Cleantech and Environmental News – Latest Headlines

The power of salt - power generation from the meeting of river water and seawater

Where the river meets the sea, there is the potential to harness a significant amount of renewable energy, according to a team of mechanical engineers.

August 20, 2014 Read more

Solar energy that doesn't block the view

A ew type of solar concentrator that, when placed over a window, creates solar energy while allowing people to actually see through the window. It is called a transparent luminescent solar concentrator and can be used on buildings, cell phones and any other device that has a flat, clear surface.

August 19, 2014 Read more

Asian inventions dominate energy storage systems

In recent years, the number of patent applications for electrochemical energy storage technologies has soared. According to a new study, the largest volume of applications by far is submitted by developers of lithium batteries. The study offers a first differentiated analysis of which energy storage technologies will be viable in the exit from fossil-fuel energy. In this area, European and US companies are falling behind economically, as Asian companies apply for a substantially higher number of patents.

August 19, 2014 Read more

Bionic liquids from lignin

While the powerful solvents known as ionic liquids show great promise for liberating fermentable sugars from lignocellulose and improving the economics of advanced biofuels, an even more promising candidate is on the horizon - bionic liquids.

August 18, 2014 Read more

Efficient production of hydrogen by algae

Microalgae need only sunlight and water for the production of hydrogen. However, in order to make hydrogen production by microalgae economically feasible their efficiency has to be increased by 1-2 orders of magnitude. Researchers now present how an improvement in efficiency can be achieved.

August 18, 2014 Read more

Tidal stream and wave power - a lot still to prove

Global installations of tidal stream and wave power are set to grow to 148MW and 21MW respectively by the end of this decade, from almost nothing today, but these are still trifling amounts in the context of the world's power system.

August 18, 2014 Read more

Recycling old batteries into solar cells

Proposal could divert a dangerous waste stream while producing low-cost photovoltaics.

August 18, 2014 Read more

Sustainable green alternatives to fertilisers could boost food and energy security

Scientists are looking at formulating sustainable fertilisers from renewable energy waste. This new area of research aims to produce a sustainable, environmentally-friendlier source of soil conditioner and crop fertiliser that could also reduce costs to farmers and potentially, with wide-spread take-up, help to slow down rising food prices.

August 14, 2014 Read more

$20M grant to support developing eco-friendly plastics

A five-year, $20 million National Science Foundation grant will allow chemists to study new ways to make plastics more sustainable.

August 13, 2014 Read more

Stinky gases emanating from landfills could transform into clean energy

A new technique transforming stinky, air-polluting landfill gas could produce the sweet smell of success as it leads to development of a fuel cell generating clean electricity for homes, offices and hospitals, researchers say. The advance would convert methane gas into hydrogen, an efficient, clean form of energy.

August 12, 2014 Read more

Mexico and Central America - Emerging clean energy powerhouses

Both Mexico and the countries to its south are heavily dependent on diesel- and oil-fired generation, and are starting to invest heavily in cleaner options.

August 11, 2014 Read more

Running on waste heat

Thermoelectric devices turn waste heat into electricity for vehicles and other machines.

August 11, 2014 Read more

Carbon dioxide 'sponge' could ease transition to cleaner energy

A plastic sponge that sops up the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide might ease our tranisition away from polluting fossil fuels to new energy sources like hydrogen.

August 10, 2014 Read more

A new software platform for improving energy efficiency through modeling of the energy market stakeholders

CASSANDRA platform is available to the public in order to enable stakeholders to maximize their benefits in the energy markets by testing and benchmarking real life scenarios and to enable consumers through DR programmes to decrease their energy consumption and electricity bills.

August 8, 2014 Read more

The immediate aftermath of an oil spill

The fate of oil during the first day after an accidental oil spill is still poorly understood, with researchers often arriving on the scene only after several days. New findings from a field experiment carried out in the North Sea provide valuable insight that could help shape the emergency response in the immediate wake of disasters.

August 8, 2014 Read more

NASA selects four proposals for advanced energy storage technologies

Development of these new energy storage devices will help enable NASA's future robotic and human-exploration missions and aligns with conclusions presented in the National Research Council's 'NASA Space Technology Roadmaps and Priorities', which calls for improved energy generation and storage with reliable power systems that can survive the wide range of environments unique to NASA missions.

August 8, 2014 Read more

Bioinspired catalyst splits water

Pyridine chemicals make manganese oxide more effective at neutral pH.

August 8, 2014 Read more

Turning methane into usable liquid fuel - $2M funding for hybrid fuel cells

Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory and the Illinois Institute of Technology were awarded $2 million over the course of two years to fund studies on hybrid fuel cells from the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E).

August 5, 2014 Read more