Trump’s Budget Could Have Chilling Effect on U.S. Clean Energy Leadership

At the Ames Laboratory, a national energy lab in the heart of Iowa, scientists and engineers are developing low-cost substitutes for the rare-earth metals used in electric-vehicle batteries and solar cells to reduce the need for imports from geopolitical rivals like China.

It's the kind of foundational research and development being
 carried out at national labs across the country that has helped
 to dramatically lower energy technology costs and pushedclean energy toward a tipping point.

But that renewable energy work and its local economic impact are at risk in the Trump administration's budget proposal for the coming year.

Read the story from Inside Climate News by David Gearino - “Trump’s Budget Could Have Chilling Effect on U.S. Clean Energy Leadership.”

Alternative Solar Cells Ramp up Efficiency and Stability

Solar cells are formed of light-absorbing materials that convert sunlight into electricity. The panels we are used to seeing covering fields or roofs of houses are made primarily from silicon.

However, silicon panels are energy-intensive to produce, heavy and inflexible. Research groups around the world are working on alternatives based on flexible ‘organic’ materials – plastics – that can be printed from inks. This research could lead to transparent solar modules in windows, as well as large scale electricity-generators or even integration into clothing.

Organic solar materials offer a lot of promise, but there are still challenges to overcome before they can compete with silicon panels. For example, solar cells made from organic ‘perovskite’ materials have poor stability – the cells often break down in sunlight in a matter of hours – and include toxic elements like lead.

PhD student Andrew Wadsworth, from the Department of Chemistry at Imperial, is part of a team developing organic solar cells. Hayley Dunning talked to him about how they are tackling the obstacles and improving device performance.

Read the STRN story - “Alternative Solar Cells Ramp up Efficiency and Stability.”