Barley straw shows potential as transport biofuel raw material
Joensuu, Finland (SPX) Oct 05, 2015 -
The hemicellulose sugars of barley straw can be effectively fermented into biobutanol, when starch is added during the pre-treatment or fermentation process, shows a new University of Eastern Finland study.
Seeking to find alternatives to ethanol as a fuel, the study established optimal pre-treatment conditions for turning straw lignocellulose and barley starch into fermentable sugars that ...
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Invisibility cloak might enhance efficiency of solar cells
Karlsruhe, Germany (SPX) Oct 05, 2015 -
Success of the energy turnaround will depend decisively on the extended use of renewable energy sources. However, their efficiency partly is much smaller than that of conventional energy sources. The efficiency of commercially available photovoltaic cells, for instance, is about 20%. Scientists of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have now published an unconventional approach to increasing ...
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Volvo's Hagerstown MD site opens parking lot solar canopy
Hagerstown, MD (SPX) Oct 05, 2015 -
Volvo Group North America's Hagerstown, Maryland powertrain manufacturing facility has dedicated a new parking lot solar canopy structure that generates clean, renewable electricity, while keeping vehicles protected from the weather. The Volvo Group partnered with ConEdison Solutions and Entropy Solar Integrators on the design and installation of the solar canopy, which is among the largest on t ...
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US has fallen behind in offshore wind power
Newark DE (SPX) Oct 05, 2015 -
University of Delaware faculty from the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment (CEOE), the College of Engineering and the Alfred Lerner School of Business and Economics say that the U.S. has fallen behind in offshore wind power.
The UD professors, who are all affiliated with UD's Center for Carbon-Free Power Integration (CCPI), reported their findings in an invited paper that appeared th ...
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WPI team recovers rare earths from electric and hybrid vehicle motors
Worcester MA (SPX) Oct 05, 2015 -
In an effort to help develop a sustainable domestic supply of rare earth elements and lessen the United States' dependence on China for materials that are vital to the production of electronics, wind turbines, and many other technologies, two researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) have developed a method of extracting rare earths from the drive units and motors of discarded electri ...
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A micro-supercapacitor with unmatched energy storage performance
Varennes, Canada (SPX) Oct 05, 2015 -
A micro-supercapacitor made using a new electrode reached an energy density 1,000 times greater than existing electrochemical capacitors. With such a performance, comparable to current Li-ion micro-batteries, this energy storage device is a legitimate option for a range of applications from mobile electronics to wireless autonomous sensor networks.
The breakthrough, detailed in an article ...
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Moventas rolls out breakthrough up-tower planetary repairs for GE fleet
Portland OR (SPX) Oct 05, 2015 -
Moventas has announced new patent-pending up-tower repair capabilities that promise to save wind farm owners significant downtime and expense. Effective immediately, all failed 'low-speed' planetary stage gears and bearings in most GE 1.5MW wind turbines can be repaired up-tower at a price that is a fraction of changing out the gearbox.
The new repair process has been demonstrated already ...
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