The Wind Technician Boom is Here

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Looking for a job? Don’t want to do much in the way of training? Want to help out the environment? You may be the perfect person to become a wind technician! At least, that would definitely seem to be the way of things if the latest news is to be believed. Apparently, community colleges in [...]

Beijing Smog Reduction for Olympics Demands Widespread Sacrifice

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As the date for the 2008 Games rapidly approaches, Beijing struggles to improve air quality for the “green games.” By closing factories, limiting vehicle use, and halting all construction projects, Chinese authorities are trying to make last-minute improvements that rely on wide-spread compliance. Athletic performance, health, and China’s reputation could suffer if the smog doesn’t [...]

Algal Fuel One Step Closer To Becoming A Conventional Oil Alternative

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A new milestone was reached recently in the race to make fuel from algae a conventional oil alternative: high-octane gasoline that is compatible with any gas-guzzling vehicle. The feat was performed by Sapphire Energy, a company that manufactures “green crude”. Sapphire uses single-cell algae to produce a chemical mixture that contains extractable fuel for cars [...]

NuScale Power and Hyperion Power Generation – Nuclear Power Systems That Are Not "Extra Large"

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One of Al Gore’s frequently used sound bites to explain his skepticism about the potential for nuclear power to address energy and climate change challenges is that the plants come in only one size – “extra large”. The last time I heard him say those words was during an interview by Katie Couric just a [...]

Anchorage, Alaska To Install 16,000 LED Streetlights

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Another win for LED bulbs: Anchorage, Alaska plans to replace 16,000 streetlight fixtures—a quarter of all the streetlight fixtures in the city—with LEDs. The new streetlights will use 50% less energy than current fixtures, leading Anchorage to potential savings of $360,000 each year. The city has invested $2.2 million in the plan. Since Anchorage has [...]

2,000 MW Wind Farm Will Send Power from Wyoming to Southern California

Add the name of Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz to the growing list of investors throwing their hats into the ring of a booming wind energy and transmission industry in the American west. The Anschutz Corp. said Tuesday it has acquired the rights to a proposed $3 billion, 3,000-megawatt transmission project that will bring electricity from [...]

The Eco-Photographer Essentials

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This summer, I have become addicted to taking pictures – now that you can view and share them without ever having to drive to the camera shop, drop off your film, drive back and pick them up, then choose the ones you like and send them out…you get the point…life is much easier since we [...]

Demand For Coal Climbing Rapidly Around The World

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Despite the myriad recent examples of positive news in the alternative energy world, it’s important to remember that harmful non-renewables aren’t losing any ground. According to the US Department of Energy, 258 gigawatts of new generating capacity are needed to meet an expected 40% increase in consumption by 2030, and coal companies are stepping up [...]