Energy and the Environment News

December 28, 2024

Top Headlines

Taking a Cue from Lightning, Eco-Friendly Reactor Converts Air and Water Into Ammonia

Dec. 19, 2024 — Taking inspiration from how nature --including lightning -- produces ammonia, a team has developed a reactor that produces the chemical commodity from nitrogen in the air and water, without any ...

Step Forward in Generating Solar-Powered Hydrogen

Dec. 17, 2024 — Another advance has been made by experts in nano-scale chemistry to propel further development of sustainable and efficient generation of hydrogen from water using solar power. Experts have now identified a novel solar cell process to potentially ...

Breakthrough New Material Brings Affordable, Sustainable Future Within Grasp

Dec. 20, 2024 — Researchers have developed a new material for sodium-ion batteries, sodium vanadium phosphate, that delivers higher voltage and greater energy capacity than previous sodium-based materials. This ...

Geothermal Aquifers Offer Green Potential but Quality Checks Required

Dec. 20, 2024 — A research team has revealed that to use the aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system safely over the long term it is crucial to investigate the groundwater quality before operating the system and to continuously monitor the water ...

Latest Headlines

updated 4:52pm EST

Scientists Solving Meteorological Mysteries on Mars

Dec. 19, 2024 — Scientists are changing our understanding of climate and weather on Mars and providing critical insights into Earth's atmospheric processes as ...

Breakthrough in Photochemical Water Oxidation: Paving the Way for Sustainable Energy

Dec. 18, 2024 — Water oxidation offers a promising path to achieve sustainable energy by efficiently generating oxygen. This study investigates how optimizing Ru(II) ...

Significant Advancement Made in Engineering Biology and Clean Energy

Dec. 17, 2024 — Engineers have reported a significant advancement in engineering biology and clean energy. A team of researchers has developed an innovative light-driven hybrid nanoreactor that merges natural ...

Training Solar Panels to Dance With the Wind

Dec. 17, 2024 — Researchers propose a unique numerical decision-making framework for solar panel protection against extreme weather conditions. The framework combines advanced wind simulations with machine learning ...

Electric Vehicle Transition Could Create Unwanted Air Pollution Hotspots in China and India

Dec. 16, 2024 — New research has uncovered a potential unintended consequence of the electric vehicle transition in India and China, finding that sulfur dioxide ...

A New, More Economical and Sustainable Material Is Designed That Uses Sunlight to Decontaminate the Air

Dec. 11, 2024 — Researchers have designed a new compound to remove nitrogen oxides, which constitutes a step towards the development of a system to purify the air ...

It's Worth Mixing It Up: What Combination of Policies Will Lead to a Clean Energy Future?

Dec. 16, 2024 — How can we ensure that as many households as possible adopt not only solar panels, but also their own battery to store solar energy, a heat pump, and ...

New Concept for Sustainable Fuel Cell Polymer Electrolytes Overcomes Barriers in High-Temperature, Low-Humidity Use, Advancing Net-Zero Carbon Goals

Dec. 10, 2024 — A research group has developed a new design for the electrolytes used in fuel cells. The material complies with environmental regulations and ...

New Device Produces Critical Fertilizer Ingredient from Thin Air, Cutting Carbon Emissions

Dec. 13, 2024 — A new prototype device demonstrates an innovative approach to producing ammonia -- a key component of fertilizer -- that could transform an industry ...

Breakthrough in Zinc-Based Rechargeable Batteries: A Safer, Sustainable Alternative

Dec. 11, 2024 — Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries power everything from electric vehicles to wearable devices. But new research suggests that a more sustainable and ...

Study Urges Canada to Build Solar Power Mega-Projects

Dec. 11, 2024 — Canada should focus on building mass utility-scale solar mega-projects to kickstart its green energy transition, according to a new report. The recommendation comes from a new article which looks at ...

From Chip Shop to Pit Stop -- Scientists Make Old Cooking Oil Biofuel as Efficient as Diesel

Dec. 6, 2024 — A new way to produce fuels made from leftover fat can create biofuel as effective as diesel and 1000-times more efficiently than current methods a new study has ...

So You Want to Build a Solar or Wind Farm? Here's How to Decide Where

Dec. 6, 2024 — A new study shows the benefits of coordinating the siting of solar farms, wind farms, and storage systems, taking into account local and temporal variations in wind, sunlight, and energy demand. This ...

Researchers: If Power-to-X Is to Be a Real Climate Solution, the State Needs to Use the Stick

Dec. 5, 2024 — Despite the massive hype surrounding Power-to-X (PtX), most of the world's announced green hydrogen projects lack financing. The market is deemed far too risky by stakeholders. And, there are ...

How Non-Toxic and Efficient Solar Cells Can Be Produced

Dec. 4, 2024 — Large-scale production of organic solar cells with high efficiency and minimal environmental impact. In the study, the researchers studied molecule shape and interaction in organic solar ...

Record Efficiency: Tandem Solar Cells Made from Perovskite and Organic Material

Dec. 3, 2024 — Trying to improve the efficiency of solar cells to become independent from fossil energy sources is a major goal of solar cell research. Physicists now combine perovskite with organic absorbers to ...

Artificial Photosynthesis Learned from Nature: Successfully Developed New Solar Hydrogen Production Technology

Dec. 2, 2024 — Scientists developed next-generation energy technology to produce eco-friendly hydrogen from ingredients in ...

Predicting the Weather: New Meteorology Estimation Method Aids Building Efficiency

Nov. 26, 2024 — Researchers propose a new method to generate meteorological data that takes into account the interdependence of meteorological factors, such as temperature, humidity, and solar ...

Quantum Mechanism Identified as a Key to Accelerating Ocean Temperatures

Nov. 26, 2024 — Accelerating rates of heat uptake by oceans that don't fit current climate models can now be explained by quantum ...

Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources Will Increase Price Tag to Decarbonize the Grid

Nov. 25, 2024 — A new study warns that current plans to achieve zero emissions on the grid by 2050 vastly underestimate the required investments in generation and transmission infrastructure. The reason: these plans ...

Exploring the Impact of Offshore Wind on Whale Deaths

Nov. 21, 2024 — Scientists have presented work examining the circumstances surrounding the whale deaths off the coast of New Jersey in the winter of 2022-23, which prompted concern that survey work in the area ...

Stability of Perovskite Solar Cells Doubled With Protective Coating

Nov. 21, 2024 — Scientists have developed a new protective coating that significantly extends the life of perovskite solar cells, making them more practical for applications outside the ...

Engineering Nature's Blueprint: Dendron-Based Assemblies for Chlorophyll's Materials

Nov. 21, 2024 — Chlorophyll (a naturally occurring pigment involved in photosynthesis)-inspired molecules hold promise for developing next-generation light-harvesting materials. However, achieving precise control ...

Turning Carbon Emissions Into Methane Fuel

Nov. 20, 2024 — Chemists have developed a novel way to capture and convert carbon dioxide into methane, suggesting that future gas emissions could be converted into an alternative fuel using electricity from ...

Tapping Excess Heat from a Camp Stove for Charging Power

Nov. 20, 2024 — New research may make it possible to keep electronic devices powered with another piece of equipment you're likely to bring with you while exploring the great outdoors: camping stoves. The work ...

Thermochemical Tech Shows Promising Path for Building Heat

Nov. 19, 2024 — Energy stored in thermochemical materials can effectively heat indoor spaces, particularly in humid regions, according to ...

Perovskite Research Boosts Solar Cell Efficiency and Product Life

Nov. 19, 2024 — An international team has identified a strategy to improve both the performance and stability for solar cells made out of the 'miracle material' perovskite by mitigating a previously hidden ...

New Method of Generating Eco-Friendly Energy

Nov. 19, 2024 — Researchers have developed a new method of growing organic crystals that can be used for energy-harvesting ...

Modeling and Analysis Reveals Technological, Environmental Challenges to Increasing Water Recovery from Desalination

Nov. 18, 2024 — Using zero liquid discharge to increase water recovery from desalination is an emerging method to combat water scarcity, but is expensive, energy-intensive and comes with environmental risks. ...

Recycling Batteries With Citric Acid

Nov. 15, 2024 — A simple, highly efficient, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly process could provide a viable pathway for the sustainable recycling of depleted lithium-ion batteries (LIBs): No chemicals ...