Cleantech and Environmental News – Latest Headlines

DOE supports truSolar's efforts to develop open source risk scoring standards and rating criteria for solar projects

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories extend their support for the truSolar Working Group's efforts to develop uniform open source risk scoring standards and rating criteria for solar projects that will facilitate lower transaction and capital costs, and improve project finance liquidity within the commercial and industrial solar segment.

April 17, 2013 Read more

New partnership to develop an Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion pilot power plant off the coast of China

The 10-megawatt offshore plant, to be designed by Lockheed Martin, will be the largest OTEC project developed to date, supplying 100 percent of the power needed for a green resort to be built by Reignwood Group.

April 17, 2013 Read more

Weakest quarter for clean energy investment since 2009

Investment worldwide in the first quarter of 2013 was $40.6bn, down 22% on a year earlier, due to a downturn in large wind and solar project financings.

April 17, 2013 Read more

Plasma device could revolutionize energy generation and storage

University of Missouri engineer Randy Curry and his team have developed a method of creating and controlling plasma that could revolutionize energy generation and storage.

April 16, 2013 Read more

New tools reveal morphology, growth mechanisms of precipitates from supercritical CO2 storage

Capturing carbon dioxide and storing it in underground rock formations is one proposed solution to mitigate climate change. New knowledge about the chemical reactions between CO2 and the mineralforsterite is helping determine how much confidence can be placed in using igneous rocks with magnesium-rich olivines as a solution for long-term CO2 sequestration.

April 16, 2013 Read more

Grant to develop model to forecast optimal investments for the array of solar energy technologies

As the world seeks ways to reduce energy costs and speed access to alternative energy solutions, UNC Charlotte researcher Deborah Strumsky is leading a team that will use modeling to forecast optimal investments for the array of solar energy technologies that are emerging.

April 16, 2013 Read more

National climate policy progressed in the last decade, despite stalled global negotiations

New study explores climate and energy policy challenges in Brazil, China, EU, India, U.S.

April 16, 2013 Read more

Scientists discover new materials to capture methane

Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and UC Berkeley and have discovered new materials to capture methane, the second highest concentration greenhouse gas emitted into the atmosphere.

April 16, 2013 Read more

Study focused on afterlife of electric vehicle batteries

Once they've finished powering electric vehicles for hundreds of thousands of miles, it may not be the end of the road for automotive batteries, which researchers believe can provide continued benefits for consumers, automakers and the environment.

April 16, 2013 Read more

Surprising findings on hydrogen production in green algae

New research results from Uppsala University instil hope of efficient hydrogen production with green algae being possible in the future, despite the prevailing scepticism based on previous research. The study, which is published today in the esteemed journal PNAS, changes the view on the ability of green algae - which is good news.

April 16, 2013 Read more

The future of our energy

When it comes to sustainable energy supplies hydroelectric plants are usually the best solution, according to researchers who have reviewed the economic, social and environmental impact of fuel provision.

April 15, 2013 Read more

Cutting specific pollutants would slow sea level rise

With coastal areas bracing for rising sea levels, new research indicates that cutting emissions of certain pollutants can greatly slow down sea level rise this century. The research team found that reductions in four pollutants that cycle comparatively quickly through the atmosphere could temporarily forestall the rate of sea level rise by roughly 25 to 50 percent.

April 14, 2013 Read more

Better batteries from waste sulfur

A new chemical process can transform waste sulfur into a lightweight plastic that may improve batteries for electric cars, reports a University of Arizona-led team. The new plastic has other potential uses, including optical uses.

April 14, 2013 Read more

Enzymes from horse feces could hold secrets to streamlining biofuel production

Stepping into unexplored territory in efforts to use corn stalks, grass and other non-food plants to make biofuels, scientists today described the discovery of a potential treasure-trove of candidate enzymes in fungi thriving in the feces and intestinal tracts of horses.

April 12, 2013 Read more

New technique measures evaporation globally

Researchers at Columbia Engineering and Boston University have developed the first method to map evaporation globally using weather stations, which will help scientists evaluate water resource management, assess recent trends of evaporation throughout the globe, and validate surface hydrologic models in various conditions.

April 12, 2013 Read more

CO2 removal can lower costs of climate protection

Directly removing CO2 from the air has the potential to alter the costs of climate change mitigation. It could allow prolonging greenhouse-gas emissions from sectors like transport that are difficult, thus expensive, to turn away from using fossil fuels. And it may help to constrain the financial burden on future generations, a study now published by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research shows.

April 12, 2013 Read more

A solar booster shot for natural gas power plants

PNNL's concentrating solar power system reduces greenhouse emissions - at a price that's competitive with fossil fuel power.

April 11, 2013 Read more

Better monitoring and diagnostics tackle algae biofuel pond crash problem (w/video)

Sandia National Laboratories is developing a suite of complementary technologies to help the emerging algae industry detect and quickly recover from algal pond crashes, an obstacle to large-scale algae cultivation for future biofuels.

April 11, 2013 Read more