Combining easy daytrips with collecting photos of warrior wind turbines can be an enjoyable weekend pastime for the whole family. There are so many wind farms in the state of Iowa, that it’s becoming a hot trend. Giant wind turbines are awesome-looking, appealing to all ages. The sheer size of a giant wind turbine can […]
Iowan’s Favorite Day? “Wind ‘sday” Read More 👉
Scientists now have a new, efficient way of producing hydrogen fuel from sunlight and water. Using Earth-abundant materials, as opposed to rare metals, scientists have obtained a record-breaking 12.3 percent conversion efficiency from solar energy to hydrogen. By combining a pair of solar cells, made with a mineral called perovskite and low cost electrodes, they
Efficient Hydrogen Fuel From Solar With Earth-Abundant Materials Read More 👉
Beginning in 2016-17 more than 100 million gallons of military-grade biofuel will be produced annually at a price competitive with their petroleum counterparts. “Drop-in” biofuel provides a direct replacement to petroleum-based diesel and jet fuel, without any need for changes to existing fuel distribution networks or engines. The US Navy is fully on board for
US Navy Jets And Ships Ready For Drop-In Biofuel Read More 👉
Divesting from fossil fuels is not just a way of helping to cut GHG emissions and pollution in the near future, but by moving the money to renewable energies instead, it could also spur on clean energy development and commercialization, which would then help ‘move the needle’ even further on global warming issues in the
Rockefeller Brothers Fund Divests from Fossil Fuel Industries Read More 👉
Solar energy continues to show huge promise for bringing clean affordable power to those living off the grid, but many of the off-grid solar applications, especially in developing countries, focus on small projects, such as charging mobile devices and providing light after dark, not powering entire buildings and organizations. However, that is changing, and some
How Solar Energy Is Powering Off-Grid Health Clinics Read More 👉
In a recent meeting which went largely unnoticed by most of the world’s media, Australia’s new Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, landed in Ottawa and held talks with Stephen Harper, the Canadian Prime Minister. These two leaders are both ideologically driven conservatives, in the mold of George W Bush, and both are going all out in
Economic Fundamentalism: Staying the Course in Defiance of Common Sense Read More 👉
In recent weeks I have read a number of reports published on the BBC which look at energy issues. One article in particular by science editor David Shuckman caught my attention. It looked at how European countries might replace Russian Gas imports. In the wake of the Ukraine crisis and the possibility of tit for
Seeing Past Fossil Fuels Read More 👉
50 more UK schools will be the recipients of solar power installations, at no cost to the schools, thanks to the Power Your Future Programme, which has already underwritten solar systems at 100 schools in that country. Green Building Elements has the story: Solar Installations Planned at Additional 50 UK Schools by CBD Energy (via
CBD Energy Plans Solar Installations at 50 Additional Schools in the UK Read More 👉
It is a question which is of concern to all high school students and to all parents of teenage children. What will I do after school? For some the choice will be obvious; they will have a desire to follow a certain career path, or to enter a specific field of study. However, the majority
Educating Students for the World of Tomorrow Read More 👉
The Center for Rural Affairs recently released a report, From the Ground Up, Addressing Key Community Concerns in Clean Energy Transmission, which examines the clashes that can arise between communities and transmission line developers and the causes of those clashes, with a unique focus on proposing a set of solutions to those issues. The report
From the Ground Up Read More 👉
[This article was written by Cory Connolly and originally published at Mosaic.] With the development of the smart-grid and distributed generation, the trend in energy seems to be local, but the future of the electric grid may in fact be more regional and global. In the United States, as in many countries throughout the world,
Could a Global Supergrid be the Key to Our Renewable Energy Future? Read More 👉
It seems as if there are two basic sides to the sustainable renewable energy revolution. One side imagines all of the constraints or costs or perceived weaknesses to solar and wind and wave/tidal and hydro energy, and the other side says bring it on already (while also still wondering where in the world the funding
Renewable Energy Manifesto Imagines Profound Change, Sees Big Opportunities Read More 👉
Part of the reason behind the current muddled state of affairs at the heart of the water and energy nexus is that each of those industries has been charting their own independent path forward, and have ended up in isolated “silos” that don’t often collaborate. But the path to a resilient future might be found
Can Water and Electric Utilities Create Resilient, Integrated, Futures? Read More 👉
The opening of the London Array, the world’s largest offshore wind power plant, with 174 Siemens wind turbines installed in the Thames estuary, Siemens is well-positioned to continue to lead the way in offshore wind power development in the UK and EU. Their massive turbines, rated at 3.6 MW and with rotor diameters of 120
Siemens Pursuing Strong Offshore Wind Power Development in UK and EU Read More 👉
How can schools cut their energy costs, while at the same time helping communities to diversify their energy sources and support clean renewable energy? It might seem like a no-brainer, but one direct approach is to install solar photovoltaic systems on school campuses and use the generated electricity to offset their fossil fuel energy consumption
Solar Schools Can Empower Communities and Power Classrooms Read More 👉
Instead of waiting for the federal government to help give local economies a boost, municipalities that put the right local energy policies in place might be a much more effective and proactive method, to not only start pumping up the economy with job creation, but also keeping energy dollars local through reducing energy use and
Practical Energy Policies can Boost Local Economies Read More 👉
Last week’s general election victory for Tony Abbott and his liberal party may well spell the end of the carbon tax in Australia. Abbott’s liberals (which are kind of the opposite of liberals in the U.S.) have verbally opposed putting a price on carbon, and with overwhelming financial backing from heavy pollution industries in Australia,
Will Australia Nix Its Carbon Tax? Read More 👉
Generally speaking, putting solar on your home is a good investment. But what if you’re planning to sell? Are homebuyers willing to up the ante for a home with solar panels? According to some recent studies, the answer is an overwhelming yes. The first study, by the Lawrence Berkeley Lab, looked at home resale statistics
Solar Panels & Resale Value: Is There An Effect? Read More 👉
It’s fairly well established that, in terms of sustainability, attitudes far surpass actions. According to Gallup polls, at least 2/3 of respondents have consistently responded to questions about their concern for the environment by saying that they would describe themselves as fairly green. This trend has been consistent for decades. But action is not always
Sustainable Behavior Change: Effective Programs Read More 👉
People frequently respond very positively to polling about environmental attitudes. Even in down years, a grand majority of people respond that they’re concerned about the environment (and/or describe themselves as “environmentalist” in attitude). But the behavior often doesn’t follow the attitude, and it is perhaps the biggest missing link in creating real sustainable change. In the introductory
Environmental Attitude vs. Behavior: Why the Disconnect? Read More 👉
I wrote a post for CleanTechnica on December 6, 2011 concerning something I’d never before heard about, integral fast reactors — you guessed right, nuclear reactors. Titled, “Our Nuclear Trash Heap Needs IFRs,” I wrote about a 2008 book by environmentalist, Tom Blees, “Prescription for the Planet.” When I posted this story, I was soundly
Integral Fast Reactors: Nuclear’s Forgotten Clean Energy Solution Read More 👉
It seems a perfect storm of events has lined itself up to create a political environment that *should* push forward a carbon tax. Will it happen, what would it do, and could it work? Let’s start with a quick definition. A carbon tax, in its simplest form, is simply a tax on polluting carbon emissions.
The Big Apple has moved decisively in the direction of being the green apple in recent years. Here’s the coolest green happenings in the big city. Transportation The city has moved aggressively to create an infrastructure that encourages cycling as a form of commuting, both to alleviate traffic and air quality issues and to facilitate
Green, New York Style: A Sustainability Tour of the Big Apple Read More 👉
I can’t help myself! I review the shopping venues shelves, such as my local supermarket and Walmart, to investigate what manufacturers are doing to make the packaging of their products more sustainable. I have to admit that I focus on the negative. I really notice the packaging tragedies, and cringe to see just how bad
Bad Bad Packaging Read More 👉
