The twentieth century way of life has been made available, largely due to the miracle of cheap energy. The price of energy has been at record lows for the past century and a half.As oil becomes increasingly scarce, it is becoming obvious to everyone, that the rapid economic and industrial growth we have enjoyed for that time is not sustainable.Now, the hunt is on. For renewable sources of energy, for alternative sources of energy, for a way of life that is less dependent on cheap energy.Â
The federal government has announced a significant project to test the ability of biochar to sequester carbon and improve soil health. $1.4 million will be invested in the project under the government’s Climate Change Research Program. This is the second major investment in climate change projects announced after the Greens won the lower house seat Continue Reading →
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| The top is a graphic representation of the overall device structure. The diameter is roughly that of a human hair. The bottom is a magnified image of the central part. The white spots are atoms and the white circles are the nano-magnets, the “working part” of the device. |
ScienceDailyResearchers at the University of Miami and at the Universities of Tokyo and Tohoku, Japan, have been able to prove the existence of a “spin battery,” a battery that is “charged” by applying a large magnetic field to nano-magnets in a device called a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ).
The new technology is a step towards the creation of computer hard drives with no moving parts, which would be much faster, less expensive and use less energy than current ones. In the future, the new battery could be developed to power cars.
The study is published in the journal Nature.
A new type of air-fueled battery could give up to ten times the energy storage of designs currently available.
This step-change in capacity could pave the way for a new generation of electric cars, mobile phones and laptops.
The new design has the potential to improve the performance of portable electronic products and give a major boost to the renewable energy industry. The batteries will enable a constant electrical output from sources such as wind or solar, which stop generating when the weather changes or night falls.
For the past eight years solar advocates throughout the United States lamented the lack of federal leadership on renewable energy issues. If only we had a President who fully realized the economic, environmental, and moral obligation to stem global warming and increase our domestic clean energy supply, we said. If only we had a filibuster-proof majority in the U.S. Senate promising sweeping clean energy legislation. If only we had a fervent renewable energy advocate chairing the House’s Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee. Well, that dream checklist is done, done and done.
An NSERC-funded lab at the University of Waterloo has laid the groundwork for a lithium battery that can store and deliver more than three times the power of conventional lithium ion batteries, researchers say.
“This composite material can supply up to nearly 80 percent of the theoretical capacity of sulfur, which is three times the energy density of lithium transition metal oxide cathodes, at reasonable rates with good cycling stability.”
A new type of air-fueled battery could give up to ten times the energy storage of designs currently available.
“The key is to use oxygen in the air as a re-agent, rather than carry the necessary chemicals around inside the battery.”
— Peter Bruce, Chemistry Professor, University of St Andrews
This step-change in capacity could pave the way for a new generation of electric cars, mobile phones and laptops.
The research work, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), is being led by researchers at the University of St Andrews with partners at Strathclyde and Newcastle.
The new design has the potential to improve the performance of portable electronic products and give a major boost to the renewable energy industry. The batteries will enable a constant electrical output from sources such as wind or solar, which stop generating when the weather changes or night falls.