Renewables
Improving the efficiency of the trusted exisiting boilers
Heating has been provided by oil and gas-fired boilers for many industrial and commercial premises for over 100 years. In that time the energy efficiency of these installations has increased steadily, however there is a way to significantly reduce energy consumption that is still not universally applied and yet has a typical payback period of less than 18 months.
UK bill seeks regulation of driverless EVs
There is no shortage of news about self-driving cars coming out of the US. Silicon Valley is considered a global hub of autonomous vehicle development. And each of the Big Three automakers is pouring enormous resources into the industry, with promising results. On the regulatory front, many new bills and and regulations that would create a more welcoming environment for testing autonomous vehicles have been introduced at both the state and l...
Sun's radiation could break up plastics in wastewater
Harnessing the Sun’s radiation to help rid the oceans of microplastics contamination is one of several technical innovations to be developed by a new EU-funded project. Beginning in November 2017, a system developed at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden for breaking down microplastics from personal care products will be tested for implementation in homes and wastewater treatment plants.
Microsoft data centre to be powered entirely by wind
A ten year agreement to power Microsoft’s international data centre operations in the Netherlands with wind power has been signed by Vattenfall. The wind power supply deal is the first to date for Vattenfall to a data centre outside the Nordic countries and the largest in this field based entirely on wind power. According to the agreement, Microsoft will receive 100% of the energy output from Vattenfall’s new onshore wind farm that wi...
The key to electric vehicle powertrain optimisation
Professor Omar Hegazy, Head of Power Electronics and Electrical Machines at the MOBI Research Centre, University of Brussels (VUB), recently highlighted his team’s EV powertrain optimisation techniques at CWIEME Istanbul 2017.
Improving biofuel production by mimicking giant clams
Alison Sweeney of the University of Pennsylvania has been studying giant clams since she was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Santa Barbara. These large mollusks, which anchor themselves to coral reefs in the tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans, can grow to up to three-feet long and weigh hundreds of pounds. But their size isn't the only thing that makes them unique.
Developing greener ways of mitigating greenhouse gases
Of the approximately two dozen medical CT scanners scattered throughout Stanford’s main campus and medical centres, two can be found nestled in basement labs of the Green Earth Sciences Buildings. The scanner duo is being put to some decidedly off-label uses in research led by Anthony Kovscek, a professor of energy resources engineering at Stanford’s School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences (Stanford Earth).
Vehicle-to-grid plan lets drivers return electricity
In the connected car sector, the 'V2' prefix is familiar shorthand, referring to technology that links vehicles to various other properties. These commonly centre around over-the-air connections enabled by telematics technology. Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) tech allows cars to 'speak' to one another, which can mitigate the risk of collisions and establish safer, more efficient traffic patterns. Vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) enables cars to connect ...
Autonomous shuttles trialled successfully in London
For the first time in the UK, the public was invited to trial autonomous electric shuttles operated by Keolis. For a month, passengers were able to try this new mode of ecological transport, which has begun to attract a growing number of cities as it offers a new response to mobility problems in urban centres.
Gearing up for electric driving: is Britain ready for 2040?
Britain is weighing up the idea of switching to ‘green’ driving more than ever before, after the recent government announcement of plans to prohibit all petrol and diesel vehicles by the year 2040. New research from comparison website MoneySuperMarket has delved into the mind of the consumer to determine just how viable this switch is.