Government, Private Sector Join to Make Neal Hot Springs Geothermal Power Plant a Reality

Pioneers heading west on the Oregon Trail by stagecoach stopped to relax and enjoy the hot waters at Neal Hot Springs 90 miles northwest of Boise, Idaho. In the near future, the area will be the site of Oregon’s first commercial-scale geothermal power plant. A public-private collaboration, Nevada’s US Geothermal Inc., equity investor Enbridge Inc. and the US Dept. of Energy joined together to complete financing of the $130-million Neal Hot Springs project, which is expected to come online in late 2012 with a capacity of 25 megawatts (MW).

Why Trees Got into CleanTech Manufacturing

In pretty much the epitome of best practices for a sustainable cleantech manufacturing process, trees literally manufacture wood out of sunlight, H2O and CO2. Like photosynthesis, this is not a process that we humans have yet mastered.

They began this factory-type processing millions of years ago, taking the available raw materials and turning them into a sustainably produced and recyclable new material that we have borrowed to build our ephemeral things with, over the last twenty thousand thousand years or so.

But why?

Tokyo Tower — Powered by People (on Bicycles)

Tokyo Tower has been crushed by Godzilla more times than I can count. Its presence silently locates any scene in Tokyo. While not always visible in the midst of a skyline filled with high-rises and skyscrapers, its orange and white figure is instantly recognizable. Built as a broadcast station in 1958, it is illuminated every night and broadcasts television and radio (analog and digital) 24/7.

New “Plug ‘n’ Play” Solar Module Fits Almost Any Roof

A new fully assembled, plug-and-play modular rooftop solar power system was introduced at the Intersolar North America trade show last month, and it could be a low cost solar power solution for home owners and businesses that want to dip a toe into the clean energy pool. The new photovolaic system, called AC Unison, does not require a separate inverter, which would typically add a significant expense to the cost of a rooftop solar array.