Energy Issues News

August 22, 2016

Electric Vehicles Help Address Climate Change

New Leaf: Scientists Turn CO2 Back Into Fuel

Breakthrough Solar Cell Produces Burnable Fuel

Scientists Unlock 'Green' Energy from Grass

Latest Headlines

updated 8:34pm EDT

Pro-Nuclear Countries Making Slower Progress on Climate Targets

Aug. 22, 2016 — A strong national commitment to nuclear energy goes hand in hand with weak performance on climate change targets, researchers have ... read more

Religious Actions Convey Pro-Social Intent, Finds Study

Aug. 22, 2016 — A new study suggests that people who participate in regular religious acts send a clear signal to others that they're ready and willing to contribute to their communities. A ... read more

Reducing Gas Flares, Pollution from Oil Production

Aug. 17, 2016 — Last year, dozens of major oil companies and oil-producing nations agreed to end the routine flaring of natural gas from wells by 2030. This burning off of uncaptured methane in addition to simply ... read more

Plug-in Hybrids Drive Electrically Half of the Time

Aug. 16, 2016 — Plug-in hybrids drive electrically with power from the grid 55% of the time. Battery electric vehicles are driven more in total and in everyday ... read more

New Residential Water Heater Concept Promises High Efficiency, Lower Cost

Aug. 15, 2016 — Scientists have developed a novel method that could yield lower-cost, higher-efficiency systems for water heating in residential buildings, outlines a new report. The newly ... read more

Let's Roll: Material for Polymer Solar Cells May Lend Itself to Large-Area Processing

Aug. 12, 2016 — An international team's findings provide important clues for designing polymer solar cells approaching target for power ... read more

Wind Power Fiercer Than Expected

Aug. 11, 2016 — As the US' first wind farm is installed in Rhode Island this week, a new study shows offshore wind may be even more powerful and turbulent than expected in the Northeast. The findings could have ... read more

Getting to Know More About Sun Storms

Aug. 10, 2016 — A violent solar eruption can disrupt Earth’s magnetic field, which in turn can interfere with power grids. Electrical power sector experts around the world are making contingency ... read more

Strategies Needed for Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Reduction

Aug. 9, 2016 — Solutions including electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, vehicle connectivity, and automation are ... read more

Study: Bioenergy Decisions Involve Wildlife Habitat and Land Use Trade-Offs

Aug. 1, 2016 — New research finds that choosing how to meet bioenergy goals means making trade-offs about which wildlife species and ecosystems will be most impacted. The work focuses on the southeastern United ... read more

The Range Of Electric Vehicles Isn't As Big A Problem As You'd Think

It's August, And We've Already Maxed Out Earth's Resources For 2016

Shifting from Russia, Ukraine Strikes US Nuclear Fuel Deal

This Vietnamese Slum Gets Electricity From Plastic Buckets

Researchers Investigate Environmental Movements and Neoliberalism

Aug. 22, 2016 — Recent dynamics of global environmentalism, ranging from indigenous people's rights to the reliance on non-governmental organizations, have been marked by a resurgence in environmental movements ... read more

World Should Consider Limits to Future Internet Expansion to Control Energy Consumption

Aug. 11, 2016 — The world should consider ways to limit data growth on the internet to prevent run-away energy consumption and help limit carbon emissions, say leading computer ... read more

Waste from Test Fracking Wells Safe to Be on Highways, Research Concludes

July 29, 2016 — Researchers studied drilling wastes produced at two research wells near Morgantown and found they are well below federal guidelines for radioactive or hazardous ... read more

Students Build the World's Lightest Electric Paraglider Trike

July 29, 2016 — A group of students has tackled an engineering challenge by custom building lightweight aircraft inspired by paragliders and ... read more

Saharan Dust: Reliable Forecasts for Photovoltaic Output

July 27, 2016 — A hazy sky and dirty cars are well-known consequences of Saharan dust carried to Europe by air currents. As part of the “PerduS” project, researchers are currently examining how dust – as haze ... read more

Watering Solar Cells Makes Them Grow in Power

July 27, 2016 — Perovskite solar cells are the rising star in the photovoltaic landscape. Since their invention, less than ten years ago, their efficiency has doubled twice and it is now over 22% -- an astonishing ... read more

Developing Reliable Renewable Energy Sources

July 25, 2016 — As the world’s population continues to grow, so does our consumption of natural resources. Many of these resources are non-renewable, so research into renewable sources of energy is vital. New ... read more

Unlocking the Secret to Cheaper Solar Power

July 25, 2016 — As climate change garners more attention around the world, scientists have made critical advances in understanding the physical properties of an emerging class of solar cells that have the potential ... read more

Designing a Geothermal Drilling Tool That Can Take the Heat

July 21, 2016 — A drilling tool that will withstand the heat of geothermal drilling has now been developed by scientists. The downhole hammer attaches to the end of a column of drill pipe and cuts through rock with ... read more

Policy Makers Must Act to Reduce Energy Drinks Consumption by Children, Adolescents, Says New Report

July 21, 2016 — UK policy makers must act against excessive energy drinks consumption by children and young people, argues a new ... read more

The Future of Perovskite Solar Cells Has Just Got Brighter, Come Rain or Shine

July 18, 2016 — A team of researchers has found a new method to improve not only the efficiency, but stability and humidity tolerance of perovskite solar cells. The scientists have designed a hydrophobic conducting ... read more

Researchers Discover Key Mechanism for Producing Solar Cells

July 18, 2016 — Researchers have reported the first explanation for how a class of materials changes during production to more efficiently absorb light, a critical step toward the large-scale manufacture of better ... read more

New Tool Calculates Emissions Impacts, Energy Benefits from Smart Grid Investments

July 15, 2016 — A free, web-based tool estimates the emissions impacts associated for companies considering adopting various smart grid ... read more

Modeling Predicts Which Counties Could Store More Carbon in Soil by Growing Bioenergy Crops

July 13, 2016 — To help stakeholders in government and business make smart decisions about the best types of land and local climates for planting bioenergy crops, researchers are using computational modeling to ... read more

Solar Panels Study Reveals Impact on Earth

July 13, 2016 — Researchers have produced the first detailed study of the impact of solar parks on the environment, opening the door to smarter forms of farming and better land ... read more

Microalgae: Promising Future Resource?

July 13, 2016 — New technological developments allow for a significant decrease in the resources necessary for microalgae production. This could lead to an increase in the use of microalgae in a wide range of ... read more

Bats Take Dangerous Flight Into the Wind Farm

July 8, 2016 — Wind turbines attract bats. They seem to appear particularly appealing to female noctule bats in early summer. In a pilot study, researchers noticed this when they tracked the flight paths of noctule ... read more

Watery Roadblock in the Pathway to Biofuels

July 7, 2016 — Removing oxygen atoms is vital to turning biomass into biofuels. Scientists discovered how water interferes with two oxygen-removal paths by creating a highly stable intermediate that costs energy to ... read more

How Solar Energy Can Be Transformed Into Fuel

July 7, 2016 — A new study look into the quest for sustainable fuel, and how solar energy can be transformed into exactly this. The new procedure uses the sun's thermal energy to convert carbon dioxide and ... read more

Neural Networks to Obtain Synthetic Petroleum

July 6, 2016 — A research group has made progress in obtaining bio-oils and raw materials from biomass using its patented reactor. Biomass is one of the main sources of energy and heat in the field of renewable ... read more

Monday, August 22, 2016