renewable energy

Who Moved My Green Cheese?

Glenn Croston — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 02:47:43 -0500

Climate talks got underway in Copenhagen on Monday with representatives from 192 nations. A great many people around the world see climate change as the greatest global threat we face, likely to adversely affect billions of people in the decades ahead if nothing is done. The feeling is not

Harvard to Power 10% of Its Campus Cith Wind

Ariel Schwartz — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:35:58 -0500

Why Does Oklahoma Want To Drown New York?

Terry Tamminen — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:35:00 -0500

As the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee began hearings on carbon regulation, debate ran along traditional battle lines, but with a new script. Democrats Barbara Boxer (CA) and John Kerry (MA) moved away from discussing the environmental impacts of climate change - - and the reason, therefore, to take action to reduce carbon emissions - - and focused instead on the economic benefits of a domestic clean energy economy. Meanwhile, Republicans James Inhofe (OK) and Lamar Alexander (TN) complained that energy bills would rise and Americans would lose jobs.

Is China the Next U.S. Renewable Energy Superhero?

Ariel Schwartz — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:19:02 -0400

Oh, the irony. All-American oilman T. Boone Pickens scraps his plans for the world's biggest wind farm--a $10 billion project in Texas--and who comes in to pick up the pieces? China. The communist country is honing in on the Texas wind industry with a $1.5-billion, 36,000-acre project in West Texas. It's not quite Pickens-scale, but it is the biggest Chinese investment in U.S. renewable energy to date.

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

Cliff Kuang — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:02:46 -0400

We hear a lot about renewable energy, and suite of energy sources that'll be required if we're ever to wean ourselves off of oil and coal. But how, exactly, will all those energy sources fit together? How do you provide constant power, when the wind and sun are so unpredictable? And what mix of power will be economical, given the varying costs of each source?

Can We Switch to 100% Renewable Energy by 2030?

Ariel Schwartz — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:27:15 -0400

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 engineering professor Mark Jacobson and UC Davis researcher Mark Delucchi think we are. The pair has created a plan to power the planet using only wind, water, and solar energy by 2030.

Show Me the Green Money - How to Find Stimulus Funding for Your Cleantech Business

Glenn Croston — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:30:52 -0400

As the US economy slowed, the US Government stepped in with the $787 stimulus package passed in February 2009 as the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). A big chunk of the stimulus, about $67 billion worth

Ford Converting Old Auto Plant Into Massive Renewable Energy Park

Ariel Schwartz — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:25:16 -0400

Where Are All the Green Jobs?

Clay Dillow — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:25:34 -0400

During the 2008 campaign season, voters heard a lot about green jobs that were going to help reverse slipping employment numbers while reducing American dependence on foreign oil. America, it was said, would lead the world in creating a green economy that would triply silence threats to our economy, security, and environment. So where are all these green jobs? They're coming, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis told the Associated Press Monday, but don't hold your breath.

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

Ariel Schwartz — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:23:52 -0400

The Waxman-Markey climate change bill, passed by the House of Representatives in June, has been plagued with criticism from both the Left and the Right since its inception. Some say its greenhouse gas emissions targets aren't ambitious enough, others say they're too ambitious, and still others think that the whole thing should be left to the private sector.

Fast History: Jimmy Carter Creates the Department of Energy, 1977

Clay Dillow — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:40:44 -0400

On the heels of crippling gasoline shortages, saber rattling from OPEC, and the abolishment of the Atomic Energy Commission, the modern DOE was established to oversee and regulate the emerging nuclear power industry and to manage energy development policy. What a difference 32 years makes. These days, the DOE is still carrying out its nuclear responsibilities, but the department is far more concerned with recreating America’s energy infrastructure and reducing her dependence on foreign oil.

The Top 9 Green-Powered Companies

Ariel Schwartz — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:57:10 -0400

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 power", or energy from solar, wind, and biogas sources.

Status of Stimulus Funds for Green Businesses: Pools and Channels

Glenn Croston — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 03:19:13 -0400

Renewable energy, energy efficiency, and green building are key economic trends of the 21^st century, each potentially worth tens or even hundreds of billions of dollars. There are many reasons why businesses in these fields will grow, including the massive investment by the US Government as part of the February 2009 stimulus bill.

The New Alternative

Terry Tamminen — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:47:35 -0400

Giving a speech at an alternative vehicle conference recently, I asked the crowd when they thought hydrogen, battery, or biofuels would be the norm and petroleum would be the “alternative”. Most hands went up at 20 years; some at 10; a very few at 5. None would have said “last year”.

A Clean Energy Economy Generates Job Growth

Ariel Schwartz — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:28:44 -0400

Solarix Sustainer: A Biodiesel Conversion System for the Survivalist

Ariel Schwartz — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:53:15 -0400

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 and biodiesel.

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

Ariel Schwartz — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:22:25 -0400

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 company now powers nine facilities in the U.S.

A German Town Embraces Manure Energy

Ariel Schwartz — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:07:21 -0400

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 6.8 MW of power--enough for 30-40% of Lünen's overall needs. Biogas technology isn't new, but this is the first time it will be used to power a town.

10 Trends that Will Keep the Green Economy Growing

Glenn Croston — Wed, 27 May 2009 04:07:43 -0400

There is no saying what the business world will do the in short term, but these long term trends are a good bet to keep growing the green business world in the years ahead:

1. Oil will cost more

Dragonfly Vertical Farm Concept Rethinks Urban Food Production for New York

Ariel Schwartz — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:12:19 -0400

City dwellers use less energy and more public transportation than their rural counterparts, but urban landscapes often lack localized food production. Vincent Callebaut Architectures attempts to remedy that with its Dragonfly concept, a vertical farm modeled on the wings of a dragonfly.

Aveda: Certifiably Sustainable From the Cradle to the Grave

Ariel Schwartz — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:27:59 -0400

Aveda is doing L'Oreal's poop-powered hair products one better with its newfound company-wide Cradle-to-Cradle (C2C) certification.

I Hate to Say It, But…

Terry Tamminen — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:07:29 -0400

Banks have gotten a bad rap recently, and for good reason. The FDIC's Failed Bank List is rife with private banks that have been flattened in the past two years, and we all know about the myriad bankrupt investment banks. But now U.S. Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) has proposed a bank we can believe in.

Next Stop for Wind Power: Highway Rest Areas?

Ariel Schwartz — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:04:19 -0400

Anyone who has spent time in the Midwestern U.S. knows that spectacular wind gusts are a common occurrence. Researchers at the University of Illinois recently set out to evaluate whether these gusts can be harnessed effectively at that mainstay of family road trips: the highway rest stop.

Largest Roof-Mounted Solar Array in US Powers Up

Ariel Schwartz — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:50:31 -0400

New Jersey gamblers can feel a little better about weekend excursions to Atlantic City now that the country's largest roof-mounted solar array is in town.