Topic description and stories

Device for making solar fuels on the River Cam near the Bridge of Sighs

Solar-powered device produces clean water and clean fuel at the same time

13 Nov 2023

A floating, solar-powered device that can turn contaminated water or seawater into clean hydrogen fuel and purified water, anywhere in the world, has...

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Artist's illustration of photosynthesis

Photosynthesis ‘hack’ could lead to new ways of generating renewable energy

22 Mar 2023

Researchers have ‘hacked’ the earliest stages of photosynthesis, the natural machine that powers the vast majority of life on Earth, and discovered...

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Tetrataenite found in Nuevo Mercurio, Zacatecas, Mexico

New approach to ‘cosmic magnet’ manufacturing could reduce reliance on rare earths in low-carbon technologies

25 Oct 2022

Researchers have discovered a potential new method for making the high-performance magnets used in wind turbines and electric cars without the need...

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Solar panels in Dunhuang, Gansu, China

Competition with China a ‘driving force’ for clean energy funding in the 21st century

12 Sep 2022

Analysis of energy RD&D investment in major economies also found that commitments at COP21 yielded some positives. Ultimately, however, trends...

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Floating ‘artificial leaves’ ride the wave of clean fuel production

17 Aug 2022

Researchers have developed floating ‘artificial leaves’ that generate clean fuels from sunlight and water, and could eventually operate on a large...

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Solar panel close up

New approach topples major barrier to commercialisation of organic flow batteries

16 Jun 2022

Researchers from the University of Cambridge and Harvard University have developed a method to dramatically extend the lifetime of organic aqueous...

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Secret to treating ‘Achilles’ heel’ of alternatives to silicon solar panels revealed

24 May 2022

A team of researchers from the UK and Japan has found that the tiny defects which limit the efficiency of perovskites – cheaper alternative materials...

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3D-printed custom electrodes

Tiny ‘skyscrapers’ help bacteria convert sunlight into electricity

07 Mar 2022

Researchers have made tiny ‘skyscrapers’ for communities of bacteria, helping them to generate electricity from just sunlight and water.

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Exterior of Bath Abbey

Historic buildings could use solar panels to protect from rising energy costs

03 Feb 2022

Installing solar panels could help historic buildings beat the rising costs of energy, according to a new study.

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Laboratory setup with lasers

Researchers identify and clear efficiency hurdle for organic solar cells

29 Sep 2021

Researchers have identified a key mechanism responsible for the lower efficiencies of organic solar cells and shown a way that this hurdle might be...

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Women in STEM: Angela Harper

02 Jan 2020

Angela Harper is a PhD candidate at the Cavendish Laboratory, a member of Churchill College, and a Gates Cambridge Scholar. Here, she tells us about...

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Cambridge Zero

26 Nov 2019

If we are to avert a climate disaster, we must sharply reduce our emissions, starting today. Cambridge Zero, the University's ambitious new climate...

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