Energy & Green Tech news

Energy & Green Tech

New continuous reaction process can help turn plant waste into sustainable aviation fuel

Washington State University scientists successfully tested a new way to produce sustainable jet fuel from lignin-based agricultural waste. Published in the journal Fuel Processing Technology, the team's research demonstrated ...

Energy & Green Tech

New tandem solar cells break efficiency record—they could eventually supercharge how we get energy from the sun

The sight of solar panels installed on rooftops and large energy farms has become commonplace in many regions around the world. Even in gray and rainy UK, solar power is becoming a major player in electricity generation.

Energy & Green Tech

Scientists simplify design and servicing of vanadium flow batteries to balance power grid

Skoltech scientists have presented a model that facilitates the design and operation of vanadium redox flow batteries. These are large-scale storage units for electrical power that promise to play a major part in the energy ...

Business

Big lithium plans for Imperial Valley, one of California's poorest regions, raise a bigger question: Who should benefit?

Imperial County consistently ranks among the most economically distressed places in California. The Salton Sea, the state's biggest and most toxic lake, is an environmental disaster. And the region's politics have been dominated ...

Energy & Green Tech

Study shows US can cut greenhouse gas emissions by 65% by 2035

Dramatically expanding climate-action policies across all levels of government, sectors of society and the economy could slash U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 65% by 2035 compared to 2005 levels, according to a new report ...

Business

Can cryptocurrencies ever be green?

Cryptocurrencies have been condemned over their environmental record at a time when traditional investments have been rapidly moving towards greener environmental, social and governance (ESG) values. So how long will it be ...

Engineering

Innovative electrolytes could transform steelmaking and beyond

The lifeblood of any battery is the electrolyte. It is the medium through which positively charged elements (cations) migrate en masse between the positive and negative electrodes. By this means, batteries discharge to provide ...

Energy & Green Tech

Higher blends of biodiesel fuel could cut transportation emissions

Barriers that are currently preventing the use of greater percentages of biomass-based diesel fuel blended into petroleum diesel have been identified, along with strategies to overcome them, according to researchers at the ...

Energy & Green Tech

Electrify America to double EV charging stations by 2025

Electrify America, an electric vehicle charging network funded with money paid by Volkswagen as punishment for its emissions cheating scandal, says it plans to more than double its number of charging stations throughout the ...

Business

Study: Oil demand likely to grow despite pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected both consumer and commercial transportation, but global oil demand will probably continue to grow through 2030, according to a new study.

Energy & Green Tech

Giving a 'tandem' boost to solar-powered water splitting

Turning away from fossil fuels is necessary if we are to avert an environmental crisis due to global warming. Both industry and academia have been focusing heavily on hydrogen as a feasible clean alternative. Hydrogen is ...

Energy & Green Tech

Storm brews over South African ship-based energy plan

A deal expected to be awarded to end South Africa's continuing energy crisis could contribute to higher emissions and provide a short-term solution rather than a long-term one, experts say.

Energy & Green Tech

Hong Kong's urban farms sprout gardens in the sky

With their heads in the clouds and their hands in the soil, a group of office workers are busy harvesting the fruits of their labour on the roof of a Hong Kong skyscraper.

Energy & Green Tech

UN nuclear agency to help monitor Fukushima water release

The United Nations' nuclear watchdog said it reached an agreement with Japan Thursday on helping monitor and review the release of treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima plant into the Pacific Ocean.

Energy & Green Tech

Scientists home in on recipe for entirely renewable energy

Scientists from Trinity College Dublin are homing in on a recipe that would enable the future production of entirely renewable, clean energy from which water would be the only waste product.

Electronics & Semiconductors

Cutting through noise for better solar cells

As society moves towards a renewable energy future, it's crucial that solar panels convert light into electricity as efficiently as possible. Some state-of-the-art solar cells are close to the theoretical maximum of efficiency—and ...

Energy & Green Tech

Building a better thermostat

Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers designed and field-tested an algorithm that could help homeowners maintain comfortable temperatures year-round while minimizing utility costs.

Energy & Green Tech

Rethinking Southeast Asia's energy plans

Big hydropower plants are an important source of clean and cheap electricity for many countries in Southeast Asia. However, dams harm the environment and have dire consequences on local communities. Building more dams would ...