In a study of the molecular mechanisms by which plants protect themselves from oxidation damage should they absorb too much sunlight during photosynthesis, a team of researchers has discovered a molecular “dimmer switch” that helps control the flow of solar energy moving through the system of light harvesting proteins.

For most people, the name “E. coli” is synonymous with food poisoning and product recalls, but a professor in Texas A&M University’s chemical engineering department envisions the bacteria as a future source of energy, helping to power our cars, homes and more.

An increasing number of private individuals supply their excess energy, from external energy sources (windmills and solar cells), to the electricity grid and only take energy from the grid when necessary. Dutch-sponsored researcher Haimin Tao examined how this externally generated energy can be better stored and transferred.

Two of America's biggest power utilities have unveiled plans for a multi-billion-dollar expansion of solar power supply, backing the argument that solar energy can indeed become a viable alternative to coal-fired electricity.

Cows could one day help to meet the rise in demand for alternative energy sources, say Ohio State University researchers that used microbe-rich fluid from a cow to generate electricity in a small fuel cell.

China signed deals Tuesday to produce and import natural gas from Turkmenistan, a major step in the realignment of the resource-rich central Asian country away from its former rulers in Russia, a news report said.

Opinions people have about innovations are influenced by the context in which they form their opinion. For example, opinions about a novel energy source like biomass are influenced by thoughts regarding other energy sources. The less knowledge, interest or time people have, the stronger this effect. Sustainable energy options must therefore be promoted in the right context says Dutch researcher Wouter van den Hoogen.

Europe needs reliable energy supplies for the future and Russia can fill the bill -- but the European Union would nevertheless be wise to seek alternatives. That was the general consensus of top international experts assembled at the Global Energy Leaders Summit organized this week in London by the "Financial Times" newspaper.

Biodiesel is in high demand. The byproduct of this alternative source of energy, glycerin, is next, according to an agriculture scientist at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Clean manure may sound like an oxymoron, but Dr. Brent Auvermann is working with feedyard owners to help them get the most "spark" from it as a fuel source.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko says he has signed a deal with Iran to jointly develop an oil field in the Islamic Republic. Mr. Lukashenko announced the deal Monday in Minsk, following talks with visiting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The leaders gave no details of the project at the Jofeir oil field.

China and Japan made an agreement to meet again for they did not achieve no progress in issue of gas exploration in the East China Sea, the officials said Friday.