens of billions of dollars in losses attributable to their EV investments, but many of them had lobbied vigorously for rolling back vehicle emissions regulations. The refusal to … [continued]
When light hits the eye, it induces an electric charge that is trapped by cells. The cells interpret the energy, amplitude, and duration of that charge to create an image in the mind. Vanadium pentoxide does something similar: It entraps the charge, which can be read to reconstruct the image. Illustration by National Laboratory of the Rockies.
Optoelectronic Synapse Shows Exceptional Photoresponse for Neuromorphic Vision Like so much else in nature, the human visual system has both a complex structure and functional efficiency that is difficult for scientists to replicate. The system is both a sensor and a processor, with the eyes and the brain working together … [continued]
NLR's Kestrel supercomputer boasts 56 peak petaflops. Photo by Taylor Henry, National Laboratory of the Rockies.
Kestrel Supercomputer Advanced More Than 500 Energy Modeling and Simulation Projects By Julia Medeiros Coad The National Laboratory of the Rockies’ (NLR’s) advanced computing capabilities continue to grow with the demands and complexities of applied energy research, with key upgrades to the laboratory’s Kestrel supercomputer supporting hundreds of projects with … [continued]
This figure illustrates the ethylenepyridine linkage between the silicon nanocrystal (Si) and the molecular catalyst cobaloxime (Co). This strong bonding enables formation of a high-energy hybrid electronic state. Image from J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, 148, 6, 6412-6421.
Semiconductor-Catalyst Combo Captures Energy To Drive Chemical Reactions By Connor O’Neil Plants and algae make their fuel from sunlight. Perhaps we could do the same using semiconductors. A team of scientists at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) made strides in that direction. They discovered a silicon semiconductor coupled … [continued]
