ecoGizmo
New bioethanol plant opens in Britain
November 23, 2007 A new, state of the art plant that will produce bioethanol from locally-grown sugar beet has been opened in the U.K. The British Sugar facility at Wissington, Norfolk, has an annual production capacity of 70 million liters. (read more...)
Jason’s Deli goes solar
November 22, 2007 With 170 deli restaurants across the US, Jason’s Deli is now embracing renewable energy in its business model with the launch of its first 'Solar Deli'. The flagship store in Beaumount, Texas is the first to be powered in part by solar energy, with more systems planned in the near future. (read more...)
Solar schools for Santa Cruz
November 16, 2007 The sunny state of California continues to lead the way in solar energy production. In January, the state launched a 10-year Solar Initiative program offering $2.1 billion in rebates for residential and commercial solar systems. The uptake of clean energy is also forging ahead in the public sector, with the latest announcement coming from Santa Cruz County where UPC Solar has won a contract for a 950kW project in the city school system. (read more...)
Demand-response system to limit peak power use
November 19, 2007 Reducing demand from customers for power during peak periods is one way to delay the need for costly new power plants. It will also help to conserve resources and moderate energy prices. Reliant Energy, a Texas-based energy provider, has completed a successful test of a new demand-response system designed to give customers greater control of their electricity usage while reducing demand for power during peak usage periods. (read more...)
Honda opens new solar cell plant in Japan
November 14, 2007 Honda, a name usually associated with all things transport, has opened a new production plant in Kumamoto to supply Japanese homes and businesses with solar cells. (read more...)
New technology promises solar cell efficiency boost
November 13, 2007 Global Warming Solutions has announced the development of new solar energy conversion technology based on a special coating that can be applied to existing solar cells. The company expects that application of the technology will increase increase efficiency by 11-15% and boost the market value of a solar cell by more than 60 cents per watt, while at the same time raising manufacturing expenses by just 10 cents a watt. (read more...)
New five megawatt solar plant for California
November 8, 2007 As well as having a reputation for sunshine and acceptance of alternative lifestyles, California is fast becoming a leader in the field of solar energy with more plans unveiled for a new large scale solar plant. (read more...)
First commercial cellulosic ethanol plant in the U.S.
November 9, 2007 The production of ethanol as a cleaner alternative to fossil fuel throws up a number of challenges - in particular it has been argued that the amount of land required to produce crops for ethanol fuel production is too great, taking away land that is needed for food production. The use of cellulosic biomass to make commercial ethanol has been seen as a possible solution to this problem and now Range Fuels has now announced plans for the first commercial ethanol plant in the U.S. to use cellulosic biomass. (read more...)
RainMaker Humidification System
November 8, 2007 The Rainmaker Humidification System enables extremely precise control of water vapor, a process essential for the manufacture of carbon nanotubes, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals and other thin films including photovoltaic cells, where techniques are constantly being developed to reduce the price and increase the productivity of solar systems. (read more...)
Wind power blows into Texas
November 7, 2007 Known for oil and gas production, Texas seems an unlikely leader in the field of wind power. Construction has begun on the new Stanton Wind farm in Texas, USA that will employ 80 1.5-megawatt wind turbines and commence operation by April 2008. (read more...)
Power plant uses coal mine ventilation air as fuel
November 5, 2007 A new power plant that generates electrical power using ventilation air methane (VAM) from coal mining is now in operation. The technology significantly reduces harmful emissions of methane (a gas 20 times more potent than CO2) released in the mining process, while producing power that can be delivered to the grid or used directly in the mine. (read more...)
Waterproof, recyclable concrete – just add Hycrete
November 1, 2007 Hycrete Technologies has developed a water based admixture that acts as waterproofing and corrosion protection when added to regular concrete. It does this by sealing the capillaries within the concrete and making the resultant product completely waterproof. The Hycrete is so effective that no external waterproof membranes, coatings or sheeting treatments are required, which is good news for the environment as it is usually these waterproofing methods that render concrete unsuitable for recycling – without them the concrete can be crushed, recycled, and reused. (read more...)
Avivasolarcar lines-up for World Solar Challenge
October 16, 2007 The 2007 Panasonic World Solar Challenge kicks off this Sunday October 21. An established platform for the promotion and development of sustainable energy in transport, the biennial race runs for seven days and covers a distance of 3000 km (nearly 1900 miles) from Darwin to Adelaide in Australia. This year 40 teams from across the globe will compete including the Avivasolarcar, a vehicle capable of achieving speeds of up to 75kmh (47mph) while emitting no carbon dioxide and using less electricity than a toaster. (read more...)
Masdar Initiative: the world's first zero carbon, zero waste city
October 12, 2007 The sleek, modern capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, will be host to what is planned as the world’s first zero carbon, zero waste city. The project involves a six million square meter sustainable development that will combine traditional planning principals of a walled city with existing technologies. The planned development is a dense, car-free city to be constructed in an energy efficient two-stage phase. A large photovoltaic solar power plant will be constructed to power the city and the location is close to transport infrastructure with links to surrounding communities, as well as the center of Abu Dhabi and the international airport, by a network of existing road and new rail and public transport routes. (read more...)
New manufacturing process captures more light in solar cells
October 12, 2007 In another development that aims to make alternative energy generation more efficient and more affordable, Braggone has discovered a method of capturing more light in a solar cell. The result is a new product line that greatly increases the efficiency of solar cells and allows manufacturing facilities to cost-effectively increase their capacity. (read more...)
Flexible modules could transform windows and buildings into solar panels
October 11, 2007 Traditionally, solar panels for buildings have predominantly been stand alone systems mounted to roofs in order to capture sunlight. The growing focus on "green" energy and a move away from reliance on fossil fuels is driving smarter and more integrated methods of procuring alternative energy sources such as solar, and in line with this, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has invested $4.7 million to develop technology that would allow windows and other building applications to be converted into solar panels. (read more...)
New solar panels promise reduced installation time
September 28, 2007 Akeena's new Andalay solar panel technology combines savvy design with a number of enhancements designed to decrease installation time. With 70% fewer roof-assembled parts and 50% less labor needed to install the system, the company says the Andalay system can cut installation time from half a day to half an hour. (read more...)
California winery to convert to 100% solar power
September 18, 2007 The EOS Estate Winery has announced a $3.8 million plan to convert its California Central Coast winery entirely to solar power. To be completed by April, the project will include the installation of more than two acres of ground-mounted tracking solar arrays that will provide all the electrical power needs for the winery and tasting room, while additional roof-mounted solar arrays will provide all the hot water needs. The system will be installed by SunTechnics and will contain 3,084 photovoltaic modules totalling 540 kWp and 60 solar hot water collectors. (read more...)
Large scale solar plants have a bright future
September 14, 2007 Although the use of solar energy has is seen as viable for the operation of stand-alone devices such as phone-chargers and even a computer mouse, the question remains in some minds: is solar a viable alternative energy source on a mass scale? The proliferation of large scale solar power plants worldwide and plans to build several new ones seems to suggest that the renewable energy sector believes that solar does indeed have a bright future. (read more...)
Disposable office furniture from recycled paper
September 6, 2007 The paper-less office is still a myth in many working environments where reams of discarded printouts can still be found stacked beside printers and photocopiers. Providing an innovative twist to this scenario and taking eco-friendly to all new heights, Push Design has created a range of office furniture made from recycled paper. (read more...)
Thin film panel production breakthrough to reduce solar electricity costs
September 6, 2007 Solar panel manufacturing is a costly process and is a major reason for solar electricity being so expensive to set up and maintain. In what it describes as a world first, Applied Materials has introduced an integrated production line for manufacturing solar modules using 5.7m² glass panels. The ultra-large substrates, sized at 2.2m x 2.6m ,are designed to achieve low production cost per watt and drive down the cost of solar electricity installations by around 20%. (read more...)
New waste management design mimics the human respiratory system
August 23, 2007 A new method of separating carbon dioxide from flue gas based on a similar mechanism at work in the human lung has been proposed by Hans Fahlenkamp, a chemical engineering professor at the University of Dortmund. If successful, the method will be far more efficient than existing techniques, lessening the environmental impact of power plants and easing the stress on countries that seek to meet tightening emission guidelines. (read more...)
Xerox develops environmentally progressive High Yield Paper
August 1, 2007 Xerox has developed a new, lighter business paper optimized for digital printing that saves on mailing costs and significantly reduces the impact on the environment by using half as many trees. The new High Yield Business Paper is made via a mechanical process that uses less water and chemicals and results in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by up to 75% according to Xerox. (read more...)
Magnetic levitation promises huge efficiency gains in wind power generation
July 31, 2007 Sustainable generation of electric power is the key to realizing the vision of a world free from dependency on fossil fuels – the challenge is to ramp up the production of electricity to a level that can begin to approach the energy we get from burning coal and oil, without the perceived dangers of going nuclear. The combined threats of Peak Oil and global warming are spurring science into a furious new age of innovation. With almost daily breakthroughs in solar energy capture, battery technology and tidal energy harvesting, but the biggest contribution to green power thus far is coming from wind farming. The common windmill design used to capitalize on air currents, while centuries old, operates at around 1% efficiency in terms of the power it harvests from the wind, due to the deflective blade design and friction losses. But a new technology unveiled last year in China seeks to dramatically boost the output of wind-driven generators by using the virtually frictionless advantages of magnetically levitated turbines. Since there’s virtually no touching of moving parts, the Maglev wind turbine requires far less servicing than a traditional windmill – which dramatically lowers the operating costs to under five U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour. If projections are accurate, giant 1-gigawatt versions of these machines could have a 12-month ROI - a scenario sure to catch the eye of investors worldwide. (read more...)
Look Mum, no petrol
July 16, 2007 Not long ago, extra curricular involvement during school holidays for pre-teens culminated in a talk entitled “what I did on my school holidays” about a trip to the zoo or some other out-of-the ordinary excursion where children were encouraged to show their ability to learn from their surroundings. Behold then, the modern equivalent – the 31st annual Shell Eco-marathon UK this week saw the involvement of hundreds of British school children. With an eye on fuel efficiency, children as young as 11 were pushing the boundaries of vehicle design and engineering to achieve fuel consumption figures of over 1,000mpg. Sandbach School triumphed in the schools class with an incredible 2,250mpg, sufficient to take 12th place overall in the open competition in their first year. The winner was once again the world fuel consumption champion Microjoule with 10,517 mpg. Just wait ‘til these kids leave school. (read more...)
