Cleantech and Environmental News – Latest Headlines

Can consumers save the planet by just buying green?

A doctoral dissertation states that awareness-raising for consumers and eco-labels for products are important, but they are not enough. Government- and market-promoted green consumerism operates as a peripheral activity that is only a safeguard against the most visible, damaging and immediate environmental and social problems.

August 26, 2019 Read more

Catalysts for climate protection

Researchers have developed various new technological solutions for using the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, which is generated during combustion processes, as a raw material for the production of chemicals, fuels or chemical energy storage systems.

August 20, 2019 Read more

Shock to the system: Electric car charging stations may be portals for power grid cyberattacks

Electric cars are an essential component of a lower-carbon future, but a new report raises the specter that plug-in electric vehicles - and the charging stations that supply them - could be prime vectors for cyberattacks on urban power grids.

August 19, 2019 Read more

Microorganisms build the best fuel efficient hydrogen cells

Scientists report new details on the proton transfer pathway of nickel-iron [NiFe]-hydrogenase using Fourier transfer infrared spectroscopy.

August 19, 2019 Read more

Assessing the strengths of solar thermal desalination

Researchers propose an elegant theoretical framework to help others in the field better understand how various technological innovations can enhance solar thermal desalination (STD) performance. The framework is summed up in a straightforward equation that can be universally applied to all STD systems, including those that have not yet been developed.

August 14, 2019 Read more

Researchers convert used car batteries into units that could power farms in the developing world

Researchers have found a way not just to recycle used car batteries, but repurpose them as small energy storage systems for off grid locations in developing countries or isolated communities.

August 13, 2019 Read more

Ready to recycle electric cars' batteries?

Electric cars are not a recycling problem. All steps of the recycling process are technically feasible. And a number of specialists are already working on it.

August 12, 2019 Read more

How Nature splits water and powers the planet

An international research team has published new results on how nature performs biological water splitting, a process that underpins all life on the planet. The results can be valuable for the production of CO2 free 'solar fuels'.

August 8, 2019 Read more

A new method to automatically estimate rooftop solar potential

The progress of rooftop solar installations is often slowed by a shortage of trained professionals who must use expensive tools to conduct labor-intensive structure assessments one by one. Now, researchers are proposing a new, data-driven approach that uses machine learning techniques and widely available satellite images to identify roofs that have the most potential to produce cost-effective solar power.

August 8, 2019 Read more

What counts for our climate: Carbon budgets untangled

Different analyzes have come up with different estimates of how much CO2 humankind can still emit if we want to hold global warming to the internationally agreed 1.5 and well below 2 degrees Celsius limits, but a lack of clarity of the reasons causing these variations has created unnecessary confusion, a new study shows.

July 17, 2019 Read more

Researchers applied novel hydrogel to harvest water from humid air above sea surfaces

Huge amounts of water evaporate from water surfaces such as reservoirs and the open sea each day. To address this issue, especially in water scarce areas, researchers found an innovative way to harvest water from the humid air above water surfaces.

July 10, 2019 Read more

Researchers create worldwide solar energy model

Photovoltaic installations will have a huge impact on future energy systems, so it is crucial to know their performance at local, regional and global levels. A historically accurate model has now been set up with all data made available via open license.

July 1, 2019 Read more

New unprinting method can help recycle paper and curb environmental costs

Imagine if your printer had an 'unprint' button that used pulses of light to remove toner, curbing environmental impacts compared with conventional paper recycling.

June 26, 2019 Read more

New wastewater treatment for pollutant removal

Researchers have tested floating photocatalysts and solar radiation as the sole reagent, an efficient and economical process that is easy to implement and compatible with the environment.

June 24, 2019 Read more

More energy needed to cope with climate change

A new study found that by mid-century climate change will increase the demand for energy globally, even with modest warming.

June 24, 2019 Read more

Perovskite solar cells tested for real-world performance - in the lab

Scientists brought real-world conditions into the controlled environment of the lab. Using data from a weather station they reproduced the real-world temperature and irradiance profiles from specific days during the course of the year. With this approach, the scientists were able to quantify the energy yield of the devices under realistic conditions.

June 21, 2019 Read more

A sticky solution could improve carbon capture materials

Researchers have developed a new material capable of capturing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide with the key ingredient being a common epoxy resin you probably have at home.

June 19, 2019 Read more

A metal-free, sustainable approach to CO2 reduction

Researchers present an organic catalyst for carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction that is inexpensive, readily available and recyclable. As the level of catalytic activity can be tuned by the solvent conditions, their findings could open up many new directions for converting CO2 to industrially useful organic compounds.

June 17, 2019 Read more