18-year solar power storage?

Plus: A new transistor design could cut 5% of the world’s digital energy budget Apr 13, 2022 [View in browser]( To spearhead the green frontier, we need efficient renewable energy storage, for rainy days, and worse. That’s easier said than done, but scientists just discovered a way to capture solar energy and store it for nearly two decades. This takes solar-powered electronics one step closer to becoming a commonplace aspect of our lives. Aren’t you excited? But, before we get into the novel energy system, today’s video will explain how the European Union is building an $11-billion tunnel through the Alps to connect Scandinavia with the Mediterranean. Good morning. I’m Derya, an editor at IE. This is The Blueprint. Let’s dig in. [Video]VIDEO OF THE DAY [A gigantic EU tunnel will connect Scandinavia to the Mediterranean. For $11 billion?]( It's a marvel of construction and engineering. [A gigantic EU tunnel will connect Scandinavia to the Mediterranean. For $11 billion?]( INNOVATION [A new energy storage system can store solar power for nearly two decades]( [MOST – Molecular Solar Thermal Energy Storage Systems.]( Researchers from Sweden's Chalmers University of Technology [designed an energy system]( that stores solar energy in liquid form for up to 18 years. The team has tested its device, called the Molecular Solar Thermal system (MOST), by connecting it to a thermoelectric generator, demonstrating that it produces electricity. - The shine. The system was designed using specially developed molecules of carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen. When struck by sunlight, the atoms within the molecule are rearranged, turning them into an energy-rich isomer that's stored in liquid form. Impressively, the researchers say their system stores energy for up to 18 years. It’s released using a special catalyst that returns the molecules to their original shape, releasing the energy as heat. What’s next? The team aims to [improve its system's performance]( and is also working on building an affordable commercial version that could be used in homes. [Read More]( SCIENCE [Earth 2.0? China joins the race to find the most Earth-like habitable exoplanet]( [Planets.]( China is working hard to become one of the world's leading space powers. The country only recently launched its first rovers to the moon and Mars, and now, it’s looking to join the race to find habitable exoplanets. - NASA [recently announced that]( it has now discovered more than 5,000 exoplanets, thanks to the Kepler telescope. While none of these fit the definition of Earth 2.0., China hopes to be the first to make that discovery. This month, scientists will release a detailed outline of the country's first mission for discovering exoplanets. Earth 2.0. China's satellite [is designed to carry]( seven telescopes, six of which will survey the Cygnus–Lyra constellations that were observed by the Kepler telescope. It’ll have the capacity to observe roughly 1.2 million stars across a 500-square-degree patch of sky, which is almost 5 times wider than Kepler's view. We are talking about tremendous amounts of data here, which is why the country will need all the cooperation it can get, calling Earth 2.0 “an opportunity for better international collaboration”. [Read More]( INNOVATION [A new transistor design could cut 5 percent of the world’s digital energy budget]( [New transistor design.]( Nothing lasts forever, and silicon-based microchips are no exception; nearing their practical limits. This constitutes a major challenge to global industries. But [a new advancement could reduce]( the number of transistors needed to store data by up to 75 percent, even cutting up to 5 percent of the world's energy requirements. - Reading ones and zeroes. The team switched from depending on electric charges to relying on spin: a magnetism-related property of electrons that points up or down and can be read like electric charge can: as a 1 or a 0. They then used graphene underlayed by magneto-electric chromium oxide to produce a spintronic-based transistor. The end result was that when applying positive voltage, the spins of the underlying chromium oxide pointed up — yielding a detectable signal in the process. This potentially gives “huge fidelity at very little energy cost”. Best of all, the process is adaptable and can be done with other materials than graphene. With a new transistor capable of defeating silicon on the horizon, we may soon see [a race to test advanced materials](. [Read More]( MAIL & MUSINGS Materials science is at the heart of numerous discoveries in energy, space, transportation, and medicine. Which materials science topic piques your interest the most? Be sure you check back tomorrow for the results! [Sustainable materials. It’s the most important.]( [Nanotechnology. Make it work.]( [Additive manufacturing. The possibilities are endless.]( [2D materials. They'll change everything.]( Yesterday’s Results We asked whether you think it's a good idea to catapult payloads into space. The majority of you are on board with the concept. Yes! Genius. 56% I’m not sure about the engineering side of it, but it sure does sound fun. 30% No. It doesn’t really make sense. 10% Take my money and put me inside the centrifuge. 4% QUOTE OF THE DAY “ Give me but one firm spot on which to stand, and I will move the earth. ” Archimedes, on the action of a lever, Pappus of Alexandria in “Synagoge” AND ANOTHER THING... - Cybertruck is (hopefully) coming in 2023. [Here’s everything we know so far](. - Did you know that more than 87 percent of shoppers make impulse buys? Shops [masterfully use psychology to influence]( your buying decisions. (The Conversation) - U.S. President Joe Biden [revealed plans to delay]( soaring gas prices by extending the availability of high biofuel blends of fuel over the summer. - [The gut-brain axis is a real phenomenon]( and this constant two-way communication, when out of sync, can trigger gut and other health-related issues. (Live Science) - What would it take [for possible lifeforms to survive on Venus]( - More Amazon warehouse workers [are getting seriously injured]( on the job than a year before and at twice the rate of non-Amazon warehouses, despite the company’s pledge to make Amazon “Earth’s Safest Place to Work”. (Vice) - A magic mushroom compound called psilocybin [rewires the brain to relieve depression](. Prepared by Derya Ozdemir and Brad Bergan Enjoy reading? Don't forget to forward to a friend! Was this email forwarded to you? 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