The climate emergency is finally on the global agenda, with plans and strategies abounding on how we can transition to a low-carbon future. Business as usual is no longer an option.

New research from The University of Texas at Austin has explained an important mystery about natural gas hydrate formations and, in doing so, advanced scientists’ understanding of how gas hydrates could contribute to climate change and energy security.

Though they may look smooth, standard silicon wafers used for solar cells feature tiny pyramidal structures about two micrometres high.

Trojan scientists are raiding deep fryers, developing alternative crops and turning to kelp in their quest to create renewable biofuels.

Efforts to create synthetic replacements for palm oil are still likely to take several years, so immediate attention should be focused on making the existing production process more sustainable, researchers at the University of Bath’s Centre for Integrated Bioprocessing Research (CIBR) and Centre for Sustainable Circular Technologies (CSCT) have found.

A breakthrough into splitting water into its parts could help make renewable energy pay off, even when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.

Cyanobacteria - colloquially also called blue-green algae - can produce oil from water and carbon dioxide with the help of light. 

Wind developers around the globe ordered nearly 100 gigawatts (GW) of new turbine capacity in 2019, a new record and a 65 percent increase over the previous year, according to data from the market research firm Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables.

One of the most productive areas in the world for oil remains rich in the resource, according to the latest USGS assessment.

Graphene Flagship researchers at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) and its spin-off, Graphene Flagship Associate Member BeDimensional, in cooperation with ENEA have successfully combined graphene with tandem perovskite-silicon solar cells to achieve efficiencies of up to 26.3%.