Battery-free wireless devices
14 August, 2013University of Washington engineers have created a new wireless communication system that allows devices to interact with each other without relying on batteries or wires for power. The devices exchange information by reflecting or absorbing pre-existing radio signals. The new communication technique, which the researchers call “ambient backscatter”, takes advantage of the TV and cellular transmissions that already surround us around the clock.
High-temperature capacitor for electric vehicles
12 August, 2013Scientists have developed a new capacitor that can operate close to normal efficiency at over 200°C, significantly higher than any other capacitor on the market. It also offers a high energy density - the measure of how much energy it can store.
Graphene-based supercapacitors for portable electronics
05 August, 2013Monash University researchers have developed a completely new strategy to engineer graphene-based supercapacitors (SC), making them viable for widespread use in renewable energy storage, portable electronics and electric vehicles.
FTU power solutions in the electric power industry
04 August, 2013 | Supplied by: DLPC Pty LtdIn the electric power industry, equipment such as RTUs (remote terminal units), DTUs (data transfer units), FTUs (feeder terminal units) and TTUs (distribution transformer supervisory terminal units) are switch monitoring devices installed in the substation close to the feed breakers.
BMW i3 and power electronics
31 July, 2013The BMW Group has debuted the series version of its electric vehicle BMW i3, simultaneously in New York, London and Beijing. The BMW i3, the group’s first pure electric series produced model, features a number of technological innovations, such as a carbon-fibre passenger cell and a chassis made of aluminium.
Hybrid cloud to save battery life
26 July, 2013Romanian computer scientists have developed a new system that is said to boost phone battery life by booting power-consuming computational tasks to an on-the-fly ad hoc cloud in which smartphones are both clients and computing resources.
Nitrogen-doped graphene nanoplatelets for energy conservation
24 July, 2013Researchers have announced a simple, low-cost and eco-friendly method of creating nitrogen-doped graphene nanoplatelets (NGnPs), which could be used in dye-sensitised solar cells and fuel cells.
Graphene ‘onion rings’ have delicious potential
23 July, 2013Concentric hexagons of graphene grown in a furnace at Rice University represent the first time anyone has synthesised graphene nanoribbons on metal from the bottom up - atom by atom.
Bacteria batteries to produce electricity
22 July, 2013An increasing demand for sources of alternative energy, environmental pollution caused by conventional batteries and the phasing out of nuclear energy in Germany has encouraged Bielefeld students to develop a bio-battery (microbial fuel cell - MFC), which directly transforms bacteria into energy.
Mobile phone powered with pee
17 July, 2013British scientists have developed a novel way of charging mobile phones using urine as the power source to generate electricity.
Dyesol achieves record DSC efficiency of 15%
12 July, 2013Announced in the scientific journal Nature is a paper by a team led by the ‘Father of DSC’ Professor Michael Graetzel describing a new deposition process to create the light harvesting pigment for solid-state dye solar cells.
Researchers spy on Li-Ions to develop next-gen batteries
11 July, 2013Reza Shahbazian-Yassar, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Michigan Technological University, has developed a device that allows researchers to eavesdrop on individual lithium ions - and potentially develop the next generation of batteries.
New electrolyte gel for safer batteries
05 July, 2013Korean researchers have found a new physical organogel electrolyte with two unique characteristics: an irreversible thermal gelation and a high value of the lithium-ion transference number.
Reducing phantom loads with mini power supplies
03 July, 2013 | Supplied by: RECOM Asia Pte LtdWhile the initial enthusiasm for renewable energies might have receded somewhat, energy efficiency is still a major concern for manufacturers and consumers. This article outlines the contribution of specially developed mini power supplies to achieve energy savings.
New method for visualising defects in solar cells
01 July, 2013Researchers at LMU Munich have developed a new method for visualising material defects in thin-film solar cells.
