This post originally appeared on Modernize.com where you can find comprehensive solar information from industry experts.   America’s energy policy has been the subject of much recent debate: From the Pope’s public advocacy of environmental stewardship to the EPA’s toughened regulations on pollution from petroleum refineries, the sources that power our society have rarely been so widely scrutinized. Once regarded as a subject …

What if we could take all that carbon dioxide that we have too much of and turn it into a clean energy source? Sound far-fetched? Well, it isn’t really. After all, plants do it every day. That is much of the rationale behind biofuels. Let the plants store the solar energy as sugars, starches, etc., which we then convert into …

New Worldwatch Institute analysis examines the trends in global biofuel production In 2012, the combined global production of ethanol and biodiesel fell for the first time since 2000, down 0.4 percent from the figure in 2011. Global ethanol production declined slightly for the second year in a row, to 83.1 billion liters, while biodiesel output rose fractionally, from 22.4 billion …

Image Caption: By placing colonies of E. coli engineered to produce pinene into test tubes containing glucose, researchers were able to determine which enzyme combinations produced the hydrocarbon most efficiently. Credit: Georgia Tech/Rob Felt John Toon, Georgia Institute of Technology Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Joint BioEnergy Institute have engineered a bacterium to synthesize pinene, a hydrocarbon produced …

Gasoline-like fuels can be made from cellulosic materials such as farm and forestry waste using a new process invented by chemists at the University of California, Davis. The process could open up new markets for plant-based fuels, beyond existing diesel substitutes. “What’s exciting is that there are lots of processes to make linear hydrocarbons, but until now nobody has been …

USDA Grant Aims to Convert Beetle-Killed Trees into Biofuel The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that it has awarded nearly $10 million to an academic, industry, and government consortium led by Colorado State University to study the major challenges limiting the use of insect-killed trees in the Rockies as a sustainable feedstock for bioenergy. The award was made …

Crafting a better enzyme cocktail to turn plants into fuel faster Tapping fungus to unlock energy Scientists looking to create a potent blend of enzymes to transform materials like corn stalks and wood chips into fuels have developed a test that should turbocharge their efforts. The new research, published in October in the journal Molecular BioSystems, is part of a worldwide …

Looming on the horizon is a future of high gas prices and disuse for most cars on the road today. More and more drivers are getting on board with alternatively-powered vehicles, and thus, more manufacturers are offering vehicle models outfitted with alternative engines to feed the demand. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, in 2010, vehicle dealers in the U.S. …

New study shows food and fuel are top of mind for Americans Sustainable America, a Stamford, Connecticut-based non-profit focused on the intertwined issues of food and fuel, announced today that its latest survey results show Americans are feeling pinched by high food and fuel costs but don’t fully understand the connections between the two. Sustainable America is leading the effort …

Rice researchers develop paintable battery Technique could turn any surface into a lithium-ion battery; may be combined with solar cells Researchers at Rice University have developed a lithium-ion battery that can be painted on virtually any surface. The rechargeable battery created in the lab of Rice materials scientist Pulickel Ajayan consists of spray-painted layers, each representing the components in a …

TIME, PLACE AND HOW WOOD IS USED ARE FACTORS IN CARBON EMISSIONS FROM DEFORESTATION A new study from the University of California, Davis, provides a deeper understanding of the complex global impacts of deforestation on greenhouse gas emissions. The study, published May 13 in the advance online edition of the journal Nature Climate Change, reports that the volume of greenhouse …

Biofuel researchers have developed a mechanism that may increase yields for products like diesel, ethanol and even medicines. Growing bacteria, algae and plants on large scales is challenging enough; getting them to do things they don’t normally do, like make fuel, is even harder. Scientists have to select and tweak molecular pathways to make cells produce enough useful products to …

Formerly HCL CleanTech, Company Unveils New Brand and CEO; Officially Announces the Closing of $30 Million in Private Financing and $75 Million Loan Package from the State of Mississippi REDWOOD CITY, Calif.— March 6, 2012—Virdia, formerly HCL CleanTech, a leading developer of cellulosic sugars, today announced major company milestones, including a new brand and CEO, its latest funding round, and …

Gas is what powers the majority of vehicles.Recently, however, as more attention has been placed on the health of our environment, more and more manufacturers are beginning to look at different options. There are now many different types of vehicles that are powered by alternative methods. Here are a few of them: Power by Liquefied Petroleum Gas This type of …

A milestone has been reached on the road to developing advanced biofuels that can replace gasoline, diesel and jet fuels with a domestically-produced clean, green, renewable alternative. Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have engineered the first strains of Escherichia coli bacteria that can digest switchgrass biomass and synthesize its sugars into all three …

poettv asked: In the seventh episode of Ask POET, we addressed a question about the best biomass that can be used to make ethanol. Nathan Schock, host of Ask POET, spoke to Adam Wirt, Regional Biomass Coordinator to get the answer. They also discuss our biomass activities in Emmetsburg, IA — future home of our first cellulosic ethanol facility, Project …

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu today highlighted the Department’s historic investment in clean energy technologies in remarks congratulating the 2011 Solar Decathlon winners. The following are the Secretary’s remarks as prepared for delivery: Good afternoon, I’m delighted to be a part of today’s ceremony. I want to start by thanking everyone who made the 2011 Solar …

UC Davis will receive $3.1 million of a $40 million biofuels grant announced today (Sept. 28) by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Led by researchers at the University of Washington, the five-year project is intended to expand what has been a Midwest-centric biofuels industry into Washington, Oregon, Idaho, western Montana and Northern California. While the U.S. biofuels industry has focused …

I would have to say that this effort makes a lot of sense to me as the need to have diversity in fuels so that we can get away from our dependence on gasoline only at the pump is paramount. As it is the consumer is given almost no choice at the pump or in their immediate city/state when it …

GoogleTechTalks asked: Google Tech Talks February, 12 2008 ABSTRACT Charles Anderson of Golden Fuel Systems will give a realistic behind the scenes analysis of many common alternative fuels and transportation options available in the United States such as: Ethanol, Biodiesel, SVO (Straight Vegetable Oil), Hydrogen Fuel Cells and Hybrid and Electric Vehicles. Charles will explain how an SVO conversion to …