SmartEnergy Designline Blog



Scientists to develop aqueous lithium-ion battery

Anne-Françoise PELE

3/1/2012 10:44 AM EST

As the global energy demand continues to increase, a team of researchers at the Ruhr University Bochum, in Germany, is developing a water-based lithium-ion battery.


Join  post comment   1 comment    last comment  prabhakar_deosthali
This is a good idea. The objective of this project should be, apart from reducing the cost, to make ...

Design opportunities abound in renewable energy for military

Patrick Mannion

10/6/2010 2:29 PM EDT

Yesterday’s article in the New York Times about the U.S. military’s need to move away from fossil fuel reminded me of an interesting email exchange I had recently with Terry Bollinger, a technology analyst at MITRE Corp., concerning the military’s interest in renewable energy.


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Startup alert: Nanotecture promises tripling of energy-storage performance

Patrick Mannion

9/28/2010 12:26 PM EDT

Given the burgeoning need for improved storage methodologies, whether in batteries or supercapacitors, Nanotecture’s new nanoporous technology is really exciting. Here’s a quick synopsys.


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Hot debut in even hotter market: Oree's LED-based planar lighting

Patrick Mannion

8/13/2010 5:06 PM EDT

LEDs are hot, really hot. So when I got a call asking if I’d spend a few minutes with a startup claiming to have the next big thing in LED lighting, I jumped on it. And I wasn’t disappointed.


Join  post comment   19 comments    last comment  jimeffect
It remains to be seen whether LED’s effect on the lighting industry is permanent, but I have great ...

Reality check needed: New technology doubles solar conversion efficiency

Patrick Mannion

8/9/2010 11:02 AM EDT

Researchers at Stanford have developed a cesium-coated gallium nitride PETE device that converts both light and heat into electrical energy, potentially doubling the efficiency of solar panels.


Join  post comment   14 comments    last comment  p_g
No direct benefit but this will help them reduce power consumption.. may be reduce electricity price ...

China passes U.S. in energy use, but hold on a second...

Patrick Mannion

7/19/2010 3:00 AM EDT

China passed the U.S. in energy used, but what's not noted is that it's also passed the world in net renewable energy generated.


Join  post comment   6 comments    last comment  Silicon_Smith
A couple of points: One, the statistics not only reflect how the 1.3 B Chinese have grown but also ...

Atheros's Wi-Fi/powerline combo is truly 'smart energy'

Patrick Mannion

7/2/2010 11:36 AM EDT

While challenging, Atheros is in a great position to follow through on its plan to combine powerline networking with Wi-Fi—and it is an excellent example of what Smart Energy is all about.


Join  post comment   5 comments    last comment  Product Engr
A Networked Smart Energy Home power control system -- for device management and monitoring -- If the ...

What's the status of FCV research?

Anne-Francoise Pele

6/21/2010 4:23 PM EDT

Fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) are already in use, but only for demonstration purposes. Fuel cells indeed came into the spotlight last year when leading carmakers said they expected to launch a few hundred thousand FCVs to the market as from 2015.


Join  post comment   5 comments    last comment  Manjunatha TM
However, fuel cell technology faces another greater challenge along with above two problems. Waste ...

Goodbye, incandescent bulb--or maybe not?

Bill Schweber

6/11/2010 10:55 AM EDT

Before we rush to get rid of incandescent bulbs, we should honestly acknowledge their virtues, as well as the shortcomings of electronic alternatives


Join  post comment   14 comments    last comment  lighthouse
Agreed, CFLs and LEDs have their advantages too - but the "switch all your lights and save lots of ...

EVs sound good but electricity still has its cost

Patrick Mannion

5/18/2010 4:46 PM EDT

I want clean air and energy independence as much as anyone. I’m just not sure all-electric vehicles are the way to achieve it.


Join  post comment   7 comments    last comment  Pistonslap
Electric vehicles are completely viable with todays technology. They can't be all things to all ...

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