Old Assumption Invalidated: Controlling Fusion Plasma and Plasma Turbulence
After his PhD thesis invalidates an old assumption, Norman Cao wonders what’s next. “What are some challenges in controlling plasma and what are your solutions?…
Energy News
First Quantum Phase “Supercurrent” Battery Ever Developed
The first quantum phase battery has been realized. It consist of an indium arsenide (InAs) nanowire in contact with aluminum superconducting leads and is a…
Solar Power Satellite Hardware That Beams Energy to Earth Tested in Orbit
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory engineers launched PRAM, the Photovoltaic Radio-frequency Antenna Module, aboard an Air Force X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle on May 17 as part…
MIT Explores New Ways to Make Nuclear Energy Cost-Competitive
Three MIT teams to explore novel ways to reduce operations and maintenance costs of advanced nuclear reactors. MIT teams in the GEMINA program will provide…
How Stimulus Dollars Are Spent Will Affect Emissions for Decades
To tackle COVID-19 and climate change, government spending must deliver jobs and growth alongside deep decarbonization. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have led to…
Using Machine Learning to Accurately Predict Rock Thermal Conductivity for Enhanced Oil Production
Skoltech scientists and their industry colleagues have found a way to use machine learning to accurately predict rock thermal conductivity, a crucial parameter for enhanced…
Precision Spray Coating Could Enable Solar Cells With Better Stability and Performance
New approach offers practical way to make multilayer perovskite solar cells. Although perovskites are a promising alternative to the silicon used to make most of…
Scientists Discover a Prime Renewable Energy Source: Water Vapor in the Atmosphere
Electricity generated by interactions between water molecules and metals may be turned into a source of energy, Tel Aviv University research reveals. The search for…
New Generation of Lightweight, Flexible Solar Cells and Display Screens Using Transparent Graphene Electrodes
New roll-to-roll production method could enable lightweight, flexible solar devices and a new generation of display screens. A new way of making large sheets of…
Transformational Challenge Nuclear Reactor: Microreactor Built Using 3D Printing
Scientists at the Department of Energy Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have their eyes on the prize: the Transformational Challenge Reactor, or…
Discovery Unlocks ‘Hot’ Electrons for More Efficient Solar Panels
Highly energetic, “hot” electrons have the potential to help solar panels more efficiently harvest light energy. But scientists haven’t been able to measure the energies…
Most Cost Effective Solar Power Systems: Double-Sided Panels That Follow the Sun
Solar power systems with double-sided (bifacial) solar panels — which collect sunlight from two sides instead of one — and single-axis tracking technology that tilts…
Clean Energy Breakthrough: Scientists Improve Light-Driven Water-Splitting to Produce Hydrogen
Etching the Road to a Hydrogen Economy Using Plasma Jets Hydrogen is a clean energy source that can be produced by splitting water molecules with…
ITER Fusion Reactor Tokamak Assembly Begins – World’s Largest International Scientific Collaboration
ITER, the world’s largest international scientific collaboration, is beginning assembly of the fusion reactor tokamak that will include 12 different essential hardware systems provided by…
NASA Wants to Go Nuclear on the Moon and Mars for Astronaut Settlement
It might sound like science fiction, but scientists are preparing to build colonies on the moon and, eventually, Mars. With NASA planning its next human…
Breakthrough in Artificial Photosynthetic System That Produces Clean and Renewable Energy From Sunlight and Water
Understanding nature’s process could inform the next generation of artificial photosynthetic systems that produce clean and renewable energy from sunlight and water. Photosystem II is…
3D-Printed Nuclear Reactor Core Promises Faster, More Economical Energy
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are refining their design of a 3D-printed nuclear reactor core, scaling up the additive manufacturing…
Toxic Chemicals – Including a Pesticide – Identified in Fracking Wastewater
Scientists are zeroing in on water quality and environmental concerns of fracking wastewater to determine if it is safe for reuse. Before water produced during…
