Cleantech and Environmental News – Latest Headlines

Profiling the risks in solar and wind: a case for new risk management approaches

The purpose of this report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, sponsored by Swiss Re, is to assess the underlying trends in the renewable energy sector and consider how new risk management and insurance products can contribute to the sector's growth and long-term sustainability.

July 25, 2013 Read more

Inexpensive technology could bring high-end solar to the masses

Engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, have developed an inexpensive new way to grow thin films of a material prized in the semiconductor and photovoltaic industries, an achievement that could bring high-end solar cells within reach of consumer pocketbooks.

July 25, 2013 Read more

Piezoelectric strength of viruses powers battery

Scientists at the Energy Department's Lawrence Berkeley National Lab have harnessed power from an unlikely source - viruses.

July 25, 2013 Read more

Clean, green high performance biofuels from carbon dioxide

Could there come a time in which the carbon dioxide emitted from natural gas or coal-burning power plants that warms the atmosphere and exacerbates global climate change is harvested and used to produce clean, green and renewable liquid transportation fuels? A pathway to that possibility has been opened by a team of researchers who have engineered a microbe now being used to produce biodegradable plastic into a strain that can produce a high-performance advanced biofuel.

July 24, 2013 Read more

New study suggest winds of change may be blowing for wind turbines

A new study from Western University shows the winds of change may be blowing when it comes to operating large-scale turbines in rural Ontario.

July 24, 2013 Read more

Net zero energy homes make more power than they take

Homes being built in a Hudson Valley cul-de-sac offer prospective buyers wooded lots, pretty views and the promise of thumbing your nose at the power utility.

July 24, 2013 Read more

Australian algae fuel green oil hope

Newly trialled native algae species provide real hope for the development of commercially viable fuels from algae, a University of Queensland scientist has found.

July 24, 2013 Read more

Harvesting electricity from the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide

A new method for producing electricity from carbon dioxide could be the start of a classic trash-to-treasure story for the troublesome greenhouse gas, scientists are reporting.

July 24, 2013 Read more

World Bank Group calls for investments in sustainable energies

The Energy Sector Directions Paper sets a principles-based course for the Bank Group's work in the energy sector with a focus on expanding energy access and sustainable energy.

July 23, 2013 Read more

Thin, flexible glass for energy storage

A new use for glass is being developed by researchers in Penn State's Materials Research Institute that could make future hybrid-electric and plug-in electric vehicles more affordable and reliable.

July 22, 2013 Read more

Capturing energy from ocean currents project wins EPA grant

Engineering student wins $15,000 grant from EPA competition for his idea to build device to take advantage of energy of ocean currents.

July 22, 2013 Read more

Policies using carbon capture and storage in soil are impractical and costly say experts

Although recommended in the Coalition's Direct Action Plan and the Carbon Farming Initiative, offsetting greenhouse gas emissions by increasing carbon storage in Australian agricultural soils is not likely to be effective, say experts from the University of Melbourne.

July 22, 2013 Read more

Research supports a new approach to counting CO2 emissions

Researchers have called for a system of carbon emission assessments that reflect better the true contribution of each emitting nation to the increase in atmospheric CO2 and promote preservation of forests, particularly in tropical regions.

July 22, 2013 Read more

Rapid upper ocean warming linked to declining aerosols

Scientists have identified causes of a rapid warming in the upper subtropical oceans of the Southern Hemisphere.

July 22, 2013 Read more

The battery of the future: Scientists investigate extremely fast ion conductors

Using detailed magnetic resonance measurements, they were able to prove the ultra-fast lithium ion dynamics of a superb conductor being suitable, e.g., for solid-state batteries.

July 22, 2013 Read more

Internet backbone data centers can slash CO2 emissions 88% or more

The US Department of Energy has announced that it wants to establish minimum energy efficiency standards for all computers and servers sold in the United States. A new Stanford study shows that large server farms can, in fact, cut electricity use and greenhouse gas emissions sharply with off-the-shelf equipment and proven energy management practices.

July 19, 2013 Read more

ARPA-E announces $30 million for research projects to develop breakthrough solar energy technologies

The Department of Energy announced that up to $30 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) will be made available for a new program that will engage our country's top scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs to develop new technologies that deliver cost-effective solar energy when the sun is not shining.

July 18, 2013 Read more

A new life for the electric car batteries

Basque research centre IK4-IKERLAN is leading 'Batteries 2020', the first European project that is seeking to improve the batteries of electric vehicles and, once they can no longer be used for this purpose, to take advantage of their storing capacity by giving them a second lease of life as accumulators for renewable energies.

July 18, 2013 Read more