https://techxplore.com/rss-feed/energy-green-tech-news/ en-us The latest news on energy sciences and green technology, energy technology, energy renovation, alternative energy, and green energy. Can pure water store electrical energy? A research team led by Dr. Vasily Artemov within the Cluster of Excellence "BlueMat—Water-Driven Materials" at Hamburg University of Technology has now shown that it can. By confining water within nanometer-sized channels in clay minerals, the researchers created a supercapacitor capable of efficiently storing and transporting electrical charge. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-nanometer-channels-enable-safer-energy.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 09 Jun 2026 16:40:01 EDT news700240141 The critical minerals that power lithium-ion batteries are in high demand and short supply, especially for the U.S., which must rely on importing resources such as nickel and cobalt to manufacture the technology. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-battery-spent-lithium-ion-cells.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 09 Jun 2026 16:20:03 EDT news700231907 Consumers often assume that choosing more environmentally friendly products helps reduce environmental harm. New research suggests that reality may be more complicated. The findings are published in the journal Marketing Science. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-buying-greener-products-doesnt-outcome.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 09 Jun 2026 14:40:07 EDT news700234201 Microbial fuel cells (MFCs), which use microorganisms to generate electricity from organic waste, are emerging as a tool in the transition to cleaner energy systems and for the treatment of wastewater, according to a review of recent research published in the International Journal of Environment and Waste Management. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-microbial-fuel-cells-electricity.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 09 Jun 2026 14:00:01 EDT news700231955 Despite having the world's second-largest reserve of rare earth elements, second only to China, Brazil still needs to overcome technological and environmental obstacles to establish a local production chain. This group of 17 metallic chemical elements is essential for manufacturing high-tech products such as electric vehicles, wind turbines and smartphones. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-brazil-environmental-technological-obstacles-rare.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 08 Jun 2026 21:40:02 EDT news700132133 Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF have developed a gallium nitride (GaN)-based power electronics module for 800-volt bidirectional direct current (DC) charging systems. The module is part of the GaN4EmoBiL project ("GaN Power Semiconductors for Electric Mobility and System Integration via Bidirectional Charging"). Project partner Ambibox GmbH integrated the module into the demonstrator of a bidirectional, single-phase off-board charger for electric vehicles (EVs). https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-gan-power-electronics-bidirectional-phase.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 08 Jun 2026 20:00:03 EDT news700133178 A waste-to-energy system designed for palm oil mills could turn agricultural waste into electricity, industrial fuels and carbon-storing materials while generating commercially viable returns, according to an Industry Note in the International Journal of Agriculture Innovation, Technology and Globalisation. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-palm-oil-yield-power-fuel.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 08 Jun 2026 18:40:01 EDT news700145935 Artificial intelligence increasingly helps providers make their grids more robust, improve forecasts of electricity prices and make energy use more efficient. In critical infrastructure such as the energy system, AI should not be a black box—its decisions need to be understandable at any time. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed a new method for a more transparent analysis of AI-based predictions for energy systems. The results of their study have been published in Nature Communications. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-power-bill-ai-outlines-grid.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 08 Jun 2026 17:20:02 EDT news700156801 When people think about offshore wind farms, they usually think about renewable energy. But between the turbines, another valuable resource could be produced: food. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-offshore-farms-frontier-sustainable-food.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 08 Jun 2026 13:40:03 EDT news700143815 The state of New York could meet its goal of building 46 gigawatts of large-scale solar by midcentury, but not without making difficult choices in how land is used across the state. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-renewable-energy-sources-rethinking-agriculture.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 08 Jun 2026 13:00:08 EDT news700141322 Researchers from Swansea University are celebrating their role in a major aviation milestone following the successful completion of a four-year international program led by Rolls-Royce and easyJet to demonstrate hydrogen as a viable aviation fuel. The program has culminated in a world-first achievement: a modern aero engine running on 100% hydrogen at full takeoff power, proving the potential of hydrogen to play a transformative role in future zero-carbon aviation. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-hydrogen-viable-aviation-fuel.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 08 Jun 2026 12:00:04 EDT news700135877 The Reliability Research Center of the Virtual Engineering Platform Research Division at the Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials (KIMM) participated as a key research partner in the publication of the report titled "Safety Review of Hydrogen-Fueled Ships," conducted in collaboration with the Korean Register. The report is a comprehensive technical document that systematically presents safety considerations, international regulations and risk mitigation measures for hydrogen-fueled ships. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-roadmap-hydrogen-ship-safety-standards.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 08 Jun 2026 11:00:02 EDT news700133457 The dyes used in the clothing industry almost always come from fossil-fuel-based chemicals. In the long term, this will not be sustainable. In Sweden, scientists in the EU research project Locality are exploring whether algae can provide a more sustainable way to dye textiles. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-algae-textile-dyes-sustainable-future.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 08 Jun 2026 10:40:11 EDT news700132221 Electric vehicle batteries depend on many critical metals, and their recycling must be made as efficient as possible in Europe. A new research report examines the key challenges and new opportunities that either hinder or enable improved battery recycling in Europe. The study, conducted by the Environmental Policy Research Group at the University of Eastern Finland, highlights the importance of European battery and automotive industry stakeholders and the need for stronger corporate cooperation, particularly in building recycling facilities. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-recycling-electric-vehicle-batteries-europe.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 08 Jun 2026 10:00:02 EDT news700131374 The Catalysis Engineering Group at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) has developed a new robust process for the recycling of mixed plastics waste. A newly developed pilot plant aims to demonstrate how this can be transformed into valuable resources, supporting the transition toward a circular economy. The pilot plant will be put to the test in Spain, processing real municipal plastics waste. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-catalytic-plastic-oil.html Engineering Sat, 06 Jun 2026 08:00:03 EDT news699720338 Aviation is one of the sectors that contributes most to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change on Earth. One proposed strategy for mitigating or counterbalancing the effects of these emissions is to substitute existing jet fuel with a more sustainable alternative made from plastic waste, another source of pollution on Earth. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-plastic-yields-jet-fuel-kilogram.html Engineering Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:20:05 EDT news699873834 Governments and car manufacturers sell electric cars as the future of green transport. But a less visible trend is challenging this story: many electric cars are getting bigger. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-electric-suv-boom-problem-climate.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 04 Jun 2026 22:40:03 EDT news699797018 A Korean research team has resolved a major durability issue in solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs), a technology that converts carbon dioxide (CO₂) into high-value chemical feedstocks. Researchers at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), led by Drs. Min-Chul Kim, Ji Hoon Park, and Jin Hee Lee, developed a new electrolyte interface engineering technology for nickel-based SOECs. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-efficiency-durability-nickel-based-soecs.html Engineering Thu, 04 Jun 2026 21:00:05 EDT news699795485 Carbon capture is an important climate change mitigation strategy, but it faces technological barriers and can be energy-intensive and expensive. To help make necessary advances in this area, a team of MIT researchers, with support from the MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium (MCSC), are exploring energy-efficient and scalable alternatives to conventional carbon dioxide (CO2) capture methods. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-carbon-capture-flexible-electrochemical-method.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 04 Jun 2026 17:20:06 EDT news699811441 Offshore wind turbines consist of numerous welded components and are exposed to extreme loads from wind and waves at sea. These lead to cyclic stresses that particularly affect the weld seams. Until now, these have been considered a critical factor, especially for high-strength steels, since the welding process itself alters the material microstructure and generates harmful tensile residual stresses. For safety reasons, relevant regulations have so far only allowed the lightweight construction potential of these steels to be exploited to a limited extent. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-welding-filler-metals-life-offshore.html Engineering Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:40:10 EDT news699808441 A doctoral dissertation by Mikko Suorsa, to be defended at the University of Vaasa, Finland, reveals that the energy retail sector is an essential yet vulnerable part of the energy industry's value chain and of critical infrastructure. Having received comparatively little attention in cybersecurity efforts, the sector requires strengthened resilience, and the study introduces concrete methods to achieve this. It is one of the first studies to focus specifically on energy retail organizations. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-stronger-energy-retail-sector-escalating.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:20:01 EDT news699805142 Solar energy developers eyeing parts of southern New Mexico may have less to worry about than expected when it comes to dust. A new study led by University of Texas at El Paso researchers concludes that photovoltaic panels in Alamogordo—a region battered by frequent dust storms carrying particles from the White Sands gypsum dune field—lose only about 2% to 3% of their power output to dust accumulation, a rate far lower than that of solar facilities in comparable desert regions worldwide. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-prone-southwest-ideal-solar-energy.html Engineering Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:20:08 EDT news699801241 A Yale-led research team has developed the first standalone device that produces the liquid fuel methanol using only sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide as the ingredients. The artificial "leaf," like its namesake in nature, is a chemistry marvel. It brings the scientific mimicry of photosynthesis—the process of converting sunlight and water into chemical energy—to a new level, converting sunlight to methanol 32 times more efficiently than the previous conversion record for artificial leaf technologies that generate alcohol products. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-standalone-leaf-liquid-fuel-sun.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:20:01 EDT news699797941 New research has mapped a plausible scenario for how offshore wind could reshape the North Sea by 2050, showing that if all current political commitments were built, around 11% of the basin would fall within wind farm boundaries. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-offshore-potentially-north-sea.html Business Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:40:02 EDT news699795482 For the first time, researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, have found out how to determine how much carbon dioxide (CO2) from either natural or anthropogenic sources can be absorbed by special concrete production methods. This can be useful for economic tools such as carbon trading and carbon accounting, and the work could lead to similar measurement techniques for other gases of concern. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-carbon-ratios-concrete-accounting.html Engineering Thu, 04 Jun 2026 11:40:05 EDT news699790921 Researchers at Ames National Laboratory are advancing the discovery of materials for rare-earth-free permanent magnets by combining fundamental physics with artificial intelligence. The work contributes to the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Genesis Mission, which unites DOE National Labs, industry, and academia to harness AI for breakthroughs in energy, discovery science, and national security, including a focus on securing America's supply of rare earths and other critical minerals. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-ai-driven-roadmap-future-permanent.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 04 Jun 2026 11:20:07 EDT news699790083 Implementing effective monitoring measures could yield much more energy from the cable network—all without digging a single new trench. Just a dream scenario? No, it is entirely possible, say researchers. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-supercharging-grid-free-power.html Engineering Thu, 04 Jun 2026 10:40:02 EDT news699786782 Huge amounts of clothing are simply discarded, and almost nothing goes to reuse or recycling. But with sensors and artificial intelligence, textile waste can be sorted so carefully that far more could be recycled—and turned into new clothing. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-ai-discarded-fabrics-efficiently.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 04 Jun 2026 10:20:01 EDT news699786661 One argument often used to quell concerns about the rising energy and resource demand of data centers is that artificial intelligence (AI) models will need less in the future as they improve and become more efficient. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-ai-world-electricity.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:40:10 EDT news699784441 A pioneering technology capable of converting lignin, one of the world's most abundant organic compounds, into vanillin and biodegradable materials has been unveiled by the University of Alicante (UA), in collaboration with the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV). The study, published in Nature Communications, offers a sustainable method for repurposing plant waste and identifies viable alternatives to the fossil fuels that currently drive the chemical industry. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-tough-everyday-products-powered-advance.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:20:04 EDT news699711482