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Energy

An aerial view of the Plataforma Solar de Almería (PSA) in southern Spain. The PSA is a specialist research centre for concentrated thermal solar energy, which uses mirrors to intensify the sun’s power. © Plataforma solar de Almería/ CIEMAT
energy | innovation union
18 October 2013

Innovative EU regions capitalising on natural resources

From wind turbines in Germany to solar panels in Spain, regions across the EU are using natural resources to become specialists in their own type of sustainable energy, bringing much-needed investment for businesses and citizens.

Copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) solar cells convert about 13 % of sunlight to electricity. Image of sunlight © Shutterstock/ Pavel Vakhrushev
environment | energy | industry
16 October 2013

Better, more versatile silicon-free solar cell technologies

Researchers are working on ways to make silicon-free solar cells that are more energy-efficient.

Günther Oettinger, European Commissioner for Energy, addresses representatives of ITER Member States at the construction site on 6 September 2013. Image courtesy of ITER
energy | policy | industry
04 October 2013

World powers back hotter-than-the-sun reactor

Ministers representing many of the world's main economic powers met on 6 September 2013 to show their support for one of the world’s most ambitious scientific experiments – a nuclear fusion reactor that will operate at temperatures ten times hotter than the core of the sun.

The Nu-Office building in Munich has small, triple-glazed windows and thick, insulated walls to keep out the winter cold. Image courtesy of Nu-Office.
energy | environment | industry
02 October 2013

Sustainable buildings should differ across Europe

Sustainable buildings should be different depending on where they are in Europe - that's according to the developers of one of the world's greenest office buildings.

Plastic ready to be recycled. © Moreno Soppelsa/Shutterstock
environment | energy | industry
09 September 2013

The magnetic attraction of recycling plastics

Magnets and nano-sized magnetic particles could help to change the way plastics are sorted for recycling, saving billions of euros in raw material imports, and providing new tools to erode Europe’s mountains of discarded plastic.

Smart meters are helping people use electricity more efficiently. © Shutterstock/LeahKat
ict | energy
02 September 2013

Smart meters for smart consumption

The people of Alginet, a small town in eastern Spain, are paying less for their electricity. Households reduced their electricity bills by an average of 12 % over 2012, while large, commercial consumers saved 58 %.

Open rotor jet engines could reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by 25 % to 30 % compared to standard jet engines. © Safran
public–private partnerships | energy | industry | innovation union
21 August 2013

Cleaner and quieter future for Europe’s skies

Europe’s skies will be cleaner and quieter thanks to a proposed partnership between the EU and industry. During the partnership, technologies will be developed to help cut noise and carbon dioxide emissions from planes by up to 30 %.

Unused waste from trees and crops could be turned into everyday products. © Shutterstock/Taina Sohlman
public–private partnerships | agriculture | energy | innovation union
14 August 2013

Oil-free fuel from agricultural waste

Europe’s agricultural by-products could be increasingly used to give people greener everyday commodities, such as oil-free vehicle fuel and bio-plastics, thanks to a planned multi-billion-euro partnership between the EU and industry.

In the French region of Champagne, local farmers and industrial partners have developed a fully integrated industrial biorefinery. It takes advantage of the biomass, based on traditional agro-industries, for new applications of agro-resources to be used in the local area. © Getty
energy | bioeconomy | agriculture | industry
18 March 2013

Biorefinery sorts the chaff from the wheat

Among the vineyards and wheat fields of north-eastern France, a revolution in chemical manufacturing is quietly gathering momentum. Here, biomass is turned into valuable components and energy.

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