Why a green electricity grid depends on weather forecasts improving

Ramping up fossil power sources is no longer a good option in an energy-supply crisis. Bring in the weather forecasters.

Hannah Bloomfield, Postdoctoral Research Assistant, University of Reading • conversation
Jan. 14, 2021 • ~5 min
meteorology weather-forecasting weather renewable-energy wind-energy wind energy-demand energy-supply

Solar panels capture more sunlight with capsaicin - the chemical that makes chili peppers spicy

Chemicals found in food and solar cell technology have an interesting history – as my own research shows.

Jon Major, Research Fellow, Stephenson Institute for Renewable Energy, University of Liverpool • conversation
Jan. 13, 2021 • ~6 min
perovskite food solar-power materials-science solar-panels solar-energy capsaicin pepper spice

Storm in a cosmic teacup: A new paradigm for understanding plasma turbulence

PhD candidate Lucio Milanese uncovers new fundamental mechanism in turbulence.

Paul Rivenberg | Plasma Science and Fusion Center • mit
Jan. 12, 2021 • ~9 min
astrophysics sustainability research plasma school-of-engineering school-of-science mit-energy-initiative nuclear-science-and-engineering plasma-science-and-fusion-center undergraduate-research-opportunities-program-urop fusion

Biden plans to fight climate change in a way no U.S. president has done before

Former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter explains how the new administration can mobilize all parts of his government as it faces five big climate challenges.

Bill Ritter Jr., Director, Center for the New Energy Economy, Colorado State University • conversation
Jan. 12, 2021 • ~9 min
climate-change energy environment electricity electric-vehicles joe-biden regulations colorado clean-energy climate-policy john-kerry biden-administration

Climate change: Africa's green energy transition 'unlikely' this decade

Hopes that Africa could "leapfrog" fossil fuels and move to renewables are not being realised.

bbcnews
Jan. 11, 2021 • ~5 min
climate-change renewable-energy paris-climate-agreement cop26

Health crisis: up to a billion tonnes of waste potentially burned in the open every year

Two billion people worldwide lack a dedicated system of waste collection and management.

Ed Cook, Research Fellow in Circular Economy Systems, University of Leeds • conversation
Jan. 7, 2021 • ~6 min
plastic-pollution rubbish waste-disposal waste-management incinerators waste-to-energy-incineration waste-pickers

Why I'm feeling hopeful about the environment in 2021

The BBC's Tom Heap explores exciting emissions-saving ideas that could help save the planet.

bbcnews
Jan. 4, 2021 • ~6 min
climate-change solar-power renewable-energy our-planet-now

Whether slow or fast, here's how your metabolism influences how many calories you burn each day

There are some factors you can't change about your metabolism. But there are things you can do to influence how much energy your body uses over the course of the day.

Terezie Tolar-Peterson, Associate Professor of Food Science, Nutrition & Health Promotion, Mississippi State University • conversation
Dec. 28, 2020 • ~8 min
energy metabolism fat food nutrition muscles calories weight metabolic-rate calorie-intake muscle-mass basal-metabolic-rate muscle-loss resting-metabolic-rate

Magnetic induction cooking can cut your kitchen's carbon footprint

Shifting from fossil fuels to electricity is climate-friendly, but serious cooks don't think much of electric stoves. Will induction cooking finally catch on as an alternative?

Kenneth McLeod, Professor of Systems Science, and Director, Clinical Science and Engineering Research Laboratory, Binghamton University, State University of New York • conversation
Dec. 23, 2020 • ~9 min
climate-change energy electricity cooking natural-gas magnetic-fields electromagnetism household-appliances

Huge 'battery warehouses' could be the energy stores of the future

A planned battery project in Essex will be ten times larger than the UK's current biggest battery.

Andrew Cruden, Professor of Energy Technology, University of Southampton • conversation
Dec. 22, 2020 • ~6 min
batteries energy-storage

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