Sep

5

New Device Turns Heat Into Electrical Energy

September 5, 2017 | 9 Comments

A new Washington State University thermoelectric generator device could one day turn the heat generated by a wide array of electronics into a usable fuel source. The device is a multicomponent, multilayered composite material called a van der Waals Schottky diode. It converts heat into electricity up to three times more efficiently than silicon – […]

Jan

28

Get Ambient Energy From The Environment

January 28, 2016 | Leave a Comment

Researchers at the National Institute of Applied Sciences (INSA) de Lyon report that introducing a plasticizer into “electrostrictive polymers” materials offers an efficient way to improve their mechanical energy harvesting performance. The group of smart materials known as “electrostrictive polymers” have been explored for their potential mechanical energy harvesting abilities as a viable method for […]

Sep

24

New Record Solar Cell Efficiency at 44.7 Percent

September 24, 2013 | Leave a Comment

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, Soitec, CEA-Leti and the Helmholtz Center Berlin jointly announced achieving a new world record for solar cell efficiency.  Using a new solar cell structure with four solar subcells the team surpassed all the competition after only over three years of research.  The new record efficiency of 44.7% […]

Aug

14

A Breakthrough in Electricity From Wastewater

August 14, 2012 | 2 Comments

Wastewater, more commonly thought of as sewage or gray water is estimated to use 3% of the electrical energy consumed in the United States and other developed countries. Engineers at Oregon State University have made a breakthrough in the performance of microbial fuel cells that can produce electricity directly from wastewater.  There have been other […]

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