Energy and Climate Change


For ‘Smart’ Resource Distribution Technologies, It’s a Good-News/Bad-News Situation

These findings are from the first wave of the 2011 E2 (Energy + Environment) Study. Conducted by Market Strategies twice a year, the national survey is designed to gain an understanding of Americans' attitudes and opinions about energy and energy-related issues.

A Water Purification Unit that Generates its Own Energy

A new biological water purification facility developed by Siemens generates enough methane gas to power its own operations.

Renewable Jet Fuels From Sugarcane?

Boeing, Embraer and the Inter-American Development Bank will jointly fund a sustainability analysis of producing renewable jet fuel sourced from Brazilian sugarcane.

Novel Gene Could Hold Key to Increasing Biofuel Production Efficiency

If researchers can coax yeast into processing more of the sugars found in biofuel feedstocks, they can improve the efficiency of producing renewable fuels from biomass crops like corn stover or switchgrass.

Detroit Metro Airport Installing Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

DTE Energy, a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide, recently announced that it will install four Plug-in Electric Vehicle charging stations at Detroit Metro Airport – part of a program to deploy 16 such public charging stations throughout Southeastern Michigan.

Advances in Lithium-Oxygen Batteries Could Hold More Energy in Less Space

MIT researchers have found a way to improve the energy density of a type of battery known as lithium-air (or lithium-oxygen) batteries, producing a device that could potentially pack several times more energy per pound than the lithium-ion batteries that now dominate the market for rechargeable devices in everything from cellphones to cars.

Dow Pilots Plastics-to-Energy

A Dow Plastics pilot program recovered 96 percent of potential energy from waste plastics burned to fuel an incinerator.

Examining the Safety of Next-generation Nuclear Reactors

Scientists from The University of Manchester have been selected to undertake vital safety work on the next generation of the world’s nuclear reactors.



Toxicologists Find Deepwater Horizon Crude Less Toxic to Bird Eggs After Weathering at Sea

After collecting weathered crude oil from the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, researchers at Texas Tech University have reported that only 8 to 9 percent coverage on the shells of fertilized mallard duck eggs resulted in a 50 percent mortality rate.

Farms of the Future: Bio-Oil, Biochar from Biomass

Rural landscapes of the future might have pyrolysis plants instead of grain elevators on every horizon —processing centers where farmers would bring bulky crops such as switchgrass to be made into crude oil.

Solar Panels Also Keep Buildings Cool

Those solar panels on top of your roof aren't just providing clean power, they also are cooling your house or workplace.

GM to Launch Smart Grid Pilot Program for Charging EVs

General Motors and OnStar will a pilot of smart grid solutions for electric vehicles this year, paving the way for utilities to increase energy-efficiency and offer lower charging costs to customers.

Greenstar Recycling Helps Houston Lead Green Job Economy Growth

A new study by two of the nation’s top consulting organizations that demonstrates Houston’s impressive record at creating environmentally responsible “green jobs” helps spotlight the contributions of Greenstar Recycling.

Graphite and Water: The Battery of the Future

A combination of two ordinary materials – graphite and water – could produce energy storage systems that perform on par with lithium ion batteries, but recharge in a matter of seconds and have an almost indefinite lifespan.

Fuel Cell Mobile Lighting System Featured at Space Shuttle Atlantis Launch

Fuel cells are used in the space shuttle as one component of the electrical power system, so perhaps it was appropriate that a hydrogen fuel cell-powered mobile lighting system could be seen on the grounds of the Kennedy Space Center as the Space Shuttle Atlantis launched into space last week, the 135th and final mission for the NASA Space Shuttle Program.

Rising Above The Recycling Decline

The United States is lagging behind other countries when it comes down to overall recycling efforts. As the world’s largest trash producing country at 1,609 pounds of trash per person, per year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, it raises questions why the land of opportunity isn’t taking advantage of its position to help reduce some of the Earth’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Tsunami Airglow Signature Could Lead to Early Detection System

Researchers at the University of Illinois have recorded an airglow signature in the upper atmosphere produced by a tsunami using a camera system based in Maui, Hawaii.

Thomas Edison Descendants Support Choice in Bulbs: "Technology Changes. Embrace It"

Four direct descendants of Thomas Edison, the man who invented the incandescent light bulb 132 years ago, strongly oppose a House vote seeking to limit consumer choice and block progress on more modern, more energy-efficient bulbs.

Researchers to Study Effect of CO2 Injection on Geological Formations

In a test project, researchers plan to inject some 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide into a coalbed methane field in southwest Virginia, at a site that is not suitable for underground mining purposes.

Desalinating Seawater with Minimal Energy Use

At a pilot facility in Singapore, Siemens has cut the energy needed to desalinate seawater by more than 50 percent.