Energy

Glass optics enhance concentrating solar performance

By / November 29, 2010

An all-glass optical lens may be the key component to achieving higher efficiency and higher energy production concentrating solar power systems. Silicon Valley-based Solergy, who recently announced plans  to install…

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Missouri S&T geothermal energy system to replace power plant

By / November 22, 2010

Missouri University of Science and Technology plans to install a new geothermal energy system. The project is expected to reduce energy costs, as well as cut the campus’s carbon dioxide…

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Crystalline silicon PV makers continue tough market fight with thin film tech

By / November 16, 2010

Credit: SunPower. It doesn’t appear anyone is making a lot of money in the solar power arena, but the players — working in different camps based on the materials they…

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MS&T’10 plenary presentations: ‘Energy, Infrastructure, Policy and Security’

By / November 16, 2010

Audio versions (MP3) of the three plenary speakers at last month’s MS&T’10 conference are now available. We’ve broken them up into the individual presentations by Terry Michalske, Robert T. McGrath…

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Beware ‘the little, squiggly, pig-tailed ones’

By / November 10, 2010

Meet the world of the guy who may chair the U.S. House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee [emphasis added].: The ranking member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee…

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Saint-Gobain invests $80M in Sage Electrochromics

By / November 10, 2010

SAGE Electrochromics, Inc. headquarters in Faribault, Minn. This is a pretty strong endorsement: Saint-Gobain Glass has acquired 50 percent of the equity of Sage Electrochromics for the large-scale manufacture of electrochromic…

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‘Do we really want renewables?’ States backtracking on green energy purchases

By / November 9, 2010

Matthew L. Wald and Tom Zeller Jr. in the New York Times report on a disturbing phenomenon that I haven’t seen written about before: “Even as many politicians, environmentalists and…

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Volvo begins preparing C30 electric–gasoline-powered fuel cell combo

By / November 5, 2010

At the Paris Motor Show last month, Volvo announced that their C30 electric model was ready for delivery. But, the company is already adding a major new feature – a…

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OSU group studies aging of Li-ion batteries

By / November 4, 2010

Ohio State University’s Center for Automotive Research is studying why batteries lose their ability to hold a charge as they age. In collaboration with ORNL and NIST, the group is…

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Materials stories that may also be of interest

By / November 2, 2010

At the end of each week, I end up with a list of a bunch of stories I started to write about, or started to investigate or didn’t even get…

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