News Coverage

Carbon calculator provides personalized footprint  2.28.2008 UC Berkeley
Researchers at UC Berkeley have created a carbon calculator that shows people as well as cities and businesses how their lifestyles contribute to global warming and identifies areas where they can reduce their footprint. The CoolClimate Calculator website allows users to tweak variables to estimate the amount of carbon dioxide they generate annually.

Study finds cloudy outlook for solar panels 2.20.2008 UC Berkeley
Despite increasing popular support for solar photovoltaic panels in the United States, their costs far outweigh the benefits, according to a new analysis by Severin Borenstein, a professor at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and director of the UC Energy Institute.

Thermoelectric breakthrough in silicon nanowires 1.9.2008 LBNL
Energy now lost as heat during the production of electricity could be harnessed through the use of silicon nanowires synthesized via a technique developed by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and UC Berkeley.

Energy Biosciences Institute contract signed 11.14.2007 UC Berkeley
With a final signature Nov. 14 from BP president Bob Malone, the Energy Biosciences Institute has become reality. The EBI partners — BP, the University of California, Berkeley, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign — embark on a critical mission to explore the potential of biofuels to help forestall the effects of global warming.

Going green: UC Berkeley leads the way 11.14.2007 UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley has taken global warming and environmental protection seriously, establishing new energy-related research centers, setting new requirements for campus conservation, and getting students directly involved in the process. 7-minute Flash video

Sun struck: Harnessing renewable energy ignites student interest 11.8.2007 UC Berkeley
Student concern about global warming is fueling broad research interest in harnessing "the warm power of the sun." Having grokked the dangers of global warming, these grad students and undergrads are keen to be part of the solution.

New program to focus on sustainable products, solutions 10.30.2007 UC Berkeley
With an initial $2 million gift announced October 30, UC Berkeley will move forward to establish a new program aimed at providing students educational and research opportunities in the area of sustainable products and solutions.

Center for Energy and Environmental Innovation launched 10.24.2007 UC Berkeley
Energy and environmental innovation is the focus of a new cross-disciplinary center housed at UC Berkeley that aims to promote viable global energy solutions.

'Livable Buildings Awards' salute comfort and conservation 10.23.2007 UC Berkeley
To recognize commercial buildings that do much more than provide the space and tools for workers to toil away, UC Berkeley's Center for the Built Environment has issued its first-ever "Livable Buildings Awards."

Emeryville center provides new home for Joint BioEnergy Institute 10.22.2007 LBNL
The Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) has announced an agreement with Wareham Development to lease space at EmeryStation East, a new state-of-the-art laboratory building in Emeryville. JBEI is a six-institution partnership led by LBNL whose mission is to speed the development of renewable biofuels – liquid fuels derived from the solar energy stored in plant biomass.

Berkeley scientists contribute to climate change studies that win the Nobel Peace Prize 10.12.2007 LBNL
Scientists at LBNL were important contributors to the research on global climate change that has won this year's Nobel Peace Prize. The 2007 Peace Prize was awarded jointly to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and to former Vice President Al Gore, Jr., "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change."

Details announced of new vehicle-fuel standard 8.2.2007 UC Berkeley
UC energy experts release their much-anticipated blueprint for fighting global warming by reducing the amount of carbon emitted when transportation fuels are used in California. This "low carbon fuel standard," designed to stimulate improvements in transportation-fuel technologies, is expected to become the foundation for similar initiatives in other states, as well as nationally and internationally.

Berkeley Lab's ultraclean combustion technology fires up in hydrogen tests 8.1.2007 LBNL
An experimental gas turbine simulator equipped with an ultralow-emissions combustion technology called LSI has been tested successfully using pure hydrogen as a fuel – a milestone that indicates a potential to help eliminate millions of tons of carbon dioxide and thousands of tons of NOx from power plants each year.

Transportation researchers to test Toyota plug-in hybrid vehicles 7.25.2007 UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley transportation researchers have been given a $750,000 grant to conduct, along with project partner groups, the first real-world testing of an automaker-produced, plug-in hybrid electric passenger vehicle (PHEV). The campus's Institute of Transportation Studies announced the award July 25.

DOE awards LBNL, UC Berkeley and partners $125 million for biofuels research 6.26.2007 UC Berkeley
Berkeley and the Bay Area cemented their position as the nation's center of alternative energy research with the announcement by the Department of Energy of a $125 million, five-year grant to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), the University of California, Berkeley, and four other partners to develop better biofuels through the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI).

Alex Farrell joins governor in introducing low-carbon fuel standard for state 5.18.2007 UC Berkeley
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced a proposed new low-carbon fuel standard for the state and praised the University of California scientists who worked intensively over the past four months to put it together.

Chemist Peidong Yang wins NSF Waterman Award 5.15.2007 UC Berkeley
Peidong Yang, a 36-year-old chemist who is a pioneer in the creation of nanowires, has been awarded the $500,000 Waterman Award, the National Science Foundation's top prize for young researchers. Yang's work could lead to miniaturized labs-on-a-chip, nano-scale electronic circuits and inexpensive, flexible solar cells.

Greenhouse-gas emissions: How low can we go? 5.2.2007 UC Berkeley
Chancellor Birgeneau announced that the Berkeley campus has committed to reducing its greenhouse-gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2014 ­ six years earlier than the target set by California Assembly Bill 32, the Global Solutions Warming Act. The chancellor made the announcement at the campus's fourth annual Sustainability Summit.

Green Biofuels Index would aid consumers, market 4.17.2007 UC Berkeley
Confusion reigns around biofuels such as ethanol, because some production methods can be worse for the environment than gasoline refining. A UC Berkeley group proposes a Green Biofuels Index to help consumers decide where to fill their tanks, and to spur a market for "green" biofuels.

Policy expert appointed to international biofuels panel 4.17.2007 UC Berkeley
As biofuels take over more of the marketplace, nations around the world are struggling to deal with the environmental and societal effects of producing large quantities of plants for fuel. A UC Berkeley energy expert has been appointed to a new international roundtable to develop guidelines for assessing the impact of biofuels production.

Weighing the financial risks of nuclear power 4.2.2007 UC Berkeley
Power companies are rushing to invest in new nuclear power plants, thanks to promised government subsidies, but a new study warns that unexpected costs often arise that may not make such plants a good financial investment.

U.S. experiment extending Daylight Saving Time unlikely energy saver, researchers say 3.8.2007 UC Berkeley
As the United States readies to launch Daylight Savings Time this Sunday (March 11) — three weeks earlier than previous years — residents can count on more sunshine later in the day, but not on saving energy, advise two University of California, Berkeley, Ph.D. students.

Feinstein's pitch for cap-and-trade legislation 2.28.2007 UC Berkeley
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) made a rare visit to the Berkeley campus Feb. 23 to promote what she called "a practical, achievable, and sustainable regimen" to combat global climate change, beginning with a package of five bills she has either introduced in the Senate or plans to offer in the near future.

Milestone reached in search for new energy source 2.15.2007 UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley researchers have successfully generated electricity directly from heat by trapping organic molecules between metal nanoparticles, an achievement that could pave the way toward the development of a new source for energy. Currently, the dominant method of power generation involves burning fossil fuels to create heat, often in the form of steam, to spin a turbine that, in turn, drives a generator that produces electricity.

BP selects UC Berkeley to lead $500 million energy research consortium with partners Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, University of Illinois 2.1.2007 UC Berkeley
Global energy firm BP announced on February 1 that it selected UC Berkeley, in partnership with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to lead an unprecedented $500 million research effort to develop new sources of energy and reduce the impact of energy consumption on the environment. The funding will create the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI), which initially will focus its research on biotechnology to produce biofuels.

Chu briefs Regents on alternative energy 1.19.07 LBNL
The University of California’s Board of Regents invited Berkeley Lab Director and UC Berkeley physics professor Steve Chu to discuss with them his initiatives involving alternative energy sources, and on Wednesday in San Francisco, he gave them a 15-minute synopsis of Helios, the Lab’s solar-to-chemical research program. When it was over, one Regent referred to Chu’s vision as “extraordinary,” and another said that “few priorities are greater” in the UC system.

Campus leads state study of low-carbon alternatives 1.10.07 UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley will play a key role in California's strategy to combat global warming, with scientists here and at UC Davis researching ways to lower vehicle emissions in order to reduce the state's carbon footprint. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced plans to establish low-carbon fuel standards for California on Jan. 9 during his State of the State address, calling California "the first in the world to develop a low carbon fuel standard that leads us away from fossil fuel." In a prepared statement, he said that this is "... an innovative action that will diversify our fuel supplies and establish a vibrant market for cleaner-burning fuels."

Risks of exploiting low-quality sources of oil 12.11.2006 UC Berkeley
Alternative sources of oil, such as low-quality tar sands, oil shale and coal, are drawing the attention of nations around the world — they're abundant and can help nations achieve the security of oil-independence. Energy & Resources Professor Alex Farrell warns, however, that exploiting these sources to make synthetic fuels risks significant environmental damage and presents economic risks as well.

Campus joins state climate registry 11.3.2006 UC Berkeley
As a commitment to reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions, UC Berkeley has joined the California Climate Action Registry. As a member, the campus pledges to report its emissions and look for ways to reduce its carbon footprint.

Open to debate: the fuel-saving benefits of ethanol 11.1.2006 UC Berkeley
Is it a useful alternative while other technologies ramp up? Or do its costs already exceed its potential payoff?

Global warming cap can stimulate CA economy, report says 8.16.2006 UC Berkeley
A new UC Berkeley report delivered to state legislators on Aug. 16 finds that returning California greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, as envisioned by pending global warming legislation, can boost the annual Gross State Product (GSP) by $60 billion and create 17,000 new jobs.

NSF funds $16 million synthetic biology center 8.3.2006 UC Berkeley
The National Science Foundation has given UC Berkeley $16 million to start a new center that will make biological organisms easier to engineer, transforming the biotechnology, high-tech, pharmaceutical and chemical industries by providing less expensive drugs and fuels, novel materials, biological sensors and replacement organs from stem cells.

UC Berkeley recognized with state's top energy efficiency award 7.13.2006 UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley was one of three recipients of the Flex Your Power Award, California's top energy efficiency award. Vice Chancellor Nathan Brostrom accepted the award from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on behalf of the campus.

Q&A on climate change Summer 2006 UC Berkeley College of Chemistry
UC Berkeley atmospheric chemists Kristie Boering and Ron Cohen discussed climate change and its implications in a Q&A.

China-U.S. Climate Change Forum 5.17.2006 UC Berkeley
Top climate scientists from China and the United States will gather May 23-24 with policymakers, Nobel laureates, think tank officials, business representatives, members of the media and others at the University of California, Berkeley, to explore how the world's two biggest producers of greenhouse gas emissions can address global warming and minimize its impacts on the planet.

Alternative energy plan wins contest 5.5.2006 UC Berkeley
An alternative energy company called Aurora BioFuels is the winner of a $25,000 first prize at the eighth annual UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition at the University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business.

Bush honors Arthur Rosenfeld with Fermi Award 4.27.2006 UC Berkeley
Physics professor emeritus Arthur Rosenfeld, who is to be honored at an 80th-birthday symposium April 28, has received an even higher honor. He was named by President Bush as the 2005 winner of the Enrico Fermi Award, the federal government's oldest award for scientific achievement.

Muscles burn lactic acid as well as carbos 4.19.2006 UC Berkeley
Most athletes see lactic acid as their enemy, and think that training helps them eliminate the metabolic waste product from their muscles so they will function longer and harder. But UC Berkeley physiologist George Brooks has found that training actually teaches your muscle cells how to use lactic acid as a fuel source to get more bang for the buck.

Nanofibers created in orderly fashion 4.12.2006 UC Berkeley
Researchers at UC Berkeley have found a way to create nanofibers in a direct, continuous and controllable manner using a technique dubbed "near-field electrospinning."

Milestone in quest for cheap antimalarial 4.12.2006 UC Berkeley
Only 16 months ago, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation put up $43 million to develop a low-cost antimalarial drug, artemisinin, using genetically engineered microbes created by UC Berkeley's Jay Keasling. Keasling's lab has now taken a giant step toward that goal, bringing closer the day when a curative dose will cost the poor in Asia and Africa a mere 25 cents.

Climate change is real; the question is how do we respond Spring 2006 UC Berkeley College of Chemistry
In the first of two issues focusing on the topic, the College of Chemistry's NewsJournal explores global warming, its implications, and how the college's researchers are helping to understand and fight the consequences of climate change.

Berkeley Lab Dedicates the Molecular Foundry 3.29.2006 LBNL
Since the introduction of industrial foundries in the 17th century, the shape and size of the objects that can be made at a foundry has been limited only by the ability to liquefy a material and cast it in a mold. At a foundry where objects can be fashioned atom-by-atom or molecule-by-molecule, the potential shapes and sizes are virtually limitless. This is the promise of the Molecular Foundry that was officially dedicated at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) on March 24, 2006.

Haas School to provide training to largest oil company in Norway 3.23.2006 UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley will provide multi-year, comprehensive leadership development and project management training to top executives and project managers of the Norwegian oil company, Statoil, Tom Campbell, dean of UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business announced today.

Student journalists report on "Early Signs" of global warming 3.17.2006 UC Berkeley
Reports from the field by 11 student journalists documenting the impacts of global warming from East Africa to the Arctic will be released weekly by salon.com and NPR's "Living on Earth" program beginning today.

Keck funds project to track life cycle of water 2.23.2006 UC Berkeley
In an effort to understand the complete life cycle of water and, some day, to predict droughts, floods and water supplies, a team of geologists, biologists and chemists at UC Berkeley is embarking on an ambitious project to track the fate of water through the atmosphere, the trees, the soil, the streams and oceans, and back again into the skies.

Ethanol can replace gasoline with significant energy savings, comparable impact on greenhouse gases 1.26.2006 UC Berkeley
Corn-based ethanol is now blended with gasoline in many states, but there is still ongoing debate about whether it's worth the energy and resources needed to grow corn. A new study hopes to resolve that debate. UC Berkeley researchers found that ethanol requires much less oil to produce than gasoline, with comparable environmental impacts.

New report says climate action promotes economic growth in the state 1.23.2006 UC Berkeley
A new report led by UC Berkeley researchers finds that just eight policy strategies can take California halfway to the greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets established by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2005 while increasing the Gross State Product by approximately $60 billion and creating more than 20,000 new jobs.

Solar's Big Future With Small Tech 1.2006 UC Berkeley College of Engineering
UC Berkeley graduate student Ilan Gur and his colleagues have a profound research goal. "In the long run, we'd like to power the world," he says. A PhD candidate in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Gur is leveraging advances in nanoscience to develop ultra-thin and cheap solar cells that someday could be batch produced in bulk, perhaps even roll-to-roll like newspapers are printed. Flexible and durable, the cells might eventually wrap the roofs of buildings or transform a cloth automobile cover into a battery charger.

Governor appoints energy professor emeritus Robert Sawyer to chair Air Resources Board 12.23.2005 UC Berkeley
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday (Dec. 22) announced the appointment of Robert Sawyer, engineering professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, as chair of the state Air Resources Board (ARB).

Transportation researchers get DaimlerChrysler hydrogen car for the holidays 12.20.2005 UC Berkeley
DaimlerChrysler officially handed the keys to the F-Cell, the company's limited production hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, to UC Berkeley transportation researchers on Tuesday, Dec. 20, as part of a two-year field test. The project is connected to the U.S. Department of Energy's effort to assess the viability of hydrogen vehicle and infrastructure technology in real world settings.

Driving hydrogen car research 11.5.2005 Science Matters@Berkeley
While eco-friendly hybrid automobiles gain popularity, researchers are already developing cars with no emissions at all. Powered by hydrogen fuel cells, future automobiles may travel long distances with only water dribbling out of the exhaust pipe. The path to the hydrogen economy isn't smoothly paved though. One big question is whether a safe and practical hydrogen storage system can be built to carry enough fuel for long journeys. To that end, UC Berkeley chemist Jeff Long is developing novel nanomaterials for tomorrow's hydrogen fuel tanks.

Sunny Future for Nanocrystal Solar Cells 10.20.2005 LBNL
Researchers with Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley have developed the first ultra-thin solar cells comprised entirely of inorganic nanocrystals and spin-cast from solution. These dual nanocrystal solar cells are as cheap and easy to make as solar cells made from organic polymers, and could pave the way to a future where the rooftops of residential homes and commercial buildings can be laminated with semiconductors that will efficiently convert sunlight into electrical power and provide virtually all of our electricity needs.

Growing energy: Berkeley Lab's Steve Chu on what termite guts have to do with global warming 10.3.2005 UC Berkeley
Steven Chu, director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory since 2004, is on a mission: challenging scientists to find environmentally friendly energy alternatives to fossil fuels. Here, Chu discusses the future of the world's fuel supply, what termite guts and manure piles can teach us, and why we shouldn't be writing off nuclear energy.

Investment in energy R&D declines despite supply problems 9.26.2005 UC Berkeley
With hurricanes interrupting the nation's energy supply, war amid the oil fields of the Middle East, and calls to drill in the nation's protected areas, it is ironic that investiments in energy research and development have steadily dropped in the last two decades, writes UC Berkeley's Dan Kammen. This decline is reflected in the federal budget and, to a greater extent, in investments by U.S. companies.

Researchers develop technique to use dirty silicon, could pave way for cheaper solar energy 8.15.2005 UC Berkeley
A research team led by engineers at UC Berkeley has developed a new technique to handle metal defects in cheap, low-grade silicon, an advance that could dramatically reduce the cost of solar cells. Instead of removing the impurities — a difficult and costly solution — the researchers are leaving them in but manipulating them to reduce their detrimental impact on the solar cell efficiency.

Hunting for Black Gold 4.2005 UC Berkeley College of Engineering
In the classic Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy film Boom Town, the characters determine where to drill for oil by looking at the lay of the land. In reality, a lot of black gold was found that way. Wild catters looked for telltale topographical signs that indicated underground reservoirs. These days though, the tried-and-true technique doesn't work so well. The oil and gas reserves in this country are depleting rapidly, requiring a high-resolution view of the subsurface long before the big drills are brought in. To create these images, UC Berkeley professor James Rector applies technology more commonly seen in the doctor's office.

Study of energy and health in Africa focuses spotlight on charcoal and forest management 3.31.2005 UC Berkeley
As Britain and other countries promise to focus more attention on Africa, UC Berkeley and Harvard researchers have identified one area where investment could yield big health and environmental savings. By helping Africa establish a more efficient way to produce charcoal, the developing world can help promote a cleaner burning fuel, save tropical forests and lower greenhouse gas production.

UCB center wins funding to develop wireless lighting controls 9.24.2004 UC Berkeley
Building science researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have received a grant from the California Energy Commission to develop a flexible, low-cost lighting control system that could provide commercial building owners with significant energy savings and more satisfied tenants. The research team, based at the campus's Center for the Built Environment (CBE), will construct the system using miniature, low-power radio technology being developed at UC Berkeley.

UC Berkeley researchers identify chlorophyll-regulating gene 9.23.2004 UC Berkeley
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have identified a critical gene for plants that start their lives as seeds buried in soil. They say the burial of seeds was an adaptation that likely helped plants spread from humid, wet climates to drier, hostile environments. In a study published in the Sept. 24 issue of the journal Science, the researchers found that a gene called phytochrome-interacting factor 1, or PIF1, affects the production of protochlorophyll, a precursor of the chlorophyll used by plants to convert the sun's energy into food during photosynthesis.

Time is right for hydrogen fuel in California, concludes new policy report 7.26.2004 UC Berkeley
California is poised to become a global leader in clean energy with a sustainable "hydrogen economy," but only if there is strategic investment in renewable energy research and development, says a new report published by UC Berkeley's Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory.

UC Berkeley researcher wins award for work on human thermal comfort model 7.7.2004 UC Berkeley
Researcher Zhang Hui has helped develop a sophisticated mathematical model to predict human thermal comfort that can be used to design energy-efficient temperature systems that make people more comfortable in vehicles, buildings and outdoor spaces.

A Catalyst for Nano-Energy Innovation 7.2004 UC Berkeley College of Engineering
A new UC Berkeley research center will enable faculty and students to further focus their energy on nanotechnology, and vice versa. In June, Taiwan's largest research organization, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), and the University launched the Berkeley-ITRI Research Center to spur development of powerful energy technologies based on Berkeley's nanoscale innovations--from flexible solar cells fabricated onto plastic to a "bio battery" powered by the glucose in your body.

Investment in renewable energy better for jobs as well as environment 4.13.2004 UC Berkeley
A new assessment of the economic effects of building up this country's renewable energy sector reinforces the results of previous studies: that investing in renewable energy sources creates more jobs than an equivalent investment in the fossil fuel sector that dominate the energy industry today.

Technology opens door to cheap, plastic solar cells 3.28.2002 UC Berkeley
Chemists have found a way to make cheap plastic solar cells flexible enough to paint onto any surface. Initial efforts are promising and future work will focus on improving their efficiency.