Tag: cleantech
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Report: Nanotech Can Cut Green Energy Costs
In a new report, a technology research company estimates the use of available nanotechnologies can significantly reduce the cost of producing energy from renewable sources. ABI Research in New York says that worldwide investment in renewable energy will top $2 trillion on a cumulative basis from 2010 through 2015, but over that same period using…
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National Lab Signs Two Auto Battery Licensing Deals
Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne, Illinois, part of the U.S. Department of Energy, announced two licensing agreements today (6 January 2011) for its cathode material technology used in electric vehicle lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. The deals are with or involve cars made by General Motors. The first agreement, with General Motors, involves the worldwide licensing of…
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Partnership To Advance Military Field Energy Sources
A team from Maxwell Technologies Inc. in San Diego, California, University of Massachusetts in Amherst, and the U.S. Navy will develop a lighter, longer-lasting, energy source for field radios and other portable electronic equipment carried by military personnel. Maxwell Technologies says today that Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded the company a $1.7 million…
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Nanomaterial to Boost Lithium-Ion Battery Performance
A new type of nanomaterial developed at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York could sharply reduce the time needed to recharge lithium (Li)-ion batteries, the type of battery found in electric automobiles, laptop computers, mobile phones, and other portable devices. Nanomaterials are made from technologies that operate at nanometer, or one-billionth of a meter,…
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Profs Develop Dyes to Help Solar, Hydrogen Fuel Processes
Chemistry professors in Buffalo and Rochester, New York have synthesized new photo-sensitizing dyes that increase the efficiency of producing solar electricity and hydrogen fuel, for which light is a key ingredient. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has cleared the way for a patent on this technology. The research team, led by University at…
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Contracts Awarded for Advanced Battery Technologies
Five companies received technology development and assessment contracts today from the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC), a research collaboration of automakers Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors Company. The awards, totaling $5.43 million, are funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and include a 50 percent cost-share from each of the…
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Energy Department Funding New Fuel Cell R&D
The U.S. Department of Energy announced new grant programs totaling $74 million for research and development of fuel cells for residential and commercial buildings as well as vehicles. Fuel cells use the chemical energy of hydrogen or other fuels to produce electricity or heat with minimal byproducts, primarily water. The grants include up to $65…
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Collaboration to Develop Smart Power Grid in Denmark
A collection of 32 partners — companies, not-for-profits, research institutes, and universities — have agreed to develop a new intelligent power grid in Denmark. Called the iPower platform, the new system aims to be ready in 2025, when Denmark is scheduled to generate half of its electricity from wind energy. The iPower platform’s full name…
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Product’s Carbon Footprint Found Tough to Compute
Companies looking to calculate their products’ carbon footprints — the greenhouse gasses contributing to climate change — may find taking those measurements more difficult than they anticipated. A recent study by Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU’s) Christopher Weber found that the calculation of carbon footprints for products is fraught with large uncertainties, particularly related to the…
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Carbon Capture and Storage Offer New Green Industry for U.K.
The United Kingdom has the capacity to develop new green industries for capturing harmful carbon dioxide emissions from industry and storing them deep underground, but more investment is needed to further develop the relevant technologies and infrastructure. These conclusions are outlined in two recent briefing papers published by the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at…