Department of Energy announces $128 m in new projects to advance solar technologies
The U.S. Department of Energy announced selections for $128 million in new projects to advance solar technologies. The 75 research projects selected for funding will advance research and development in photovoltaics, concentrating solar-thermal power, soft costs reduction, innovations in manufacturing, and systems integration.
Nobel Laureate joins XJet to lead Scientific Advisory Board
XJet Ltd., the additive manufacturing company, announced the appointment of Dan Shechtman to lead its Scientific Advisory Board. Winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of quasicrystals, Shechtman’s role will be to help steer XJet’s material and application development roadmap.
MetaShield launches NANOPRINT, an advanced coating reducing fingerprints, smudging
MetaShield, an advanced materials company, announced the launch of NANOPRINT, an anti-fingerprint nanotechnology-based coating that reduces the appearance of fingerprints and smudges by as much as 70% on a variety of consumer and commercial products.
Tethon 3D awarded binder jet hardware patent
Tethon 3D was awarded a patent for a new binder jet additive manufacturing method. The method includes using compression to produce less porous and more dense prints, leading to prints with an increased performance of strength with reduced shrinkage.
Addis Glass plans to triple production capacity
Ethiopian glass container manufacturer Addis Ababa Glass and Bottle Share Company plans to increase capacity from its current 80 tons per day to 240 tons per day by 2022. The total project is estimated at $40m with the IFC considering providing total financing of $25m alongside an East African based private equity firm.
Responsible Battery Coalition, Argonne partner on joint research project
The Responsible Battery Coalition entered into a joint research project with Argonne National Laboratory to advance battery innovation. The partnership is the first industry-sponsored project with the Argonne-led ReCell Center, a lithium-ion battery research and development initiative launched by DOE in early 2019.
O-I plots European MAGMA glass technology expansion
Owens-Illinois plans to expand its European MAGMA glass manufacturing process. The company announced in September it will install the technology at its Holzminden, Germany, plant following a successful installation in its Streator, Illinois, plant. But now O-I reports it is planning the implementation of a further three additional lines in Europe.
US green economy has 10 times more jobs than the fossil fuel industry
The fossil fuel sector, from coal mines to gas power plants, employed around 900,000 people in the U.S. in 2015–16, government figures show. But researchers at University College London found that over the same period this was vastly outweighed by the green economy, which provided nearly 9.5 million jobs (4%) of the working age population.
Electric cars may be powering ahead, but it will be a long way before they go mainstream
Out of more than 5.1 million electric cars on the roads globally, nearly two million electric cars were sold in China, Europe, and the U.S. last year. However, less than 1% of the one billion vehicles being driven today are electric, according to statistics by BloombergNEF for the 2019 Electric Vehicle Outlook.