Ford will manufacture more environment friendly vehicles by increasing the use of renewable and recyclable materials in an effort to reduce its environmental footprint while accelerating the development of advanced fuel-efficient vehicles. The company uses polyurethane foams based on organic materials such as soy for seat cushions, seatbacks and headliners of 11 vehicle models. Two [...]
Experts warn that natural gas might not be as clean as it seems, in light of a bill that would use it to replace diesel in heavy vehicles for the sake of curtailing oil imports and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Natural gas, consisting primarily of methane, is said to be substantially cleaner than diesel and [...]
The rise in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere means far more energy is coming into Earth’s climate system than is going out, but half of that energy is missing and could eventually reappear as another sign of climate change, scientists said . In stable climate times, the amount of heat coming into Earth’s system is [...]
A solar-powered aircraft has finally made its maiden flight in Switzerland, moving one step closer to its goal of carrying out a zero-emission flight around the world in 2012. …………… The Solar Impulse HB-SIA plane executed a series of maneuvers as part of its 87-minute initial flight exercise, before touching down on the Swiss canton [...]
Engineers from Princeton University jumped over technical hurdles to produce malleable and lucent electricity-conducting plastics, opening doors to a wider and cheaper range of electrical devices like solar panels. ………….. The plastic is a result of a new production technique developed by Princeton researchers led by Yueh-Lin Loo, an associate professor of chemical engineering. Since [...]
Changes in land use linked to the growing of crops like soybeans and palm oil may cancel out the benefits of biofuels in terms of emissions savings, according to an official French study released on Thursday. ……….. Biofuels may even have a worse emissions profile than traditional fossil fuels, said the authors of the study [...]
The first-ever robotic underwater vehicle powered by the ocean’s heat has been demonstrated by NASA along with other research institutes, marking an important breakthrough, for now at least, in ocean exploration. ………………. The underwater vehicle, Solo-Trec, uses a recharging engine powered by natural temperature differences found at varying ocean depths. It has been hailed as [...]
Carbon capture is just the first stage of the technology for keeping emissions from thickening the atmosphere. ………….. After the emissions from a power plant or factory are captured, it needs to be contained in such a way that it does not leak out into the atmosphere. This is where carbon storage comes in. Proper [...]
At first glance, the Toyota Scion sitting in the University of Delaware parking lot looks like a normal boxy car. …………. But a second look shows it lacks a tailpipe, and has an electrical outlet set into the grille below the hood. Inside, the Scion’s identity as an electric car is revealed by the lack [...]