Is Reprocessing the Answer to Eliminating Fissile Materials from Bombs and Nuclear Waste?
Burning plutonium and other fissile materials in nuclear reactors may be a good way to get rid of the dangerous materials
Energy3105 articles archived since 1845
Engineered Virus Harnesses Light to Split Water
Scientific American 's 2006 researcher of the year, M.I.T.'s Angela Belcher, has engineered a virus so that it captures light energy and uses it to catalyze the splitting of water, a first step in a possible new way to generate hydrogen for fuel cells...
Keeping Coal Mines from Exploding
Preventing explosions in coal mines isn't rocket science. David Biello reports
Avoiding Sun Burn: Rooftop Solar Panel Safety Tests
New facilities use everything from guns to temperature extremes to test the safety of photovoltaics and other clean energy technologies
How Texas Lassoed the Wind
Texas has harnessed the wind to provide at times more than 20 percent of its electricity. How did the Lone Star State do it?
Cutting the cost of solar by watching every nut and bolt
Editor's Note: Scientific American 's George Musser will be chronicling his experiences installing solar panels in Solar at Home (formerly 60-Second Solar).
Braille Displays Promise to Deliver the Web to the Blind
North Carolina State University researchers take the first steps toward making an affordable and more dynamic Braille display
Explosive Silicon Gas Casts Shadow on Solar Power Industry
Silane gas has killed and injured workers at cell-making plants. Can the photovoltaic industry live without it?
What Is the Right Price for Carbon?
Some economists charge that the U.S. government is lowballing the cost of greenhouse gases in new regulations
Five tips for people who love both the Earth and old houses
Editor's Note: Scientific American's George Musser will be chronicling his experiences installing solar panels in Solar at Home (formerly 60-Second Solar).
U.S. Bid to Combat Climate Change Starts with Cars and Trucks
The first national regulations to cut greenhouse gas emissions aim to reduce fuel consumption in vehicles
Charging Ahead: Carbon Nanotubes Could Hold Long-Sought Battery Technology Breakthrough
In the drive to devise more efficient and durable batteries, one promising option uses carbon nanotubes, which not only can store far more electricity by weight than lithium ion batteries but also retain their charge for a much longer time...
How Will American Automakers Meet New Fuel Efficiency Standards?
Advanced transmissions, efficient engines and some smaller cars represent one strategy that would help an automaker meet the nation's first-ever greenhouse gas standard
Dark Matters
Sometimes the pursuit of a great discovery is its own reward
Hear that? All is quiet as Ford's Transit Connect Electric hits New York City's streets
Ford Motor Co. was in New York City on Tuesday (in anticipation of the upcoming International Auto Show that starts later this week) to show off its first attempt to go gas-free—the Transit Connect Electric. Scientific American went for a spin in the all-electric compact van (about the size of a minivan but with much more headroom) on the rain-slicked streets of New York to get some idea of what the vehicle looks, sounds and feels like...
Obama's nuclear policy takes one step forward and two steps back
In 1983, a Columbia University undergraduate named Barack Obama wrote an article, “Breaking the War Mentality,” for the school publication Sundial.
The Hard Truth: Most Municipal Recyclers Do Not Accept Many Durable Goods
Although Americans are now recycling much of their discarded plastic, they may have to search for venues that accept durable items, such as ski boots, because many municipalities still do not accept articles made of hard plastic...
What the Frack? Natural Gas from Subterranean Shale Promises U.S. Energy Independence--With Environmental Costs [Slide Show]
Natural gas cracked out of shale deposits may mean the U.S. has a stable supply for a century--but at what cost to the environment and human health?
