Tag: energy

  • Inkjet Print Process Devised for Quantum Dot Organic LEDs

    Engineers at University of Louisville in Kentucky developed a process for making organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with quantum dots and applied with inkjet printing, a common manufacturing technology. The findings of the research team led by Louisville engineering professor Delaina Amos will be presented next week at the Optical Society’s Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics…

  • FuturaGene, Danforth Center Partner on Crop Yield Technology

    FuturaGene, a Sao Paulo, Brazil biotechnology company in the forestry industry will collaborate with Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis to apply FuturaGen’s yield enhancement discoveries to food crops in developing countries. Financial and intellectual property aspects of the deal were not disclosed. FuturaGene, a subsidiary of the Brazilian forestry products company Suzano…

  • Analysis Shows Life-Cycle Impacts of Lithium-Ion Batteries

    A cradle-to-grave analysis of lithium-ion batteries, like those used in electric vehicles, shows the batteries have potential adverse impacts on the environment and public health beyond the benefits from their day-to-day use. The study, by consulting firm Abt Associates in Bethesda, Maryland, was conducted for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with researchers from battery manufacturers,…

  • Airborne Wind Energy Systems Company Acquired by Google

    Makani Power Inc., a company in Alameda, California developing airborne wind energy systems that fly in the air like kites, was acquired by Google, according to the company’s Web site. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The company says its wind energy system operates like a wind turbine, but is flown from 250…

  • Inkjet Printing Process Devised for Graphene Circuits

    Materials scientists at Northwestern University in Illinois developed an ink made of a graphene solution that can print patterns for electronic circuits and maintain their conductivity even after folding. The team led by engineering professor Mark Hersam published its findings online in a recent issue of the Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters (paid subscription required).…

  • Quality Check Technique Devised for Lithium-Ion Batteries

    Engineers at Purdue University in Indiana developed a method that can detect flaws in lithium-ion battery electrodes during their manufacture. The team led by mechanical engineering professor Douglas Adams and chemical engineering faculty James Caruthers will discuss its technique next month at the annual meeting of the Society for Experimental Mechanics near Chicago. Arrays of…

  • Power Company, Research Center Partner on Wind Forecasts

    National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado and the electric utility Xcel Energy are collaborating on a new forecasting system to improve the company’s wind energy operations. Financial aspects of the two-year partnership, which continues an existing agreement between the organizations, were not disclosed. NCAR is a federally funded research and development center…

  • Synthetic Biology Census Shows Company Growth, Consolidation

    A census of organizations, agencies, and companies involved in synthetic biology shows rapid growth of the field in the past four years, but also some retrenchment, particularly in the private sector. The study was conducted by the Synthetic Biology Project, an initiative of Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. The Wilson Center…

  • New Type Battery Designed for Solar, Wind Grid Storage

    Engineers at Stanford University and Stanford’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory developed a lower-cost design for long term storage of wind and solar energy on the power grid. The team led by Yi Cui, a materials science and engineering professor at Stanford and part of a joint materials and energy science institute at SLAC, published its…

  • Solar Nanoscale Protein Filter Cleans Antibiotics from Water

    Engineers at University of Cincinnati in Ohio developed a nanoscale filter powered by sunlight that can clean biochemical compounds, such as antibiotics, from lakes and rivers. Environmental engineering professor David Wendell and Ph.D. candidate Vikram Kapoor published their findings online last week in the journal Nano Letters (paid subscription required). The presence of antibiotics from…