Current query:Refine: |
Green power takes root in the Chinese desert.
Through a combination of carrots and sticks, Beijing is steering an immense push toward wind and solar power, while the U.S. is just starting. New York Times. 3 July 2009.
Green jobs growing, but destroying others?
Clean-energy research and engineering posts could be poised for a growth spurt in the United States if a predicted 'green-job' explosion becomes reality. But some critics suggest that green jobs are replacing other jobs and are costly to create. Nature. 3 July 2009.
Atonement in a drive for wind power.
A guilty conscience turned Min Deqing into northwestern China’s unlikely prophet of wind and solar energy. As operations director at the main coal-fired power plant in Lanzhou he delayed installing costly air pollution control equipment for three years. New York Times. 3 July 2009.
Los Angeles will end use of coal-fired power, mayor vows.
Consumers of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the largest city-owned utility in the United States with 1.45 million electricity customers, will see higher power bills in the fight against climate change, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said. Reuters. 3 July 2009.
State's renewable-energy focus risks power shortages.
California officials are beginning to worry that the state's focus on transitioning to renewable-energy sources could lead to power shortages in the near term. Wall Street Journal. 3 July 2009.
SMUD pullout dims hopes for big power project.
One of the largest public works projects in the West – 600 miles of high-voltage power lines through Northern California – is on life support after its biggest player abruptly pulled the plug. Sacramento Bee, California. 3 July 2009.
New standards on energy ban inefficient options.
Inefficient hot water systems will be phased out and all appliances will be properly labelled under new national energy efficiency standards as part of a 10-year energy efficiency plan adopted by the Council of Australian Governments yesterday. Sydney Australian, Australia. 3 July 2009.
Suspicion of Russian reliability fuels change of heart.
Less than 25 years after the Chernobyl disaster, the European nuclear industry is witnessing a remarkable revival. London Financial Times, England. 3 July 2009.
Trees or oil.
An ambitious scheme to save pristine forest starts to take shape. Economist. 3 July 2009.
Popularity of bamboo bikes grows.
There are bamboo bridges, dams, boats, even airplanes. Now, about a third of the 400 bikes that Calfee’s Santa Cruz factory makes are bamboo and they are getting strong reviews. Scientific American. 3 July 2009.
The alternative choice.
Steven Chu wants to save the world by transforming its largest industry: energy. He understands that you cannot negotiate with nature. Nor can you ignore it, for it will not go away. Economist. 3 July 2009.
Competing technologies push to commercialize renewable petroleum.
Converting crops, plant residue and even trash to fuels avoids unleashing the fossil carbon buried millennia ago. More importantly, experts say, "biogasoline," renewable diesel and clean jet fuel would not face major infrastructure barriers. ClimateWire. 3 July 2009.
PNG's PM nephew 'pushing carbon deals.'
A nephew of Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister Michael Somare is accused of pressuring remote villagers to sign away their land for carbon deals despite there being no carbon trade laws in place. Australian Associated Press. 3 July 2009.
Big dreams for cars that fly, run on air.
Sal Scuderi claims his company's revolutionary two-cylinder engine reduces nitrogen oxide emissions by 85%, and emissions overall by 80%. He also says overall fuel efficiency is much improved. Ford Motor's advanced engineering director says Ford has "touched base" with Scuderi. The Daily Green. 3 July 2009.
Kansai leads the way in 'green energy' business.
An increasing number of companies in the Kansai region are taking on the challenge of developing new businesses using their own energy-saving technologies. Kyodo News, Japan. 3 July 2009.
Federal spark for power project.
Federal stimulus money will help spin up an innovative flywheel-based electricity storage system designed to help reduce greenhouse gases. Albany Times Union, New York. 3 July 2009.
Green energy projects get $59 million in guarantees.
The U.S. Energy Department on Thursday offered loan guarantees worth $59 million to two renewable energy companies as the agency tries to quickly boost green energy production with a windfall of funding from the economic stimulus package. Reuters. 3 July 2009.
German study sees job boom from Sahara solar project .
A project linking solar power from the Sahara to energy users in Europe and North Africa could create 240,000 German jobs and generate 2 trillion euros ($2,822 billion) worth of power by 2050, a study published on Thursday found. Reuters. 3 July 2009.
Record-breaking solar cells are tailored to their location.
Semiconductor materials such as gallium arsenide (GaAs) are more efficient at converting light to electricity than the cheaper silicon cells most common today. First used in space, GaAs solar cells are beginning to find uses on Earth too. New Scientist, England. 3 July 2009.
Company hailed as example of N.H. clean energy economy.
The Pew Charitable Trust recently released a report that cites Hampton's Brayton Energy as a top firm that's ventured into a rapidly growing industry as it seeks to invent new ways of harnessing renewable and low-emissions energy. Foster's Daily Democrat, New Hampshire. 3 July 2009.
Renewable energy may cost less than coal power.
Using more renewable power in Sydney would make electricity bills more affordable, according to a study prepared for the CSIRO that challenges assumptions about cheap coal-fired energy. Sydney Morning Herald, Australia. 3 July 2009.
First biodiesel pipeline starts operations.
A 5 percent biodiesel blend moved from Mississippi to Georgia, and also from Mississippi to Virginia, via the Plantation Pipe Line Company, which is owned jointly by Kinder Morgan with a 51% stake, and Exxon Mobil with 49%. New York Times. 3 July 2009.
Oat hulls yield cheaper, cleaner power at U of I.
Ethanol and wind turbines aren't the only ways Iowans are reducing the use of fossil fuels. Oat hulls are another. Des Moines Register, Iowa. 3 July 2009.
Cooking oil to fuel cars - biodiesel use promoted.
South African motorists could in the near future drive vehicles that run on cooking oil and peculiarly “smell of fried chips”. Johannesburg Sowetan, South Africa. 3 July 2009.
Province says no to backyard wind turbine.
The city's first application to put up a small wind turbine in a residential area has been denied by the Ontario Municipal Board, and the Ottawa man behind the proposal says he is giving up the fight for his backyard power generator. Ottawa Citizen, Canada. 3 July 2009.
China wind companies poised for green policy boost.
China's ambitious plan to increase wind power capacity could attract up to $150 billion in investment, but Beijing will have to get serious about revamping regulations and building much needed infrastructure. Reuters. 3 July 2009.
State signs wind power deal to boost alternative energy.
New Hampshire government is now getting 25 percent of its electricity from wind power installations. The state has signed a $4 million contract with ConEdison Solutions of Burlington, Mass,. to supply it with wind-generated power through May 2010. Manchester Union Leader, New Hampshire. 3 July 2009.
Battle call over incinerator project.
A revolutionary £23m incineration plant with a 130ft tall chimney, which could dispose of 60,000 tonnes of waste a year, is expected to face opposition from Harrogate Council when its fate is decided by North Yorkshire County Council. Yorkshire Post. 3 July 2009.
Sharing electric cars in Baltimore.
The Maryland Science Center is taking its educational mission to the streets with a pack of electric cars. In August, the museum will start renting the cars by the hour in the neighborhoods near its home on the waterfront along Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. New York Times. 3 July 2009.
Plumage power.
Hydrogen has long been touted as the future of energy. And now, scientists have found a way to use chicken feathers to store hydrogen. Moreover, this discovery could also help with another environmental problem: reducing the mountains of chicken feathers disposed of every year. Economist. 3 July 2009.
|