An inexpensive way to make products incorporating nanoparticles - such as high-performance energy devices or sophisticated diagnostic tests - has been developed by researchers.

Lehigh professor Eugenio Schuster has recently been named ITER Scientist Fellow in the area of Plasma Control; the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), promises to be the first nuclear-fusion reactor to produce net energy

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and Heraeus are researching and optimizing novel, selectively coated cell connectors in a joint research project. The Selectively Coated Ribbon (SCRTM) cell connector achieves an average gain of 1.9 W in conventional 60-cell solar modules. The connector can be used in industrial PV module manufacturing without system modification and at no extra cost. Fraunhofer ISE has successfully tested modules with the SCR connector in its accredited TestLab PV Modules.

Solar power accounts for less than 2 percent of U.S. electricity but could make up more than that if the cost of electricity generation and energy storage for use on cloudy days and at nighttime were cheaper.

Electric vehicles and most electronic devices, such as cell phones and laptop computers, are powered by lithium-ion batteries. Until now, manufacturers have had to design their devices around the size and shape of commercially available batteries. But researchers have developed a new method to 3D print lithium-ion batteries in virtually any shape. They report their results in ACS Applied Energy Materials.

The share of renewable energy sources in electricity production is to be increased. However, the supply of wind and solar energy varies. Conversion of biogas into electricity offers an opportunity to compensate for such fluctuations through an adapted production. The prerequisite for this is that there is a sufficient and free storage capacity available in the systems at all times. The new BINE Projektinfo “Adjusting operation of biogas plants to power requirements” (07/2018) presents improved systems for filling level measurements and forecasts, and summarises recommendations for plant operation.

Engineers and software developers around the world are seeking to create technology that lets users touch, grasp and manipulate virtual objects, while feeling like they are actually touching something in the real world.

Heat pumps are a key technology for the energy transformation, since they cover the heating demand efficiently and sustainably. While the market for heat pumps in detached and semi-detached homes is growing continuously, there is still potential for heat pump use in multi-family homes and for commercial and industrial applications. At the Chillventa, the international trade fair for cooling, air-conditioning, ventilation and heat pumps, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE focuses on the potential and the current challenges facing heat pumps in a special presentation. The Chillventa trade fair takes place from 16-18 October 2018 in the City of Nuremberg.

Fraunhofer IWS Dresden scientists print electronic layers with polymer ink

Global sustainability is important now more than ever due to increasing urban populations and the resulting stress it can have on natural resources. But increased populations in cities may lead to greater efficiency, as a team of Penn State researchers discovered when they analyzed the water footprint of 65 mid- to large-sized U.S. cities.