Record efficiency in conversion of heat to sound
Researchers from the Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) have achieved a record efficiency in the conversion of heat to sound. In a so-called thermo-acoustic engine they have improved on the existing record of 41% to reach 48% of the maximum possible efficiency. More...
Solar Academy training courses proving popular
Solar energy is one of the pillars of the world’s renewable energy supplies. Over the past ten years the market for photovoltaic solar cells has grown by 40%. There is a demand for more skilled personnel to safeguard the growth of production capacity in markets like Germany, Japan, the United States and China. The Solar Academy offers practical and theoretical training courses for operators, engineers and managers who work in the solar cell industry. More...
PowerMatcher tested using ECN Toyota Prius
More and more electrically-powered vehicles are appearing on the market. They are charged using the existing electricity grid. But the grid may be overloaded if an increasing number of consumers charge their vehicles at the same time. ECN examines how to avoid such a peak load in the electricity grid. The answer is by using ECN’s PowerMatcher. More...
Research institutions to cooperate at programme level through EERA and, locally, PETRA
The European Commission encourages leading research institutions of the individual member states to join forces. This is seen as one of the ways to accelerate the development of new technologies. Europe has to be a match for the United States and Japan when it comes to the development of energy technology. So Brussels is delighted to see that all kinds of cooperation arrangements are being set up within Europe, such as PETRA and EERA. ECN is playing an important role in both. More...
Improved environmental risk assessment for reuse of recycled materials
Waste materials are increasingly reused in road foundations, noise barriers and other construction applications. In addition to pollutants, these materials do often contain natural organic matter that originates from the decomposition of dead plant and animal matter. In particular, humic and fulvic acids can be formed that dissolve in ground- and surface water and are able to bind insoluble heavy metals and organic pollutants. Until recently it was difficult to estimate the environmental risks of this so called leaching process. More...
Using your home as an energy supplier
ECN and TNO have been working together for some time on halving CO2 emissions of the built environment. The goal is for the built environment to be energy-neutral in 2050. The WAELS project is taking concrete steps towards achieving this. ECN is the lead communicator for this innovative project that includes TNO and the Eindhoven University of Technology as partners. More...
Electric and hydrogen vehicles indispensable for clean future
Electricity and hydrogen have a major role to play in substantially reducing CO2 emissions by vehicles in the years ahead, according to a study by the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) into how sustainable innovation in road transport can help to achieve Dutch climate policy targets. More...
ECN takes part in US project on Cement Barriers in Nuclear Facilities
The Department of Energy (DoE) in the US has taken the initiative to develop a set of tools to predict the structural, hydraulic and chemical performance of cement barriers used in nuclear applications over extended time frames (>1000 years) ECN Biomass, Coal & Environmental research contributes to this project by modeling leaching and transport of radionuclides with the LeachXS-Orchestra.modeling tool. More...
Rome, 7-8 October 2013
>>Renewable energy is facing a new era, both globally and in the European context. Whilst...
>>ECN presents its attractive, innovative technologies and services to the...
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