New Atlas

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Energy Vault to build grid-level, gravity-fed battery from a tower of concrete blocks

Michael Irving November 8, 2018

With a focus on storing energy from intermittent renewable sources such as wind and solar, Swiss company Energy Vault has just launched an innovative new system that stores potential energy in a huge tower of concrete blocks, which can be “dropped” by a crane to harvest the kinetic energy.

Energy

Hybrid cell turns sunlight and water into hydrogen and electricity

Michael Irving October 29, 2018

Artificial photosynthesis devices can split water into hydrogen and oxygen, but they still suffer from some efficiency issues. Now a new hybrid device may be able to recover some of the energy that would otherwise go to waste, by producing both hydrogen and electricity.

A new hybrid device could use artificial photosynthesis to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, and ...

Biology

Electric bacteria found in the human gut

Michael Irving September 18, 2018

The diverse microbes that live in your gut keep turning up new surprises. Now researchers at UC Berkeley have found that some species of gut-dwelling bacteria can generate electricity.

An artist's rendition of Listeria bacteria, which have been found to produce electricity

Energy

Harvard's new organic flow battery uses a long-lived recipe of Biblical proportions

Michael Irving July 25, 2018

A team of Harvard engineers has been making strides over the past few years with organic flow batteries, and has now tested a new molecule that makes for the longest-lasting, high-performance organic flow battery so far.

Harvard researchers have developed what they call the longest-lasting, high-performance organic flow battery yet developed

Science

Flying spiders are tapping into global electric fields for takeoff

Michael Irving July 9, 2018

It’s long been thought that spiders were "ballooning" on silk parachutes thanks to the wind picking them up, but a new study has found that the creatures are actually making use of atmospheric electric fields instead.

Researchers at the University of Bristol have found that spiders get airborne thanks to electric fields

Energy

US regulatory thumbs up brings small modular nuclear reactors a step closer

David Szondy May 1, 2018

The first small modular reactor (SMR) application has passed an intensive Phase 1 review by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The okay for NuScale Power means that plans can progress on a 12-module plant scheduled to go online in Idaho in the middle of the next decade.

The SMR nuclear plants rely on a modular reactor design

Materials

Spark experiments explore the art of electricity

Rich Haridy April 1, 2018

Sean O’Connell is a jewelry designer and artist with an interest in the interactions between energy and matter. His spark experiments, currently being exhibited as part of the National Gallery of Victoria Triennial event, are amazing examinations into how electricity flows though materials.

The Gold spark captured by artist and jewelry designer Sean O'Connell

Energy

Hybrid solar cell captures energy from the sun and raindrops

Michael Irving March 7, 2018

As useful as solar energy is, it still has one major Kryptonite: gloomy weather. Now, a team of Chinese engineers has developed a hybrid solar cell that can produce electricity come rain or shine, using the triboelectric effect to harvest energy from the movement of raindrops on its surface.

Energy

MIT's thermal resonator generates electricity from the air's daily temperature cycle

Michael Irving February 18, 2018

Energy is all around us – we just need to work out how to tap into it. Now a team from MIT has developed a device called a thermal resonator, which could essentially pull electricity out of thin air by taking advantage of gradual ambient temperature changes over the course of the day.

The thermal resonator weather station sits on the roof of an MIT building, generating power through ...

Electronics

New triboelectric nanogenerator generates electricity at the bend of a finger

Rebekah Andrews February 12, 2018

Researchers have developed a triboelectric nanogenerator in the form of a small metallic tab that can generate electricity from simple body movements, such as the bending of a finger.

A prototype triboelectric nanogenerator that can generate electricity from the bending of a finger