Cleantech and Environmental News – Latest Headlines

SEMI and U.S. Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium sign MOU to enable focus on standards and roadmap development

SEMI and the U.S. Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium (PVMC) today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance their cooperation in areas of standards and roadmap activities for the solar thin film industry.

January 29, 2013 Read more

EU needs a leap in the number of electric and hybrid cars to meet GHG emission goals

The European Union needs a leap in the number of electric and hybrid cars on the road over the next decade to succeed in cutting auto carbon emissions significantly by 2025, a British consulting firm found.

January 29, 2013 Read more

Startup plans to build a next-generation power grid that looks like the Internet

Founded in 2010, Gridco Systems is introducing a new class of intelligent power distribution solutions that enable utilities to meet the evolving demands of the 21st century electric grid. Gridco's solutions leverage recent advances in power electronics in combination with distributed intelligent control systems to dynamically manage power distribution below the substation with an unprecedented level of predictability and precision.

January 29, 2013 Read more

Daimler, Ford and Renault-Nissan form alliance to develop fuel cell electric vehicle technology

The goal of the collaboration is to jointly develop a common fuel cell electric vehicle system while reducing investment costs associated with the engineering of the technology. Each company will invest equally towards the project.

January 28, 2013 Read more

Study finds energy use in cities has global climate effects

Researchers find that heat given off by metropolitan areas can lead to continental-scale winter warming in high latitudes.

January 28, 2013 Read more

A new material for environmentally friendlier electronics

The electronics industry has a remarkable impact on the environment, yet research is devising new solutions to reduce it. Among these, a new compound with an unutterable name, the diisopropylammonium bromide (DIPAB), a new ferroelectric material created by an international team of researchers.

January 28, 2013 Read more

Cities affect temperatures for thousands of miles

Even if you live more than 1,000 miles from the nearest large city, it could be affecting your weather.

January 27, 2013 Read more

Deep ice cores show past Greenland warm period may be road map for continued warming of planet (w/video)

A new study by an international team of scientists analyzing ice cores from the Greenland ice sheet going back in time more than 100,000 years indicates the last interglacial period may be a good analog for where the planet is headed in terms of increasing greenhouse gases and rising temperatures.

January 26, 2013 Read more

South and Central America set sights on renewable energy generation

South and Central American nations are aspiring to be more environmentally friendly, as renewable energy strategies are introduced, but thermal power remains the main player.

January 26, 2013 Read more

Composites for shipping container floors contribute to reduced energy use and smaller carbon footprint

Industry stakeholders have an increasing interest in evaluating and understanding how replacing conventional wood floors with composite materials can impact the overall life cycle of the containers, contributing to energy savings and reduced greenhouse gases.

January 26, 2013 Read more

Hitting the sweet spot for advanced biofuel technologies

Studies show advanced biofuels have a carbon life cycle that produces low or net-zero green house gases. Helping to commercialize advanced biofuels is the primary mission of Berkeley Lab's Advanced Biofuels Process Demonstration Unit (ABPDU), the West Coast's only state-of-the-art facility providing industry-scale test beds for laboratory discoveries in advanced biofuels research.

January 25, 2013 Read more

Evolution inspires more efficient solar cell design

Geometric pattern maximizes time light is trapped in solar cell.

January 25, 2013 Read more

Greenland ice core shows Antarctica vulnerable to warming

An international study indicates the last interglacial period more than 100,000 years ago could be a good indicator of where the planet is heading in the face of increasing greenhouse gases and warming temperatures globally.

January 25, 2013 Read more

A new leaf in the carbon capture playbook

Green chemistry using carbon dioxide and low-cost catalysts provides a new way of producing potent carbon-boron synthetic reagents.

January 25, 2013 Read more

Carbon Cycle 2.0 initiative seeks alternative ways to reduce emissions

Berkeley Lab's Carbon Cycle 2.0 initiative seeks to stimulate multidisciplinary research to accelerate the development of a carbon-neutral energy system.

January 24, 2013 Read more

BMW and Toyota team up on sustainable mobility

BMW Group and Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) are pursuing their successful strategic long-term cooperation in the field of sustainable mobility today by signing binding agreements aimed at long-term collaboration between the two companies for the joint development of a fuel cell system, joint development of architecture and components for a sports vehicle, and joint research and development of lightweight technologies.

January 24, 2013 Read more

German state adopts pioneering climate bill, which minister says forms "energy strategy of future"

German state North Rhine-Westphalia has become the first state in Germany to adopt a pioneering climate bill with binding greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

January 24, 2013 Read more

Juwi, Shizen form joint venture to develop Japanese solar, wind projects

Juwi Shizen Energy Inc. fosters the expansion of renewable energies in Japan targeting 1GW by 2017 / First free-field photovoltaic system has been completed and is already feeding in clean energy to the Japanese grid.

January 24, 2013 Read more