News tagged with electrical power

Japan inches towards restarting nuclear reactors

Japan on Wednesday inched closer to re-starting idle nuclear reactors, just weeks after the last one was switched off amid public disquiet following the disaster at Fukushima.

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created 8 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 8

Grid realities cancel out some of wind power's carbon savings

(Phys.org) -- Wind energy lowers carbon emissions, but adding turbines to the current grid system does not eliminate emissions proportionally, according to a report by researchers at the Argonne National Laboratory.

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created 13 hours ago | popularity 2.8 / 5 (4) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

A way to reduce the Internet's energy drain

(Phys.org) -- Swiss researchers at EPFL have developed a device intended for monitoring and saving the energy consumed by large data centers. It was developed in collaboration with Credit Suisse, which has ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created May 28, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Sci-fi no longer, NREL engineers smart homes

Thanks to TV shows such as The Jetsons and Star Trek, many Americans grew up dreaming that homes of the future would be equipped with fantastic high-tech features. From automatic food dispensers to sliding do ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created May 28, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Scotland passes turbine test to harness tidal power

(Phys.org) -- An underwater turbine being used for harnessing tidal power to generate electricity for homes and businesses has successfully completed its testing period in the island of Eday, one of Orkney’s ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created May 20, 2012 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (18) | comments 41 | with audio podcast report

LED's efficiency exceeds 100%

(PhysOrg.com) -- For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that an LED can emit more optical power than the electrical power it consumes. Although scientifically intriguing, the results won’t ...

Physics / General Physics

created Mar 05, 2012 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (65) | comments 60 | with audio podcast report

Researchers develop technique to keep cool high-power semiconductor devices used in wireless applications, electric cars

A group of researchers at the University of California, Riverside Bourns College of Engineering have developed a technique to keep cool a semiconductor material used in everything from traffic lights to electric cars.

Nanotechnology / Nanophysics

created May 08, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (6) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Rational design can improve hydrogen fuel cell efficiency

(PhysOrg.com) -- Hydrogen fuel cells, in which the chemical energy of hydrogen is converted into electricity, offer the potential for a wide variety of applications, especially in transportation and power ...

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Feb 29, 2012 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (12) | comments 0 | with audio podcast feature

Getting in tune: Researchers solve tuning problem for wireless power transfer systems

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new way to fine-tune wireless power transfer (WPT) receivers, making the systems more efficient and functional. WPT systems hold promise for charging electric ...

Technology / Engineering

created May 15, 2012 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (6) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Physicists demonstrate conditions for laser-driven fusion

(PhysOrg.com) -- Currently, commercial nuclear power plants generate electricity using nuclear fission, in which an atom’s nucleus is split into lighter nuclei. But scientists are also researching the ...

Physics / General Physics

created Mar 15, 2011 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (27) | comments 26 | with audio podcast report

Rechargeable lithium-sulfur batteries get a boost from graphene

(PhysOrg.com) -- By wrapping tiny sulfur particles in graphene sheets, researchers from Stanford University have synthesized a promising cathode material for rechargeable lithium-sulfur batteries that could ...

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

created Jul 13, 2011 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (22) | comments 53 | with audio podcast feature

Tiny heat engine may be world's smallest

(PhysOrg.com) -- Steam engines, combustion engines, and diesel engines are all different types of heat engines, which operate by converting heat energy into mechanical work. Although heat engines have existed ...

Physics / General Physics

created Feb 02, 2011 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (29) | comments 10 | with audio podcast feature

Folding light: Wrinkles and twists boost power from solar panels

Taking their cue from the humble leaf, researchers have used microscopic folds on the surface of photovoltaic material to significantly increase the power output of flexible, low-cost solar cells.

Physics / Optics & Photonics

created Apr 27, 2012 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (15) | comments 8 | with audio podcast

Solving the solar cell power conversion dilemma

(PhysOrg.com) -- "There is a lot of interest in creating more efficient solar cells that are also simpler than many of the designs common now," Wladek Walukiewicz tells PhysOrg.com. "We think that, throug ...

Physics / Condensed Matter

created Jan 24, 2011 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (25) | comments 19 | with audio podcast feature

Revealing how a battery material works

Since its discovery 15 years ago, lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) has become one of the most promising materials for rechargeable batteries because of its stability, durability, safety and ability to deliver ...

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

created Feb 08, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (7) | comments 0 | with audio podcast