energy conservation

Diesel fuel prices approaching $5 a gallon — and the resulting economic impact on products transported by truck — have created renewed interest in fuel-saving technologies developed during the past decade at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI).
Use of pressurized air "active flow control" techniques combined with conventional aerodynamic streamlining could improve fuel efficiency by […]

In recent years, a growing scarcity of energy commodities worldwide has heightened concerns about key geopolitical risks and threats, such as conflict in the Middle East, terrorism and resource nationalism. However, a study released this week by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy suggests that, taken individually, many of the risks driving the oil […]

U.S. Forest Service scientists with the Center for Urban Forest Research have completed a study that found planting and nurturing Indianapolis street trees brought a 500 percent return in benefits from storm water reduction, energy conservation, cleaner air, and increased property values.
The researchers evaluated more than 117,000 trees the Indianapolis Parks and Recreation Forestry Section […]

Can a profit-boosting approach save energy too?
Could a business practice usually reserved for boosting profits be used to help turn companies green by reducing their energy use? Writing in the International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage (IJSSCA), researchers in India provide an answer.
According to mechanical engineer Prabhakar Kaushik of NC College of Engineering […]

High gasoline prices could lead to a dramatic saving in US greenhouse-gas emissions. That’s the conclusion of economists in the US, who suggest high fuel prices are turning consumers off SUVs and onto smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles.
What’s more, car owners are predicted to cut back on driving in order to save money. Together, these changes […]

Creating an improved aerodynamic shape for truck trailers by mounting sideskirts can lead to a cut in fuel consumption and emissions of up to as much as 15%. Earlier promising predictions, based on mathematical models and wind tunnel tests by TU Delft, have been confirmed during road tests with an adapted trailer. This means that […]

We can disguise environmentally harmful practices and dress them up in words to help ease our consciences, argues Albert Bandura of the Department of Psychology at Stanford University, but such practices will have a negative impact on the planet and the quality of life of future generations, no matter how we label them.
Writing in the […]

Breathing new life into an old idea, MIT Institute Professor Mildred S. Dresselhaus and co-workers are developing innovative materials for controlling temperatures that could lead to substantial energy savings by allowing more efficient car engines, photovoltaic, cells and electronic devices.
Novel thermoelectric materials have already resulted in a new consumer product: a simple, efficient way of […]