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Articles tagged with "sustainable-energy"

  • EVS38 Is All About Charging - CleanTechnica

    The Electric Vehicle Symposium (EVS38) held in Gothenburg is entirely focused on charging technology, infrastructure, policies, and future developments related to electric mobility. As the largest and most significant scientific conference on the electric vehicle transition, it attracted over 400 abstract submissions, all addressing various aspects of charging. The event also features an exhibition showcasing numerous high-power DC chargers and related industry support. While many presentations are highly technical and challenging for non-specialists, the main stage offers more accessible content. The author plans to review selected presentations in the coming week and participate in excursions to the Volvo tech center and an MCS charging hub. Additional detailed analyses and summaries of EVS38 will be provided through CleanTechnica’s channels.

    energyelectric-vehiclescharging-technologyelectric-mobilitycharging-infrastructureDC-chargerssustainable-energy
  • Bladeless wind turbines get upgrade with new design for quiet power

    Researchers at the University of Glasgow have advanced the design of bladeless wind turbines (BWTs) through computer simulations that identify the most efficient configurations for future models. Unlike conventional turbines that use rotating blades, BWTs harness vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) by oscillating a tall, slender mast in the wind. This novel approach offers several advantages: BWTs are quieter, occupy less space, require less maintenance due to their simpler structure, and pose less risk to birds, which often collide with fast-spinning blades of traditional turbines. The study pinpointed an optimal design featuring an 80-centimeter tall mast with a 65-centimeter diameter, capable of safely generating up to 460 watts of power—significantly outperforming current prototypes that produce around 100 watts. This design balances power output with structural integrity, ensuring safety in wind speeds ranging from 20 to 70 miles per hour. The researchers suggest that their methodology could enable scaling BWTs to produce 1 kil

    energywind-turbinesbladeless-technologyrenewable-energypower-generationvortex-induced-vibrationsustainable-energy
  • Low-cost green hydrogen production possible with new breakthrough

    Researchers at Hanyang University ERICA campus in South Korea have developed a new class of cobalt phosphide-based nanomaterials that significantly lower the cost of green hydrogen production. By adjusting boron doping and phosphorus content through metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), the team created catalysts with superior performance and affordability compared to conventional electrocatalysts. These materials exhibit large surface areas and mesoporous structures, enhancing their electrocatalytic activity for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The best-performing sample demonstrated notably low overpotentials of 248 mV for OER and 95 mV for HER, outperforming previously reported catalysts. The innovative synthesis involved growing cobalt-based MOFs on nickel foam, followed by boron doping via sodium borohydride treatment and phosphorization with sodium hypophosphite. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirmed that the combination of boron doping and optimized phosphorus content improved interactions with reaction intermediates, driving the enhanced

    energygreen-hydrogencatalystsnanomaterialsmetal-organic-frameworkselectrocatalysissustainable-energy
  • Battery Ferries: Helios, China Zorrilla, & BC Ferries Compared - CleanTechnica

    The article discusses three significant battery-electric ferry projects that highlight the rapid transformation of maritime travel through electrification. Viking Line’s Helios, expected in the early 2030s, is a fully electric ferry designed to operate on an 80-kilometer route between Helsinki and Tallinn, carrying 2,000 passengers, 650 cars, and substantial cargo entirely on battery power. Another pioneering vessel, the China Zorrilla, a high-speed electric catamaran built by Tasmania’s Incat for Buquebus, will serve the shorter Buenos Aires–Colonia del Sacramento route, covering about 93 kilometers. Both projects exemplify advances in battery-electric ferry technology aimed at reducing emissions and improving sustainability in maritime transport. In British Columbia, Canada, BC Ferries has contracted China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyard to build four hybrid-electric ferries to replace its aging C-class vessels. These ferries, designed as diesel-battery hybrids with plans to transition to full electric as shore charging infrastructure

    energyelectric-ferrybattery-propulsionmaritime-electrificationhybrid-electric-ferriesclean-transportationsustainable-energy
  • A Primer About Wind On Global Wind Day - CleanTechnica

    Global Wind Day, observed annually on June 15, aims to raise awareness about wind energy’s role as a clean, renewable, and sustainable power source. Wind is generated by the uneven heating of the Earth’s surface by the sun, causing air to move from high to low pressure areas, creating wind. This natural phenomenon has powered human activity for millennia, from ancient Egyptian sailboats to modern wind turbines that convert kinetic energy into electricity without greenhouse gas emissions, thus supporting the global transition to net-zero carbon emissions. Wind turbines, typically three-bladed and mounted on horizontal axes, vary in size and capacity—from 100 kilowatts to 12 megawatts—and can be installed in diverse environments including land, offshore, and deep waters with floating designs. Key factors influencing electricity production include wind speed, blade radius (with power increasing exponentially as blade size grows), and air density, which depends on altitude, temperature, and pressure. The wind energy sector also presents significant job growth opportunities; for example

    energywind-energyrenewable-energywind-turbinesclean-energysustainable-energywind-power
  • New zinc-iodine battery retains 99.8% capacity after 500 cycles

    Scientists at the University of Adelaide in Australia have developed a novel dry electrode technology for zinc-iodine batteries that significantly enhances their performance and stability. This breakthrough involves mixing active materials as dry powders and rolling them into thick, self-supporting electrodes, combined with adding 1,3,5-trioxane to the electrolyte. This chemical induces the formation of a flexible protective film on the zinc anode during charging, preventing dendrite growth—needle-like structures that can cause short circuits. The new electrodes achieve a record-high active material loading of 100 mg/cm², resulting in pouch cells retaining 88.6% capacity after 750 cycles and coin cells maintaining 99.8% capacity after 500 cycles. Zinc-iodine batteries are considered safer, more sustainable, and cost-effective alternatives to lithium-ion batteries for large-scale and grid energy storage, but have historically lagged in performance. This innovation addresses those limitations by reducing iodine leakage, minimizing self-discharge, and extending cycle life

    energybattery-technologyzinc-iodine-batteryenergy-storagesustainable-energygrid-storagematerials-science
  • Fervo Energy lands $206M in financing to build massive geothermal power plant

    Fervo Energy, a leading geothermal startup, has secured $206 million in financing to advance the development of Cape Station, poised to be the world’s largest enhanced geothermal power plant located in Utah. The project’s initial phase is expected to begin operations next year, generating 100 megawatts of electricity, with a planned expansion in 2028 adding an additional 400 megawatts. Enhanced geothermal technology, which accesses deeper and hotter underground heat than traditional methods, offers a promising, emissions-free, and continuous power source, particularly appealing for energy-intensive applications like AI data centers. The technology also benefits from expertise derived from the oil and gas industry, potentially aiding its regulatory and political support. The financing package includes $100 million in preferred equity from Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, Bill Gates’s investment arm, an additional $60 million loan from Mercuria, and $45.6 million in bridge debt from X-Caliber Rural Capital. This funding follows Fervo’s recent achievement of drilling its hottest and deepest

    energygeothermal-energyrenewable-energypower-plantclean-energyenergy-financingsustainable-energy
  • Aurora nuclear reactor may run US base for 10 years without refueling

    Oklo has received a Notice of Intent to Award from the Defense Logistics Agency Energy to deploy its Aurora nuclear microreactor at Eielson Air Force Base (AFB) in Alaska. This marks the first formal US military project to adopt a commercial fast microreactor, aiming to enhance energy independence and operational security for defense infrastructure, particularly in remote or unstable environments. The Aurora reactor is designed to operate autonomously for up to 10 years without refueling, using recycled high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel, which reduces nuclear waste and supports long-term, reliable power supply. Its liquid-metal-cooled fast reactor technology offers safety and efficiency advantages over traditional reactors, including a compact core and no need for pressurization. Eielson AFB, home to the 354th Fighter Wing and F-35A aircraft, faces logistical challenges due to its remote sub-Arctic location. The Aurora’s modular design and long fuel cycle will reduce dependence on vulnerable fuel supply

    energynuclear-reactormicroreactormilitary-energy-resilienceautonomous-powersmall-modular-reactorsustainable-energy
  • UK firm achieves first commercial tritium breakthrough for fusion fuel

    Astral Systems, a UK-based private fusion company, has achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first firm to successfully breed tritium—a crucial fuel for nuclear fusion—using its own operational fusion reactor. This breakthrough occurred during a 55-hour Deuterium-Deuterium (DD) fusion irradiation campaign in March, in collaboration with the University of Bristol. The teams produced and detected tritium in real-time from an experimental lithium breeder blanket within Astral’s multi-state fusion reactors, addressing a major challenge in sustainable fusion energy development: generating more fuel than consumed. Astral Systems’ reactor employs its proprietary Multi-State Fusion (MSF) technology, which integrates recent advances in stellar physics and a novel lattice confinement fusion (LCF) approach, originally discovered by NASA in 2020. This design achieves solid-state fuel densities vastly exceeding those in plasma and enables two simultaneous fusion reactions within a compact reactor core. The electron-screened environment reduces the energy needed to overcome particle repulsion, lowering fusion temperatures and improving efficiency. This innovation not only advances tritium breeding but also opens possibilities for applications such as medical isotope production, nuclear waste transmutation, and hybrid fusion-fission systems. The University of Bristol team, supported by UK research bodies, is now focused on optimizing the system to enhance tritium output, signaling a promising path toward scalable fusion fuel production.

    energynuclear-fusiontritium-breedingfusion-fuelfusion-reactorsustainable-energyfusion-technology
  • Germany's 36% efficient micro-CPV boosts solar power while cutting costs

    energysolar-powermicro-CPVrenewable-energyphotovoltaic-technologyefficiencysustainable-energy
  • World's 1st residential 'Microgrid-in-a-Box' to reduce 60% energy cost

    energymicrogridrenewable-energyenergy-managementV2Genergy-cost-reductionsustainable-energy
  • New quantum battery design promises nanoscale energy storage

    energyquantum-batteryenergy-storagetopological-propertiesfast-chargingsustainable-energymicro-energy-devices
  • Be.EV Will Install Over 200 Ultra-Rapid Charging Bays In The UK - CleanTechnica

    energyEV-chargingultra-rapid-chargerselectric-vehiclessustainable-energycharging-infrastructureBe.EV
  • Superfast EV battery boasts 80% charge in 12 mins, 310,000-mile life

    energyelectric-vehiclesbattery-technologysustainable-energyfast-charginglithium-iron-phosphateEV-innovation
  • Solar cells hit record 19.96% efficiency with 6x cheaper polymer

    energysolar-cellsorganic-materialsefficiencysustainable-energypolymer-technologycost-reduction
  • Sodium Batteries: Yet Another Sign EVs Are Here To Stay

    energysodium-batterieselectric-vehiclesEV-technologybattery-innovationsustainable-energyclean-transportation
  • World's smallest atomic-scale semiconductor produces solar hydrogen

    semiconductorsolar-hydrogenphotocatalystquantum-materialsenergy-solutionsnanotechnologysustainable-energy
  • Quả cầu bêtông 400 tấn lưu trữ năng lượng dưới biển sâu

    energyrenewable-energyenergy-storageunderwater-technologyFraunhofer-InstituteStEnSeasustainable-energy
  • Tiny But Mighty: The MARBERO 30W Solar Panel Is A Steal At 59% Off

    solar-energyrenewable-energysolar-panelenergy-efficiencyportable-chargerclean-technologysustainable-energy
  • Cuộc đua khai thác năng lượng từ lòng đất

    energygeothermal-energyclean-energydrilling-technologyrenewable-resourcesenergy-productionsustainable-energy
  • Critical Minerals Bottleneck Unblocked By Weed (Seaweed, That Is)

    critical-mineralsseaweedphytominingrare-earth-elementssustainable-energymarine-resourcesindustrial-farming
  • Những điểm mới quan trọng tại Dự thảo Luật Năng lượng nguyên tử sửa đổi

    energynuclear-energyenergy-policysafety-regulationssustainable-energyenergy-strategyatomic-energy
  • B.C.’s new action plan is not only about clean power. It’s a step toward sustainable affordability

    clean-energyrenewable-powerelectricity-supplyenergy-efficiencysustainable-energyclean-technologiesenergy-security
  • Electric Cars Are More Reliable Than Gas Cars — New Study

    energyelectric-vehiclesEV-reliabilityautomotive-technologyclean-transportationsustainable-energybattery-technology