This week we’re sitting down with Subhash C. Singhal of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), a world leader in the study of solid oxide fuel cells and one of the lead organizer of our upcoming Glasgow conference. Listen as we explore the culture of national laboratories and industry, the future of solid oxide fuel cells, Singhal’s upbringing in India, and more!

Listen below and download this episode and others for free though the iTunes Store (search “ECS Podcast”), SoundCloud, or our RSS Feed.

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This year is shaping up to be a very green for the American energy sector. U.S. power emissions are expected to fall to a two-decade low in light of the year of “de-carbonization”.

Bloomberg New Energy Finance reports that CO₂ emissions from the power sector should drop to their lowest levels since 1994.

The factors most connect to this decline include:

• The instillation of more renewables than ever before—with around 18 new GW coming online.

• A record year for coal retirements—forecasting 23GW to come offline.

• The burning of more natural gas in 2015 than ever before.

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ECS member Shumin Fang was a contributor in a development that could dramatically improve the efficiency of batteries and fuel cells.
Image: Nature Communications

Sometimes the tiniest things could have the biggest impact—especially when it comes to battery technology.

New research from a collaborative team of engineers from Clemson University and the University of South Carolina developed a new material that could boost batteries’ power and help power plants.

ECS student member Shumin Fang of the University of South Carolina was a collaborator on the study. (Take a look at his paper on solid oxide fuel cells.)

The new material acts as a superhighway for ions, allowing for more powerful batteries and boosting the general efficiency of energy conversion.

Because batteries and fuel cells are limited by how fast ions can pass through the electrolyte, engineers must find a mix of electrolyte ingredients that allows for fast movement. This study proposes the answer to this in gadolinium doped ceria.

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A research team from Standford University has developed a high-performance aluminum battery.
Image: YouTube/Stanford University

Researchers have been attempting to make a commercially viable aluminum-ion battery for years. Now, a team from Stanford University may have developed just the thing to outpace widely used lithium-ion and alkaline batteries.

The new aluminum-ion battery demonstrates high performance, a fast charging time, long-lasting cycles, and is of low cost to produce.

“We have developed a rechargeable aluminum battery that may replace existing storage devices, such as alkaline batteries, which are bad for the environment, and lithium-ion batteries, which occasionally burst into flames,” said Hongjie Dai, a professor of chemistry at Stanford.

The researchers were able to achieve this novel battery by applying graphite as the cathode material.

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The hybrid supercapacitor can store large amounts of energy, recharge quickly, and last for more than 10,000 recharge cycles.
Image: UCLA

Researchers from UCLA’s California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) have developed a new generation of supercapacitors that not only emphasizes the best inherent properties of the supercapacitor itself, but also combines it with some of the best qualities of batteries to make a new energy storage medium.

The new supercapacitor is paper-thin and has an extremely fast recharge time. Additionally, it can last more than 10,000 recharge cycles.

Researchers believe this new development will yield real-world potential to address energy issues and improve personal electronics.

“The microsupercapacitor is a new evolving configuration, a very small rechargeable power source with a much higher capacity than previous lithium thin-film microbatteries,” said Maher El-Kady, co-author of the study and postdoctoral scholar.

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One small step for renewable energy, and one giant leap for Costa Rica.

Costa Rica has not burned one fossil fuel in over 75 days. The country is currently running completely on renewable energy, primarily due to heavy rains and geothermal energy.

The country is now producing enough electricity though hydropower systems, such as pump storage and run-of-the-river plants, to power the majority of Costa Rica. Pair that with additional geothermal, solar, and wind energy sources and 100 percent renewable energy efficiency is achieved.

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Rutgers researchers Martha Greenblatt (left) and Chalres Dismukes (right) have developed a cost-effective energy storage technology to advance sustainable energy.
Image: Nick Romaneko/Rutgers University

Dan Fatton, ECS Director of Development & Membership services, spotted an article in My Central Jersey that details a potential game changer in sustainable energy.

Researchers from Rutgers University may have just found the key to advancing renewable resources and potentially growing an energy infrastructure based on sustainability.

The researchers from Rutgers’ Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department have recently developed a novel patent-pending energy storage technology grounded in electrochemical science. The new technology is said to not only be cost-effective, but also a highly efficient way to store sustainable energy for later use.

The research published in the journal Energy & Environmental Science addresses the feasibility of widespread utilization of sustainable power.

“We have developed a compound, Ni5P4 (nickel-5 phosphide-4), that has the potential to replace platinum in two types of electrochemical cells: electrolyzers that make hydrogen by splitting water through hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) powered by electrical energy, and fuel cells that make electricity from combining hydrogen and oxygen,” co-author of the study Charles Dismukes explained to My Central Jersey.

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Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for an alumni meeting of the Executive Energy Leadership Academy (Energy Execs), a program that empowers executives to integrate clean energy solutions in their own communities.

Since its inception, more than 200 representatives of industry, government and non-profit organizations have completed the Energy Execs program, delivered through the Executive Energy Leadership Academy. In 2014, I participated in the abbreviated program which offers decision-makers a look at renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. As part of the experience, we received briefings by NREL technology experts, research laboratory tours and visits to renewable energy installations.

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The research gives scientists clues about the genes that control plant structures and how we can manipulate them to our advantage.
Source: Paul Efland/UGA

Researchers at the University of Georgia (UGA) are looking to accelerate the biofuel industry with this new development in plant gene structure.

The UGA scientists have discovered that manipulating a certain gene in a hardwood tree makes easier the process of breaking wood into fuel, and simultaneously increases the pace of tree growth.

This from UGA:

In a paper published recently in Biotechnology for Biofuels, the researchers describe how decreasing the expression of a gene called GAUT12.1 leads to a reduction in xylan and pectin, two major components of plant cell walls that make them resistant to the enzymes and chemicals used to extract the fermentable sugars used to create biofuels.

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ECS Executive Director Roque Calvo sits down with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s John A. Turner to talk about all things renewable energy and try to connect the dots between the science, our everyday lives, and the sustainability of the planet.

Listen to the first ECS Podcast below and download it for free! (Also available through the iTunes Store and RSS Feed.)

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