TyroMotion GmbH (AT)

ACWA Power and Water Global Access Partner in Green Desalination

This partnership agreement represents a key element within ACWA Power's ambitious technology innovation roadmap that aims to deliver exceptional value to future projects and to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as it will involve the integration of WGA's Hydraulic Injection Desalination into ACWA Power projects.

Quantron: Commercial Vehicle Conversion to Zero-Emission

Based on a strong start to the conversion business in the commercial vehicle segment with its Q-Retrofit business unit, Quantron AG was able to achieve sales of 10 million euros in fiscal year 2021.

Octopus Energy Wind Farms in the UK, Sweden France and Finland

Octopus Renewables, the fund management specialist in Octopus Energy Group's generation business, has signed four deals to ramp up wind power generation across Europe to help deliver Net Zero.

Downing LLP Partners with Ennoviga Solar Limited on Five Solar Sites

Downing LLP is to partner with specialist solar developer and consultancy Ennoviga Solar Limited to develop and construct a portfolio of five ground-mounted solar generators that will exclusively serve Northumbrian Water Limited.

Oxford Medical Products raises £2.5 million for Hydrogel Weight Loss

Oxford Medical Products has raised £2.5M in equity investment to conduct first human trials of Sirona, its innovative non-surgical weight-loss solution. Sirona is a hydrogel-based technology in a tablet format that, once swallowed, expands in the stomach, stops feelings of hunger and suppresses appetite.

SAFINA

SAFINA is a metal materials company specializing in precious metal and nonferrous metal products. IDTechEx spoke with Petr Stefek, head of additive manufacturing at SAFINA, on their metal AM powders activities.

Oxford PV

Oxford PV was established in 2010 as a spin-out company from the University of Oxford. It specialises in perovskite on silicon tandem cells and has plans to start commercial manufacturing of its solar cell technology by the end of 2022. This profile is based on a conversation with the CTO of Oxford PV, Dr. Chris Case.

Grid Storage: Constant Change Ahead

The US Department of Energy's paper, "Grid Operational Impacts of Widespread Storage Deployment" analyzes requirements to 2050. It variously calculates 1.3 TWh required to just over 6.0 TWh in its 94% renewable electricity, Zero Carbon scenario. Earlier, other researchers calculated 80% wind and solar will require 5.4 TWh of energy storage so it is obvious that huge amounts of storage are needed. Even that is with massive over-production and therefore curtailment - electricity only being generated 10% to 20% of the time on average. Polluting peaker plants only have 11% capacity factor so, on that model, bad replaces bad in that respect.

Demonstration Project for In-Motion Wireless Charging Technology

Electreon and ASPIRE are launching a joint demonstration project. Electreon's in-motion (dynamic) wireless charging technology will be installed in ASPIRE's research test track in North Logan, Utah, in summer 2022 to showcase the company's technology for the first time in North America. The launch of the test bed comes in advance of Electreon's first deployment on a public road in the U.S. in 2023 in Detroit--a partnership with the Michigan Department of Transportation.

AI Predicts Algae Potential as Alternative Energy Source

Scientists are using artificial intelligence to set a new world record for producing algae as a reliable, economic source for biofuel that can be used as an alternative fuel source for jet aircraft and other transportation needs.

AI and Robotics to Treat Spinal Cord Injuries

By employing artificial intelligence and robotics to formulate therapeutic proteins, a team of researchers has successfully stabilized an enzyme able to degrade scar tissue resulting from spinal cord injuries and promote tissue regeneration.

Moon and Mars Superoxides for Oxygen Farming

The dusty faces of the Moon and Mars conceal unseen hazards for future explorers. Areas of highly oxidising material could be sufficiently reactive that they would produce chemical burns on astronauts' unprotected skin or lungs. Taking inspiration from a pioneering search for Martian life, a Greek team is developing a device to detect these 'reactive oxygen species' - as well as harvest sufficient oxygen from them to keep astronauts breathing indefinitely.

Lightweight Supercapacitor-Battery Hybrid is Strong as Steel

Like the charged power suit worn by Black Panther of Marvel Comics, researchers have advanced NASA technologies to develop a power suit for an electric car that is as strong as steel, lighter than aluminum and helps boosts the vehicle's power capacity.

6-8% Of Market Revenue is from RaaS for Mobile Robotics in Logistics

X-as-a-Service business models are now commonplace in the industry, involving the delivery of a specific service rather than a product to perform the service. The most significant change in models such as this is the replacement of a proportionally very large up-front product price with a billing structure that is based on the services performed as the product itself. This is particularly relevant in robotics; customers of robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) business models can get the benefits of robotic process automation by leasing robotic devices and accessing a cloud-based subscription service rather than purchasing the equipment outright. The headaches of ownership, such as paying off an expensive piece of equipment plus handling maintenance issues that spring up, are avoided with RaaS.

Thermexit (Nanoramic Labs): high thermal conductivity materials

Thermexit is a division of Nanoramic Labs and focuses on very high thermal conductivity interface materials for high-performance applications. IDTechEx interviewed Thermexit to learn more about these materials and their potential future products.

Flexible Solution to Hydropower in Mountainous Regions

Mountain regions have a large potential for hydropower that cannot be harnessed effectively by conventional technologies. An innovative hydropower technology based on electric trucks could provide a flexible and clean solution for electricity generation in mountainous regions.

Markforged Expands Digital Forge Capabilities with Precise PLA

Markforged announced the addition of Precise PLA to its portfolio of materials. The new capability allows customers to product design and iterate in a cost-effective manner. The Digital Forge platform is now able to address all stages of product design - from validation, which relies on more affordable materials like Precise PLA, to strong, end-use applications reliant on Markforged's carbon fiber reinforced and metal-printed parts.

Using Pancake Stacks to Make Better Electronics

Scientists are working to develop advanced electronics by taking inspiration from a breakfast favourite and stacking molecules like pancakes. Researchers are one step closer to creating solar electronics that are flexible, powerful, and better for the environment.

Stratasys Expands GrabCAD Software Partner Program

Stratasys Ltd announced the continued expansion of the GrabCAD Software Partner Program with new partners Oqton and Riven. Oqton is a cloud-based manufacturing operating system company based in Ghent, Belgium; and Riven provides 3D reality intelligence for digital manufacturing, based in Berkeley, California.

Cionic's Neural Sleeve Granted FDA Clearance

Cionic is proud to announce that its first product offering, the lightweight leg-worn Cionic Neural Sleeve, has been granted FDA clearance for "functional electrical stimulation to assist in gait for people with foot drop and leg muscle weakness." This FDA clearance allows Cionic to take their Neural Sleeve to market .