Energy
Transitioning to a world powered by renewable energy is key to tackling climate change. Here you can find the latest good news related to our clean energy transition, covering wind, solar, green hydrogen, hydropower, and more.
New tidal energy design harvests double the energy from ocean waves
Tidal energy could soon hit record conversion efficiency thanks to a new development from scientists at Australia’s RMIT. The engineers have developed a novel design for a convertor that they claim operates with far greater efficiency than current systems. They hope the breakthrough could pave Read More...
Remote Northern Ireland island aims to become carbon neutral by 2030
A UK island has just committed to becoming carbon neutral by the end of the decade. Lying six miles off the coast of Northern Ireland, Rathlin Island has only been connected to the electricity grid since 2007. About 150 people live on the island and they want to produce their own wind and wave Read More...
California’s new energy codes push an all-electric housing future
As more cities embrace natural gas-free futures, the US’ most populous state is giving the concept of all-electric homes a big legislative push. California has approved new energy codes that will incentivize electric appliances and efficient heating and cooling systems. Approved by the Read More...
The Optimist View: Building Circularity into Electric Vehicles
To eliminate the concept of waste means to design things-products, packaging, and systems-from the very beginning on the understanding that waste does not exist. - William McDonough BY Kristy Jansen and Sam Suh Earlier this year, I became the proud owner of an all-electric car一a used Read More...
The world’s first all-electric tugboat to put to sea in 2023
According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), maritime transport emits around 940 million tonnes of CO2 annually and is responsible for about 2.5 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As engineers are working to green up cargo ships with the help of low-carbon fuels, Read More...
This platform redirects power to critical sites during an outage
When a winter storm hit Texas in February, it has brought some of the coldest weather the state has seen in decades. The deep freeze led to a massive electricity generation failure, leaving millions of people without power for several days. The ensuing power crisis revealed multiple problems with Read More...
This climate-friendly cooling unit cuts the CO2 footprint of HVAC by 75%
As the world keeps getting warmer, air conditioners are likely to become an increasingly common element of home design. With that said, these appliances are themselves a burden on the environment because they’re so energy-hungry. The same goes for heaters that are intended to keep us warm during Read More...
This ultra light microbattery uses its own casing to store more energy
Improving the way current batteries store and deliver power is key to enabling faster charging and enhanced performance of electronic devices. However, the structural composition of most batteries today prevents the rapid transport of electrons and ions, limiting power density. Scientists have Read More...
Sustainable wood-based batteries could power the future of e-travel
While the world is steadily moving towards a predominantly battery-powered future, conventional batteries still pose a few major sustainability- and efficiency-related challenges. Seeking to come up with a solution, Finnish designer Stora Enso is working on a wood-based material that could produce Read More...
Novel material converts waste heat to electricity with record efficiency
Researchers at Northwestern University have come up with an extremely high-performing thermoelectric material that may be the most efficient yet at converting waste heat into electricity. Thermoelectric systems generate electricity by using a temperature gradient. When one side of special material Read More...