Most recent 40 articles: PHYS.ORG - Technology
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Amazon wants to be everything to everyone - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Oct 13, 2024) |
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Oct 13, 2024 · Amazon is bolstering its e-commerce empire while continuing a march deeper into people's lives, from robots to health care and entertainment.
Innovations unveiled in recent days by the Seattle-based tech titan included a delivery van computer system to shave time off deliveries by its speed-obsessed logistics network.
Amazon Stores boss Doug Herrington said that the technology enables vans to recognize stops and signal which packages to drop off.
"When we speed up deliveries, customers shop more," Herrington said.
"For 2024, we're going to have the fastest Prime delivery speeds around the world," he added, referring to Amazon's subscription service.
On ... Read more ...
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Volunteers bring solar power to Hurricane Helene's disaster zone - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Oct 13, 2024) |
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Oct 13, 2024 · Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Helene downed power lines and washed out roads all over North Carolina's mountains, the constant din of a gas-powered generator is getting to be too much for Bobby Renfro.
It's difficult to hear the nurses, neighbors and volunteers flowing through the community resource hub he has set up in a former church for his neighbors in Tipton Hill, a crossroads in the Pisgah National Forest north of Asheville. Much worse is the cost: he spent $1,200 to buy it and thousands more on fuel that volunteers drive in from Tennessee.
Turning off their only power source isn't an option. This generator runs a refrigerator holding insulin for neighbors with ... Read more ...
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Integer addition algorithm could reduce energy needs of AI by 95% - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Oct 12, 2024) |
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Oct 12, 2024 · A team of engineers at AI inference technology company BitEnergy AI reports a method to reduce the energy needs of AI applications by 95%. The group has published a paper describing their new technique on the arXiv preprint server.
As AI applications have gone mainstream, their use has risen dramatically, leading to a notable rise in energy needs and costs. LLMs such as ChatGPT require a lot of computing power, which in turn means a lot of electricity is needed to run them.
As just one example, ChatGPT now requires roughly 564 MWh daily, or enough to power 18,000 American homes. As the science continues to advance and such apps become more popular, critics have suggested ... Read more ...
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Reconfigurable manipulator robot designed to inspect pipes in challenging environments - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Oct 11, 2024) |
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Oct 11, 2024 · The Interactive and Robotic Systems Lab (IRS) group at the Universitat Jaume I of Castelló has developed a mobile, lightweight, modular and reconfigurable manipulator robot, which includes a remote control station with 3D perception, modular and multi-device 3D simulation software that implements a digital twin for operator training, with the aim of operating in hazardous scenarios for human health, initially in the inspection of plastic pipes by probing and artificial vision.
The new technology, which has been validated on an experimental scale at the UJI's Centre for Research in Robotics and Underwater Technologies (CIRTESU), is applicable to the inspection of pipes and ... Read more ...
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Renewables revolt in Sardinia, Italy's coal-fired island - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Oct 11, 2024) |
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Oct 11, 2024 · The bolts securing the towering wind turbine were unscrewed under cover of darkness, an act of sabotage symbolizing a vehement pushback against renewable energy in Sardinia.
Long summers and strong winds make the Italian island a prime location for wind and solar power, but intense investor interest has spooked locals who say Sardinia is being exploited.
The loosened bolts were discovered before the turbine on the edge of the village of Mamoiada toppled over, but it was one of several plants vandalized this year as regional authorities drew up rules determining where clean energy structures can be built.
"There's been a visceral rejection of renewables. The ... Read more ...
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Rooftop solar panels impact temperatures during the day and night in cities, simulation study shows - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Oct 11, 2024) |
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Oct 11, 2024 · Widespread coverage of building rooftops with conventional photovoltaic solar panels may increase temperatures on hot days and lower them at night, says new modeling.
They found that in a scenario with complete RPVSP coverage in a city, the urban temperature could increase in the day up to 1.5°C during peak summer periods and decrease at nighttime up to 0.6°C.
The findings, published in Nature Cities, don't suggest that PVs aren't an important renewable energy solution in the transition away from fossil fuels. Instead, the researchers say it highlights the opportunity to develop integrated solutions for RPVSPs, such as reflective materials for rooftops and greenery ... Read more ...
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Telescopes can help bring renewable energy to isolated Chilean communities - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Oct 11, 2024) |
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Oct 11, 2024 · Just published research in Nature Sustainability shows that building a renewable energy system for a telescope in Chile's isolated Atacama Desert could also cover 66% of a nearby community's energy needs, giving hope for win-win development around other remote infrastructure projects.
Integrating renewable energy sources into the design of the AtLAST telescope would introduce the astronomical community on the Chajnantor plateau and the nearby residential areas to more sustainable energy systems. This integration would reduce local reliance on fossil fuels and provide renewable energy.
Home to observatories like the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) and the Atacama ... Read more ...
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Tesla's Cybercab: Elon Musk unveils robotaxi, pledges it 'before 2027' - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Oct 11, 2024) |
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Oct 11, 2024 · Elon Musk on Thursday unveiled what he said was a robotaxi capable of self-driving, predicting it would be available by 2027 - about a decade after he first promised an autonomous vehicle.
The Tesla CEO said the fully electric car - which has no steering wheel or pedals - would be priced under $30,000, would be charged wirelessly with inductive technology and would be "10 to 20 times safer" than human-driven cars.
"You can think of the car in an autonomous world as being like just a little lounge," he told a crowd at the Warner Brothers Studio lot near Los Angeles.
"You're just sitting in a comfortable little lounge, and you can do whatever you want while you're in ... Read more ...
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Charging, not range, is becoming a top concern for electric car drivers - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Oct 10, 2024) |
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Oct 10, 2024 · The Biden administration is using tax credits, regulations and federal investments to shift drivers toward electric vehicles. But drivers will make the switch only if they are confident they can find reliable charging when and where they need it.
Over the past four years, the number of public charging ports across the U.S. has doubled. As of August 2024, the nation had 192,000 publicly available charging ports and was adding about 1,000 public chargers weekly. Infrastructure rarely expands at such a fast rate.
Agencies are allocating billions of dollars authorized through the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for building charging infrastructure. This expansion is ... Read more ...
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Engineers develop a way to streamline solar cell testing, accelerating a process that can be slow and costly - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Oct 10, 2024) |
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Oct 10, 2024 · The process of testing new solar cell technologies has traditionally been slow and costly, requiring multiple steps. Led by a fifth-year Ph.D. student, a Johns Hopkins team has developed a machine learning method that promises to dramatically speed up this process, paving the way for more efficient and affordable renewable energy solutions.
"Our work shows that machine learning can streamline the solar cell testing process," said team leader Kevin Lee, who worked with fellow electrical and computer engineering graduate students Arlene Chiu, Yida Lin, Sreyas Chintapalli, and Serene Kamal, and undergraduate Eric Ji, on the project. "This not only saves time and resources but ... Read more ...
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Generator system set to transform offshore renewables - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Oct 10, 2024) |
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Oct 10, 2024 · A new type of generator developed by Edinburgh engineers could reduce the cost of electricity produced by offshore renewable technologies.
The lightweight, stackable generator system - which converts mechanical energy produced by offshore wind, wave and tidal technologies into electricity - could also help extend the lifespan of renewable energy installations.
The modular system, developed by new spinout company CGEN Engineering, can be easily transported to renewable energy installations and assembled into a complete power system.
Unlike conventional systems, each module can be added, replaced or moved individually, meaning energy companies can keep operations ... Read more ...
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Going off grid is a financial win for some, but it's a threat for poorer families and the environment - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Oct 10, 2024) |
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Oct 10, 2024 · How would you like to never have another electric bill? Advances in technology have made it possible for some consumers to disconnect from the power grid - a move that was once only available to the ultra-wealthy who could afford the associated costs, or survivalists willing to trade convenience for freedom. This is no longer the case.
A recent study I coauthored with energy researcher Seyyed Ali Sadat reveals that the balance of economics has shifted and now many families may be better off financially by cutting ties to the grid. However, this might not be a good thing for everyone.
Back in the 2000s, solar was costly. The solar industry's goal was to push the cost of ... Read more ...
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Hypersaline brine produced by fracking has left us in a pickle, but new process could help dry it up - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Oct 10, 2024) |
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Oct 10, 2024 · Seemingly miraculous innovations have made it possible to slake the ever-growing thirsts of our industrial society. Need more energy? Frack it from deep-bedded rocks. Fresh water? Desalinate ocean flows. Precious metals? Leach them from low-grade ores that were previously unminable.
But these and other marvels leave us in a pickle - awash in a sea of hypersaline brine. This "brine" - wastewater containing levels of salt many times higher than seawater and often contaminated with pollutants - is a byproduct of these and other industrial processes, and it's a problem.
"The disposal of brine solutions with total dissolved solids greater than 60,000?mg?l-1 poses technical, ... Read more ...
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New technology converts wastewater to sustainable aviation fuel with potential 70% reduction in emissions - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Oct 10, 2024) |
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Oct 10, 2024 · Made from renewable materials like biomass and agricultural waste, sustainable aviation fuel has enormous potential to decarbonize the aviation industry. But widespread adoption has yet to take off.
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) makes up less than 1% of the fuel used in the aviation industry, while aviation fuel contributes about 3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Producing SAF that is more energy efficient, cheaper and cost-competitive with fossil-based jet fuel is critical to widespread commercial use.
Now scientists at the Argonne National Laboratory have developed a novel technology that creates a cost-competitive SAF that could reduce GHG emissions in ... Read more ...
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Organic compound boosts solar cell stretchability without sacrificing power - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Oct 10, 2024) |
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Oct 10, 2024 · A solar cell developed by RIKEN physicists can be stretched without greatly affecting its ability to convert light into electricity. It is thus promising for powering the next generation of wearable electronics.
Today's smart watches can monitor an impressive array of health metrics, while more-specialist wearable devices are being developed for specific medical applications. But such devices need to be recharged periodically.
To eliminate this need, researchers are seeking to develop flexible, wearable solar cells. However, it is vital to ensure that the performance of these solar cells doesn't drop off when they are stretched by body movements during everyday ... Read more ...
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Scientists improve catalytic converter efficiency to cut harmful pollution from hydrogen engines - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Oct 10, 2024) |
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Oct 10, 2024 · Hydrogen-burning internal combustion engines offer great promise in the fight against climate change because they are powerful without emitting any earth-warming carbon. They can power heavy-duty trucks and buses and are suited for off-road and agricultural equipment and backup power generators, providing cleaner alternatives to diesel engines.
Yet they are not entirely clean. They emit nitrogen oxides during the high-temperature combustion process. Nitrogen oxides react with other compounds in the atmosphere to form harmful ozone and fine particulate matter, which aggravate our lungs and lead to long-term health problems.
Fortunately, UC Riverside scientists have ... Read more ...
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Streamlining solar cell structure and fabrication for more affordable energy - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Oct 10, 2024) |
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Oct 10, 2024 · A new fabrication technique for substantially enhancing the prospects of commercializing perovskite solar cells through improved stability, reliability, efficiency and affordability is underway at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK).
"The improvements in stability and the simplification of the production process of perovskite solar cells represent a significant step forward in making solar energy more accessible and affordable," explained Professor Zhu Zonglong of the Department of Chemistry, explaining that the mineral perovskite is used extensively to convert sunlight into electricity efficiently.
In broad terms, the CityUHK team is working on a new type of solar ... Read more ...
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The new fashion: Clothes that help combat rising temperatures - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Oct 10, 2024) |
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Oct 10, 2024 · A team of international researchers has developed a natural fabric that urban residents could wear to counter rising temperatures in cities worldwide, caused by buildings, asphalt, and concrete.
As heat waves become more prominent, cooling textiles that can be incorporated into clothes, hats, shoes and even building surfaces provide a glimpse into a future where greenhouse gas-emitting air conditioners may no longer be needed in our cities.
Engineers from Zhengzhou University and the University of South Australia say the wearable fabric is designed to reflect sunlight and allow heat to escape, while blocking the sun's rays and lowering the temperature. They have ... Read more ...
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Small turbines can capture wasted energy and generate electricity from man-made wind sources - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Oct 09, 2024) |
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Oct 09, 2024 · A pair of electrical engineers at Distance University of Madrid, working with a colleague from Mision Critica-Data Center, ZFB Technology Services, in Columbia, has developed a methodology for generating electricity from man-made wind sources using small turbines.
In their paper published in the journal Scientific Reports, Isabel Gil-García, Ana Fernández-Guillamón, and Álvaro Montes-Torres describe their methodology and outline how they used it to generate electricity from wasted wind generated by chilling machines at a data center in Columbia.
The new methodology starts with identifying a possible man-made resource, such as a ship, truck, train, or fan used for general ... Read more ...
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Brian Williams to cover election night in Amazon Prime's first foray into news - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Sep 30, 2024) |
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Sep 30, 2024 · Former NBC News star Brian Williams is finalizing a deal to anchor live coverage of the presidential election results for Amazon's Prime Video, in the streamer's first attempt at live news coverage, according to two people familiar with the plan.
Williams, 65, has been off of television since leaving his professional home of 28 years in 2021. He has spoken with a number of networks and streaming services about projects, but this is the first to come to fruition. He would be in his comfort zone at Prime Video, as he led NBC's presidential election night programs in 2008 and 2012 and its cable network MSNBC's coverage in 2016 and 2020.
A representative for Prime Video ... Read more ...
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Britain's last coal-fired power station closes - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Sep 30, 2024) |
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Sep 30, 2024 · The UK's last coal-fired power station will officially close its doors on Monday, making Britain the first G7 country to end its reliance on the fossil fuel to produce electricity.
The closure of Ratcliffe-on-Soar, a power plant that has dominated the surrounding central England landscape for nearly 60 years, marks a symbolic step in the UK's ambition to decarbonize electricity by 2030, and become carbon neutral by 2050.
"The era of coal might be ending, but a new age of good energy jobs for our country is just beginning," Energy Minister Michael Shanks said in a statement.
The owner of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar factory, Uniper said the site will be put into a two-year ... Read more ...
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Epic Games sues Google and Samsung over app store - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Sep 30, 2024) |
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Sep 30, 2024 · Fortnite-maker Epic Games is suing tech giants Google and Samsung, it announced Monday, accusing them of illegally colluding to block competition on Samsung devices.
CEO Tim Sweeney said his company would file a claim in a US federal court in California, the same jurisdiction where the company won a years-long legal battle with Google in 2023.
He said he would take the fight to authorities in Europe and Asia if necessary, amid his long-running battle to force Apple and Google to open up their smartphone to other app stores.
"This is a major global fight, which is ultimately for the right of consumers to get all the benefits of competition and choose freely who they ... Read more ...
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Getting to zero emissions: A call for unified energy planning - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Sep 30, 2024) |
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Sep 30, 2024 · As competition between gas and electric utilities heats up due to clean energy-promoting policies that emphasize replacing gas with electricity, state regulators need to overhaul their approach to regulation, argue scholars at Stanford and the University of Notre Dame.
A new white paper led by the Climate and Energy Policy Program at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment lays out a case for unifying electric and gas utilities and instituting coordinated planning to make the transition to zero-carbon buildings more efficient and cost-effective. A related webinar on Oct. 2 will present the white paper's results and feature a discussion among energy experts about ... Read more ...
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Hurricane Helene power outages leave millions in the dark - poorer areas often wait longest for electricity to be restored - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Sep 30, 2024) |
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Sep 30, 2024 · Hurricane Helene cut power to more than 4 million homes and businesses as it moved across the Southeast after hitting Florida's Big Bend region as a powerful Category 4 storm on Sept. 26, 2024. As Helene's rains moved into the mountains, causing devastating flooding, officials warned that fixing downed utility lines and restoring power would take several days.
Electricity is essential to just about everyone - rich and poor, old and young. Yet, when severe storms strike, socioeconomically disadvantaged communities often wait longest to recover.
That isn't just a perception.
We analyzed data from over 15 million consumers in 588 U.S. counties who lost power when ... Read more ...
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Proof-of-concept study develops battery that would use Martian atmosphere as fuel during discharge - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Sep 30, 2024) |
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Sep 30, 2024 · Mars presents a highly complex natural environment, characterized by a variety of gas components - 95.32% carbon dioxide, 2.7% nitrogen, 1.6% argon, 0.13% oxygen, and 0.08% carbon monoxide - as well as extreme temperature fluctuations, with day-to-night temperature differences of about 60 °C.
To address these challenges, Prof. Peng Tan and Dr. Xu Xiao have developed a novel Mars battery that uniquely utilizes the Martian atmosphere as fuel during discharge. This approach significantly reduces the battery's weight, making it more suitable for space missions.
Their study, "A high-energy-density and long-cycling-lifespan Mars battery," is published in the journal Science ... Read more ...
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Report shows routes for recycling carbon dioxide and coal waste into useful products - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Sep 30, 2024) |
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Sep 30, 2024 · A congressionally mandated study led by Princeton's Emily Carter has released a comprehensive roadmap for research and policies to enable large-scale recycling of carbon pollution into high-demand, useful products like fuels and construction materials.
The release follows a 2023 report by the same committee that found that a significant fraction of carbon emissions could be recycled, but cautioned that accomplishing the task faced substantial challenges. The new report adds to the potential uses and details ways to approach those challenges through both research and policy.
Fossil fuel use and industrial processes emit carbon dioxide gas, which traps heat in the ... Read more ...
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Researcher wants to ensure AI doesn't ruin the environment - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Sep 30, 2024) |
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Sep 30, 2024 · Artificial intelligence (AI) has changed the world as we know it. It's been used for everything from health-care monitoring to writing speeches. But the technology's impact on the environment is becoming a serious concern.
ChatGPT, one of the most familiar AI models, is a form of generative AI that uses natural language processing to respond to user queries in a chatbot-style web interface.
When OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT, was training the third generation of their model (that is, teaching it what content to generate against users' questions), it used enough electricity to power 120 Canadian homes for an entire year.
And training is just one aspect of ... Read more ...
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Researchers develop model to project energy storage needs for renewable energy - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Sep 30, 2024) |
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Sep 30, 2024 · The paper, "Modeling energy storage in long-term capacity expansion energy planning: an analysis of the Italian system," is published in the Journal of Energy Storage.
"We focused this study on Italy's energy system because it has suffered significantly in recent years, due to difficulties obtaining affordable natural gas due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine," says Anderson de Queiroz, co-author of a paper on the work and an associate professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering at North Carolina State University.
"That has raised questions about how Italy can make its energy system more robust. Our goal here was to develop a model that would allow us to ... Read more ...
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Scientists develop method to enhance asphalt durability against weather damage and heavy traffic - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Sep 30, 2024) |
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Sep 30, 2024 · Scientists from the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and China's Hefei University of Technology have developed a method to build durable and lasting asphalt pavements that can withstand rutting and cracking due to low temperatures and heavy loads.
They believe the method could reduce overall costs that normally accompany the purchasing and maintenance of expensive road durability testing equipment and improve testing of asphalt to make sure it holds up well in cold and hot weather.
Engineers and transportation authorities have for long grabbled with how asphalt roads can become brittle or bloat with slumps and surges in temperature and how heavy-load ... Read more ...
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Study sheds light on the paths leading to the degradation of layered Li-rich oxide cathodes - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Sep 30, 2024) |
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Sep 30, 2024 · In recent years, researchers have been trying to develop increasingly advanced battery technologies that can store more energy, recharge faster, discharge slower, and have longer lifespans. To achieve this, many have been experimenting with new cathode materials, as these tend to contribute significantly to a battery's performance.
Layered lithium-rich transition metal oxides have recently become the focus of numerous research studies, as they have been found to be promising cathode materials. As cathode materials, they could theoretically help to boost the energy density of rechargeable batteries for both electric vehicles and portable devices.
The advantages of layered ... Read more ...
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Study warns of $557 trillion in stranded assets by 2050 if fossil fuel investments continue - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Sep 30, 2024) |
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Sep 30, 2024 · Continued investment in carbon-intensive industries will drastically increase the amount of "stranded assets" as the world moves to net-zero emissions, researchers warn.
The study assesses how much capital - the value of physical assets like buildings and, uniquely in this study, the value of workers - could be stranded (losing its value) if the world reaches net zero emissions in 2050.
The paper, published in the journal Environmental Research: Climate is titled "Stranded human and produced capital in a net-zero transition."
Stranded assets could include a worker losing their job and future income as their industry declines, or a coal power station losing value as ... Read more ...
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UK homeowners are reluctant to switch to low-carbon heating - research points to how to change their minds - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Sep 30, 2024) |
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Sep 30, 2024 · Cold climate countries are making significant efforts to transition from fossil fuels, such as oil and gas, to sustainable heating sources, such as heat pumps or district heating to cut greenhouse gas emissions. But fossil-fuel-based heat demand is expected to increase over the next few decades due to population growth.
Most strategies focus on technology and economic incentives. This hampers the transition in some countries such as the UK where uptake remains very low (at less than 5%, so gas heating remains the norm.
The green transition could be sped up by better understanding what motivates people to change their heating systems at home and what obstacles stand in ... Read more ...
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Nepal dam-building spree powers electric vehicle boom - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Sep 29, 2024) |
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Sep 29, 2024 · Taxi driver Surendra Parajuli's decision to buy an electric cab would have been unthinkable a decade ago, when chronic power cuts left Nepalis unable to light their homes at night.
But a dam-building spree has led to dirt-cheap energy prices in a landlocked Himalayan republic otherwise entirely dependent on fossil fuel imports, meaning the switch has put more money in his pocket.
"It has meant huge savings for me," Parajuli, the proud new owner of a battery-powered and Chinese-made BYD Atto 3, told AFP in the capital Kathmandu.
"It gives 300 kilometers (186 miles) in a single charge and costs me a tenth of what petrol does. And it's environmentally ... Read more ...
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Officials warn that EVs could catch fire if inundated with saltwater from Hurricane Helene - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Sep 28, 2024) |
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Sep 28, 2024 · Electric vehicles can catch fire if they are inundated by saltwater, so owners who live in the path of a major storm like Hurricane Helene should take precautions and prepare for the possibility that they'll be unable to charge their cars during a power outage.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urged EV owners this week to get their vehicles to higher ground before Hurricane Helene arrived. Although the problem is rare, there have been a number of instances in recent years of electric vehicles igniting after hurricanes.
Keeping electric vehicles out of standing water is the best way to avoid the possibility of a fire.
Tesla offers similar advice about avoiding letting its ... Read more ...
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Radiant-convective heating terminal show potential for improved indoor thermal environment for intermittent heating - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Sep 28, 2024) |
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Sep 28, 2024 · A recent study published in Engineering, "Indoor Thermal Environment Improvement Based on Switchable Radiation/Convection-Combined Intermittent Heating: Comparison between Conventional Terminals and Integrated Novel Terminal," has proposed a novel radiant-convective heating terminal for intermittent heating, which shows great potential in improving indoor thermal environment and energy efficiency.
The study highlights that intermittent heating is an energy-saving heating mode worth promoting, especially in residential heating scenarios. However, conventional radiant and convective heating terminals have limitations in achieving both intermittence and thermal comfort. To ... Read more ...
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Amazon's $4 billion partnership with AI startup Anthropic gets UK competition clearance - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Sep 27, 2024) |
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Sep 27, 2024 · Britain's competition watchdog said Friday that it's clearing Amazon's partnership with artificial intelligence company Anthropic because the $4 billion deal didn't qualify for further scrutiny.
The Competition and Markets Authority approval comes after it started looking into the deal, part of wider global scrutiny for the wave of investment from Big Tech companies into leading startups working on generative AI technology.
The watchdog found that San Francisco-based Anthropic's revenue and its combined market share with Amazon in Britain were not big enough to require an in-depth investigation under the country's merger rules.
"We welcome the UK's Competition and ... Read more ...
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Clean energy transition: The impact of financial costs on the development of renewable energy sources - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Sep 27, 2024) |
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Sep 27, 2024 · It is widely recognized that finance is one of the critical enablers of accelerating climate action. However, renewable energy deployment (particularly in developing countries) requires more financing than fossil fuel-based alternatives due to a combination of factors, such as higher upfront investment costs.
This means that finance itself can become a barrier to mitigation investment, which is particularly problematic in the context of energy justice - making renewable energy more widely accessible in low-income countries and communities.
A new international research effort led by CMCC scientists tackles this issue by investigating how financial policies help ensure a ... Read more ...
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Novel recycling process for rare-earth elements could improve green technology and boost carbon neutrality - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Sep 27, 2024) |
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Sep 27, 2024 · In a recent study published in Engineering, researchers from Kyoto University have unveiled a novel method for the efficient separation and recycling of rare-earth elements (REEs) from end-of-life magnets. This innovative process, known as the selective extraction–evaporation–electrolysis (SEEE) process, promises to significantly advance recycling technology and support global efforts towards carbon neutrality.
REEs, particularly neodymium (Nd) and dysprosium (Dy), are essential components in high-performance magnets used in various green technologies, including electric vehicles (EVs) and wind turbines. With the surge in demand for these technologies, efficient recycling of ... Read more ...
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Study highlights complex ocean conditions facing world's most powerful tidal turbine - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Sep 27, 2024) |
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Sep 27, 2024 · The number of tidal power and other offshore renewable energy installations is set to grow significantly around the UK coastline over the coming decades.
However, launching state-of-the-art devices into often turbulent ocean flows has the potential to pose a range of challenges for the tidal energy industry, including uncertainty around how they may interact with the environment.
To address that, a team of scientists used a combination of aerial drone technology and boat-based surveys to map out the complex tidal flows encountered by the world's most powerful tidal turbine - Orbital Marine Power's O2, sited in the heart of the Orkney Islands, Scotland.
Unlike ... Read more ...
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Untapped potential: Study shows how water systems can help accelerate renewable energy adoption - PHYS.ORG - Technology (Sep 27, 2024) |
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Sep 27, 2024 · Stanford-led research reveals how water systems, from desalination plants to wastewater treatment facilities, could help make renewable energy more affordable and dependable. The study, published Sept. 27 in Nature Water, presents a framework to measure how water systems can adjust their energy use to help balance power grid supply and demand.
"If we're going to reach net zero, we need demand-side energy solutions, and water systems represent a largely untapped resource," said study lead author Akshay Rao, an environmental engineering Ph.D. student in the Stanford School of Engineering.
"Our method helps water operators and energy managers make better decisions about how ... Read more ...
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