Novel Israeli startup uses ice to store solar energy and solve energy’s “Duck Curve”
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Today renewable energy sources don’t generate electricity 24/7, and while they will in the future for now we need a way to store excess energy so it can be released back to the grid when we need it. Love the Exponential Future? Join our...
Scientists use electro-charged nanoparticles to create liquid mirrors
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Being able to apply new properties to glass, such as liquid mirrors, could help companies reduce their air conditioning bill and help homeowners improve their privacy. Researchers from Imperial College London in the UK have developed a new material that can turn a transparent surface into a...
New solid state coolant could spell the end of exploding batteries
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The world has an insatiable thirst for cooling, whether it’s cool fridges and freezers, or as a way to cool our gadgets increasingly powerful batteries and electronics, now solid state cooling could put an end to things that go boom in the night. There...
New air conditioning breakthrough cools buildings without using any energy
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Air conditioning that can cool buildings without using any energy is the holy grail of aircon, and now the technology’s arriving. Heat naturally flows from hot things to cold things, it’s just a fact of life, and physics, and since there are few places...