New battery technology triples the ranges of electric vehicles
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As the world starts to move away from fossil fuels we need to find new ways to squeeze more power from our batteries, and innovations like this one help us achieve that. In the latest battery breakthrough claim researchers from the University of Waterloo...
A scientist captured an impossible photo of a single atom
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As our optical technologies improve we’re increasingly able to see the universes building blocks in ever more minute detail. If you paid attention in science class you know that atoms make up everything. They’re the smallest unit of matter, and everything you’ve ever touched,...
Perfectly transparent solar concentrator turns every window into a solar panel
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As more materials become capable of producing and storing their own energy companies will be able to wean themselves off fossil fuels faster, and develop innovative new products. Transparent solar cells and films that can be applied to any type of surface, even windows,...
Russian scientists show off their prototype nuclear battery
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Nuclear batteries last for thousands of years without ever needing to be recharged, and they have applications in aerospace and healthcare. Imagine only having to replace the batteries in a device once a decade, or even once a century, or more… Nuclear batteries could...
It’s raining cash, US startup edges closer to creating solid state “Jesus” battery
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Solid state batteries charge faster, , don’t catch fire, last longer and and are cheaper to make than their liquid Lithium Ion cousins, making them a game changer. Recently technology giants like Dyson, Samsung and Total have collectively invested $65 million in Ionic Materials, a company...
Mystery car company partners with WiTricity to bring wirelessly charged EV’s to market
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As governments and organisations around the world race to install new plug in electric vehicle charging stations, manufacturers, are already thinking ahead and they’ll be bringing wirelessly charged cars to the market sooner than anyone thinks. A new electric car that uses wireless charging...
China starts geo-engineering its atmosphere on a massive scale
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Asides from being able to make it rain in places where rain traditionally doesn’t fall there are a lot of questions about the broader impact geo-engineering has on other parts of the globe. Last year China announced plans to spend hundreds of millions of...
Infographic: The Future of AI in the Energy Sector
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As AI’s capabilities improve it will revolutionise how we generate, transmit, sell and consume energy. It shouldn’t come as any surprise to anyone that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will have a significant impact on the energy sector, and at all stages of its lifecycle. Whether...
One in a billion enzyme that breaks down plastic found in Japanese dump
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF When they were developed plastics were a wonder material, but their environmental legacy is proving devastating, now a fluke discovery is giving people hope that today’s plastic scourge can efficiently be broken down and recycled. We’re increasingly being told that plastic is a horrible,...
Decentralised energy grids and renewables get a boost from Centrica
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Renewable energy, and decentralised micro and tied-storage grids, are transforming the way energy is produced, transmitted and sold, so Centrica is testing the waters to see whether or not blockchain could play a vital role in the future of energy. Blockchain is increasingly being...
Vertical farms edge closer to disrupting traditional agriculture
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Today’s modern agricultural practises favour countries with fertile land and the food they produce has a dramatic impact on the environment, but tomorrows farms could be stationed in deserts, or at sea, right next to their consumers, producing high quality, organic food at knock down...
Google reportedly mulls investing in a hypersonic tunnelling boring company
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF There is a race on to increase the speed of boring tunnels by at least ten fold, and if it can be achieved it will change the economics of energy generation and transportation. Google announced recently, quietly, very quietly, that it’s carrying out research...
Scientists get green light to test tech that stops the formation of hurricanes
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Sometimes you need crazy ideas because one day those crazy ideas change the world, in this case scientists think they can use a new approach to stop hurricanes from forming and wreaking havoc. Recently I wrote an article about a new Artificial Intelligence (AI)...
Crazy thinkers suggest beaming solar energy from space to end energy poverty
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF In 2050 there will be 10 billion people on the planet who need energy, and while renewable energy will help reduce energy poverty some think solar energy beamed from space, or satellites, could also help. Infalling solar radiation constantly illuminates the Moon’s surface with...
New graphene filter turns filthy water into drinking water
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Millions of people around the world don’t have regular access to clean drinking water, and this breakthrough could help them. Every year millions of people around the world die from diseases they’ve contracted from drinking unclean water but now researchers in Australia have developed...
MIT’s breakthrough battery makes electricity from thin air, literally
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF We still live in a world where many people live in energy poverty and inventions like this one could one day become an important part of the overall energy mix. Energy devices that can generate electricity from thin air are increasingly appearing in labs...
New Graphene sieve turns seawater into drinking water
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Water scarcity is one of the greatest worries facing the modern age, and as the world watches one of its great cities face the real prospect of running out of water in months, not years, the search for new water filtration systems has never been...
New Chinese breakthrough “soil” turns desert into fertile farmland
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As the amount of desertification around the planet increases, and as the global population continues to grow, humanity needs to find new ways to turn the tide and find new ways to feed a growing population. Creating a roadmap to combat the spread of...
World’s most powerful laser will be able to rip matter out of a vacuum
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As laser technology develops at an accelerating rate it’s increasingly being used to help scientists unlock the mysteries of the universe, and many other things besides. Amazingly physicists are getting close to building lasers powerful enough to rip matter out of a vacuum, yes,...
US startup secures $200m in funding to build 300 vertical farms across China
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The world’s population will grow by another 2 billion by 2050 and many think today’s agricultural systems won’t cope, as a consequence we need to embrace new forms of sustainable, high yield agriculture. The agricultural industry is going through a revolution, everything from robotic...
