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Green projects take off at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
By David Greig
19:37 May 13, 2009 PDT
Airports are windy places and it seems logical to harness this power to reduce operating costs and boost green credentials. In line with this, the environmentally minded Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) has recently installed 10 wind-powered electricity generators and purchased an electric-powered utility vehicle for use at the airport. Read More
Smarter wind technology looks to improve turbine workrate
By Karen Sprey
18:20 May 10, 2009 PDT
Clean, renewable energy is freely available – in the form of wind, sun and water. However, harnessing it reliably and cost-effectively remains a barrier. Wind power is one of the fastest growing alternative energy markets and researchers at Purdue University and Sandia National Laboratories in West Lafayette, Indiana, are working to make wind turbines more efficient, reliable and resilient. Read More
New technology could lead to 50% increase in tire recycling
By Karen Sprey
17:15 May 10, 2009 PDT
A new method of recycling old tires to produce high-quality rubber powders for making new rubber products is being developed in Australia. Its developers say it is energy-efficient, economically viable and environmentally responsible, and they hope it will result in 50 per cent more tires being recycled. Read More
Raser low-temperature binary geothermal plant goes online
By Paul Evans
21:19 May 5, 2009 PDT
Raser Technologies has begun delivering 10 megawatts (MW) of clean, renewable electricity to Anaheim, California, from its first low-temperature, binary geothermal plant, the Hatch Geothermal Power Plant in Beaver County, Utah. Traditionally, the lead time on a geothermal plant is three to five years, but the USD$33-million Raser plant has been powered up just five months after ground-breaking. To help meet such rapid construction schedules, the plant uses off-the-shelf modular components, taken from the air conditioning industry, which are essentially running in reverse. Read More
Pixel building aims to be world's first carbon neutral office development
By Paul Best
23:57 May 3, 2009 PDT
Australian developer Grocon plans to build the country’s first carbon neutral office building on a former brewery site in the city of Melbourne – and possibly the first of its kind in the world. According to the developer, the $6 million, four-storey building has been designed to generate more energy on the site than it uses, offsetting the carbon emissions produced to operate it – and, in time, the greenhouse gases generated in making and installing the construction materials. Read More
World's largest Solar Power Tower Plant now on-line
By Paul Evans
18:33 May 1, 2009 PDT
Made up of more than 1200 mirrored heliostats surrounding a huge 54 story high tower, the world's largest solar power tower plant is now on-line near Seville in Spain. Developed by Spanish engineering company Abengoa, the PS20 plant generates 20 megawatts of electricity, enough to supply 10,000 homes. Concentrating solar thermal technology has been used in desert areas in Spain and the southwest U.S. for decades and is seeing a resurgence as utilities seek to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Read More
Suntrica solar-powered chargers: pocket-sized energy sources
By Jude Garvey
02:22 May 1, 2009 PDT
The Suntrica SolarBadge and the SolarStrap are pocket-sized, durable and lightweight solar-charging devices with a flexible design that's durable enough to withstand harsh environments and versatile enough to be worn on various parts of your body or your backpack. Read More
Berkeley Solar Mapping Portal completed
By Jude Garvey
23:32 April 29, 2009 PDT
A new online solar mapping portal has been completed in Berkeley. By combining aerial mapping data with 3-D modeling software, the system allows residents to determine the potential size and cost for solar electric and hot water systems on their own rooftop, as well as view other solar installations all over the city. Read More
Sony Electronics launches retail e-recycling initiative
By David Greig
19:02 April 27, 2009 PDT
Sony Electronics has launched the GreenFill recycling service, an extension of its Take Back program using in-store drop-boxes for the collection of unwanted portable electronics good - around 80% of which currently end up in landfill. Read More
Big polluters: one massive container ship equals 50 million cars
By Paul Evans
19:06 April 23, 2009 PDT
The Guardian has reported on new research showing that in one year, a single large container ship can emit cancer and asthma-causing pollutants equivalent to that of 50 million cars. The low grade bunker fuel used by the worlds 90,000 cargo ships contains up to 2,000 times the amount of sulfur compared to diesel fuel used in automobiles. The recent boom in the global trade of manufactured goods has also resulted in a new breed of super sized container ship which consume fuel not by the gallons, but by tons per hour, and shipping now accounts for 90% of global trade by volume. Read More
New solar technology tests the waters with promises of cheaper energy
By Paul Best
02:06 April 23, 2009 PDT
A new solar technology is not only taking a fresh approach to capturing the sun’s energy, it is also promising to produce electricity at a comparable cost to fossil fuel generators. Made predominantly from plastic, the liquid solar array power generator (LSA) has one very obvious defining feature compared to most of the technologies we've encountered - it floats on water. Read More
Yamaha's methane powered golf cart
By Darren Quick
20:46 April 22, 2009 PDT
We've all heard of vehicles that run on the smell of an oily rag, but what about one that runs on the smell of cow dung? A new prototype golf cart developed by Yamaha does just that - sort of - by running on the methane. The golf cart was tested with the assistance of the Osaka Gas Co. which provided methane at low cost to Yamaha for the vehicle tests as part of efforts to promote the use of cow dung biomass as a fuel. Read More
Ground-breaking research finds way to convert CO2 into clean-burning biofuel
22:23 April 19, 2009 PDT
Scientists at the Singapore-based Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) have made an unprecedented breakthrough in transforming carbon dioxide, a common greenhouse gas, into methanol, a widely used form of industrial feedstock and clean-burning biofuel. Using "organocatalysts", researchers activated carbon dioxide in a mild and non-toxic process to produce the more useful chemical compound. Read More
Homeowners getting the energy conservation message
By Darren Quick
04:00 April 17, 2009 PDT
When it comes to buying consumer electronics, we are factoring energy efficiency into our choices in a bid to cut our household energy consumption, a new study from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has found. Read More
TGE technology generates electricity using temperatures as low as 150°F
By Darren Quick
03:44 April 10, 2009 PDT
Until now, most systems that use heat to generate electricity have only been economical on a scale greater than 1MW using high temperatures, but the technology behind a range of appliances from Ener-G-Rotors allows the generation of electricity from waste water using much lower temperatures. Specifically designed for industrial customers to fit into hazardous environments, the patented Trochoidal Gear Engine (TGE) technology converts waste heat to electricity by way of a simple expander used in an organic Rankine cycle. Read More
Researchers claim 'First economical process' for making biodiesel fuel from algae
By Darren Quick
01:13 April 8, 2009 PDT
While there are plenty of alternative fuel prospects floating around, a key factor in the widespread adoption of such fuels is whether or not they are economical. That is why a team of New York based researchers are so excited by their development of what they have termed ‘the first economical, eco-friendly process to convert algae oil into biodiesel fuel’ – a discovery they predict could one day lead to U.S. independence from petroleum as a fuel. Read More
Abu Dhabi’s five-star hotel to feature GROW wind and solar technology
By Jude Garvey
06:18 April 6, 2009 PDT
The winning design from Leeser Architects for this visually stunning five star hotel in Abu Dhabi maximizes the use of natural resources in a spiraling design that makes use of natural light and coastal air along with an exterior clad with polyethylene GROW panels to harness solar and wind power. Poised on the edge of the Persian Gulf, the (aptly named) Helix Hotel will feature a helical floor space which wraps unevenly around a central void. Guests will be able to look up at, and down on, various public areas, including the rooftop deck with a glass-bottomed swimming pool. Read More
Fish oils fed to flatulent cows could reduce greenhouse gas emissions
02:18 April 6, 2009 PDT
Omega 3 fatty acids in fish oils have many documented benefits to humans including the reduction of cholesterol, but what of the benefits to animals and the environment in general? While assisting the heart and circulatory system in animals and improving the meat quality in cattle, it is also, according to researchers at the University College Dublin beneficial in reducing methane levels from flatulence when added to the diet of cattle, meaning it's also good for the environment. Read More
Is your sunscreen damaging the environment?
By Darren Quick
21:08 March 31, 2009 PDT
Your sunscreen might be preventing damage to your skin, but it may also be causing untold damage to the environment. A study carried out by scientists in Ohio has reported that nanoparticles now being added to cosmetics, sunscreens, and hundreds of other personal care products may be harmful to the environment by negatively affecting beneficial bacteria. Read More
Green bleach is good for hair
By Jamilah Le
21:21 March 29, 2009 PDT
March 30, 2009 It's not the first area that springs to mind when you think "green research", but a natural alternative to regular hair bleach may have been discovered. For everyone who consistently bleaches their hair with hydrogen peroxide, risking the healthy sheen of the hair is just part and parcel. However, Japanese scientists have come up with a possible alternative that could achieve the same result without the damage. Read More
Wind Powered car sets new world record at 126mph
By Paul Evans
19:17 March 29, 2009 PDT
With a wind speed of just 30mph (48kmh), British engineer Richard Jenkins has set a new land speed record for a wind-powered vehicle at blistering 126.1mph. Driving the Ecotricity sponsored all carbon fiber land yacht Greenbird across the Ivanpah dry lake bed on the Nevada / California border Jenkins eclipsed the previous benchmark set a decade ago by American Bob Schumacher by almost 10 mph. It also continued a the rivalry between Britain and the United States for setting speed records that dates to the 1920s, when Sir Malcolm Campbell set several records on land and sea. Read More
3D coating promises greater solar cell efficiency
By Darren Quick
22:05 March 25, 2009 PDT
Solar power from photovoltaic cells are widely recognized as an integral part of a clean green future, and any development that can make these cells more efficient, no matter how small, assists in making this future a reality. A team of researchers at Georgia Tech have developed a surface treatment that boosts the light absorption of silicon photovoltaic cells by trapping light in three-dimensional structures and by making the surfaces self cleaning. Read More
Standby for the energy saving technology of 100% Off
By Mick Webb
16:18 March 25, 2009 PDT
Here’s a thought – the amount of time a domestic appliance like a television spends on standby over the course of a year actually costs more than the time it spends in use. To counteract this remarkable waste of money and energy comes a device called “100% Off” – a very switched on idea. Read More
Climate Change Belief Research - great cause for concern
By Mike Hanlon
03:54 March 25, 2009 PDT
It just goes to show you what a bad state the education system is in when just 51% of the population believe that climate change is caused by human activities. Opinion Research Corporation surveyed 1,000 people in late January and found that 29% believe climate change is occurring naturally, 15% believe climate change needs to be proven scientifically either way and 3% believe climate change doesn’t exist. Oh, and for the record, of those who got it right, 55% were male, which means ... we're no longer sure whether to be more concerned about global warming or global ignorance. Read More
Could changing the color of the sky to counter global warming backfire?
03:38 March 25, 2009 PDT
The concept of delaying global warming by adding particles into the upper atmosphere to cool the climate could unintentionally reduce peak electricity generated by large solar power plants by as much as one-fifth, according to a new study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Read More
Celeste H Calabro
- July 5, 2009 @ 22:20 UTC
