Cleantech and Environmental News – Latest Headlines

New enzyme 'produces more fuel from less corn,' Danish company says

Danish industrial enzymes maker Novozymes on Tuesday launched an enzyme that it said produces more ethanol from corn, addressing concern that growth in biofuels has come at the expense of food production.

October 30, 2012 Read more

The end of cheap oil calls for a balanced approach to energy production

Weaning America off fossil fuels and investing in renewable energy is the best path for the future, say Stanford researchers.

October 29, 2012 Read more

Efforts to mitigate climate change must target energy efficiency (w/video)

Much more must be done to develop energy efficient cars, buildings and domestic appliances to address climate change - according to new research from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.

October 26, 2012 Read more

Researchers invent safe wireless vehicle charging technology (w/videos)

University of British Columbia researchers have invented a safe, efficient technology to wirelessly charge electric vehicles using "remote magnetic gears" and successfully tested it on campus service vehicles.

October 26, 2012 Read more

Paper waste could be the solution to oil spills

Researchers from the Technological, Environmental and Logistics Centre (TEC Ltd) in Slovenia have successfully transformed waste from paper mills into a product that can effectively soak up fuel from leaks or oil from spills.

October 24, 2012 Read more

Scientists retrieve important ocean acidification data from antarctic waters (w/video)

A research team led by a scientist from UC Santa Barbara and supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) has retrieved data from a sensor in Antarctic waters that survived the harsh polar winter. The information it gathered will provide critical baseline data on the changes in chemistry, or acidification, of those remote seas.

October 23, 2012 Read more

Rice agriculture accelerates greenhouse gas emissions

More carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, coupled with rising temperatures, is making rice agriculture a larger source of the potent greenhouse gas methane, according to a study.

October 22, 2012 Read more

Lower costs thanks to smart plugs (w/video)

Residents of a new eco-development on the coast can better control and understand their energy usage, thanks to a system that allows outlets to communicate with each other through the power grid.

October 22, 2012 Read more

Occupant comfort is critical to green building design

Green design does not necessarily mean comfortable design, reports a study by Cornell and Ithaca College ergonomists.

October 22, 2012 Read more

Doubling down on heat to break up cellulose, produce fuels and power

Iowa State University engineers Song-Charng Kong, left, and Nicholas Creager are studying a new bio-oil gasifier.

October 22, 2012 Read more

Solar power is contagious

People are more likely to install a solar panel on their home if their neighbors have one, according to a Yale and New York University study.

October 19, 2012 Read more

EU, US should abandon biofuels: UN rapporteur

The European Union and the United States should stop using biofuels as they are hampering food production, the UN's special rapporteur for the right to food Olivier De Schutter says..

October 17, 2012 Read more

New center at UCSB aims to help shift chemical industry toward sustainability

The new center, called CenSURF, short for Center for the Sustainable Use of Renewable Feedstocks, will receive $1.75 million over three years from the National Science Foundation.

October 15, 2012 Read more

UMaine in partnership to continue developing online offshore wind database

The University of Maine and the U.S. Offshore Wind Collaborative (USOWC) have announced a partnership to co-develop WindHUB, USOWC?s new online resource for stakeholders interested in the emerging U.S. offshore wind industry.

October 15, 2012 Read more

Better fuel economy: Billions and billions saved

As fuel economy of new vehicles improved 18 percent over the past five years, billions of gallons of gas and billions of pounds of emissions have been saved, University of Michigan researchers say.

October 15, 2012 Read more

Evolving microbes help engineers turn bio-oil into advanced biofuels

Microbes are working away in an Iowa State University laboratory to ferment biofuels from the sugar and acetate produced by rapidly heating biomass such as corn stalks and sawdust.

October 11, 2012 Read more

Researchers develop new way to determine amount of charge remaining in battery

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new technique that allows users to better determine the amount of charge remaining in a battery in real time. That?s good news for electric vehicle drivers, since it gives them a better idea of when their car may run out of juice.

October 8, 2012 Read more

Americans use more efficient and renewable energy technologies

Americans used less energy in 2011 than in the previous year due mainly to a shift to higher-efficiency energy technologies in the transportation and residential sectors. Meanwhile, less coal was used but more natural gas was consumed according to the most recent energy flow charts released by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

October 8, 2012 Read more