renewable power tagged posts

In this time-lapse series of photos, progressing from top to bottom, a coating of sucrose (ordinary sugar) over a wire made of carbon nanotubes is lit at the left end, and burns from one end to the other. As it heats the wire, it drives a wave of electrons along with it, thus converting the heat into electricity. Credit: Courtesy of the researchers

The batteries that power smartphones,computers and electric cars, are mostly made of toxic materials such as lithium that can be difficult to dispose of and have limited global supplies. Now, researchers have come up with an alternative system for generating electricity, which harnesses heat and uses no metals or toxic materials.

The new approach is based on a discovery in 2010 by Prof Michael Strano in Chemical Engineering, MIT...

New tools for harvesting wind energy may soon look less like giant windmills and more like tiny leafless trees. A project at The Ohio State University is testing whether high-tech objects that look a bit like artificial trees can generate renewable power when they are shaken by the wind – or by the sway of a tall building, traffic on a bridge or even seismic activity.

Tree-like structures made with electromechanical materials can convert random forces – such as winds or footfalls on a bridge – into strong structural vibrations that are ideal for generating electricity. The technology may prove most valuable when applied on a small scale, in situations where other renewable energy sources such as solar are not an option...