Energy Efficiency

July 2019

Schematic of Li metal/Li6PS5Cl interface cycled at an overall current density above the CCS.

Advance in Understanding of All-Solid-State Batteries

The Faraday Institution

HARWELL, UK -- All-solid-state batteries, a battery design composed of all solid components, have gained attention as the next major advance beyond lithium ion batteries because of their potential to store more energy while being safer to operate. When capable of being produced in commercial quantities, solid-state

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Date:

07/31/2019

A Material that can Make Solar Cells More Efficient

Siberian Federal University

Researchers at Siberian Federal University, together with colleagues from the Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm, Sweden), discovered new properties of material based on palladium, which can increase the performance of solar cells. Palladium diselenide is a promising material whose properties

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Date:

07/31/2019

Arumugam Manthiram, a leading researcher from UT's Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Electric Car Research Boosted by Cobalt-Free Battery

University of Texas at Austin

Austin TX - The elimination of cobalt -- an expensive chemical component currently required to power our smartphones and laptops -- from lithium-ion batteries has been the goal of Texas Engineer Arumugam Manthiram for much of his career. When paired with a graphite anode (the terminal on a battery

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Date:

07/30/2019

'Deforming' Solar Cells Could be clue to Improved Efficiency

University of Warwick

Deformations and defects in structures of photoelectric technologies shown to improve their efficiency University of Warwick physicists demonstrate that strain gradient can prevent recombination of photo-excited carriers in solar energy conversion Increasingly important

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Date:

07/29/2019

This is professor Peter Lindblad

Solar Energy Becomes Biofuel Without Solar Cells

Uppsala University

Soon we will be able to replace fossil fuels with a carbon-neutral product created from solar energy, carbon dioxide and water. Researchers at Uppsala University have successfully produced microorganisms that can efficiently produce the alcohol butanol using carbon dioxide and solar energy, without needing to

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07/26/2019

CO2-selective polymeric chains anchored on graphene effectively pull CO2 from a flue gas mixture.

Next-Gen Membranes for Carbon Capture

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

A major greenhouse gas, CO2 produced from burning fossil fuels is still mostly released into the atmosphere, adding to the burden of global warming. One way to cut down on it is through a carbon capture: a chemical technique that removes CO2 out of emissions ("postcombustion"), preventing it from entering

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Date:

07/26/2019

This is a representation of carrier mobility in hard inorganic materials (upper figure, band transport) and flexible organic solids (lower figure, flexibility induced transport mechanism).

One Size Fits All? A New Model for Organic Semiconductors

Osaka University

Osaka, Japan - Organic materials that can conduct charge have the potential to be used in a vast array of exciting applications, including flexible electronic devices and low-cost solar cells. However, to date, only organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) have made a commercial impact owing to gaps in the understanding

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07/24/2019

Trends and Challenges for Electric and Hybrid Vehicles

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

It’s gonna be a scorcher, folks. Not the summer, though record-breaking heat is roasting the nation. I’m talking about the July/August issue, which covers one of the industry’s hottest topics, "Electric + Hybrid Vehicles." Rest assured, you’ll enjoy this heat wave. The automotive

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Date:

07/23/2019

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: Current sensors are used in a wide range of control, protection, and measurement circuits to measure the power flow within the system

Precision Current Sensing to Optimize System Performance

Khagendra Thapa, ACEINNA

There is a tremendous amount of pressure on the embedded electronics community for higher efficiencies and better system performance. This is due to multiple factors - from thermal management issues, to increased power densities, to battery life, and more. This pressure to improve is driving development in many

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Date:

07/23/2019

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Figure 1: Typical wind turbines

Preparing the way for Wind Power

George Finley, Wind Segment Manager , Electrical Carbon business, Morgan Advanced Materials

Wind power in the United States is booming and vast farms of turbines are sprouting across large parts of the country. While this trend isn’t representative of every US state, the country’s use of wind power is on the up and it’s showing no signs of anchoring just yet. Indeed,

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07/23/2019

Battery Management Solutions for High-Voltage Energy Storage

Cathal Sheehan, Bourns

Most of the growth in the rechargeable battery industry is expected to be from their increased use in high voltage energy systems for electric vehicles (EV) as well as in marine and home storage applications. These systems will typically employ series-connected battery packs made up of lithium-ion or nickel

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07/23/2019

Will Tesla Lead the Growing EV Market by 2025?

Kevin Parmenter, Field Applications Manger, Taiwan Semiconductor

The report firm Statistica estimates that 14% of the vehicles on the road will be electric by 2025, and Tesla leads the way. Whatever you might think of Elon Musk, I believe if it were not for him, the traditional automakers would still be telling us that, “we are researching the market and studying the technical

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07/22/2019

Plane Inspired by Electric Guitar Could Cut Fuel Costs by 20%

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

Commercial airlines have a ravenous appetite for fossil fuels – it’s one of the industry’s most onerous costs, fiscal and environmental. Dutch airline KLM wants to change that with a plane inspired by a Gibson guitar. The Flying-V takes advantage of the superior aerodynamics of the

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Date:

07/22/2019

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Figure 1. EV/HEV Major Electrical Assembly Locations

Improving EV Safety and Reliability with Galvanic Isolation

Rudye McGlothlin, Marketing Director, Silicon Labs

Electric and hybrid vehicles promise greater efficiency, reduced emissions, and eventual price and performance parity with gas-powered vehicles. To be competitive with existing vehicles, the batteries used in EV/HEVs must possess very high energy storage density, near zero self-leakage current, and the ability

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Date:

07/22/2019

The initial positions of the atoms in this computer model of a solid-oxide fuel cell were based on observations of the actual atomic configuration using electron microscopy. Simulations using this model revealed a previously unreported reaction (red path) in which an oxygen molecule from the yttria-stabilized zirconia layer (layer of red and light blue balls) moves through the bulk nickel layer (dark blue balls) before forming OH on the nickel surface.

Atomically Precise Models Improve Fuel Cell Understanding

Kyushu University

Simulations from researchers in Japan provide new insights into the reactions occurring in solid-oxide fuel cells by using realistic atomic-scale models of the active site at the electrode based on microscope observations as the starting point. This better understanding could give clues on ways to improve performance

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07/19/2019

The process by which plastics are converted to carbon nanotube material.

Research Shows Black Plastics Could Create Renewable Energy

Swansea University

Research from Swansea University has found how plastics commonly found in food packaging can be recycled to create new materials like wires for electricity - and could help to reduce the amount of plastic waste in the future. While a small proportion of the hundreds of types of plastics can be recycled

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Date:

07/16/2019

This is a schematic model demonstrating grain boundaries and phase interfaces formations.

High-Performance Sodium Ion Batteries Using Copper Sulfide

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)

Researchers presented a new strategy for extending sodium ion batteries' cyclability using copper sulfide as the electrode material. This strategy has led to high-performance conversion reactions and is expected to advance the commercialization of sodium ion batteries as they emerge as an alternative to lithium

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07/15/2019

Designer Proteins Form Wires and Lattices on Mineral Surface

DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

RICHLAND, Wash. - The goal of the research, published July 11 in the journal Nature, was to engineer artificial proteins to self-assemble on a crystal surface by creating an exact match between the pattern of amino acids in the protein and the atoms of the crystal. The ability to program these interactions

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Date:

07/10/2019

Canada's First Utility-Scale Microgrid

CHICAGO /PRNewswire/ -- S&C Electric Company, a smart grid leader improving power reliability and delivery worldwide, and North Bay Hydro Services, an Ontario-based municipal electric utility affiliate services provider, announced the completion of North Bay's Community Energy Park project with the successful

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Date:

07/10/2019

Fabrication procedures of "the nano-scale sculpture technique" by using a focused ion beam - electron beam (FIB-SEM) device. The upper series shows the schematic view of the fabrication by Ga ion beam. The images of (1) and (4) in the bottom series are the electron microscope (SEM) image corresponding to image (1) and image (4) in the upper series. The region shown by the yellow rectangle in image (4) is suitable for TEM observation.

Fusion Scientists Develop 'Nano-Scale Sculpture Technique'

National Institutes of Natural Sciences

A research team of fusion scientists has succeeded in developing "the nano-scale sculpture technique" to fabricate an ultra-thin film by sharpening a tungsten sample with a focused ion beam. This enables the nano-scale observation of a cross-section very near the top surface of the tungsten sample

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Date:

07/09/2019

Anup Bhalla, Vice President Engineering, UnitedSiC

Are you SiC of Silicon? – Part 4

By: Anup Bhalla, Vice President Engineering, UnitedSiC

How to Build Better EV Traction Inverters with SiC In this article, we examine the benefits of applying SiC technology to EV traction inverters. We show how the efficiency of the inverter is boosted under all loading conditions, from light to full load. Using higher operating voltages with efficient

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Date:

07/08/2019

Cover for 'Solar Power Finance without the Jargo'.

How to Finance Solar Power

World Scientific

To borrow a quote from the famous 2011 publication, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, "3,766,800 exajoules of solar energy arrive on earth each year"--but how much of it are we using? And since Earth receives such a huge dose every year for free almost everywhere, why does it still only

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Date:

07/08/2019

The method uses artificial intelligence to design next-generation heat-pump compressors.

AI-Designed Heat Pumps Consume Less Energy

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Researchers at EPFL have developed a method that uses artificial intelligence to design next-generation heat-pump compressors. Their method can cut the pumps' power requirement by around 25%. In Switzerland, 50 - 60% of new homes are equipped with heat pumps. These systems draw in thermal energy from

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Date:

07/03/2019

An interdisciplinary research team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has succeeded in optimizing the size of platinum nanoparticles for fuel cell catalysis so that the new catalysts are twice as good as the currently best commercially available processes. The picture shows the first authors: Dr. Batyr Garlyyev, Kathrin Kratzl, and Marlon Rueck (f.l.t.r.).

Activity of Fuel Cell Catalysts Doubled

Technical University of Munich (TUM)

An interdisciplinary research team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has built platinum nanoparticles for catalysis in fuel cells: The new size-optimized catalysts are twice as good as the best process commercially available today. Fuel cells may well replace batteries as the power source

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Date:

07/03/2019

Use of black gold can get us one step closer to combat climate change.

Black (Nano)gold Combat Climate Change

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

Global warming is a serious threat to the planet and the living beings. One of the main cause of global warming is the increase in the atmospheric CO2 level. The main source of this CO2 is from the burning of fossil fuels in our daily lives (electricity, vehicles, industry and many more). Researchers

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Date:

07/03/2019

Vicor’s Paul Yeaman

PSDcast – Adopting the 48 V Battery

In this episode of the PSDcast, we’re chatting with Vicor about vehicle electrical requirements. The modern automobile – especially EVs and hybrids – has fostered the

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Date:

07/02/2019

The graphic shows the total solar energy production for all European countries in the period 2013-2017. Each tiny field represents a week's energy production: The brighter the color the more energy was produced.

Danish Researchers Create Worldwide Solar Energy Model

Aarhus University

Solar cells are currently the world's most talked-about renewable energy source, and for any future sustainable energy system, it is crucial to know about the performance of photovoltaic systems at local, regional and global levels. Danish researchers have just set up an historically accurate model, and all

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Date:

07/01/2019