Power sources used in devices found in or around biological tissue must be flexible and nontoxic, while still powerful enough to support demanding technologies such as medical devices or soft robotics. To achieve this balance, researchers at Penn State are taking inspiration from a "shocking" place—electric eels....
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Penn Engineers have developed a novel design for solar-powered data centers that will orbit Earth and could realistically scale to meet the growing demand for AI computing while reducing the environmental impact of data centers....
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Sodium-ion batteries are considered a promising, sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries. However, high storage losses during the first charging cycle have slowed down their development so far. Researchers at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) have now developed a design for anodes that combines efficiency and high...
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From subarctic to subtropical, Japan's varied climates present a challenge for energy-saving housing design. Adding the projected effects of climate change, with temperatures estimated to rise from 1.5 to 3.5°C by the close of the century, there currently is not a standard, one-size-fits-all solution. Therefore, climate-based building design solutions that...
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Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are known for their impressive ability to convert sunlight into energy, their low production costs and their lightweight design. They may well be the rising stars of renewable energy, but they are not yet as common as traditional solar panels. PSCs are also notoriously fragile and...
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Engineers at UNSW Sydney have developed a way to monitor solar cells at a microscopic level while they are operating to discover exactly how damage caused by ultraviolet light can be naturally repaired. The new monitoring method allows experts to directly observe chemical changes inside high-efficiency silicon solar cells as...
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Through a detailed mapping of the operating principles of current geothermal systems, scientists are pointing to vast, largely hidden potential capable of meeting the growing demands of an energy-hungry world....
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Fossil fuel-dependent communities in Western Canada sit at the center of Canada's energy decisions. A just and inclusive clean energy transition will depend on how well governments listen to these communities and how fast they deal with the forces working to slow down energy decarbonization....
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Scientists from the Departments of Inorganic Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of the University of Malaga participated in an international collaboration that has optimized, through artificial intelligence, the process of producing bio-hydrogen from wastewater. It is a consortium involving researchers from countries such as Vietnam, South Korea, India and Taiwan. Their...
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The power that makes electric vehicles travel farther and smartphones last longer comes from battery materials. Among them, the core material that directly determines the performance and lifespan of a battery is the cathode material. What if artificial intelligence could replace the numerous experiments required for battery material development? A...
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A research team at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed a simple and affordable hydrogel coating that not only enhances the heat dissipation in solar panels for cooling their "hot spots" effectively, but also increases power generation efficiency, ultimately supporting Hong Kong's goal of achieving urban carbon neutrality....
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Solar cells, devices that convert sunlight into electricity, are helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, promoting a shift toward renewable energy sources. Most solar cells used today are based on silicon, yet researchers have recently been exploring the potential of other photovoltaic materials, particularly perovskites....
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Scientists from China have developed a new way to recycle lithium batteries that is a triple win for the planet. It not only extracts nearly all the lithium for reuse but also traps carbon dioxide and converts the remaining metal waste into high-performance catalysts for generating green energy....
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A substantial "transition energy" is required to phase out fossil fuels in the European Union, a study by Imperial College London has found, revealing that faster transitions demand significantly larger, and potentially disruptive, reallocations of energy resources within society....
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Rising global temperatures are driving the need for more efficient cooling systems, one of today's key sustainability challenges. According to a Eurostat report, the need for air conditioning in buildings has nearly quadrupled since 1979, with Spain ranking as the fourth European country with the greatest increase. This translates into...
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