Singapore will be testbedding electric vehicles starting next year. A task-force of its leading organizations and agencies related to electric vehicles will conduct extensive work identifying the needs and possibilities of these vehicles.
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The concept sounds like spinning fabric out of thin air, but the science is rock solid. Catalyx Nanotech, Inc., a relatively new player in the nanomaterials market, has completed its pilot project to manufacture nanofibers from landfill gas, using a patented cracking process to break down methane into soot free elemental carbon and hydrogen. Based on Catalyx’s success with a similar production facility in Canada, it appears that yet another way to recycle old landfills is right around the corner.
Texas led all states with 7,118 MW of total wind capacity installed, followed by Iowa (2791 MW) and California (2517 MW). Seven states now have more than 1,000 MW installed, and 13 have more than 500 MW.
$16 Billion invested in wind projects in 2008 made the United States the world leader in added capacity last year, says This the fourth consecutive year that the United States has been the world’s fastest-growing wind power market.
The American Wind Energy Association estimates that now about half of the components needed for wind turbines are made in the United States.
RE-ENERGYSE trains students to take on the world of energy
Today, more than 100 universities, student groups, and professional associations signed a letter drafted by the Breakthrough Institute (read the press release) urging the U.S. Senate to fund RE-ENERGYSE, a program aimed at ‘REgaining our ENERGY Science and Engineering Edge’.
With a name like that, who could say no? Read the rest of this entry »
The Chinese government in Jiangsu province has signed a letter of intent with the fast growing solar cell manufacturer ReneSolar to supply the cells for a 500 MW solar project which will be one of the largest of its kind so far in China.
China produces about half of the world solar cell supply, but till now it has exported most of it. While the country uses more solar hot water than any other nation - solar PV installed in the country so far represents a mere 0.01% of the nation’s power generation capacity.
However, the Chinese government has put in place a renewable energy requirement to get 1,800 megawatts from solar by 2020, per their NDRC.
The Chinese solar company ReneSola is a global manufacturer; producing roughly 7 million wafers a month and supplying a number of leading solar manufacturers like BP and SunPower.
ReneSolar has a highly efficient and sustainable business model - - recycling:
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OK, he’s not exactly a retired rocket scientist; he’s a retired airplane product development engineer - but Gary Reysa has built his own homemade very simple-tech solar hotwater system that is the functional and thermal equivalent of commercial systems costing 6 or 7 times as much!
This simple design has survived Montana winters with temperatures down to minus 30F with not even a hint of a problem, while providing an unusually high solar fraction of 94% (75% is typical of commercial solar hot water systems.)
For details and a picture of his solar thermal shed hit the fold:
Researchers have developed an environmentally friendly, biodegradable lubricant based on castor oil and cellulose derivatives.
The new grease, which does not contain any of the pollutants that traditional petroleum and synthetic lubricants have, may lighten the toxic load from manufacturing and industry on our water and soil. Read the rest of this entry »
Up to 50 percent of all fuel burned in the US goes unused into our atmosphere as wasted heat; the US Department of Energy has found. The total, a mind boggling 7 quadrillion BTUs; exceeds the current output of all other US renewable sources - such as solar, wind and geothermal, combined.
We could use this potential waste heat capacity to generate 46 GWs of new, clean electricity annually.
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Not all of the big solar projects coming down the pike in the West will be on public land. A team of private investors today announced plans to build a solar photovoltaic plant in the state of Washington that would be the largest of its kind in the world.
The 75-megawatt Teanaway Solar Reserve will be located on 400 acres of formerly-logged private property four miles north of Cle Elum, in Kittitas County, Washington. If built, the plant would generate enough power for an estimated 75,000 homes. Currently, the largest solar photovoltaic plant in the world is a 60-megawatt facility in Spain.
Teanaway has not secured power purchase agreements with the major electricity providers, but project developers are confident they will find a buyer. Howard Trott, Managing Director and principal investor for the Teanaway Solar Reserve, said “We’ve had very good meetings with local utilities.” Read the rest of this entry »
Now, I’m no Bob Villa, but as a new homeowner who has to replace his roof, I have been looking into environmentally friendly alternatives to either asphalt or “premium” wood. And Enviroshake definitely falls into the first category. Made primarily of reclaimed materials, Enviroshake might just be the answer. Read the rest of this entry »
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