“Mini power stations on wheels”, is how Alex Burrows from the University of Birmingham describes them.<p>He is the project director for the ‘Hydroflex’ train which was showcased at an event in the West Midlands.<p>Unlike diesel trains, hydrogen-powered trains do not emit harmful gases, instead using …
Solar, wind to generate half of the world’s electricity by 2050, report says — is that enough?
The world will get about half of its electricity from solar, wind, and battery storage by 2050, according to a new report.<p>The report comes from BloombergNEF, which says electricity demand will increase 62% during that time. Other non-fossil fuel sources will have a role to play as well, as fossil …
The global transition to clean energy, explained in 12 charts
As you might have heard, the planet is warming up, and in response, people are trying to switch to cleaner energy, to heat it up less, or at least more slowly. So how’s that going?<p>A report released this month goes into that question in considerable detail. The Renewables Global Status Report (GSR), …
They want to create floating islands to convert sunlight into energy. Here’s how they’d work
<b>(CNN) —</b> What if we could recycle carbon dioxide from the atmosphere? And what if we used it to make fuel?<p>Well, the short answer is, we could save the world.<p>That’s what researchers in Switzerland and Norway say they are trying to do. In a study published this month in PNAS, a multidisciplinary …
Cyberattacks Make Smart Grids Look Pretty Dumb
Imagine if your thermostat led to a region-wide power blackout.<p>It’s a scenario that’s looking increasingly plausible. Argentina isn’t ruling out a cyberattack as the possible cause for the mass outage that affected millions of people in five South American countries over the weekend. Even if that …
Community solar garden could grow profits not plants for residents
A northeast Calgary neighbourhood has received a $194,000 grant to study the feasibility of building a community solar garden.<p>Much like a regular …
Hydrogen Is the Fuel of the Future. For Real This Time, IEA Says
Hydrogen, which has been touted as the fuel of the future much of the past five decades, may finally be on the verge of converting its potential to …
How did solar energy get so cheap? UW prof probes history of technology
When Greg Nemet began studying solar energy in 2002, it was largely a novelty in the United States, popular with tree-huggers and niche markets, but …
Renewable energy capacity in the US tips past coal for the first time
In April, the United States’ renewable energy capacity tipped past coal for the first time, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. …
Estimate the Energy of an Utterly Massive Wind Turbine
It’s amazing that we can get electrical power just from the wind, but that’s exactly what happens with a wind farm. It’s a collection of wind …