The prototype of a promising biobattery has recently been developed by researchers at the German Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Energy and Safety Technology. The battery they developed is actually a highly efficient biogas plant which is capable of transforming different types of organic raw materials, such as straw, scrap wood and sludge into different energy sources like electricity, purified gas and engine oil.
Photo: Video screen capture EuroNews
Plants, just like humans and animals, have a way of communicating with each other. Their language is comprised of electrical signals, through which they send messages to other plants. And now an international group of scientists is developing a way to analyze these electrical signals, and translate them into information we can understand. The project is called PLEASED (PLants Employed As SEnsing Devices) and has already received €1.07 million ($1.46 million) in EU funding.
(more…)
A group of researchers at Stanford University have developed a new type of coating, which will allow solar cells to cool themselves. This breakthrough would eliminate the need for water and energy intensive coolants and ventilation, which is currently used to cool solar cells. It would also extend the life span of the solar cells considerably.
(more…)
