IIT Bombay researchers have fabricated wearable supercapcitor which when stitched on any fabric can deliver power ranging from microwatt to milliwatt. The energy stored in the device can power GPS location-based transmitters or a 1.8 volt LED. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay have fabricated a wearable supercapacitor that can store and … Continue reading IIT Bombay fabricates wearable supercapacitor
Renewable energy
IIT Kharagpur fabricates multipurpose piezoelectric nanogenerator
Piezoelectric nanogenerator capable of harvesting electrical energy from diverse sources — mechanical, acoustic and wind — has been developed by IIT Kharagpur researchers. At 62%, it has high energy conversion efficiency, high output current (over 12 microamphere), and voltage (about 61.5 volt). Researchers are working to use this device to convert heartbeat to power a … Continue reading IIT Kharagpur fabricates multipurpose piezoelectric nanogenerator
DST gives a boost to solar cooking, invites designs
DST has instituted Grand Challenge Awards for designing solar cooking solutions at both household and community level and is inviting applications from researchers in academic and research institutions/organisations and industry. The finalists in each category will be provided financial support for developing or pilot demonstration. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) is commemorating the 150th birth … Continue reading DST gives a boost to solar cooking, invites designs
Air pollutants reduce India’s solar power generation by 17%
In India, particulate matter deposited on solar panels and present in the ambient air is responsible for about 17% reduction in solar power generation. This translates to about 2 GW reduction in solar power production for about 12 GW installed solar power capacity in the country. India has set an ambitious renewable energy target of 175 GW by 2022. Particulate matter … Continue reading Air pollutants reduce India’s solar power generation by 17%
IIT Bombay team finds Chennai and Mumbai have high wind energy potential
Of the six cities studied by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay researchers, Chennai and Mumbai seem to have the highest potential to harvest wind energy during the active phase of the monsoon period. Compared with these two cities, Indore, Ahmedabad and Kolkata have less potential; Delhi has the least potential. The results were published … Continue reading IIT Bombay team finds Chennai and Mumbai have high wind energy potential
Voila! NPL scientists produce electricity from water without using electrolyte, light
In a major breakthrough, scientists at Delhi’s National Physical Laboratory (NPL) have developed a novel way of producing electricity from water at room temperature without supplying any external energy or using electrolyte or light. A team led by Dr. R.K. Kotnala used nanoporous magnesium ferrite to split water into hydronium (H3O) and hydroxide (OH) ions … Continue reading Voila! NPL scientists produce electricity from water without using electrolyte, light
Electric bicycles from Chennai to hit the road soon
The Chennai-based Basil Energetics is ready to launch an electric bicycle, iZip, in Hyderabad by the end of this month. Fitted with a long-lasting and light-weight portable lithium iron phosphate battery (like the ones used in Tesla and Toyota), iZip can travel at a top speed of 20 km per hour. The cycle, which weighs … Continue reading Electric bicycles from Chennai to hit the road soon
IISc’s self-powered UV photodetector can power electronic devices
In a novel approach, researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, have developed a cost-effective, high-performance, self-powered UV photodetector that can use the harvested optical energy for direct self-charging of energy storage devices such as supercapacitor. It can also be used for operating electronic devices in the absence of external power source. The … Continue reading IISc’s self-powered UV photodetector can power electronic devices
IISER Kolkata uses human hair to produce cheaper cathodes for solar cells
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata have used human hair to produce cost-effective, metal-free cathodes for use in solar cells. This is the first instance where a bio-waste-derived electrode has been used as a cathode in a quantum dot sensitised solar cell device. While metal-free cathodes produced in the … Continue reading IISER Kolkata uses human hair to produce cheaper cathodes for solar cells
IISER Pune researcher produces stable, inorganic, nanocrystal solar cells
In a first, Abhishek Swarnkar, a research scholar from the Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, has successfully produced a stable, high-efficiency, all-inorganic perovskite nanocrystal solar cells. The new material has 10.77 per cent efficiency to convert sunlight to electricity. The results were published on October 7 in the … Continue reading IISER Pune researcher produces stable, inorganic, nanocrystal solar cells
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