article thumbnail

Chalmers team identifies two main challenges for bio-hydrocarbon fuel production from cheap sources

Green Car Congress

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have identified two main challenges for renewable biofuel production from cheap sources: lowering the cost of developing microbial cell factories; and establishing more efficient methods for hydrolysis of biomass to sugars for fermentation.

Cheap 199
article thumbnail

Heating Buildings With Solar Energy Stored in Sand

Cars That Think

In a region known for long, dark winter nights, Polar Night Energy is building a system in the city of Tampere that can heat buildings with stored solar energy — all day, all night, and all winter long. Out of Finland’s energy-related emissions, 82 percent come from heating domestic buildings (Ref. There is nothing special here!”

Store 88
article thumbnail

Rhodium Group estimates US GHG fell 2.1% in 2019, driven by coal decline

Green Car Congress

Emissions from buildings, industry and other parts of the economy rose, though less than in 2018. Natural gas generation made up much of the gap last year, as it has consistently in recent years, due to extremely cheap gas prices. Direct emissions from buildings increased by 2.2% year-on-year. during the same period in 2018.

Coal 370
article thumbnail

RPI team develops method to use paper-making by-product in lithium-sulfur batteries

Green Car Congress

Lignosulfonate, a sulfonated carbon waste material, is a major by-product in the papermaking industry. Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) have now developed a method to use this cheap and abundant waste byproduct to build a components for lithium-sulfur batteries.

article thumbnail

We’re the New Renewables

Cars That Think

JUICE BOX For many years, environmentalists have looked forward to the coming of net-zero-energy buildings. Much effort was devoted to making lighting, heating, and cooling more efficient so buildings consumed less energy. This WindBox turbine, installed on the roof of a building in Rouen, France, is 1.6 household).

article thumbnail

Thermal Energy Storage Is No Longer Just Hot Air

Cars That Think

The company is building these shipping container systems, which work like giant batteries that store energy as heat and pressurized air , rather than a chemical reaction (Cheesecake’s name is derived from a nerdy acronym for their technology.) That’s why Liu’s Thermal Energy Storage Group at ORNL is focused primarily on buildings.

article thumbnail

IoT-ize Your Old Gadgets With a Mechanical Hijacking Device

Cars That Think

KAIST/Korea Polytechnic University The paper doesn't directly address the cost of the MHD, and with three motors and some other electronics in it, it's not likely to be super cheap. But doing so is wasteful, whereas the MHD potentially gives a smart new life to many old things.

DIY 138