02-22-2016, 12:21 AM
Scientists at the Vienna Technical University have developed a novel concept: They succeeded in combining high-temperature photovoltaics with an electrochemical element and thus utilise ultraviolet light to pump oxygen ions through a ceramic electrolyte membrane. In other words, they succeeded in storing the energy of the UV light chemically. This could become interesting because it could lead the way to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, just by means of (UV) light.
Solar power, stored chemically - Electronics Eetimes
Researchers from the University of Ohio have shown that tree-like structures made with electromechanical materials are suitable for converting winds or structural vibrations into electricity. The "trees" would be relatively simple structures – a trunk with a few branches and no leaves – and they may not be scaled up to sit among conventional forests or compete with windmills or solar farms. More likely they would be used at the small scale to power sensors that monitor the structural integrity of buildings, bridges and other civil engineering structures.
Picking up good vibrations: artificial trees harvest energy - Electronics Eetimes
A Japanese research team has developed a new method to grow high-quality mono silicon for solar cells at lower costs. The researchers, which are led by Takashi Sekiguchi, a leader of the Nano Device Characterization Group, Nano-Electronic Materials Unit, International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), and Koichi Kakimoto, a professor at the Research Institute for Applied Mechanics, Kyushu University, have invented a new casting method called a single-seed cast method which is claimed to improve the quality of crystals created compared to conventional casting methods and lead to the development of more efficient silicon solar cells.
Mono-silicon crystal growth technique lowers solar sell costs - Electronics Eetimes