Today's Tech News: Notable or Not?

https://techxplore.com/news/2026-01-cleaner-industrial-revolution-electrifying-boilers.html "standardized, mass-produced, drop-in replacement... compressor/ heat pump cycle uses 50% less electricity than electric resistive boilers... uses ambient air, but waste heat source compatible... delivers up to 150°C steam, currently focusing on facilities <10MW thermal energy: fragmented mid-sized manufacturing market where steam is the primary working fluid for diverse industrial processes... scaling to hundreds of units annually by 2028"

https://techxplore.com/news/2026-01-heat-pumps-will-soon-be.html "when electricity cheap or heat pumps running, heats non-toxic salt hydrate phase change material until melts, absorbing massive thermal energy... when need heat for showers/ morning warmth, material solidifies/ releases stored energy... salt hydrates' higher energy density than water so up to 4X smaller water tank speeds heat transfer, thin recycled aluminum fins last decades (plasma electrolytic oxidation coated), 85% efficient (was 65), >70% reduced charging times, >80% reduced time releasing heat"

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/china-heat-pump-turns-sunlight-into-heat "heat source: twaste heat or solar energy... converts 293°F heat source into 518°F, shattering the previous 392°F limit... instead of mechanical compressors, uses interaction between sound waves/ heat converting thermal energy into intense acoustic waves to pump heat from a low-temperature source to a high-temperature sink... ceramics, petrochemicals and metallurgy... future: 2,372°F by 2040"

https://phys.org/news/2025-09-molecular-rivets-porous-materials-collapsing.html "mesoporous keto-enamine-linked COFs show enhanced framework physical stability due to intralayer hydrogen bonds... COFs adsorb/ release water vapor, capillary forces exerted within shift layers, collapse channels, transform frameworks into amorphous polymers...trade-off: smaller pores more stable, hold less water/ larger pores stored more water, collapse under capillary forces... overcome using keto-enamine linkages creating intralayer hydrogen bonds holding layers rigidly together, preventing interlayer slipping" Related: How atmospheric water harvesting can be scaled https://techxplore.com/news/2025-09-atmospheric-harvesting-scaled.html Uncovering diverse water adsorption characteristics in metal–organic frameworks https://phys.org/news/2025-10-uncovering-diverse-adsorption-characteristics-metalorganic.html Cooling paint harvests water from thin air https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1104...

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1085154 "vapor-compression heating/ cooling  solid-state phase transition heat pump energy efficiency 50–70% of Carnot limit, overcome utilizing heat generated by elastic deformation (thermoelastic effect) made stronger using [100]-textured Ti₇₈Nb₂₂ martensitic polycrystal subjected to linear elastic deformation for heat pumping... temperature changes of up to 4–5°K (up to 22°K with development of ferroelastic alloys with even higher thermal expansion)... developing prototype for industrial applications"

https://www.ameslab.gov/news/the-future-of-more-sustainable-cooling-and-heating-technology-could-be-just-around-the-corner "vapor-compression relies on harmful refrigerants... magnetocaloric heat pumps require less energy for cooling/ heating... operates by changing magnetic field applied to magnetocaloric material while pumping fluid moving heat... using space/ materials more efficiently: gadolinium, but no lanthanum-iron-silicon materials, less permanent magnet/ magnetic steel... cost will match that of current vapor-compression heat pumps in mass production" Related: New research confirms heat pumps are three to four times more efficient than boilers https://www.kensaheatpumps.com/news-blog/new-research-heat-pumps-more-efficient-than-gas/ Magneto heat pump https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m2PjzTPA-w&t=2s Magnetic frustration in atacamite triggers dramatic cooling when exposed to strong fields https://phys.org/news/2025-06-magnetic-frustration-atacamite-triggers-cooling...

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/solar-roof-tile-heat-pump "Paxos Solar glass roof tiles glued to rails, much lighter, half installation time... connected to heat pump... 25% increased heat pump’s performance coefficient, 20% less energy 1 year need compared to device not getting additional heat from solar tiles... back-contact/ matte surface cells enable angled light capture, 190 W in about 10 X 10' roof space, tiles can be made to any size... sun heats air under modules, rises toward roof ridge, collected in pipe... 1.8°F increase in air temperature switches pipe fan on, air pushed into heat pump" Related: Researchers Split Sunlight to Boost Solar Power and Heat https://www.azocleantech.com/news.aspx?newsID=36097 This special solar cell system produces both electricity and heat https://techxplore.com/news/2026-02-special-solar-cell-electricity.html

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/water-based-heat-pump-more-heat-than "efficient heating, cooling... HotTwist heat exchanger compresses to higher temperature... coupled to standard ground source heat pump, it collects heat from water bodies instead of ground... 2x more than ground, ~3400x more than air... glycol, aiding when cold, circulates through looped tubing, warmed glycol compressed raising its temperature... also harness energy from frozen water utilizing ice fusion latent heat... 350% to 400% more heat than electricity input, comparable to most efficient air source heat pumps" Related: Carrier Completes Department of Energy's Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge: Transformative Innovation Set for 2024 Commercial Rollout https://ir.carrier.com/news-releases/news-release-details/carrier-completes-department-energys-cold-climate-heat-pump AI-Controlled Heat Pumps Increase Efficiency https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en/press-media/press-releases/2024/ai-controlled-h...

https://techxplore.com/news/2023-11-electrocaloric-efficient-conventional-air-conditioners.html "fluid-based... laid lead scandium tantalate strips atop one another, then in silicone oil selected for heat-carrying properties, then heating with electricity pushing fluid in one direction, and then pushing it the other way when it cools down—the region of difference, they found, was approximately 20°C. To use the device as a heater or an air conditioner, oil is circulated through the system. Testing showed the device capable of reaching 64% of Carnot's efficiency—the theoretical limit of devices using such technology"

https://techxplore.com/news/2023-11-boosting-thermal-energy-storage-polyelectrolytes.html "dextran sulfate sodium improves thermal performance and stability of salt hydrate phase change materials... pure salt hydrate PCM cannot sustain up to 10 melt-freeze cycles, but with the additive, stability is retained after 150 cycles... better performing heat pumps" Related: Fourth Power, a startup, receives $19 million for 1 MWh prototype liquid tin energy storage https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/bill-gates-liquid-tin-energy Integrating thermochemical salt-hydrate into a building’s HVAC system for load flexibility https://www.nrel.gov/news/detail/press/2024/thermochemical-tech-shows-promising-path-for-building-heat

https://techxplore.com/news/2023-07-power-electronics-efficiency.html "enable efficient heat dissipation, do not require compressor technology and refrigerants... electrocaloric heat pumpswell over 50% maximum theoretical coefficient system level.performance... completely emission-free heating and cooling... semiconductor gallium nitride increase power density and efficiency" Related: New research may point the way towards frost-free heat pumps https://techxplore.com/news/2023-09-frost-free.html Heat pumps are everywhere — even in clothes dryers https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/heat-pumps/heat-pumps-are-everywhere-even-in-clothes-dryers

https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/heat-pumps/finally-a-heat-pump-water-heater-that-plugs-into-a-standard-outlet   "first 120-volt water heaters being installed... water heaters act like thermal batteries... tapping into this water heater storage capability through rates and incentives. The latest water heaters, like Rheem’s ProTerra, come equipped with digital communications ports to support more fine-tuned control... Manufacturers typically operate on five-year cycles,” he said. ​“How can you build trust and act on the market and policy changes that are necessary to give them confidence to move forward? Related: French startup uses Hi-Fi speakers to develop eco-friendly heat pumps https://thenextweb.com/news/startup-uses-hi-fi-speakers-develop-eco-friendly-acoustic-heat-pumps  See also:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pvrBUz35MU Near-Isothermal Stirling Heat Pump technology http://www.fluidmechanics.co.uk/near-isothermal-stirling-heat-pump-technology/ A New Way to E...

https://techxplore.com/news/2022-05-suddenly-super-hot.html "SINTEF has developed the world's "hottest" heat pump together with its industrial partners and colleagues at NTNU. It recently held its third conference on the topic of high-temperature heat pumps... do not need to generate high temperatures... industrial users... very hot water or process steam... 150 degrees or process steam at 5 bar... The heat pumps have also made the leap from the prototype stage to commercial systems that can supply heat over a lifetime of at least 20 years" Related: DOE Announces Breakthrough in Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump Technology https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-breakthrough-residential-cold-climate-heat-pump-technology Next-gen heat pump could cut energy bills and carbon emissions https://techxplore.com/news/2022-08-next-gen-energy-bills-carbon-emissions Low exergy concepts for the heat supply of existing multifamily houses https://techxplore.com/news/20...

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2022/03/14/rotation-heat-pump-for-industrial-applications/ "rotation heat pump with a reported coefficient of performance (COP) of 4.0 – 7.0. The 700 kW machine operates under temperatures of 150 degrees Celsius and is based on an anticlockwise running Joule process, during which there is no phase transition of the working medium that always remains gaseous... inert gas which the company says has zero global warming potential, is widely available, inexpensive, and does not pose any security issues" Related: Heat pumps do work in the cold — Americans just don’t know it yet https://grist.org/housing/heat-pumps-do-work-in-the-cold-americans-just-dont-know-it-yet/ Solar heat pump system https://www.resystech.com/solar-heat-pump-system1.html

https://actu.epfl.ch/news/using-heat-from-underground-parking-lots-to-warm-a/ "able to supply up to a third of the energy needed to heat the 60-odd apartments... consists of ten blue-and-white panels measuring 1.3m x 0.7m and made of a metal... only catch is that the concrete walls on which the panels are installed must be in direct contact with the soil so that the panels can capture the geothermal energy... A heat pump then circulates this energy throughout the building above, providing a constant supply all year long... Also useful for train and subway stations and tunnels" Related: There's an enormous geothermal pool under the Latrobe Valley that can provide cheap, clean energy https://techxplore.com/news/2021-12-enormous-geothermal-pool-latrobe-valley.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-nwletter A renewable energy-based bi-directional heat trade system https://techxplore.com/news/2023-03-renewable-energy-based-bi-directional.html