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The group led by researchers from the Technical University of Denmark employed a technique using an X-ray microscope that could see acoustic waves within mm-sized crystals with subpicosecond precision. This enabled the team to see how mechanical energy thermalizes across timeframes ranging from picoseconds to microseconds by directly visiting the creation, propagation, branching, and energy dissipation of longitudinal and transverse acoustic waves in a diamond.

The world’s first artificial energy island has secured its environmental permit, so it’s now all systems go in Belgium.

Princess Elisabeth Island is a pioneering electricity grid at sea that’s going to connect offshore wind farms to the Belgian mainland and also serve as a hub for future interconnectors with the UK and Denmark.

Belgian electricity transmission system operator Elia is the project’s developer, and obtaining the permit, which Elia applied for in January 2023, is a key milestone. Construction will take over two years, from March 2024 to August 2026.

Scientists may have made a major breakthrough in the quest to produce limitless energy. According to a new study published in the journal American Chemical Society, scientists are looking deeper at a molecule known as azulene, which is a blue-light emitting molecule that seems to flout the fundamental rules of photochemistry.

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Jets that develop along the walls of fluid-based thermal-energy-storage systems induce multiple flows that limit the devices’ ability to store energy.

Converting waste heat from renewable-energy technologies into electricity could reduce the need for fossil-fuel power stations—but only if that energy can be stored efficiently, for example, in a thermal battery. Researchers have partially solved this problem by designing batteries with vacuum insulation panels that reduce thermal leakage to the environment. But the useful energy available to the system can diminish even if environmental heat loss is reduced to zero. Now Christian Cierpka of the Technical University of Ilmenau, Germany, and colleagues have explored one such energy drain: mixing of hot and cold regions within a fluid-based energy-storage device [1]. The results could aid in the design of more-efficient thermal-energy-storage systems, potentially making such facilities useful as backups for intermittent renewable-energy sources.

The team studied mixing in a common thermal-energy-storage system in which a hot fluid reservoir sits atop a cold one. Between the reservoirs lies a transition layer with a temperature gradient across its width. The maximum energy output of such a battery depends on the temperature difference between the hot and cold reservoirs. Any drop in this difference will reduce the battery’s recoverable energy.

Renewable energy grids need lots of energy storage – and EVs plugged into charging stations represent a huge, city-wide battery just waiting to help out. The Dutch city of Utrecht is about to pioneer a clever way to kickstart two-way charging.

The idea has been done plenty at the domestic level – where devices like Toyota’s V2H (vehicle-to-home) charging system can turn an electric car into a high-powered backup power supply capable of running your whole home for days at a time.

And people have been talking about it on a broader, city-wide scale since the dawn of the EV revolution; the same high power density batteries that makes EVs so quick to accelerate make them perfect for quickly sending power back into the grid to smooth out demand spikes.

Researchers used laser pulses to enhance MXene’s electrode properties, leading to a potential breakthrough in rechargeable battery technology that could surpass traditional lithium-ion batteries.

As the global community shifts towards renewable energy sources like solar and wind, the demand for high-performance rechargeable batteries is intensifying. These batteries are essential for storing energy from intermittent renewable sources. While today’s lithium-ion batteries are effective, there’s room for improvement. Developing new electrode materials is one way to improve their performance.

For nearly five years, Austin Energy’s EVs for Schools program has provided access to electric vehicle charging infrastructure and related technology curriculum to more than 150 schools across Central Texas. Now, AE is gearing up for the rollout of its upgraded program, adapted to meet the changing landscape of EV technology.

A private Chinese company, Thrust-to-Weight Ratio Engine, was able to test a rotary detonation engine on a drone. This is the first such test. Previously, only bench tests were conducted.

Here’s What We Know.

The rotary detonation engine will open the way to the development of hypersonic transport systems, including aircraft and missiles. Another feature of the propulsion system is reduced fuel consumption.

Continue reading “China tested the first ever drone equipped with a rotary detonation engine — the propulsion system will open the way to the creation of hypersonic aircraft and missiles” »

NASA has announced an updated plan to continue New Horizons’ mission of exploration of the outer solar system.

Beginning in fiscal year 2025, New Horizons will focus on gathering unique heliophysics data, which can be readily obtained during an extended, low-activity mode of operations.

While the science community is not currently aware of any reachable Kuiper Belt object, this new path allows for the possibility of using the spacecraft for a future close flyby of such an object, should one be identified. It also will enable the spacecraft to preserve fuel and reduce operational complexity while a search is conducted for a compelling flyby candidate.