University of Tokyo

A worldwide research group that includes scientists from EPFL in Switzerland, Middle East Technical University (METU) in Turkey, Lomonosov Moscow State University in Russia as well as The University of Tokyo has actually produced a quasi-2D perovskite solar cell with a unique type of salt to enhance hole extraction.

A team of scientists has found a new mechanism to stabilize the lithium metal electrode and electrolyte in lithium metal batteries. This new mechanism, which does not depend upon the typical kinetic technique, has the potential to considerably enhance the energy density-- the amount of energy stored relative to the weight or volume-- of batteries.

For the first time, scientists have actually found a way to obtain polarity as well as photovoltaic or pv habits from particular nonphotovoltaic, atomically level (2D) materials. The key lies in the special way in which the materials are prepared. The resulting impact is different from, as well as possibly above, the solar impact generally found in solar cells.

The decreasing costs of solar and wind energy could generate $71 billion in stranded coal assets in Japan by 2025, according to a new report from the Carbon Tracker Initiative, a financial think tank, and the University of Tokyo. Offshore wind power will be cheaper than coal in Japan by 2022, new solar cheaper by 2023, and onshore wind less expensive by 2025.

An international team of researchers led by the University of Tokyo has discovered a new material which, when rolled into a nanotube, generates an electric current if exposed to light. If magnified and scaled up, say the scientists, the technology could be used in future high-efficiency solar devices.