Big deal for mini energy sources

Geneva, Switzerland and Paris, France: New miniaturised energy source solutions are the goals of a collaboration between technological research organisation CEA and semiconductor company STMicroelectronics. The two companies will establish laboratories in Tours and Grenoble, France that will pursue advanced research in a number of fields.

For instance, they will explore solid-state micro-batteries that promise longer life, greater safety, and lower environmental burden than current battery technologies, and micro-fuel cells for clean energy generation. Other energy generation, conversion, and storage technologies to be investigated include thermoelectric and mechanical scavenging techniques that convert, say, physical motion into electrical power—always with a focus on low-power applications.