About Us
Founded in 1944, the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science develops philanthropic support for the Weizmann Institute in Israel, and advances its mission of science for the benefit of humanity.
Sep 22, 2014...
Jacob Karni, a pioneer of numerous solar energy technology projects, says the industry has to stand on its own two feet. Picture: Aaron Francis Source: News Corp Australia
HE is known as Israel’s solar star.
Over more than two decades of work at the world-renowned Weizmann Institute of Science in Tel Aviv, Jacob Karni and his team have been pioneers of numerous solar energy technology projects.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/power-without-pollution/
Jun 01, 2009...
Every time we use a plastic bag, eat a meal, or ride in an elevator, we take advantage of the energy invested in those materials. "Since people around the world want more materials to consume, the main question is how to generate energy without self-destruction," says Prof. Lubomirsky. "We have to find a way to produce it without burning fossil fuels and poisoning everything around us."
Prof. Lubomirsky, a researcher in the cutting-edge field of nanoscience, brings a background in materials science to his investigations of ways to diversify our energy supply. For example, he discovered that, under certain conditions, a common ceramic material called cerium gadolinium oxide behaves more like rubber than like a regular ceramic. It adjusts to an externally imposed shape, but returns to its original form once released from its constraints. And unlike an average ceramic, it does not buckle when heated or crack when cooled. The ceramic's ability to adapt to all temperatures could be useful in devices that undergo repetitive warming and cooling, such as fuel cells that convert chemical energy directly into electricity.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/factory-waste-morphs-into-clean-syngas/
Jan 15, 2015...
The NCF unit uses heat from the sun or industrial processes to transform carbon dioxide and water to syngas.
For millions of years, plant life has been turning water and carbon dioxide (CO2) into energy. Today, many entrepreneurs are copying natural photosynthesis to find a good use for the dangerously excessive CO2 in our air. But these solutions aren’t widely adopted by industry without government incentives to offset their cost.
Jun 07, 2012... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—June 7, 2012—An Israeli-Australian venture will use solar technology developed at the Weizmann Institute of Science to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the burning of brown coal. The venture was recently launched in Israel by NewCO2Fuels Ltd., a subsidiary of the Australian company Greenearth Energy Ltd., which has acquired an exclusive worldwide license for the solar technology from Yeda, the Weizmann Institute's technology transfer arm.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/better-energy-for-a-brighter-future/
Mar 23, 2016... Population growth and rising standards of living worldwide are driving a rapid increase in demand for energy. In fact, says Prof. David Cahen of the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Department of Materials and Interfaces, “the prediction is that 25 years from now we’ll need double the amount of energy we currently need.” However, he adds, “dearth of funding had, by 2006, created a situation of several decades of few new ideas in basic research that would help address this energy issue.”
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/developing-better-solar-cells/
Jun 01, 2008... Solar cells produce electricity just by lying in the sun; they use the energy of photons, the particles of sunlight, to directly generate an electric current, hence their scientific name, photovoltaics. Although photovoltaic technology is still considered too expensive for large-scale applications, it increasingly finds its way into “niche” markets in locations with no readily available connection to the electricity grid—such as satellites, boats, camps, or remote settlements. According to PV News, between 1995 and 2000 the world market for photovoltaics more than tripled, from 78 to 288 megawatts per year; and by 2020 it is expected to increase more than tenfold, to 4 gigawatts per year. Weizmann Institute scientists are exploring new methods and materials for making photovoltaics a viable energy source in small- and large-scale applications.
Aug 19, 2005...
Mix a pile of manure with some zinc oxide, angle a few giant mirrors towards the mixture, turn on the sun and steam the result. It may not sound appetising, but Michael Epstein and his colleagues at the Weizmann Institute of Science, in Israel, think that this recipe represents a novel way of collecting solar energy to generate what many hope will be the fuel of the future − hydrogen.
Readers who remember their chemistry lessons may recall mixing zinc with hydrochloric acid in a test tube and standing by, lighted splint in hand, ready to ignite the hydrogen that is given off. (Metallic zinc reacts with the chlorine in the acid, leaving hydrogen behind.) Zinc reacts similarly with water − or, rather, steam − in this case stripping the oxygen from H2O and once again, leaving the hydrogen. Industrialising that process, though, relies on finding a cheap way of turning the zinc oxide that results back into metallic zinc, so that the material can be recycled. And this, courtesy of the Weizmann Institute's Solar Tower laboratory, is what Dr Epstein has done.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/video-gallery/a-sustainable-future-our-vision/
Sep 07, 2022... Researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science — with their pioneering spirit and a profound sense of urgency — are working to achieve transformational scientific breakthroughs and forge a path toward sustainability with innovative solutions to global warming, alternative energy, conservation, carbon reduction, food security, and much more.
Nov 18, 2022... Dr. Sivan Refaely-Abramson of the Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science department at the Weizmann Institute shares a story about sunlight. She explains how, through the amazing world of materials, the power of the sun can transform quantum particles and be used as a main energy source. Dr. Refaely-Abramson’s research in materials science is dedicated to designing intelligent energy conversion in order to consume energy in a way that is clean, green, and unlimited. “Understanding materials and the way particles interact within them allows for new and smart ways to harness sunlight, leading us to a cleaner greener future.”
May 04, 2023... How can intelligent use of the sun's energy help deal with climate change? At this critical point for planet Earth, the role of science and its ability to provide transformative scientific solutions to our planet’s most pressing crisis is pivotal. Weizmann Institute scientists are tackling core issues affecting climate change and are engaged in sustainability research that is driven by an unprecedented sense of urgency. For the future of humanity
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