News Coverage: 2007
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."