Quantum Dots May Lead to Rainbow Solar Cell

Quantum Dots May Lead to Rainbow Solar Cell from PhysOrg.com

For the first time, researchers have created solar cells made of different-sized quantum dots, each tuned to a specific wavelength of light. By arranging these quantum dots in an ordered pattern, the scientists hope that they can one day fabricate “rainbow” solar cells, which can efficiently harvest a large part of the useful spectrum of sunlight.

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Daylight Savings Time an Energy Waster

Well, the folks at Congress had their heart in the right place by moving and extending Daylight Savings Time earlier into the spring - but it appears from a recent study that DST actually has a net NEGATIVE effective on energy usage. The culprit - air conditioning.

Hydrogen Fuel Production Takes Leap Forward

Researchers at Penn State University have developed a method using bacteria and common materials to generate hydrogen at previously unachievable levels according to a press release from the National Science Foundation. This work could pave the way for an efficient and net-energy-positive means of producing hydrogen as a fuel source.

"We achieved the highest hydrogen yields ever obtained with this approach from different sources of organic matter, such as yields of 91 percent using vinegar (acetic acid) and 68 percent using cellulose," said principal investigator Bruce Logan, a professor of environmental engineering at Penn State.