US Department of Energy

ADDere (MWES)

ADDere are a unit of Midwest Engineered Systems (MWES) that work on laser wire additive manufacturing. IDTechEx spoke with Eric Fescenmeyer.

A Viable Sodium Battery

Researchers have created a sodium-ion battery that holds as much energy and works as well as some commercial lithium-ion battery chemistries, making for a potentially viable battery technology out of abundant and cheap materials.

Deep Learning to Monitor Birds at Solar Facilities

Using artificial intelligence and advanced cameras will help improve our understanding of how birds interact with photovoltaic arrays.

Platinum Free Catalysts Could Make Cheaper Hydrogen Fuel Cells

The high cost of platinum catalysts used in hydrogen fuel cells limits the commercialization of fuel cell electric vehicles. Scientists are studying alternative catalysts to increase cost-effectiveness and maintain efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells.

Marshaling AI in the Fight Against Covid-19

Artificial intelligence could play a decisive role in stopping the Covid-19 pandemic. To give the technology a push, the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab is funding 10 projects at MIT aimed at advancing AI's transformative potential for society.

3D-Printed Nuclear Reactor: Faster, Economical Path to Nuclear Energy

Researchers are refining their design of a 3D-printed nuclear reactor core, scaling up the additive manufacturing process necessary to build it, and developing methods to confirm the consistency and reliability of its printed components.

Promising Material Stable Enough for use in Solar Cells

Soft and flexible materials called halide perovskites could make solar cells more efficient at significantly less cost, but they're too unstable to use.

Citrine Informatics

Citrine Informatics provide a materials informatics platform. IDTechEx spoke with Greg Mulholland (CEO and co-founder).

Gas Storage Method Could Help Next-Generation Clean Energy Vehicles

Tremendous amounts of hydrogen and methane can be stored in nanoscopic pores.

Six-Junction Solar Cell Sets Two World Records for Efficiency

Scientists have fabricated a solar cell with an efficiency of nearly 50%. The six-junction solar cell now holds the world record for the highest solar conversion efficiency at 47.1%, which was measured under concentrated illumination. A variation of the same cell also set the efficiency record under one-sun illumination at 39.2%.

Lordstown Motors

Lordstown Motors is an American EV startup developing an all-electric pickup truck

GE's PV Inverter Technology to Support Solar Grid Integration

GE Research has been awarded $4.2 million in funding from the US Department of Energy Solar Energy to help develop and deploy advanced grid-forming photovoltaic inverter control technologies that can reliably support higher amounts of solar power on the grid. This work keeps pace with the nation's changing electric grid system, which is getting more energy from distributed and renewable sources.

The Big Benefits of Microgrids in Disaster

So much of our modern, technological world depends on reliable access to electricity, it can be difficult to imagine what life without it would be like for a few hours, let alone days. But that's exactly what the people who prepare our infrastructure to withstand disaster must do.

6K Launches 6K ENERGY Division

6K launches 6K ENERGY division to bring high performance energy storage materials to electric vehicle, grid storage and consumer markets.

Deep Learning for Mechanical Property Evaluation

A standard method for testing some of the mechanical properties of materials is to poke them with a sharp point. This "indentation technique" can provide detailed measurements of how the material responds to the point's force, as a function of its penetration depth.

LG Chem

LG Chem have been expanding their Li-ion business aggressively.

Research Boosts Stability of Perovskites, Helps Silicon Solar Cells

A change in chemical composition enabled scientists to boost the longevity and efficiency of a perovskite solar cell. The new formula enabled the solar cell to resist a stability problem that has so far thwarted the commercialization of perovskites. The problem is known as light-induced phase-segregation, which occurs when the alloys that make up the solar cells break down under exposure to continuous light.

Thin-Film Solar Cells Generate as Much Energy as Traditional Ones

Scientists have become the first to achieve an energy efficiency of 25 percent with a thin-film solar cell. This means that this wafer-thin solar cell generates as much energy as a traditional silicon solar cell.

Quadrupling Turbines, US Can Meet 2030 Wind Energy Goals

The United States could generate 20% of its electricity in a breezy way within 10 years according to new research.

Growth in Robotic Farming

EarthSense first robot—TerraSentia—improves the quantity, accuracy, cost and speed of in-field plant trait data collection, especially for under-canopy traits that cannot be obtained by other technologies.