Feb
27
Cold Fusion Expands Into Transmuting Elements
February 27, 2014 | 4 Comments
Lewis G. Larsen one namesake of the famed Low Energy Nuclear Reaction (LENR) version of Cold Fusion and now heading Lattice Energy LLC in Chicago is reporting a claim to have developed a process for energy production, utilizing LENR that, as a byproduct of neutron captures on tungsten, will create a mix of precious metals. […]
Feb
26
New Materials For Solar Water Splitting to Hydrogen
February 26, 2014 | Leave a Comment
University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have combined cheap, oxide-based materials to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases using solar energy with a solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 1.7 percent, the highest reported for any oxide-based photoelectrode system. The big deal is the lost cost angle. Generating electricity is not the only way to turn sunlight into […]
Feb
25
A New Oil Producing Sugarcane
February 25, 2014 | 1 Comment
In a stunning development a multi-institutional team led from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign reports that it can increase sugarcane’s geographic range, boost its photosynthetic rate by 30 percent and turn it into an oil-producing crop for biodiesel production. The team will present its latest findings today at the U.S. Department of Energy’s ARPA-E […]
Feb
20
Watching Batteries Work
February 20, 2014 | 1 Comment
Researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) can image and measure electrochemical processes in batteries in real time and at nanoscale resolution. Using a new microscopy method scientists watch a miniature electrochemical liquid cell that is placed in a transmission electron microscope to study an enigmatic phenomenon in lithium-ion batteries called the solid electrolyte […]
Feb
18
Europe Awakens to the Rare Earth Metal Shortage
February 18, 2014 | Leave a Comment
The European Union has begun to gather concern about the availability of rare earth elements. The rare earth elements are important components in green energy products such as wind turbines and efficient automobiles. The demand for metals such as neodymium (Nd) and dysprosium (Dy) is increasing much faster than production. These metals are used in […]