Tag: energy
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Report: Electrical Grid Needs Technology, Regulatory Changes
The electrical power grid in the U.S. faces significant changes in technology over the next two decades, says a new report from the MIT Energy Initiative, but the grid also needs regulatory, economic, and security upgrades to meet these changes. The authors — 13 MIT faculty members plus one author from Harvard — discussed the…
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Study Takes Down Renewable Energy Myths in the U.S. South
A study by researchers at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina and Georgia Tech in Atlanta analyzes myths propagated by both advocates and opponents of renewable energy and finds they don’t hold up to scrutiny. Their findings appear online in the journal Energy Policy (paid subscription required). Duke’s Etan Gumerman and Georgia Tech’s Marilyn Brown,…
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Biotech, Energy Company Partner on Renewable Fuel, Chemicals
The synthetic biology company Amyris Inc. in Emeryville, California and the French oil and gas company Total have agreed to collaborate on research and production of renewable fuels and chemicals. The agreement expands on an existing R&D relationship between the two companies. Amyris and Total agreed to accelerate the pace of their current partnership to…
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Copper Compound Nanoparticles Advance Battery Electrodes
Materials scientists at Stanford University in California have developed a new, longer-lasting battery electrode with crystalline nanoparticles of a copper compound. Their discovery, with implications for solar and wind energy storage on the power grid, is described this week in the journal Nature Communications (paid subscription required). According to the authors — materials science professor…
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Liquid-Based Hydrogen Storage Material Developed
Chemists at University of Oregon in Eugene have developed a liquid storage material for hydrogen that advances the prospect for hydrogen as a fuel that can replace gasoline. The Oregon researchers describe their findings online in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (paid subscription required). A team led by materials science researcher Shih-Yuan Liu…
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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…
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Study Outlines Regulatory Issues for Natural Gas Fracking
A new report by researchers at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina outlines health and environmental measures for lawmakers in that state to consider as they debate the use of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing for natural gas. The study has been accepted for publication in the spring 2012 issue of the journal Duke Environmental…
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Airport Runway De-Icing System Developed with Solar Panels
Engineering researchers at University of Arkansas in Fayetteville are developing an anti-icing system that could make airport runways safer and less expensive to maintain during winter months. The team led by civil engineering professor Ernie Heymsfield are now testing components of the system at the university’s Engineering Research Center in south Fayetteville. The approach uses…
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Intel Corp. to Fund 3D Computer Processing Unit Development
Computer engineers at North Carolina State University in Raleigh are developing a three-dimensional central processing unit (CPU) that aims to increase energy efficiency by 15 percent. The project, funded by a $1.5 million grant from the Intel Corporation, is led by Paul Franzon, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at NC State. A 3D…
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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…