Tag Wisconsin Energy Institute
UW–Madison biochemist wins prestigious forestry prize for discoveries that support sustainable energy and product innovations
UW–Madison biochemistry professor John Ralph has been awarded the forestry industry's top prize, alongside collaborator Wout Boerjan, a professor at Ghent University in Belgium, for their groundbreaking research on the molecular structure of lignin, one of the main components of plant cell walls.
UW–Madison project combines art, policy and science to create plant-based plastics and benefit marginalized communities
A team led by University of Wisconsin–Madison scholars has a plan to turn paper mill waste into plant-based plastics, slashing greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution and creating economic opportunities in ways that benefit marginalized communities.
A Juneteenth celebration of science
Outreach teams from UW–Madison brought the "Kitchen Chemist," hands-on exploration stations, and a chance to chat with scientists to the Kujichagulia Center for Self-Determination Juneteenth celebration at Penn Park Saturday.
Shifting food choices reducing climate impact of American diet
Lower consumption of beef, dairy, chicken, pork, and eggs accounted for more than 75% of the observed diet-related carbon dioxide savings during the study period.
Donohue to lead Wisconsin Energy Institute
Tim Donohue, a professor of bacteriology, has led the institute as interim director since 2017. WEI provides leadership in energy and clean technology research, scholarship, education and outreach.
UW team among winners of Musk Foundation’s XPRIZE for Carbon Removal Student Competition
The contest is kickstarting projects that could mitigate the impacts of climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the air, ground and oceans.
2021 KidWind challenge gusts ahead as a virtual competition
6th grader John Dreher cuts out geometric shapes that he designed for wind turbine blades. The cardboard structures were then replicated and mounted on…
Engineered microbe may be key to producing plastic from plants
With a few genetic tweaks, a type of soil bacteria with an appetite for hydrocarbons shows promise as a biological factory for converting a renewable — but frustratingly untapped — bounty into a replacement for ubiquitous plastics.
New fuel cell concept brings biological design to better electricity generation
A new approach addresses the high cost of fuel cells, which is one reason that there are only a few thousand vehicles running on hydrogen fuel currently on U.S. roads.
Report: Focusing on advanced energy sensors and controls could mean 44,000 jobs for Wisconsin
With targeted investments and forward-looking policies, Wisconsin could capitalize on its strengths in sensors and controls for the advanced energy industry to drive economic growth and support over 44,000 jobs annually.
DOE selects Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center for next-phase funding
Research at the UW-based center will shift to bioenergy crops such as switchgrass, poplar trees and sorghum that will be grown on non-agricultural land.
UW–Madison selected for $9.3 million in nuclear energy research funding
The Nuclear Energy University Program, which seeks to maintain U.S. leadership in nuclear research, has a long history of funding research in the College of Engineering.
Class analysis gives initial green light to green energy in Waterloo
A “capstone class” taught at the Wisconsin Energy Institute is helping the Wisconsin city of Waterloo evaluate whether it could generate all its electricity from renewable sources on city-owned land.
Study measures air pollution increase attributable to air conditioning
The study shows the electricity production associated with air conditioning causes emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide to increase by hundreds to thousands of metric tons.
Renewable plastic precursor could grow cellulosic biofuel industry
A team of chemical and biological engineers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has found a way to produce from biomass a valuable compound used in plastic production that they estimate could lower the cost of ethanol produced from plant material by more than two dollars per gallon.
Johnson Controls, Engineering, UW-Milwaukee team up to improve vehicle fuel efficiency
Johnson Controls is partnering with the College of Engineering and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on two multi-year research projects aimed at enhancing the vehicle fuel efficiency.
Bacterial boost makes biofuel production more efficient
A team of investigators at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Michigan State University have created a process for making the work environment less toxic - literally - for the organisms that do the heavy lifting in the increasingly important field of bio-products derived from cellulosic biomass.
UW–Madison microgrids help power industry in Milwaukee
On the same site in Milwaukee where the A. O. Smith Corporation once built airplane and auto parts for the military during both world wars, University of Wisconsin–Madison energy researchers are using state-of-the-art microgrid technology to help revitalize Milwaukee's power industry.
With new professor, university-industry effort to focus on energy storage
With expertise in energy storage systems for electric vehicles, smart-grid technology and military applications, Deyang Qu will be the first Johnson Controls Endowed Professor in Energy Storage Research.
Winning climate change solutions range from meat processing to mindfulness
The Climate Quest competition to spur innovative climate change solutions is down to a field of five. At the Climate Quest Concept Pitch on Sept. 19, 18 teams presented their ideas to a panel of investors and entrepreneurs, who rated the ideas on many factors including creativity, scalability and potential impact. The panel selected five teams to advance to the next round of the competition.