New tool to assess regional risks of climate change
MIT researchers develop tool to assess regional risks of climate change, potential impacts on local infrastructure and planning.
Nov 7th, 2012
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Synthetic biofilter removes estrogens from drinking water
Conventional methods of filtering waste water in sewage treatment plants are unable to completely remove medicine residues such as the estrogens in birth control pills. Students from the Bielefeld University's Center for Biotechnology have now developed a biological filter in which specific enzymes (so-called laccases) break down these medicine residues.
Nov 7th, 2012
Read morePacific islands drop diesel for 100 percent solar power
The island nation of Tokelau switched on the third and final installment of its new solar energy grid last week, earning praise around the world as the first country to become entirely solar-powered - except it's not a country.
Nov 7th, 2012
Read moreCarbon dioxide - our salvation from a future ice age?
Mankind's emissions of fossil carbon and the resulting increase in temperature could prove to be our salvation from the next ice age. According to a new research article by researchers from the University of Gothenburg, the current increase in the extent of peatland is having the opposite effect, cooling down the climate.
Nov 7th, 2012
Read moreDesigning solar arrays for a climate benefit
A study to determine whether energy production can simultaneously be used to positively affect regional climates, including modifying rainfall patterns, has begun in CSIRO?s weather and energy research unit.
Nov 6th, 2012
Read moreIntersolar Award 2012 for solar projects in India
The Intersolar AWARD for the category Solar Projects in India was presented for the first time at Intersolar India, India's largest exhibition and conference for the solar industry. The international solar industry prize pays tribute to companies for particularly outstanding solar projects.
Nov 6th, 2012
Read moreGoing live with a smarter electric grid
Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project begins two-year data collection period
Nov 6th, 2012
Read moreFuel economy in the U.S. at all-time high
Fuel economy of all new vehicles sold in the United States is at its highest level ever, according to UMTRI researchers.
Nov 6th, 2012
Read moreHigh-tech tools tackle wind farm performance
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are learning how to better understand these issues and are working toward effective solutions for the wind industry. Their goal is to maximize turbine performance and minimize structural loads, which will ultimately result in lower-cost wind energy. Toward that goal, NREL researchers are leveraging the lab's supercomputing resources and have developed high-tech modeling and simulation capabilities.
Nov 6th, 2012
Read moreThe limitations of climate models
How accurate is the latest generation of climate models? Climate physicist Reto Knutti from ETH Zurich has compared them with old models and draws a differentiated conclusion: while climate modelling has made substantial progress in recent years, we also need to be aware of its limitations.
Nov 5th, 2012
Read moreCarbon buried in the soil rises again
A research team that includes a University of California, Davis, plant scientist has identified a source of carbon emissions that could play a role in understanding past and future global change.
Nov 5th, 2012
Read moreUniversity of British Columbia files patent on battery type solar/light conversion cell
The University of British Columbia (UBC) announces the international patent filing for a Battery type Solar/Light conversion cell. This unique generator and storage approach allows both solar power generation and storage within a single cell. Based on photosynthesis, it can be implemented using abundant and readily replenished and renewable biomaterials.
Nov 2nd, 2012
Read moreFrom rocket fuel to clean cars
Austrian manufacturer MagnaSteyr has adapted technology developed for the Ariane rocket to build clean-burning cars that can use hydrogen instead of petrol for fuel.
Nov 2nd, 2012
Read moreScientists harness the power of photosynthesis
A team of researchers at UMass Lowell are now able to replicate photosynthesis in the laboratory, with the goal of someday storing solar energy on a commercial scale.
Nov 1st, 2012
Read moreBulletin: German nuclear exit delivers economic, environmental benefits
A special issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, published by SAGE, ?The German Nuclear Exit,? shows that the nuclear shutdown and an accompanying move toward renewable energy are already yielding measurable economic and environmental benefits, with one top expert calling the German phase-out a probable game-changer for the nuclear industry worldwide.
Nov 1st, 2012
Read moreResearchers propose new building guidelines to clean up city air
The huge energy needs of skyscrapers mean that these towers are not only office buildings, they're polluters with smokestacks billowing out toxins from the rooftop. Our cities are dirtier than we think. New research from Concordia University just might clean them up.
Nov 1st, 2012
Read moreBiofuels from algae hold potential, but not ready for prime time
Scaling up the production of biofuels made from algae to meet at least 5 percent ? about 10 billion gallons ? of U.S. transportation fuel needs would place unsustainable demands on energy, water and nutrients, says a new report from the National Research Council.
Nov 1st, 2012
Read moreWind energy yields major environmental and public health benefits for Colorado
Wind energy in Colorado each year saves a billion gallons of water while avoiding emissions of air pollutants equivalent to that produced by half a million cars. Between 2000 and 2011, production of electricity from wind energy in Colorado grew from zero to 4.7 million megawatt-hours (MWh), and is now producing nearly 10 percent of the state's electricity.
Nov 1st, 2012
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