Key Highlights
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A new study reveals that aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) could turn waste heat from data centres in Germany into a major source of clean heating, potentially supplying up to 20% of Frankfurt’s residential and commercial heating demand by storing summer heat for winter use. This research shows how combining existing infrastructure with underground heat storage can solve the seasonal mismatch between heat production and demand, making cities more energy efficient and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
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Two independent studies have made significant advancements in tunnel oxide passivating contact (TOPCon) solar cell technology, pushing silicon solar cells closer to their theoretical efficiency limit by improving both the standard design and proposing a new cell architecture. These breakthroughs are crucial because they offer a practical path to squeezing more power from the same amount of sunlight, which is essential for making solar energy even more cost-effective and widespread.
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Scientists found that using diglyme-based electrolytes in sodium-ion batteries allows tin electrodes to survive massive volume changes during charging (up to 430%), enabling stable cycling for over 150 cycles, while carbonate-based electrolytes fail rapidly, especially with tiny nanoparticles. This discovery is important because it solves a key durability problem for tin-based anodes, paving the way for cheaper and more abundant sodium-ion batteries to replace lithium-ion batteries in energy storage applications.
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