Energy & Green Tech news

Energy & Green Tech

Britain's last coal-fired power station closes

The UK's last coal-fired power station will officially close its doors on Monday, making Britain the first G7 country to end its reliance on the fossil fuel to produce electricity.

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

Untapped potential: Study shows how water systems can help accelerate renewable energy adoption

Stanford-led research reveals how water systems, from desalination plants to wastewater treatment facilities, could help make renewable energy more affordable and dependable. The study, published Sept. 27 in Nature Water, ...

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

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 ...

Energy & Green Tech

Researchers harness wind data to help meet energy needs in Florida

Florida is one of several states in the Southeast where wind energy is virtually nonexistent, which is one reason wind farms have not been an economically viable energy source in the region. But a new study from the FAMU-FSU ...

Energy & Green Tech

Influx of electric vehicles accelerates need for grid planning

Electric vehicles are coming—en masse. How can local utilities, grid planners and cities prepare? That's the key question addressed with a new study led by researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory..

Energy & Green Tech

Thermal storage units that repair themselves

In the future, paraffin wax could help to make underground thermal storage units more durable. Such systems are used, for example, to store solar energy over a longer period of time. In a new study, geologists from Martin ...

Energy & Green Tech

Green roofs or green buildings?

Imagine flying over Denver and spotting a cluster of downtown skyscrapers with vast swaths of green roofs visible at different heights. It would be enchanting, and it would be green—figuratively and literally.

Energy & Green Tech

Carbon emissions, energy flow charts for all U.S. states

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has updated its energy flow charts to include state-by-state energy use for 2015-2018. It also has released carbon emissions charts that depict a breakdown of all 50 states' carbon ...

Energy & Green Tech

How Salt Lake's buildings affect its climate future

Anyone who's lived or worked in old buildings knows that their heating and cooling systems can't compare to the efficiency, insulation and consistency of those in new buildings. But the quirks of old buildings' climate control ...

Energy & Green Tech

A breakthrough in solar cell efficiency

A research group led by Prof. Chen Tao and Prof. Zhu Changfei, and their collaborator Prof. Hao Xiaojing at UNSW, developed a hydrothermal deposition method for the synthesis of antimony selenosulfide for solar cell applications. ...

Energy & Green Tech

Blueprint may power up Saudi Arabia's wind energy future

A five-year study of wind energy potential in Saudi Arabia has culminated in a comprehensive blueprint for progressing the Kingdom's national wind energy strategy. Exhaustive high-resolution modeling was combined with a unique ...

Energy & Green Tech

China's energy infrastructure mapped

Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy has released its latest China Energy Map, an open-source, interactive chart of the country's energy infrastructure.

Energy & Green Tech

Targeting the perfect metal-organic framework cooling combination

Scientists have known for two decades about a more environmentally friendly way to cool large buildings that is less expensive than conventional cooling systems. The challenge has been making those systems efficient for everyday ...

Energy & Green Tech

COVID-19 shutdown led to increased solar power output

As the COVID-19 shutdowns and stay-at-home orders brought much of the world's travel and commerce to a standstill, people around the world started noticing clearer skies as a result of lower levels of air pollution. Now, ...