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Is Apple making an electric car to battle Tesla, Google or Climate Change?

If you thought it has been a while since you heard any more rumours about the long-awaited Apple TV, they are about to be replaced by even more exciting possibility that Apple may be about to build an electric car.

February 15, 2015 Read more

Researchers propose a novel solar CPV/CSP hybrid system

In this new system, the dissipated heat is used to produce superheated vapor of refrigerant which is effective to generate power through an organic Rankine cycle (ORC), and thus the solar-to-electricity efficiency of the system can be significantly improved.

February 11, 2015 Read more

Advent of geoengineering may help lower temperature of debate over climate change

Geoengineering, an emerging technology aimed at counteracting the effects of human-caused climate change, also has the potential to counteract political polarization over global warming, according to a new study.

February 11, 2015 Read more

A closer look at the flawed studies behind policies used to promote 'low-carbon' biofuels

Nearly all of the studies used to promote biofuels as climate-friendly alternatives to petroleum fuels are flawed and need to be redone, according to a researcher who reviewed more than 100 papers published over more than two decades.

February 10, 2015 Read more

Geoengineering report: Scientists urge more research on climate intervention

Deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, while necessary, may not happen soon enough to stave off climate catastrophe. So, in addition, the world may need to resort to so-called geoengineering approaches that aim to deliberately control the planet's climate. That's according to a National Research Council committee that today released a pair of sweeping reports on climate intervention techniques.

February 10, 2015 Read more

U.S. trend toward sustainable energy continued in 2014

The United States saw continued growth in renewable energy, natural gas and energy efficiency in 2014, according to the third annual Sustainable Energy in America Factbook. The Factbook shows that U.S. deployment of sustainable energy increased as prices continued to fall and that investment in U.S. clean energy grew at a higher rate.

February 9, 2015 Read more

A ray of sunshine for bioenergy

New study shows value of combining solar thermal energy with biomass gasification to produce natural gas substitute.

February 9, 2015 Read more

'Bionic leaf' uses bacteria to convert solar energy into liquid fuel

Scientists have created a system that could speed adoption of solar-generated fuels as a power source.

February 9, 2015 Read more

Microcapsules used to capture carbon safely

Using the same baking soda found in most grocery stores, scientist have created a significant advance in carbon dioxide capture.

February 6, 2015 Read more

Preventing greenhouse gas from entering the atmosphere

A novel class of materials that enable a safer, cheaper, and more energy-efficient process for removing greenhouse gas from power plant emissions has been developed by a multi-institution team of researchers. The approach could be an important advance in carbon capture and sequestration (CCS).

February 5, 2015 Read more

Cheap and abundant salt outperforms precious metals as a catalyst

Chemical - potassium tert-butoxide - can be used in the production of chemicals important for drug discovery, agricultural science, medical imaging, and the creation of new materials.

February 4, 2015 Read more

New catalyst uses light to convert nitrogen to ammonia

Method could lead to more environmentally friendly fertilizer production.

February 4, 2015 Read more

Clean technology can partially make up for weak CO2 pricing

Clean technology support can to some extent make up for weak CO2 pricing and hence help keep the two degrees target within reach, a new study shows. Even if the world climate summit in Paris later this year is successful in striking a climate deal, it might not bring about sharp greenhouse-gas cuts in the near-term. However, emission targets could be strengthened by complementary policies.

February 2, 2015 Read more

A smart grid - self-organised simply

Electricity supply and demand can be coordinated in an entirely decentralised way with the help of a new type of smart grid control.

January 30, 2015 Read more

A long-lasting obstacle of solid oxide fuel cells has been overcome

One of the major drawbacks of carbon-fueled battery cells is the intrinsic presence of CO2, which impedes CO oxidation and, therefore, lowers the energy density of the cell. Researchers describe a novel dual-phase ion-conducting ceramic membrane that is absolutely gas-tight but highly permeable for CO2.

January 30, 2015 Read more

Running fuel cells on bacteria

Researchers in Norway have succeeded in getting bacteria to power a fuel cell. The 'fuel' used is wastewater, and the products of the process are purified water droplets and electricity.

January 30, 2015 Read more

New technique for growing high-efficiency perovskite solar cells (w/video)

Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers reveal a new solution-based hot-casting technique that allows growth of highly efficient and reproducible solar cells from large-area perovskite crystals.

January 29, 2015 Read more

Virtual models to make cities greener

Retrofitting districts with sustainable energy systems can be a success if enough data is available to analyse the suitability of each chosen energy-saving solution.

January 29, 2015 Read more