Tag: energy
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Making Corn-based Plastics More Heat Tolerant
Petroleum is not only the main source of transportation fuel but also a key raw material in making plastics. A team from Lapol LLC, of Santa Barbara, California and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of USDA are working on a solution to make corn-based plastics a better alternative than plastics made from oil. An important…
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Slow Uptake for Green Tech Patent Fast Track
Martin LaMonica reports today in CNet that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO’s) accelerated review program for green technology patent applications has not had the anticipated overwhelming response. In December 2009, USPTO announced it would bump up to the front of the queue for appraisal patent petitions for environmental technologies. Under the accelerated review,…
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University, Oil Company Partner on Infrastructure Corrosion
University of Oklahoma (OU) in Norman and the oil company ConocoPhillips will establish a new program to conduct research on biocorrosion affecting petroleum pipelines, storage facilities, tankers, and refineries. The new Biocorrosion Center will be part of OU’s Institute for Energy and Environment. Researchers in the program will explore scientific issues to better understand and…
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U.S. Using More Renewables, but Less Energy Overall
In 2009, Americans burned less energy overall, but still managed to use more energy from renewable sources, according to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California. LLNL computes and charts energy consumption annually, using data provided by the Energy Information Administration in the U.S. Department of Energy (see below). LLNL calculates Americans in 2009 consumed…
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University-Business Partners Get Grant for Energy Project
MTECH Laboratories in Ballston Spa, New York has received a Small Business Innovation Research grant from National Science Foundation to demonstrate the feasibility of its energy distribution system for large buildings. The grant funds joint research and development on power distribution with the nearby College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering of the University at Albany,…