Energy

Expanding opportunities in the subsurface: DOE program lays foundation for large-scale hydrogen storage

By Lisa McDonald / September 10, 2024

Efficient storage of hydrogen at scale is needed to facilitate the widespread adoption of this alternative fuel type. The U.S. Department of Energy is funding a multiyear study to determine the viability, safety, and reliability of storing pure hydrogen or hydrogen–natural gas blends in different types of underground environments.

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Immobilizing nuclear waste: Status and future developments in glass and ceramic waste forms

By Guest Contributor / August 16, 2024

Since the early days of research on nuclear waste disposal, glass and ceramic materials have received a lot of attention as stable and manageable forms for storing nuclear waste. Today’s CTT looks at the status and current challenges with these waste forms, as well as how machine learning may help support future developments.

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Ceramic–polymer composites: A possible future for energy storage, harvesting, and conversion

By Guest Contributor / August 2, 2024

The widespread adoption of clean energy technologies requires the advancement of energy storage, harvesting, and conversion technologies. Ceramic–polymer composites have a lot of potential to help with this advancement.

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Embracing nature knowledge: Biomimicry developments in the energy field

By Guest Contributor / July 16, 2024

Nature offers many clues on ways to best preserve energy, and today’s CTT showcases some recent biomimetic innovations in the fields of clean energy, passive thermal control, and water conservation.

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Toward dendrite-free lithium-metal batteries: MOF glass layer enables more uniform lithium diffusion

By Lisa McDonald / July 9, 2024

Glass is emerging as a possible material to help prevent lithium dendrite formation in lithium-metal batteries. Researchers from Aalborg University in Denmark demonstrated the potential of metal–organic framework glasses to facilitate more uniform lithium diffusion.

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Solar panel breakage on the rise as glass thickness decreases and hail severity increases

By Lisa McDonald / July 2, 2024

In this year’s annual PV Module Index Report by the Renewable Energy Test Center, experts explain how the trend toward ultralarge and ultrathin solar installations is leading to an increase in spontaneous glass breakage even as the frequency and severity of hailstorms is escalating.

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Things that go bump in the sunlight: Dome-shaped organic photovoltaic cells show high efficiency

By Guest Contributor / June 18, 2024

The shape of a solar cell can greatly affect its light absorption efficiency. Abdullah Gül University assistant professor Dooyoung Hah recently investigated the potential of hemispherical, or “dome,” shaped cells to improve the performance of organic photovoltaics.

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Video: DOE Transmission Interconnection Roadmap sets targets for hooking clean energy up to the grid

By Lisa McDonald / May 15, 2024

Connecting clean energy projects to the electrical grid faces numerous challenges. In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy announced the release of a new roadmap that outlines solutions to speed up interconnection and clear the existing project backlog.

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Video: High-throughput manufacturing of hydrogen technologies

By Lisa McDonald / April 3, 2024

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has led efforts to address challenges to hydrogen technology adoption. On March 25, 2024, NREL announced a new Roll-to-Roll Consortium that will investigate how to enable high-throughput manufacturing of hydrogen fuel cells and water electrolyzers.

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Video: The Sun Queen—how Mária Telkes lit the way for solar-powered technology

By Lisa McDonald / March 20, 2024

In honor of Women’s History Month, CTT shines a light on the PBS special “The Sun Queen,” which documents the life and research of Hungarian–American chemical engineer and inventor Mária Telkes, who helped advance the field of solar technology.

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