Policy

Video: Chinese imports threaten local ceramics production in Thailand

By Lisa McDonald / August 14, 2024

Lampang province in Thailand is famous for its ceramic “rooster” bowls, but a rise in Chinese imports threatens local ceramic producers who cannot compete with the rock-bottom prices.

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Solar panel breakage on the rise as glass thickness decreases and hail severity increases

By Lisa McDonald / July 2, 2024

In this year’s annual PV Module Index Report by the Renewable Energy Test Center, experts explain how the trend toward ultralarge and ultrathin solar installations is leading to an increase in spontaneous glass breakage even as the frequency and severity of hailstorms is escalating.

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Can the broken US glass recycling system be fixed?

By Guest Contributor / June 25, 2024

Glass recycling rates have stagnated at approximately 30% in the United States. This CTT discusses some steps that can be taken to help keep glass from going to waste.

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Video: DOE Transmission Interconnection Roadmap sets targets for hooking clean energy up to the grid

By Lisa McDonald / May 15, 2024

Connecting clean energy projects to the electrical grid faces numerous challenges. In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy announced the release of a new roadmap that outlines solutions to speed up interconnection and clear the existing project backlog.

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Video: EPA finalizes limits on ‘forever chemicals’ in US drinking water

By Lisa McDonald / April 17, 2024

On April 10, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued the first legally enforceable national drinking water standards for several common types of PFAS chemicals. Learn what the new standards mean for U.S. drinking water and how ceramics may play a role in the cleanup efforts.

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Video: Titanium dioxide bans under consideration in several US states

By Lisa McDonald / January 31, 2024

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration remains firm in its guidance that titanium dioxide can be used as a food additive despite the European Commission’s decision to ban its use in 2022. In the past year, however, several U.S. state legislatures have introduced bills that would ban the use of TiO2 in food, as well as several other additives.

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Video: New supply chain strategies aim to secure access to critical resources

By Lisa McDonald / January 24, 2024

In response to global supply chain disruptions, many governments are implementing new programs to ensure continued and secure access to critical resources. Learn about some recent programs that were announced in the past few months.

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Video: California bans the use of fiberglass as a flame retardant in mattresses and upholstered furniture

By Lisa McDonald / October 18, 2023

As the health effects of chemical flame retardants became more well known, the use of fiberglass as a flame-retardant material grew in popularity. However, fiberglass comes with its own share of adverse health effects, and the U.S. state of California has now enacted a ban on its use as a flame retardant in mattresses and upholstered furniture.

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Video: Rapid expansion of exploratory licenses in Tasmania worries landowners

By Lisa McDonald / September 13, 2023

The mining and minerals processing industries are economically significant sectors for the Australian island state of Tasmania. But as companies apply for more and more exploratory licenses to identify new minerals deposits, landowners in the state are concerned about the environmental impacts.

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Video: Proposed ban threatens budding agrivoltaic industry in the Netherlands

By Lisa McDonald / July 12, 2023

Despite the recorded benefits of co-locating solar panels and crops, the erroneous belief that photovoltaics and agriculture are an either/or situation remains a common perspective in governing bodies around the world. In the past month, two media announcements out of the Netherlands reveal how a proposed ban on solar deployments on agricultural land could severely hamper the country’s budding agrivoltaic industry.

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