Tag: energy
-
University Start-Up to Generate Power with Stored CO2
A spin-off company from University of Minnesota is commercializing a process for generating electricity with geothermal energy from stored carbon dioxide captured at coal-fired power plants. Heat Mining Company LLC, in Rapid City, South Dakota, is based on a technology invented by Minnesota faculty Martin Saar (earth science) and Thomas Kuehn (engineering), and earth science…
-
Forest Biofuels Unsustainable, Could Boost Greenhouse Gases
An analysis by researchers in Europe and the U.S. indicate that large-scale biofuel production from forest biomass is unsustainable and will increase greenhouse gas emissions. The findings appear online in the journal Global Change Biology/Bioenergy. The report, an invited analysis by the journal, was led by the Max-Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Germany, Oregon State…
-
Boron Added to Carbon Nanotubes Produce Super Oil Sponge
Materials scientists at Rice University in Houston have devised a material that can absorb large quantities of oil by adding the element boron to carbon nanotubes. The Rice researchers, joined by colleagues in the U.S., Belgium, Japan, Spain, and Mexico published their findings Friday in the journal Scientific Reports. Rice graduate student Daniel Hashim (pictured…
-
Energy Department Seeking New Power Storage Technologies
The U.S. Department of Energy is looking for new methods for storing electric power, for use in plug-in passenger cars and to improve the performance of the nation’s power grids. The $30 million research program is being offered by the department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E). The agency’s Advanced Management and Protection of…
-
Simulation Software Helps Optimize Utility Transport Grids
Software developed by Fraunhofer Institute mathematicians and engineers can simulate the workings of utility grids and thus help managers of these facilities plan and operate their critical networks. Researchers from Fraunhofer’s Institute for Algorithms and Scientific Computing in Augustin, Germany will exhibit the software at the Hannover Messe technology trade show in Germany, 23-27 April.…
-
Case Western Reserve Builds Utility Scale Wind Turbine
Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio and its industrial partners have built their largest research wind turbine, with two other turbines already erected and one in operation providing power. The new turbine resides on property owned by industrial grinder manufacturer William Sopko & Sons in nearby Euclid, the site of another university turbine. The…
-
U.S. Angel Investment Deals, Dollars Jump in 2011
The number and dollar amounts of angel investment deals in the U.S. rose sharply in 2011, with financing for science-related companies comprising nearly half of those transactions. The summary report of angel investing released yesterday by the University of New Hampshire’s Center for Venture Research also shows more initial-stage involvement in start-up companies than in…
-
Algae Biofuel Start-Up Secures $144M for Demo Plant
Sapphire Energy in San Diego says it received the last installment of its series C financing — the third round of funding after initial start-up — valued at $144 million. The company develops biofuels from algae and bacteria, and the new financing is expected to fund a demonstration production plant in Luna County, New Mexico.…
-
BASF to Boost R&D Spending, Staffing
The global chemical company BASF in Ludwigshafen, Germany says it plans to increase its research and development spending to €1.7 billion ($2.3 billion) in 2012, and align its R&D programs more closely with high-growth business fields. The company also announced plans to increase its research staff, particularly in Asia and the Americas. The €1.7 billion…
-
European Patent Office Filings, Awards Gain in 2011
The European Patent Office, based in Munich, says the number of patent applications and awards increased in 2011, with applications from Asia now making up about a third of the total. The largest single technical field among applications was medical technology, which had almost as many filings in 2011 as pharmaceuticals and biotechnology combined. EPO…