energy grid
The European Union’s €5 billion Economic Recovery Plan, approved by Parliament Wednesday, includes €3.98 billion for upgrading the continent’s energy grid to better withstand future crises. The plan offers subsidies for new power projects, gas pipelines, power cables and offshore grid development, and aims in part to
oil production
New estimates from a UK researcher suggest previous studies might have overestimated the amount of crude oil left in the ground. A 2008 assessment by Hungarian chemists Istvan Lakatos and Julianna Lakatos-Szabo concluded the planet has produced less than 100 billion tonnes of crude oil since 1850. However, John Jones
global warming
Linguists at The University of Nottingham are undertaking a £190,000, two-year study on the use of climate change-related terms in the tradition media and cyberspace. The research aims to understand how complex scientific concepts such as climate change are communicated to the public, and how media-driven “hype to cynicism”
global warming
Despite rising annual losses from extreme weather, Reuters reports that global reinsurance company Munich Re says it’s still possible — “at the right price” — to insure any region of the world against the catastrophic effects of climate change. According to the firm, losses from natural disasters totaled more than a
peak oil
The top executives of some of UK’s largest transport firms say the current recession is no excuse to not address the issues of peak oil and climate change. Speaking with Martin Wright in Green Futures, Forum for the Future’s sustainability magazine, transport leaders Brian Souter, Moir Lockhead, Will
photovoltaics
The Italian firm Enerqos, a photovoltaic (PV) system and solar power plant construction company has teamed with ESP, a specialist in the design of metallic structures for solar installations, to launch Flexa Solar Parking, an innovative, multifunctional solar canopy. The canopy combines a solar-energy producing array with simple weather protection
renewable energy
Europe’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) plans to fund 49 new clean-energy projects in 25 developing nations around the globe. The organisation’s seventh round of funding for such projects, it is also the largest: €4.7 million. That’s 46 per cent more than REEEP allocated
emissions reductions
A British firm called Refreshco is conducting trials of a device that’s designed to capture and recycle the energy released when a hydrogen-rich fuel such as diesel reacts with oxygen. If successful, the Eco Pod could improve the efficiency and reduce polluting emissions from heavy goods vehicles, according to
marine energy
Ediburgh-based Aquamarine Power, one of the world’s leading marine energy companies, is giving to full support to Scotland’s first Marine Bill, introduced to the Scottish Parliament last week. The Bill promises to deliver a new future for Scotland’s seas by balancing protection of its marine environment with
cleantech
Cleantech news as it happens — check back for regular updates: * Estimates of how much crude oil we have extracted from the planet vary wildly. Now, UK researchers have published a new estimate in the International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology that suggests we may have used more than
cleantech
Don’t have time to read through all your email subscriptions and RSS feeds? That’s OK: greenbang sums up all the latest cleantech news and developments here daily: * Colin Challen MP, chair of the all-party climate change group, says car advertisements should carry climate-related “health warnings” similar to those
wave energy converter
Checkmate Seaenergy this week gave a media demonstration of its Anaconda Wave Energy Converter. Held at the QinetiQ Haslar Marine Technology Park in Gosport, the event also aimed to give the investment community the opportunity meet the team behind the project. According to the UK-based Checkmate, part of the Checkmate
