The oxygen is released into the air, and the lithium ions are stored in the battery as lithium metal after capturing the electrons.When the battery discharges, it chemically consumes oxygen from the air to re-form the lithium peroxide.An iodide additive in the electrolyte acts as a "shuttle" that carries electrons, and transports them between the battery electrode and the mesh solar panel. The use of the additive represents a distinct approach on improving the battery performance and efficiency, the team said.The mesh belongs to a class of devices called dye-sensitized solar cells, because the researchers used a red dye to tune the wavelength of light it captures.In tests, they charged and discharged the battery repeatedly, while doctoral student Lu Ma used X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to analyze how well the electrode materials survived-an indication of battery life.First they used a ruthenium compound as the red dye, but since the dye was consumed in the light capture, the battery ran out of dye after eight hours of charging and discharging-too short a lifetime. ralph lauren shoes So they turned to a dark red semiconductor that wouldn't be consumed: hematite, or iron oxide - more commonly called rust.Coating the mesh with rust enabled the battery to charge from sunlight while retaining its red color. Based on early tests, Wu and his team think that the solar battery's lifetime will be comparable to rechargeable batteries already on the market.The U.S. Department of Energy funds this project, which will continue as the researchers explore ways to enhance the solar battery's performance with new materials.Fire is the second leading cause of accidents in wind turbines, after blade failure, according to disputed research published today. polo ralph lauren sale The research suggests that incidents of wind turbines catching fire are a big problem that is not currently being fully reported.However, trade association RenewableUK claim the authors have not based their report on reliable scientific data but have chosen to draw their conclusions from data reported in newspapers and on anti-wind websitesResearchers from Imperial College London, the University of Edinburgh and SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden carried out a global assessment of the world's wind farms, which in total contain an estimated 200,000 turbines. The team found that ten times more fires are happening than are being reported. Instead of an average of 11.7 fires each year, which is what is reported publicly, the researchers estimate that more than 117 separate fires are breaking out in turbines annually. By comparison with other energy industries, fire accidents are much less frequent in wind turbines than other sectors such as oil and gas, which globally has thousands of fire accidents per year. However, fire accidents can have a considerable economic impact on the wind farm industry, say the team. ralph lauren outlet york Each wind turbine costs in excess of £2 million and generates an estimated income of more than £500,000 per year. Any loss or downtime of these valuable assets makes the industry less viable and productive. The researchers make a number of recommendations to reduce fire incidents in wind farms. Dr Guillermo Rein, from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London, says: "Wind turbines are viable sources of renewable energy that can assist the world to reduce emissions and help wean us off fossil fuels. However, fires are a problem for the industry, impacting on energy production, economic output and emitting toxic fumes. This could cast a shadow over the industry's green credentials. "Worryingly our report shows that fire may be a bigger problem than what is currently reported.
started by xlisa123 on 14 Nov 14
So they turned to a dark red semiconductor that wouldn't be consumed: hematite, or iron oxide - more commonly called rust.Coating the mesh with rust enabled the battery to charge from sunlight while retaining its red color. Based on early tests, Wu and his team think that the solar battery's lifetime will be comparable to rechargeable batteries already on the market.The U.S. Department of Energy funds this project, which will continue as the researchers explore ways to enhance the solar battery's performance with new materials.Fire is the second leading cause of accidents in wind turbines, after blade failure, according to disputed research published today. polo ralph lauren sale The research suggests that incidents of wind turbines catching fire are a big problem that is not currently being fully reported.However, trade association RenewableUK claim the authors have not based their report on reliable scientific data but have chosen to draw their conclusions from data reported in newspapers and on anti-wind websitesResearchers from Imperial College London, the University of Edinburgh and SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden carried out a global assessment of the world's wind farms, which in total contain an estimated 200,000 turbines. The team found that ten times more fires are happening than are being reported. Instead of an average of 11.7 fires each year, which is what is reported publicly, the researchers estimate that more than 117 separate fires are breaking out in turbines annually. By comparison with other energy industries, fire accidents are much less frequent in wind turbines than other sectors such as oil and gas, which globally has thousands of fire accidents per year. However, fire accidents can have a considerable economic impact on the wind farm industry, say the team. ralph lauren outlet york
Each wind turbine costs in excess of £2 million and generates an estimated income of more than £500,000 per year. Any loss or downtime of these valuable assets makes the industry less viable and productive. The researchers make a number of recommendations to reduce fire incidents in wind farms. Dr Guillermo Rein, from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London, says: "Wind turbines are viable sources of renewable energy that can assist the world to reduce emissions and help wean us off fossil fuels. However, fires are a problem for the industry, impacting on energy production, economic output and emitting toxic fumes. This could cast a shadow over the industry's green credentials. "Worryingly our report shows that fire may be a bigger problem than what is currently reported.