August 11/18, 2008
Perspective
"A Tier 5 electricity customer
in California, presently paying 37 cents a unit (and going up) would
not agree that grid electricity is cheap. Photovoltaics is already
a cheaper option in situations like this."
-Martin Green, UNSW
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News
RESEARCH
 An
inexpensive catalyst that extracts oxygen from water is a key step
toward making solar water splitting an economically viable way to
mass-produce hydrogen for fuel. [more]
RESEARCH
 Force
a pair of dissimilar materials together and you can lower the operating
temperature of solid oxide fuel cells to near room temperature, potentially
lowering the cost of utility-scale fuel cells that can run on renewable
fuels. [more]
RESEARCH
Coat Goretex with a thin layer of electrically conducting plastic
and you get an efficient, inexpensive cathode that could make vehicle
fuel cells economically viable. [more]
RESEARCH
 Corn
is not an efficient feedstock for making ethanol because it takes
a lot of energy and chemicals to produce. Researchers have been looking
at switchgrass as a more efficient alternative. It turns out that
another plant, miscanthus, is even better. [more]
RESEARCH
The main challenge to using cellulosic biomass -- agricultural waste,
wood, etc. -- to make biofuels is coming up with efficient ways to
break down cellulose. A new approach sidesteps the problem and converts
cellulose directly to a biofuel precursor. [more]
FUNDING
The National Science Foundation has kicked the Caltech-MIT Powering
the Planet solar fuel project into high gear with $20 million in phase
II funding over the next five years. [more]
FUNDING
The UK government's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
(EPSRC) has awarded Gavin Walker and David Grant of the University
of Nottingham £442,190 (about $845,000)... [more]
FUNDING
The National Science Foundation has funded an international plastic
solar cell project and awarded $1.2 million for four solar fuels projects.
[more]
Features
The return of science, the enormous task, the Apollo-like effort required,
and ideas for remaking the nation's energy infrastructure.
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{BlogDate}
The recurring theme in this issue of ERN is lowering the cost of renewable
energy: cheaper catalysts for water splitting and fuel cells, more
biofuel per acre of biomass, and simpler chemistry for turning biomass
into biofuel. [more]
Features
Q&As
Special Report
Energy
in transition: researchers talk about Obama and our future
Feeds
News  | Blog
E-mail
headlines
Technology Research News
News and views from elsewhere
Technology Review
Better Batteries
Charge Up
Scientific American
Gas-Free
Horizon--An Update on Plug-In Cars
Green Car Congress
Portland
General Electric Developing Network of Charging Stations for Plug-ins
The Guardian
Giant
kites to tap power of the high wind
Wall Street Journal
Green
Dragon: China’s Clean-Energy Revolution
Earth2Tech
Top
10 Alternative Energy Lobbying Groups in 2008
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