- Number 294 |
- August 31, 2009
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Unique research tool aims to reduce PV cost
Thin film photovoltaics made with semiconducting inks promise to revolutionize the solar energy industry with flexible modules that can be integrated into roofs, windows and walls of any structure. DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory has a unique new Atmospheric Processing Platform that enables scientists and industry to collaborate on efficient ways to commercialize the process.
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Biodevice project comes down to the nanowire
If manmade devices could be combined with biological machines, laptops and other electronic devices could get a boost in operating efficiency. Researchers at DOE's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have devised a versatile hybrid platform that uses lipid-coated nanowires to build prototype bionanoelectronic devices.
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Team to generate electricity from waste heat
Industrial engines are often only 35 percent efficient, wasting well over half of available energy as waste heat. But researchers from DOE's Idaho National Laboratory and GE engineers have now teamed on a project to generate electricity from waste heat.
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Sensor detects gas pipeline flaws
Researchers at DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory have developed the first technology that can detect flaws in plastic natural gas pipelines without disrupting pipeline operations. The NETL team has
developed an innovative flexible sensor that conforms to the pipe wall using flexible circuit board materials, allowing analysis of the entire 360° circumference of a pipeline wall from the inside. -
Survey: software needs more rigorous reviews
Confusing. Crashing. Cursing. Three words you wish didn't apply to software, but often do. The problem, according to the first large-scale research project on how companies ensure the quality of their software, is that companies typically rely on informal, experience-based approaches to spot software faults.o