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. Researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso have developed a way to 3D-print an essential battery component in nearly any shape. Their innovation could free engineers from the constraints of standard rechargeable battery sizes and allow energy storage to be built directly into the devices the batteries power. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-3d-battery-electrolyte-devices-power.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 30 Jun 2026 12:20:10 EDT news702039001 Data centers, whose expansion is being fueled dramatically by the artificial intelligence boom, have a far bigger carbon footprint than previously estimated, a study said Tuesday. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-centers-emit.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 30 Jun 2026 12:01:20 EDT news702039641 One of our biggest "to-dos" on the path to net-zero is transportation. Electric vehicles are replacing internal combustion engines; public transit is expected to grow, while private vehicle use is likely to decrease. Buses are a particularly attractive option for expanding public transportation: Unlike railways, they require virtually no new infrastructure. If private vehicle use declines at the same time as bus capacity expands, existing roads will have enough space to accommodate additional buses. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-retrofitting-diesel-buses-electricity.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 30 Jun 2026 11:20:01 EDT news702037021 The key to making longer-lasting electric vehicle batteries may not be specialized materials or new chemistry, but simple physical pressure, according to new research. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-physical-pressure-ev-batteries-environmental.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 30 Jun 2026 11:00:08 EDT news702035581 Splitting hydrogen from water molecules via electrolysis requires energy, which ideally comes from renewable energy sources. Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have developed a combined photovoltaic/electrolysis module that efficiently produces hydrogen directly from solar energy. To do this, the water molecule is split using the high photovoltage of multi-junction solar cells, which in turn are electrically and thermally connected to electrolyzer cells. A demonstrator from the research team tested outdoors converted up to 31.3% of solar energy into chemical energy, based on the higher heating value of hydrogen. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-efficient-production-solar-hydrogen-coupling.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 29 Jun 2026 19:00:05 EDT news701946106 In order for new nuclear power plants to be competitive in the future, the government would have to support nuclear energy—alongside renewables—and bear a portion of the financial risks. In return, new nuclear power plants could reduce electricity imports during winter. These are the conclusions drawn by a white paper from ETH Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI). https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-nuclear-power-worth-switzerland.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 29 Jun 2026 17:40:10 EDT news701954800 Wave energy has long been seen as a promising source of clean electricity. The ocean is always moving, and that motion carries a huge amount of energy. But many wave energy devices have one important limitation: They do not naturally move in sync with ocean waves. When that happens, they capture less power. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-simple-tune-energy-devices-higher.html Engineering Mon, 29 Jun 2026 17:00:05 EDT news701969821 Storing solar and wind energy to meet the increasing power needs of the electrical grid calls for devices that can deliver power quickly, recharge quickly and last for decades at low cost. A new study led by UCLA has uncovered a technology that could meet all these criteria: a zinc-ion hybrid battery with a 3D-printed electrode that stores more than seven times the charge of similar hybrids. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-team-3d-zinc-ion-hybrid.html Engineering Mon, 29 Jun 2026 15:40:13 EDT news701965741 Working with car companies, battery developers and policymakers, University of Michigan researchers have developed a framework to help stakeholders navigate toward a future with better, more affordable and more sustainable electric vehicles. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-offs-ev-batteries.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 29 Jun 2026 12:40:05 EDT news701953441 A plastic bottle tossed into a recycling bin could one day help power an electric vehicle, smartphone or renewable energy storage system, according to a team of Penn State researchers. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-plastic-bottles-life-batteries-graphite.html Engineering Mon, 29 Jun 2026 11:00:05 EDT news701947741 Concrete, although the most common building material in the world, is brittle and can easily crack under tension. Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is a special class of concrete known for its dense structure and extreme durability. This class uses internal metallic fibers to flex and resist cracking—the downside being these fibers can lead the material to cost up to 30 times more than traditional concrete. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-approach-slash-price-ultra-durable.html Engineering Mon, 29 Jun 2026 07:00:03 EDT news701928841 The reactors at Europe's oldest nuclear plant were shut down Friday, its Swiss operator said, after the heat wave roasting Europe sent temperatures soaring in the river used for cooling. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-swiss-nuclear-due.html Energy & Green Tech Sat, 27 Jun 2026 08:40:01 EDT news701762705 Researchers at the Institute of Advanced Materials (INAM) and the Department of Physical Chemistry at the Universitat Jaume I of Castelló, led by researcher Marcileia Zanatta, have developed a new class of absorbents for the efficient capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the air, as well as from other dilute gas streams. A Spanish patent application has been filed for this invention, and partners are being sought for the commercial exploitation of the salts and capture methods, the industrial scale-up of the process, and its validation in real operating environments. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-class-absorbents-capture-air-subsequently.html Energy & Green Tech Fri, 26 Jun 2026 20:40:01 EDT news701697132 The number of U.S. data centers is growing, largely to power artificial intelligence programs. That has led to concern about the environmental consequences of data centers—and their impact on the energy grid itself. What will happen if scores of new data centers come online? https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-shifting-center-power-peak-hours.html Energy & Green Tech Fri, 26 Jun 2026 14:00:05 EDT news701701141 Air conditioning is increasingly the go-to when heat waves strike. However, not only does this lead to more emissions, it also puts increasing strain on the electricity grid—even culminating in deadly blackouts. On paper, solar panels would seem like the perfect solution: clean energy derived directly from the sun and readily available in the hottest summer months. But just how beneficial can they be? A new CMCC-led study has quantified the benefits of rooftop solar in reducing grid electricity consumption in Italy, revealing that expanded solar adoption could offset roughly half of the climate-driven increase in grid electricity uptake for cooling. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-air-conditioning-blackouts-quantifying-real.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 25 Jun 2026 18:00:08 EDT news701609090 An international research has developed a membrane technology that could significantly reduce the energy required for crude oil refining by replacing part of the century-old distillation process. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-energy-membrane-crude-oil-room.html Engineering Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:40:01 EDT news701624041 The research team of Professor Wang Mingtai at the Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, developed a low-temperature solution-processing strategy for fabricating CuInS2 thin-film solar cells and achieved a CuInS2 solar cell with an efficiency of up to 12.28%. Their findings were published in Joule. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-temperature-cuins-solar-cells-edge.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:20:05 EDT news701622901 Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) could conquer the mass market within a few years, perhaps even being produced in Europe. Their large-scale production is highly cost-effective, and unlike silicon solar cells, their production is less energy-intensive. However, perovskite solar cells ideally need to achieve decades-long warranties, which remains a challenge. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-perovskite-solar-cells-decades-durability.html Engineering Thu, 25 Jun 2026 11:00:01 EDT news701603206 Hydrogen is an efficient energy carrier that can be used to store large amounts of energy over long periods. It can also be used as a fuel and as a feedstock in a range of industries, including ammonia, cement and steel manufacturing. In fuel cells, the only byproduct is water, making hydrogen an important component of the transition toward renewable energy sources. Today, however, global hydrogen production still relies predominantly on fossil fuels. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-guidelines-photocatalytic-hydrogen-production.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 25 Jun 2026 09:20:03 EDT news701596184 The metals from batteries can be recovered in a more sustainable way, with improved safety and without compromising efficiency, claim researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, who recently published a study in RSC Sustainability that investigated whether fossil-based chemicals used in metal recovery can be replaced with alternatives produced from renewable biomass. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-battery-recycling-safer-greener-renewable.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 25 Jun 2026 09:00:11 EDT news701595661 Hydrogen can become a clever way to store renewable energy and power fuel cells—but this introduces the problem of what can store this hydrogen, in turn. Metal hydrides—solids that absorb hydrogen into their crystal structures—are promising candidates to safely hold large amounts of hydrogen and release it when needed. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-ai-physics-blueprint-hydrogen-storage.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 25 Jun 2026 08:40:03 EDT news701593658 Although electrified versions of vans, buses and semis cost more upfront on average than their diesel-powered counterparts, the overall calculus behind adopting greener vehicles is currently in flux. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-batteries-fuel-cells-overhaul-emissions.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 25 Jun 2026 05:00:05 EDT news701452081 Next-generation electronic devices like newer computers and other high-power devices require more energy to run. When they are working hard, the intense heat they generate can limit their performance and reliability. That's why scientists are trying to find better and more sustainable materials to help cool devices down. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-bacteria-based-cooling-material-electronics.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 24 Jun 2026 17:40:05 EDT news701539981 While biomethane is flowing into homes across the U.S., Asia and Europe, a renewable replacement for natural gas has yet to reach its full potential in Australia. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-biomethane-renewable-natural-gas.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 24 Jun 2026 17:20:01 EDT news701525844 A growing demand for energy storage is pushing lithium-ion batteries to their limits, advancing next-generation technologies through innovative materials research. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-lithium-ion-limits.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 24 Jun 2026 16:20:10 EDT news701535903 Researchers have demonstrated how to use the power of the sun to turn plastic waste, such as drink bottles, into clean hydrogen fuel at a scale large enough to be genuinely useful in the real world, using a scalable approach. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-scientists-solar-powered-plastic-recycling.html Engineering Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:00:04 EDT news701523180 As the world tries to curb human-caused climate change and not run dry of water, every online query is increasing our environmental footprint and exacerbating the problem. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-ai-energy-hog-counter.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 24 Jun 2026 11:00:13 EDT news701517556 Cities hold the key to accelerating the transition to electric freight and boosting energy security, new analysis from C40 Cities, University of Exeter and Arup reveals. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-electric-trucks-closer-cities.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 24 Jun 2026 10:00:01 EDT news701513342 It is the second day of a massive heat wave. Across the region, thermostats are cranked, air conditioners are laboring, and wind turbines have gone still. Without warning, a summer storm moves in, and the solar generation energy markets were counting on vanishes behind clouds. The heat saps the efficiency of conventional generators, too, and blackouts begin rolling through neighborhoods. People look up from their phones, annoyed and sweating, and wonder: Why isn't there enough power? Can't they just make more? https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-grid.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 23 Jun 2026 19:20:03 EDT news701440193 The active involvement of citizens, stakeholders and municipalities is essential for the success of the energy transition. Digital participation platforms promise broader access to planning processes. However, a new study, published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, calls for a fundamental shift in how digital participation is implemented, arguing that it should be conceived as a comprehensive infrastructure supporting the entire planning process, rather than simply a collection of communication tools. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-digital-aid-energy-transition.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 23 Jun 2026 17:40:02 EDT news701440385