February 19, 2020
Another report has been released confirming that better recycling standards and specifications are needed in Australia. According to the Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia (WMRR), the report prepared by Equilibrium for the Department of Environment and Energy simply reiterates what industry has been saying for many years. WMRR said that Australia not only lacks
...February 18, 2020
A University of Queensland (UQ) team has developed quantum dot solar cells that can be made into thin, flexible films and used to generate electricity. The technology converts solar energy to electricity via the use of tiny nanoparticles called ‘quantum dots’, which pass electrons between one another and generate electrical current when exposed to solar energy in a solar cell device. The
...February 16, 2020
Thermocells are devices that convert environmental heat, such as that lost from the human body, into electricity via a thermal charging effect. Although inexpensive and efficient, thermocells have historically produced temperature-dependent low output voltages — just tens of millivolts (mV). Researchers from the University of Tsukuba in Japan have now improved the energy-harvesting
...January 20, 2020
The team’s paper — published in Chemical Reviews — discusses the development of KIBs and compares the different materials used in lithium-, sodium- and potassium-ion batteries. Rechargeable batteries are used in most portable electronic devices, electric and hybrid vehicles and renewable power-generation systems due to their low-cost, recyclable technology. They are also an
...January 16, 2020
Our current growth model has cashed in on the unbridled use of fossil fuels, setting off a carbon explosion that we now urgently need to contain – and we have just decades to do so. But our economy needs to be brought in line with this reality if any significant change is to be made. In other words, we need to transform our fossil-fuel reliant economy into a bio-economy. Quickly. The bioeconomy already
...January 15, 2020
Transitioning to renewable energy and boosting energy efficiency would only get us 45% of the way towards keeping global temperature rises within 1.5C, according to a recent report by The Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Another 55% will have to come from transforming our production and consumption systems to reduce their use of the planet's dwindling resources. Image: Channels: Supply
...September 16, 2016
Can a city be sustainable? That’s what our 2016 edition of State of the World investigates. In his chapter, “Reducing the Environmental Footprint of Buildings,” author and project co-director Michael Renner explains what actions cities can take to make their
...July 18, 2016
Human nature often resists change. We struggle with moving from familiar surroundings to new, unknown territories. Yet, when it comes to the greatest single challenge we face today, our resistance to change will surely cause massive, uncontrollable, and unforeseeable changes. Climate change is upon us. We know with certainty that our behavior is impacting the planet we inhabit. The last time atmospheric
...July 18, 2016
A Changing Climate By 2050, the world will consume 61 percent more energy than it does today. This should be good news, for, as access to reliable, affordable energy increases, so does the quality of life for hundreds of millions of people. Energy keeps schools and businesses running, computers working, cities shining, and cars moving. Without the availability of energy, the global poverty rate could not have
...June 3, 2016
The energy world is changing fast. Investments in renewable energy are outpacing investments in traditional energy. But both traditional power providers and startups are struggling to find viable business models for an industry in transition. Among the first to feel the sweeping changes in the energy sector were utilities in developed countries that have a high share of renewables in the electricity
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