Cleantech and Environmental News – Latest Headlines

Speeding the search for better methane capture

Berend Smit, an international authority on molecular simulations who holds joint appointments with Berkeley Lab's Materials Sciences Division and UC Berkeley, led a computational study that found several promising candidates for methane capture in zeolites, porous minerals widely used as alkane-cracking catalysts in oil refinement.

April 24, 2013 Read more

Researchers quantify the significant value that concentrating solar power plants can add to an electric grid

The NREL researchers evaluated the operational impacts of CSP systems with thermal energy storage within the California electric grid managed by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO). NREL used a commercial production cost model called PLEXOS to help plan system expansion, to evaluate aspects of system reliability, and to estimate fuel cost, emissions, and other operational factors within the CAISO system.

April 24, 2013 Read more

Recipe for low-cost, biomass-derived catalyst for hydrogen production

Scientists describe details of a low-cost, stable, effective catalyst that could replace costly platinum in the production of hydrogen. The catalyst, made from renewable soybeans and abundant molybdenum metal, produces hydrogen in an environmentally friendly, cost-effective manner, potentially increasing the use of this clean energy source.

April 24, 2013 Read more

Strong growth for renewables expected through to 2030

Improvements in cost-competitiveness means that renewables will account for between 69% and 74% of new power capacity added by 2030 worldwide, despite current difficult market conditions.

April 23, 2013 Read more

New material approach should increase solar cell efficiency

A University of Illinois research group brought together aspects of condensed matter physics, semiconductor device engineering, and photochemistry to develop a new form of high-performance solar photocatalyst based on the combination of the TiO2 (titanium dioxide) and other "metallic" oxides that greatly enhance the visible light absorption and promote more efficient utilization of the solar spectrum for energy applications.

April 23, 2013 Read more

Artificial photosynthesis, bio-inspired design

Artificial photosynthesis is a dream technology that mimics a natural leaf, converting water and carbon dioxide into fuels with sunlight. But before this technology can take flight, scientists will have to solve a fundamental plumbing problem: how to gather molecules of fuel from microscopic reaction sites to pipes that will pour it out by the gallon.

April 23, 2013 Read more

Super wind turbines represent a major technological breakthrough

The EU-funded project, called SUPRAPOWER, is working on a more powerful, reliable and lightweight superconducting offshore wind turbine. The four-year project has the expertise of nine European partners from industry and science under the coordination of Tecnalia in Spain.

April 23, 2013 Read more

Smart Grids research launched by University of Greenwich

'Smart Grids' schemes that will enable companies to decrease their energy use, utility bills and carbon dioxide emissions are being developed by the University of Greenwich.

April 23, 2013 Read more

Special E. coli bacteria produce diesel on demand

It sounds like science fiction but a team from the University of Exeter, with support from Shell, has developed a method to make bacteria produce diesel on demand.

April 23, 2013 Read more

Sorry, the wireless cloud isn't green - it's an energy monster

Access to cloud services using personal wireless devices will have the same carbon footprint as adding another 4.9 million cars onto the roads by 2015.

April 22, 2013 Read more

Last 100 years reverse 1400 years of global cooling

The first continental-scale reconstruction of temperatures over the past 2000 years has found 20th Century warming was a global event that has produced the hottest global average temperature in 1400 years.

April 22, 2013 Read more

The power of 2000 suns

Scientists have announced a collaboration to develop an affordable photovoltaic system capable of concentrating, on average, the power of 2000 suns, with an efficiency that can collect 80 percent of the incoming radiation and convert it to useful energy.

April 22, 2013 Read more

Forever recyclable novel plastic thanks to old tyres

Recycling of tyres is a potentially economically sustainable enterprise providing an ingredient to make a kind of plastic for ever recyclable. But Europeans first need to overcome barriers to adoption.

April 19, 2013 Read more

Novel silicon based anode technology wins Rice Business Plan Competition

SiNode Systems took home the grand prize at the 2013 Rice Business Plan Competition, the world's richest and largest business plan competition.

April 19, 2013 Read more

'Salted' catalysts for chemical energy storage

Basic alkali-metal salts improve a catalyst for steam reforming of methanol.

April 18, 2013 Read more

The Western lifestyle and Its long way to sustainability

In the 1990s, scientists described the vision of a 2000 W society, in which each person in the developed world would cut the overall power demand to an average of no more than 2000 W and emit no more than 1 ton of CO2 per year without lowering the living standard. A new survey concludes that a continuous consumption of not more than 2000 W per person seems possible for the major part of the population in this society. However, it will be far more difficult not to exceed 1 ton CO2 per capita.

April 18, 2013 Read more

International conference confronts energy and material waste in technology industries

Representatives from internationally-recognised blue chip organisations including IBM, Cisco, Microsoft and Citrix gathered at Birmingham City University earlier this month to address the problems of energy and material waste within the computing and technology industries.

April 18, 2013 Read more

Battery low? Give your mobile some water

A power source for your mobile phone can now be as close as the nearest tap, stream, or even a puddle, with the world's first water-activated charging device.

April 18, 2013 Read more