Energy and Climate Change


Let There be Light

As part of the Change the World Challenge competition sponsored by the Office of Entrepreneurship each semester, Rensselaer University students select a topic from a range of challenges with the potential to improve human life, and offer an innovative and sustainable solution to that challenge.

DOJ, Calif. Agencies File Against Greka Oil & Gas Inc. for Oil Spills

Alleging that the company violated federal and state water laws, The United States, the California Department of Fish and Game and the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Coast Region, filed a civil complaint in federal court against Greka Oil & Gas Inc. (now known as HVI Cat Canyon Inc.).

Even Green Energy Wind Farms are Bigger in Texas

Texas has a global reputation for being home to major oil and natural gas fields, but the winds of change have brought a new energy player to the Lone Star State: wind energy.

Natural Gas Taxis Heading to Los Angeles and Chicago

Two taxicab companies in Los Angeles area order nearly 120 Ford Transit Connect Taxis to operate on compressed natural gas, and 12 CNG-powered Transit Connect Taxis hit the streets of Chicago.

Expert: Shutting Down U.S. Nuclear Plants Would Have Daunting Effect on Economy, Environment

Shifting from nuclear to other types of power plants could affect the reliability of the electricity supply, electricity costs, air pollution, carbon emissions, and the reliance on fossil fuels like coal and natural gas, the researchers said.

Virginia Tech Wins EcoCAR Competition With an ExtendedRange Electric Vehicle

Students from Virginia Tech University learned last night that their teamwork, perseverance and hard work have led to top honors when they were named the overall winners of EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge after designing and building an exceptional extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) using E85 (ethanol).

Turning Hot Air into Energy Savings

A team of students from the Bourns College of Engineering at the University of California, Riverside, have been selected for a $15,000 EPA grant to develop a system that could cut electricity bills up to 16 percent by using heat from the sun and attic to operate a clothes dryer.

RGGI Auction Yields Maine $769k to Invest in Energy-Efficiency, Renewable Energy

Maine yielded $769,092 of the $25.5 million in investment created by the proceeds from the 10-state cap-and-trade collaborative’s 12th auction of carbon credits. That money will be managed by the Efficiency Maine Trust to fund programs to improve energy efficiency, accelerate the deployment of renewable energy technologies, and provide direct assistance to energy consumers.



New Biofuel Sustainability Assessment Tool and Greenhouse Gas Calculator Released

Researchers at Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, have together with their colleagues at the Swiss Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) and the HTW Berlin, Germany, developed an online tool to assess the sustainability of biofuel production.

Coal-Fired Calif. Power Plant Approved to Convert to Biomass Fuels

DTE Energy Services Inc. recently received approval from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District to convert an existing coal-fired power plant at the Port of Stockton to operate on biomass fuel.

Solar Photovoltaics Poised to Challenge Fossil Fuels: IEEE Solar Experts

Within the next 10 years, solar photovoltaic (PV) systems have the potential to be the most economical form of generating electricity, even compared to traditional fossil fuels, say solar energy experts from IEEE, the world's largest technical professional association.

Smart Grid Solutions Will Meet 20 Percent of Electricity Demand by 2020: Honeywell

Within the next decade, more than 20 percent of electrical demand in the United States is expected to be met by building operators and homeowners more effectively optimizing their energy consumption and resources in collaboration with their utilities, say energy experts at Honeywell.

Can a Greenhouse Grow Energy Savings, Too?

A grocery store, greenhouse, hotel and community college will be among a diverse group of West Coast organizations testing the next generation of fuel cells that produce both electric power and heat while saving energy, thanks to a $2.8 million combined industry and government award announced today by the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Italy Saying Goodbye to Nuclear?

Fallout from the March Fukushima nuclear plant leak reached into Italian government policy, as it now appears likely there will not be a renewed thrust toward the controversial power source anytime soon.

DVR, Cable and Satellite Boxes Waste $2 Billion of Electricity Every Year

Digital video recorders, cable and other pay-TV boxes cost American consumers $3 billion a year -- $1 billion to operate when in active use and an additional $2 billion while inactive but still running at near full power.

The Energy Debate: Coal vs. Nuclear

Researchers examine Americans' risk beliefs and preferences for coal and nuclear energy, and finds factors other than global warming and the potential for nuclear power plant accidents figure into their choices.

WHOI Leads Expedition to Measure Radioactivity from Fukushima Disaster in Pacific

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will lead the first international, multidisciplinary assessment of the levels and dispersion of radioactive substances in the Pacific Ocean off the Fukushima nuclear power plant—a research effort funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

IEA Report Explores Potential for ‘Golden Age’ for Natural Gas

. The new report, part of the World Energy Outlook 2011 series, examines the key factors that could result in a more prominent role for natural gas in the global energy mix, and the implications for other fuels, energy security, and climate change.

University Licenses Innovative Process to Convert Natural Gas to Clean Synthetic Fuel

The University of Texas at Arlington and 1st Resource Group Inc. will commercialize a new, efficient process for converting natural gas to clean, synthetic fuel at a cost lower than current market rates.

Methane Gas From Cows: The Proof is in the Poo

Scientists could have a revolutionary new way of measuring how much of the potent greenhouse gas methane is produced by cows and other ruminants, thanks to a surprising discovery in their poo.

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