New plasma switch can make power grid more efficient for long-distance transmission
Inside your home and office, low-voltage alternating current (AC) powers the lights, computers and electronic devices for everyday use.
But when the electricity comes from...
Energy-making gold stars may boost solar storage
Star-shaped gold nanoparticles, coated with a semiconductor, can produce hydrogen from water over four times more efficiently than other methods—and could lead to better...
Water use for fracking has risen by up to 770 percent in five years,...
The volume of wastewater new wells generate during their first year of production has also increased by up to 1,440 percent
The amount of water...
New app could extend your smartphone battery life
New research out of the University of Waterloo has found a novel method to extend the battery life of smartphones for up to an...
How origami might reshape the future of solar panels, air bags and everything
The next generation of solar panels and air bags will be shaped by the ancient Japanese art of paper folding.
At least, that’s how Northeastern...
New tech converts heat to electricity at record high rates, says new study
U.S. Army Research Laboratory-funded research at the University of Michigan has resulted in demonstrating a new approach for more effectively converting heat into electricity.
The...
Solar energy tech helps solve water access issues in arid coastal areas
Imagine living in a community where your drinking water must be trucked in because the wells in your town were so depleted that seawater...
Designing a Solar Tarp, a foldable, packable way to generate power from the sun
The energy-generating potential of solar panels – and a key limitation on their use – is a result of what they’re made of.
Panels made...
Scientists design material that can store energy like an eagle’s grip
What do a flea and an eagle have in common?
They can store energy in their feet without having to continuously contract their muscles to...
Scientists create biodegradable, paper-based biobatteries
The batteries of the future may be made out of paper.
Researchers at Binghamton University, State University at New York have created a biodegradable, paper-based...