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First Solar Achieves Record 18.6% Aperture Efficiency for CdTe PV Modules

A third Nova Scotian company has secured a multi-million dollar contract with the Cape Sharp Tidal project, which has potential to be the first grid-connected tidal array in the world.

From First Solar, Inc. 17 Jun 2015

Researchers Develop New Method for Converting Squalene to Gasoline or Jet Fuel

A new method of converting squalene, which is produced by microalgae, to gasoline or jet fuel, has been developed by the research group of Professor Keiichi Tomishige and Dr. Yoshinao Nakagawa from Tohoku University's Department of Applied Chemistry, and Dr. Hideo Watanabe from the University of Tsukuba.

16 Jun 2015

Uranium-Breathing Bacteria Could Clean Polluted Groundwater at Uranium Ore Processing Sites

A strain of bacteria that "breathes" uranium may hold the key to cleaning up polluted groundwater at sites where uranium ore was processed to make nuclear weapons.

16 Jun 2015

New Strategy to Guide Consumers to Choose Green Energy

Convincing people to buy into green, renewable energy plans could be as simple as making it their default option, suggests a new study co-authored by a Stanford behavioral economist.

16 Jun 2015

VCU Researchers to Use Newly Developed Metrics to Study Impact of Ecosystems on Climate

For decades, scientists have relied on an established formula to measure the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on climate change.

16 Jun 2015

Energy Biosciences Institute Researchers Develop Process for Drop-in Aviation Biofuel

The problem is simple to understand. Molecules of carbon and other greenhouse gases absorb heat. The more greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere, the warmer the atmosphere becomes, exacerbating global climate change.

16 Jun 2015

New Computations to Help Climate Scientists Monitor Evolution of CO2 in Atmosphere

How light of different colours is absorbed by carbon dioxide (CO2) can now be accurately predicted using new calculations developed by a UCL-led team of scientists. This will help climate scientists studying Earth's greenhouse gas emissions to better interpret data collected from satellites and ground stations measuring CO2.

16 Jun 2015

NTNU Membrane-Based Technology Holds Promise for Full-Scale CO2 Capture in Cement Factories

The cement industry is one of the largest sources worldwide of carbon emissions, accounting for around five per cent of global emissions. New technologies being developed by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology may help substantially lower these emissions.

15 Jun 2015

Rising Carbon Dioxide Levels Lead to Low Nitrogen Content in Crops

The rapidly rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere affect plants’ absorption of nitrogen, which is the nutrient that restricts crop growth in most terrestrial ecosystems. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have now revealed that the concentration of nitrogen in plants’ tissue is lower in air with high levels of carbon dioxide, regardless of whether or not the plants’ growth is stimulated. The study has been published in the journal Global Change Biology.

15 Jun 2015

Novel Energy Efficient Façade Increases Comfort and Reduces Energy Bills

Using a novel energy efficient façade improves the comfort of residents while saving them money

15 Jun 2015

TAML Catalysts Demonstrate Potential to Remove Dangerous Endocrine Disruptors from Wastewater

Catalysts created by Carnegie Mellon University chemist Terrence J. Collins effectively and safely remove a potent and dangerous endocrine disruptor from wastewater.

15 Jun 2015

Flisom Inaugurates 15MW Pilot Production Plant in Niederhasli

The figures are impressive: from 15 to 55 employees in just over 1.5 years, a brand-new 4’500 square meter pilot production plant in Niederhasli in the outskirts of Zurich with a production capacity of 15 MW (megawatts) in installed solar energy and another financing round of CHF 10 million.

15 Jun 2015

Unsuitably Warm Temperatures Affecting Boreal Forest Growth in Interior Alaska

With warming summer temperatures across Alaska, white spruce tree growth in Interior Alaska has declined to record low levels, while the same species in Western Alaska is growing better than ever measured before.

15 Jun 2015

Amendment to Protect Deep Sea Corals Approved by Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council

An amendment has been approved by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council this week for the creation of “deep sea coral zones” in the Mid-Atlantic as a measure to protect deep sea corals that are vulnerable to damage from bottom-tending fishing gear. On approval from the Secretary of Commerce, the zones will be formed in the regions where corals have been widely found or likely to be present.

By Alessandro Pirolini 15 Jun 2015

Atmospheric Oxygen Levels Have Significantly Altered Global Climate

Variations in the amount of oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere significantly altered global climate throughout the planet’s history. Efforts to reconstruct past climates must include this previously overlooked factor, a new University of Michigan-led study concludes.

12 Jun 2015