ecoGizmo
Cellulose ethanol commercial demo plant for Montana
Construction has begun on an integrated cellulose and starch ethanol commercial demonstration facility in Montana, USA. The plant is being built by AE Biofuels, an energy company focused on developing next-generation ethanol and biodiesel production from both non-food and traditional materials. (read more...)
The gravity powered floor lamp
Gravia uses a slowly sinking weight to charge 10 high-output LEDs, which fire into the acrylic lens and create a diffuse light output of 600-800 lumens, roughly equal to a 40-watt incandescent bulb. The LEDs are activated only a few seconds after the process begins, and the entire operation is silent. (read more...)
Architecture students think outside the box to design low-cost, less-waste housing
A non-profit organization has given architecture students a chance to learn about the practical, hands-on elements of their future profession whilst exposing them to the benefits of building low-cost, sustainable housing using materials sourced from the local area. Since 2000, DesignBuildBluff and graduate students from the University of Utah’s College of Architecture & Planning have designed and built energy-efficient, inexpensive houses using natural building methods and materials made of recycled products and locally salvaged waste or by-products. (read more...)
Office depot breaks ground on first "green" store
February 20, 2008 Office Depot plans to open its first "green" LEED-Certified Store and the company recently celebrating breaking ground on the Austin, Texas site. The store will be the most energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly store in Company's North American retail chain and is due to open in summer 2008. (read more...)
Global Warming Solutions plans hybrid solar plant
February 18, 2008 Research and development has commenced to create a new type of solar power plant employing technology that would allow it to produce electricity even during periods of no sunlight. The solar plant will use LETG (Light Electric Thermal Generator), a hybrid solar and thermal energy technology that generates energy by heating up liquids that circulate on the surface of a solar panel. (read more...)
Human bodies turn up the heat
February 11, 2008 A new environmentally friendly building to be built in Stockholm, Sweden, will harness human body heat from commuters at the neighboring railway station. The idea is to harness the heat generated by the 250,000 people who pass through Central Station each day using heat exchangers in the ventilation system. (read more...)
US$15 billion alternative energy investment for Masdar Initiative
February 5, 2008 Following on from last year's announcement of plans to create the world’s first world’s first zero carbon, zero waste city as part of the Masdar Initiative, the Abu Dhabi government has committed a US$15 billion to help explore, develop and commercialize clean energy sources. (read more...)
California’s 5 megawatt Solar Farm receives final approval
February 4, 2008 Cleantech America Inc. has received formal approval from the California Public Utilities Commission for its CalRENEW-1 solar facility. Due to begin operation in the spring of 2009, the plant is the largest utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) solar facility being developed under California’s Renewables Portfolio Standard program. (read more...)
HP advances recycling techniques for ink cartridge manufacture
January 31, 2008 HP has developed engineering technology that enables it to use post-consumer recycled plastics in the production of new its inkjet print cartridges. To date more than 200 million cartridges have been manufactured using the process and materials used include multiple sources and grades of recycled plastics – from everyday water bottles to used HP inkjet cartridges. (read more...)
Intel goes green with power purchase
January 30, 2008 Technology giant Intel has announced it will purchase more than 1.3 billion kilowatt hours a year of renewable energy certificates, making it the single-largest corporate purchaser of green power in the US. The decision is part of a Intel's multi-faceted approach to reduce impact on the environment, and places the company at the top of the EPA's Green Power Partners latest Green Power Partners Top 25 list. (read more...)
CC Medico’s Air Launcher nozzle eases aerosol can recycling
February 1, 2008 In an era where the need to reduce, reuse and recycle is a the top of the agenda, any innovation that helps in this regard is a welcome one. In providing a solution to the specific problem of recycling aerosol cans, Tokyo-based company CC Medico has developed the Air Launcher JET Alpha nozzle, a new type of aerosol nozzle which is easily removed and separated from the can by hand, which makes recycling the cans much easier. (read more...)
Energy Island: unlocking the potential of the ocean as a renewable power source
January 29, 2008 Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion uses the temperature difference between surface and deep-sea water to generate electricity – and though it has an efficiency of just 1-3% - researchers believe an OTEC power plant could deliver up to 250MW of clean power, equivalent to one eighth of a large nuclear power plant, or one quarter of an average fossil fuel power plant. Architect and engineer Dominic Michaelis and his son Alex, along with Trevor Cooper-Chadwick of Southampton University are developing the concept with plans of putting the theory to the test on an unprecedented scale by building a floating, hexagonal Energy Island that will harness energy from OTEC, as well as from winds, sea currents, waves, and the sun. (read more...)
Eco-friendly photo albums from Unibind
January 23, 2008 The Unibind range of DIY photo albums from Peleman Industries now incorporates Green PhotoBooks in an effort to make capturing your special moments a little more sustainable. The new environmentally-friendly PhotoBooks are made from natural and recycled materials with covers comprised of cotton-flax. (read more...)
Low cost, nano-based solar cell from GE
January 22, 2008 GE Global Research, has demonstrated a scalable silicon nanowire-based solar cell, which has the potential to achieve up to 18% efficiency. The breakthrough by the lab’s Nano Photovoltaics (PV) team is a promising new development in making PV systems more economically viable for consumers than conventional solar options. (read more...)
Solar powered beer in the sunshine State
January 17, 2008 The environmentally conscious Sierra Nevada Brewery in California is taking steps to become partially powered by the sun. A 1.3 megawatt solar system is being installed at the Chico plant in two phases and will provide 34% of the brewery’s power. (read more...)
North Carolina campus goes solar
January 17, 2007 In more recent news from the solar power arena, the education sector is leading the charge towards clean power in North Carolina with NC State University operating the largest private solar power system in the State. The US$605,000 system was bankrolled by Richard Harkrader, owner of Durham-based Carolina Solar Energy, making it the largest privately financed solar photovoltaic (PV) array in North Carolina. (read more...)
Nano Flakes promise greater solar energy efficiency
December 20, 2007 The inefficiency of solar cells in converting the sun’s rays into electricity is a key contributor to the high costs of solar energy, but new research into a novel shape of semiconductor nanostructures known as "nano flakes" may revolutionize the process and help improve the viability of clean energy derived from the sun. (read more...)
New solar energy project for Spain
December 17, 2007 A new three MW commercial solar farm is being proposed in Spain as part of a larger plan to build plants capable of supplying 130 MW of energy over five years. (read more...)
First U.S. manufacturing plant for Thermal Solar Systems
December 18, 2007 The sunshine-rich state of Nevada is set to be home to the first US manufacturing plant for solar thermal power systems. The 130,000-square-foot, highly automated manufacturing and distribution center will produce the reflectors, towers and absorber tubes needed to create and run solar thermal plants, doubling worldwide output of key components for Ausra Inc’s solar thermal power plant technology and creating “green collar” jobs in the process. (read more...)
Hunton Energy announces plans for clean energy plant
December 20, 2007 Finding new ways to capture environmentally harmful emissions and use them to generate power is a positive step in the effort to slow global warming. The latest news from this arena comes from Hunton Energy, which has announced plans to build and operate a Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG) plant at Dow’s Oyster Creek Facility on the Texas Gulf Coast which will capture 100 percent of its own CO2 emissions, using turbines to produce additional power from its byproduct steam. (read more...)
Nanomars dual-charge solar bags
December 13, 2007 The proliferation of mobile devices in everyday life has given rise to a range of new technologies designed to keep portable hardware running when on the move - one such solution is solar powered bags. Like the recently reviewed Voltaic solar charging bags, the Juice Bags line of urban daypacks and the Soldius solar powered golf bag Taiwan based Nanomars line of solar bags utilizes the eco-friendly power of the sun to keep a range of mobile electronic devices charged up but also offers the option of charging from mains power. (read more...)
BioOil to fuel industrial sector
December 13, 2007 Missouri, USA is set to become home to a commercial industrial plant that will produce liquid biofuel from wood residues. The end product, known as “BioOil”, is an industrial fuel expected to be sold to commercial users as it is a price-competitive replacement for heating oils that are widely used in industrial boilers and furnaces. (read more...)
Volvo backs energy efficient forestry machinery
December 4, 2007 Making forestry a sustainable industry isn't just about the best utilization and management of plantation resources, it's also about how the timber is harvested. With this in mind, Volvo has announced a new investment as the part-owner in El-forest AB, based in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. (read more...)
Electrolux Design Lab 07 winners announced
December 3, 2007 Electrolux Design Lab 07 was the fifth edition of Electrolux’s annual initiative aimed at encouraging the design of eco-friendly and sustainable household appliances. Winners of the year’s competition have been announced with finalists from Hungary, France and China in first, second and third place respectively. (read more...)
Cohousing community shines with solar
November 27, 2007 Originating in Denmark, cohousing is a concept whereby residents actively participate in operation of their own neighborhoods and are committed to living as a community. In Colorado, one such neighborhood is installing solar systems into homes and a shop, supplying half of the community's electrical needs and reducing their carbon footprint. (read more...)
