Energy

The import of the directive is the import. "Renewable Energy Directive" is the target legislative framework to be adopted by the European Union (EU) countries before elections of the European Parliament (EP) in June 2009. Its purpose is to produce the most ambitious legislation for renewable energy in the world. This is important stuff. There is even Greenpeace involved in the strategy here. A draft version was proposed by the European Commission in January 2008. The impetus behind this draft directive was a goal of 20 % renewable energy attainment by the year 2020 as adopted by the…

Fraunhofer researchers from Stuttgart have developed a new technology that enables the production of energy-autonomous, low-maintenance sensors.   The original application is sensors in air compression systems.  At present, those sensors are either battery-driven or connected by complex wiring. This often makes it very difficult or even impossible to install sensors in places that are hard to reach. The solution; make electricity from air or water in a closed environment - with no movable parts.   "Our system is eminently suitable for sensors in pneumatic plants, as we can…

The University of New South Wales ARC Photovoltaic Centre of Excellence says they have set a new standard by creating the first silicon solar cell to achieve 25 percent effiency, surpassing their previous record of 24.7 percent. What changed?  There was a revision of the international standard by which solar cells are measured.  The recalibration of the international standard, done by the International Electrochemical Commission in April, gave the biggest boost to UNSW technology while the measured efficiency of others made lesser gains. UNSW's silicon cell is now six per cent…

Research that has provided a deeper understanding into the centre of planets could also provide the way forward in the world's quest for cleaner energy. An international team of scientists, led by the University of Oxford, working alongside researchers at the Science and Technology Facilities Council's (STFC) Central Laser Facility, has gained a deeper insight into the hot, dense matter found at the centre of planets and as a result, has provided further understanding into controlled thermonuclear fusion. This deeper insight into planets could extend our comprehension of fusion energy ­ the…

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' (CALS) Bioenergy Feedstock Project, now in its second year, is the only project of its kind devoted to exploring the many species of field grass that grow in the Northeast and their potential as sources for biofuels. The project has roughly 80 acres of different warm- and cool-season perennial grass varieties, otherwise known as "feedstocks," growing in 11 counties across New York. "Our ultimate goal is to maximize the economic benefit of bioenergy production as an alternative energy source," said Donald Viands, professor of plant breeding and…

If bioethanol is going to make a major contribution to our fuel supplies, we will require using biomatter a lot more efficiently than we do now - but we may be able to get some assistance from tiny insect helpers, says Michael Scharf, an assistant professor of entomology at the University of Florida, Gainesville.  In Biofuels, Bioproducts&Biorefining, Scharf and his colleague Aurélien Tartar describe how the enzymes produced by both termites and the micro-organisms that inhabit their gut – known as symbionts – could help to produce ethanol from non-edible plant material such as straw…

Are you interested in Hydrogen Energy? Here is an opportunity to participate in a conference with your contributions on the subject. Scientists, engineers, decision makers, and policy experts are invited to attend the International Conference on Hydrogen Production ((ICH2P-09). ICH2P-09 covers hydrogen production from all primary energy sources, including renewable energy, nuclear energy, and fossil fuels. Various methods of hydrogen production, including direct thermal, thermochemical, electrochemical, photoelectrochemical, and biological methods are in the agenda along with …

Using more coal won't solve greenhouse gas issues but it buys time for clean energy to become cost- and energy-effective.  Our coal supply, unlike oil, will last for hundreds of years . Scientists in Italy are reporting that a new process could eliminate key obstacles to the expanded use of coal gasification to transform that abundant domestic energy resource into synthetic liquid fuels for cars and trucks. The study is scheduled for the November 19 issue of  Energy&Fuels. In the study, Maria Sudiro and colleagues note that coal is the only conventional energy source with the…

Do we want people to have water or cleaner energy?  As the search for new fuels intensifies, researchers in Texas report that switching to certain alternative fuels to power cars, trucks, and SUVs may require the use of much more water than conventional petroleum-based gasoline and diesel. The findings suggest that producing alternative fuels could strain already limited water supplies in some regions of the country. Their study is scheduled for the October 15 issue of Environmental Science&Technology. In the study, Carey King and Michael Webber point out that as the need for…

Sunlight contains the entire spectrum of colors that can be seen with the naked eye -- all the colors of the rainbow. What our eyes interpret as color are really different energy levels, or frequencies of light. Today's solar cell materials can only capture a small range of frequencies, so they can only capture a small fraction of the energy contained in sunlight. Researchers have created a new material that overcomes two of the major obstacles to solar power: it absorbs all the energy contained in sunlight, and generates electrons in a way that makes them easier to capture. Ohio State…