energy

Microbe helps convert solar power to liquid fuel

A new "bioreactor" could store electricity as liquid fuel with the help of a genetically engineered microbe and copious carbon dioxide. The idea -- dubbed "electrofuels" by a federal agency funding the research -- could offer electricity storage that would have the energy density of fuels such as gasoline. If it works, the hybrid bioelectric system would also offer a more efficient way of turning sunlight to fuel than growing plants and converting them into biofuel.

"The method provides a way to store electrical energy in a form that can be readily used as a … Read more

3 green technologies that could become disrupters (video)

There are three innovative technologies that will transform people's perception of clean energy and cause disruptive change in the industry, says NRG Energy CEO David Crane.

At the Cleantech Forum in San Francisco this week, Crane discussed those three innovations: smart meters, distributed-solar projects, and plug-in electric vehicles.

This video originally appeared on SmartPlanet with the headline "Three green technologies set to transform energy."

SolarCity crunches data for home efficiency loans

SolarCity has rapidly grown to be one of the largest solar installers. Now it's applying its financing model to energy efficiency.

The company today announced the availability of energy-efficiency loans that homeowners can use to finance home upgrades and defray upfront costs.

SolarCity's main business is solar, installing photovoltaic panels and offering homeowners leases under which they pay a monthly charge rather than actually purchase the panels. Two years ago, it bought privately held Building Solutions to expand into services and get access to that company's software.

SolarCity has started offering home efficiency assessments to its solar … Read more

Can fast reactors speedily solve plutonium problems?

The U.K. has nearly 100 metric tons of plutonium--dubbed "the element from hell" by some--that it doesn't know what to do with. The island nation does not need the potent powder to construct more nuclear weapons, and spends billions of British pounds to ensure that others don't steal it for that purpose. The unstable element, which will remain radioactive for millennia, is the residue of ill-fated efforts to recycle used nuclear fuel.

One solution under consideration is to recycle the plutonium yet further--by using it as fuel in a pair of new, so-called "fast" reactors. … Read more

Hydrogen fueling stations--they're coming

Two key players in the hydrogen manufacturing arena will be working together to make hydrogen fueling stations a reality for the fuel cell vehicles that should be coming to market in the second half of this decade.

Air Products and Fuel Cell Energy have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to market stationary Direct Fuel Cell (DFC) power plants. These systems, manufactured by Fuel Cell Energy, are designed to take natural gas or renewable biogas and produce hydrogen, electricity, and heat. The three energy byproducts can be used to power and heat the production facility or nearby homes or businesses while … Read more

Power your gadgets Hannibal Lecter-style

There is a dearth of tech products that can also double as accessories for fictional serial killers. If Hannibal Lecter was as into jogging as he was into human consumption, he would have definitely been sporting the Aire mask to power his iPod.

The idea behind the mask it that your breath charges your small electronics. The mask contains small wind turbines that convert your huffing and puffing into renewable power.… Read more

Steven Chu discusses 'all of the above' U.S. energy strategy

President Obama has called for an "all of the above" energy strategy, ranging from taxpayer funding for electric vehicles to more drilling for oil and natural gas. The goal is to get a greater contribution from domestic renewable-energy sources, such as the sun and wind, yet maintain cheap domestic energy from traditional fossil fuels.

"We're not going to be able to just drill our way out of the problem of high gas prices," Obama told a North Carolina crowd on March 7. "If we are going to control our energy future, then we've … Read more

Renewables: The once and future energy source

In the old days, renewable energy was the best option available. Then it became a social statement. Now with fits and starts, it's creeping toward the mainstream.

To give CNET readers some perspective on renewable energy, we've assembled a slideshow on renewable energy through the ages, its present form, and some ideas as to where it's going.

The history of using the wind, sun, and water reaches back to antiquity. But what's remarkable about many renewable-energy technologies being pursued today--solar, wind, geothermal, and bioenergy--is that today's product ideas often have roots in research begun after … Read more

At ARPA-E, energy meets innovation

The ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit is a showcase for startups and research organizations that have made advances in the path to cleaner energy. Speakers include Bill Gates, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Xerox CEO Ursula Burns, and former President Bill Clinton.

Five things we learned at the ARPA-E Summit Scientific research and entrepreneurship in clean energy is alive and well at the ARPA-E Summit. (Posted in Cutting Edge by Martin LaMonica) February 29, 2012 7:05 AM PT

Bill Gates: U.S. energy research underfunded Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates laments the state of funding for energy research and development in the … Read more

Airborne Laser hits the off switch

It was supposed to be a weapon of the future. Now the Airborne Laser is communing with the ghosts of aircraft past.

Earlier this month, the Airborne Laser, a seriously tricked-out Boeing 747-400 Freighter, arrived at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, where it has been consigned to a sprawling and dusty final resting place known as the "Boneyard" (the Air Force's Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, under its formal name).

Officially on the books as the YAL-1A Airborne Laser Test Bed, the big aircraft with the bulbous nose was designed to shoot down ballistic missiles. The … Read more