What civil engineers are reading this week

• Offshore wind farms could help capture carbon from air and store it long term, saving money

  Built together, these technologies could reduce the energy costs of carbon capture and minimize the need for onshore pipelines, reducing impacts on the environment.

• A new 'tandem' solar cell design can boost efficiency to nearly 24%

  The improvement in efficiency of perovskite/organic tandem solar cells approaches the 26.7% power conversion rate of traditional silicon solar cells.

• In Tonga, drinking water is the ‘biggest life-saving issue’ after volcanic eruption

  Ocean water and volcanic ash have contaminated the drinking water of tens of thousands of people in the Pacific island nation.

• White House infrastructure czar touts new law's bridge program

  Mitch Landrieu, the point man for implementing the infrastructure law, says billions of dollars in funding to rehabilitate bridges and other deficient infrastructure is a generational opportunity.

• Biden’s cybersecurity policies praised despite persistence of ransomware

  When President Joe Biden took office, he already had a laundry list of cybersecurity issues to address.

• Maryland reducing road salt’s environmental impact

  The state's Department of the Environment is spearheading an effort to reduce the amount of salts entering rivers, streams, and groundwater while also ensuring roads remain safe for winter travel.