Cleantech and Environmental News – Latest Headlines

Internet backbone data centers can slash CO2 emissions 88% or more

The US Department of Energy has announced that it wants to establish minimum energy efficiency standards for all computers and servers sold in the United States. A new Stanford study shows that large server farms can, in fact, cut electricity use and greenhouse gas emissions sharply with off-the-shelf equipment and proven energy management practices.

July 19, 2013 Read more

ARPA-E announces $30 million for research projects to develop breakthrough solar energy technologies

The Department of Energy announced that up to $30 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) will be made available for a new program that will engage our country's top scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs to develop new technologies that deliver cost-effective solar energy when the sun is not shining.

July 18, 2013 Read more

A new life for the electric car batteries

Basque research centre IK4-IKERLAN is leading 'Batteries 2020', the first European project that is seeking to improve the batteries of electric vehicles and, once they can no longer be used for this purpose, to take advantage of their storing capacity by giving them a second lease of life as accumulators for renewable energies.

July 18, 2013 Read more

Activated carbon is obtained from sewage sludge

Researchers have discovered how to produce activated carbon from sewage sludge that can be used to purify liquids or gases generated in various production processes.

July 18, 2013 Read more

Novel water treatment techniques using apple and tomato peels

Low cost and efficient, the novel water purification methods could benefit economically and technologically disadvantaged communities.

July 18, 2013 Read more

Using bacteria batteries to make electricity

Their idea is state of the art: Ten Bielefeld students have set their sights on constructing a bio-battery. They want to make use of the bacteria Escherichia coli to convert glucose into energy.

July 17, 2013 Read more

New study defines values which determine public acceptance of energy system change

The values and factors that influence people when deciding whether to accept or reject changes to the energy system are revealed for the very first time in a new study.

July 16, 2013 Read more

EU research project will enable development of 'greener' IT products

Developing greener software and technology is crucial for ensuring people and organisations reduce their impact on the environment. A new project hopes to enable the development of greener IT products by providing the energy consumption information of computer systems early in the software design phase.

July 16, 2013 Read more

New thermocell could harvest waste heat (w/video)

Harvesting waste heat from power stations and even vehicle exhaust pipes could soon provide a valuable supply of electricity.

July 16, 2013 Read more

Each degree of global warming might ultimately raise global sea levels by more than 2 meters

Greenhouse gases emitted today will cause sea level to rise for centuries to come. Each degree of global warming is likely to raise sea level by more than 2 meters in the future, a new study shows.

July 15, 2013 Read more

Researchers develop new method of splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen

Method could lead to inexpensive production of hydrogen, the future clean energy source.

July 15, 2013 Read more

New findings could reveal mechanism behind zero-energy-loss current-carrying capability

In the search for understanding how some magnetic materials can be transformed to carry electric current with no energy loss, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, Cornell University, and collaborators have made an important advance: Using an experimental technique they developed to measure the energy required for electrons to pair up and how that energy varies with direction, they've identified the factors needed for magnetically mediated superconductivity - as well as those that aren't.

July 15, 2013 Read more

US, China, South Africa lead rebound in clean energy investment

Second quarter investment rises 22% compared to Q1, but shrunken figure for Europe ensures that world total stays below that for Q2 last year.

July 12, 2013 Read more

Newly-launched bioenergy research programme to develop biofuel systems for the poor

The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have launched the IFAD-ICRAF Programme for the Development of Alternative Biofuel Crops, an initiative focused on providing clean energy for rural communities, enhancing local food security and increasing subsistence farmers' resilience to climate change.

July 12, 2013 Read more

The energy sector's vulnerability to climate change

The U.S. Department of Energy released a new report which assesses how America's critical energy and electricity infrastructure is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

July 12, 2013 Read more

New record efficiency for dye solar cells

Announced today in the prestigious scientific journal, Nature, is a paper by a team led by Professor Michael Graetzel describing a new deposition process to create the light harvesting pigment for solid-state dye solar cells. Cells fabricated using this technique have established a new world record efficiency of 15% for a solid-state Dye Solar Cell.

July 11, 2013 Read more

New research supports smarter environmental regulation

Research from Cranfield University is providing valuable scientific evidence to support the vital need for better designed and more user-friendly 'smarter environmental regulation'.

July 11, 2013 Read more

Australia unveils new renewable energy investment plan

Exploring opportunities for renewable energy hybrid power plants is a major focus of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency's three-year Investment Plan, released today.

July 11, 2013 Read more