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European Research Project Introduces Technical Improvements to Turbines to Reduce Cost of Wind Energy Generation

A European research project aims to reduce the cost of wind energy generation by introducing technical improvements to turbines, which will have to be much quieter in the future than is the case today.

5 Oct 2015

Alternative Biodegradable Materials Could Potentially Replace Plastic Bags in the Future

As England gets set to start paying for plastic bags, researchers at The Open University (OU) are making inroads into developing alternative biodegradable materials that could potentially replace fossil fuel derived polyethylene single-use carrier bags in the future.

5 Oct 2015

Common Mealworms Could Biodegrade Plastic

Consider the plastic foam cup. Every year, Americans throw away 2.5 billion of them. And yet, that waste is just a fraction of the 33 million tons of plastic Americans discard every year. Less than 10 percent of that total gets recycled, and the remainder presents challenges ranging from water contamination to animal poisoning.

1 Oct 2015

Climate Change Could Lead to Low Birth Weight

From melting glaciers to increasing wildfires, the consequences of climate change and strategies to mitigate such consequences are often a hotly debated topic. A new study led by the University of Utah adds to the ever-growing list of negative impacts climate change can have on humans--low birth weight.

1 Oct 2015

Broadleaf Trees Becoming Less Sensitive to Global Warming

The sensitivity of leaf unfolding phenology to climate warming has significantly declined since 1980s, according to a study recently published in the journal Nature by an international collaboration of scientists. Earlier spring leaf unfolding is a frequently observed response of plants to climate warming. Many deciduous tree species require cold temperatures, in other words ‘chilling’, for dormancy release, and the warming-related reductions in chilling may counteract the advance of leaf unfolding in response to warming. Empirical evidence for this, however, was very limited.

1 Oct 2015

Prototype Air Washer Could Eliminate Pollution from the Atmosphere

It could eliminate pesticide residues, grease, detergents, deodorants and general pollution from the atmosphere, reducing health risks.

1 Oct 2015

U.S. Now Further Away from Commercial-Scale Offshore Wind Deployment

University of Delaware faculty from the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment (CEOE), the College of Engineering and the Alfred Lerner School of Business and Economics say that the U.S. has fallen behind in offshore wind power.

1 Oct 2015

Tidal Power Company, Minesto, Applies for Listing on First North at NASDAQ Stockholm

The Board of Swedish marine energy company Minesto has decided to apply for listing of the companys shares on First North at NASDAQ Stockholm and conduct a new issue of units directed to the public in Sweden of appoximatley EUR 10 million.

1 Oct 2015

Very Low Energy Buildings Could be Implemented in Practice

Buildings are responsible for 40% of our energy consumption. With this in mind the European research project DIRECTION aims to demonstrate that very low energy buildings can be implemented in practice.

30 Sep 2015

NPL Supports Rollout of Hydrogen Vehicles Through its Hydrogen Purity Laboratory

As the UK's first renewable hydrogen refuelling station opens, the Gas Metrology team at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is supporting the rollout of hydrogen vehicles through its hydrogen purity laboratory, which provides quality assurance to refuelling stations.

30 Sep 2015

Toshiba's SCiB Lithium-Ion Rechargeable Batteries to Power 70 Electric Go-Carts Running in Circuit Challenger

Toshiba Corporation today announced an order for SCiB™ lithium-ion rechargeable batteries for installation in all 70 electric go-carts running in the “Circuit Challenger” attraction at Japan’s premier racecar track, Suzuka Circuit. The order was received from Mobilityland Corporation, a subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

30 Sep 2015

US DOE Awards $1.5 Million Grant to Kansas State University to Upgrade Nuclear Reactor

Kansas State University's nuclear reactor control console in Ward Hall will be getting a much-needed upgrade, funded by a $1.5 million Nuclear Engineering University Partnerships grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

30 Sep 2015

Missouri S&T Solar House Design Team to Showcase Nest Home at Solar Decathlon

A team of students at Missouri University of Science and Technology spent two years designing and building a solar-powered house filled with smart-living technology. Once it was complete, the students cut it into pieces and shipped it to California on four semitrailers to compete in an international building competition.

30 Sep 2015

Warming Ocean Could Make King Crabs Predators in Antarctic Marine Ecosystems

King crabs may soon become high-level predators in Antarctic marine ecosystems where they haven't played a role in tens of millions of years, according to a new study led by Florida Institute of Technology.

30 Sep 2015

One of the Biggest Puzzles in Climate Science Could Have Been Solved

Researchers from the University of Exeter believe they have solved one of the biggest puzzles in climate science. The new study, published in Nature Geoscience, explains the synchrony observed during glacial periods when low temperatures in the Southern Ocean correspond with low levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2).

29 Sep 2015