Steam locomotives clattering along railway tracks. Paddle steamers churning down the Murray. Dreadnought battleships powered by steam engines. Many of us think the age of steam has ended. But while the steam engine has been superseded by internal combustion engines and now electric motors, the modern world still relies on steam. All thermal power plants, […]
Metals Tech
ADS-TEC: Decentralized battery storage platforms with ultra-fast DC charging
At the recently held Volta-Xchange in Stuttgart, ADS-TEC Energy presented its decentralized battery-based energy storage solutions that do not require the grid to be upgraded, also suitable for non-public charging infrastructure due to their ultra-fast DC charging capability. Citing a recent study by Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and the Fraunhofer Institute for […]
This battery startup says it’s found a way to make cheap LFP batteries without sacrificing range
Cost remains one of the biggest hurdles to electric vehicle adoption. Most of today’s EVs sell for higher prices than fossil fuel-powered vehicles, and that’s keeping a lot of people from purchasing one. That might soon change. Coreshell, a battery materials startup, revealed a breakthrough this week that could lower the cost of lithium-ion batteries. […]
Perovskite solar cells: Vacuum process may offer a short track to commercialization
Research and industry worldwide work on the commercialization of perovskite photovoltaics. Most research laboratories focus on solvent-based manufacturing processes because these methods are versatile and easy to use. Established photovoltaic industries, however, almost exclusively apply vacuum processes for the deposition of high-quality thin films. An international consortium led by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and […]
Next-gen battery tech: Reimagining every aspect of batteries
The race is on to generate new technologies to ready the battery industry for the transition toward a future with more renewable energy. In this competitive landscape, it’s hard to say which companies and solutions will come out on top. Corporations and universities are rushing to develop new manufacturing processes to cut the cost and […]
Scientists use novel technique to create new energy-efficient microelectronic device
A breakthrough could help lead to the development of new low-power semiconductors or quantum devices. As the integrated circuits that power our electronic devices get more powerful, they are also getting smaller. This trend of microelectronics has only accelerated in recent years as scientists try to fit increasingly more semiconducting components on a chip. Microelectronics […]
Giant ‘sand battery’ holds a week’s heat for a whole town
A new industrial-scale ‘sand battery’ has been announced for Finland, which packs 1 MW of power and a capacity of up to 100 MWh of thermal energy for use during those cold polar winters. The new battery will be about 10 times bigger than a pilot plant that’s been running since 2022. The sand battery, […]
Harvesting human motion energy: The promise of wearable triboelectric nanogenerators
There is a lot of mechanical energy in human activities, but human activities are low frequency and irregular. As such, traditional electromagnetic power generation mode cannot efficiently collect this energy without affecting the normal activities of the human body. A new energy harvesting method, called triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), can efficiently collect low-frequency and irregular mechanical […]
Chrysler enlists battery developer for new EV power source unlike anything on the road today: ‘The future battery platform of electric vehicles’
“Big Three” automaker Chrysler will use lithium-sulfur batteries instead of the more traditional lithium-ion batteries in its new line of electric vehicles. Chrysler has contracted battery technology developer Lyten to provide the batteries. The California-based company opened its first automated lithium-sulfur battery production line in San Jose last year and recently told The Cool Down […]
Small-molecule organic electrode materials for rechargeable batteries
Conventional lithium-ion batteries based on inorganic cathode materials containing transition metals (e.g., Co and Ni) are facing the ceiling of energy density and the concern of resource sustainability. Therefore, it is necessary to develop novel, highly efficient electrode materials, and rechargeable battery technologies without the limitation of resources. Organic electrode materials (OEMs), primarily comprised of […]