The new self-powered thermoelectric generator device uses an ultra-broadband solar absorber (UBSA) to capture sunlight, which heats the generator. Simultaneously, another component called a planar radiative cooling emitter (RCE) cools part of the device by releasing heat. Credit: Haoyuan Cai, Jimei University. Topics: Alternate Energy, Battery, Chemistry, Energy, Materials Science, Thermodynamics Researchers have developed aContinue reading “TEG…”
Category Archives: Alternate Energy
Green Homing…
Divine light The Dean of Gloucester Cathedral, Stephen Lake, blesses the cathedral’s solar panels after the solar-energy firm MyPower installed them in November 2016. The array of PV panels generates just over 25% of the building’s electricity. (Courtesy: MyPower) Topics: Alternate Energy, Applied Physics, Battery, Chemistry, Economics, Solar Power With energy bills on the rise, plentyContinue reading “Green Homing…”
Caveat Emptor…
Topics: Alternate Energy, Applied Physics, Climate Change, Energy, Global Warming, Lasers, Nuclear Fusion After the heady, breathtaking coverage of pop science journalism, I dove into the grim world inhabited by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists on their take on the first-ever fusion reaction. I can say that I wasn’t surprised. With all this publicity,Continue reading “Caveat Emptor…”
OPVs…
V. ALTOUNIAN/SCIENCE Topics: Alternate Energy, Applied Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, Solar Power As ultrathin organic solar cells hit new efficiency records, researchers see green energy potential in surprising places. In November 2021, while the municipal utility in Marburg, Germany, was performing scheduled maintenance on a hot water storage facility, engineers glued 18 solar panels toContinue reading “OPVs…”
ARDP…
Topics: Applied Physics, Alternate Energy, Climate Change, Nuclear Power According to the US Energy Information Administration, the US uses a mixture of 60.8% fossil fuel sources to generate 2,504 billion kilowatt hours of energy. Our nuclear expenditure is a paltry 18.9%. The totality of renewable sources (wind, hydropower, solar, biomass, and geothermal) is a littleContinue reading “ARDP…”
Perovskite and Maxima…
Topics: Alternate Energy, Applied Physics, Battery, Chemistry, Civilization, Climate Change A longstanding explanation for why perovskite materials make such good solar cells has been cast into doubt thanks to new measurements. Previously, physicists ascribed the favorable optoelectronic properties of lead halide perovskites to the behavior of quasiparticles called polarons within the material’s crystal lattice. Now,Continue reading “Perovskite and Maxima…”
Racing Green…
Topics: Alternate Energy, Battery, Biofuels, Climate Change, Global Warming Cars – and in particular racecars – might seem the villains in a world grappling with climate change. Racing Green: How Motorsport Science Can Change the World hopes to convince you of exactly the opposite, with science journalist Kit Chapman showing how motorsports not only pioneers new, planet-friendlierContinue reading “Racing Green…”
Quantum Charging…
Topics: Alternate Energy, Battery, Green Tech, Nanotechnology, Quantum Mechanics Note: I’m in the semifinals of the 3-Minute Thesis competition, so I decided to focus on my presentation. Wish me luck. This does, however, relate to our need as a species to get off fossil fuels as soon as possible, so things like Ukraine, Crimea, andContinue reading “Quantum Charging…”
M.A.D…
Topics: Alternate Energy, Battery, Biofuels, Climate Change, Environment, Politics Want another reason to loathe Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? Just look at how it may completely doom the Paris climate accords — and our planet. According to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the problem of climate change — which he admitted was “not solved” during the COP26Continue reading “M.A.D…”
Lithium and Caveats…
Topics: Alternate Energy, Battery, Biofuels, Chemistry, Climate Change, Environment California and the Biden administration are pushing incentives to make the United States a global leader in a market that’s beginning to boom: the production of lithium, the lightweight metal needed for the batteries of electric vehicles, and for the storage of renewable energy from powerContinue reading “Lithium and Caveats…”
Physics and Nano 