Archive for the ‘sustainability’ category: Page 75
Feb 2, 2024
Unveiling the Power of Air in Revolutionary “Plasmonic Black Gold” Catalysis
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: innovation, sustainability
A breakthrough plasmonic catalyst, stable in air, revolutionizes acetylene semi-hydrogenation, marking a significant advance in sustainable catalysis.
In a significant breakthrough, Prof. Polshettiwar’s group at TIFR, Mumbai has developed a novel “Plasmonic Reduction Catalyst Stable in Air,” defying the common instability of reduction catalysts in the presence of air. The catalyst merges platinum-doped ruthenium clusters, with ‘plasmonic black gold’. This black gold efficiently harvests visible light and generates numerous hot spots due to plasmonic coupling, enhancing its catalytic performance.
Superior Performance in Semi-Hydrogenation.
Feb 2, 2024
New tandem solar panel achieves world record conversion efficiency, 25%
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: solar power, sustainability
A pivotal achievement has been reached in the realm of energy transition with the development of a cutting-edge tandem solar panel. Interestingly, the solar panel has demonstrated an impressive conversion efficiency rate of 25 percent.
The 25 percent efficiency is a significant improvement above the average 24 percent efficiency found in commercial modules. This makes it the world’s most efficient perovskite silicon tandem solar module in an industrial configuration, as per the release.
This remarkable achievement marks a crucial milestone in the global transition towards sustainable energy sources.
Feb 2, 2024
2024 Hummer EV SUV Tested: Everything, Everywhere, All at Once
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: sustainability, transportation
When imaginations are unconstrained, you end up with electric vehicles like the Hummer EV SUV.
Feb 1, 2024
These EVs Hit 60 MPH in Less Than 3.5 Seconds
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: sustainability, transportation
Feb 1, 2024
How Indian Farmers Are Using AI To Increase Crop Yield
Posted by Gemechu Taye in categories: food, government, robotics/AI, sustainability
The Telangana state government in South India, in collaboration with various agricultural aid organizations and technology companies, launched a groundbreaking project known as “Saagu Baagu.” This initiative focused on assisting 7,000 chilli farmers with AI-powered tools, marking a significant step…
Saagu Baagu shows AI’s growing role in agriculture, helping developing-world farmers achieve sustainable and profitable practices.
Jan 31, 2024
The Morning After: This is Doom running on E. coli bacteria
Posted by Quinn Sena in categories: Elon Musk, sustainability, transportation
Amazing face_with_colon_three
The biggest news stories this morning: Elon Musk’s $56 billion Tesla pay package has been tossed out by the court, How to watch Super Bowl 2024, Microsoft’s gaming revenue was up 49 percent in Q2.
Jan 31, 2024
Oxford claims the world record for solar panel efficiency
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: solar power, sustainability
Oxford PV, a spin-off from the University of Oxford, says it’s achieved the world record for the most efficient solar panel.
In collaboration with Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, the company says its solar panel achieved 25% conversion efficiency – the percentage of solar energy shining on a panel converted into electricity. That’s a big deal compared to the more typical 16–24% in commercial solar panels.
Oxford PV’s secret sauce is perovskite-on-silicon tandem solar cells, which could theoretically hit over 43% efficiency, leaving traditional silicon solar cells with a theoretical limit of less than 30% in the dust. Its record-setting panel cranked out 421 watts over an area of 1.68 square meters. The researchers used standard mass production gear and optimized it for the tandem technology.
Jan 31, 2024
Japan’s new solar panel technology might forever alter the renewables market
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: solar power, sustainability
Jan 31, 2024
“Baffling” New Species of Snake Discovered in Myanmar
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: education, sustainability
Finding and describing new species can be a tricky endeavor. Scientists typically look for distinctive characters that can differentiate one species from another. However, variation is a continuum that is not always easy to quantify. At one extreme, multiple species can look alike even though they are different species—these are known as cryptic species. At the other extreme, a single species can be highly variable, creating an illusion of being different species. But what happens when you encounter both extremes simultaneously?
Herpetologist Dr Chan Kin Onn (previously at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, Singapore, now with the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum, USA) led a study describing a new species of pit viper from Myanmar that is both similar and different from its sister species. The discovery is published in the open-access journal ZooKeys.