Energy Issues News

September 9, 2016

LED-Lighting Influences the Activity of Bats

Electric Vehicles Help Address Climate Change

New Leaf: Scientists Turn CO2 Back Into Fuel

Breakthrough Solar Cell Produces Burnable Fuel

Latest Headlines

updated 1:04am EDT

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

New Perovskite Research Discoveries May Lead to Solar Cell, LED Advances

Sep. 7, 2016 — 'Promising' and 'remarkable' are two words a scientist has used to describe recent research results on organolead mixed-halide perovskites. Perovskites are optically active, ... read more

Low-Cost Solar Device Converts Sunlight to Steam in Dusty Environment

Sep. 6, 2016 — A novel, low-cost solar thermal energy conversion system has been developed that can easily generate steam from sunlight. The solar conversion system can help make ... 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

Solar Cell Is More Efficient, Costs Less Than Its Counterparts

Aug. 29, 2016 — A team of researchers has developed a new solar cell that combines two different layers of sunlight-absorbing material to harvest a broader range of the sun's energy and that ... read more

Interface Engineering for Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

Aug. 24, 2016 — The lifetime of perovskite solar cells is significantly enhanced by using few-layer MoS2 flakes as an active buffer interface layer. Researchers show that interface engineering with layered materials ... read more

Chemists Develop Promising Cheap, Sustainable Battery for Grid Energy Storage

Aug. 26, 2016 — Chemists have developed a long-lasting zinc-ion battery that costs half the price of current lithium-ion batteries and could help enable communities ... read more

New Technology May Give Electric Car Drivers More Miles Per Minute of Charging

Aug. 23, 2016 — Researchers have designed a thin plastic membrane that stops rechargeable batteries from discharging when not in use and allows for rapid recharging. ... read more

'Ideal' Energy Storage Material for Electric Vehicles Developed

Aug. 22, 2016 — The goal of a polymer dielectric material with high energy density, high power density and excellent charge-discharge efficiency for electric and hybrid vehicle use has been ... 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

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

En Route to Better Transformers

Sep. 7, 2016 — Researchers have found a way of looking inside the iron core of transformers. Transformers are indispensable in regulating electricity both in industry and in domestic households. The better their ... read more

New Step Towards Clean Energy Production from Enzymes

Sep. 1, 2016 — Oxygen inhibits hydrogenases, a group of enzymes that are able to produce and split hydrogen. This degradation is fatal for possible biotechnological applications of these enzymes for the production ... read more

Businesses That Show Commitment to Sustainability Inspire Greener Customers

Aug. 26, 2016 — Spending a little to prove a commitment to sustainability can help tourism industry businesses such as hotels inspire customers to conserve resources -- and save money in the process, according to ... 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 researcher spent two ... read more

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

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 termed ... 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 conversion efficiency and optimized for roll-to-roll ... 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

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

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

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

Wednesday, September 7, 2016