University of Iowa researchers have teamed up with California-based startup HyperSolar to progress the science in producing clean energy from sunlight and water. The goal of this research is to develop a way to efficiently and sustainably produce low-cost renewable hydrogen for commercial use.

Hydrogen has huge potential as an alternative form of energy. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, hydrogen has the highest energy content of any fuel we use today (carbon dependent fuels included).

But hydrogen is not a naturally occurring element on this planet, so it needs to be produced. Currently, most hydrogen is produced via steam reforming – a process using fossil fuels and creating carbon dioxide. While the end produce is clan, renewable energy, the means of getting to that product were carbon dependent. The new study hopes to help move hydrogen production away from the traditional means of creation and toward electrolysis, which requires only electricity and water to create hydrogen.

“Developing clean energy systems is a goal worldwide,” says Syed Mubeen, HyperSolar’s lead scientist and chemical engineering professor at the University of Iowa. “Currently, we understand how clean energy systems such as solar cells, wind turbines, et cetera, work at a high level of sophistication. The real challenge going forward is to develop inexpensive clean energy systems that can be cost competitive to fossil fuel systems and be adopted globally and not just in the developed countries.”

(more…)

Lithium based technologies have been dominant in the battery arena since Sony commercialized the first Li-ion battery in 1991. ECS member Jeff Ortega, however, believes that a different material holds more promise than its lithium competitor in the world of microbattery technology.

During the 229th ECS Meeting, Ortega presented work that focused on the analysis of data from commercially available rechargeable Li-ion and Li-polymer cells. He then compared the silver-zinc button cells of ZPower, where he currently serves as the company’s director of research. His results showed that the company’s silver-zinc button cells offer both greater capacity and greater density than their Li-ion and Li-polymer counterparts. Additionally, Ortega stated that the cells are also generally safer and better for the environment.

[MORE: Read Ortega’s meeting abstract.]

According to Ortega, the small silver-zinc cells have 57 percent greater energy density than both types of lithium based calls. Their potential applications including medical devices, body worn sensors, wearables, and any other microbattery application that demands long wear time. Currently, ZPower has implement these cells in hearing aid technologies.

“The ZPower Rechargeable System for Hearing Aids makes it easy to convert many new and existing hearing aids to rechargeable technology,” says Ortega in a statement. “The Rechargeable System offers a full day of power, charges overnight in the hearing aids, takes the place of an estimated 200 disposable batteries and lasts a full year. The ZPower hearing aid battery is replaced once per year by a hearing care professional, so the patient never has to touch a hearing aid battery again.”

Fossil fuel prices may be dropping, but according to new reports from Bloomberg’s New Energy Outlook, those prices will not affect the future of renewable energy.

According to the report, renewables are on pace to attract $7.8 trillion in investments by 2040. That’s nearly four times the amount that Bloomberg expects carbon-based power to attract over the same period of time.

Experts expect the relatively low fossil fuel prices to by offset by projected price drops of up to 60 percent in wind and solar technologies, making renewables the most efficient and most affordable option.

“Strikingly, [the report] still shows rapid transition toward clean power,” says Jon Moore, chief executive of Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

However, that transition may not be fast enough to counteract the effects of climate change. In order to keep the global temperate change below 2°C – a point that was emphasized in the Paris agreement – an additional $5.3 trillion would have to be invested in zero-carbon power on top of the $7.8 trillion.

The first 2016, biannual meeting of the ALISTORE European Research Institute of leading European battery technology scientists took place in the CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas) (National Research Council of Spain) European Office in Brussels across the 14th and 15th June 2016.

The two day event started with the theme “Future aspects of Materials Sciences & Electrochemistry research in the European Green Energy Economy: The role of the ALISTORE European Research Institute.” Discussion topics included : the current basic economics of energy storage technologies and those which can be coupled to renewable energy systems, the current bottlenecks in the improved performance greener battery supply chain and how we can create even better European – as opposed to national – efforts of R&D on energy storage solutions leading to faster product development and entry into the marketplace.

Member of the Environment Committee in the European Parliament Julie Girling chaired the debate by the scientific leaders in the first part of the meeting. The panel of scientific experts who led the debate included Dr. Anne de Guibert (SAFT, France, Industrial Club Member), Prof. Clare Grey (University of Cambridge, UK, Academic Member), Prof. Patrik Johansson (Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, Academic Member), Dr .Yann Laot (TOTAL, France, Industrial Club Member), Dr. M. Rosa Palacin (ICMAB-CSIC, Spain, Academic Member).

(more…)

Global estimates report that nearly 600 million people are sickened by a foodborne illness annually, resulting in over 400,000 deaths. In the United States alone, foodborne illnesses such as Salmonella and E. coli result in an overall cost of $77 billion per year.

Researchers from the Washington State University (WSU) are looking to help put an end to the spread of foodborne illnesses with the development of a new and improved biosensor.

We’ve see in in the recent food recalls; harmful pathogens in food are almost always discovered after people have become sick. The work from WSU, led by ECS member Yuehe Lin, focuses on detecting and amplifying the signal of food pathogens, reducing the risk of small (but dangerous) pathogens to go undetected.

(more…)

The landscape of Bangladesh is lined with tin huts and a practically invisible energy grid. Over 70 percent of the country’s population lives without power, and in a location that approaches 45°C (113°F) in the summer months, that could mean unbearable and dangerous living conditions.

Enter the zero-electricity cooler: Eco-Cooler. Built with re-purposed bottles, the panels use the simple concept that as hot air passes through the wide end of the bottle, it will cool as it is compressed and pushed out of the narrow end into the home. So far, families have seen temperature drops of five degrees after using the devices.

“After initial tests, blueprints of the Eco-Cooler were put up online for everyone to download for free.” Sayed Gousul Alam Shaon, managing partner of the project said in a release. “Raw materials are easily available, therefore, making Eco-Coolers a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly solution.”

A new study has emerged from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory demonstrating that through the combination of biology and 3-D printing, scientists can turn methane into methanol.

In recent years, methanol has shown a lot of promise as a clean burning fuel. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the alcohol’s high-performance and low emission levels could make it an ideal alternative to gasoline for cars.

On the other hand, methane is a potent greenhouse gas that is adding to the acceleration of climate change. While the chemical compound does not stay in the atmosphere as long as carbon dioxide, it is 84 times more potent due to its ability to effectively absorb the sun’s heat and warm the atmosphere. In fact, methane has outpaced carbon dioxide in climate change impact over the least 100 years, with methane’s impact being 25 times greater.

The development from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory not only provide a clean burning fuel alternative, it effectively helps combat the pressing effects of climate change.

(more…)

How solar panels can save everyone money

When talking about the benefits of solar energy, one challenge always makes its way into the conversation: cost. While many see solar as a costly alternative to conventional means of generating electricity, a study out of Boston University is showing how solar not only saves those who own panels money, but even those who generate electricity conventionally.

According to the study, the 40,000 solar panels deployed in Massachusetts have effectively cut electricity prices for the nearly three million power users in the state (even those households and businesses not utilizing the panels).

“Until now, people have focused on how much was being saved by those who owned PV,” says Robert Kaufmann, professor of Earth and environment at Boston University. “What this analysis quantified was that it actually generates savings for everybody.”

(more…)

An odd partnership emerged at the Waste EXPO 2016 as truck manufacturer Mack Trucks and Tesla Motors joined forces to introduce an electrified garbage truck based on Mack’s LR model.

The innovative car manufacturer outfitted the truck with a regenerative braking system, which allows the truck to recharge its battery while it operates.

Because of the frequent stopping and start of a garbage truck’s engine, a significant amount of energy is wasted in its day-to-day operation.

“We don’t make vehicles, we just make powertrains,” said Ian Wright, co-founder of Tesla. “There’s a battery pack that you can charge from the grid, and there’s a range-extender generator which can burn fuel, make electricity and keep the battery pack charged so that you don’t run out of range.”