Energy & Green Tech news

Energy & Green Tech

Silver State may become solar state under new federal plan

The U.S. is preparing for a gargantuan spike in the amount of energy it harnesses from the sun, and vastly changing the desert landscape of the Silver State's public lands is a major component of that vision.

Energy & Green Tech

Heat pumps are key to home electrification—but will Americans buy in?

On a hot summer day, contractors snake wiring through the basement of a townhouse in southeast Washington to install a heat pump, a key component of the United States' multi-billion dollar push towards greater home electrification.

Energy & Green Tech

New research shines a light on how solar power and farming can coexist

Scientists from Swansea University have developed a new tool to help identify optimal photovoltaic (PV) materials capable of maximizing crop growth while generating solar power.

Engineering

UK report builds foundations to cut construction's carbon footprint

Using waste clay and brick in concrete production could significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the U.K. construction industry, a major new report has concluded.

Electronics & Semiconductors

Achieving a supercapacitor through the 'molecular coating' approach

Researchers at Tohoku University have successfully increased the capacity, lifetime durability, and cost-effectiveness of a capacitor in their pursuit of a more power-efficient future. The research is published in the journal ...

Engineering

Aurora borealis can light up the sky and shut down the grid

During a thunderstorm, you can feel rain pouring, see lightning flashing and hear wind howling. Unlike these phenomena, the Aurora Borealis cannot be heard or felt because it occurs through the earth's magnetic field's invisible ...

Energy & Green Tech

New alloy surpasses 2025 fuel cell performance targets

Scientists at the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology have created a fuel cell catalyst made from platinum and magnesium. The new catalyst, which uses the world's first platinum–magnesium alloy nanoparticles, ...

Electronics & Semiconductors

Volcanic spring water helps researchers make plastic electronics

When you think of how to make electronic components, water probably doesn't top your list of raw materials. Nevertheless, in a study recently published in Journal of Water Chemistry and Technology, researchers from the University ...

Energy & Green Tech

Probing where protons go to develop better fuel cells

Solid oxide fuel cells, or SOFC, are a type of electrochemical device that generates electricity using hydrogen as fuel, with the only 'waste' product being water. Naturally, as we strive to reduce our carbon output and mitigate ...

Energy & Green Tech

U.S. renewable electricity surpassed coal in 2022

Electricity generated from renewables surpassed coal in the United States for the first time in 2022, the U.S. Energy Information Administration announced Monday.

Energy & Green Tech

EU fossil fuel car ban gets final green light

The 27 EU member states gave final approval Tuesday to a ban on sales of new fossil fuel cars by 2035, after Germany dropped a last-minute blocking effort.

Energy & Green Tech

Colorful films could help buildings, cars keep their cool

The cold blast of an air conditioner can be a welcome relief as temperatures soar, but "A/C" units require large amounts of energy and can leak potent greenhouse gases. Today, scientists report an eco-friendly alternative—a ...