Energy and Resources News

August 25, 2016

Converting Carbon Dioxide Gas Into Fuel

Light-Driven Conversion: Greenhouse Gas to Fuel

The First Autonomous, Entirely Soft Robot

Nanofur for Oil Spill Cleanup

Latest Headlines

updated 10:43pm EDT

New Electrical Energy Storage Material Shows Its Power

Aug. 24, 2016 — A new material could one day speed up the charging process of electric cars and help increase their driving range. The modified covalent organic framework (COF) material combines the ability to store ... read more

An Effective and Low-Cost Solution for Storing Solar Energy

Aug. 25, 2016 — Solar energy can be stored by converting it into hydrogen. But current methods are too expensive and don't last long. Using commercially available solar cells and none of the ... read more

Glass: Engineer Discovers a High-Speed Nano-Avalanche

Aug. 24, 2016 — Researchers have new findings on the process involving transformations in glass that occur under intense electrical and thermal conditions. New understanding of these ... read more

'Ideal' Energy Storage Material for Electric Vehicles Developed

Aug. 22, 2016 — The goal of a polymer dielectric material with high energy density, high power density and excellent charge-discharge efficiency for electric and hybrid vehicle use has been ... read more

Some Signs of Induced Seismicity Spotted in Salton Trough's Geothermal Production Fields

Aug. 22, 2016 — In some parts of Southern California's Brawley Seismic Zone, geothermal energy production may be increasing the background seismicity rate, but ... read more

New Class of Fuel Cells Offer Increased Flexibility, Lower Cost

Aug. 23, 2016 — A new class of fuel cells based on a newly discovered polymer-based material could bridge the gap between the operating temperature ranges of two existing types of polymer ... read more

Stretchy Supercapacitors Power Wearable Electronics

Aug. 23, 2016 — A future of soft robots or smart T-shirts may depend on the development of stretchy power sources. But traditional batteries are thick and rigid -- not ideal properties for ... read more

Researchers Reduce Expensive Noble Metals for Fuel Cell Reactions

Aug. 22, 2016 — Researchers have developed a novel nanomaterial that could improve the performance and lower the costs of fuel cells by using fewer precious metals like platinum ... read more

Pro-Nuclear Countries Making Slower Progress on Climate Targets

Aug. 22, 2016 — A strong national commitment to nuclear energy goes hand in hand with weak performance on climate change targets, researchers have ... read more

Reducing Tire Waste by Using Completely Degradable, Synthetic Rubber

Aug. 22, 2016 — Scrap tires pile up in landfills, have fed enormous toxic fires, harbor pests and get burned for fuel. Scientists trying to rid us of this scourge have developed a new way to make synthetic rubber. ... read more

The Range Of Electric Vehicles Isn't As Big A Problem As You'd Think

The Thai Village Using Cow Dung to Power Homes

Shell: Big Oil Struggles as Profits Dive

F-35 Fighter Jet Has World's Most Advanced Engine, Says Developer

Reducing Cost of Producing Supercapacitors

Aug. 18, 2016 — Using inexpensive biochar to coat electrodes and a new method to create the porous surface needed to capture electricity may reduce the cost of supercapacitors. Activating the biochar using plasma ... read more

Reducing Gas Flares, Pollution from Oil Production

Aug. 17, 2016 — Last year, dozens of major oil companies and oil-producing nations agreed to end the routine flaring of natural gas from wells by 2030. This burning off of uncaptured methane in addition to simply ... read more

Scientists Explore Oil Clean-Up Properties of Aquatic Ferns

Aug. 17, 2016 — Certain varieties of aquatic floating weeds demonstrate an impressive ability to selectively absorb oil from contaminated water. These plants, which are often regarded as a nuisance, could in fact ... read more

Genetically Modified Soil Bacteria Work as Electrical Wires

Aug. 16, 2016 — Scientists have genetically modified a common soil bacteria to create electrical wires that not only conduct electricity, but are thousands of times thinner than a human ... read more

Solid Batteries Improve Safety

Aug. 16, 2016 — A new lithium-ion battery made entirely of solid material has been developed by scientists. They report that it contains neither liquids nor gels. The battery cannot ignite, even at very high ... read more

Plug-in Hybrids Drive Electrically Half of the Time

Aug. 16, 2016 — Plug-in hybrids drive electrically with power from the grid 55% of the time. Battery electric vehicles are driven more in total and in everyday ... read more

Methane Leaks: A New Way to Find and Fix in Real Time

Aug. 15, 2016 — Researchers have flown aircraft over an oil and gas field and pinpointed -- with unprecedented precision -- sources of the greenhouse gas methane in real time. The technique led to the detection and ... read more

Warming Climate Likely to Have 'Minor' Impact on Power Plant Output

Aug. 15, 2016 — Future climate warming will likely cause only minor cuts in energy output at most US coal- or gas-fired power plants, a new study finds. The study -- based on records of changes in output levels and ... read more

New Residential Water Heater Concept Promises High Efficiency, Lower Cost

Aug. 15, 2016 — Scientists have developed a novel method that could yield lower-cost, higher-efficiency systems for water heating in residential buildings, outlines a new report. The newly termed ... read more

Gadget Grabs More Solar Energy to Disinfect Water Faster

Aug. 15, 2016 — Researchers have created a nanostructured device, about half the size of a postage stamp, that disinfects water much faster than the UV method by also making use of the visible part of the solar ... read more

Today's Electric Vehicles Can Make a Dent in Climate Change

Aug. 15, 2016 — Electric cars that exist today could be widely adopted despite range constraints, replacing about 90 percent of existing cars, and could make a major dent in the nation's carbon emissions, new ... read more

Engineering a Better Biofuel

Aug. 10, 2016 — The often-maligned E. coli bacteria has powerhouse potential: in the lab, it has the ability to crank out fuels, pharmaceuticals and other useful products at a rapid rate. A research team has ... read more

Two Become One: How to Turn Green Light Blue

Aug. 10, 2016 — The upconversion of photons allows for a more efficient use of light: Two photons are converted into a single photon having higher energy. Researchers now showed for the first time that the inner ... read more

Simulating Complex Catalysts Key to Making Cheap, Powerful Fuel Cells

Aug. 9, 2016 — Using a unique combination of advanced computational methods, chemical engineers have demystified some of the complex catalytic chemistry in fuel cells -- an advance that brings cost-effective fuel ... read more

Cheaper, More Powerful Electric Car Batteries Are on the Horizon

Aug. 9, 2016 — The White House recently announced the creation of the Battery500 Consortium, a multidisciplinary group led by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and ... read more

Strategies Needed for Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Reduction

Aug. 9, 2016 — Solutions including electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, vehicle connectivity, and automation are ... read more

Synthetic Biology: Engineering a Chemical Switch Into a Light-Driven Proton Pump

Aug. 9, 2016 — Synthetic biology is an emerging and rapidly evolving engineering discipline. Now scientists have engineered a chemically switchable version of the light-driven proton pump proteorhodopsin -- an ... read more

Using Nanotechnology to Give Fuel Cells More Oomph

Aug. 8, 2016 — Applying nanotechnology to fuel cells gives them more oomph, report researchers. The project is part of a $13 million program to advance fuel cell performance and durability and hydrogen storage ... read more

Lithium-Ion Batteries: Capacity Might Be Increased by Six Times

Aug. 8, 2016 — The capacity of lithium-ion batteries might be increased by six times by using anodes made of silicon instead of graphite. Researchers have observed for the first time in detail how lithium ions ... read more

Making a Solar Energy Conversion Breakthrough With Help from a Ferroelectrics Pioneer

Aug. 8, 2016 — Researchers have revealed a class of materials that could be better at converting sunlight into energy than those currently used in solar arrays. Their findings show how a ferroelectric insulator can ... read more

Thursday, August 18, 2016