Energy & Green Tech news

Engineering

New cooling system works on gravity instead of electricity

Its abundance of sunlight and heavy investment in solar cell technology has positioned Saudi Arabia well in its transition to becoming a leading exporter of renewable energy. Indeed, solar energy currently makes up more than ...

Energy & Green Tech

Study sheds light on the paths leading to the degradation of layered Li-rich oxide cathodes

In recent years, researchers have been trying to develop increasingly advanced battery technologies that can store more energy, recharge faster, discharge slower, and have longer lifespans. To achieve this, many have been ...

Business

Study warns of $557 trillion in stranded assets by 2050 if fossil fuel investments continue

Continued investment in carbon-intensive industries will drastically increase the amount of "stranded assets" as the world moves to net-zero emissions, researchers warn.

Energy & Green Tech

Proof-of-concept study develops battery that would use Martian atmosphere as fuel during discharge

Mars presents a highly complex natural environment, characterized by a variety of gas components—95.32% carbon dioxide, 2.7% nitrogen, 1.6% argon, 0.13% oxygen, and 0.08% carbon monoxide—as well as extreme temperature ...

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.

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

How West Africa can expand power supply and meet climate goals

Not too long ago, when the idea of solar and wind energy was still hotly debated, critics used to point out the limitations of these energy sources: the sun doesn't always shine and the wind doesn't always blow. But nowadays ...

Energy & Green Tech

Battery components recycled into fertilizer

Lithium Australia's Envirostream Australia has announced that they have been extracting manganese and zinc from used batteries to use as a fertilizer supplement. In their press release, the company reported that they have ...

Energy & Green Tech

New electrocatalysts to produce ethanol more efficiently

In recent years, researchers worldwide have been exploring new methods of producing ethanol, a chemical compound that is extensively used in a variety of industrial settings. One way to produce this compound is via what is ...

Energy & Green Tech

Finding balance between green energy storage, harvesting

Generating power through wind or solar energy is dependent on the abundance of the right weather conditions, making finding the optimal strategy for storage crucial to the future of sustainable energy usage.

Energy & Green Tech

More efficient biosolar cells modelled on nature

Potential sources of renewable energy include protein complexes that are responsible for photosynthesis. However, their efficiency in technical applications still leaves much to be desired. For example, they cannot convert ...

Energy & Green Tech

DC smart grids for production plants

Most production plants today are still powered by alternating current. In the long term, however, research teams from the Fraunhofer Institutes for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA and Integrated Systems and Device ...

Energy & Green Tech

Researchers develop viable sodium battery

Washington State University (WSU) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) researchers have created a sodium-ion battery that holds as much energy and works as well as some commercial lithium-ion battery chemistries, ...

Energy & Green Tech

A cool approach to defect-free solar cells

Chemists regularly use high temperatures to make things happen, but sometimes keeping cool can work better. Researchers at KAUST are discovering that a low-temperature approach can make better single crystals for use in solar ...

Energy & Green Tech

UK electricity plant nears full switch away from coal

As the coronavirus pandemic undermines the production of cleaner renewable fuels, the UK's biggest electricity plant is close to using only biomass following a bumpy transition away from coal.

Energy & Green Tech

Inertia and the power grid: A guide without the spin

The power grid is evolving to include ever-higher levels of wind and solar generation—which do not provide inertia, historically a key source of grid reliability. Should system planners and operators panic? A new video ...

Energy & Green Tech

If all cars were electric, UK carbon emissions would drop by 12%

The COVID-19 lockdown has led to reduced pollution and emissions in the UK and around the world, providing a clear indication of how cars affect air quality and carbon emissions. But such a change is only temporary—millions ...