Tag: cleantech
-
Genetically Altered Algae Increases Biomass for Biofuels
An Iowa State University biologist has developed a process for genetically altering a strain of algae to increase its biomass content by up to 80 percent. This discovery, which can lead to enhanced production of biofuels from non-food sources, is available for licensing from the university’s technology transfer office. Martin Spalding (pictured right), leads a…
-
Nanotech Solution Boosts Lithium-Ion Battery Performance
Engineers at Northwestern University in Illinois have created an electrode for lithium-ion batteries that can hold 10 times the charge and recharge 10 times faster than current batteries. A paper describing the research was published last month in the journal Advanced Energy Materials (paid subscription required), and funded by the Energy Frontier Research Centers program…
-
GE, Illinois Tech to Partner on Wind Energy Management
GE’s software division will collaborate with researchers from Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) to devise better monitoring and diagnostic methods for the management of wind farms. The project is part of IIT’s University-Industry Consortium for Wind Energy funded by Department of Energy. The two-year project aims to help wind farms reduce maintenance costs and improve…
-
National Lab Developing Alternatives to Rare Earth Materials
The Ames Laboratory in Iowa is developing alternatives to rare earth materials in two separate projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy — one material for use in permanent magnets for electric vehicles, and the other material a manganese-based alternative to rare earths. The Ames Laboratory is a national lab under Department of Energy’s…
-
Solar Technology Developed for Current Electric Power Plants
Researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel have come up with a technology that integrates solar energy into current gas turbine power generating plants. Engineering professor Avi Kribus (pictured left) and graduate student Maya Livshits describe their work online in Solar Energy Journal; paid subscription required. The process devised by Kribus and Livshits, called a…
-
National Lab, MIT Launch Materials Discovery Database
Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a database to accelerate discovery and development of new materials in critical technologies. The Department of Energy database, part of an initiative called the Materials Project, will be available to scientists and engineers at universities, national laboratories, and private industry. Parts…
-
European Project to Advance Organic Solar Cells
The Belgian research institute Imec will lead a consortium of 17 European organizations and companies to develop a more commercially-viable organic photovoltaic technology. The X10D project, funded by the European Commission, aims to improve the efficiency of organic solar cells while retaining their low manufacturing costs. Organic solar cells are made from low-cost polymers that…
-
Contract Awarded for Magnets Made Without Rare Earth Metals
Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond has received a $2.9 million contract from Department of Energy to develop a new class of permanent magnets for energy-efficient electric car motors and generators. The project is funded through the department’s Rare Earth Alternatives in Critical Technologies program (REACT) under the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. The REACT program aims…
-
Dow Chemical to Invest $25 Million in Universities
Dow Chemical Company in New York said today it plans to invest $25 million in U.S. university research and education programs over the next 10 years. Dow also announced a collaboration with Argonne National Lab on advanced battery materials. The company says its university funding will support faculty, students and infrastructure at 11 campuses in…
-
GE, Nissan Partner on E-Car Power Infrastructure R&D
Nissan Motor Company and General Electric have signed a two-year research collaboration to speed up development of a smart charging infrastructure to promote mass market adoption of electric cars. Nissan is the maker of the Leaf, one of the first electric vehicles on the market in the U.S. The companies have identified two key topics…