Cleantech and Environmental News – Latest Headlines

Ocean currents play a role in predicting extent of Arctic sea ice

Discovery of feedback between sea ice and ocean improves Arctic ice extent forecast.

November 21, 2012 Read more

Green chemistry: The sweet conversion of a by-product

The waste plant materials remaining from palm oil extraction processes can now be converted into a useful sugar.

November 21, 2012 Read more

A low-carbon Finland is a great challenge, but an achievable one

VTT specialists have assessed Finland's chances of achieving the 80% greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. The EU's goal for 2050 is to reduce emissions by at least 80% from the level of 1990.

November 20, 2012 Read more

California holds first auction of greenhouse gas allowances

The California Air Resources Board (ARB) announced the results of the state's first auction for greenhouse gas allowances under its cap-and-trade program. Allowances for the equivalent of 28.7 million tons of CO2 emissions were sold at the auction on November 14th, 2012.

November 20, 2012 Read more

Sunlight-driven CO2 fixation

The increased use of renewable energy sources, particularly sunlight, is highly desirable, as is industrial production that is as CO2-neutral as possible. Both of these wishes could be fulfilled if CO2 could be used as the raw material in a system driven by solar energy. Japanese researchers have now introduced an approach to this type of process.

November 19, 2012 Read more

Environmental impact assessment: the state of the art

In a recent issue of Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, Richard K. Morgan of the University of Otago, New Zealand, reviews the progress of the EIA, with particular emphasis on the last 15-20 years. He also assesses whether EIA is ready for future challenges.

November 19, 2012 Read more

'Dangerous threshold' can hinder UN climate change negotiations

The identified critical threshold for dangerous climate change saying that the increase in global temperature should be below 2 degrees Celsius seems not to have helped the climate negotiations so far. New research shows that negotiations based on such a threshold fail because its value is determined by Nature. Climate negotiators should focus on other collective strategies.

November 16, 2012 Read more

Technology harvests energy from railroad train vibrations

Stony Brook University engineers have won a national award for an innovative energy harvester that has the potential to save millions of dollars in energy costs for railroads while reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

November 15, 2012 Read more

Researchers tap into CO2 storage potential of mine waste

Mine waste has greenhouse gas-trapping potential that should be economically valued says researcher.

November 15, 2012 Read more

Water resources management and policy in a changing world: Where do we go from here?

Scientists at American Geophysical Union conference present new findings on a resource becoming more precious than gold.

November 15, 2012 Read more

San Francisco area drivers 1st with algae biofuel

Drivers in the San Francisco Bay Area have become the first motorists in the nation to fill up their gas tanks with an algae-based biofuel.

November 15, 2012 Read more

Plant hormone could help produce biofuels

Scientists at The University of Manchester have identified how a plant hormone can affect the rate of cell division in vascular tissue in plants. The findings demonstrate how the hormone controls plant growth to produce more biomass which could be used to make the next generation of biofuels.

November 14, 2012 Read more

Electrovaya launches residential lithium-ion energy storage system

Electrovaya Inc. today announced the launch of its lithium-ion energy storage system for home usage. The battery stores power from the grid or from solar panels and stores it for later household use.

November 14, 2012 Read more

Melting glaciers raise sea level

Anthropogenic climate change leads to melting glaciers and rising sea level. Between 1902 and 2009, melting glaciers contributed 11 cm to sea level rise. They were therefore the most important cause of sea level rise.

November 14, 2012 Read more

Berkeley Lab applies U.S. tools and technologies to spur low-carbon cities in China

With nearly 25 years experience analyzing energy use in China, the China Energy Group has tailored a variety of resources to help local Chinese officials turn government mandates into practical how-to guides for understanding their energy usage and reducing their carbon dioxide emissions.

November 13, 2012 Read more

University of British Columbia files patent on unique battery type solar/light conversion cell

The University of British Columbia (UBC) announces the international patent filing for a Battery type Solar/Light conversion cell. This unique generator and storage approach allows both solar power generation and storage within a single cell. Based on photosynthesis, it can be implemented using abundant and readily replenished and renewable biomaterials.

November 13, 2012 Read more

DayStar Technologies to purchase solar power generation and storage technology

DayStar Technologies, Inc. has entered into a Letter of Intent with Premier Global Holdings Corporation to acquire 100% of its outstanding shares. Premier Global Holdings Corporation has rights to proprietary patent pending Solar conversion unit that is a solar power generation and storage unit within a one unit.

November 12, 2012 Read more

Researchers find new access to abundant biomass for advanced biofuels

After cellulose, xylan is the most abundant biomass material on Earth, and therefore represents an enormous potential source of stored solar energy for the production of advance biofuels. A major roadblock, however, has been extracting xylan from plant cell walls. Researchers have taken a significant step towards removing this roadblock by identifying a gene in rice plants whose suppression improves both the extraction of xylan and the overall release of the sugars needed to make biofuels.

November 12, 2012 Read more