Posts Tagged ‘electricity’
Nanotubes could lighten up electric cables
RICE U. (US) — Cables made of carbon nanotubes could be just as efficient as traditional metals but at a sixth of the weight, a potential windfall for airplanes and cars. Continue…
Friday, September 9, 2011 11:45 - 0 Comments
Science & Technology - Mar 28, 2011 13:27 - 6 Comments
H2O cocktail fuels battery power
STANFORD (US) — A rechargeable battery that uses a mix of freshwater and sea water has the potential to supply about 2 terawatts of electricity annually—or about 13 percent of the world’s current energy consumption. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Dec 20, 2010 14:57 - 1 Comment
Will turbines turn tides into electricity?
U. WASHINGTON-SEATTLE (US) — Two turbines, each 30 feet wide, are being deployed in Puget Sound to test the feasibility of feeding power from ocean tides into an electrical grid. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Jul 8, 2010 10:26 - 0 Comments
Can carbon tax remove gorilla in the room?
RICE (US)—In order to limit carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, policymakers should levy a carbon tax to encourage a transition from coal-based electricity production to a system based on natural gas, a new research paper recommends. (more…)
Science & Technology - May 19, 2010 13:06 - 0 Comments
How the body moves electricity efficiently
U. MINNESOTA (US)—Researchers have created a molecular image of a system that moves electrons between proteins in cells. The work could provide insights to minimize energy loss in other systems, from nanoscale devices to moving electricity around the country. (more…)
Science & Technology - May 12, 2010 16:42 - 1 Comment
Hinged pole could keep the lights on
IOWA STATE (US)—Engineers have designed a new type of transmission pole that is hinged, making it easier to install and repair. It also resists the kind of cascading failures that can lead to widespread power outages. (more…)
Science & Technology - Apr 22, 2010 5:12 - 10 Comments
Could plug-in cars zap the power grid?
U. CHICAGO (US)—President Barack Obama has called for one million plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to hit the road by 2015. If the demand for plug-ins skyrockets, a flood of new electric cars could strain America’s power networks to the limit. (more…)
Science & Technology - Nov 9, 2009 15:02 - 0 Comments
Now it’s conductive; now it’s not
JOHNS HOPKINS (US)—A substance long known to conduct electricity is now being used in a different way to block it, opening up possible new applications in transistor technology and devices such as electronic books. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 23, 2009 11:41 - 0 Comments
Predicting power outages before the storm
JOHNS HOPKINS/TEXAS A&M (US)—Using data from Hurricane Katrina and four other storms, researchers have created new computer models to help utilities better forecast hurricane-caused power outages in advance. (more…)
Science & Technology - Aug 31, 2009 11:06 - 0 Comments
Dancing with high-temp superconductors
A computer-generated representation of the data obtained by scanning a cuprate superconductor in sub-atomic steps. Each cross represents a “Cooper pair” of electrons. At a temperature below 37K (bottom sheet) the pairs are in an orderly arrangement and current can flow without resistance. At a higher temperature the Cooper pairs are still present, but no longer orderly. (Credit: Jhinhwan Lee/Davis Group/Cornell University)
Science & Technology - Jul 31, 2009 14:22 - 0 Comments
Need nanotubes? Go fly a kite
Chemist Bob Hauge and his coauthors say the odako bundles are analogous to the gigantic kites that take many hands to fly, hence the many lines that trail from them. In this case, the lines are nanotubes, hollow cylinders of pure carbon.
