https://techxplore.com/ en-us Tech Xplore internet news portal provides the latest news on electronics, technology, and engineering. In the 1960s, major oil-producing nations formed a cartel to drive up the price of oil. It worked. For decades, nations in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) have agreed to manage supply and raise prices. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-02-australia-indonesia-thermal-coal-green.html Business Sun, 08 Feb 2026 20:30:01 EST news689602756 Rare earth elements are an easy-to-find, hard-to-refine resource critical for everything from magnets and electronics to batteries and catalysts for chemical reactions. Since the 1980s, a race has been on between the United States and China for dominance of the rare earth element market—and the United States is losing. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-01-coal-tailings-states-rare-earth.html Business Thu, 08 Jan 2026 12:10:01 EST news687096354 What's the cheapest way to power Australia? Every year, CSIRO researchers and modelers seek to answer this very large question in their GenCost report. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-solar-onshore-gas-backup-cheapest.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 17 Dec 2025 11:12:41 EST news685192321 Cumberland, B.C. was built on coal mining—both literally and practically. Thousands of workers were employed and millions of tons of coal were exported over 80 years before the mines were shuttered, leaving deep holes in the ground and a deeper void in the village's economy. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-11-energy-coal.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 24 Nov 2025 07:13:25 EST news683190782 Around a quarter of UK homes lie on disused coalfields. These abandoned coal mines are flooded with water that is naturally heated by the Earth. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-11-coal-source-local-pride-northern.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 20 Nov 2025 12:37:20 EST news682864622 If you follow news about climate change, you've probably seen the term "primary energy." https://techxplore.com/news/2025-11-widely-energy-harder.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 18 Nov 2025 11:03:04 EST news682686182 Manufacturing sustainable aviation fuel with CO₂ byproducts of ethanol production could reduce carbon intensity by more than 80% compared to fossil fuels. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-11-asset-ethanol-production-jet-fuel.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 10 Nov 2025 13:15:04 EST news682002902 A large-scale trial of sustainable roof tiles by RMIT and Bristile Roofing has shown that incorporating coal ash and glass waste can reduce their carbon footprint. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-10-carbon-roof-tiles-industrial-home.html Engineering Mon, 27 Oct 2025 09:52:03 EDT news680777521 Even as coal power continues its steady decline in the United States, more than a hundred plants still have no retirement plans—a gap large enough to derail national climate goals. A new study led by UC Santa Barbara researchers offers a way forward, showing how targeted, data-driven approaches could help accelerate the transition. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-10-framework-reveals-smarter-faster-coal.html Energy & Green Tech Fri, 24 Oct 2025 13:15:05 EDT news680530501 This month, Rio Tinto announced plans to bring forward the closure of Gladstone Power Station to 2029, six years ahead of schedule. The move was welcomed by environmental groups, as Gladstone is Queensland's oldest and largest coal-fired station. It has struggled to compete with emerging renewable generation in recent years and outages have become more frequent. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-10-huge-gladstone-coal-station-problems.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 22 Oct 2025 10:53:04 EDT news680349182 Call it the China power paradox: while Beijing leads the world in renewable energy expansion, its coal projects are booming too. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-10-china-power-paradox-renewables-coal.html Energy & Green Tech Sun, 19 Oct 2025 04:40:02 EDT news680067251 Worldwide solar and wind power generation has outpaced electricity demand this year, and for the first time on record, renewable energies combined generated more power than coal, according to a new analysis. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-10-solar-power-grown-faster-electricity.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 07 Oct 2025 04:43:03 EDT news679030975 On Sept. 29, the Trump administration announced a series of actions intended to boost coal mining and electricity generation, its latest move in a government-wide effort to reverse the fuel's decline. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-09-epa-energy-interior-coal.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 30 Sep 2025 06:30:18 EDT news678432601 A recent federal policy shift toward the increased use of fossil fuels, including coal, and away from renewable sources of power, could have implications for recent declines in emissions in the U.S., particularly as Congress works to codify many of the new energy priorities of the Trump administration. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-09-federal-coal-emissions-reduction.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 23 Sep 2025 06:50:01 EDT news677828180 The race to replace coal in Indonesia, the world's largest coal exporter, has become a contest between the U.S. and China. At stake is not only Indonesia's climate future, but also which superpower sets the terms for the next generation of energy in the developing world. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-09-indonesia-energy-future-center-struggle.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 23 Sep 2025 04:13:29 EDT news677819595 Australia's energy story is at a turning point. Demand for electricity is rising rapidly as homes, industries, and transport systems electrify. The nation is also under pressure to cut emissions from its energy sector and elsewhere. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-09-cheap-power-people-shift-dial.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 11 Sep 2025 10:54:04 EDT news676806841 Welsh scientists have mapped the hidden microbes thriving in south Wales's abandoned coal mines, helping to overcome obstacles to using mine water to heat Britain's homes. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-08-welsh-microbes-homes.html Engineering Thu, 28 Aug 2025 15:13:31 EDT news675612803 Non-fossil fuels now account for half of India's installed energy capacity -- years ahead of schedule -- but the third-largest greenhouse gas polluter remains deeply reliant on coal for electricity generation. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-08-india-celebrates-energy-milestone-coal.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 20 Aug 2025 02:36:03 EDT news674876159 Solar power became the European Union's biggest single energy source for the first time in June, an energy think tank said Thursday. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-07-solar-europe-main-energy-source.html Energy & Green Tech Fri, 11 Jul 2025 04:09:50 EDT news671425787 Increased natural gas production could inadvertently slow investment in clean energy and lead to higher carbon emissions, a new paper finds. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-07-coal-countries-gas.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 03 Jul 2025 10:56:04 EDT news670758961 The U.S. Department of Energy's decision to claw back US$3.7 billion in grants from industrial demonstration projects may create an unexpected opening for American manufacturing. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-06-carbon-capture-industrial-revolution.html Engineering Mon, 23 Jun 2025 14:17:05 EDT news669907021 Disused coal mines could be refashioned to place vast fields of solar panels, a new report suggests, providing an unlikely solution to a common obstacle to uptake of the green energy source. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-06-energy-transition-coal-solar.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 18 Jun 2025 04:38:35 EDT news669440309 The massive power outage that hit the Iberian peninsula on April 28 has reignited a debate in Spain over the country's plan to phase out its nuclear reactors as it generates more power with renewable energy. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-05-spain-blackout-renewable-energy.html Energy & Green Tech Fri, 09 May 2025 04:30:08 EDT news665983387 As the world struggles to reduce climate-warming carbon emissions, India has pledged to do its part, and its success is critical: In 2023, India was the third-largest carbon emitter worldwide. The Indian government has committed to having net-zero carbon emissions by 2070. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-05-india-decarbonize-coal-electric-power.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 07 May 2025 09:14:06 EDT news665828041 Just over 74% of South Africa's electricity still comes from burning coal. In 2021, the country negotiated the Just Energy Transition Partnership with Germany, the UK, France, the US and the European Union. They committed to providing South Africa with US$8.5 billion (R157 billion) to move away from coal to renewable energy. (In March 2025, US president Donald Trump withdrew the US and its share of the funding, about US$1.5 billion, or R27.7 billion, from the arrangement.) Researcher Nqobile Xaba talks to The Conversation Africa about how the partnership is going. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-05-south-africa-shift-coal-renewables.html Business Thu, 01 May 2025 14:51:04 EDT news665329861 The Ukraine war sent shockwaves through global energy markets, driving up prices and leaving households across the UK struggling with soaring energy bills. But beneath the ground, in disused coal mines, lies a hidden resource—warm water. This underused geothermal source could be transformed into affordable, low-carbon heating for homes and businesses, especially in regions hardest hit economically by the decline of coal. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-04-uk-forgotten-coal-towns.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 15 Apr 2025 10:59:05 EDT news663933541 About 85% of South Africa's electricity is produced by burning coal. The country's move to renewable energy means that the coal industry will be phased out. To this end, the South African cabinet recently approved the country's first renewable energy masterplan, which sets out what's needed to establish new renewable energy industries. Ricardo Amansure of the Center for Sustainability Transitions researches the move towards renewable energy and how communities can benefit from this. He explains what the masterplan aims to achieve, what problems it might face, and how it can succeed. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-04-south-africa-masterplan-renewable-energy.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 14 Apr 2025 13:38:04 EDT news663856681 The Trump administration is working to lift regulations on coal-fired power plants in the hopes of making its energy less expensive. But while cost is one important aspect, utilities have a lot more to consider when they choose their power sources. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-04-coal-solar-nuclear-power-sources.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 14 Apr 2025 13:28:04 EDT news663856081 The transition to electric vehicles won't reduce carbon emissions unless countries clean up their electricity grids. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-04-global-ev.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 09 Apr 2025 10:10:07 EDT news663412202 The world added the smallest amount of new coal capacity in two decades last year, a report said Thursday, but use of the fossil fuel is still surging in China and India. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-04-coal-capacity-year.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 03 Apr 2025 04:37:05 EDT news662873820