Articles tagged with Electricity
Researchers warn that a modest warming of the climate could lead to a significant increase in global energy demands, with potential implications for greenhouse gas emissions. The study suggests that understanding this interaction is crucial to developing effective solutions to mitigate climate change.
Researchers at Swansea University have developed a method to recycle black plastics into carbon nanotubes for use in high-value materials like conductive films and flexible electronics fabrics. This process could reduce plastic waste and help solve the problem of lost electricity during transmission and distribution.
Researchers developed new fiber-based designs for artificial muscles that can be activated by heat, electricity, and chemistry, offering potential uses in miniaturized medical devices and smart textiles. The resulting materials show impressive contractile powers, including 40 times that of human muscle.
Researchers have discovered a way to produce more electricity from heat than thought possible by creating a silicon chip that converts thermal radiation into electricity. The chip can generate electricity even closer two silicon surfaces are together, potentially increasing battery life by up to 50%.
A multifunctional device captures heat from photovoltaic solar panels to produce fresh water, exceeding traditional solar stills' output. The device's electricity output remains unaffected, demonstrating a promising solution for sustainable global development.
A study by Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA) suggests that Switzerland can transition to a low-CO2 energy system by reducing building heating requirements by 42%, electrifying 3/4 of remaining heating needs, and increasing electrification of private car journeys to 20%.
A new study using satellite data reveals large inequalities in progress towards universal access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa. The research provides a high-resolution gridded dataset to assess electrification in the region, enabling policymakers to prioritize support for infrastructure expansion and track progress over time.
A new study reveals that electric propulsion for orbit raising can cause significant solar cell degradation due to space weather exposure. Satellites using this method may experience a 8% reduction in output power after a radiation storm, similar to spending 15 years at geostationary orbit.
Researchers found that the region covered by the Belt and Road Initiative has significant solar energy potential, capable of meeting up to 41 times current electricity demand. The study suggests a possible solution to reduce BRI countries' need for fossil fuels, achieving emission reduction goals set by the Paris Agreement.
Researchers at Kazan University have developed a new method to synthesize organophosphorous compounds directly from white phosphorus, reducing the need for toxic chlorine oxygenation technology. The innovative process utilizes electrolysis and acid on a lead cathode, resulting in high-speed, selective, and easy-to-control synthesis.
Researchers from IKBFU have developed high-quality α-Fe magnetic nanoparticles using an alternative method of electric explosion, which exhibit a high value of magnetization saturation. The obtained nanoparticles show increased chemical stability and biocompatibility, making them suitable for applications in sensing and biomedicine.
Electric scooter use has led to a tripling of facial and head injuries over the past decade, with most victims being men between 19 and 65. The study found that helmet use increased with age, but many state laws do not address adults, who are the most injured.
Demand response analysis and control technologies have been developed to stabilize electricity supply and demand. The condition for demand response to produce economic value has been derived, emphasizing the importance of fluctuating power generation costs.
Researchers at UBC have developed a program to improve the security of smart meters and protect against software-interference attacks. The method addresses vulnerabilities that can be carried out by an attacker with low-cost equipment, found nine types of attacks within an hour through code-level analysis.
A new method enables efficient use of energy by smart homes in a microgrid, reducing overall load and demand for renewable energy. The approach allows smart homes to exchange surplus renewable energy, optimizing energy use and scheduling.
Researchers have developed a strategy for using floating ocean devices to provide emergency electricity to affected areas, potentially reducing recovery time. The new approach uses variational calculus to optimize the deployment of multiple wave energy devices in a daisy chain configuration.
Researchers have discovered how to rejuvenate organic anthraquinone molecules that decompose over time, extending the lifetime of an organic flow battery by at least a factor of 40. By exposing the molecule to oxygen and avoiding overcharging, the researchers were able to recover up to 70% of lost capacity.
A new study led by Duke University researchers found that adopting common business practices can increase the demand for improved cookstoves in rural India. The study showed a significant increase in adoption rates, with nearly half of households purchasing stoves in intervention areas compared to zero purchases in control villages.
Researchers at the University of Illinois are developing a novel approach for all-electric aircraft, utilizing cryogenic liquid hydrogen as an energy storage method. The project aims to address the technical hurdles in integrating electrically driven propulsion technologies into aircraft platforms.
Acoustic vehicle alerting systems may improve safety but also increase noise pollution, posing a risk to pedestrians with limited vision. Experts are studying how to design effective alerts while minimizing distractions.
The collaboration aims to increase metal component production by up to 100 pounds per hour, reducing costs and lead times for US manufacturers. By leveraging data analytics and advanced technologies, ORNL and Lincoln Electric aim to showcase American manufacturing capabilities in the global market.
A new study outlines a roadmap for expanding Stanford's energy system innovations to other campuses, maximizing purchases of electricity during renewable power hours and reducing carbon emissions. Thermal storage tanks offer an affordable alternative to traditional batteries, with costs about 15% lower.
Researchers at NICT and Furukawa Electric successfully demonstrated a record SDM transmission experiment, achieving 715 Tb/s over 2009 km using a 19-core optical amplifier. The demonstration showcases the potential of high-core count cladding pumped EDFAs for long-haul transmission in both C and L bands.
Scientists have discovered a seamless biological structure in Geobacter sulfurreducens bacteria that can transmit electricity through nanowires, revolutionizing electronics and medicine. This breakthrough could lead to miniaturized devices, powerful-yet-tiny batteries, and pacemakers without wires.
Researchers at Arizona State University are developing advanced grid models and control technologies to increase the amount of renewable power operating in distribution systems. The goal is to improve grid resilience and performance while ensuring reliable power to critical infrastructures.
Researchers discovered how naturally occurring microbes like Rhodopseudomonas palustris use electrons from conductive substances to fix carbon dioxide. The process is connected to the microbe's ability to store and discharge electrons, similar to a rechargeable battery.
Researchers at Portland State University will study a novel method of generating electricity from ocean waves using adjustable magnetic springs. The goal is to create cost-effective and smaller devices that can harness wave energy more efficiently.
Researchers at Washington State University captured heat-loving bacteria that can 'eat' pollution by converting toxic pollutants into less harmful substances and generating electricity. The discovery was made possible by a cheap portable potentiostat invented by graduate student Abdelrhman Mohamed, who worked with Professor Haluk Beyenal.
Researchers found that social threat learning, such as watching a video or receiving oral instructions, can influence decision-making just as strongly as first-hand experience. Participants who learned a certain image was dangerous continued to avoid it, even when it led to more shocks, indicating irrational behavior.
A study analyzing public health impact of e-scooters found that nearly a third of those injured required emergency department treatment. The majority of riders were not wearing helmets when injured.
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.
Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology developed a new approach to scheduling generators, addressing previous issues with cost minimization and reliability. The method uses timeslots to optimize individual periods in real-time, ensuring feasible solutions without power surplus or shortage.
A study of 250 patients found that most common injuries were fractures, head trauma, and soft tissue damage; few riders wore helmets
Researchers used fidget spinners to separate blood plasma with high purity in just four to seven minutes, setting up a potential solution for resource-limited regions. The method, which uses the spinner's centrifugal force, can detect clinically relevant concentrations of viral proteins in only a drop of blood.
Solar panels can generate significant amounts of energy on snow-covered mountains with steep tilt angles. This study suggests shifting a large fraction of electricity production from summer to winter months without compromising total annual production.
A new study from Duke University and Fudan University found that China's residential electricity consumption will increase by 9% for every degree Celsius rise in global mean surface temperature. Peak usage is projected to rise by 36%, with estimates suggesting a minimum of 72% increase, driven mainly by hotter days.
Climate change is projected to significantly impact electricity consumption in China's Yangtze River Delta, with daily consumption increasing by 14.5% for every 1°C rise in temperature above 25°C. By the end of the century, annual mean and peak consumption are expected to increase by approximately 9.2% and 36.1%, respectively.
A recent NUS study reveals that lower-income households in Singapore use more water to cool down during hot weather, whereas higher-income households rely heavily on air-conditioners, increasing their electricity demand.
The Stanford team's analysis found 1.47 million solar panel installations in the US, significantly higher than previous estimates, and identified factors leading to adoption, such as household income and geographic location. The machine learning program DeepSolar was able to correctly identify images with solar panels 93% of the time a...
Hurricane Maria caused widespread destruction in Puerto Rico's forests, with 40-60% of tall trees damaged. The island's energy grid also struggled to recover, with rural areas experiencing longer power outages. NASA research has provided new insights into the storm's impacts on communities and critical infrastructure.
Researchers deployed low-cost, solar-powered sensors to monitor air quality in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. The devices detected high levels of sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide, exceeding EPA standards on nearly 80% of days during the monitoring period.
A new study finds that Bitcoin's heavy hardware requirements and large electricity demands could produce enough emissions to warm the planet above 2°C in just 22 years. The use of bitcoins emitted 69 million metric tons of CO2 in 2017.
A Purdue University-led team developed a new material that enables more efficient solar-powered electricity generation by reducing the cost of converting sunlight into heat energy. The innovation could make solar power a direct competitor to fossil fuels in generating electricity.
A new compact fusion reactor design using high-temperature superconducting magnets can effectively shed excess heat, a longstanding challenge in fusion power plants. This approach makes it possible to open the device's internal chamber and replace critical components.
Researchers at Australian National University have developed a thin and flexible semiconductor material that can convert electricity into light efficiently. The invention opens the door to biodegradable or recyclable electronic devices, reducing e-waste and environmental damage.
A new study suggests that climate change may be driving electricity demand higher than predicted by existing models. The researchers used mean dew point temperature and extreme maximum temperature as key predictors of increased energy demand, finding significant discrepancies with traditional models.
Michigan State University has been awarded a $2 million grant to develop new designs for long-duration storage on the US power grid. The project, called Scalable Thermochemical Option for Renewable Energy Storage (STORES), aims to create modular thermal storage systems that can store heat energy in the form of chemical energy.
A new study by MIT researchers reveals that using a mix of fuel-saving, flexible, and highly reliable sources is key to building a cost-effective and reliable zero-carbon electricity system. The study found that pairing low-carbon sources with steady carbon-free resources can reduce costs by up to 62% compared to relying on wind, solar...
A natural field experiment found that social nudges decrease electricity consumption with potential policy implications for energy markets. The average effect of receiving both nudges was similar to the sum of individual effects, suggesting limited crowd-out effects.
Researchers at Columbia University identified neural-circuit activity in electric fish that enables the brain to tune out self-generated signals, allowing animals to focus on external stimuli. This mechanism may inform studies of sensory disorders like tinnitus, which disrupts the brain's ability to cancel out self-generated sounds.
A new index helps utilities balance electricity distribution with lower consumer costs by accounting for the variability of decentralized energy sources like solar and wind. The index suggests deployment of flexible loads according to market conditions, potentially leading to lower costs and grid stability.
Researchers found that stress can render extinction learning context-independent, allowing patients to transfer knowledge from one situation to another. This could improve the efficacy of exposure therapies for anxiety disorders.
The prototype manganese-hydrogen battery can generate 20 milliwatt hours of electricity and is expected to cost $100 per kilowatt hour. The researchers aim to create an industrial-grade system that can store up to 10,000 times, making it suitable for grid-scale energy storage.
Scientists have developed diagnostic tools to improve the controllable and selective fabrication of nanomaterials. New discoveries reveal that molecular precursors govern the synthesis of carbon nanotubes in a purely carbon electric arc. This breakthrough opens the door to improved predictive modeling of nanosynthesis.
Researchers have created hybrid solar cells that can harness energy from both sunlight and falling raindrops. The innovative design uses textured polymers to increase the performance of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) in rainy conditions.
Scientists at UCI, Caltech, and Carnegie Institution for Science found that US can reliably meet 80% of electricity demand with solar and wind power generation. However, meeting 100% demand would require significant investment in energy storage and transmission capabilities to overcome seasonal and weather variabilities.
Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a new phase-transition cubic GaN material that doubles ultraviolet emission efficiency. The material's polarization-free nature enables improved performance in energy conversion devices, such as lighting systems.
Researchers designed an LED-based train headlight that reduces energy consumption and emits less CO2. The new design uses precisely positioned high-efficiency LEDs to create a bright beam while minimizing electricity use.
Converting tobacco fields to solar farms can provide a lucrative alternative for farmers, potentially generating 30 gigawatts of clean energy in North Carolina. Solar panels can withstand extreme weather conditions and offer significant profits compared to traditional farming.
A new study by the University of Manchester reveals that microwaves emit significant amounts of carbon dioxide equivalent to 6.8 million cars annually in the EU. The research also found that microwaves consume substantial electricity, equivalent to three large gas power plants, and contributes to resource depletion and climate change.