Technique Merges Solar Cell and Liquid Battery

A highly efficient and long-lasting solar flow battery generates, stores, and redelivers renewable electricity from the Sun in one device.

Solar-Powered Smart Robots Walk Autonomously

A team has installed electronic “brains” on solar-powered robots that are 100 to 250 micrometers in size so that they can walk autonomously.

Reliable Power for Long-Term Lunar Surface Operations

To open the Moon to continuous multi-year human and robotic operation, Astrobotic is developing LunaGrid™ — a commercial power system for the surface of the Moon.

5 Ws of the Artificial Leaf

Researchers at University of Cambridge have developed floating “artificial leaves” that generate clean fuels from sunlight and water and could eventually operate on a large scale at sea.

Enhancing Solar Option During Power Outages

Engineers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have designed a novel building-solar controller that optimizes solar energy with smart technology to keep microgrids operating for up to five days.

Using AI to Help Scale Up Advanced Solar Cell Manufacturing

The system makes it possible to integrate data from prior experiments, and information based on personal observations by experienced workers, into the machine learning process.

Extending the Lifetime of Organic Aqueous Flow Batteries

Over the course of their research, the team discovered that these anthraquinones decompose slowly over time, regardless of how many times the battery has been used.

Solar Power for Carbon Capture

A solar thermal device mimics photosynthesis to convert carbon dioxide emissions into a clean energy resource.

Enhanced Material Stable Enough for Solar Cells

A simple change to the surface of perovskite removes a barrier to its functionality.

Photovoltaic Cell Increases Nighttime Power Generation

The device uses a thermoelectric module to generate voltage and current from the temperature gradient between the cell and the air.

Maximizing the Performance of Battery Cells for Better Energy Storage

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is leading the development of new lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery designs specific to the stationary storage requirements.

Foldable Solar Cells

Carbon nanotubes are used to create solar cells with unprecedented flexibility and resistance.

Technique Merges Solar Cell and Liquid Battery

A highly efficient and long-lasting solar flow battery generates, stores, and redelivers renewable electricity from the Sun in one device.

Fabrication Method for Large-Scale Production of Perovskite Solar Cells

The sulfolane-additive process yields easy fabrication, low cost, and long operating life.

Solar Electric Propulsion for Gateway Moon Outpost

The power and propulsion element of NASA’s Gateway is a high-power, 50-kilowatt solar electric propulsion spacecraft.

Luminescent Windows Generate Energy from Inside and Out

Polymer cores redirect light from any source to solar cells.

Thermochromic Photovoltaic Windows

The windows reduce the need for air conditioning and simultaneously generate electricity.

Products of Tomorrow

Metamaterial printing, high-efficiency solar cells, and a noise-reduction material.

Using Solar Technology to Power Smart Devices Indoors

An already ubiquitous material in outdoor photovoltaic modules could be repurposed for indoor devices with low-capacity batteries.

Sustainable Aluminum-Anode Batteries

The rechargeable batteries could be a safer and more environmentally friendly alternative to lithium-ion batteries.

High-Mobility Transport Layer Structures for Rhombohedral Si/Ge/SiGe Devices

This invention enables improved carrier mobility for solar cells and other electronic devices.

Flexible Organic Photovoltaics

These organic solar cells can be useful where constant, low power generation is sufficient.

Stable, Efficient, Anode-Free Sodium Battery

The battery is smaller than a traditional lithium-ion battery due to the elimination of dendrites.

Photovoltaic Solar Cell Works at Night

This cell could potentially operate around the clock, balancing the power grid over the day-night cycle.

5 Ws of the Sunlight-Powered Water Filter

The invention could help solve the problem of providing clean water off the grid or where low-cost, non-powered water purification is needed.

Nanosized Foldable Robots

The machines fold themselves within 100 milliseconds and can flatten and refold thousands of times.

Enhancing Hybrid Flow Battery Electrodes with Nanomaterials

This technology provides highly efficient grid-scale electricity storage at a fifth of the cost of current storage technologies.

Q&A: Electricity-Free Cooling

Professor Qiaoqiang Gan of the University at Buffalo (NY) and his team developed a unique two-in-one system that uses solar energy for simultaneously cooling and heating — without electricity.

Using Electric Vehicle Batteries for Solar Energy Farms

Battery reuse systems could be profitable for both electric vehicle companies and grid-scale solar operations.