adminLithium-air batteries hold the promise of storing electricity at up to five times the energy density of today’s familiar lithium-ion batteries, but they have inherent shortcomings. Researchers have helped prove that a new prototype is powered by a surprising chemical reaction that may solve the new battery’s biggest drawback.
adminSuccess of the energy turnaround will depend decisively on the extended use of renewable energy sources. However, their efficiency partly is much smaller than that of conventional energy sources. The efficiency of commercially available photovoltaic cells, for instance, is about 20 percent. Scientists of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have now published an unconventional approach to increasing the efficiency of the panels. Optical invisibility cloaks guide sunlight around objects that cast shadows on the solar panel.
Numerous bats are killed by German wind turbines. The number of such turbines, already very high, is planned to be increased further. More than two-thirds of bats being killed by wind turbines on German ground are migrants on their way between summer and winter habitats. Due to its geographical location in Europe, Germany has consequently a central responsibility for the conservation of migratory bats.
adminThe world is facing two major problems that affect us all. Firstly, there is the climate change that is a result of human actions, in first place fossil fuel burning…
adminBuilding and operating offshore wind farms is an expensive business. To be able to estimate the profitability of the plants, first the wind potential must be determined. Researchers have now created a wind measurement buoy with sophisticated, precise measurement technology that supplies the necessary data.
adminPerovskite solar cells are cheaper to make than traditional silicon cells and their electricity conversion efficiency is improving rapidly. To be commercially viable, perovskite cells need to scale up from lab size. Researchers report a method for making perovskite cells larger while maintaining efficiency.
adminTurkey said it will commission 101 new hydroelectric plants and dams worth US$3.44 billion in January, according to information published by Anadolu Agency, Turkey’s state-run news agency.
