Efficiency

A new student-led research program has been launched at the UK's University of Southampton with the aim of finding ways to improve the efficiency and extend the battery life of unmanned aviation vehicles used to monitor remote locations.

Once a year, the Delsbo Electric contest in Sweden challenges students to create and improve on the world's most energy-efficient vehicles. This year's champ, the Eximus IV, smashed the competition and all previous records with an electric equivalent of 687 MPGe (0.34 l/100km​).

Silicon is fast approaching its theoretical limit for solar efficiency, but pairing it up with other materials could help break through. Researchers have developed a new technique for combining silicon and perovskite solar cells, and reported a new record efficiency of 25.2 percent.

A new high-tech US embassy was recently completed in London. The billion dollar project takes the form of a glazed cube. It's efficient too: the building features rainwater recycling and solar panels, and is slated for LEED Platinum and BREEM Outstanding green building certifications.

Concentrating solar power (CSP) plants can be a key part of a renewable energy strategy, but progress is often focused on larger facilities. Now, engineers from Sandia National Laboratories are improving the efficiency of smaller plants, designing a new receiver that can absorb much more sunlight.

Electronics don't work well in heat, which is a problem because heat is a byproduct of electricity. Researchers have developed a thermal diode that runs on heat instead of electricity. This could lead to heat-resistant computers that function in hot places like on Venus or deep inside the Earth.

​Singapore's Housing & Development Board recently called for proposals to automate the painting of its high-rise buildings. In response, ELID Technology International and Nanyang Technological University teamed up to create a robotic system that does the job.

Considering taxpayers are footing the bill, it pays to improve the efficiency of the more than 300 million streetlights around the globe. A team in Germany has now developed an array of low-power LEDs that are more efficient, safer, cooler, and easier on the eyes.

As emissions regulations tighten and congestion gets worse, manufacturers are being forced to delve deep into their engineering kitbag for clever ways to save fuel. The latest brand to unveil a smart new eco-friendly engine is Toyota, which has released a new 1.5-liter for the Yaris.

A new study from MIT has examined modern technology​ through the lens of a 150-year-old economic theory of efficiency and resource consumption – and in almost all cases, the benefits of reducing required resources is cancelled out by the increase in consumer demand for them.

Car and aircraft engine makers are all chasing engine weight savings, but boat makers too are getting in on the act. Yamaha has unveiled a new F25 motor, which is just as powerful as the engine it replaces, but significantly lighter.

This refreshingly simple forced induction system for motorcycles won't give you the huge power output of a turbo system - but it can give you a boost of up to 0.6 bar and some 15-25 percent more power, torque and efficiency at "about a tenth" the price of a turbo setup.