Thermal switch discovered in engineered squid-based biomaterials

Tuning materials for optimal optical and electrical properties is becoming commonplace. Now, researchers and manufacturers may be able to tune materials for thermal conductivity by using a squid-inspired protein made of multiple ...

Global quadrupling of cooling appliances to 14 billion by 2050

Soaring global need for cooling by 2050 could see world energy consumption for cooling increase five times as the number of cooling appliances quadruples to 14 billion—according to a new report by the University of Birmingham, ...

NREL investigates coatings needed for concentrating solar power

Next-generation concentrating solar power (CSP) plants require high-temperature fluids, like molten salts, in the range of 550-750 degrees Celsius to store heat and generate electricity. At those high temperatures, however, ...

Storage technology puts solar power to work all night long

Energy storage is crucial for taking full advantage of solar power, which otherwise suffers interruptions from cloudy skies and nightfall. In the past few years, concentrating solar power plants have begun producing additional ...

Faster groundwater remediation with thermal storage

Aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) is more than a renewable energy source. The storage and extraction of heat and cold can remediate polluted groundwater ten times faster than existing technologies. PhD candidate Zhuobiao ...

Metal encapsulation optimizes chemical reactions

The chemical industry consumes millions of tons of packing materials as catalytic sup- port media or adsorbents in fixed-bed reactors and heat storage systems. Fraunhofer researchers have developed a means of encapsulating ...

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