Solar power industry responsible for large lead emissions

Posted on September 3, 2011 by Jorn van Dooren

The fact that the use of fossil fuels can be harmful for the environment is well known. Previous research even showed that coal-fired power plants are responsible for heavy metal emissions like mercury and we all know that the lead … Continue reading →

Hydrogen fuel produced from sunlight and safely stored

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Jorn van Dooren

Hydrogen has long been commended as a clean and efficient alternative to gasoline, but so far it hasn’t really been able to live up to expectations. Mostly because it has to be derived from non-renewable sources like coal and natural … Continue reading →

Is smaller and tighter the future for wind farm design?

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Jorn van Dooren

For the past 30 years we have had the same strategy for building wind farms, making windmills as large as possible and spacing them far apart to avoid them interfering with one another aerodynamically. So it might come as a … Continue reading →

A new hope for hydrogen energy: nanoparticle driven and solar powered

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Jorn van Dooren

Hydrogen would be an excellent clean energy source, were it not for the fact that it costs a tremendous amount of energy to produce and is thus quite expensive. Researchers have been looking for ways to cheaply and sustainably produce … Continue reading →

Geothermal energy in IEA’s 450 Scenario

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Rolf Schuttenhelm

Geothermal energy (electricity and heat energy) have to –at least– increase ten- to twentyfold over 4 decades as part of the big 450 mission.

New solar sheets 4.5 times as efficient as regular panels

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Rolf Schuttenhelm

If you want to get the most out of the Sun, don’t use photovoltaic collection, but simply let the sunrays bake something really black – and then harvest that heat.

Proteins as a base for biorefining and biofuel

Posted on March 11, 2011 by Jorn van Dooren

Researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, in Los Angeles have developed a way to utilise proteins, one of the most abundant biomolecules in the world, as a raw material for biorefining and biofuel production. … Continue reading →

The World Energy Outlook 2010: the 450 Scenario and other estimates

Posted on November 12, 2010 by Rolf Schuttenhelm

On Tuesday the International Energy Agency presented its World Energy Outlook 2010. Apart from many other facts and estimates concerning energy trends the report shows two interesting scenarios: the New Policies Scenario (where current G20 agreements are implemented) and the … Continue reading →

Dirty China is surprisingly clean

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Jorn van Dooren

China is well known as the world’s top polluter, but surprisingly it also appears to be a top player in clean energy efforts, according to the Vivid Economics report, commissioned by Australia’s Climate Institute and released on Tuesday.

Offshore wind doubling over 2010

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Rolf Schuttenhelm

On Saturday MAKE Consultancy, a wind energy specialized Danish consultancy firm, published a business analysis on the offshore wind market.

Bits of Science

Tag Archives: renewable energy