Summer is the ideal season for vacations, and whether you plan to spend your days beach bumming, hiking with friends or visiting out-of-town relatives, these tips will help reduce your at-home energy consumption as much as possible while you are away.
The biggest hurdle to widespread implementation of solar power is the fact that the sun doesn't shine constantly in any given place, so backup power systems are needed for nights and cloudy days. But a novel system designed by researchers at MIT could finally overcome that problem, delivering steady power 24/7.
Researchers in the Pacific Northwest have developed a new catalyst material that could replace chemicals currently derived from petroleum and be the basis for more environmentally friendly products, including octane-boosting gas and fuel additives, bio-based rubber for tires and a safer solvent for the chemicals industry.
The agave plant has not yet been widely cultivated as a fuel source, but it promises some significant advantages over existing sources of ethanol such as sugarcane and corn.
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 new biological water purification facility developed by Siemens generates enough methane gas to power its own operations.
Boeing, Embraer and the Inter-American Development Bank will jointly fund a sustainability analysis of producing renewable jet fuel sourced from Brazilian sugarcane.
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.
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.
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.
Scientists from The University of Manchester have been selected to undertake vital safety work on the next generation of the world’s nuclear reactors.
A Dow Plastics pilot program recovered 96 percent of potential energy from waste plastics burned to fuel an incinerator.
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.
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.
Those solar panels on top of your roof aren't just providing clean power, they also are cooling your house or workplace.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.