Tag: energy
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Microbe Genetically Engineered to Produce Biofuel
A research team at Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineered the genes of a soil bacterium so the organism can produce isobutanol, a “drop-in” biofuel. The team led by biologist Anthony Sinskey, including chemists and engineers from MIT, published its findings online in the journal Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology (paid subscription required). Sinskey and colleagues investigated…
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Propulsion Systems Created for Micro Space Satellites
A research group at Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed propulsion systems for miniature space satellites that can help prevent these research devices becoming harmful space clutter. Aeronautics and astronautics professor Paulo Lozano and colleagues from MIT’s Space Propulsion Lab discussed their work at the recent Joint Propulsion Conference of the American Institute of Aeronautics and…
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Nanotech Materials Solution Devised for Hydrogen Storage
Chemical engineers at University of New South Wales in Australia synthesized and demonstrated a material that absorbs, releases, and reabsorbs hydrogen, a key step in advancing hydrogen as an alternative fuel source. The team from the university’s Materials Energy Research Laboratory in nanoscale (MERLin) published its findings last week in the journal ACS Nano; paid…
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New Fuel Cell Generates More Power from Wastewater
Ecological engineers at Oregon State University in Corvallis developed techniques that advance the use of wastewater from cities or factories to generate electricity. The findings of the team led by Hong Liu (pictured right), professor of biologicial and ecological engineering, appear in the journal Energy and Environmental Science; paid subscription required. Earlier microbial fuel cells…
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Renewable Power Storage, Management Modules in Development
Systems that integrate renewable power sources with battery storage and management modules are being developed for pilot testing at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany. The first of the modular systems, with a 50 kilowatt capacity, will be constructed on the Karlsruhe campus by the end of the year. The modular energy systems are being…
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MIT Start-Up Building Solar Thermal Systems for Clinics
A not-for-profit company established by students and alumni at Massachusetts Institute of Technology is testing a solar energy system that generates electric power and hot water for isolated health clinics in Africa. The team led by Matthew Orosz, a recent Ph.D. recipient in mechanical engineering, will describe its work in an upcoming issue of the…
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120-Car Fleet Testing Intelligent Vehicle Network
A fleet of 120 cars began today a field test in Germany of intelligent vehicle technology. Researchers at Munich Technical University (Technische Universität München, TUM) designed the testing scenarios and will process the data, as part of a larger project involving auto manufacturers, technology providers, universities, and research institutes. The Safe Intelligent Mobility – Test…
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ARPA-E to Fund $43 Million for Energy Storage R&D Projects
Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), in the U.S. Department of Energy, will support 19 new research and development projects to improve the management of energy storage technologies for vehicles and electrical power grids. The projects, totaling $43 million, will be funded out of the Energy Department’s Advanced Management and Protection of Energy Storage Devices (AMPED)…
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New Quantum Dot Material Boosts Solar Cell Efficiency
Engineers at University of Toronto in Canada and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia developed a film made of nanoscale semiconductors called quantum dots for inexpensive and more efficient solar cells. The team led by Toronto engineering professor Ted Sargent published its findings in a letter to the journal Nature…
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New Method Devised to Predict Distributed Grid Power
Computer scientists at University of Southampton in the U.K. have developed mathematical techniques that encourage accurate predictions of distributed electric power contributions to regional power grids. The work of Valentin Robu and colleagues from Southampton’s Agents, Interaction and Complexity Research Group was presented this week at the Twenty-Sixth Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Toronto. As…