Cleantech and Environmental News – Latest Headlines

Geowave project aims to anchor wave energy

A major new research project has been launched with the aim of helping make offshore wave energy a sustainable proposition.

January 24, 2013 Read more

Warmer soils release additional CO2 into atmosphere

Warmer temperatures due to climate change could cause soils to release additional carbon into the atmosphere, thereby enhancing climate change.

January 23, 2013 Read more

Loss of Arctic sea ice speeds domino effect of warming temperatures at high latitudes (w/video)

Melting Arctic sea ice is no longer just evidence of a rapidly warming planet - it's also part of the problem.

January 23, 2013 Read more

First global assessment of land and water 'grabbing'

As world food and energy demands grow, nations and some corporations increasingly are looking to acquire quality agricultural land for food production. Some nations are gaining land by buying up property - and accompanying water resources - in other, generally less wealthy countries.

January 23, 2013 Read more

Health and environment: A closer look at plastics

Plastics have transformed modern society, providing attractive benefits but also befouling waterways and aquifers, depleting petroleum supplies and disrupting human health. Rolf Halden, a researcher at Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute has been following the chemical trail of plastics, quantifying their impact on human health and the environment.

January 23, 2013 Read more

International team to tackle tough sustainability problems

Arizona State University's Global Institute of Sustainability and the Municipality of Haarlemmermeer, The Netherlands, have created an innovative collaboration to solve challenges of sustainability.

January 23, 2013 Read more

Scientists race to develop floating wind farms

In order to take advantage of high wind speeds on the open seas, the race is on to create wind turbines and wind farms that float on the surface of the water. But, the jury is still out on which is the best method.

January 23, 2013 Read more

Wind energy market set to boom in Japan as doubts over nuclear power remains

The wind energy industry is likely to regain its lost sheen back in 2013 with the extension of federal tax credit in the US and Japan's recent announcement to invest in offshore wind farms in Fukushima. Despite falling prices and technological advancements, the wind power market growth continues to be fuelled by extensive government support.

January 23, 2013 Read more

Electrical optimization project of biogas from landfills

The Industrial Engineering degree student Ferran Garcia Darás from the Universitat Jaume I has defended as his final university project a study for the electrical optimization of biogas generated by the anaerobic decomposition of the waste deposited in a landfill.

January 23, 2013 Read more

Households and industry responsible for half of EU greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels

Households and industry in the EU each cause approximately a quarter of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA). The two sectors were largely responsible for the emissions increase in 2010, together leading to an additional 90 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent compared to 2009.

January 23, 2013 Read more

Public acceptance of climate change affected by word usage

A recent study of word usage in popular literature documented how the usage of certain words related to climate change has risen and fallen over the past two centuries. Understanding how word usage affects public acceptance of science could lead to better science communication and a more informed public.

January 22, 2013 Read more

Cross-arms could speed up connection of new electricity supplies

A revolutionary device developed by engineers at The University of Manchester and EPL Composite Solutions Ltd. could dramatically increase the capacity of the UK's electricity network, enabling rapid increases in renewable generation and lower bills for consumers.

January 22, 2013 Read more

A global approach to monitoring biodiversity loss

In contrast to climate change, there is no coordinated global system in place for measuring and reporting on biodiversity change or loss. An international team of biologists is now addressing this gap.

January 21, 2013 Read more

European collaboration to prepare European electricity networks for influx of electric vehicles

The 'Novel E-MObility Grid Model NEMO' project, part of the ERA-NET Plus programme electromobility+, aims on managing the power grid within the key dimension "strategic research on technical dimensions of the recharging, storage and distribution systems".

January 21, 2013 Read more

Free report: Building a sustainable energy future - risks and opportunities

A Swiss Re report investigates how the global energy mix will take shape and the impact of sustainable energy sources on climate change. The report uses a scenario-based approach to outline possible energy futures and provides a framework for decision-making.

January 21, 2013 Read more

More than 140 countries have agreed on the first global treaty to cut mercury pollution

More than 140 countries have agreed on the first global treaty to cut mercury pollution through a blacklist of household items and new controls on power plants and small-scale mines, the United Nations said on Saturday.

January 21, 2013 Read more

Belgium plans artificial island to store wind power

Island planned for North Sea, 3 km off Belgian coast.

January 20, 2013 Read more

Wind in the willows boosts biofuel production

Willows cultivated for green energy can yield five times more biofuel if they grow diagonally, compared with those that grow naturally straight up.

January 20, 2013 Read more