Energy

Berkeley National Lab receives $1.8M to spread energy efficiency

By / September 19, 2009

Lawrence Berkley National Lab has been commissioned to beef up the energy efficiency of several federal agencies. A press release from LBNL states that $1.8 million in funding from the…

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Efficient solar from a carbon nanotube

By / September 18, 2009

Technology Review reported that researchers at Cornell University have made a photovoltaic cell out of a single-walled carbon nanotube. They claim it is more energy efficient than conventional photovoltaics. The…

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Friedman says the solar problem is . . .

By / September 17, 2009

Well, actually it is quite hard to tell what NYT columnist Thomas Friedman is saying about the solar industry. Like a lot of what he writes, his latest worry-fest is…

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Carbon sequestration training, certification to be offered

By / September 17, 2009

A trio of organizations in the Seattle area is gearing up to offer advanced training and certification in burying and permanently storing carbon dioxide underground. With $1 million in funding…

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Gold used to enhance nanocrystal conductance

By / September 15, 2009

Researchers at Berkeley Lab reported a technique by which the electrical conductivity of nanorod crystals of cadmium-selenide was increased 100,000 times. “The key to our success is the fabrication of…

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Green algae harnessed to make paper-based batteries

By / September 11, 2009

A press release from Uppsala University, Sweden, claims that a group of researchers at the Ångström Laboratory have discovered that the distinctive cellulose nanostructure of Cladophora algae can serve as…

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Blast from the past: GM’s other hybrid car

By / September 11, 2009

While clearing out some junk in my garage, I came across a October 1980 copy of Popular Mechanics that contained the above story with “spy photos” of a two-passenger electric…

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Who has the strategy for strategic materials?

By / September 10, 2009

Lithium, bauxite, rare earths? As ACerS corporate member Don Bubar, of Avalan Rare Metals, told CNBC yesterday (in something of an understated way), “There is a global scramble to secure…

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Giant solar farms in the works in China, India and U.S.

By / September 10, 2009

First Solar announced yesterday that it and the Chinese government had agreed upon a memorandum of understanding that, if a few more bridges are crossed, will result in a 2…

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Solar Roadways nabs grant for prototype panel

By / September 9, 2009

I’m not sure if this Solar Roadways concept is insane or brilliant, but I think my gut reaction is that this is generally far fetched – at least on the…

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