Technology Review AudioDizer Podcast - Energy Top Stories

Why Tesla Thinks It Can Make Battery Swapping Work

Kevin Bullis — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:47:34 GMT

Tesla is set to announce a way to make recharging its electric vehicles faster than filling up a gas tank.

America's Petrochemical Landscape

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Beyond the drilling rigs, the fossil-fuel industry spreads far and wide across the land.

Greener Plastics

Paul Anastas — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Plastics have become synonymous with waste, but they can be made sustainably.

Untapped Potential

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT

A 1938 article anticipated the opportunities&mdash;and challenges&mdash;of harnessing the sun’s energy.

Cleaning Up Diesel Trucks and Cooking Stoves Could Reduce Climate Change

Kevin Bullis — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Zeroing in on black carbon may slow the effects of greenhouse-gas emissions.

Cheaper Ways to Capture Carbon Dioxide

Kevin Bullis — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:14:14 GMT

Techniques developed at MIT and Pacific Northwest National Lab could make it more affordable to burn fossil fuels without releasing carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

Cheap Batteries for Backup Renewable Energy

Kevin Bullis — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT

A battery made of cheap materials could store power when it’s windy for use when it’s not.

How Better Place Came to a Bitter End

Martin LaMonica — Fri, 31 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

A battery-swapping startup’s innovative system for charging electric vehicles suffered from overreach and limited consumer demand.

Grasping for Ways to Capture Carbon Dioxide on the Cheap

Kevin Bullis — Thu, 30 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Wind and solar get all the attention, but a key path to lowering emissions involves finding a less expensive way to do carbon capture.

Fuel Cells Could Offer Cheap Carbon Dioxide Storage

Kevin Bullis — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:38:00 GMT

A new type of fuel cell could make CO2 storage cheaper, but it could also prove to be a good way to pump more oil out of the ground.

Material That Sorts Molecules by Shape Could Lower the Price of Gas

Kevin Bullis — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:00:00 GMT

A hydrocarbon-sorting material could replace energy-intensive oil refining steps.

Liquefied Air Could Power Cars and Store Energy from Sun and Wind

Kevin Bullis — Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

A 19th-century idea might lead to cleaner cars, larger-scale renewable energy.

Sharper Computer Models Clear the Way for More Wind Power

Kevin Bullis — Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

New prediction models can allow utilities to rely more heavily on wind and save millions.

A More Efficient Jet Engine Is Made from Lighter Parts, Some 3-D Printed

Kevin Bullis — Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Composite and 3-D-printed components will mean jet engines that use 15 percent less fuel.

Wind Turbines, Battery Included, Can Keep Power Supplies Stable

Kevin Bullis — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Advances like GE’s new hybrid wind turbines could make renewable energy more practical.

With Florida Project, the Smart Grid Has Arrived

Kevin Bullis — Thu, 02 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Smart grid technology has been implemented in many places, but Florida’s new deployment is the first full-scale system.

Energy Department Backs New Way to Make Diesel from Corn

Kevin Bullis — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

A novel chemical pathway could address the high cost of transporting cellulosic materials to make diesel fuel.

Battery Could Provide a Cheap Way to Store Solar Power

Kevin Bullis — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:40:00 GMT

Combining aspects of high-energy lithium-sulfur batteries with flow battery technology can lower costs.

A Solution to Solar Power Intermittency

Kevin Bullis — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Converting methane to an alternative fuel using energy from the sun could reduce carbon-dioxide emissions.

Supergrids

Kevin Bullis — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

A high-power circuit breaker could finally make DC power grids practical.