If you have flown commercially in recent years, you may have noticed that certain items with large lithium-ion batteries can't be checked. Instead, they must be in your carry-on and turned off. Objects with these batteries, such as hoverboards or even cell phones, have been known to spontaneously combust, especially if they are physically damaged somehow. The resulting fire presents...

Perovskites are a leading candidate for eventually replacing silicon as the material of choice for solar panels. They offer the potential for low-cost, low-temperature manufacturing of ultrathin, lightweight flexible cells, but so far their efficiency at converting sunlight to electricity has lagged behind that of silicon and some other alternatives. Now, a new approach to the design of...

They have improved a process for vertically depositing a solution made from an inexpensive perovskite solute onto a moving substrate below. Not only have they discovered the crucial role played by one of the solvents used, but they have also taken a closer look at the aging and storage properties of the solution. Solar cells made of crystalline silicon still account for the lion's share of...

Organic molecules that capture photons and convert these into electricity have important applications for producing green energy. Light-harvesting complexes need two semiconductors, an electron donor and an acceptor. How well they work is measured by their quantum efficiency, the rate by which photons are converted into electron-hole pairs. Quantum efficiency is lower than optimal if there...

The military is adding fuel to the momentum of physicists at The University of Toledo who are advancing new frontiers in thin-film, highly efficient, low-cost photovoltaic technology to ensure a clean energy future. The U.S. Air Force awarded UToledo $12.5 million to develop photovoltaic energy sheets that would live in space and harvest solar energy to transmit power wirelessly to Earth-...

A team of researchers, led by chemists from the University of Bristol, has received significant funding from the UKRI to revolutionise the fabrication and application of photovoltaic devices, used to produce solar energy. Imagine a city in the near future where buildings have solar panels integrated into windows, cladding and rooftops - allowing urban areas to generate their own clean and...

The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) is conducting research into new materials for more powerful batteries and fuel cells. DLR scientists are now using a quantum computer to simulate electrochemical processes within energy storage systems. This makes it possible to design the materials used in such a way that the performance and energy density of batteries...

CEO Mark Widmar says he is pleased with company's 2020 performance despite COVID-related delays that triggered a $400 million decline in sales.

Texas Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick insisted her industry was not responsible for the blackouts that hit Texas last month, despite assertions from the electricity industry that supply-side constraints were a major issue.

The largest utility in Washington state says it needs biogas-fired combustion turbines to be able to meet clean energy standards reliably.

Company founder Trevor Milton's exit and canceled deals made for a rocky end to 2020, but the CEO said Nikola is "back to execution mode."

A truck stop operators group said allowing electric chargers is the "wrong signal" from Congress, while advocates tout the need to modernize Eisenhower-era rules and provide parking.

Shareholders may ultimately turn their backs on natural gas, but private owners will keep delivering that fuel, according to a panel of investment bankers.