Energy and Climate Change


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.

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.

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.

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.

Smart Meters Make U.K. Community More Energy-Efficient

The utility could provide individuals their energy-usage information in real time, which enabled them to make informed choices to reduce their electricity demand.

Father and Son to Cross Country on a Light Bulb's Worth of Energy

How far will a parent go to convince their child to stop leaving lights on around the house? For inventor and journalist Pierce Hoover, the answer is 4,000 miles.

Researchers Look at Energy-Efficient Programming to Curb Computers' Power Use

Researchers have created a system, called EnergJ, that reduces energy consumption in simulations by up to 50 percent, and has the potential to cut energy by as much as 90 percent.

Taking the Waste out of Nuclear Waste

While spent nuclear fuel continues to pile up by the ton across the United States, UC Irvine’s Mikael Nilsson says the solution is clear: recycle it at the commercial nuclear power plants that create it.

Vermont Enacts Registration Program for Small Solar Installations

H.56, signed into law by Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin May 25, establishes a registration process for solar systems 5kW and smaller.

Army Showcases Quantum Hybrid at Indy 500

The U.S. Army's Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) demonstrated the Clandestine Extended Range Vehicle (CERV) as part of special events ramping up to the Indianapolis 500. The U.S. Army labeled the CERV as one of the "greenest technologies" and demonstrated how its advanced hybrid electric powertrain developed by Quantum Fuel Systems Worldwide Inc. and TARDEC saves taxpayer dollars and soldiers' lives.

EPA's GreenChill Program Works to Revolutionize Supermarket Refrigeration

Supermarkets are among the most energy-intensive buildings around, and refrigeration uses more than half of that energy. That doesn't even include the harm that leaking refrigerants cause to the ozone layer. EPA's GreenChill program works with companies and their refrigeration engineers across the country to help program participants lower their refrigeration emissions of all kinds.

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