Tina Casey, Author at CleanTechnica

About Tina Casey

Tina Casey specializes in military and corporate sustainability, advanced technology, emerging materials, biofuels, and water and wastewater issues. Tina’s articles are reposted frequently on Reuters, Scientific American, and many other sites. You can also follow her on Twitter @TinaMCasey and Google+.

New Report Outlines US Miltary’s Solar Powered Might

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Tina Casey

new SEIA report outlines military solar power

If you have any doubts about solar power’s place in the US energy landscape, check out the new report from the Solar energy Industries Association (SEIA). Titled “Enlisting the Sun: Powering the US Military with Solar Energy,” the report details solar power systems at Army, Navy, and Air Forces in more than 31 states and Washington, D.C. that add up to more than 130 megawatts. Though not a great deal relative to the Department of … Read More

New “Artificial Leaf” Concept Could Blow Up Fuel Cell Market

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Tina Casey

artificial leaf converts water to hydrogen

The idea of an “artificial leaf” sounds simple enough: Take a small, cheap, light-collecting device the size of a typical leaf, dunk it in a quart of water, and use solar energy to generate enough hydrogen gas for powering a small fuel cell. Scaled up, these solar-derived fuel cells would provide an energy storage solution that puts solar power on the same consistent, reliable footing as any fossil fuel. Various researchers have gotten most of … Read More

Write 400 Words, Win A Ford C-Max Hybrid And Other Stuff

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Tina Casey

Katie Couric launches Ford C-MAX contest

Ford’s latest promotional contest caught our eye because it just goes to show how fast the solar-powered electric mobility lifestyle is rocketing into mainstream America. None other than Katie Couric has signed on to launch the new promotion, in which the company will give you a new C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid, a solar array, and new energy efficient appliances. The catch? Well, you have to submit the winning 400-word essay describing how your family will … Read More

Caution: Wet Solar Power (New Affordable Solar Paint Research)

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Tina Casey

solar paint could be as affordable as plain paint

The concept of a liquid, paint-on solar cell is old news these days, but a research team from the University at Buffalo in New York has come up with an interesting new angle. The team is working on a paintable solar material enhanced with nanoparticles of metal, in order to achieve a cost competitve level of efficiency. Does that mean solar paint could be as cheap as ordinary paint some day? Lowering The Cost Of … Read More

Graphene Gets A New Superpower: Magnetism

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Tina Casey

scientists add magnetic power to graphene.

Graphene is a carbon material only one atom thick, but its superhero scale strength and other unique behaviors are beginning to make it look like its own mini-Justice League (or Avengers, for you Marvel fans). In the latest development, a research team in Spain has coaxed yet another property out of graphene in the form of magnetic power. The magnetic graphene breakthrough could lead to super fast, super efficient electronic devices based on spintronics, in … Read More

Legendary Investor Warren Buffet Pumps $1.9 Billion Into Iowa Wind Power

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Tina Casey

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad went out on a limb last year, bucking his party and his candidate to lobby with Democrats for extending a key federal tax credit for wind power. The credit was extended after a pitched battle in Congress, and Branstad’s gamble has just paid off in spades with the announcement of a $1.9 billion investment in new Iowa wind farms by MidAmerican Energy Company, which comes under the corporate family of wind … Read More

New Tesla Model S Coupe Concept Evokes John Lennon’s First Car

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Tina Casey

reModel S electric vehicle coupe concept

Tesla fan Theophilus Chin, who has attracted an online following with his series of digitally enhanced concept cars, has just treated his fans to a new rendering for a Tesla Model S coupe. He may be on to something. Chin comments that “there’s a huge market for an electric 2+2 GT,” by which we assume he means a Ferrari GT 2+2, which in the form of a 1965 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Coupe was the … Read More

Honk If You Love Muons: 3,200 Mile Trip Planned For Muon G-2 Storage Ring

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Tina Casey

Muon g-2 storage ring travels to Illinois

A gigantic set of steel and aluminum rings 50 feet across, the electromagnet at the heart of the Muon g-2 storage ring, will soon make a 3,200-mile trip from Brookhaven National Laboratory to Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. This high-tech loaner will be used to study muons, particles that burst into existence and flame out again before you can say yolo. What Is A Muon? If the last science class you took described a vacuum as … Read More

Army Steamrolls $7 Billion In Renewable Energy Projects, Sequester Or No Sequester