Articles tagged with Energy Infrastructure
Researchers at Arizona State University explore alternative approaches to catalysis, a chemical process crucial for industrial applications. The study aims to develop synthetic catalysts that can improve on nature's designs, leading to the production of carbon-neutral fuels.
A recent study from Lund University reveals that inadequate infrastructure hindered the adoption of electric cars in the early 20th century. Electric cars were cheaper to drive and emitted less CO2 than gasoline cars, but access to local electrical infrastructure was a major factor in their popularity.
Researchers at West Virginia University have developed a solid oxide electrolysis cell that can produce high-purity green hydrogen from water. The technology has the potential to reduce carbon emissions in industrial applications, including manufacturing and power generation.
Clean geothermal power could become as important as fossil fuels, with new technologies and repurposed oil and gas expertise crucial to its development. Industry leaders emphasize the need for collaboration between geothermal and oil and gas professionals.
A new study suggests that computing and ICT could be responsible for a greater share of greenhouse gas emissions than previously thought, potentially surpassing the aviation industry. The researchers argue that historical evidence shows ICT's footprint has increased despite efficiency gains.
A global inventory reveals oil refineries emitted 1.3Gt CO2 in 2018, with potential emissions of 16.5Gt by 2030 if no mitigation strategies are adopted. Researchers recommend improving refinery efficiency and upgrading technologies to reduce emissions.
The Basque Country has significant potential for recovering and reusing industrial waste heat, with Bizkaia province showing the highest concentration. The research found that 90% of companies with waste heat temperatures above 400°C can recover their investment within five years.
Countries lagging behind in renewable energy adoption risk lower industrial competitiveness and economic instability. Uneven transition patterns can exacerbate existing international tensions, making it difficult for late decarbonizers to catch up with early movers.
A new Science article assesses the technological progress of colloidal quantum dots, which have become industrial-grade materials for a range of technologies. Advances include first demonstration of colloidal quantum dot lasing, discovery of carrier multiplication and pioneering research into LEDs and luminescent solar concentrators.
A US-based study reveals that Americans generally support transitioning to renewable energy sources like solar and wind power. However, they are less accepting of having these infrastructures built near their homes, with a preference for distances of over 5 km/miles from residences.
The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid has patented a multicore fibre optic monitoring system for 5G networks, optimizing energy consumption while preserving data transmission capacity. The system can monitor temperature changes, energy distribution, and communication channel state using a single optical signal.
A research team from Los Alamos National Laboratory and Purdue University developed bio-inks for biosensors that can localize critical regions in tissues and organs during surgery. The new biosensors allow for simultaneous recording and imaging, which could be useful during heart surgery to guide surgical interventions.
A space physicist from UTA is collaborating with an international team to study the impact of coronal mass ejections on earth's magnetic field and technological systems. The research aims to improve forecasting and mitigation capabilities for solar flares, which can cause widespread blackouts.
Researchers are developing a bio-inspired hydrofoil turbine that harnesses the power of natural river flows to generate electricity. The system aims to provide a more efficient, environmentally friendly alternative to traditional renewable energy sources.
The summit will discuss strategies for Biden's infrastructure programs, their implications on the Korean New Deal, and opportunities for grand economic collaboration. It will also feature talks on integration of US national infrastructure investment plans and Korea's Digital Green New Deal.
Scientists at UChicago and Argonne National Laboratory are developing AI-assisted systems to recover energy, nutrients, and freshwater from municipal wastewater. The goal is to reduce energy consumption and become energy positive at a national scale, benefiting underserved communities in Chicago's South Side and the Great Lakes region.
A winning consortium led by Ben-Gurion University and Arizona State University will receive up to $6 million under a U.S.-Israel Energy Center research funding grant. The project aims to develop technologies to mitigate cyberattacks on energy infrastructure using data analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.
Professor Amro M. Farid, a Dartmouth associate professor, has been awarded the 2021 Fulbright Future Scholar award in Australia. He will work on the 'Architecting Australia's Nexus Infrastructure of Energy, Water & Hydrogen' project to contribute to the country's national hydrogen strategy.
The EU is funding a research project led by Saarland University's Jan Reineke to develop safer and more secure computer systems. The goal is to redefine the interface between software and hardware, making it both efficient and secure for critical areas like airbag controls and energy supply.
The UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals will have both positive and negative impacts on the world's forests. Positive impacts are associated with education, well-being, and social progress, while damaging impacts are linked to energy, infrastructure, and transportation.
A new machine learning approach simulates atom dynamics in materials like aluminum, enhancing computational materials discovery. The automated method uses active learning to iteratively build a diverse training dataset, emulating highly accurate quantum simulations at reduced computational cost.
The Brenner base tunnel is being investigated for its geothermal potential, with researchers aiming to use drainage water for climate-friendly heating and cooling of houses. The project aims to develop a sustainable system that can be implemented in other existing tunnel structures.
Researchers developed multiple feasible technology pathways to achieve carbon-neutrality by 2050, with cost estimates ranging from 0.2% to 1.2% of GDP. The study suggests increasing energy efficiency, switching to electric technologies, and deploying clean electricity can help meet this goal.
The National Science Foundation has awarded Lehigh University a $5.3 million grant to renew the NHERI Experimental Facility for another five years. The facility will provide unique experimental resources and data management for studying the effects of natural hazards on civil infrastructure, enabling researchers to develop transformati...
Engineers at West Virginia University are developing a new energy conversion system that can reconcile the supply and demand conflict between renewables and power grids. The system uses hydrogen as a fuel to generate power, addressing the issue of excess renewable energy being dissipated due to storage limitations.
Climate change is expected to increase cooling demand and decrease heating demand globally, while also affecting energy infrastructure efficiency and reliability. Regional differences in climate change impacts are observed, with South Asia and Latin America being the most vulnerable regions.
A study by the University of California, Davis, compares three types of energy providers in California, finding that community choice aggregations (CCAs) purchased more renewable energy but went farther to source it. The study highlights the need for energy providers to prioritize local and renewable sources.
Researchers developed a tool to connect streamgage and reservoir data, providing critical information for managing water systems efficiently. The tool accounts for hydrological connections over large watersheds and can be used by power plant operators, reservoir operators, and water resource managers.
Researchers will develop an adaptive traffic control system leveraging connected vehicles and infrastructures to optimize and manage traffic flow. The goal is to reduce corridor-level fuel consumption by 20 percent, while maintaining a highly operable and safe transportation environment.
Maestro, a predictive software developed by CSEM, analyzes weather forecasts and data from local infrastructure to determine the best time to consume energy. The system can reduce heating costs by approximately 20% and is designed to keep costs down, making it suitable for individual homes and entire neighborhoods.
A new study has quantified the extent of human development in oceans for the first time, mapping an area of approximately 30,000 square kilometers modified by human construction. This footprint is comparable to urbanized land and greater than some natural habitats like mangrove forests and seagrass beds.
Researchers found that those with existing fossil fuel interests oversold the idea of converting gas infrastructure to run on low-carbon hydrogen. To meet net-zero emissions goals for heating, known low-carbon heating options like heat pumps and networks must be prioritized.
A new study by researchers in Potsdam and Zurich shows that smaller scale systems incur a cost penalty of less than 20% compared to continental-scale systems. However, with cooperation between grid operators and neighboring grids, the cost penalties can be reduced, supporting current efforts to establish a European electricity market.
The Peterborough Integrated Renewables Infrastructure (PIRI) project aims to deliver a significant drop in CO2 emissions by 2030 while cutting energy bills by up to a quarter. The project combines a next-generation heat network, electricity network, and electric vehicle infrastructure under one smart holistic scheme.
Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed 3D printed fractal cubes with closely spaced voids that dissipate shockwaves five times better than solid cubes. The innovative design could lead to new types of lightweight armor and structural materials effective against explosions and impacts.
Researchers investigate vulnerability of smart city water and energy systems to cyber attacks, which can cause blackouts and damage. The study aims to develop detection methodologies to counteract such criminal acts using mathematical attack models and big data analytics-based methods.
Researchers successfully demonstrated the feasibility of quantum key distribution systems to enhance cybersecurity and extend range, ensuring compatibility across different vendors. This technology provides a secure solution for utilities without administrative headaches, simplifying operations.
A new study reveals energy development has negative impacts on sage-grouse reproduction, affecting their ability to nest and raise chicks. The study's findings emphasize the importance of preserving sagebrush habitats when positioning renewable and non-renewable energy projects to balance species conservation with energy demands.
Lehigh University's Ganesh Balasubramanian has received an NSF CAREER award to create a predictive framework for manufacturing complex alloys. The project aims to accelerate the manufacturing process by 50% and reduce costs, while also pushing the industry towards smart manufacturing.
A new AI-powered method predicts building energy consumption by analyzing environmental and operational parameters, offering a significant improvement in energy management. The hybrid deep learning model has the potential to be applied in various smart buildings and cities.
The Stanford report outlines a roadmap for 143 countries to transition to 100% clean, renewable energy by 2050, reducing worldwide energy needs by 57%, creating 28.6 million jobs, and saving 91% on energy, health, and climate costs. The plan requires an initial investment of $73 trillion but pays for itself over time through energy sales.
A new blockchain algorithm called Proof-of-Search (PoS) has been proposed to reduce the environmental impact of Bitcoin mining by redirecting wasted energy towards solving optimization problems. The algorithm preserves the robustness of PoW while introducing miniblocks to prevent corruption.
The US Department of Energy has awarded approximately $80 million over three years to strengthen the nation's energy infrastructure. The funding aims to bolster the reliability and resilience of energy systems through various projects, including malware detection and advanced sensors and data analytics.
Researchers developed a new modeling approach that considers climate and water impacts on electricity infrastructure development, revealing the U.S. power grid may require an additional 5.3% to 12% of capacity to meet demand and reliability requirements. The study suggests viable solutions include tradeoffs in regional technology choic...
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County took top spot in the DOE's CyberForce Competition with its impressive cybersecurity skills. The competition aimed to inspire and develop the next generation of energy sector cybersecurity professionals.
The study found that energy needs for providing decent living standards are well below current national and global energy use, especially for basic human needs like health and education. Developing countries face different resource needs to meet the same human development goals, requiring policymakers to invest in public transit, green...
The University of Toledo will focus on water-splitting to produce hydrogen, a clean fuel for powering cars and rockets. The project aims to develop low-cost photoelectrodes for efficient hydrogen generation.
Researchers developed a 'risk-aware' mathematical model inspired by financial risk theories to improve cloud-computing networks. The model allocates traffic through optimal paths to minimize loss and maximize usage, reducing waste of energy and resources.
Researchers have pinpointed the source of acoustic signals emitted by stressed faults in a numerical model, which could lead to more accurate earthquake predictions. The study reveals that the collapse of stress chains inside an earthquake gouge emits these signals.
Researchers designed SlothBot to linger in the forest canopy for months, measuring environmental factors like weather and chemicals, to observe changes over long periods. This approach leverages energy efficiency, avoiding the high energy needs of fast-moving robots, and aims to provide a fail-safe transition between cables.
Researchers have developed a new method to create thin films that emit single photons at precise locations, enabling the scalability of quantum materials. This breakthrough paves the way for beyond-lab-scale quantum information technologies, including all-optical quantum computing and quantum key distribution.
Two papers by Michigan State University scientists introduce a new framework to analyze the complex interactions between global water and energy trade. The nexus approach reveals unexpected impacts, including provinces losing one resource while gaining another, and virtual energy transfers driving inequality.
The US Department of Energy has announced $20 million in funding for artificial intelligence research, with a focus on improving grid operation and management. The projects aim to develop faster grid analytics, better asset management, and sub-second automatic control actions to reduce costs and avoid grid outages.
A new research project aims to develop an automated resilience management system (ARMS) to improve the city's power grid in case of a power outage. The system will utilize distributed solar photovoltaics, distributed energy resources, fault detection sensors, and distribution monitoring equipment to enhance critical infrastructure and ...
Researchers found a persistent flow of total virtual energy from less-populated to energy-abundant provinces in China increased after the financial crisis. The study highlights the need for holistic policy decisions to mitigate energy's environmental impacts.
Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a technique to detect potential cyber attacks on electric substations using signals from distant lightning. By analyzing radio frequency signals emitted by substation components, security personnel can authenticate the authenticity of the signals and prevent malicious actors...
A new report by Duke University researchers highlights the dire impacts of Israel's targeting of agricultural, water, and energy infrastructures in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on human welfare and livelihoods. The study shows that these attacks often result in significant degradation of civilian infrastructure and economy.
Researchers from ORNL and Los Alamos National Laboratories demonstrated the effectiveness of metro-scale quantum key distribution (QKD) as a means of secure communication for the nation's electricity suppliers. QKD harnesses the randomness of quantum mechanics to authenticate and encrypt data.
The new AC-DC hybrid distribution system minimizes power conversion requirements, reducing energy loss and infrastructure costs. This leads to lower electricity prices and improved service reliability for households and industries.
The Lehigh University Energy Research Center is working to develop innovative solutions for managing traditional power plants and developing cost-effective alternative energy sources. The center, in partnership with the Mexican Institute for Electricity and Clean Energies, is studying the use of solar thermal energy to improve CO2 capt...