Cleantech and Environmental News – Latest Headlines

New engineering program designed to broaden solar energy expertise

Engineers who will help lead renewable energy development in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, are getting the specialized training they'll need through a new solar energy education program at Arizona State University.

July 8, 2014 Read more

'Singlet fission' can increase solar cell efficiency by as much as 30 percent

This 1->2 conversion process, as it is known, has the potential to boost solar cell efficiency by as much as 30 percent.

July 8, 2014 Read more

A livable city solution: The powerful potential of microgrids

As urban growth increases stress on global systems, researchers are working to develop solutions that contribute to the livability of future cities. When it comes to urban energy - and its ever-increasing consumption - they believe resiliency, reliability and accessibility will be critical factors in ensuring a sustainable supply.

July 8, 2014 Read more

Efficient, durable and affordable: On the road to the super battery

In the future more and more cars will fill up with electricity instead of petrol - ideally, electricity from wind, water or solar energy. A prerequisite for the energy turnaround is the availability of efficient storage media. Scientists at the Technische Universität München are working on the optimal battery cell.

July 8, 2014 Read more

New DOE grant to support research on energy-efficient manufacturing

The work will focus on developing 'sustainable catalysis', finding ways to increase the energy efficiency of the manufacture of important chemicals used in huge quantities to produce products that are part of our everyday life, and use renewable materials to make those chemicals, ideally having them begin their lives as biomass, rather than as petrochemicals.

July 8, 2014 Read more

Improving commerical viability of biofuels

A paper outlines new method to profit from biofuel waste product.

July 8, 2014 Read more

Wireless multicore chips could lead to dramatic data farm energy savings

Researchers have developed a wireless network on a computer chip that could reduce energy consumption at huge data farms by as much as 20 percent.

July 2, 2014 Read more

Putting a price tag on the 2 degrees climate target

Addressing climate change will require substantial new investment in low-carbon energy and energy efficiency - but no more than what is currently spent on today's fossil-dominated energy system, according to new research.

July 2, 2014 Read more

$2.5 trillion to be invested in renewables in Asia-Pacific to build the power capacity needed in 2030

Wind and solar together account for just under half of the total 2.7TW of net new power capacity in the region, driven by improving cost-competitiveness, and renewables in total account for 63% (1.7TW).

July 2, 2014 Read more

Net-zero energy test house ends year with energy to spare (w/video)

The net-zero energy test house at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in suburban Washington, D.C., not only absorbed winter's best shot, it came out on top, reaching its one-year anniversary on July 1 with enough surplus energy to power an electric car for about 1,440 miles.

July 1, 2014 Read more

Video games could provide venue for exploring sustainability concepts

Could playing video games help people understand and address global sustainability issues such as pollution, drought or climate change? At least two researchers believe so, outlining their argument in a concept paper.

July 1, 2014 Read more

Solar panels light the way from carbon dioxide to fuel

Scientists have devised an efficient method for harnessing sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into a potential alternative fuel known as formic acid.

July 1, 2014 Read more

Finland to lead the way in developing the storage of solar and wind energy

The NEO-CARBON ENERGY project, targeting the storage of solar and wind energy, has been granted major strategic funding by Tekes - the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation for next couple of years.

July 1, 2014 Read more

European renewable energy investment set to surge by 2030 on back of nearly $1 trillion of investment

Further falls in technology costs will mean that photovoltaics and onshore wind dominate deployment; only offshore wind will be subsidised in 2020s.

July 1, 2014 Read more

Designing new ways to probe aerosols for more accurate climate models

Increasingly sophisticated instruments provide scientists with new details about these transformations; they also point out big gaps between theoretical models and field findings.

June 30, 2014 Read more

'Microbe sniffer' could point the way to next-generation bio-refining

A new biosensor invented at the University of British Columbia could help optimize bio-refining processes that produce fuels, fine chemicals and advanced materials.

June 30, 2014 Read more

New software brings the right wind farm to the right spot

The SOPCAWIND project has developed new software to optimize wind farm placement in Europe, taking into account criteria as varied as wind power, local environment characteristics, potential interference with communication systems, noise, nearby housing exposure to the sun, visual impact or even the existence of archaeological artifacts on site.

June 30, 2014 Read more

Mapping greenhouse emissions to prevent climate change

Researchers esearchers have used advanced modelling and geo-spatial information to compile more accurate greenhouse gas inventories for Poland and Ukraine. The approach could substantially improve the accuracy of national inventories of greenhouse gases and boost Europe's efforts to reduce emissions.

June 30, 2014 Read more