marcus evans north america conferences: business corporate conference events MIT Finds New Way to Get More Out of Solar | Domestic Fuel Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have found a new way to get more out of harvesting solar energy. This article from the school says they’re using the sun to heat a high-temperature material whose infrared radiation would then be collected by a conventional photovoltaic cell. In this case, adding the extra step improves performance, because it makes it possible to take advantage of wavelengths of light that ordinarily go to waste. A conventional silicon-based solar cell “doesn’t take advantage of all the photons,” Wang explains. To address that limitation, the team inserted a two-layer absorber-emitter device — made of novel materials including carbon nanotubes and photonic crystals — between the sunlight and the PV cell. The design of the two-layer absorber-emitter material is key to this improvement. The researchers go on to say this technique will make it easier to store solar energy.
Republican senator slams EPA chief: 'You don't run this country' Senate Republicans on Wednesday accused Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina McCarthy of trying to run America by proposing new rules to cut carbon pollution from existing power plants. McCarthy is the public face of the agency's new carbon rules, which are a central pillar of President Obama's second-term climate change agenda. Republicans say the rules threaten to bring the economy to its knees, and on Wednesday, accused the EPA of staging a massive power grab. "The American people run this country — you don't run this country," Sen. When given a chance to respond, McCarthy said she doesn't think she runs the U.S., and cited a Supreme Court endangerment finding on carbon pollution, backing up the agency's authority to regulate greenhouse gases. Sen. Additional reports have found comparisons between the NRDC's plan to cut pollution from the nation's fleet of power plants and the one proposed by the EPA. Barrasso wasn't convinced. Chairwoman of the committee, Sen.