Tag: Clean energy

A natural alternative to single-use plastic was inspired by spiders. Now, an international research team from India and the US has turned its attentions to the animal kingdom to generate sustainable electricity for domestic use. The team struck lucky while experimenting with silkworm cocoons. When dry, the protein membrane is insulating. But with the help of water vapour it...

Trains could remove CO2 from the atmosphere and self-driving containers on rails may bridge logistics gaps. But, according to a Swiss startup, the railway network has greater potential still. Why not use the area between tracks to generate clean energy? Create 2 megawatts of solar energy on a 10-kilometre stretch of rail, instead of 10,000㎡ of productive land… Instead...

Plant secretions are a useful source of energy. Inspired by photosynthesis, a research team from Lausanne has developed leaf-like electrodes which, powered by solar energy, can generate hydrogen from air humidity. The basis for the technology is a thin, light-transmissive and porous mesh made from melted quartz fibres. After being coated with fluorine-doped tin oxide, the structure becomes highly...

Banana ‘paper’ can help protect potatoes from pathogens by absorbing spuds’ discharge. Now, a startup from the Netherlands is using the discarded organic material produced during photosynthesis to create electricity. Bacteria around the roots of a plant break down the discharge, releasing electrons and protons. These react with anodes and cathodes in the soil, as well as oxygen in...

Sand retains its warmth for months, just as white-hot heat can generate electricity. Now a venue manager from Glasgow has discovered another means of producing energy, providing climate control by using the body heat of venue-goers. To cool rooms, special ceiling-mounted devices collect heat from the air and transfuse it into fluid. Using boreholes, this, in turn, is funnelled...

Implants can be nourished by the body's store of glucose, while batteries can be powered by air moisture. Now, using an A5-sized device, a research team from Singapore has managed to generate electricity from a light breeze. A long plate with a cube on its end is fixed to one side of a small base body. The plate vibrates...

Cycling into the wind can be illuminating. A collection of small wind turbines in the ocean may generate electricity for entire towns. Using the patented technology developed by an American research team, renewable energy could soon be produced from the movement of water in the sea. Unlike mechanical systems like these, the water’s power doesn't actuate a single generator...

Warm walls help generate energy. Now, the startup of a Finnish research team is using sand to store solar- and wind electricity. The renewable energy powers a device that circulates hot air in a silo with some 100 tons of sand which heats up to 600-1000℃. This way energy can be stored for months without using lithium and cater...