Feb

5

Record Electrical Flow From New Thermoelectric Material

February 5, 2019 | Leave a Comment

University of Houston researchers, taking advantage of recent advances in using theoretical calculations to predict the properties of new materials, have discovered a new class of half-Heusler thermoelectric compounds, including one with a record high figure of merit – a metric used to determine how efficiently a thermoelectric material can convert heat to electricity. Physicist […]

Jan

10

Solar Energy Turns Seawater Into Freshwater

January 10, 2019 | 2 Comments

Politecnico di Torino engineers have developed an innovative, low-cost technology to turn seawater into drinking water using solar energy alone. According to FAO estimates, by 2025 nearly 2 billion people may not have enough drinking water to satisfy their daily needs. One of the possible solutions to this problem is desalination, treating seawater to make […]

Oct

25

Ceramic Now Used to Make Solar Heat Exchangers

October 25, 2018 | Leave a Comment

Purdue University scientists have developed a new material and manufacturing process that would make one way to use thermal solar power – the heat energy – more efficient in generating electricity. Solar power accounts for less than 2 percent of U.S. electricity but could make up more than that if the cost of electricity generation […]

Aug

2

A New Way to Generate Electricity Discovered

August 2, 2018 | Leave a Comment

University of Tokyo physicists have discovered a new way to generate electricity in special materials called Weyl magnets. The method exploits temperature gradients, differences in temperature throughout a material. The technology could offer new designs for maintenance-free remote sensing devices or even medical implants. Professor Satoru Nakatsuji of the Institute for Solid State Physics said, […]

Jul

12

New Antennae Harvests Lost Heat Energy

July 12, 2018 | Leave a Comment

Sandia National Laboratory researchers have developed a tiny silicon-based device that can harness what was previously called waste heat and turn it into DC power. The rectenna, short for rectifying antenna, is made of common aluminum, silicon and silicon dioxide using standard processes from the integrated circuit industry. Converting electrical power to heat is easy. […]

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