Cleantech News

RSS

Carbon Processing in Rivers is a Bigger Component of Global Carbon Cycling

In the science world, in the media, and recently, in our daily lives, the debate continues over how carbon in the atmosphere is affecting global climate change. Studying just how carbon cycles throughout the Earth is an enormous challenge, but one Northwestern University professor is doing his part by studying one important segment -- rivers.

9 Feb 2008

Scientists Find Unexpected Chemical Behavior on Catalyst Surface

Like two ballroom dancers waltzing together, the two atoms of an oxygen molecule severed by a metal catalyst usually behave identically. But new research reveals that on a particular catalyst, split oxygen atoms act like a couple dancing the tango: one oxygen atom plants itself while the other shimmies away, probably with energy partially stolen from the stationary one.

9 Feb 2008

EPA Increases Overall Volume of Renewable Fuels Blended into Transportation Fuels

EPA is raising the 2008 renewable fuels standard (RFS), which determines how much non-petroleum fuel will power your vehicle, to 7.76 percent. The move is in response to the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA), which President Bush signed in December.

8 Feb 2008

Metabolix Develops Advanced Industrial Oilseed Crop to Produce biofuel

Metabolix, Inc., a bioscience company focused on developing clean, sustainable solutions for plastics, fuels, and chemicals, announced today that it has initiated a program to develop an advanced industrial oilseed crop to produce bioplastics.

8 Feb 2008

Developing Technology Making Wind Power as Reliable as Conventional Power

Massachusetts-based wind energy company General Compression and its compressor technology partner Mechanology are using Ricardo's automotive engineering and development expertise to develop technology which aims to make wind power as reliable as conventional power.

8 Feb 2008

IPL Begins Construction on 200 Megawatt Wind Power Farm

Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL), a subsidiary of Alliant Energy Corporation received a written decision today from the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) regarding its request for ratemaking principles pertaining to the company's proposed construction of up to 200 megawatts of wind power farms in Iowa.

8 Feb 2008

Visions for Sustainable Energy Future

Visions for a Sustainable Energy Future, a new book that investigates the future of utilities, offers author Mark Gabriel's perspective on the industry and how America can achieve sustainable energy solutions in a practical, economically feasible way.

8 Feb 2008

Constellation Energy Signed Agreement to Improve Energy Efficiency

Constellation Energy today announced it has signed an agreement with the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) to jointly pursue opportunities to lower harmful emissions and improve energy efficiency.

8 Feb 2008

Natural Processes Prevent Oceans from Warming

Natural processes may prevent oceans from warming beyond a certain point, helping protect some coral reefs from the impacts of climate change, new research finds. The study, by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), finds evidence that an ocean "thermostat" appears to be helping to regulate sea-surface temperatures in a biologically diverse region of the western Pacific.

8 Feb 2008

More Carbon Lost than Gained When Converting Land for Biofuels Crops

A new Nature Conservancy study finds that converting land for biofuel crops results in major carbon emissions, actually worsening the problem of global warming instead of mitigating it.

8 Feb 2008

Findings Have Major Implications for Climate Change Policy

Turning native ecosystems into “farms” for biofuel crops causes major carbon emissions that worsen the global warming that biofuels are meant to mitigate, according to a new study by the University of Minnesota and the Nature Conservancy.

7 Feb 2008

Generating Electricity from Walking

A new energy-capturing knee brace can generate enough electricity from walking to operate a portable GPS locator, a cell phone, a motorized prosthetic joint or an implanted neurotransmitter, research involving the University of Michigan shows.

7 Feb 2008

First Environmentally Powered Robotic Vehicle Flown Through the Ocean

Taking a page out of a science fiction story, researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Webb Research Corporation (Falmouth, Mass.) have successfully flown the first environmentally powered robotic vehicle through the ocean.

7 Feb 2008

Biofuels Bring Immediate and Long-Term Environmental Benefits

Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) Executive Vice President, Industrial & Environmental Section, Brent Erickson today released the following statement:

7 Feb 2008

Wind Circulation Linked to Global Warming

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have found that natural variability in the earth’s atmosphere could be masking the overall effect of global warming in the North Atlantic Ocean.

7 Feb 2008