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245MW solar power deal for California
By Emily Clark
00:55 June 4, 2008 PDT
Following on from an announcement to create a 65 million square foot solar panel installation in California, Southern California Edison (SCE) has announced plans to purchase 245MW of solar power from eSolar through a series of pre-fab solar plants. Read More
OrignOil closer to large scale algae oil production
By Emily Clark
01:13 June 3, 2008 PDT
Los Angeles-based OriginOil has developed breakthrough technology that it believes will enable the transformation of algae oil into a true competitor for petroleum. The company has filed a patent to protect its invention of a scalable system that is critical to achieving high volume algae production required to replace petroleum. Read More
New research targets "greener” roads
By Emily Clark
00:09 May 29, 2008 PDT
A great deal of effort is being invested towards discovering ways to make our world greener, with cars in particular being the focus of research and development initiatives. But what about the green credentials of the millions of miles of roads which carry our vehicles from A to B? This question is being addressed by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) who are investigating ways to make asphalt environmentally friendly. Read More
"Avalanche effect" research promises greater solar cell efficiency
By Emily Clark
23:43 May 27, 2008 PDT
Research continues to improve efficiency in solar cells, whilst simultaneously finding ways to lower the costs of module production. The latest research from TU Delft and the FOM Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter surrounds the use of semiconducting nanocrystals (crystals with dimensions in the nanometer size range) to demonstrate a phenomenon called the “avalanche effect” which has the potential to significantly boost solar cell efficiency. Read More
StatoilHydro to build 2.3MW offshore floating wind turbine
By Emily Clark
00:35 May 27, 2008 PDT
The world desperately needs viable sources of renewable energy and wind power is among the most promising solutions, but one downside is that turbines can be considered a blight on otherwise picturesque landscapes. The solution seems obvious enough - move the towers far out to sea where not only are they out of sight, but where the wind is at its strongest and most consistent. We first encountered this idea back in 2006 when we examined the efforts of MIT researchers to integrate a turbine with a floating platform similar to those used by offshore oil rigs. Now news that Norwegian oil and gas company StatoilHydro plans to invest around US$80 million to build a full scale offshore floating wind turbine. Read More
Thin film solar manufacturing breakthrough
By Emily Clark
21:12 May 25, 2008 PDT
Germany is again making news in the solar field with the announcement of the industry’s first ever Gen 8.5 (5.7 meter square) silicon thin film solar PV module at Signet Solar’s new factory near Dresden. The accomplishment at the company's 200,000 square foot production facility and is another step towards lowering the cost of renewable solar energy through thin film technology. Read More
World's largest offshore wind farm
05:18 May 15, 2008 PDT
May 15, 2008 Texas based engineering and construction giant Fluor Corporation has been engaged to to design and construct the 500 megawatt (MW) Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm. Read More
Thin film solar cell production breakthrough
By Emily Clark
20:59 May 14, 2008 PDT
May 15, 2008 Advancing a viable market for photovoltaic solar energy involves a balancing act between creating efficient solar cells and at the same time reducing the cost of the manufacturing process. Solar efficiency has been demonstrated to levels as high as 22% (a record set by SANYO last year), and although HelioVolt Corporation's latest announcements concern technology that is only delivering 12.2% conversion, the company has made great strides on the other side of the equation. Its proprietary FASST reactive transfer printing process has produced solar cells in a record setting six minutes, according to HelioVolt that's 10 to 100 times faster than current production of thin-film photovoltaics and could lead to manufacturing costs of less than $1 per watt. Read More
Giant solar lily pads
By Darren Quick
00:04 May 13, 2008 PDT
May 13, 2008 Peter Richardson from Scottish architecture firm ZM Architecture has proposed using Solar Lily Pads on Glasgow’s River Clyde to harness the sun’s rays and send electricity to the city's grid. The concept has taken first place in the International Design Awards, (IDA), ‘Land and Sea’ competition. The lilypads are designed to be moved and dismantled easily as they are simply tethered to the river bed, with integrated motors used to rotate the discs for maximum exposure to sunlight throughout the day. Read More
Massive zero energy digital media art wall to open in Beijing
By Emily Clark
22:45 May 6, 2008 PDT
Simone Giostra & Partners Architects have designed the GreenPix Zero Energy Media Wall that applies sustainable and digital media technology to the curtain wall of Xicui Entertainment Complex in Beijing, near the site of the 2008 Olympics. Read More
New software analyzes window film energy savings
19:40 April 30, 2008 PDT
May 1, 2008 Window film provides a boost to home energy efficiency - but how do you quantify this prior to installation? To answer this question window film manufacturer Panorama has launched new software that allows installers to calculate the environmental and cost-saving benefits of installing window film on small commercial and residential buildings. The Panorama Specularis Energy Analysis and Film Selection Tool not only calculates energy savings, but identifies the ideal window film for the property and accurately calculates the return on investment for window film installation. Read More
Scotland announces $20 million Saltire Prize for clean energy innovation
02:17 April 29, 2008 PDT
April 29, 2008 The Scottish Government has offered the world’s biggest ever cash prize for innovation in the field of renewable marine-based energy. It is hoped that the £10 million (US$20 million) award will not only contribute to the global energy problem, but will help bolster Scotland’s own clean energy sector which already accounts for 16% of the nation’s generated electricity. Read More
Californian housing estate gets solar as standard
By Emily Clark
17:05 April 23, 2008 PDT
A new housing estate, with solar power to be included as a standard feature in all homes, has been officially opened in San Bernardino County, California. Opened on Earth Day, ‘Harmony’ is a planned residential development and a collaboration between CenterStone Communities and Petersen-Dean Roofing Systems that will lower residents’ utility costs by up to 50%. Read More
eSolar announces funding boost for scaleable, pre-fabricated solar plants
By Emily Clark
00:02 April 22, 2008 PDT
April 22, 2008 eSolar has raised $130 million in funding for the deployment of its solar thermal power plants. The scaleable, pre-fabricated power plants are designed to cut construction costs and deliver renewable energy solutions tailored to the needs of particular communities. Read More
Energy-positive wind powered rotating skyscraper set to begin construction in Dubai
By Loz Blain
21:34 April 17, 2008 PDT
Dubai has well earned its reputation for architectural extravagance and excess. Not a cent has been spared as various developers vie to produce the biggest, the most stunning, the most luxurious and the most outrageous projects ever undertaken. And while this next project is right up there in terms of luxury, exclusivity and head-spinning architectural genius, it adds a fascinating extra dimension - the ability to generate ten times as much power as it will use. Each floor of Dynamic Architecture's wind-powered rotating skyscraper is a single apartment with the ability to rotate independently, giving residents the ability to choose a new view at the touch of a button - quite a party trick. Wind turbines between each floor will generate a vast surplus of electricity capable of powering the whole surrounding neighborhood. Construction is set to begin soon in Dubai, with a second tower to follow in Moscow and numerous other sites around the world being considered. Read More
AeroVironment awarded patents for wind-power system
By Emily Clark
20:40 April 13, 2008 PDT
April 14, 2008 A name familiar to Gizmag readers through its achievements in the field of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, AeroVironment is also a developer of efficient electric energy systems, an area in which it has been awarded a series of patents relating to its "Architectural Wind® Building-Integrated Energy Generation System" - a system which takes a new approach to harnessing wind power using low-profile turbines designed to maximize electricity generation by taking advantage of the way wind flows over certain types of buildings. Read More
Capturing carbon to create greener plastics
00:18 April 10, 2008 PDT
April 10, 2008 Chemists are investigating ways to use carbon dioxide removed from smokestack emissions to make a raw material for the production of DVDs, CD-ROMs, beverage bottles and other products made from polycarbonate plastics. Read More
Philips' energy efficient street lighting cuts city energy consumption
By Darren Quick
17:01 April 9, 2008 PDT
April 10, 2008 Streetlight systems are expensive for cities to operate and maintain. They also use a lot of energy — representing almost 40 percent of a typical city’s electricity spending. Echelon Corporation announced at the 2008 Light+Building event in Frankfurt that Philips Lighting, one of the world’s leading providers of lighting systems, has built its new Starsense street light telemanagement system using Echelon’s LonWorks platform, which uses Echelon’s power line transceivers to communicate between lighting fixtures and Echelon’s i.LON SmartServer to provide Internet access and local monitoring and control. It is believed Starsense can deliver energy savings of over 40 percent, reducing cities’ energy bills and carbon footprint. Read More
Power Utility launches energy saving software
By Emily Clark
23:06 April 7, 2008 PDT
South Jersey Gas is now offering its customers the ability to manage their energy consumption, practice energy efficiency and reduce their energy costs using a free web-based service. Developed by Aclara Software, the new service gives customers access to energy information relating to their utility bills. Read More
Versatile HYmini wind and solar portable charger
By Kyle Sherer
16:49 April 7, 2008 PDT
April 8, 2008 HYmini is a handheld portable electronics charging unit that uses renewable wind and solar sources to top up its power. The device can recharge most 5V appliances, including mobile phones, MP3 players, iPods, PDAs, and digital cameras. Read More
World's fist commercial scale tidal energy generator nears completion
00:23 April 4, 2008 PDT
Bristol based renewable energy company Marine Current Turbines has completed the first installation phase of the 1.2MW SeaGen Tidal System at Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough - a site chosen for its combination of fast tidal current and ability to provide shelter from bad weather which may hinder the construction process. It is expected that the breakthrough power plant will be operational around mid-year with its massive 16m diameter twin rotors harnessing the tides to produce the equivalent amount of energy it takes to power 1000 homes. After its final assembly at the Harland & Wolff dockyard in Belfast, the crane barge “Rambiz” positioned the 1000 tonne structure onto the seabed 400m from the shoreline where it will be secured by four pins drilled to a depth of around nine meters. Read More
Self-powered eco-switch for hotel rooms
By Emily Clark
17:24 April 3, 2008 PDT
April 4, 2008 This card-operated wireless switch from Echoflex Solutions offers the hotel industry a solution for reducing energy waste by in unoccupied rooms. Read More
Solar cells created with inkjet technology
By Emily Clark
17:24 April 2, 2008 PDT
April 3, 2008 Using FUJIFILM’s cartridge-based Dimatix Materials Printer (DMP), Konarka Technologies has demonstrated the world's-first fabrication of highly efficient solar cells using of inkjet printing technology. Read More
Brazilian traffic lights turn green
21:45 March 31, 2008 PDT
April 1, 2008 Many of us are being encouraged to make the switch from power-hungry incandescent lights to more eco-friendly illumination technologies like LEDs. In proof that this simple process yields big results, a Brazilian project which saw all of the incandescent-based traffic lights in a Sao Paolo suburb replaced with LUXEON LED-based lamps has delivered estimated energy savings of USD$240,000 and reduced municipal energy consumption by 1340 megawatt hours per year. Read More
BigBelly solar-powered garbage compactor
By Emily Clark
20:02 March 31, 2008 PDT
Able to compact gallons of rubbish with a single gulp, the BigBelly solar trash compactor cuts public garbage collection emissions by up to 80 percent and operates for an entire day on the equivalent energy it takes to make a piece of toast. The compactor is the only on-site solar-powered trash compactor currently available. Read More
John Wassner
- November 27, 2009 @ 01:40 UTC
