Energy & Decarbonization Stories
Capping and/or mitigating global warming requires a rapid shift to low-carbon socio-economic systems. From stories about scaling up renewable energy to pioneering work in solar fuels to carbon capture and storage technologies, Anthropocene magazine aims to be a leading voice in the conversation about this great transition.
High-efficiency silicon solar cells go on a roll
Lightweight and flexible, these solar cells could power airships and drones, or be easily integrated into electric vehicles and building facades
Artificial leaves can now directly make liquid fuels
The latest evolution of the artificial leaf converts carbon dioxide and water into high-energy ethanol that can be directly used in car engines
Engineered bacteria could decarbonize the chemical industry
“All you need to add is sugar and the cells do the rest” . . . enabling low-emissions manufacture of drugs and fuels
Massive turbine blades make for massive waste streams. Chemists have found a way to break them down for reuse.
Whereas previous recycling techniques have focused on material redesign, this new technique works on today’s turbine blade materials
Imagine highways that efficiently transport electricity, hydrogen fuel—and vehicles at staggering speeds
The superconducting technology actually exists. It’s the ingenious combination of functions that could put the cost within reach.
What’s best for the climate: Reshoring solar panel production or just buying cheap from China?
Balancing national interests and carbon emissions is tricky business
The surprising appliance that could make solar panels easier to produce and recycle
Microwaves could process silicon solar cells using less time and energy than high-temperature furnaces, while also making panels easier to disassemble and recycle
In the gentle shade of solar panels, desert restoration gets an unexpected leg up
Delicate biocrusts are used to restore drylands; instead of cultivating them in high-tech greenhouses, researchers are growing them under solar farms.
Move over batteries. The key to more efficient heating and cooling may lie underground
Storing heat and cold for months in deep aquifers could bolster the reliability of the electrical grid in the face of climate change
Can Big Oil be part of a post-carbon world?
Fossil fuel companies made the modern world. The challenge now is remaking themselves.
