wind

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

Ariel Schwartz — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:58:39 -0500

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 to make its geothermal technology a reality, with $90 million from Australia's Renewable Energy Demonstration program.

Who Wins Under a Cap-and-Trade System?

Ariel Schwartz — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:54:25 -0500

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.

Classic Bamboo Football Inspires Design for Sustainable Chinese Stadium

Ariel Schwartz — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:48:33 -0400

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

Ariel Schwartz — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:21:43 -0400

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 New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, comes in.

China’s Rear View Mirror

Terry Tamminen — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:37:12 -0400

Even as China overtakes the US in the dubious category of “world’s leading greenhouse gas producer” it is also taking the lead in developing the technologies and policies to solve the problem well ahead of the US - - and sell those solutions to us at massive profits which could have been ours.

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

Ariel Schwartz — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:41:09 -0400

Have you noticed the rapid proliferation of clean energy projects in the past few years? All those projects take up land.

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.

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.

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

Ariel Schwartz — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:03:31 -0400

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 Texas powered by massive wind farms. When complete, Baryonyx claims that the coastal projects, set to be built on sites that are each over 19,000 acres, will be the biggest offshore wind farms in the country.

Realtime Carbon Website Tracks Power Plant Pollution As it Happens

Ariel Schwartz — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:06:31 -0400

Forget Global Warming; Could Wind Farms Affect the Weather?

Ariel Schwartz — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:45:10 -0400

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 the University of Maryland, large wind farms could potentially change the weather patterns of areas downwind. And that could lead to a whole new kind of NIMBYism.

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

Ariel Schwartz — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:34:50 -0400

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 cells, wind, and solar power, and cut its C02 emissions 10.8% last year. But how green can any shipping company really be if it's transporting coal?

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

Ariel Schwartz — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:42:01 -0400

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.

GE's Building Smart Microgrid for the Military

Ariel Schwartz — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:33:54 -0400

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 a smart microgrid demo project at the world's largest Marine Corps base, Twentynine Palms Base in Southern California.

Is DARPA Working on a Handheld Nuclear Fusion Device?

Ariel Schwartz — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:07:36 -0400

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 Beams"--microchip-sized nuclear fusion reactors.

Sears Tower Getting a $350 Million Green Makeover

Ariel Schwartz — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:01:43 -0400

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 turn the Sears Tower into a living laboratory for green retrofits. It's an ambitious plan for the building, which contains 4.5 million square feet of space, 104 elevators, and 16,000 windows.

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

Ariel Schwartz — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:02:16 -0400

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? In 2006, former oilman Markus O. Häring sparked a magnitude 3.4 earthquake in Basel, Switzerland when he drilled a three-mile deep hole in a search for geothermal energy. Thousands of smaller earthquakes followed.

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”.

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

Chris Dannen — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:09:33 -0400

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 uncomfortable pause, and then laughs. Gore keeps a straight face. He isn't joking.

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.

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

Ariel Schwartz — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:09:45 -0400

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 planned by the U.K's Eden Project and EGS Energy could give geothermal energy some much-deserved attention--the power source is more reliable than both wind and solar.

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.