Energy Policy News

September 23, 2016

What's the Impact of the VW Emissions Cheat?

Converting Carbon Dioxide Gas Into Fuel

Methane Leaks: New Way to Find and Fix

Oil Spills: Industry Self-Monitoring Is Failing

Latest Headlines

updated 1:15am EDT

When Hackers Turn out the Lights

Sep. 16, 2016 — The development of the smart power grid and the smart meter in our homes to accompany it brings several benefits, such as improved delivery and more efficient billing. Conversely, any digital, ... read more

Supply Chain of Medical Imaging Compound, Molybdenum-99, Changed; Severe Shortages Predicted

Sep. 12, 2016 — Although the current supply of molybdenum-99 and technetium-99m -- isotopes used worldwide in medical diagnostic imaging -- is sufficient to meet ... read more

New Tools Assess the Future of Wind Power

Sep. 13, 2016 — The largest expert survey yet on any energy technology, in this case wind energy, has been completed by researchers. Wind power costs are expected to continue falling for the next several decades, ... read more

Couple Solar Panels With Lead-Acid Batteries to Increase Electricity Self-Sufficiency in Households

Sep. 12, 2016 — Couple solar panels with lead-acid batteries to increase electricity self-sufficiency in households, say investigators. Their simulations reveal that ... read more

Insights from Higher Wind and Solar Generation in Eastern Grid, USA

Sep. 6, 2016 — A new study used high-performance computing capabilities and innovative visualization tools to model, in unprecedented detail, how the power grid of the eastern United States could operationally ... read more

Saskatchewan Uranium Mining Emits Few Greenhouse Gases, Study Shows

Sep. 8, 2016 — The mining and milling of Canadian uranium contributes very few greenhouse gases to nuclear power’s already low emissions, a research group ... read more

Aerosol Emissions in East Asia Driven by Consumption in Developed Countries

Sep. 6, 2016 — Much of the influence on climate from air pollution in East Asia is driven by consumption in the developed countries of Western Europe and North America, according to research by atmospheric ... read more

New Tool Can Calculate Renewable Energy Output Anywhere in the World

Sep. 6, 2016 — An interactive web tool to estimate the amount of energy that could be generated by wind or solar farms at any location has now been created by ... read more

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

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

Feds Release First Automated Car Guidelines

Why China Keeps Firing Up More Coal Plants

US Opens Up Skies for Commercial Drone Operators

Sorry, Solar City: Solar Power Still Isn't Competitive

Assessing Health Risks from Oil and Gas Operations

Sep. 15, 2016 — A new study of air pollutant emissions from northern Front Range oil and gas operations has been presented to state officials in ... read more

US Should Act to Support Innovation in Increasingly Clean Electric Power Technologies

Sep. 8, 2016 — A new report urges Congress, federal and state agencies, and regulatory institutions to significantly increase their support for innovation for what the report's study committee calls ... 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

Idle Hands: New and Improved Idlebox Tool to Aid in Reduction of Idling

July 26, 2016 — IdleBox, an electronic education and outreach toolkit aimed at promoting idling reduction across the country, has now been relauned. The new IdleBox is now available to anyone seeking an ... read more

Effective Monitoring to Evaluate Ecological Restoration in the Gulf of Mexico

July 26, 2016 — To improve and ensure the efficacy of restoration efforts in the Gulf of Mexico following Deepwater Horizon -- the largest oil spill in US history -- a new report recommends a set of best practices ... 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

Modern Off-Grid Lighting Could Create 2 Million New Jobs in Developing World

July 19, 2016 — Many households in impoverished regions around the world are starting to shift away from inefficient and polluting fuel-based lighting -- such as candles, firewood, and kerosene lanterns -- to ... read more

Partially Automated Cars Provide Enough Benefits to Warrant Widespread Adoption

July 18, 2016 — Engineering researchers have concluded that the public could derive economic and social benefits today if safety-oriented, partially automated vehicle technologies were deployed in all cars. The ... 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

Genetically Improving Sorghum for Production of Biofuel

July 13, 2016 — The bioenergy crop sorghum holds great promise as a raw material for making environmentally friendly fuels and chemicals that offer alternatives to petroleum-based products. Sorghum can potentially ... read more

Sources, Occurrence Rate of Groundwater Methane in Colorado's Denver-Julesburg Basin

July 11, 2016 — The rate of groundwater contamination due to natural gas leakage from oil and gas wells has remained largely unchanged in northeastern Colorado's Denver-Julesburg Basin since 2001, according to ... read more

Engineering E. Coli for Biofuel, Bioproduct Production

July 7, 2016 — Researchers developed an alternative fatty acid synthase (FAS) system in which enzymes from other organisms work with the native FAS in <i>E. coli</i> to improve the microbe’s capacity ... read more

Coal to Solar: Retraining the Energy Workforce

June 24, 2016 — As the solar industry booms, coal workers have the opportunity to pursue new work. A new study looks at what it takes to retrain underground skills for sunnier ... read more

How China Can Ramp Up Wind Power

June 20, 2016 — China has an opportunity to massively increase its use of wind power -- if it properly integrates wind into its existing power system, according to a new study. The research forecasts that wind power ... read more

LED Technology Used in Indonesia to Monitor Safety at Construction Sites

June 17, 2016 — A safety monitoring method called On-Site Visualization has been implemented in metro system construction sites in Jakarta, Indonesia as part of a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) ... read more

China's Big Investment to Fix Environmental Wrongs Shows Both People, Nature Can Win

June 16, 2016 — China's massive investment to mitigate the ecosystem bust that has come in the wake of the nation's economic boom is paying off. An international group of scientists finds both humans and ... read more

Sustainability Criteria for Transport Biofuels Need Improvements

June 14, 2016 — In its Renewable Energy Directive, the European Union has set a 10% goal for the use of renewable energy in transport by 2020. Only biofuels meeting certain sustainability criteria are included in ... read more

Storage Technologies for Renewable Energy Can Pay Off

June 13, 2016 — Storage systems can make economic sense for renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, according to new ... read more

Climate Consequences of Oil Price Uncertainty Could Be Significant

June 13, 2016 — Oil prices can have a major impact on the types and quantities of energy sources used -- and thus on greenhouse gas emissions. A new study is the first to quantify the energy and emissions impacts of ... read more

Thursday, September 15, 2016