Lifeboat Foundation

In the future, decarbonized societies that use internet of things (IoT) devices will become commonplace. But to achieve this, we need to first realize highly efficient and stable sources of renewable energy. Solar cells are considered a promising option, but their electrical contacts suffer from a “tradeoff” relationship between surface passivation and conductivity. Recently, researchers from Japan have developed a new type of electrical contact that can overcome this problem.

The most recent type of commercial photovoltaic cell (solar cell) uses stacked layers of crystalline silicon (c-Si) and an ultrathin layer of silicon oxide (SiO_x) to form an electrical contact. The SiO_x is used as a “passivating” film—an unreactive layer that improves the performance, reliability, and stability of the device. But that does not mean that simply increasing the thickness of this passivating layer will lead to improved solar cells. SiO_x is an electrical insulator and there is a trade-off relationship between passivation and the conductivity of the electrical contact in solar cells.

In a new study, published in ACS Applied Nano Materials, a research team led by Assistant Professor Kazuhiro Gotoh and Professor Noritaka Usami from Nagoya University has developed a novel SiO_x layer that simultaneously allows high passivation and improved conductivity. Named NAnocrystalling Transport path in Ultrathin dielectrics for REinforcing passivating contact (NATURE contact), the new electrical contact consists of three-layer structures made up of a layer of silicon nanoparticles sandwiched between two layers of oxygen-rich SiO_x. “You can think of a passivating film as a big wall with gates in it. In the NATURE contact, the big wall is the SiO_x layer and the gates are Si nanocrystals,” explains Dr. Gotoh.

Elon Musk said Tesla moved the horn to the center of its steering yoke, where some customers said it belonged all along.

US startup company Green Hydrogen International announced plans for a a 60GW renewable H₂ project that will be powered by wind and solar. It’ll also produce clean rocket fuel for SpaceX, which is helmed by billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk, according to a report published yesterday in Recharge.

“We see Hydrogen City becoming one of the largest H₂ production centers in the world, supplying many different customers with 100% clean H₂ fuel,” founder Brian Maxwell told the energy industry pub.

The image below from GHI’s website shows the process of converting renewable energy from wind and solar farms into ammonia and rocket fuel. The key to scaling up production, the company says, is the large salt storage capability found in underground salt domes.

Converting the nation’s 40 million acres of ethanol corn farms into solar-plus-food facilities would generate 1.5 times our nation’s electricity needs, while also powering a 100% electrified passenger vehicle fleet.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=L8bdHBL0Vfc

A collaboration between the automaker and the utility will test-drive using bidirectional charging to power homes during blackouts.

Engineering projects need goals, and James Worden ’89 set an especially engaging and enduring one for himself as a high school student in the early 1980s while pursuing his passion for homebuilt go-karts.

The MIT Alumni Association seeks to engage and inspire the MIT global community to make a better world. It provides a lifelong community for MIT graduates, a launching pad for students, and growing connection among MIT friends.

Charging an electric car at a public charging station can cost as much or more than filling one with gasoline in some cases.

Last year, a team of former SpaceX engineers launched Californian marine startup Arc with a plan to develop a luxury electric cruiser with “far superior range, acceleration and performance than any boat in its class.” Now a pre-production Arc One has spent a day of testing on Lake Arrowhead ahead of deliveries to the first customers later in the year.

The first boat out of the company’s factory in Los Angeles is being aimed squarely at the luxury end of the market, and will be produced in very limited numbers.

The spec sheet for the Arc One is actually pretty thin, but the development team has recently upped the power of the electric motor to 500 hp (373 kW) for a top speed of 40 mph (34 knots/64 km/h). The battery size has also been increased by 10 percent to 220 kWh – that’s “three times the capacity of a Tesla Model Y” and is reckoned big enough for users to stay out on the water for between three and five hours per charge, though high speeds will drain the battery quicker than cruising at lower speeds.

Ford and Purdue University researchers have developed a new, patent-pending charging system that solves one of the biggest problems with electric vehicles. Of course, we’re talking about the charging time it takes to top off a battery versus spending a few minutes at a gasoline pump.

Aside from range, charging time is one of the biggest problems for current electric vehicles. There’s plenty to love about EVs, but having to sit for 20–30 minutes and wait for the battery to recharge isn’t ideal, which is why Ford’s new cooling cables promise to recharge an electric vehicle in roughly 5-minutes.

Even with DC fast charging appearing at more Tesla stations, most vehicles with ideal battery, charger, and cable conditions still take upwards of at least 20 minutes. The video below explains how most Tesla systems can handle upwards of 520 amps of current, which is quite a lot. However, Ford and Purdue can deliver over 2,400 amps to their vehicles, resulting in drastically faster charging times.