Zero Energy: 2014

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Thursday, August 21, 2014

Solar energy that doesn't block the view

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Solar energy that doesn't block the view

Researchers have developed a new type of solar concentrator that when placed over a window creates solar energy while allowing people to actually see through the window. It is called a transparent luminescent solar concentrator and can be used on buildings, cell phones and any other device that has a flat, clear surface.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Organic photovoltaic cells of the future: Using charge formation efficiency to screen materials for future devices

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Organic photovoltaic cells of the future: Using charge formation efficiency to screen materials for future devices

Organic photovoltaic cells -- a type of solar cell that uses polymeric materials to capture sunlight -- show tremendous promise as energy conversion devices, thanks to key attributes such as flexibility and low-cost production, but have complex power conversion processes. To maneuver around this problem, researchers have developed a method to determine the absolute value of the charge formation efficiency. The secret of their method is the combination of two types of spectroscopy.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Recycling old car batteries into solar cells: Environmental twofer could recycle lead batteries to make solar cells

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Recycling old car batteries into solar cells: Environmental twofer could recycle lead batteries to make solar cells

This could be a classic win-win solution: A system proposed by researchers recycles materials from discarded car batteries -- a potential source of lead pollution -- into new, long-lasting solar panels that provide emissions-free power.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Insights into a new class of semiconducting materials

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Insights into a new class of semiconducting materials

A new paper describes investigations of the fundamental optical properties of a new class of semiconducting materials known as organic-inorganic 'hybrid' perovskites.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Making eco-friendly 'pre-fab nanoparticles': Versatile, water-soluble nano-modules

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Making eco-friendly 'pre-fab nanoparticles': Versatile, water-soluble nano-modules

Materials chemists, polymer scientists and device physicists have reported on a breakthrough technique for controlling assembly of nanoparticles over multiple length scales that may allow cheaper, ecologically friendly manufacture of organic photovoltaics and other electronic devices.

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Simulation models optimize water power

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Simulation models optimize water power

The Columbia River basin in the Pacific Northwest offers great potential for water power; hydroelectric power stations there generate over 20,000 megawatts already. Now a simulation model will help optimize the operation of the extensive dam system.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

LEDs made from 'wonder material' perovskite

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

LEDs made from 'wonder material' perovskite

Colourful LEDs made from a material known as perovskite could lead to LED displays which are both cheaper and easier to manufacture in future. A hybrid form of perovskite -- the same type of material which has recently been found to make highly efficient solar cells that could one day replace silicon -- has been used to make low-cost, easily manufactured LEDs, potentially opening up a wide range of commercial applications in future, such as flexible color displays.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

New material allows for ultra-thin solar cells

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

New material allows for ultra-thin solar cells

Extremely thin, semi-transparent, flexible solar cells could soon become reality. Scientists have managed to create a semiconductor structure consisting of two ultra-thin layers, which appears to be excellently suited for photovoltaic energy conversion. Several months ago, the team had already produced an ultra-thin layer of the photoactive crystal tungsten diselenide. Now, this semiconductor has successfully been combined with another layer made of molybdenum disulphide, creating a designer-material that may be used in future low-cost solar cells.

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Scientists shine bright new light on how living things capture energy from the sun

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Scientists shine bright new light on how living things capture energy from the sun

Scientists may have uncovered a new method of exploiting the power of sunlight by focusing on a naturally occurring combination of lipids that have been strikingly conserved throughout evolution.

Friday, August 1, 2014

Solar energy: Dyes help harvest light

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Solar energy: Dyes help harvest light

A new dye-sensitized solar cell absorbs a broad range of visible and infrared wavelengths. Dye-sensitized solar cells rely on dyes that absorb light to mobilize a current of electrons and are a promising source of clean energy. Scientists have now developed zinc porphyrin dyes that harvest light in both the visible and near-infrared parts of the spectrum.

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Superman's solar-powered feats break a fundamental law of physics

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Superman's solar-powered feats break a fundamental law of physics

It goes without saying that Superman can accomplish some pretty spectacular feats. But according to students, the Man of Steel actually achieves the impossible--by breaking the fundamental physics law of conservation of energy.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Worldwide water shortage by 2040

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Worldwide water shortage by 2040

Water is used around the world for the production of electricity, but new research results show that there will not be enough water in the world to meet demand by 2040 if the energy and power situation does not improve before then.

Saturday, July 26, 2014

How to power California with wind, water and sun

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

How to power California with wind, water and sun

New research outlines the path to a possible future for California in which renewable energy creates a healthier environment, generates jobs and stabilizes energy prices.

Friday, July 25, 2014

Steam energy from the sun: New spongelike structure converts solar energy into steam

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Steam energy from the sun: New spongelike structure converts solar energy into steam

A new material structure generates steam by soaking up the sun. The structure -- a layer of graphite flakes and an underlying carbon foam -- is a porous, insulating material structure that floats on water. When sunlight hits the structure's surface, it creates a hotspot in the graphite, drawing water up through the material's pores, where it evaporates as steam. The brighter the light, the more steam is generated.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Spinach could lead to alternative energy more powerful than Popeye

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Spinach could lead to alternative energy more powerful than Popeye

Spinach gave Popeye super strength, but it also holds the promise of a different power for a group of scientists: the ability to convert sunlight into a clean, efficient alternative fuel. Physicists are using spinach to study the proteins involved in photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert the sun's energy into carbohydrates used to power cellular processes. Artificial photosynthesis could allow for the conversion of solar energy into renewable, environmentally friendly hydrogen-based fuels.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Self-cooling solar cells boost power, last longer

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Self-cooling solar cells boost power, last longer

Scientists may have overcome one of the major hurdles in developing high-efficiency, long-lasting solar cells -- keeping them cool, even in the blistering heat of the noonday sun. By adding a specially patterned layer of silica glass to the surface of ordinary solar cells, a team of researchers has found a way to let solar cells cool themselves by shepherding away unwanted thermal radiation.

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Clearing the way for extremely efficient solar cells: First ab initio method for characterizing hot carriers

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Clearing the way for extremely efficient solar cells: First ab initio method for characterizing hot carriers

Researchers have developed the first ab initio method for characterizing the properties of 'hot carriers' in semiconductors. This should help clear a major road block to the development of new, more efficient solar cells.

Friday, July 18, 2014

Cheap, highly efficient solar cells: A new stable and cost-cutting type of perovskite solar cell

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Cheap, highly efficient solar cells: A new stable and cost-cutting type of perovskite solar cell

Scientists have made a very efficient perovskite solar cell that does not require a hole-conducting layer. The novel photovoltaic achieved energy conversion efficiency of 12.8 percent and was stable for over 1000 hours under full sunlight. The innovation is expected to significantly reduce the cost of these promising solar cells.

Monday, July 14, 2014

Deep within spinach leaves, vibrations enhance efficiency of photosynthesis

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Deep within spinach leaves, vibrations enhance efficiency of photosynthesis

Biophysics researchers have used short pulses of light to peer into the mechanics of photosynthesis and illuminate the role that molecule vibrations play in the energy conversion process that powers life on our planet.

Friday, July 11, 2014

Solar cells: Powered by nanoholes

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Solar cells: Powered by nanoholes

Increasing the cost-effectiveness of photovoltaic devices is critical to making these renewable energy sources competitive with traditional fossil fuels. One possibility is to use hybrid solar cells that combine silicon nanowires with low-cost, photoresponsive polymers. A simple and inexpensive fabrication procedure boosts the light-capturing capabilities of tiny holes carved into silicon wafers.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Orgainic solar modules embedded in glass last longer

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Orgainic solar modules embedded in glass last longer

Organic solar modules have advantages over silicon solar cells. However, one critical problem is their shorter operating life. Researchers are working on a promising solution: they are using flexible glass as a carrier substrate that better protects the components.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Solar energy gets a boost: 'Singlet fission' can increase solar cell efficiency by as much as 30 percent

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Solar energy gets a boost: 'Singlet fission' can increase solar cell efficiency by as much as 30 percent

Scientists have reviewed chemists' work on "singlet fission," a process in which a single photon generates a pair of excited states. This conversion process has the potential to boost solar cell efficiency by as much as 30 percent.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Monitoring neighborhood electricity consumption over 24 hour cycle

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Monitoring neighborhood electricity consumption over 24 hour cycle

With more and more households owning one or even two electric cars requiring charging overnight, how will we manage it without sacrificing our hot morning shower and fresh bread for breakfast? This is the headache now facing the electricity supply companies. But this isn’t their only problem. What use is it to those homeowners, who have installed a modest solar panel system on their roofs, when the sun is heating the pavement in the middle of the day and no one is at home to use the energy?

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Consider water use in climate change policies: Energy efficient technologies can also save water at the same time

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Consider water use in climate change policies: Energy efficient technologies can also save water at the same time

There’s more to trying to slow down climate change than just cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Technology, policies or plans that aim to do so should also take environmental factors such as water usage into account. A more integrated approach might make some options considerably more attractive than others, especially when implemented in arid countries such as Australia.

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Supercomputer tackles grid challenges

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Supercomputer tackles grid challenges

'Big data' is playing an increasingly big role in the renewable energy industry and the transformation of the nation's electrical grid.

Friday, July 4, 2014

Net-zero energy test house exceeds goal; ends year with energy to spare

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Net-zero energy test house exceeds goal; ends year with energy to spare

The NIST net-zero energy test house in suburban Washington, D.C., not only absorbed winter's best shot, it came out on top, reaching its one-year anniversary on July 1 with enough surplus energy to power an electric car for about 1,440 miles.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Solar panels light the way from carbon dioxide to fuel

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Solar panels light the way from carbon dioxide to fuel

Researchers have devised an efficient method for harnessing sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into a potential alternative fuel known as formic acid. The transformation from carbon dioxide and water to formic acid was powered by a commercial solar panel.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Scientists discover how 'plastic' solar panels work

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Scientists discover how 'plastic' solar panels work

Scientists don't fully understand how 'plastic' solar panels work, which complicates the improvement of their cost efficiency, thereby blocking the wider use of the technology. However, researchers have determined how light beams excite the chemicals in solar panels, enabling them to produce charge.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Safe water for the people in Tanzania

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Safe water for the people in Tanzania

Hydraulic engineers and photovoltaics experts have developed a solar filtration system to produce high-quality drinking water from polluted brackish water and tested it successfully in Tanzania. The test results are currently being analyzed. The filter effectively separates undesired substances, bacteria, and viruses.

Monday, June 30, 2014

NOAA GOES-R satellite black wing ready for flight

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

NOAA GOES-R satellite black wing ready for flight

The solar array that will provide power to NOAA's GOES-R satellite has been tested, approved and shipped to a facility where it will be incorporated on the spacecraft. The five sections of the solar array come together as one to resemble a giant black wing.

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Nanotube composites greatly increase efficiency of next generation of solar cells

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Nanotube composites greatly increase efficiency of next generation of solar cells

Carbon nanotubes are becoming increasingly attractive for photovoltaic solar cells as a replacement to silicon. Researchers have discovered that controlled placement of the carbon nanotubes into nano-structures produces a huge boost in electronic performance.

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Cheap and enviromentally friendly: Tofu ingredient could revolutionize solar panel manufacture

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Cheap and enviromentally friendly: Tofu ingredient could revolutionize solar panel manufacture

The chemical used to make tofu and bath salts could also replace a highly toxic and expensive substance used to make solar cells, a new study has revealed. Cadmium chloride is currently a key ingredient in solar cell technology used in millions of solar panels around the world. This soluble compound is highly toxic and expensive to produce, requiring elaborate safety measures to protect workers during manufacture and then specialist disposal when panels are no longer needed.

Friday, June 27, 2014

Scientists create new battery that's cheap, clean, rechargeable ... and organic

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Scientists create new battery that's cheap, clean, rechargeable ... and organic

Scientists have developed a rechargeable battery that is all organic and could be scaled up easily for use in power plants where it can make the energy grid more resilient and efficient by creating a large-scale means to store energy for use as needed. The batteries could pave the way for renewable energy sources to make up a greater share of the nation's energy generation.

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Alternative energy evaluation: Net energy analysis should become a standard policy tool, scientists say

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Alternative energy evaluation: Net energy analysis should become a standard policy tool, scientists say

To be viable, wind farms, power plants and other energy technologies should deliver more energy than they consume. Net energy analysis allows researchers to evaluate the long-term sustainability of a technology by comparing how much energy it produces over its lifetime with the energy required to build and maintain it, say scientists.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Hunt for extraterrestrial life gets massive methane boost

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Hunt for extraterrestrial life gets massive methane boost

A powerful new model to detect life on planets outside of our solar system more accurately than ever before has been developed by researchers. The new model focuses on methane, the simplest organic molecule, widely acknowledged to be a sign of potential life. The new model has been tested and verified by successfully reproducing in detail the way in which the methane in failed stars, called brown dwarfs, absorbs light.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Breakthrough in energy storage: Electrical cables that can store energy

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Breakthrough in energy storage: Electrical cables that can store energy

Nanotechnology scientists have developed a way to both transmit and store electricity in a single lightweight copper wire. Sounds like science fiction, but it may become a reality thanks to breakthrough technology. So far electrical cables are used only to transmit electricity. However, nanotechnology scientists have developed a way to both transmit and store electricity in a single lightweight copper wire.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Concentrating solar power: Study shows greater potential

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Concentrating solar power: Study shows greater potential

Concentrating solar power could supply a large fraction of the power supply in a decarbonized energy system, shows a new study of the technology and its potential practical application.

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Power plant emissions verified remotely at Four Corners sites, largest point source pollution in U.S.

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Power plant emissions verified remotely at Four Corners sites, largest point source pollution in U.S.

Air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from two coal-fired power plants in the Four Corners area of northwest New Mexico, the largest point source of pollution in America, were measured remotely. The study is the first to show that space-based techniques can successfully verify international regulations on fossil energy emissions.

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Up to 6-cent per kilowatt-hour extra value with concentrated solar power

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Up to 6-cent per kilowatt-hour extra value with concentrated solar power

Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) projects would add additional value of 5 or 6 cents per kilowatt hour to utility-scale solar energy in California where 33 percent renewables will be mandated in six years, a new report has found.

Friday, June 20, 2014

New class of nanoparticle brings cheaper, lighter solar cells outdoors

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

New class of nanoparticle brings cheaper, lighter solar cells outdoors

A new class of solar-sensitive nanoparticle that outshines the current state of the art has been developed and tested by researchers. This new form of solid, stable light-sensitive nanoparticles, called colloidal quantum dots, could lead to cheaper and more flexible solar cells, as well as better gas sensors, infrared lasers, infrared light emitting diodes and more.

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Solar energy prospects are bright for Scotland, experts say

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Solar energy prospects are bright for Scotland, experts say

Installing state-of-the-art solar panels on a quarter of a million roofs could meet one-sixth of Scotland's electricity demands, experts say. Scientists say the strategy could ease the plight of one in three Scottish households, which currently struggle to provide themselves with adequate heat and hot water. Researchers, business leaders and public sector experts have contributed to a report which sets out how Scotland could benefit from solar power.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Revolutionary solar cells double as lasers

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Revolutionary solar cells double as lasers

Latest research finds that the trailblazing 'perovskite' material used in solar cells can double up as a laser, strongly suggesting the astonishing efficiency levels already achieved in these cells is only part of the journey.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Quantum mechanisms of organic devices for alternative solar panels are revealed

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Quantum mechanisms of organic devices for alternative solar panels are revealed

Silicon panel-based technology requires a very costly, contaminating manufacturing process, while organic photovoltaic devices have been positioned as one of the most attractive alternatives as a source of solar energy. This is the first time the quantum mechanisms that trigger the photovoltaic function of these devices have been deciphered.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Enhancing safety of domestic solar power storage

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Enhancing safety of domestic solar power storage

Lithium-ion battery-based energy storage systems have already demonstrated efficiency and reliability in commercial electric vehicles. These high standards now also have to be transferred to battery-based storage systems for private photovoltaics facilities.

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Technology using microwave heating may impact electronics manufacturing

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Technology using microwave heating may impact electronics manufacturing

A continuous flow reactor can produce high-quality nanoparticles by using microwave-assisted heating -- essentially the same forces that heat up leftover food with such efficiency. This may finally make it possible for this technology to move into large scale manufacturing and usher in an electronics revolution.

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Tiny crystals to boost solar

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Tiny crystals to boost solar

A new approach to studying solar panel absorber materials has been developed. The technique could accelerate the development of non-toxic and readily available alternatives to current absorbers in thin film based solar cells.

Friday, June 13, 2014

First real-time movies of the light-to-current conversion in an organic solar cell

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

First real-time movies of the light-to-current conversion in an organic solar cell

Scientists have reported the first real-time movies of the light-to-current conversion process in an organic solar cell. Researchers show that the quantum-mechanical, wavelike nature of electrons and their coupling to the nuclei is of fundamental importance for the charge transfer in an organic photovoltaic device.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

An abundant and inexpensive water-splitting photocatalyst with low toxicity

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

An abundant and inexpensive water-splitting photocatalyst with low toxicity

Researchers in Japan have discovered a new photocatalyst, Sn3O4, which facilitates the production of hydrogen fuel from water, using sunlight as an energy source.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Environmentally compatible organic solar cells in the future

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

Environmentally compatible organic solar cells in the future

Environmentally compatible production methods for organic solar cells from novel materials are in the focus of “MatHero”. The new project aims at making organic photovoltaics competitive to their inorganic counterparts by enhancing the efficiency of organic solar cells, reducing their production costs and increasing their life-time.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

New findings to help extend high efficiency solar cells' lifetime

Solar Energy News -- ScienceDaily

New findings to help extend high efficiency solar cells' lifetime

Scientists have made a surprising discovery about the degradation of solar cells that could help pave the way to creating a longer lifetime for these cells. Key factors for creating cost-efficient solar cells to compete with conventional energy sources like fossil fuels include fabrication cost, efficiency and lifetime of the cells.

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