Cleantech and Environmental News – Latest Headlines

Rules to cut carbon emissions also reduce air pollution harmful to people, environment

Setting strong standards for climate-changing carbon emissions from power plants would provide an added bonus - reductions in other air pollutants that can make people sick; damage forests, crops, and lakes; and harm fish and wildlife. This, according to a first-of-its-kind study released today by scientists who mapped the potential environmental and human health benefits of power plant carbon standards.

May 27, 2014 Read more

Electricity prices to surge and power companies to profit if renewable target scrapped

Power generators to gain AUD 70bn in extra revenue if renewable target is cut, BNEF analysis shows.

May 27, 2014 Read more

Wood-waste biofuel to cut greenhouse gas and transform shipping industry

A sustainable biofuel made from Norwegian forest wood waste could help transform the shipping industry and reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.

May 27, 2014 Read more

Revolutionary urban wind turbines

A Rotterdam based research and development company reveals that it has developed a totally new generation of wind turbines for domestic use. This wind turbine will gain much more energy out of the wind than current generation wind turbines.

May 27, 2014 Read more

More sustainable thermosolar plants thanks to the hybridization with biomethane

The integration of biomethane in concentrating solar thermal power plants would facilitate the commercial introduction of concentrating solar power (CSP) technology in the energy market, reducing both financial and environmental costs.

May 27, 2014 Read more

'Home-made' electricity creating buzz in Germany

Of the about 600 terawatt hours Germany consumes each year, 50 TWh are self-produced in a trend that has seen solar panels installed on home roofs and gas plants set up in factories.

May 27, 2014 Read more

Measuring fine dust concentration via smartphone (w/video)

Scientists are developing a sensor that can be connected easily to smartphones. In the future, users are to take part in drawing up a pollution map via participatory sensing.

May 23, 2014 Read more

A new concept to improve power production performance of wind turbines in a wind farm

A modern wind farm usually consists of multiple wind turbines arranged in an organized pattern or array. Wake interferences among wind turbines have been found to affect the performance of the wind turbines significantly. Researchers studied the effects of relative rotation direction of wind turbines on the wake interferences among tandem turbines for improved power production performance of wind turbines in a wind farm.

May 23, 2014 Read more

Effective cesium radioisotope removal with novel vanadosilicate

Novel vanadosilicate is potential decontamination agent for cesium-tainted water.

May 22, 2014 Read more

Study assesses transport fuel based on hydrogen and CO2

This study discusses the technological, environmental and economic barriers for producing methanol from carbon dioxide, as well as the possible uses of methanol in car transport in Europe.

May 22, 2014 Read more

A new solution for storing hydrogen fuel for alternative energy

Turning the 'hydrogen economy' concept into a reality, even on a small scale, has been a bumpy road, but scientists are developing a novel way to store hydrogen to smooth out the long-awaited transition away from fossil fuels.

May 21, 2014 Read more

Tethys: A robust source of information on marine energy, offshore wind projects

Web site offers a virtual gathering spot for those interested in environmental effects of offshore renewable energy.

May 21, 2014 Read more

New, fossil-fuel-free process makes biodiesel sustainable

A new fuel-cell concept will allow biodiesel plants to eliminate the creation of hazardous wastes while removing their dependence on fossil fuel from their production process.

May 21, 2014 Read more

Electrochemical approach as a new way to harness waste heat

Researchers have found a new alternative for low-temperature waste-heat conversion into electricity - that is, in cases where temperature differences are less than 100 degrees Celsius.

May 21, 2014 Read more

New lithium battery created in Japan

Using a parasitic conduction mechanism, technology described in the journal 'APL Materials' promises safer batteries in the future.

May 20, 2014 Read more

Planting the 'SEEDS' of solar technology in the home

Data-rich predictive models help determine which consumers buy solar equipment and why.

May 20, 2014 Read more

Green building wall filters impurities from air

Researchers have spent the past several years researching ways to harness plants' natural abilities to filter toxins out of the air into an application that could be used in indoor spaces like office buildings.

May 16, 2014 Read more

High-flying turbine produces more power

Engineers develop airborne wind turbine that floats 1,000 feet aloft to capture stronger, steadier winds.

May 15, 2014 Read more