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U.S. Energy Use Declines in 2015, Renewables Gain

(DoDLive.mil)

20 April 2016. Energy use by Americans in their homes and businesses declined in 2015 from the previous year, due to a sharp drop in coal burned for electric power, among other factors. The findings were published in an annual accounting of national energy supply and demand by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, . . . → Read More: U.S. Energy Use Declines in 2015, Renewables Gain

What it Takes to Innovate in the Old Economy

Richard van Atta (A. Kotok)

12 February 2016. Innovation is important throughout the modern economy, particularly in established industries that may lack the excitement of hot new sectors like biotechnology. A panel at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, or AAAS 2016 annual meeting today (12 February) in Washington, D.C. examined . . . → Read More: What it Takes to Innovate in the Old Economy

Solar Process Converts CO2 to Source of Power, Chemicals

Andrew Bocarsly (Brian Wilson, Princeton University)

2 July 2014. Chemists from Princeton University and spin-off company Liquid Light Inc. in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey created a process to use sunlight for converting carbon dioxide into formic acid, a source for electric power and industrial chemicals. Princeton chemistry professor Andrew Bocarsly, also a founder . . . → Read More: Solar Process Converts CO2 to Source of Power, Chemicals

Simple Solar Water System Devised to Kill Pathogens

(Greg Riegler/Flickr)

Engineering and food science faculty at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana designed a solar device to kill waterborne bacteria that the inventors say can help provide clean drinking water to millions of people in developing countries. Civil and environmental engineering professor Ernest “Chip” Blatchley and food science biologist Bruce Applegate, . . . → Read More: Simple Solar Water System Devised to Kill Pathogens

3-D Printing Lifecycle Shown More Environmentally Friendly

Joshua Pearce holding 3-D printed item, and 3-D printer in background (Michigan Technological University)

Materials scientists at Michigan Technological University in Houghton found that in a lifecycle analysis of production processes, distributed three-dimensional printing can have a smaller environmental impact than conventional manufacturing. Michigan Tech’s Joshua Pearce and graduate student Megan Kreiger published . . . → Read More: 3-D Printing Lifecycle Shown More Environmentally Friendly

University of Houston Spins-Off Nanotech Coatings Company

Colored water droplets on SCHN coated 100% cotton blue denim. (C-Voltaics)

A physics professor at University of Houston in Texas started a company to develop and manufacture protective coatings for industrial and consumer goods based on his research in nanotechnology. C-Voltaics, started by Houston physicist Seamus Curran, was awarded last week the Young Technology . . . → Read More: University of Houston Spins-Off Nanotech Coatings Company

Nanotech Window Coating Controls Building Light, Heat

Berkeley Lab team, L-R, Guillermo Garcia, Delia Milliron, and Anna Llordés (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory )

Chemists and materials scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California created a window coating of nanocrystals that can dynamically control the sunlight passing through the window and thus improve a building’s energy efficiency. The team led . . . → Read More: Nanotech Window Coating Controls Building Light, Heat

Engineers Double Efficiency of Solar Film Cells

Semi-transparent solar cells, with doubled efficiency from earlier version (University of California, Los Angeles)

Engineers and materials scientists at University of California in Los Angeles improved the design of solar cells built in a thin semi-transparent film that nearly doubles their ability to generate power. A team from the lab of engineering professor . . . → Read More: Engineers Double Efficiency of Solar Film Cells

Alternative Solar Cell Developer Adds $10M Venture Funding

Sharone Zehavi, Scifiniti CEO, holding a SmartWafer (Scifiniti)

Scifiniti, a developer of silicon-based solar materials in San Jose, California secured $10 million in series B venture financing, the second round of funding after initial start-up. Current investors Alloy Ventures, Firelake Capital, I2BF Global Ventures, and Peninsula Ventures took part in the round.

The . . . → Read More: Alternative Solar Cell Developer Adds $10M Venture Funding

Power Company, Research Center Partner on Wind Forecasts

(National Renewable Energy Lab)

National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado and the electric utility Xcel Energy are collaborating on a new forecasting system to improve the company’s wind energy operations. Financial aspects of the two-year partnership, which continues an existing agreement between the organizations, were not disclosed.

NCAR is a . . . → Read More: Power Company, Research Center Partner on Wind Forecasts