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High pressure with adjustable angle can achieve so much more
Batteries alone can’t power our future. However, finding a viable battery replacement can prove to be a difficult task. Perhaps the answer is an addition to batteries instead of trying to replace them.
Solar power is becoming an increasingly important source of energy worldwide. At present, photovoltaic systems are predominantly being used in Germany. For sunny countries, solar tower power plants are a valuable addition. They store heat and can generate electricity at any time – even when the sun is not shining.
Despite their huge potential, the way perovskite solar cells respond to external stimuli – such as heat or moisture – has a considerable impact on their stability. Researchers at EPFL have identified the cause of degradation and developed a technique to improve stability, bringing us closer to widespread adoption of these cost-effective and efficient solar cells.
In this episode, we talk about how a system inspired by nature can successfully extract the hydrogen molecules from water using sunlight at almost the same efficiency as plants.
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Article #6 of the "Why Edge?" Series. A short guide to how Edge AI can boost electric vehicle performance and safety when applied to the Battery Management System (BMS).
EPFL chemical engineers have invented a solar-powered artificial leaf, built on a novel electrode which is transparent and porous, capable of harvesting water from the air for conversion into hydrogen fuel. The semiconductor-based technology is scalable and easy to prepare.
Withstanding high temperatures and the light of 160 suns, a new catalyst is ten times more efficient than previous sun-powered water-splitting devices of its kind.
In January 2023, the Caltech Space Solar Power Project (SSPP) is poised to launch into orbit a prototype, dubbed the Space Solar Power Demonstrator (SSPD), which will test several key components of an ambitious plan to harvest solar power in space and beam the energy back to Earth.
ETH researchers have developed a modular system for the simple and inexpensive production of security inks. It is based on polymers and could also be used in solar power plants and screens in the future.
A new tool developed by researchers from The Australian National University (ANU) shows the best locations around Australia that could be used to build new wind or solar farms.
Concentrating solar thermal systems are still little known in Germany, although they are a highly efficient approach to producing heat from solar energy. In such a system, specialised mirrors arranged in different geometries are used to focus the Sun’s rays on a defined area, such as a circle or a line. This heats a heat transfer medium, which then flows through a heat exchanger.
Researchers develop a scalable fabrication technique to produce ultrathin, lightweight solar cells that can be seamlessly added to any surface.
Energy harvesting will reduce the constant battery replacements in IoT sensors, benefitting maintenance engineers and future generations alike.
