US Department of Energy

Surprising material could play role in saving energy

Scientists have discovered a surprising material that is the best in the world at converting waste heat to useful electricity.

Unlocking secrets of new solar material

A new solar material that has the same crystal structure as a mineral first found in the Ural Mountains in 1839 is shooting up the efficiency charts faster than almost anything researchers have seen before—and it is generating optimism that a less expensive way of using sunlight to generate electricity may be in our planet's future.

Relieving electric vehicle range anxiety with improved batteries

Electric vehicles could travel farther and more renewable energy could be stored with lithium-sulfur batteries that use a unique powdery nanomaterial.

Developing materials and electronics that dissolve when triggered

A medical device, once its job is done, could harmlessly melt away inside a person's body.

Shale gas profitability doubts cast shadow on fuel cell cars launch

Last year finally saw the kick-off in sales of electric cars with 2014 seeing a new impetus on fuel cell cars.

Organic solar cells more efficient with molecules face-to-face

New research reveals that energy is transferred more efficiently inside of complex, three-dimensional organic solar cells when the donor molecules align face-on, rather than edge-on, relative to the acceptor.

Highlights from the IDTechEx emerging technology events in Berlin

IDTechEx recently organised a co-located conference and tradeshow on printed electronics, energy harvesting, 3D printing, graphene and supercapacitors. In this article series, we will provide some of the latest highlights from these conferences.

Smart Window material may make better batteries

High-tech "smart windows," which darken to filter out sunlight in response to electric current, function much like batteries. Now, X-ray studies provide a crystal-clear view into how the color-changing material in these windows behaves in a working battery - information that could benefit next-generation rechargeable batteries.

Components to advance battery technology

Johnson Controls and Fraunhofer Gesellschaft have signed a collaboration agreement to develop the next generation of more energy efficient, cost effective cooling systems for vehicle batteries.

Finding the mix: solar cell efficiency a delicate balance

Research from North Carolina State University reveals that solar cell efficiency is based upon a delicate balance between the size and purity of the interior layers, or domains. These findings may lead to better designs and improved performance in organic solar cells.

Supercapacitors Europe 2014 is next week!

IDTechEx's Supercapacitors Europe 2014 conference External Link is bringing the best of supercapacitor developments in the region and internationally - 1-2 April, Berlin.

See-through SolarWindow capable of generating electricity on glass

New Energy Technologies Inc, developer of see-through SolarWindow™ coatings, capable of generating electricity on glass and flexible plastics, has made public never-before-seen images of the Company's largest area, high-performance SolarWindow™ arrays.

Sea-Tac Airport unveils electrification project

Airplanes get most of the attention at an airport, but a new project to convert the rest of the vehicles on the airfield from fossil fuels to electric power is about to save millions of dollars and tons of greenhouse gases at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Promising news for solar fuels using bionic leaves

There's promising news from the front on efforts to produce fuels through artificial photosynthesis.

What you will learn at Supercapacitors Europe 2014

IDTechEx's Supercapacitor Europe 2014 conference is bringing the best of supercapacitor developments in the region and internationally to Berlin on 1-2 April.

Study reveals new surface chemistry in electric vehicle batteries

While nobody has killed it, the electric car certainly has its challenges - namely safety, performance and cost.

Unexpected effect of heavy hydrogen in organic solar cells

Photovoltaic spray paint could coat the windows and walls of the future if scientists are successful in developing low-cost, flexible solar cells based on organic polymers.

Big step for next-generation fuel cells and electrolyzers

A big step in the development of next-generation fuel cells and water-alkali electrolyzers has been achieved with the discovery of a new class of bimetallic nanocatalysts that are an order of magnitude higher in activity than the target set by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for 2017.

Battery could find use in mobile applications

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have demonstrated in the laboratory a lithium-sulfur (Li/S) battery that has more than twice the specific energy of lithium-ion batteries, and that lasts for more than 1,500 cycles of charge-discharge with minimal decay of the battery's capacity. This is longest cycle life reported so far for any lithium-sulfur battery.

Battery small enough to be injected, energetic enough to track salmon

Scientists have created a microbattery that packs twice the energy compared to current microbatteries used to monitor the movements of salmon through rivers in the Pacific Northwest and around the world.