Energy Technology News

February 19, 2025

Top Headlines

New Microactuator Driving System Could Give Microdrones a Jump-Start

Feb. 18, 2025 — An innovative circuit design could enable miniature devices, such as microdrones and other microrobotics, to be powered for longer periods of time while staying lightweight and compact. Using miniaturized solid-state batteries, the circuit combines ...

Solar-Powered Device Captures Carbon Dioxide from Air to Make Sustainable Fuel

Feb. 13, 2025 — Researchers have developed a reactor that pulls carbon dioxide directly from the air and converts it into sustainable fuel, using sunlight as the power ...

The 'Hydrogen Economy' May Be Relatively Small, but Critical

Feb. 13, 2025 — Researchers have quantified the role of the 'hydrogen economy' in making our society more sustainable. They present the results of extensive modelling of pathways to decarbonizing the European economy by 2050. They conclude that when it comes to ...

Researchers Are Driving the Charge of Zero Emissions

Feb. 10, 2025 — New research finds that electric vehicles generally produce less non-exhaust emissions compared with gasoline-powered ...

Latest Headlines

updated 1:06pm EST

Engineers Discover Key Barrier to Longer-Lasting Batteries

Feb. 13, 2025 — Researchers have discovered why LiNiO2 batteries break down, and they are testing a solution that could remove a key barrier to widespread use of the material. The team plans first to manufacture ...

Turning Car and Helicopter Exhaust Into Thermoelectric Energy

Feb. 11, 2025 — Combustion engines, the engines in gas-powered cars, only use a quarter of the fuel's potential energy while the rest is lost as heat through exhaust. Now, a study demonstrates how to convert exhaust ...

Better Texture for Better Batteries

Feb. 10, 2025 — A new paper has demonstrated that improving the texture of the soft metal used in battery anodes greatly improved performance. The team added a thin layer of silicon between lithium metal and the ...

Nanoscale Tin Catalyst Discovery Paves the Way for Sustainable CO2 Conversion

Feb. 10, 2025 — Researchers have developed a sustainable catalyst that increases its activity during use while converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into valuable ...

Solar and Electric-Powered Homes Feel the Effects of Power Outages Differently

Feb. 7, 2025 — An expert in energy technologies uses AI tools to investigate the impact of extreme weather on solar-powered and electrified homes and uncover their ...

Rethinking Energy Demand Can Foster Sustainable Development and Reduce Emissions from Buildings and Transport

Feb. 6, 2025 — In a new study, scientists show that a mix of policy measures, including both technological solutions and behavioral changes, can significantly ...

Engineers Model Electric Grid Demand for EVs to Charge While in Motion

Feb. 4, 2025 — Running out of gas in a remote area far from a gas station is every driver's worst nightmare. A similar stressor, known as "range anxiety," exists for owners of electric vehicles who worry about how ...

Coal Emissions Cost India Millions in Crop Damages

Feb. 4, 2025 — New research shows grain yields critical to India's food security are dragged down 10% or more in many parts of the country by nitrogen dioxide pollution from power stations that run on coal. ...

Why Do Plants Transport Energy So Efficiently and Quickly?

Feb. 4, 2025 — Photosynthesis -- mainly carried out by plants -- is based on a remarkably efficient energy conversion process. To generate chemical energy, sunlight must first be captured and transported further. ...

New Device Uses Electrically Assisted Wind to Fight Fires

Feb. 4, 2025 — Researchers have developed a new portable tool that could improve how firefighters douse fires, making the process more efficient and far less ...

Electricity Prices Across Europe to Stabilize If 2030 Targets for Renewable Energy Are Met, Study Suggests

Feb. 3, 2025 — National targets for solar and wind power will see reliance on natural gas plummet, reducing electricity price volatility across Europe, with major beneficiaries including the UK and Ireland, the ...

Recycling Lithium-Ion Batteries Cuts Emissions and Strengthens Supply Chain

Jan. 31, 2025 — Researchers compared the environmental impacts of lithium-ion battery recycling to mining for new materials and found that recycling significantly outperforms mining in terms of greenhouse gas ...

E-Mobility: AI System Accelerates the Development of Powertrains

Jan. 30, 2025 — The development of vehicle components is a lengthy and therefore very costly process. Researchers have developed a method that can shorten the development phase of the powertrain of battery electric ...

Role of Barrier Films in Maintaining the Stability of Perovskite Solar Cells

Jan. 30, 2025 — Flexible perovskite solar cells are promising for lightweight and versatile applications but their sensitivity to humidity and temperature poses a challenge to long-term durability. To address this, ...

Your Fridge Uses Tech from the 50's, but Scientists Have an Update

Jan. 30, 2025 — Researchers report that a more efficient and environmentally friendly form of refrigeration might be on the horizon. The new technology is based on thermogalvanic cells that produce a cooling effect ...

Generating Electricity from Tacky Tape

Jan. 30, 2025 — Zaps of static electricity might be a wintertime annoyance, but to certain scientists, they represent an untapped source of energy. Using a device called a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), ...

New Study Improves the Trustworthiness of Wind Power Forecasts

Jan. 29, 2025 — By applying techniques from explainable artificial intelligence, engineers can improve users' confidence in forecasts generated by artificial intelligence models. This approach was recently ...

Researchers Propose Novel Approaches for Improved Microgrid Management

Jan. 28, 2025 — Scientists have developed a new optimization model to improve microgrid operation. This model adapts to unexpected changes in power supply and demand, ensuring stable and efficient energy systems. By ...

'Embodied Energy' Powers Modular Worm, Jellyfish Robots

Jan. 27, 2025 — In the same way that terrestrial life evolved from ocean swimmers to land walkers, soft robots are progressing, too, thanks to recent research in battery development and ...

Scientists Develop Ultra-Thin Absorbers With Record-Breaking Bandwidth

Jan. 27, 2025 — A research team has introduced a new concept for designing ultra-thin absorbers that enables absorbing layers with a record-high bandwidth-to-thickness ratio, potentially several times greater than ...

Peeling Back the Layers: Exploring Capping Effects on Nickelate Superconductivity

Jan. 24, 2025 — Researchers used cutting-edge X-ray techniques to gain new insights into 'infinite-layer' nickelate ...

New Design Makes Aluminum Batteries Last Longer

Jan. 24, 2025 — Large batteries for long-term storage of solar and wind power are key to integrating abundant and renewable energy sources into the U.S. power grid. However, there is a lack of safe and reliable ...

Compact Comb Lights the Way for Next-Gen Photonics

Jan. 22, 2025 — Researchers have created a new ultra-broadband electro-optic comb that packs 450 nm of light precision into a chip smaller than a coin, paving the way for smarter, more efficient photonic ...

New Water Purification Technology Helps Turn Seawater Into Drinking Water Without Tons of Chemicals

Jan. 21, 2025 — Water desalination plants could replace expensive chemicals with new carbon cloth electrodes that remove boron from seawater, an important step of turning seawater into safe drinking ...

The Ins and Outs of Quinone Carbon Capture

Jan. 16, 2025 — Engineering researchers have developed carbon capture systems that use molecules called quinones, dissolved in water, as their capturing compounds. A new study provides critical insights into the ...

Researchers Make Comfortable Materials That Generate Power When Worn

Jan. 15, 2025 — Researchers have demonstrated new wearable technologies that both generate electricity from human movement and improve the comfort of the technology for the people wearing them. The work stems from ...

Researchers Unlock New Insights Into Tellurene, Paving the Way for Next-Gen Electronics

Jan. 14, 2025 — Researchers have published a study describing how quasiparticles called polarons behave in tellurene, a nanomaterial first synthesized in 2017 that is made up of tiny chains of tellurium atoms and ...

Floating Solar Panels Could Support US Energy Goals

Jan. 14, 2025 — Federal reservoirs could help meet the country's solar energy needs, according to a new study. Geospatial scientists and senior legal and regulatory analyst quantified exactly how much energy ...

Direct Discharge Electrical Pulses for Carbon Fiber Recycling

Jan. 14, 2025 — Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) are used in the aerospace, automotive, and sports equipment industries. However, their recycling remains a major problem. In a recent study, researchers ...

Sodium-Ion Batteries Need Breakthroughs to Compete

Jan. 13, 2025 — A thorough analysis of market, technological, and supply chain outcomes for sodium-ion batteries finds that significant advances are needed before ...