Energy & Green Tech news

Energy & Green Tech

Nepal dam-building spree powers electric vehicle boom

Taxi driver Surendra Parajuli's decision to buy an electric cab would have been unthinkable a decade ago, when chronic power cuts left Nepalis unable to light their homes at night.

Energy & Green Tech

Radiant-convective heating terminal show potential for improved indoor thermal environment for intermittent heating

A recent study published in Engineering, "Indoor Thermal Environment Improvement Based on Switchable Radiation/Convection-Combined Intermittent Heating: Comparison between Conventional Terminals and Integrated Novel Terminal," ...

Business

Clean energy transition: The impact of financial costs on the development of renewable energy sources

It is widely recognized that finance is one of the critical enablers of accelerating climate action. However, renewable energy deployment (particularly in developing countries) requires more financing than fossil fuel-based ...

Engineering

Novel recycling process for rare-earth elements could improve green technology and boost carbon neutrality

In a recent study published in Engineering, researchers from Kyoto University have unveiled a novel method for the efficient separation and recycling of rare-earth elements (REEs) from end-of-life magnets. This innovative ...

Engineering

Which is ecologically better: Concrete or plastic pipes?

On behalf of the FBS (Federal Association of Concrete Sewer Systems), Fraunhofer UMSICHT prepared a life cycle assessment of the environmental impact of wastewater pipes made of (steel) concrete. This also functions as an ...

Energy & Green Tech

Solar panels soon may power and protect apple orchards

A small experimental apple orchard at Cornell's Hudson Valley Research Laboratory may soon be topped by solar panels, which would not only track the sun to capture energy, but provide a warm canopy on cooler spring days and ...

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 ...

Energy & Green Tech

Turning up the heat on molten salt valves

Sandia National Laboratories is partnering with Flowserve Corp. and Kairos Power LLC on a $2.5 million, three-year Department of Energy Advanced Valve Project grant to lower the cost and boost the efficiency of concentrating ...

Energy & Green Tech

Researchers discover a new way to produce hydrogen using microwaves

A team of researchers from the Polytechnic University of Valencia and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) has discovered a new method that makes it possible to transform electricity into hydrogen or chemical products ...

Energy & Green Tech

New technique extends next-generation lithium metal batteries

Electric vehicles (EVs) hold great promise for our energy-efficient, sustainable future but among their limitations is the lack of a long-lasting, high energy density battery that reduces the need to fuel up on long-haul ...

Energy & Green Tech

The influence of social norms and behaviour on energy use

People tend to conform to what others do and what others regard as right. Do these two social norms influence electric energy consumption? In the prestigious journal Nature Energy, a team of Italian scientists have identified, ...

Energy & Green Tech

Powering toward a zero-carbon energy system

Can tomorrow's energy supply be freed of CO2 Fraunhofer researchers want to answer that question with a consortium of partners in ZO.RRO, a joint project underway in the German state of Thuringia. They are developing a complex ...

Energy & Green Tech

Pumped hydro isn't our energy future, it's our past

It's now beyond dispute that—for new electricity generation—solar, wind and other forms of renewable energy are cheaper than anything else: cheaper than new coal fired power stations, cheaper than new gas-fired stations ...

Energy & Green Tech

Advanced facade material for urban heat island mitigation

A joint research team led by Asst. Prof. Jihui Yuan at the Dept. of Architecture and Civil Eng. of Toyohashi University of Technology, in collaboration with Osaka City University, has proposed two analytical models to evaluate ...

Energy & Green Tech

Japan PM says plan to release Fukushima water coming soon

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday that his government is working on the final details of a plan to release massive amounts of radioactive water being stored at the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant, a decision ...

Electronics & Semiconductors

Promising strategies for durable perovskite solar cells

Perovskite materials are becoming increasingly popular as the active layer in solar cells. Internal forces in these materials cause distortions in their crystal structures, reducing symmetry and contributing to their intrinsic ...

Energy & Green Tech

Photovoltaics industry can help meet Paris agreement targets

To meet the Paris Agreement's daunting goal of preventing Earth's average temperature from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above its level in preindustrial times, one of the best options for the ...

Energy & Green Tech

A blast of gas for better solar cells

Treating silicon with carbon dioxide gas in plasma processing brings simplicity and control to a key step for making solar cells.