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Sweden, Renewables, Energy
Wearing wood for a low-carbon life
Wearing wood for a low-carbon life
“Wood may be present in people’s life more than we think”, says Mariana Hassegawa, a researcher at the European Forest Institute . She is one of the authors of a case study on new wood-based products by the BioMonitor EU project.
Sharing power to foster renewables: the cooperatives model
Sharing power to foster renewables: the cooperatives model
María Regidor co-owns a mini-hydro power plant in Spain, which produces part of the electricity provided to the residents of the Castile and León region.
Doubling lithium battery energy density – A chat with Nobel prize winner M. Stanley Whittingham
Doubling lithium battery energy density – A chat with Nobel prize winner M. Stanley Whittingham
The success of lithium-ion batteries is so great that it’s easy to ignore how common they now are – except on the rare occasion one bursts into flames. That success arguably originated with M.
Evora University Courtyard
The cultural heritage challenges a sustainable future
Buildings and the construction sector are responsible for over one-third of global final energy consumption and nearly 40% of total direct and indirect CO 2 emissions .
Money-saving small wind turbines: myth or reality?
Money-saving small wind turbines: myth or reality?
Getting clean energy through your own turbine without relying on a central grid sounds great, but with subsidies being cut across Europe, is it too good to be true? Those with plenty of experience with wind turbines are quick to concede the financial challenges of this green technology.
Energy back in local hands
Energy back in local hands
Across Europe, town and city councils are becoming increasingly interested in energy decentralisation , i.e. in producing power closer to where it is consumed.
Social, green, but primarily as an investment: all the features of energy crowdfunding
Social, green, but primarily as an investment: all the features of energy crowdfunding
There are three ways a crowdfunding project can be financed. Lending: the entrepreneurs borrow money and pay interest; equity: investors in the project become its shareholders; donations: no reward is to be expected (there is a fourth way, a mix of equity and lending called “hybrid”).
Smart grid: A grid suitable for renewable energy
Smart grid: A grid suitable for renewable energy
Traditionally our electricity grids were designed to move power from large nuclear and fossil fuel power plants to consumers, but renewable energy will see changes to allow smaller power generation from wind and solar to be hooked up to the grid.
Clean energies in need of a long term vision
Clean energies in need of a long term vision
The European grid already faces transmission challenges, as the alternative current (AC) infrastructure has almost reached its transport capacity.
Making Europe’s cultural heritage more energy efficient
Making Europe’s cultural heritage more energy efficient
A well-accepted measure for climate protection involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions . And buildings have the greatest energy saving potential, according to the official EU Energy Efficiency Plan 2011 .
Heat trading warms up
Heat trading warms up
Liberalising the heat market is, in theory, possible. It would operate in the same way that enables owners of domestic-scale wind turbines, or any other electricity producer, to sell surplus into the grid and draw power from the network.
When will solar power become competitive?
When will solar power become competitive?
Competitive solar cells rely on climate, efficiency, material and production costs. The fluctuation of electricity prices from different sources and political climates both play a big part as well.
The End of Fossil Energy
The End of Fossil Energy
Certain European cities are a step ahead when it comes to preserving the environment. For instance, thanks to innovative techniques and a more ecological way of life, the commune of Växjö, Sweden, could be on its way to becoming the first fossil fuel free city in the world.