Oregon State fuel cell cleans wastewater, creates energy using bacteria

Engineers at Oregon State University have developed a microbial fuel cell that they claim can produce electricity from wastewater at a volume 10 to 50 times more than the current technology. Microbial fuel cells create energy from the catalytic reactions of microorganisms. In the microbial fuel cell devised at Oregon State, bacteria oxidize the organic matter in wastewater...

Read more...

Dying trees, low reservoir levels allow methane-producing microbes to thrive

Dying trees and low water reserves are two of the surprising culprits behind the rising levels of the greenhouse gas methane, according to two separate studies released by Yale and Washington State University this week. This is mostly because they provide ideal environments for methane-producing microbes to thrive.Researchers at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies...

Read more...

Brown University chemists develop transparent thin film by spin casting

Chemists at Brown University have developed a simpler and easier manufacturing process for transparent, conductive thin films that can be used as protective layer for solar cells. Most solar panels have an outer layer of transparent protective material over the actual solar cells to protect the semiconductor wafers from the wear and tear of being exposed to the elements.

Read more...

Smart sockets enable users to remotely control household appliances

German researchers have developed a “smart socket,” an internet-enabled wireless power outlet that will allow homeowners to control the energy use of their appliances – even away from home. “All household appliances plugged into one of these sockets can be switched on and off remotely using an IPv6-compatible device such as a smartphone or laptop PC – from anywhere,” said engineer Gunter Hildebrandt.

Read more...

Record efficiency achieved for solar cell using quantum dots

A solar cell using quantum dots developed by researchers at the University of Toronto and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology has been certified as reaching a record efficiency of 7 percent. Quantum dots are semiconductors that are only a few nanometers in size. They are considered promising materials for the next generation of solar cells because they can be used to harvest electricity from the entire solar spectrum.

Read more...

Bladeless wind energy technology company looks for manufacturing partner

A Tunisia-based company Saphon is looking for partners to mass-produce and market is unique wind energy device that promises not just higher efficiency but lower production costs. Saphon Energy is engaged in wind energy research and development. It was set up especially to develop and promote its Zero-Blade Technology for wind energy, which it has patented.

Read more...

Berkeley Lab waking up the solar potential in ‘other’ semiconductors

The Lawrence Berkeley National laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley have developed a technique for improving the photovoltaic ability of semiconductor materials – other than those already in standard use %ndash; for lower-cost solar cells. Semiconductor material used in solar devices display what is called the photovoltaic effect %ndash; they absorb photons of light to release electrons that generate an electric current.

Read more...

Cleaning carbon from atmosphere economically feasible – Georgia Tech

Capturing carbon dioxide emissions and removing them directly from the air might actually be economically feasible according to researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Most carbon capture technology focuses on capturing carbon dioxide from industrial applications at the source, through devices that remove it from flue gases. The Georgia Tech research looks into air capture techniques for atmospheric carbon.

Read more...

U.C.L.A. creates infrared light-absorbing solar cell for transparent PV’s

A polymer solar cell developed by a team from the University of California, Los Angeles can absorb and convert infrared light into energy to make a transparent photovoltaic device. Because it absorbs infrared light and not visible light, the cells can be nearly 70 percent transparent to the human eye. The researchers believe that their solar cell is an advance toward the idea of solar windows.

Read more...

German researchers harness sun’s power for self-cleaning surfaces

We all know that the power of the sun solves our heating, lighting and energy needs. But German research institute Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft uses the sun in a new way – as a cleansing agent. Fraunhofer researchers have developed a photocatalytic coating that destroys bacteria, algae and fungi. Their coating incorporates titanium dioxide molecules which are “activated” by the ultraviolet light of the sun’s rays.

Read more...