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Most of us naturally associate biological CO 2 conversion with photosynthesis in plants and algae. Furthermore, the maximum efficiency of solar energy conversion by photosynthesis is 5%, while typical solar panel efficiency reaches 20%. Their paper is published in the journal Joule. Acetogenic microbes (e.g., an and Park.
Under the FOCUS program, projects will develop advanced solar converters that turn sunlight into electricity for immediate use, while also producing heat that can be stored at low cost for later use as well as innovative storage systems that accept both heat and electricity from variable solar sources. Cogenra Solar, Inc.
Utilization of renewable solar energy is crucial for addressing the global energy and environmental concerns and achieving sustainable development. In this regard, photocatalytic water splitting has attracted significant interest as a cost-effective means to convert sustainable solar energy into valuable chemicals. Credit: DICP.
Panasonic has developed an artificial photosynthesis system using a gallium nitride photoelectrode and a metal catalyst which uses sunlight to convert CO 2 mainly to formic acid (an important intermediate in chemical synthesis) at an efficiency (solar energy to chemical energy) of 0.2%—a —a comparable level to that of plants.
Stanford engineers have developed a process—photon-enhanced thermionic emission, PETE—that simultaneously uses the light and heat of the sun to generate electricity in a way that could make solar power production more than twice as efficient as existing methods. (a) a) Energy diagram of the PETE process. b) One possible implementation.
With the creation of a 3-D nanocone-based solar cell platform, a team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Jun Xu has boosted the light-to-power conversion efficiency of photovoltaics by nearly 80 percent. The technology substantially overcomes the problem of poor transport of charges generated by solar photons.
A team of biologists and engineers modified Rhodopseudomonas palustris TIE-1 (TIE-1) so that it can produce a biofuel using only three renewable and naturally abundant source ingredients: carbon dioxide, solar panel-generated electricity and light. We hope that it can be a steppingstone for future sustainable solar fuel production.
Toshiba Corporation has developed a new technology that uses solar energy directly to generate carbon compounds from carbon dioxide and water, and to deliver a viable chemical feedstock or fuel with potential for use in industry. Fuels Hydrogen Production SolarSolar fuels' Mechanism of the technology. Source: Toshiba.
Researchers at the University of Twente’s MESA+ research institute have made significant efficiency improvements to the technology used to generate solar fuels. They fabricated a highly efficient photocathode by spatially and functionally decoupling light absorption and catalytic activity. — Vijselaar et al. Although 10.8%
Light harvesting can use various optical concentrators and beam splitters can redirect sub-bandgap radiation away from the PV onto the electrolyzer. The STEP (Solar Thermal Electrochemical Photo) process fundamentally captures sunlight more efficiently than photovoltaics by using the full (UV, visible and infrared) sunlight.
A new study by Berkeley Lab researchers at the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis ( JCAP ) shows that nearly 90% of the electrons generated by a new hybrid photocathode material designed to store solar energy in hydrogen are being stored in the target hydrogen molecules (Faradaic efficiency). Earlier post.)
Researchers from the University of Houston (UH) have developed a cobalt(II) oxide (CoO) nanocrystalline catalyst that can carry out overall water splitting with a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of around 5%. Different sources of light were used, ranging from a laser to white light simulating the solar spectrum.
By using light-activated quantum dots to fire particular enzymes within microbial cells, the researchers were able to create “living factories” that eat CO 2 and convert it into products such as biodegradable plastic, gasoline, ammonia and biodiesel. Therefore, these resting cells function as nano-microbial factories powered by light.
The PairTree is an off-grid EV charger with solar, storage and two Level 2 EV chargers that can be set up in a day. These factors determine the best mix of solar, storage and grid power for a particular project. PairTree is an off-grid EV charger featuring a pop-up solar canopy, a 42.4 How much power is available at the site?
Changing the concentration of indium gallium nitride in photovoltaics allows researchers to tune the material’s response to collect solar energy from a variety of wavelengths, thereby maximizing efficiency. Cross-sectional images of the indium gallium nitride nanowire solar cell. Power conversion efficiencies were low—only 0.3%
Researchers from the University of Michigan and McGill University in Canada report photochemical syngas synthesis using a core/shell Au@Cr 2 O 3 dual cocatalyst in coordination with multistacked InGaN/GaN nanowires (NWs) with the sole inputs of CO 2 , water, and solarlight. under concentrated solarlight illumination.
The autonomous plasmonic solar water splitter, which was operated with 1 M potassium borate electrolyte (pH 9.6) The autonomous plasmonic solar water splitter, which was operated with 1 M potassium borate electrolyte (pH 9.6) Structure and mechanism of operation of the autonomous plasmonic solar water splitter. (a)
The US Department of Energy will invest up to $366 million to establish and operate three new Energy Innovation Hubs focused on accelerating research and development in three key energy areas, one of which is developing an effective solar energy to chemical fuel conversion system—i.e.,
Researchers at Tel Aviv University, Israel (TAU) have found that the exoskeleton of the Oriental hornet can harvest solar energy. The team determined that the brown shell of the hornet was made from grooves that split light into diverging beams. The shell traps the light and the pigment does the conversion.
The traces are for solar cells of 7.7% Researchers led by MIT professor Daniel Nocera have produced an “artificial leaf”—a solar water-splitting cell producing hydrogen and oxygen that operates in near-neutral pH conditions, both with and without connecting wires. solar-to-fuels systems. illumination.
An illustration of the light-powered, one-step remediation process for hydrogen sulfide gas made possible by a gold photocatalyst created at Rice University. Each island was a gold nanoparticle about 10 billionths of a meter across that would interact strongly with a specific wavelength of visible light. —Naomi Halas.
A team of scientists at the University of Cambridge has reported the light-driven photoreforming of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin to H 2 using semiconducting cadmium sulfide quantum dots in alkaline aqueous solution. CdS is an inexpensive, visible-light-absorbing photocatalyst with a bulk electronic bandgap of around 2.4
Researchers from UC Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore have developed a new technology for direct solar water-splitting—i.e., When immersed in water with visible light irradiation (? ? Click to enlarge. A paper describing their work is published in the journal ACS Nano.
million for seven research projects designed to advance a broad range of renewable energy technologies, including solar cells, batteries, renewable fuels and bioenergy. The mineral perovskite is a promising, low-cost material for enhancing the efficiency of silicon solar cells. Light trapping in high?efficiency, modified plants.
The centers selected for the second round of funding will help lay the scientific groundwork for fundamental advances in solar energy, electrical energy storage, carbon capture and sequestration, materials and chemistry by design, biosciences, and extreme environments. Light-Material Interactions in Energy Conversion (LMI).
Researchers from BASF, Energie Baden-Württemberg AG (EnBW), Heidelberg University and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are seeking to develop a process for the photocatalytic conversion of CO 2 into methanol for use in fuel cells or internal combustion engines. Tags: Catalysts Methanol Solar. million) over two years.
The home’s occupant will be able to use less than half of the energy of a similarly sized new home in the Davis area for heating, cooling and lighting. Among the technologies and green building concepts showcased in the Honda Smart Home US are: Solar photovoltaics (PV). Advanced lighting. Photo by Dorian Toy. Click to enlarge.
The three-part composite maximizes both absorbing light and its efficiency for water splitting. Finally, the gold-covered LTO is mixed with ultrathin sheets of the element black phosphorus (BP), which acts as a light absorber. The band gap properties are promising because of broad solarlight absorption from UV to NIR region.
Researchers at the University of Southampton have transformed optical fibers into photocatalytic microreactors that convert water into hydrogen fuel using solar energy. Computerized tomography of a MOFC, showing buildup of TiO 2 (light blue particles) in the triangular channels. Zepler Institute, University of Southampton.
The Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research ( DIFFER ) is partnering with Toyota Motor Europe (TME) to develop a device that absorbs water vapor, and splits it into hydrogen and oxygen directly using solar energy. In this project, DIFFER and TME are exploring an innovative way to produce hydrogen directly out of humid air.
The highest reported solar to hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiency for such a system composed of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzers powered by an InGaP/GaAs/GaInNAsSb triple-junction solar cell was 30%, tested over 48 h. The hydrogen cell contains the cathode, and it is physically separated from the oxygen cell.
Ideally, photocatalysts could use sunlight and water to produce hydrogen, however it is necessary to achieve a conversion rate of 10% to enable such a system to be adopted industrially. Recently, they have succeeded in increasing the light energy conversion efficiency by applying this technology to hematite (?-Fe under 600nm).
Using the nanocomposites as photoanodes in dye-sensitized solar cells, they achieved a power conversion efficiency in the solar cells of 10.6%, up from 8%—an increase of almost one-third. This new method used to enhance solar cell performance is quite different, Belcher says. “A little biology goes a long way.”
Researchers at the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) led off a day-long symposium on advances in CO 2 conversion and utilization being held at the 238 th American Chemical Society (ACS) national meeting, which began today in Washington, DC. Earlier post.). Robert Dorner. The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide. Scott Shaw.
Neutron scattering analysis performed at ORNL shows the lamellar structure of a hydrogen-producing, biohybrid composite material formed by the self-assembly of naturally occurring, light harvesting proteins with polymers. This finding could be exploited for the introduction of self-repair mechanisms in future solarconversion systems.
Designing an artificial leaf that uses solar energy to convert water cheaply and efficiently into hydrogen and oxygen is one of the goals of BISfuel (Bio-inspired Solar fuel production)—the Energy Frontier Research Center, funded by the Department of Energy, in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Arizona State University.
Researchers from Tokyo Tech have developed a tin-based metal–organic framework (MOF) that can photocatalytically reduce carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into formate under visible light. A popular method for carrying out such conversions is to use visible light for driving the photoreduction of CO 2 via photocatalysts. 202305923
Batteries, fuel cells and solar-energy conversion devices have emerged as a class of important technologies that increasingly rely on electrodes derived from nanoparticles. Its efficiency was such that gas bubbles emerged as soon as it was under a light stimulus. Hydrogen Production Nanotech Solar'
This new work, described in a study published in the journal Energy and Environmental Science , is the first to successfully demonstrate the approach of going from carbon dioxide directly to target products—ethanol and ethylene—at energy conversion efficiencies rivaling natural counterparts. —Gurudayal et al. Earlier post.).
Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting based on solar energy is one promising approach for the production of green hydrogen. The novel photoanodes suppress the undesirable internal and external losses associated with photoelectrochemical water splitting, resulting in an unprecedented photon-to-current conversion efficiency of 12.79%.
The workshop will bring together thought leaders from distinct science and engineering communities to develop new ideas and identify practical approaches toward increasing the efficiency of light collection by biological systems and the conversion of that energy into liquid forms of chemical energy that can be used for transportation.
Water oxidation (2H 2 O → O 2 + 4 e- + 4H + ) is a key step for converting solar energy into chemical fuels. For use in photoelectric synthesis cells, in which chemical conversions are driven by light, the oxides are typically electrodeposited onto ITO substrates. times more light. —Chen et al.
Bicycle parking lot in Sakurashinmachi, Setagaya, where Sanyo’s Smart Energy System “Solar Parking Lot” is installed. Sanyo Electric has completed installation of two Solar Parking Lots for hybrid bikes, incorporating solar panels and lithium-ion battery systems, and also provided 100 electric hybrid “eneloop bikes”, in Setagaya, Tokyo Japan.
Researchers from Northwestern University and Princeton University have explored the impact on US air quality from an aggressive conversion of internal combustion vehicles to battery-powered electric vehicles (EVs). NH 3 -poor for PM). coal, oil, natural gas, and biomass). Schnell, Vaishali Naik, Larry W. 2019.04.003.
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