Many efforts to smooth out the variability of renewable energy sources — such as wind and solar power — have focused on batteries, which could fill gaps lasting hours or days.
By David L. Chandler
5 Nov 2013
A new study shows that the reduction of pollution emissions from power plants in the mid-Atlantic is making an impact on the quality of the water that ends up in the Chesapeake Bay. The study by scientists at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science confirms that as the amount of emissions of nitrogen oxide from coal-fired power plants declined in response to the Clean Air Act, the amount of nitrogen pollution found in the waterways of forested areas in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia fell as well.
Scientists looking to create a potent blend of enzymes to transform materials like corn stalks and wood chips into fuels have developed a test that should turbocharge their efforts.
In an example of the challenges western cities will face in a warming world, new research shows that every degree Fahrenheit of warming in the Salt Lake City region would mean a significant drop in the annual flow of streams that provide water to the city.
The largest solar installation acquired by Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power in partnership with Turner Renewable Energy, the Campo Verde Solar Facility, began commercial operation on Oct. 25. The 139-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) installation in Imperial County, Calif., more than doubles Southern Company's solar capacity, consists of nearly 2.3 million thin-film PV modules and is expected to generate enough electricity to power nearly 48,000 homes.
Although a significant build-up in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere would alter worldwide precipitation patterns, a widely discussed technological approach to reduce future global warming would also interfere with rainfall and snowfall, new research shows.
Powerful scanners that give scientists a direct line of sight into hydrogen fuel cells are the latest tools Simon Fraser University researchers will use to help Ballard Power Systems Inc. create more durable, lower-cost fuel cells. Using these fuel cells in vehicles can substantially reduce harmful emissions in the transportation sector.
The University of California has a hidden super power: It makes buildings turn green.
A campaign is underway to install the Solar Roofpod atop the Spitzer School of Architecture building, where it will serve as a multi-purpose facility dedicated to sustainability. The installation is expected to begin in early 2014. The solar-powered house was The City College of New York entry in the U.S. Department of Energy 2011 Solar Decathlon.
Chickens could be the unexpected beneficiaries of the growing biofuels industry, feeding on proteins retrieved from the fermenters used to brew bioethanol, thanks to research supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Today, GE announced its 3.2-103 brilliant wind turbine, producing a 5 percent increase in energy output compared to GE’s current model. Building on the strong performance of GE’s 2.5-megawatt fleet, the 3.2-103 generates more power for medium-to-high wind speed sites. With hub height flexibility of 70 to 98 meters, the 3.2-103 helps wind farm developers generate higher annual energy production in tip-height constrained sites.
Adobe, CalPERS, Genentech, Google, Kaiser Permanente, salesforce.com, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and 20 other corporations and institutions are committed as founding partners in a fast-growing movement to elevate green building as a public health benefit and accelerate the development of transparency standards in building materials.
Lockheed Martin and Reignwood Group have signed a contract to start design of a 10-megawatt Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) power plant, which, when complete, will be the largest OTEC project to date.
Suppose a real-estate developer in Manhattan is constructing a new office building, and the architect decides to use granite as a primary material. There is a good chance the granite will come from a quarry in Minais Gerais, in southeastern Brazil. From there, it may well be shipped to Carrara, in northern Italy, where much high-grade stone is processed into building-ready form. Then the granite will be shipped to New York, although some of it may be rejected, leading to new rounds of cutting, shipping, and inspections on three continents.
By Peter Dizikes
31 Oct 2013
JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. ("JinkoSolar" or the "Company"), a global leader in the solar PV industry, today announced that it has supplied 1.2 MW solar PV modules to SolaireDirect Chile, an Independent Power Producer using solar energy based in Chile. The project began commercial operations in June, 2013.