Pennsylvania State University

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$10 Million to Develop New and Alternative Supplies of Critical Minerals & Materials

The Investing in America Agenda Supports Innovative, Clean Energy Technologies to Strengthen Responsible Domestic Supply Chains and Reduce Our Nation’s Reliance on Foreign Sources In support of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $10.2 million for four projects that will advance cost … [continued]

Breakthrough Renewable Energy Forecasting Coming To US Grid By 2015

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is adding to its already impressive list of renewable energy innovations with a new two-year plan to develop custom forecasting systems for wind and solar generation.

NCAR scientists and engineers will develop technology to predict sudden changes in wind speed, enable wind farm operators to curtail turbines before potentially damaging icy conditions, and predict the amount of energy generated by small-scale solar panel installations.

Quantum Dot Solar Cell Improvements Show Remarkable Potential to Balance Solar Performance & Cost

As far as innovation on the technology front, this one is a winner. In tabulating efficiency ratings, however, quantum cells don’t seem to perform as well as either silicon-based or CIGS solar cells. This may soon change. Nature Materials writes that a new efficiency record for wrapping colloidal quantum dot solar cells may represent a step towards narrowing the gap.