Renewables
Microsoft data centre to be powered entirely by wind
A ten year agreement to power Microsoft’s international data centre operations in the Netherlands with wind power has been signed by Vattenfall. The wind power supply deal is the first to date for Vattenfall to a data centre outside the Nordic countries and the largest in this field based entirely on wind power. According to the agreement, Microsoft will receive 100% of the energy output from Vattenfall’s new onshore wind farm that wi...
The key to electric vehicle powertrain optimisation
Professor Omar Hegazy, Head of Power Electronics and Electrical Machines at the MOBI Research Centre, University of Brussels (VUB), recently highlighted his team’s EV powertrain optimisation techniques at CWIEME Istanbul 2017.
Improving biofuel production by mimicking giant clams
Alison Sweeney of the University of Pennsylvania has been studying giant clams since she was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Santa Barbara. These large mollusks, which anchor themselves to coral reefs in the tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans, can grow to up to three-feet long and weigh hundreds of pounds. But their size isn't the only thing that makes them unique.
Developing greener ways of mitigating greenhouse gases
Of the approximately two dozen medical CT scanners scattered throughout Stanford’s main campus and medical centres, two can be found nestled in basement labs of the Green Earth Sciences Buildings. The scanner duo is being put to some decidedly off-label uses in research led by Anthony Kovscek, a professor of energy resources engineering at Stanford’s School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences (Stanford Earth).
Vehicle-to-grid plan lets drivers return electricity
In the connected car sector, the 'V2' prefix is familiar shorthand, referring to technology that links vehicles to various other properties. These commonly centre around over-the-air connections enabled by telematics technology. Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) tech allows cars to 'speak' to one another, which can mitigate the risk of collisions and establish safer, more efficient traffic patterns. Vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) enables cars to connect ...
Autonomous shuttles trialled successfully in London
For the first time in the UK, the public was invited to trial autonomous electric shuttles operated by Keolis. For a month, passengers were able to try this new mode of ecological transport, which has begun to attract a growing number of cities as it offers a new response to mobility problems in urban centres.
Gearing up for electric driving: is Britain ready for 2040?
Britain is weighing up the idea of switching to ‘green’ driving more than ever before, after the recent government announcement of plans to prohibit all petrol and diesel vehicles by the year 2040. New research from comparison website MoneySuperMarket has delved into the mind of the consumer to determine just how viable this switch is.
Daydreamer turns his visions into reality
Often, when we relax we are at our most creative. That was certainly the case for Ecospin founder, Paul Loomes. Breakthrough Magazine found out how daydreaming on his anual holiday led to the creation of a business that has serveral international police forces amongst its customers.
More efficient hybrid vehicles are zooming into the market
Ricardo is undertaking research that aims to reduce the development cycle time of hybrid vehicles through the use of simulation for the optimisation of mechanical, thermal and electrical energy efficiency.
The upcoming revolution of transparent solar technology
See-through solar materials that can be applied to windows represent a massive source of untapped energy and could harvest as much power as bigger, bulkier rooftop solar units, scientists report in Nature Energy. Led by engineering researchers at Michigan State University, the authors argue that widespread use of such highly transparent solar applications, together with the rooftop units, could nearly meet U.S. electricity demand and dr...