Energy & Green Tech news

Engineering

Developing new approaches for the cost-efficient and high-speed production of fuel cells

For hydrogen technology to become a key to the energy transition, it needs to take a decisive step forward toward broad application. The main factors holding back this longed-for breakthrough, however, are the high costs ...

Energy & Green Tech

A charge ahead: Carrier pre-intercalation techniques boost alternative battery performance

As the demand for energy storage diversifies, the limitations of lithium supplies drive a shift toward alternative technologies. Sodium, potassium, magnesium, and zinc-ion batteries emerge as promising contenders, yet face ...

Business

Can green finance effectively reduce carbon dioxide emissions while promoting economic growth?

New research published in Business Strategy and the Environment based on information from G7 countries demonstrates that green finance—loans, investments, and incentives that support environmentally-friendly projects and ...

Business

South Africa's green hydrogen hub: EU grants not nearly enough to get industry going, say chemical engineers

South Africa is poised to become a major player in the global energy transition, thanks to its vast renewable energy resources (sun and wind) and its plans for green hydrogen production.

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.

Business

Pandemic led to 7.5% decrease in 2020 US energy consumption

Total energy consumption in the U.S. decreased 7.5% nationwide in 2020 compared with 2019 as the COVID-19 pandemic led to lockdowns, business closures and employees working from home, according to a new University of Wisconsin ...

Energy & Green Tech

100% efficient electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide

Researchers from the University of Twente, in collaboration with Shell, developed a new mechanism that makes the conversion of carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide, which is an essential feedstock in the production of chemicals.

Hardware

Ultrathin solar cells promise improved satellite performance

Most space satellites are powered by photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight to electricity. Exposure to certain types of radiation present in orbit can damage the devices, degrading their performance and limiting their ...

Energy & Green Tech

EXPLAINER: Bikes, batteries and blazes spark concern in NYC

A weekend fire that injured over three dozen people—and forced firefighters to use ropes to pluck people from a 20th-story window—is drawing attention to a rising concern in New York City: battery fires that can arise ...

Energy & Green Tech

From textile waste to high fashion: A fiber's journey

The textile and apparel industries are among the fastest growing in the world, driving a significant part of the global economy. In 2021 in the EU alone, according to Statista, there were 143,000 textile and clothing manufacturing ...

Energy & Green Tech

Alternative to aviation fuel based on an oxygenated nanofluid

Aviation is a big user of fossil fuels and, as such, is a heavy producer of carbon emissions. Sustainability is high on the agenda. New work in the International Journal of Sustainable Aviation has reviewed the thermo-physical ...

Engineering

New materials could enable longer-lasting implantable batteries

For the last few decades, battery research has largely focused on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which are used in everything from electric cars to portable electronics and have improved dramatically in terms of affordability ...

Energy & Green Tech

New reports document America's clean energy supply chains

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) acted as lead authors on five reports in a larger series designed to strengthen America's clean energy supply chains. The following ...

Energy & Green Tech

Do electric scooters reduce car use?

Banning scooters may reduce sidewalk congestion and keep would-be riders and pedestrians safer, but it comes at a cost, according to new research from Georgia Tech's School of Public Policy.