In New York, Clean Energy Pipeline reported that new investment in the global clean energy sector totaled $74.9 billion in Q2 15, a 2% decrease on Q2 14 ($76.5 billion). Despite the annual decrease, investment was still 11% above the average quarterly volume of investment during the past three years ($67.2 billion). New investment was […]
In Washington state, scientists have directed a common bacterium to produce more of a valuable fatty acid, lauric acid, than it typically does. The achievement is noteworthy not simply because of the increased production of fatty acid, which can be a useful component of biofuels. The work opens the door for scientists to manipulate such […]
In Washington state, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has been tapped as one of five national laboratories to lead the U.S. DOE’s new Small Business Vouchers Pilot. SBV will help small clean energy firms get technology assistance from world class scientists, engineers and facilities within the DOE national laboratory system. PNNL was selected to support small […]
In Washington state, researchers from the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), UOP and Netherlands-based Utrecht University have found a way to understand chemical transformations occurring within zeolites. Data from the study will allow scientists to find ways to keep the factory running, as well as enhance catalysts that help produce fuel, biofuel […]
In Massachusetts, chemical engineers and biologists at MIT have found a simple way to make yeast produce more ethanol from sugars: Spike the mixture they’re growing on with two common chemicals. Adding potassium and an acidity-reducing compound helps the yeast tolerate higher concentrations of the ethanol they’re making without dying. Aided by those “supplements,” traditionally underperforming […]
The International Renewable Energy Agency reports: “More than 7.7 million people worldwide are now employed by the renewable energy industry. This is an 18 per cent increase from last year’s figure of 6.5 million. The report, Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2015, also provides a first-ever global estimate of the number of jobs supported […]
In New York, Bloomberg New Energy Finance reported that Clean energy investment worldwide was $53bn in the second quarter of 2015, down 3% from a revised $54.4bn in Q1 2015 but down 28% compared to the $73.6bn recorded in Q2 2014. “Global investment this year is facing headwinds from the financial markets, with the sharp […]
In Sweden, a research group at the Department of Chemistry has discovered a new aspect in enzymes that, in part, explains how enzymes manage their tasks with unmatched efficiency and selectivity. So-called high-energy states in enzymes are regarded as necessary for catalysing of chemical reactions. A high-energy level is a protein structure only occurring temporarily and […]
In Tennessee, turning trees, grass, and other biomass into fuel for automobiles and airplanes is a costly and complex process. Biofuel researchers are working to change that, envisioning a future where cellulosic ethanol, an alcohol derived from plant sugars, is as common and affordable at the gas station as gasoline. The key to making this […]
45 deals, 37 companies; deal size jumps 7 percent and Q2 2015 is 15% up over 2014 and 138 percent up over Q1. Here’s the complete skinny on who got what. In Florida, The Digest reports that 37 advanced bioeconomy ventures raised $1.328 billion in new capital in Q3 2014 through Q2 2015 for company […]
