Tag: energy
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Engineering Prof. Computes Available Biofuel Crop Lands
A detailed land analysis by researchers at University of Illinois in Champaign found that biofuel crops cultivated on available land could produce up to half of the world’s current fuel consumption, without affecting food crops or grazing land for livestock. Engineering professor Ximing Cai and two colleagues published their findings last month in the journal…
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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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University of Oklahoma to Develop Shale Gas Simulator
University of Oklahoma researchers in Norman are developing a new simulator for shale gas reservoirs to provide oil and gas companies with a tool for managing production and choosing drilling locations. The three-year project is supported with $1,053,778 from the group Research for Partnership to Secure Energy for America plus an additional $250,000 in matching…
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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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Math Model Developed for Non-Economic Power Costs
A doctoral student in Spain developed a mathematical model for calculating electrical power generation costs, including environmental and societal variables usually difficult to measure. Macarena Larrea at the University of the Basque Country in Usurbil, Spain devised the Electra II mathematical model, as she calls it, in her dissertation for a doctoral degree in engineering.…
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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…