Renewable Energy
‘SuperLab’ Will Test U.S. Power Grid Against Climate Disasters
The Energy Department is launching an initiative to mimic climate disasters and other threats against the power grid
Stories by John Fialka
Climate Change
How the U.S. Cracked Down on a Potent Greenhouse Gas
The U.S. government is celebrating some success at reining in emissions of a potent greenhouse gas called SF 6 , which traps 25,000 times more heat than CO 2 does over a century-long timescale...
Climate Change
Old Bomber Plane Will Sniff the Sky for Geoengineering Particles
NOAA will use a converted Air Force bomber to search the upper atmosphere for substances that could help the U.S. reflect sunlight away from Earth
Climate Change
Solar Geoengineering Should Be Regulated, U.N. Report Says
A panel of independent experts urged international leaders to set rules for the stratosphere and solar geoengineering
Climate Change
Scientists Are Trying to Pull Carbon Out of the Ocean to Combat Climate Change
Instead of sucking planet-warming carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, some scientists are looking to capture it from the oceans
Climate Change
Start-up Hopes ‘Super’ Poplar Trees Will Suck Up More CO2
A start-up called Living Carbon is planting millions of “photosynthesis enhanced” poplar seeds across the U.S. with the aim of providing carbon credits
Energy
Government Researchers Aim for Better—And Cheaper—Batteries
Department of Energy researchers are partnering with battery manufacturers to help them find new ways to make cheap batteries that can store a lot of energy
Renewable Energy
Rusty Batteries Could Greatly Improve Grid Energy Storage
Iron-air batteries have a “reversible rust” cycle that could store and discharge energy for far longer and at less cost than lithium-ion technology
Renewable Energy
Build a Better Floating Wind Turbine and Win $7 Million from the Department of Energy
A new contest aims to jump-start U.S. production of floating wind turbines to place in ocean waters too deep for standard designs
Climate Change
New Tool Helps Predict Where Wildfire Smoke Will Blow
Scientists are working on ways to better anticipate the pathways—and health dangers—of drifting wildfire smoke
Climate Change
‘Gravity Waves’ Offer Hope to Coral in a Warming Ocean
New research points to underwater waves that create cooler ocean areas in which coral can survive global warming
Climate Change
U.S. Jump-Starts Effort to Curb Residential CO2 Emissions
The project will retrofit older homes and apartment buildings to be more energy efficient
Fossil Fuels
If Electric Vehicles Don’t Cut CO2 Fast Enough, These Fuels Might Help
Department of Energy researchers say gasoline might have to be substituted with biofuels to ensure that climate targets are achieved
Renewable Energy
Engineers Look to River and Ocean Currents for Clean Energy
The Department of Energy is helping to fund 11 projects that are designed to harness the power of moving water
Climate Change
Record Methane Spike Boosts Heat Trapped by Greenhouse Gases
NOAA’s Annual Greenhouse Gas Index finds that greenhouse gases trapped nearly 50 percent more heat last year than they did in 1990
Natural Disasters
New Drones Could Spot Wildfires Earlier, Even Help Snuff Them Out
And other new technology could detect carbon monoxide emitted just when flames start
Aerospace
Electric Planes Take Off
More than 170 projects are underway worldwide
Pollution
Western Wildfires Reverse U.S. Clean Air Gains
A “new peak of air pollution” every August exposes as many as 130 million people to harmful chemicals
Natural Disasters
Mysteries Shroud the Cause of Colorado’s Worst Wildfire
The Marshall Fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes in December
Climate Change
Public Housing to Receive Efficiency Upgrades as Part of Energy Department Experiment
Retrofitting older buildings with heat pumps and insulation would reduce energy costs and carbon emissions
