News

A new distribution system designed by Waterloo Engineering researchers would reduce electricity prices by more than five per cent while also improving service reliability.

The design involves the integration of the two kinds of electric current that power homes, industries and electric vehicles - alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC).

A startup company co-founded by Waterloo Engineering professor Michael Pope recently won $25,000 in seed funding in a pitch competition meant to encourage Canadian innovation.

Evercloak, a cleantech startup that specializes in manufacturing ultra-thin graphene and other 2D nanomaterial films, took first place in the environment and electrification development category of the Ontario Power Generation Ignite contest.

A researcher at Waterloo Engineering has helped find a novel method to extend the battery life of smartphones for up to an hour each day.

Kshirasagar Naik, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, collaborated with researchers in India to develop an app that can reduce the energy consumption of smartphones without any significant impact on performance.

A professor at Waterloo Engineering has won approval for $900,000 in funding through a provincial program to help Ontario meet its targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Kevin Musselman, a professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering, is one of 22 recipients of financial backing from the Low Carbon Innovation Fund (LCIF), which invests proceeds from the province’s carbon market.

A student team with strong representation from Waterloo Engineering took a top prize at a recent international competition involving the design of energy efficient homes and schools.

Farm manure could be a viable source of renewable energy to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.

Engineering researchers at the University of Waterloo are developing technology to produce renewable natural gas from manure so it can be added to the existing energy supply system for heating homes and powering industries.

The ability to charge cellphones in seconds is one step closer after researchers at the University of Waterloo used nanotechnology to significantly improve energy-storage devices known as supercapacitors.

Their novel design roughly doubles the amount of electrical energy the rapid-charging devices can hold, helping pave the way for eventual use in everything from smartphones and laptop computers, to electric vehicles and high-powered lasers.

An innovative rechargeable battery invented by a University of Waterloo nanotechnology researcher could create a greener future by storing power from a smart grid or driving the next generation of electric cars.

Zhongwei Chen, an associate professor of chemical engineering, says the zinc-air rechargeable battery, which could be on the market within a year, may one day be used to store energy generated by solar collectors and wind turbines.

A University of Waterloo researcher is the recipient of an E.W.R Steacie Memorial Fellowship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for his work in developing new materials that make batteries and fuel cells smaller, lighter and longer-lasting.

The race to build a better battery has drawn in some of the world’s biggest innovators — notably billionaire CEO Elon Musk, who is one of the players in the global drive to invent a low-cost, powerful battery to fuel the next-generation of electric cars.