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Energy Science

Three things to know about a sustainable energy breakthrough
Photo of lightening striking a city at night.

“The air contains an enormous amount of electricity,” says Jun Yao, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and the paper’s senior author. “Think of a cloud, which is nothing more than a mass of water droplets. Each of those droplets contains a charge, and when conditions are right, the cloud can produce a lightning bolt—but we don’t know how to reliably capture electricity from lightning. What we’ve done is to create a human-built, small-scale cloud that produces electricity for us predictably and continuously so that we can harvest it.”

(Image: iStock/Matt Grehan)

Three things to know about a sustainable energy breakthrough

Penn Engineering’s James Pikul explains how a new method of harnessing energy by using water trapped in the air is possible and discusses the implication of the research.
At Penn Energy Week, a time to reflect on energy science, technology, and policy
Solar panels and three wind turbines set against a blue sky and setting sun.

Image: iStock/hrui

At Penn Energy Week, a time to reflect on energy science, technology, and policy

Hosted by the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and the Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology, the third annual Energy Week, which runs March 20-24, offers events on decarbonization, careers in the energy sector, global energy security, and more.

Michele W. Berger , Lindsey Samahon

Topping off the Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology
Onlookers watch as the last beam is put into place on a construction site.

On a chilly afternoon, the final steel beam was signed and hoisted atop the Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology. The moment was one that signals “Penn’s rise as a global leader in energy science,” said President Liz Magill, who was joined for the celebration by donor P. Roy Vagelos and deans Steven Fluharty and Vijay Kumar, as well as students, faculty, and staff from across the University.

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Topping off the Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology

A project nearly four years in the making sees new heights as the Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology marks a significant milestone in its construction.