24/7 Energy News Coverage
January 13, 2017
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TECH SPACE
For chemicals, mega is out and bio is in



Houston TX (SPX) Jan 10, 2017
Ramon Gonzalez sees flares burning methane from the stacks above Houston's refineries and thinks, "What a waste." He believes that methane represents an opportunity for biomanufacturing that should not be missed. The Rice University professor and director of its new Advanced Biomanufacturing Initiative, aka iBIO, already knows what an entire sector of the chemical manufacturing industry is beginning to realize: Waste methane can and should be turned into profit. Given the steady advance of b ... read more

BIO FUEL
Species diversity reduces chances of crop failure in algal biofuel systems
When growing algae in outdoor ponds as a next-generation biofuel, a naturally diverse mix of species will help reduce the chance of crop failure, according to a federally funded study by University ... more
TECH SPACE
Researchers design one of strongest, lightest materials known
A team of researchers at MIT has designed one of the strongest lightweight materials known, by compressing and fusing flakes of graphene, a two-dimensional form of carbon. The new material, a sponge ... more
TECH SPACE
2-D materials enhance a 3-D world
In the past decade, two-dimensional, 2D, materials have captured the fascination of a steadily increasing number of scientists. These materials, whose defining feature is having a thickness of only ... more
ROBO SPACE
Robots show their 'personality' at big tech show
Professor Einstein rolls his eyes, sticks out his tongue, and can give a simple explanation of the theory of relativity. With his lifelike rubbery "skin" and bushy mustache, he can almost make you forget he's a robot. ... more
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TRADE WARS
Trump, China's Ma hold 'great' meeting on jobs
President-elect Donald Trump and China's billionaire founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba held "great" talks in New York on Monday focused on creating US jobs and enabling trade with Asia. ... more
CAR TECH
US deal won't end 'dieselgate' pain for Volkswagen
Woes related to the 'dieselgate' scandal will dog German car giant Volkswagen even after a deal with US authorities to close criminal and civil cases against it, industry experts said Wednesday. ... more
SOLAR DAILY
Renewable energy investment value fell 18% in 2016: study
Global investment in renewable energy dropped by 18 percent in 2016 due to sharp falls in equipment prices and a slowdown in China and Japan, a study found Thursday. ... more
INTERNET SPACE
Smartphone, internet use at record high in US: survey
More than three-fourths of American adults now use a smartphone, helping to boost internet adoption to a record level, a survey showed Thursday. ... more
TECH SPACE
Researchers reveal world's most precise metronome
Scientists in Germany have synchronized a system of lasers with record precision. The metronome's laser-microwave network stretches a kilometer wide, or 3,280 feet, and is synched within 950 attoseconds. ... more


U.S. solar groups to speak after Trump inauguration

TRADE WARS
US hits China with WTO complaint over aluminum
In its final days, the Obama administration on Thursday filed a trade complaint against China for using "artificially cheap" loans and raw materials to boost its aluminum industry at the expense of US competitors. ... more
CHIP TECH
Taiwan microchip giant to boost US jobs: company
Microchip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) says it will create more jobs in the United States as the firm posted record profits. ... more

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China to build $1.5 billion power line across Pakistan
China's State Grid Corporation is set to build a $1.5-billion power line across Pakistan to enable the transmission of 4,000 megawatts of electricity from the country's north to south, the government said Friday. Pakistani and Chinese officials signed an investment agreement in Beijing on Thursday to build the country's first high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) line, according to a governmen ... more
MIT Energy Initiative report provides guidance for evolving electric power sector

Toward energy solutions for northern regions

Energy-hungry Asia slowing down, lender says

UK-Led Hydrogen Fuel Project Promises to Provide Ultra-Clean Air in China
A UK company has been selected to lead a collaborative project that promises to result in significant carbon reduction and ultra-low air quality emissions for thousands of vehicles in China within the next 10 years. Liverpool based ULEMCo, arguably the UK's most experienced integrator of H2 systems for transport, has received grant funding via Innovate UK from the cross Government Newton Fund. T ... more
Scientists discover a molecular motor has a 'gear' for directional switching

Rolling out an e-sticker revolution

Tenfold jump in green tech needed to meet global emissions targets



New York sets bar high for offshore wind
Stunning is how one renewable energy group described a decision by the state of New York to build the nation's largest offshore wind farm. Kit Kennedy, the director of energy and transportation initiatives at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said New York was setting the bar high with its wind energy commitments to 2030. "New York State will become the nation's leader on cl ... more
The answer is blowing in the wind

French power group aims to double wind capacity

New rules for micro-grids in Alberta

Renewable energy investment value fell 18% in 2016: study
Global investment in renewable energy dropped by 18 percent in 2016 due to sharp falls in equipment prices and a slowdown in China and Japan, a study found Thursday. After reaching record levels in 2015, investment fell last year to $287.5 billion, according to researchers at Bloomberg New New Energy Finance (BNEF). The fall was due in part to "further sharp falls in equipment prices, pa ... more
U.S. solar groups to speak after Trump inauguration

An ordered route to improved performance of solar cells

U.S. offshore regulator joins solar power trade group

France sells off Engie stake to finance Areva rescue
France has sold a 4.1-percent stake in energy company Engie, pulling in 1.14 billion euros ($1.2 billion) to help finance a state-led rescue of troubled nuclear firm Areva. The sale of 100 million Engie shares was 10 million above the amount initially offered, the APE agency which manages shareholdings for the French state said in a statement late on Tuesday. The sale leaves the French s ... more
UK asks regulators to assess Chinese nuclear reactor

EU clears French rescue of troubled nuclear firm Areva

Controversial nuclear power plant near New York to close

Dual-purpose biofuel crops could extend production, increase profits
Today many biofuel refineries operate for only seven months each year, turning freshly harvested crops into ethanol and biodiesel. When supplies run out, biorefineries shut down for the other five months. However, according to recent research, dual-purpose biofuel crops could produce both ethanol and biodiesel for nine months of the year - increasing profits by as much as 30%. "Currently, ... more
Open-source plant database confirms top US bioenergy crop

Species diversity reduces chances of crop failure in algal biofuel systems

Potential biofuel crops in Hawaii may successfully sequester carbon in soil



Asian dynamics give oil prices some support
After steep losses, efforts from Saudi Arabia to broadcast compliance with a production cut deal gave crude oil prices a lift early Wednesday. Crude oil prices lost ground quickly Tuesday after a report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration forecast a rise in domestic crude oil production in 2017, after previous estimates predicted a decline. Last year's decline in crud ... more
Putin's spokesman expects tough, but listening, Tillerson

After $900 million sale, Tullow primed for growth

Egypt set for a gas turnaround

On climate, top diplomat nominee says US must stay engaged
President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state said Wednesday he wants the United States to keep "a seat at the table" regarding global warming, despite Trump's pledge to abandon the Paris climate deal. At his Senate confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill, former ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson also said "the risk of climate change does exist, and the consequences could be seriou ... more
Obama again defends climate deal

Global warming hiatus disproved yet again

Scientists disprove global warming took a break



People aren't the only beneficiaries of power plant carbon standards
When the Environmental Protection Agency finalized the Clean Power Plan in 2015 it exercised its authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions to protect public welfare. The Plan, now the focus of escalating debate, also put the nation on course to meet its goals under the Paris Climate Agreement. Given that other pollutants are emitted from power plants - along with carbon dioxide - research h ... more
China to cut coal capacity by 800 million tonnes by 2020

Norway fund blacklists more coal groups over climate concerns

Black coal, thin pickings: China's miners face decline

China launches commercial rocket mission Kuaizhou-1A
The rocket Kuaizhou-1A (KZ-1A) has sent three satellites into space in its first commercial mission on Monday. The rocket, carrying the satellite JL-1 and two CubeSats XY-S1 and Caton-1, blasted off from northwestern China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at around 12:11 p.m. Monday Beijing Time, according to a statement from the center. The KZ-1A was developed from the Kuaizhou-1 r ... more
China Space Plan to Develop "Strength and Size"

Beijing's space program soars in 2016

China Plans to Launch 1st Mars Probe by 2020 - State Council Information Office



U.S. Marines move first F-35B squadron to Japan
The U.S. Marines have relocated the first operational F-35B Lightning II squadron from a base in Arizona to Japan. The relocation makes the Marine Corps Air Station in Iwakuni, Japan, the first location to receive the branch's F-35 variant as part of the plane's worldwide deployment capability. Defense News reports 10 F-35Bs from the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, or VMFA-12 ... more
Birds circling trash threaten Beirut flights: minister

Vanilla aircraft proves to be anything but plain

Russian Defense Ministry discusses aircraft modernization plans

China 2016 auto sales surge at fastest in three years
Auto sales in China, the world's biggest car market, surged at their fastest in three years in 2016, an industry group showed Thursday, jumping nearly 14 percent after authorities slashed a purchase tax. The world's second-largest economy is crucial to global auto manufacturers, but the market took a hit from slowing economic growth in 2015. However a total of 28.03 million cars were sol ... more
New technology will cut plug-in hybrid fuel consumption by one third

US deal won't end 'dieselgate' pain for Volkswagen

VW directors knew of emissions scandal earlier: press



A new approach to recycling greenhouse gases
Led by Yilin Hu, UCI assistant professor of molecular biology and biochemistry at the Ayala School of Biological Sciences, the researchers found that they could successfully express the reductase component of the nitrogenase enzyme alone in the bacterium Azotobacter vinelandii and directly use this bacterium to convert CO2 to CO. The intracellular environment of the bacterium was shown to ... more
Crystallization method offers new option for carbon capture from ambient air

Diamonds are technologists' best friends

Graphene able to transport huge currents on the nano scale

Researchers create practical and versatile microscopic optomechanical device
Researchers have developed a new type of optomechanical device that uses a microscopic silicon disk to confine optical and mechanical waves. The new device is highly customizable and compatible with commercial manufacturing processes, making it a practical solution for improving sensors that detect force and movement. Optomechanical devices use light to detect movement. They can be used as ... more
Taiwan microchip giant to boost US jobs: company

Illinois team advances GaN-on-Silicon for scalable high electron mobility transistors

Germanium's semiconducting and optical properties probed under pressure



Cities vie to hop on super-speedy hyperloop rail
US startup Hyperloop One on Friday disclosed a list of locations around the world vying to put near-supersonic rail transit system to the test. The startup company keen to revolutionize the way people and cargo travel said that 35 contenders remained from a field of 2,600 teams in a Hyperloop One Grand Challenge launched in May 2015. Viable submissions had to be condoned by government ag ... more
China firm to sell first high-speed trains to the EU

German rail giant steps up 'Silk Road' freight line to China

Dubai studies super-speedy transport system

U.S. Army seeking biodegradable bullets
The U.S. Army has posted a solicitation for biodegradable ammunition to be used during training exercises. In the solicitation, the Army notes the branch manufactures and consumes hundreds of thousands of rounds for training events that may require 100 years or more to biodegrade. By replacing existing ammunition with biodegradable alternatives, the Army says it can reduce potent ... more
Judge orders Beirut dump shut after birds threaten flights

Father of Russian environmental movement dies

New lease of life for Jakarta's once-filthy rivers

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