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Renewable Energy
Are EVs risking or saving the planet?
By Jeff Salton
19:05 November 12, 2009 PST
“Electric cars should be rewarded for their energy efficiency, not for moving emissions from exhaust pipes to powerstation chimneys” says the UK's Environmental Transport Association (ETA). In a report titled "How to avoid an electric shock - Electric cars: from hype to reality", the ETA has taken a close look at electric-powered vehicles (EVs) and their associated technologies. In what could be a shock to some commuters – and governments - the report states that EVs could potentially speed climate change, rather than reduce it, and might not be as good for the planet as some of the spin suggests. Simply put, it’s not necessarily the cars themselves that will cause the damage, but the way the electricity is generated to power them and how often we drive them. For instance, EVs powered by “green energy” - wind or solar - are obviously superior, but if the electricity comes from coal, hybrids perform better. Read More
World’s first commercial application of DSSC solar technology is in the bag
By Jeff Salton
19:54 October 13, 2009 PDT
The first commercial shipment of low-light, ultra thin, solar cell technology called DSSC (dye-sensitized solar cells), created by G24 Innovations, has been sent to Hong Kong-based consumer electronics bag manufacturer, Mascotte Industrial Associates for use in backpacks and bags. Ideal for clothing and portable applications, DSSCs are less than 1mm thick, inexpensive, don’t contain silicon or cadmium and can even operate indoors, making them ideal for powering cell telephones, cameras and portable electronics. The company says DSSCs also can be embedded into tent material to power LED lighting systems for camping. Read More
Helix looking to use mobile phone towers for wind energy generation
By Paul Ridden
02:03 October 3, 2009 PDT
Later this month, Helix Wind Corporation will deliver its first test wind turbines to Eltek Network Solutions Group for installation at two test sites in Nigeria. Sites in the US are also set to take delivery of test modules. The turbines will provide a clean energy solution for mobile phone towers and if tests prove successful, could see wind power being rolled out to hundreds of sites over the next few years. Read More
The River Gym - harnessing renewable energy from burnt-off calories
By Paul Lester
18:00 September 30, 2009 PDT
It seems clear that our ability to more efficiently harness forms of renewable energy is vital to the future of our planet, but aside from the archetypal 'hamster in a wheel', few models have effectively relied on energy generated from living creatures. The River Gym is one of the more innovative concepts to break water in recent times and looks to cash in on our desire to exercise to stay fit and healthy by capturing the energy we expend when burning calories. Read More
Envion Oil Generator turns plastic waste into oil
By Paul Ridden
17:12 September 21, 2009 PDT
The ground-breaking Envion Oil Generator (EOG) gave its first public performance at the Montgomery County Solid Waste Transfer Station in Derwood, Maryland recently. The EOG can be fed almost any petroleum-based waste plastic and will convert it into synthetic light to medium oil for less than USD$10 per barrel. As with crude oil, the synthetic oil can then be processed into commercial fuels or even back into plastic. Read More
VW enters the home power market
By Paul Lester
21:28 September 15, 2009 PDT
Volkswagen has recently announced a rather ambitious project that, for a change, has nothing to do with cars. Teaming up with regenerative-power company Lichtblick, it aims to install 100,000 co-generation power units in Germany as part of a concept called ‘SchwarmStrom’ which, literally translated, means ‘swarm power’. Successful application would allow Germany to abandon the use of nuclear and coal power stations and provide adequate backup to renewable energy sources, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by up to 60%. Read More
Ford PHEVs to save by ‘talking’ to electric grid
By Jeff Salton
23:38 August 20, 2009 PDT
A new development by Ford allows owners of the company’s plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) to further reduce their operating costs by programming when to recharge the vehicle, for how long and at what utility rate. Ford says it has developed a vehicle-to-grid communications and control system for its (PHEVs) which enables them to ‘talk’ directly with the nation’s electric grid. Read More
Entech Solar energy hybrid has hopes for bright future
By Jeff Salton
02:44 August 14, 2009 PDT
Renewable energy technology company Entech Solar has completed a preliminary design review and prototype of its next-generation concentrating solar product, ThermaVolt II, which combines concentrating photovoltaic and thermal (CPVT) technology. The company says its product delivers four to five times the amount of energy compared to traditional photovoltaic systems and costs less to produce. Read More
Going Green: Renewable energy on the move
By Paul Lester
20:23 August 10, 2009 PDT
Learning more about consumption levels and investing in a standby-saver or two to cut down on waste energy is a great way to start becoming more green in the home, but there are also ways to utilize renewable energy when you're out and about. Read More
Texas to benefit from largest offshore wind concessions in the USA
By Paul Lester
18:56 July 23, 2009 PDT
The push for more dedicated use of renewable energies has been given a boost recently by Texas startup Baryonyx Corp, which has successfully procured the lease for what will be the largest offshore wind concessions in the USA. A total of 8,000 acres of land in Dallam County and 38,000 acres in the Gulf of Mexico will power ‘Tier4’ data centers by generating a potential 3GW of energy. Read More
The Dragonfly: vertical farming vision for New York's skyline
By Paul Lester
04:17 July 16, 2009 PDT
Building another skyscraper in the middle of New York may not seem like an environmentally-sound project. That is of course, unless said skyscraper is capable of providing a sprawling urban populous with self-sustaining production of food, reuse of natural resources and biodegradeable waste. Enter The Dragonfly, a dazzling, ethereal design from Vincent Callebaut Architectures which underlines the future potential of vertical farming. Read More
First glimpse of solar-powered plane draws big crowd
03:41 July 3, 2009 PDT
After six long years of planning, talking and hard work, the world has finally had its first look at the 100% solar-powered Solar Impulse HB-SIA. This remarkable feat of engineering, with the wingspan of a Boeing 747 but only the weight of an average family car, has over 12,000 solar cells powering four electric motors with a maximum power of 10HP. The aircraft prototype is expected to take its first flights before the end of the year. Read More
Flexible solar strips shed light on bus waiting times
By Karen Sprey
03:51 June 15, 2009 PDT
Canadian research engineers at McMaster University in Ontario have developed flexible solar cell technology which generates enough power to light bus shelters as well as send internet-based updates of transport schedules. The attraction of the solar strips is that they can be bent to fit the curved roof of the campus’ bus shelters. Read More
Water Building resort is far more than a drop in the ocean
By Jude Garvey
01:47 June 11, 2009 PDT
Given some of the intriguing and unusual eco-friendly resort concepts we've seen of late, a luxury hotel in the shape of an enormous drop of water that's designed to convert air into drinking water with the assistance of solar power should come as no surprise. Read More
Green energy charger ready and pumped for UK's biggest music festival
By Paul Best
23:30 May 26, 2009 PDT
Mobile operator Orange and renewable energy specialists GotWind know they’ve hit on a good, marketable idea. The companies have joined forces for a third consecutive year to showcase their outdoor charging solution at next month's Glastonbury Festival, the United Kingdom’s largest and hippest open-air music bash. This year Orange has unveiled a mobile phone charger prototype it’s calling the Orange Power Pump. By treading on what is essentially a standard camping air foot-pump, the kinetic energy created drives a small turbine inside the Power Pump. The energy is converted into electrical current, which recharges the mobile phone. The idea is not only simple, it cleverly encourages you to dance and charge your mobile at the same time. Read More
The race to build the world's biggest solar power plant heats up
By David Greig
17:42 May 25, 2009 PDT
The race to build the world’s largest solar power plant continues with Arizona Public Service and Starwood Energy Group Global LLC unveiling plans for a 290-megawatt concentrating solar plant in the Harquahala Valley, 75 miles west of Phoenix. As one of the largest solar plants in the world Starwood Solar I will produce enough electricity to power more than 73,000 homes and is scheduled for completion by 2013. Read More
Air-fueled battery boosts capacity tenfold
By Darren Quick
22:52 May 20, 2009 PDT
Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are the preferred power storage technology for the vast majority of portable devices, such as cell phones, laptop computers and MP3 players. They have also made their way into electric cars, but even with recent developments making them more effective, storage capacity continues to remain a problem. Now researchers at the University of St Andrews, with associates at Strathclyde and Newcastle, have developed a new type of air-fueled battery that could provide up to 10 times the energy storage of existing designs, paving the way for a new generation of electric cars and portable devices. Read More
Prayer wheel generates more than karmic energy
By Karen Sprey
22:20 May 17, 2009 PDT
Tibetan prayer wheels have been used for centuries to create harmony, enhance compassion and generate positive karmic energy. Now the kinetic energy created by the millions of tourists and Tibetans who spin the wheels each year could be harnessed to provide additional electricity for street lighting and homes. 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
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
Chicago unveils solar-powered recharging stations for electric cars
21:52 April 19, 2009 PDT
With the Tesla Roadster and other plug-in electric vehicles hitting the road, so demand is growing for readily accessible refueling points to recharge them. Carbon Day Automotive has now demonstrated a solar-powered recharging point, known as the Solar Plug-In Station, which lets motorists easily charge their cars using electricity that has been generated without any environmental emissions. Read More
PG&E signs up for 200 MW of baseload space solar power
By Paul Evans
03:51 April 19, 2009 PDT
US utility PG&E has this week announced it is seeking regulatory approval for a power supply deal that could see it buying power generated by solar satellites within seven years. If the proposal gets approval from regulators in its home state of California it will agree to a power purchase deal that from 2016 would see PG&E buy 200MW of renewable power over a 15-year period from space solar technology startup Solaren Corp. Read More
Spain sets new wind power record supplying 40% of total demand
By Paul Evans
01:30 March 12, 2009 PDT
Wind Turbines in the north west of Spain set a new record for power generation on March 5th as gales blew across the country, with more than 40% of the country's energy needs being generated by wind turbines. The new record stands at a peak of 11,180 megawatts (11.18 GW) of electricity supply beating the previous record of 10,032 megawatts. The percentage of demand supplied depends on time of day as demand rises and falls throughout the day. Read More
Salinity power as renewable energy
By Matt Kennedy
23:40 March 11, 2009 PDT
Green energy comes in many guises these days, from wind-power to wave-power. One of the more compelling of the new kids on the eco-energy block is salinity power, which uses the concurrence of salt-water and freshwater in estuaries and marries it with the natural, effortless process of osmosis. Read More
Terotech
- November 21, 2009 @ 19:38 UTC
