electricity

A new thermoelectric generator (TEG) has demonstrated how it can turn wasted energy into 200 watts of electricity that can be used in vehicles for added power. The device created by GMZ Energy is a module measuring one square inch, and a quarter-inch thick that uses a unique method to decrease heat leakage and provide an increase in performance.

University of Sheffield scientists developed a way to produce perovskite solar cells using a spray-paint process. This process could lead to a reduction in the cost of solar electricity.

The “Little Box Challenge” contest developed by Google and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is seeking teams of engineers to reduce the size of power inverters to a size smaller than a compact laptop. The winning team to build the smallest power inverter will receive a $1 million prize.

Over 100 years ago, Nikola Telsa planned for a system that would offer wireless electricity, but many researchers have struggled with the losses from transferring power over long distances. A group of MIT researchers are working to make Telsa’s vision of a system that offers wireless electricity a reality.

Two research groups are pushing for the federal government to develop new power grid security processes after recent security exercises and an attack on a Californian utility in 2013 have shown vulnerability.

A team of researchers from the Rowland Institute at Harvard University has developed a computer system using a new meta-material that can independently control heat and electrical current.