US Department of Energy

Biomimicry could improve solar cells and lithium-ion batteries

Scientist is using the teeth of a marine snail found off the coast of California to create less costly and more efficient nanoscale materials to improve solar cells and lithium-ion batteries.

Multi-junction solar cell to break efficiency barrier

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory scientists in the Electronics Technology and Science Division, in collaboration with the Imperial College London and MicroLink Devices, Inc., Niles, Ill., have proposed a novel triple-junction solar cell with the potential to break the 50 percent conversion efficiency barrier, which is the current goal in multi-junction photovoltaic development.

Longer battery life for electric locomotive

A leading cause of damage and death in lead-acid batteries is sulfation, a degradation of the battery caused by frequent charging and discharging that creates an accumulation of lead sulfate.

Will iron batteries return?

Electric vehicles whether hybrid or pure electric or for land, water or air, employ batteries on board, where supercapacitors have not replaced them.

Peel and stick solar panels

Stanford researchers have succeeded in developing the world's first peel-and-stick thin-film solar cells.

State plugs-in to electric vehicles & charging stations

The California Department of General Services (DGS) announced the delivery of 10 new Nissan Leaf zero-emission vehicles, which will replace 10 existing vehicles in the DGS daily rental fleet.

Advanced wind blade

A project that could fundamentally change the way wind blades are designed, manufactured and installed.

U.S. Rare Earths receives drill permit for North Fork, Idaho property

U.S. Rare Earths receives drill permit for North Fork, Idaho property which has significant showings of Heavy Rare Earth Elements, in particular for the five Rare Earths identified by DOE.

Solar startup

Last year's bankruptcy of Solyndra, a maker of thin-film solar panels that received a $535 million loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy, is casting a huge shadow over the market for solar power.

Common materials lead to new thermoelectric material

By using common materials found pretty much anywhere there is dirt, a team of researchers have developed a new thermoelectric material.

Scientists develop indium-free organic light-emitting diodes

Scientists have discovered new ways of using a well-known polymer in organic light emitting diodes, which could eliminate the need for an increasingly problematic and breakable metal-oxide used in screen displays in computers, televisions, and cell phones.

DoE awards up to $120 million for battery hub to Argonne-led group

A multi-partner team led by Argonne National Laboratory has been selected for an award of up to $120 million over five years to establish a new Batteries and Energy Storage Hub.

$120 million for battery research

The Hub, to be known as the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR), will combine the R&D firepower of five DOE national laboratories, five universities, and four private firms in an effort aimed at achieving revolutionary advances in battery performance.

Scientists capture lithium-ion batteries in nanoscale action

Researchers have developed methods of examining lithium-ion reactions in real-time with nanoscale (billionths of a meter) precision, offering unprecedented insights into these crucial materials.

Keynotes at Energy Harvesting, WSN and Supercapacitors USA 2012

Some of the highlights of the keynote presentations at the 2012 IDTechEx conferences on energy harvesting, storage, wireless sensor networks and supercapacitors are presented.

OnStar debuts future EV solutions

At the GM Electrification Experience, OnStar is showing two new apps to address the possible range anxiety of electric vehicles and the cost of public charging.

Breakthrough in non-rare-earth electric motor design

UQM Technologies has made a significant breakthrough in the development of non-rare-earth magnet electric motor design as part of the work being done under the Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Research and Development Grant.

IDTechEx Energy Harvesting and WSN USA 2012 Awards, Washington DC

IDTechEx announced the winners of the 3rd Energy Harvesting and Wireless Sensor Networks USA awards last week, at the conference held in Washington, DC and attended by over 300 people.

Ordered catalyst boosts fuel cell output at lower cost

Fuel cells, which convert fuel directly into electricity without burning it, promise a less polluted future where cars run on pure hydrogen and exhaust nothing but water vapor. But the catalysts that make them work are still "sluggish" and worse, expensive.