The 19-seater Dornier 228 propeller plane that took off into the cold blue January sky looked ordinary at first glance. Spinning its left propeller, however, was a 2-megawatt electric motor powered by two hydrogen fuel cells—the right side ran on a standard kerosene engine—making it the largest aircraft flown on hydrogen to date. Val Miftakhov, […]
Magazines love to dabble in prognostication, particularly when it comes to emerging technology. Startups show such futuristic pronouncements to potential investors, who in turn use them as data points to inform their bets. And as readers, we gravitate toward them, if only so we can feel superior when, say, a highly anticipated product launch bombs—chef’s […]
For several months now, 20 teams of Australian high-school students have been designing fuel-cell cars to compete in the country’s inaugural Hydrogen Grand Prix. They’ve been studying up on renewable energy, hydrogen power, and electric vehicles, preparing for the big day in April when their remote-controlled vehicles will rumble for 4 hours in Gladstone, a […]
Using renewable electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen is considered by experts the cleanest route to producing hydrogen fuel. But we live in a world where clean water is a precious commodity to which a third of the world lacks easy access. Researchers in China have now made a device that can directly […]
A little more than half of the sun’s energy that reaches Earth does so as infrared rays. The longer wavelength of infrared light makes it less energetic, which makes it hard to capture with existing solar cells. Researchers have made semiconductor nanocrystals that can convert infrared light to higher-energy visible light with an efficiency of […]
Hydrogen, if it comes from splitting water with renewable electricity, has its role as a climate-friendly energy source. It could help decarbonize challenging sectors like heavy industry, shipping, and aviation. But hydrogen makes absolutely no sense for heating homes and buildings, according to a new review of several international studies. It is simply much too […]
Future microchips that require far less energy than present-day devices may rely on exotic materials known as topological insulators, in which electricity flows across only surfaces and edges, with virtually no dissipation of energy. However, it can prove tricky developing such materials for real-world applications. Now a new study reveals that simply incorporating hydrogen into […]
A Frazer-Nash report for government predicts how much hydrogen could leak into the atmosphere in a future 2050 energy system. Image via stock.adobe.com The report, published on the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) website, identifies and quantifies the different mechanisms for fugitive hydrogen emissions, where hydrogen might be released into the atmosphere […]
UKRI is funding research to investigate hydrogen and alternative low-carbon fuels, aiming to build two Centre of Excellences in Bath and Newcastle. Image via stock.adobe.com Beginning 1 April, Professor Tim Mays from Bath’s Department of Chemical Engineering will head up research at Bath University, which aims to tackle research challenges blocking the wider use of […]
Conventional hydrogen fuel cells hold great promise as clean, efficient sources of energy for vehicles and other applications, but they rely on precious-metal catalysts that drive up their cost. Now scientists have created a precious-metal-free hydrogen fuel cell with a record-high performance and durability and virtually negligible catalyst costs. Hydrogen, the most common element in […]