Renewables

Government subsidies should be used to encourage investment in energy storage systems if renewable power is to be fully integrated into the sector, according to researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA). Variable output renewable energy systems, such as wind turbines and solar panels, are growing across Europe and contribute to supply and price volatility in electricity markets.

The IoT could make cities "smarter" by connecting an extensive network of tiny communications devices to make life more efficient. But all these machines will require a lot of energy. Rather than adding to the global reliance on fossil fuels to power the network, researchers say they have a new solution. Their report on a single device that harvests wind and solar energy appears in the journal ACS Nano.

Hokkaido University scientists are testing the development of solar cells made of solid materials to improve their ability to function under harsh environmental conditions. Scientists at Hokkaido University in Japan are making leeway in the fabrication of all-solid-state solar cells that are highly durable and can efficiently convert sunlight into energy. The team employed a method called "atomic layer deposition", which allows scientists to cont...

imec and its Solliance partners, have presented the first-ever semi-transparent perovskite PV-module, achieving power conversion efficiencies up to 12%. The technology enables for semi-transparent PV-windows which are a key towards Zero-Energy Buildings. Moreover, combining these semitransparent perovskite modules with Si solar cells, an unprecedented 20.2% in power conversion efficiency for a perovskite/Si stacked solar module was achieved.

Plastic accounts for nearly 80% of all waste found in our oceans, gradually breaking down into smaller and smaller particles. New research from Lund University investigates how nanosized plastic particles affect aquatic animals in different parts of the food chain. “Not very many studies have been done on this topic before. Plastic particles of such a small size are difficult to study”, says Karin Mattsson.

A family of compounds known as perovskites, which can be made into thin films with many promising electronic and optical properties, has been a hot research topic in recent years. But although these materials could potentially be highly useful in applications such as solar cells, some limitations still hamper their efficiency and consistency. Now, a team of researchers at MIT and elsewhere say they have made significant inroads toward understandi...

Researchers at Lund University have successfully explained how iron-based dyes work on a molecular level in solar cells. The new findings will accelerate the development of inexpensive and environmentally friendly solar cells. The goal is to be able to use iron-based dyes in solar cells in the future. By using iron instead of other more expensive and rare metals, the production of solar cells and light catchers will become cheaper and more enviro...

At first it seems ridiculous that IDTechEx forecasts a huge growth in the power electronics business for electric vehicles. Yes, there is tending to be two motors per car or larger vehicle not one now and that means many more motor controllers. Yes, the market is growing for the vehicles and each car or larger vehicle has a charger and a battery management system on board, both being power electronics but that alone is insufficient to create the ...

The Clarity Fuel Cell vehicle from Honda, which went on sale in March, is using platinum electrode catalysts from Tanaka Holdings in its fuel cells.

Expanding its growing portfolio of automotive-grade semiconductor solutions for EVs, HEVs and PHEVs, Fairchild has introduced discrete and bare die IGBTs and diodes. These IGBTs and diodes are suited for traction inverters, a core component of all EVs, HEVs and PHEVs that convert the batteries’ electricity from direct current into the three-phase alternating current required by the vehicles’ drive motors.