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A shredded electric vehicle battery can yield recyclable metals, but it is often cheaper for batterymakers to use new materials. Argonne National Laboratory
Millions of electric cars are coming. What happens to all the dead batteries?
May. 20, 2021 , 12:44 PM
The battery pack of a Tesla Model S is a feat of intricate engineering. Thousands of cylindrical cells with components sourced from around the world transform lithium and electrons into enough energy to propel the car hundreds of kilometers, again and again, without tailpipe emissions. But when the battery comes to the end of its life, its green benefits fade. If it ends up in a landfill, its cells can release problematic toxins, including heavy metals. And recycling the battery can be a hazardous business, warns materials scientist Dana Thompson of the University of Leicester. Cut too deep into a Tesla cell, or in the wrong place, and it can short-circuit, combust, and release toxic fumes.
Washington As a battle plays out across the country over the future of natural gas use in buildings, the Biden administration rolled out a slew of initiatives May 17 designed to help spur building electrification, improve efficiency and lower carbon emissions from the building sector.
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In announcing the steps, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm emphasized that residential and commercial buildings account for more than one-third of annual US carbon pollution.
New initiatives include plans for building performance standards for the federal government; partnerships and pilot programs to help electrify and modernize new and existing buildings; research to support innovative heating and cooling systems; energy efficiency standards to advance heat pump technology; and a $30 million investment through the Department of Energy in workforce training to enable h
Study suggests new route for perovskite solar cells
Image: Imperial College London
Researchers from the University of Bath and Imperial College London have shown in a new report how the careful selection of layers within perovskite can prevent against degradation, potentially paving the way for the development of high-performance solar cells.
The report, which was published in the journal Nature Communications, aimed to show how to increase the longevity of tin-based perovskites, to help develop the material without lead. Although lead is less reactive to ambient conditions, solar manufacturers are increasingly trying to work with less toxic materials to create solar systems that are both safe and stable.
Using Wind Energy for Hydrogen Production : An Innovative Concept The additional €15.5 million come on top of last year s pledge to invest €20 million into machinery and equipment for next generation PV technology development. Together with around €35 million of yearly R&D expenditure these will boost total investments into the HQ for technology innovation & quality to over €140 million by 2023.
This latest tranche of investment has been funneled into procuring specialist equipment that will support R&D efforts in n-type cell and module development. Q CELLS team of experienced scientists has identified this technology as the most effective next-gen driver of LCOE (levelized cost of electricity) reduction within PV over the next few years.
(U.S. Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today (May 14, 2021) announced $35 million in funding that will help slash carbon emissions and scale up the volume and efficiency of renewable biofuel. The 15 awarded research projects are housed at colleges, universities, and labs across nine states and will advance new technologies to decarbonize biorefining processes used across the energy, transportation, and agriculture sectors. The funding awards are supported by DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). These investments in advancements in clean energy technology, will help America achieve the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of 100% clean energy economy and net-zero emissions by 2050.