New Solutions for Clean Energy

How National Security Depends on Better Lithium Batteries

ARPA-e funds potential breakthrough work to make energy-dense batteries that enable long distance travel

China Syndrome: Going Nuclear to Cut Down on Coal Burning

China pauses its plans to build the most new nuclear reactors in the world in the wake of the accident at Fukushima Daiichi in Japan--but will not halt them

Designs for Newest U.S. Nuclear Plants Aim to Balance Safety and Costs

The next generation of reactors in the U.S., up for review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, are meant to provide cooling even in the absence of power

What is the smart grid anyway? [Video]

The smart grid. Sounds good, right? But what exactly is it? And does that mean we have a dumb grid now? "The grid, it is smart today," Laura Ipsen, a senior vice president at Cisco, told the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy (ARPA-e) conference on March 2...

Predicting the Future of Oil

And what does that mean for the U.S. economy and environment? David Biello reports

New Buildings Aim to Produce Energy, Not Consume It

Although it is still loosely defined, net-zero usually means a building that produces as much energy as is consumed

Smokestash Industry: ARPA-E Seeks Breakthroughs in Carbon Capture Technology

Humans can capture and release CO2 efficiently, so why can't power plants?

Shift happens: Will artificial photosynthesis power the world?

One drinking-water bottle could provide enough energy for an entire household in the developing world if Dan Nocera has his way. A chemist from M.I.T.

Reverse Combustion: Can CO2 Be Turned Back into Fuel?

Various efforts are underway to find a cheap, efficient and scalable way to recycle the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide back into the hydrocarbons that fuel civilization

Building a Better Biofuel: A New Carbon-Neutral Approach Turns Carbohydrates into Hydrocarbons

Turning plant sugars into gasoline with heat, pressure and catalysts

A need for new nukes? "Modular reactors" for energy attract interest

The entire budget of the U.S. Department of Energy branch that covers today's energy mix—from cleaning up energy generation's environmental aftermath to energy efficiency programs and renewable energy development—is $10 billion...

Sunshine is free, so can photovoltaics be cheap?

Can solid-oxide fuel cells like the Bloom box remake the energy landscape?

"Energy Star" Cities Make Gains

EPA list of cities with the most energy-efficient buildings shows dramatic growth

New Structure Allows Lithium Ion Batteries to Get a Quicker Charge

A new technology could create a much more rapid charging time for lithium ion batteries

Is the U.S. Falling Behind in the Clean Energy Race?

A new report outlines a strategy for the federal government to encourage clean energy technology

Can the U.S. build a clean, green economic machine?

Can cleaner sources of energy not only power our economy but also drive a recovery from the Great Recession? That's the question confronted by policymakers across the U.S.—and by debaters in the Intelligence Squared series held March 8 at New York University...

Can Mexico Lead the Way in Proving Carbon Cuts?

New efforts to track and quantify greenhouse gas emission reductions could prove a model for global efforts.

Is ARPA-E Enough to Keep the U.S. on the Cutting-Edge of a Clean Energy Revolution?

ARPA-E, the U.S.'s energy transformation agency, is doling out funds for greener power, but is it too conservative?