Biofuels can be produced in large quantities and have multiple benefits, but only if they come from feedstocks produced with low life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions, as well as minimal competition with food production. This consensus emerges in a new journal article by researchers from the University of Minnesota, Princeton, MIT and the University of California, [...]

Algae is growing, in ponds and in popularity. Exxon Mobile, the largest worldwide petroleum trader, announced July 14 that it is turning its focus to a more sustainable fuel industry: algae biofuel. Investigation is still in its early stages, but algae’s incredible production efficiency may prove more effective than other biofuels in reducing greenhouse gas. [...]

Stirling Energy Systems (SES) and Tessera Solar recently unveiled four newly designed solar power collection dishes at Sandia National Laboratories’ National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF). Called SunCatchers™, the new dishes have a refined design that will be used in commercial-scale deployments of the units beginning in 2010. “The four new dishes are the next-generation [...]

Scientists based at the University of Queensland are working towards one of sustainable energy’s holy grails – harvesting the untapped potential of sugar cane. Aided by new technologies and an international research network, the Australian team aim to have the first sugarcane genome sequence ready by the middle of next year. The Australian arm of [...]

Just imagine your neighborhood mason fitting your roof tiles and these same tiles producing dependable solar energy for your house or office – you no longer need to hire scientists and alternative energy nerds for a simple roof job, and the cost is no longer a bottleneck. A technology catches on when it is easier [...]

In the world of electric performance cars, there are two names to know: Fisker and Tesla. The man behind the upcoming $87,900 Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid sports sedan wants you to know the difference. Seasoned auto designer and CEO of Fisker Coachbuild, Henrik Fisker has an enviable résumé for any car enthusiast. He designed the [...]

The 2010 Toyota Prius adopts a theme from a revered song: “I’m going to change the way I strut my stuff.” In less than a decade, the Prius hybrid automobile has gone from an oddity to an icon. With 1.2 million on the roads world-wide — 700,000 of them in the United States — it [...]