US Department of Energy

IDTechEx Show! Agenda Live: Connecting Brands & Emerging Technologies

The IDTechEx Show! on April 10-11 in Berlin brings together eight key disruptive technologies and their customers at one venue.

Fuel cell bus in the US has exceeded 25000 hours, more are close

Five fuel cell buses in the United States have exceeded the DOE/DOT target of 25,000 hours and one has surpassed 29,000 hours of drive time. This is comparable to the life expectancy of a diesel engine in a transit bus.

Sodium ion battery research could power up renewable energy storage

Longer life and increased capacity for a new technology battery that could be the workhorse of a renewable energy grid are the goals of a study of the effect of charging cycles on the structure of anodes in sodium ion batteries.

Nanoscale drug delivery method developed

Researchers have developed a novel way to deliver drugs and therapies into cells at the nanoscale without causing toxic effects that have stymied other such efforts. The work could someday lead to more effective therapies and diagnostics for cancer and other illnesses.

Breaking barriers in solar energy

Stop for a moment and imagine an efficient highway system. No need to jockey for position, no choke-point merging from three lanes into one, no long idles at ill-timed traffic lights, no rolling roadblocks as the motorist ahead of you prepares for a turn that is still five miles away. Regardless of the number of cars, you would know what smooth sailing looks and feels like. That's the life solid-state researchers want for electrons as they work to capture the sun's extraordinary energy and convert it into electricity.

3D printed sponge to minimise effects of cancer treatment

With the help of sponges inserted in the bloodstream to absorb excess drugs, doctors are hoping to prevent the dangerous side effects of toxic chemotherapy agents or even deliver higher doses to knock back tumors, like liver cancer, that don't respond to more benign treatments.

Potential for floating photovoltaic systems

Researchers estimate that installing floating solar photovoltaics on the more than 24,000 man-made U.S. reservoirs could generate about 10 percent of the nation's annual electricity production. Their findings reveal for the first time the potential for floating PV to produce electricity in the United States.

Engineers break solar cell record

Arizona State University researchers continue to break solar cell efficiency records in an effort to harness the sun's energy more economically as a renewable source for electricity.

Disordered crystals are promising for future battery technology

Tiny, disordered particles of magnesium chromium oxide may hold the key to new magnesium battery energy storage technology, which could possess increased capacity compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries.

$2 million DOE grant for pumped heat electricity storage

Southwest Research Institute has received a $2 million grant from the United States Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy to develop an advanced pumped heat electricity storage (PHES) system. This system offers twice the energy density of a lithium ion battery and is based on an innovative thermodynamic cycle to store energy in hot and cold fluids.

Maximizing the effectiveness of platinum in fuel cells

Platinum is a precious metal more rare than silver or gold. Renowned in the fuel cell community for its effectiveness in converting hydrogen and oxygen into water and electricity, platinum offers unrivaled activity and stability for electrochemical reactions. But platinum is both scarce and expensive, which means scientists are looking to create practical fuel cell catalysts that use far less of the costly precious metal.

3D imaging technique unlocks properties of perovskite crystals

A team of materials scientists have, for the first time, visualized the 3D atomic and electron density structure of the most complex perovskite crystal structure system decoded to date.

Lasers could take 3D printing to next level

Cars that go more than 1,000 miles on a single fill-up and smartphones that can run for days without recharging are among the possibilities that could come out of a new research project that brings together 3D printing and laser processing.

Device provides cooling for off-grid locations

Researchers have devised a new way of providing cooling on a hot sunny day, using inexpensive materials and requiring no fossil fuel-generated power. The passive system, which could be used to supplement other cooling systems to preserve food and medications in hot, off-grid locations, is essentially a high-tech version of a parasol.

Explaining the plummeting cost of solar power

The dramatic drop in the cost of solar photovoltaic modules, which has fallen by 99 percent over the last four decades, is often touted as a major success story for renewable energy technology. But one question has never been fully addressed: What exactly accounts for that stunning drop?

120-kilowatt wireless charging for vehicles

Researchers have demonstrated a 120-kilowatt wireless charging system for vehicles—providing six times the power of previous ORNL technology and a big step toward charging times that rival the speed and convenience of a gas station fill-up.