News Coverage
Awards for green, effective workplaces 11.14.08 UC Berkeley
Four workplaces in the United States that are both ecologically responsible and well-liked by users are recipients of the 2008 Livable Buildings Awards given by UC Berkeley's Center for the Built Environment.
EBI named tech-transfer "Deal of Distinction" 10.22.08 UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley's landmark $500 million biofuels research partnership with energy giant BP, signed nearly a year ago, has been named a "Deal of Distinction" by the Licensing Executives Society, an organization of U.S. and Canadian technology transfer professionals.
Dozens of East Bay climate-change researchers to gather at I-House 10.15.08 UC Berkeley
Some 2,000 scientists contributed to the Nobel Peace Prize-winning IPCC report on global warming. Next week, the local contingent will be honored
Senator Barbara Boxer praises UC Berkeley for its green energy research 10.7.08 UC Berkeley
Senator Barbara Boxer toured UC Berkeley's Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3) on Monday, Oct. 6 and applauded the campus for taking a lead in green energy research as part of a wider effort to "free our country from foreign oil".
What we don't know about biofuels 9.15.08 UC Berkeley
How would the large-scale cultivation of biofuels affect food supply and food prices? What is their impact on soils, waterways, the air, and nearby food crops? Chris Somerville, director of the new Energy Biosciences Institute, discusses the web of scientific, technical, and social questions that EBI researchers have begun to probe in an attempt to "truly understand" the potential benefits and pitfalls of large-scale biofuel production.
UC Berkeley hosts federal task force on sustainable energy 9.5.08 UC Berkeley
A panel of experts charged with advising the President and Congress on sustainable-energy research and development met at UC Berkeley Sept. 4 for a third and final roundtable discussion.
Researchers showcase automated bus that uses magnets to steer through city streets 9.5.08 UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley engineers took a 60-foot automated bus out for a spin along a one-mile stretch of roadway in San Leandro today (Sept. 5). The bus was steered not by a driver, but by a magnetic guidance system they developed. It is the first demonstration of the automated bus moving with regular city traffic on a public roadway.
EBI launches fall biofuels seminar series 9.3.08 UC Berkeley
The Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI) has begun a new, biweekly seminar series this semester focusing on areas of importance within the biofuel field.
Building an energy 'cathedral' 8.20.08 UC Berkeley
It’s easy to see why Clem Fortman, a postdoc in the lab of synthetic-biology guru (and Berkeley chemical-engineering professor) Jay Keasling, wanted to open the gates of higher education to promising students who might otherwise never get a foot in the door. A self-described “GED guy,” the impressively tattooed Fortman was kicked out of high school at 17, served a stint in the army, and “goofed off for a number of years” before finally enrolling at the University of Minnesota at the age of 28. Having earned his Ph.D. there in 2006, he’s now on the cutting edge of scientific discovery, working to find a way to turn nonfood substances into cheap, green, domestically produced energy.
Projected California warming promises cycle of more heat waves, energy use 7.10.08 EBI
As the 21st century progresses, major cities in heavily air-conditioned California can expect more frequent extreme-heat events because of climate change. This could mean increased electricity demand for the densely populated state, raising the risk of power shortages during heat waves. If the electricity were generated using fossil fuels, this could also mean even more emissions of heat-trapping gases that cause climate change.
Climate change could severely impact California's endemic plants 6.24.08 UC Berkeley
California's endemic plants those found no where else in the world could disappear from their natural ranges as a result of global warming and associated changes in rainfall, according to a new study by UC Berkeley and Duke University researchers.
An alliance for green prosperity? 6.13.08 UC Berkeley
On a visit to Berkeley and LBNL this week, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet emphasized the value of collaboration between her nation and the state of California as she sought solutions to one of Chile's most pressing challenge: how to provide its own energy.
CITRIS co-sponsors Copenhagen climate and energy conference as lead-in to 2009 UN meeting 6.13.2008 UC Berkeley
Some 250 of the world's leading climate and energy researchers, industry representatives and government leaders will convene on June 19 in Copenhagen, Denmark, for an international research summit sponsored by the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) at the University of California, Berkeley, in partnership with the Copenhagen Climate Council. The conference, "Unlocking the Climate Code: Innovation in Climate and Energy," aims to identify the critical research and development achievements necessary for a successful transition to a low carbon economy.
New study sheds light on the growing U.S. wind power market 6.2.2008 LBNL
For the third consecutive year the U.S. was home to the fastest-growing wind power market in the world, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Wind is on a path to becoming a significant contributor to the U.S. power mix: wind projects accounted for 35 percent of all new electricity-generating capacity added in the U.S. in 2007, and more than 200 GW (gigawatts, or billion watts) of wind power are in various stages of development throughout the country.
Berkeley researchers identify photosynthetic dimmer switch 5.8.2008 LBNL
In a study of the molecular mechanisms by which plants protect themselves from oxidation damage should they absorb too much sunlight during photosynthesis, a team of researchers has discovered a molecular “dimmer switch” that helps control the flow of solar energy moving through the system of light harvesting proteins. This discovery holds important implications for the future design of artificial photosynthesis systems that could provide the world with a sustainable and secure source of energy.
Energy Biosciences Institute funds first 49 projects 5.5.2008 EBI
The Energy Biosciences Institute, the world’s largest public/private consortium dedicated to the application of biosciences to the energy sector, has announced an initial set of 49 research projects for funding during the first year of EBI’s 10-year program. Projects are being supported at all three of the public partner institutions – UC Berkeley; the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The international energy company BP is funding the decade of work with $500 million, about $20 million of which is supporting the first package of projects.
On the energy trail: Berkeley researchers find new details following the path of solar energy during photosynthesis 4.25.2008 LBNL
Imagine a technology that would not only provide a green and renewable source of electrical energy, but could also help scrub the atmosphere of excessive carbon dioxide resulting from the burning of fossil fuels. That’s the promise of artificial versions of photosynthesis, the process by which green plants have been converting solar energy into electrochemical energy for millions of years. To get there, however, scientists need a far better understanding of how Nature does it, starting with the harvesting of sunlight and the transporting of this energy to electrochemical reaction centers.
Clean energy plans dominate 2008 Global Social Venture Competition 4.23.2008 UC Berkeley
A plan to make clean energy affordable around the world to poor, rural households without access to electricity won the grand prize of the 2008 Global Social Venture Competition at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business. The winning team, MicroEnergy Credits Corp. from Columbia Business School at Columbia University in New York received a $25,000 cash prize.
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.