Alternative Fuels

Magazine Archives

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Multi-Layer Nuclear Thermionic Avalanche Cell

The invention consists of several NTAC layers arranged in a radially concentric series separated by a vacuum gap space.

Enhancing Fault Isolation and Detection for Electric Powertrains of UAVs

NASA’s System-Wide Safety (SWS) project is developing innovative data solutions to assure safe, rapid, and repeatable access to a transformed National Airspace System.

Producing Oil from Duckweed

Scientists say that such oil-rich duckweed could easily be harvested to produce biofuels or other bioproducts.

A Systems Engineering Approach to Sustainable Power Systems

Research and development work continue to deliver cleaner, more efficient, and more diverse ways of generating the energy we need to power modern society.

2022 Create the Future Design Contest: Automotive/Transportation Category Winner — Betterfrost Ultra-Low Energy Defrost & Defog System

Betterfrost’s solution defrosts and defogs electric vehicles’ windshields with 20 times less power than current technology and extends the range of an EV by 38 km on an average commute in winter.

Gallium Nitride Yields More Energy-Efficient Devices

Engineers have created new high-power electronic devices that are more energy efficient than their predecessors.

Biofilm Harvests Energy in Evaporation

The biofilm has the potential to revolutionize the world of wearable electronics, powering everything from personal medical sensors to personal electronics.

New Screening System May Point the Way to Clean, Renewable Hydrogen Power

A new, highly sensitive system for detecting the production of hydrogen gas may play an important role in the quest to develop hydrogen as an environmentally friendly and economical alternative to fossil fuels.

Lignin-Based Jet Fuel Packs More Power

An experimental plant-based jet fuel could increase engine performance and efficiency, while dispensing with aromatics, the pollution-causing compounds found in conventional fuels.

Solar Power for Carbon Capture

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

An Alternative to Lithium-Ion Batteries

Have we found a better alternative to lithium-ion batteries?

Plant-Based Thermotherapy Patch

Additional applications include defogging/defrosting, wearable devices, industrial heat systems, sensors, thermochromic displays, and microfluidic chips.

Method Helps Create Fuels from Plants

Scientists have been trying for years to create biofuels and other bioproducts more cheaply.

A Heat Engine with No Moving Parts

The design could someday enable a fully decarbonized power grid.

New Screening System May Point the Way to Renewable Hydrogen Power

A highly sensitive system for detecting the production of hydrogen gas can foster the development of hydrogen as an alternative to fossil fuels.

Advancing Renewable Energy Production with Solar Thermochemical Hydrogen

Hydrogen has emerged as an important carrier to store energy generated by renewable resources, as a substitute for fossil fuels used for transportation, in the production of ammonia, and for other industrial applications.

Aeronautics in the 21st Century: Safe. Sustainable. Smart.

Aviation is emerging aggressively from the pandemic to turn setbacks into comebacks.

Propelling the Future of Sustainable Aviation

Electric aircraft hold tremendous potential to improve emission, noise, and operating economics across a range of different applications in support of the goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

5Ws of the Green Submarine

Who

A fully automated net positive submarine fleet, powered entirely on hydrogen, could help cleanse the oceans of toxic pollution. Developed by London-based startup Oceanways, the submarine was named among the...

Princeton Plasma Physics Lab

Established in 1961, PPPL's primary mission is research into and development of fusion as an energy source.

Process Converts Ethanol to Jet Fuel

A new catalyst and microchannel reactors improve efficiency and cost of the process.

Can We Expect Hydrogen Fuel Availability?

Are we really ready for hydrogen fuel cell trucks? An industry expert from Toyota talks about how hydrogen power is already being used in Los Angeles.

3 Challenges with Hydrogen Powered Engine Adoption

For hydrogen-powered engines to reach a mainstream adoption, there are questions about infrastructure and regulation that must be answered.

Solar-Powered Solutions on the Farm: A Microgrid for Crop Production

A newly completed solar microgrid system near Greensburg, Indiana, in Decatur County, is expected to generate enough emissions-free clean energy to offset nearly 4000...

Microgrids are a Key to Grid Resiliency

The aging energy grid is being pushed to the breaking point. Power outages from extreme weather alone cost anywhere from $2 billion to $77 billion per year. And some isolated communities still rely...

Sensors Eliminate Sparking in Hydrogen Vehicles

The optical-based sensor detects the presence of hydrogen without electronics, making the process much safer.