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We show that deep-sea mud contains high concentrations of rare-earth elements and yttrium at numerous sites throughout the eastern South and central North Pacific. We estimate that an area of just one square kilometre, surrounding one of the sampling sites, could provide one-fifth of the current annual world consumption of these elements.

According to Siemens, while electric motors represent over 65 per cent of the total industrial power demand, approximately 70 per cent of the installed motors today do not use optimal motor control - which is bad news for a greener world.

For many decades, the transformers that populate our power grids have led a fairly one-sided existence. Now, however, their world is being shaken up and a lot more is expected of them: They should cater for the plethora of renewable power sources appearing on the grid; they are required to help maintain grid power quality; they are expected to do their bit in reducing greenhouse gas emissions; and they have to fit in with smart grids. Of course, the traditional commercial pressures to decrease all-round costs, extend asset life, improve monitoring and optimize maintenance still remain.

Sub-Saharan Africa's electricity metering market will see the fastest growth of any region in the world over the next decade.

Fish farming holds tremendous promise in responding to surging demand for food which is taking place due to global population growth, the report says.

The Economist Intelligence Unit has been fine-tuning its base-year estimates for global copper consumption in 2013 in line with the latest data published by the World Bureau of Metal Statistics (WBMS).

A new argument has just been added to the growing case for graphene being bumped off its pedestal as the next big thing in the high-tech world by the two-dimensional semiconductors known as MX2 materials.

India has to hugely expand nuclear power along with its entire power system to bring electricity to 300 million people and move away from coal, according to a study by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

There are currently 435 operational nuclear power reactors in 30 countries around the world and 72 are under construction in 15 countries.

Prof Smil’s answer is that we need to think about “rational futures of moderated energy and material use”. As he admits, though, it is hard to see any political leaders being prepared to offer their citizens less and less in the future; particularly not in emerging economies where billions are hoping to come closer to developed world lifestyles.

The global solar market is shifting from Europe to Asia. China's newly installed solar capacity grew 232% year-on-year in 2013 to 12GW, whereasGermany's newly installed capacity fell 56.5% to 3.3GW and Italy's dropped 55% year-on-year to 1.6GW.  

In Essen, the 10,000-volt superconductor cable replaces a conventional 110,000-volt power line. This technology makes it possible to reduce the number of substations and shift them to the outskirts, releasing valuable inner-city land.