Ceder peeks into the battery pipeline
12/16/2019 Berkeley Lab - From cobalt-free to sodium-ion, materials science and engineering professor Gerbrand Ceder evaluates some of the most promising battery technologies in development.
Energy
Heat energy leaps through empty space, thanks to quantum weirdness
12/11/2019 - In a surprising new study, Berkeley researchers led by Xiang Zhang, professor of mechanical engineering, showed that heat energy can travel through a complete vacuum due to invisible quantum fluctuations, a discovery that could have profound implications for the design of computer chips.
Mirror mirror
10/25/2019 Researchers broke another record in thermophotovoltaics, raising the efficiency of converting heat into electricity from 23% to 29%.
Our energy grid is vulnerable; locally sourced power may be the answer
10/11/2019 - Alexandra “Sascha” von Meier, adjunct professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences, talks about the risks posed by the current energy grid and possible solutions moving forward, including solar-powered microgrids.
Eight Berkeley engineers honored as Siebel Scholars
9/25/2019 - Eight Berkeley Engineering graduate students — five from bioengineering, two from computer science and one from energy science — have been named to the Siebel Scholars Foundation’s 2020 class.
Making the invisible visible
7/22/2019 Berkeley Lab - Berkeley researchers have developed a new type of sensor network that is affordable and capable of tracking soot (black carbon). With more than 100 custom-built sensors installed across West Oakland for 100 days, the team created the largest black carbon monitoring network deployed in a single city.
Drones will fly for days with new photovoltaic engine
7/17/2019 - UC Berkeley researchers just broke another record in photovoltaic efficiency, an achievement that could bring ultralight engines that power drones for days and deep space probes for centuries.
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority partnership advances 'future energy' educational program
5/3/2019 - UC Berkeley and the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) are teaming up to establish a new educational program to accelerate infrastructure systems for sustainable energy.
Going to extremes
5/1/2019 Researchers have developed a thermal regulator that improves the performance of lithium-ion batteries in extreme temperatures.
New hydrogen fuel catalyst
5/1/2019 Engineers used gelatin to create a hydrogen fuel catalyst that works just as efficiently as platinum but at a much lower cost.