wind

$9M Investment in Heat-Harnessing Geodynamics Project Rocks!

BY Ariel SchwartzFri Nov 6, 2009 at 2:58 PM

Geothermal technology is the ugly duckling of the renewable energy industry--it's not nearly as flashy as wind or solar, and it deals with the most unsexy of materials: rocks. But Australian company Geodynamics just got a big push ...READ»

CAP AND TRADE | 2 comments

Who Wins Under a Cap-and-Trade System?

BY Ariel SchwartzTue Nov 3, 2009 at 2:54 PM

The idea behind the cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gas emissions is simple: Energy companies that rely mostly on oil and coal will have to pony up big bucks, while those who rely on more diversified forms of power will benefit. ...READ»

RENEWABLE ENERGY | Comment

Infographic of the Day: How Renewables Could Power Us, by 2020

BY Cliff KuangTue Oct 27, 2009 at 11:02 AM

Sun and wind vary throughout the day, and that means they'll have to be cleverly pieced together if we're going to get renewable energy, 24/7.READ»

RENEWABLE ENERGY | 1 comment

Can We Switch to 100% Renewable Energy by 2030?

BY Ariel SchwartzWed Oct 21, 2009 at 2:27 PM

Ambitious clean energy goals abound--the Waxman-Markey climate change bill, for example, proposes the switch to 42% renewable energy in the U.S by 2030--but are we selling ourselves short? Stanford civil and environmental ...READ»

DALIAN SHIDE STADIUM | 1 comment

Classic Bamboo Football Inspires Design for Sustainable Chinese Stadium

BY Ariel SchwartzWed Oct 14, 2009 at 2:48 PM

Sustainable stadiums are one of the biggest trends in sports--we've recently seen Miami's LEED-certified American Airlines Arena, and the EPA-approved New Meadowlands Stadium. Now architecture firm UNStudio is bringing green sports ...READ»

TRES AMIGAS | Comment

The Tres Amigas Project: America's Renewable Energy Hub?

BY Ariel SchwartzTue Oct 13, 2009 at 3:21 PM

Sure, installing solar and wind power is easy enough, but it's difficult to transport alternative energy from its sources--usually rural locations--to the cities that need it. That's where the Tres Amigas Project, announced today by ...READ»

CHINA | Comment

China’s Rear View Mirror

BY Terry TamminenThu Sep 17, 2009 at 6:37 PM

One reason why China is leaving us in the dust is a shrewd government that has invested 40% of its stimulus funding in green companies, compared to just 12% by US taxpayersREAD»

ENERGY SPRAWL | 2 comments

Energy Sprawl: Will Solar and Wind Farms Become Ghost Malls of Tomorrow?

BY Ariel SchwartzWed Aug 26, 2009 at 10:41 AM

Have you noticed the rapid proliferation of clean energy projects in the past few years? All those projects take up land. Now a paper from the Nature Conservancy predicts that the Waxman-Markey climate change bill could have the ...READ»

WAXMAN-MARKEY | Comment

What Will a Post-Waxman Markey Energy Future Look Like?

BY Ariel SchwartzTue Aug 4, 2009 at 1:23 PM

What would happen if we actually followed through on Waxman-Markey's emission cut requirements as they stand today? The Electric Power Research Institute, a non-profit consortium of electricity-generating companies, takes a look in a new report. READ»

EPA | 2 comments

The Top 9 Green-Powered Companies

BY Ariel SchwartzTue Jul 28, 2009 at 2:57 PM

Wondering if that beer on your counter was made with renewable energy? The Environmental Protection Agency might be able to tell you. That's because the agency just released its list of the top 20 organizations running on "green ...READ»

BARYONIX | Comment

Texas to Host Biggest U.S. Offshore Wind Farm, but T. Boone Pickens Isn't Involved

BY Ariel SchwartzThu Jul 23, 2009 at 4:03 PM

Move over T. Boone Pickens, your grand Texas wind farm dreams have been overtaken by energy start-up Baryonyx, which has won bids for three land leases--two offshore, and one in the Texas Panhandle--to build data centers in ...READ»

REALTIME CARBON | Comment

Realtime Carbon Website Tracks Power Plant Pollution As it Happens

BY Ariel SchwartzFri Jul 17, 2009 at 3:06 PM

It's one thing to watch pollutants billow out from smokestacks, but it's quite another to know exactly how much carbon dioxide is being injected into the atmosphere. Realtime Carbon, a website developed by Demand Logic, ...READ»

WIND POWER | 3 comments

Forget Global Warming; Could Wind Farms Affect the Weather?

BY Ariel SchwartzWed Jul 15, 2009 at 1:45 PM

Everyone (well, mostly everyone) is worried about the effects of climate change on global weather patterns. But what if wind power--one of the most prominent clean energy solutions--affects the weather too? According to scientists at ...READ»

NYK | 6 comments

Can NYK Be a "Green" Shipping Company and Still Build Coal-Carrying Super-Tankers?

BY Ariel SchwartzMon Jul 13, 2009 at 4:34 PM

Tokyo-based shipping company NYK Line has done a lot to boost its green credentials: The company docked its first solar-powered cargo ship in Los Angeles this month, recently released a concept design for a ship juiced up with fuel ...READ»

WIND POWER | 5 comments

T. Boone Pickens Scrapped the World's Biggest Wind Farm. Now What Happens to U.S. Wind Power?

BY Ariel SchwartzWed Jul 8, 2009 at 4:42 PM

Wind power in the U.S. appears to have taken a turn for the worse this week with T. Boone Pickens' announcement that he is scrapping plans to build the world's biggest wind farm in Texas. But according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the wind situation isn't too dire--yet. te9ju5mi2aREAD»

MICROGRID | Comment

GE's Building Smart Microgrid for the Military

BY Ariel SchwartzWed Jul 8, 2009 at 1:33 PM

Military bases are often in isolated or disaster-ridden locations, which makes them ideal candidates for microgrids, or self-contained power grids. GE is capitalizing on the military's need for reliable power in all circumstances with ...READ»

NUCLEAR FUSION | Comment

Is DARPA Working on a Handheld Nuclear Fusion Device?

BY Ariel SchwartzMon Jul 6, 2009 at 5:07 PM

The Pentagon's DARPA arm is known for its attempts to reduce devices to microchip size. Projects have included multi-purpose sensors, cryogenic coolers, video cameras, and apparently, "Chip-Scale High Energy Atomic ...READ»

ADRIAN SMITH + GORDON GILL ARCHITECTURE | Comment

Sears Tower Getting a $350 Million Green Makeover

BY Ariel SchwartzThu Jun 25, 2009 at 12:01 PM

The tallest building in the U.S. is about to get a $350 million green makeover as part of a plan to cut electricity use by 80% and save 24 million gallons of water each year. The goal of the project, according to developers, is to ...READ»

GOOGLE | 1 comment

Could AltaRock's Geothermal Project Start California's Next Earthquake?

BY Ariel SchwartzWed Jun 24, 2009 at 3:02 PM

Every renewable energy source has its downside--nuclear power uses radioactive material, wind turbines generate noise complaints, solar production can leach chemicals into water supplies, and geothermal projects...cause earthquakes?READ»

ALTERNATIVE FUELS | Comment

The New Alternative

BY Terry TamminenMon Jun 15, 2009 at 1:47 PM

In 2008, $140 billion was invested in wind, solar, and other renewable sources of energy. Only $110 billion was invested in coal and other fossil fuel generation. What may be more remarkable was that investors would put anything into fossil-fueled power plants, knowing they were committed to buy billions more for the fuel itself over the fifty year life of those power plants, compared to zero fuel cost for wind or solar.READ»

AL GORE | 4 comments

Al Gore: Oil "Junkie" America Needs Third World Help

BY Chris DannenThu Jun 4, 2009 at 11:09 AM

The former Vice President, clean-shaven in a dark suit and black cowboy boots, pauses. "Junkies find veins in their toes, when the veins in their arms and legs collapse," he says to Charlie Rose. The audience suffers an ...READ»

SOLARIX | Comment

Solarix Sustainer: A Biodiesel Conversion System for the Survivalist

BY Ariel SchwartzWed Jun 3, 2009 at 1:53 PM

European biodiesel company Solarix has created what may be a sustainable powerhouse for rural areas: the Sustainer, a "power box" in a 20-foot container frame that converts oil-bearing crops and seeds into edible oil ...READ»

CORPORATE FOOTPRINT | Comment

Dell Now Gets Over a Quarter of Its Electricity From Renewable Sources

BY Ariel SchwartzTue Jun 2, 2009 at 2:22 PM

The IT industry is known for its electricity-sucking tendencies and carbon emissions, which is why Dell's announcement that it now sources 26% of its electricity from renewable sources--up from 20% in 2008--is so admirable. The ...READ»

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY | Comment

Eden Project's Geothermal Plant Could Power 10% of British Homes

BY Ariel SchwartzMon Jun 1, 2009 at 4:09 PM

Geothermal power plants are the ugly ducklings of the energy world; they're not as big or flashy as wind and solar plants, and most of their energy-producing magic happens underground. But a new $25 million geothermal plant being ...READ»

POO POWER | Comment

A German Town Embraces Manure Energy

BY Ariel SchwartzThu May 28, 2009 at 4:07 PM

Lünen, Germany is about to get a whole lot smellier now that it's set to become the world's first town to be powered by animal waste. The town will use biogas from cow and horse manure to power a biogas plant, that will produce ...READ»