Green energy nudges come with a hidden cost

2019-09-16

Many US households receive energy bills comparing their use to that of similar neighbors to remind them to use less energy. Such policies aim to 'nudge' people toward making better choices, both for their future selves and for others. Nudges like these have become popular among policymakers, because they are virtually costless to implement. However, a new study finds these nudges have an unexplored cost: they can decrease support for policies with far greater impact.

Purple bacteria 'batteries' turn sewage into clean energy

2019-09-16

Purple phototrophic bacteria -- which can store energy from light --, when supplied with an electric current, can recover near to 100 percent of carbon from any type of organic waste, while generating hydrogen gas for use as fuel.

Among 'green' energy, hydropower is the most dangerous

2019-09-16

Many governments are promoting a move away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy sources. However, in a new study, scientists highlight some of the ecological dangers this wave of 'green' energy poses.

Shifts to renewable energy can drive up energy poverty, study finds

2019-09-16

Efforts to shift away from fossil fuels and replace oil and coal with renewable energy sources can help reduce carbon emissions but do so at the expense of increased inequality, according to a new study.

Scientists unlock 'green' energy from garden grass

2019-09-15

A new way of deriving hydrogen from grass has now been developed using just sunlight and a cheap catalyst. Garden grass could become a source of cheap and clean renewable energy, scientists have claimed in a new report.

Solar panels: Nanotechnology gives green energy a green color

2019-09-15

Solar panels have tremendous potential to provide affordable renewable energy, but many people see traditional black and blue panels as eyesores. Architects, homeowners and city planners may be more open to the technology if they could install colorful, efficient solar panels, and a new study brings us one step closer. Researchers have developed a method for imprinting existing solar panels with silicon nanopatterns that scatter green light back toward an observer.

Renewable energy

2019-09-15

Renewable energy (sources) or RES capture their energy from existing flows of energy, from on-going natural processes, such as sunshine, wind, flowing water, biological processes, and geothermal heat flows.