Today’s Solutions: December 15, 2024

Sand piles next to industrial machinery

"Sand batteries" could solve the energy storage challenge

We’ve previously written about how water batteries could help address the energy storage challenge facing the green energy transition. In Finland, however, some scientists are working on a much dryer power storage facility — a ‘sand battery’. Solving the energy storage Read More...

Battery Material

New 2D material could change the game in batteries and electronics

Scientists and researchers are tackling climate change resilience and the growth of the renewable energy fields every day with new developments such as heat batteries and travel-size desalination units.  A team from the Tulane University School of Science and Engineering has developed a new Read More...

Pile of used, discarded batteries

This is how old batteries could help plants grow

Properly recycling our used batteries is key to preventing toxic waste from polluting the environment. With that said, recycling rates in Australia are quite discouraging, with about 97 percent of alkaline batteries ending up in landfills. A company called Envirostream wants to change that by Read More...

Selective focus of Electric car lithium battery pack and wiring connections internal between cells on background.

Using rubber to create safer, longer lasting EV batteries

Synthetic rubbers have been widely applied for many purposes, such as in tires, sealants, and wearable electronics. A study, from the Georgia Institute of Technology in collaboration with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, has discovered a new use for the material in electric Read More...

little robot device with traditional battery stands next to other robot device with bio energy

New battery biodegrades after a month in soil

E-waste is one of the most rapidly growing and toxic waste streams in the world today, but scientists at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore have come up with a partial solution by creating biodegradable batteries that can actually be buried in soil once they’ve reached the Read More...

Dutch electric bicycle with house in the background

This initiative will help recycle e-bike batteries at the end of their life

The recent surge in e-bike adoption is good news for the environment. In fact, it is estimated that Americans will buy over 12 million electric bikes this decade. However, there is still a sustainability concern when it comes to this green method of transportation: What do we do with all those Read More...

This breakthrough material cou

This breakthrough material could help prevent our devices from overheating

Preventing our electronic devices from overheating is a major challenge for manufacturers. Currently, the way they control that is by using materials that either conduct or insulate heat. That, however, is becoming increasingly difficult as electronics continue to shrink, leaving much less room for Read More...

Scientists develop a snake-ins

Scientists develop a snake-inspired battery that could help save lives

Coming from the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, a novel battery design opens up new possibilities for the future of energy storage by bending and stretching like a snake. Inspired by the morphology of serpents, the innovative design is intended to open new doors in the world of soft Read More...

How portable solar-powered bat

How portable solar-powered batteries can help expand access to clean energy

Reliable access to electricity is a luxury in Lagos, Nigeria, where the power can go out multiple times a day, rendering many inhabitants dependent on expensive, noisy, and polluting diesel generators. A corner shop in the Nigerian city, however, offers a solution to this problem in the form of a Read More...

The Optimist View: Building Ci

The Optimist View: Building Circularity into Electric Vehicles

To eliminate the concept of waste means to design things-products, packaging, and systems-from the very beginning on the understanding that waste does not exist.  - William McDonough BY Kristy Jansen and Sam Suh Earlier this year, I became the proud owner of an all-electric car一a used Read More...