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Student Designs Dirt-Powered Phone Charger

Aiden Dirt-Powered Batteries

Wind turbines and solar panels don’t only generate large amounts of power, they do so without the pollution and danger that come along with fossil fuels. But for the millions around the world that live without access to reliable power, waiting for a wind farm to pop up is a long and frustrating task.

What many in developing nations need isn’t the ability to keep the lights on 24/7. For most, just having enough power to recharge a cell phone would be life-changing. That’s why Harvard Ph.D student Aviva Presser Aiden decided to look for a much smaller solution. One that’s as simple as a pile of dirt, actually. … Continue Reading

Amory Lovins Lays Out His Clean Energy Plan

February 21, 2012 Technology Spotlight No Comments

For four decades, Amory Lovins has been a leading proponent of a renewable power revolution that would wean the U.S. off fossil fuels and usher in an era of energy independence. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, he talks about his latest book, which describes his vision of how the world can attain a green energy future by 2050.
Amory B. Lovins is fond of referring to the Rocky Mountain Institute, where he serves as chairman and chief scientist, as a “think and do” tank, and it’s clear that to Lovins the doing is every bit as important as the thinking. Hardly lacking in confidence or ambition, Lovins — in conjunction with his colleagues at the institute — has published Reinventing Fire, his step-by-step blueprint for how to transition to a renewable energy economy by mid-century.

Amory Lovins

Amory Lovins

Impressive in both its scope and detail — Lovins discusses everything from how to redesign heavy trucks to make them more fuel efficient to ways to change factory pipes to conserve energy — the book lays out a plan for the U.S. to achieve the following by 2050: cars completely powered by hydrogen fuel cells, electricity, and biofuels; 84 percent of trucks and airplanes running on biomass fuels; 80 percent of the nation’s electricity produced by renewable power; $5 trillion in savings; and an economy that has grown by 158 percent. … Continue Reading

Device Could Drive Down Solar’s Cost

Inverters mounted to the bottom of each panel provide grid-ready power at a test site in Sunnyvale, California. ArrayPower

Inverters mounted to the bottom of each panel provide grid-ready power at a test site in Sunnyvale, California. ArrayPower

By Phil McKenna – As solar panel manufacturers try to harvest more of the sun’s energy for less, they face increasingly diminishing returns. At roughly $1 per watt, the cost of solar modules now represents less than a third of the total cost of commercial solar installations. To cut the total cost of solar power—currently $3.00 to $3.50 per watt—bigger gains will have to come from improvements in the power electronics, wiring, and mounting systems required for solar installations. … Continue Reading

10 Technologies Helping the Military Go Green

February 3, 2012 Technology Spotlight 1 Comment

by Brian Frank - The private sector isn’t alone in its pursuit of mean-and-green, energy-conscious technologies. All branches of the U.S. military have thrown their hats into the race.

For one thing, our dependence on foreign oil has been acknowledged by the military as a strategic disadvantage. Some 80 percent of the military’s energy consumption comes from oil products, according to a 2011 report on green initiatives in the armed forces by the Pew Charitable Trusts. … Continue Reading

New ATM turns your old phone into cash

EcoATM Dishes Out Instant Cash For Your Old Cell Phone

EcoATM Dishes Out Instant Cash For Your Old Cell Phone

LAS VEGAS –  The International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is all about the latest smartphones, tablet computers and other devices. But what about the old gadgets? Don’t they get any love?

Actually, one machine at the show is designed to help recycle gadgets, giving old phones a fitting end, or a better home. … Continue Reading

New Report: Integrating Variable Wind Energy into the Grid

A report on Wind Energy

The Energy Department and Alstom Grid announce the availability of a new report on integrating wind energy into the electrical grid. | Image source: The Strategies and Decision Support Systems for Integrating Variable Energy Resources in Control Centers for Reliable Grid Operations Report.

Wind doesn’t always blow consistently and sometimes doesn’t blow at all, but wind energy is not unreliable – just ask grid operators.

In a new report, Strategies and Decision Support Systems for Integrating Variable Energy Resources in Control Centers for Reliable Grid Operations, they offer their first-hand perspectives on how variable energy sources, including wind energy, actually impact grid operations. … Continue Reading

12 clean water startups to watch in 2012

 By Heather Clancy  – Green Tech Pastures

 Systems for recovering and treating wastewater are notorious energy hogs, a concern that many of these early stage companies are hoping to address with their technology. … Continue Reading

City of Chicago Boasts Having the Greenest Restaurant in the Country

December 27, 2011 Technology Spotlight No Comments

The Green Restaurant Association certified 20 Chicago restaurants for their efforts to reduce waste, energy and water use, improve recycling, and support organic farming.

By N. Kratky – Whether planning the holiday office party or a festive luncheon with clients, choosing a restaurant certified by the Green Restaurant Association can help you keep in tune with your sustainability plan. Recently, Chicago’s Uncommon Groundrestaurant, located on W. Devon Ave., was awarded the association’s title of most environmentally responsible eatery in the nation. Their second location in Lakeview was named to the number two spot. … Continue Reading

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Featured Blog

Some Good And Some Not-So-Good Clean Energy Stock Investments

9 Sep 2012

An energy policy for the United States has become like the weather: everyone talks about it, but no one ever does anything about it. This lack of consistent direction has created volatile, and recently, sharply negative returns to investors in the Alternative Energy space. With a lot of hot air being generated in the months …

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The Lagging States For Renewable Energy Development

9 Sep 2012

Wind turbines near Rock Port, Missouri

Despite the availability of clean and sustainable energy sources like solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal and biomass, many states depend on outdated and dirty energy sources. Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Missouri and Tennessee are among the most in need of an energy portfolio diversification. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has identified solutions for these and other …

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As The Solar PV Landscape Evolves So Does Its Growth Potential Ahead

17 Aug 2012

Solar Demand

 Demand for solar PV energy in the U.S. continues to gain considerable traction. During 2011, installed PV capacity reached the 2 GW level, with 880 MW allocated to the commercial sector and 760 MW to the utility segment. However, this growth has not been realized without certain challenges. Indeed, often years of negotiation take place …

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Airborne Wind Turbines: New Renewable Energy Source

16 Aug 2012

altaeros_energies_air_wind_turbine

When somebody mentions renewable energy, most of us think primarily of methods we can use for home production, namely wind turbines and solar panels. However, there are a number of alternative energy sources still waiting to break through into the public conscience. Airborne forms of wind power are arguably some of the most exciting amongst …

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Featured Blog

United States Leading the World in Renewable Energy

9 Oct 2012

Sustainable Energy and Renewable Energy are terms that are thrown around a lot these days, but what exactly do they mean, and how many countries are taking them seriously? The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that in 2008, 10% of the world’s energy consumption was from renewable energy sources. EIA forecasts that by 2035, consumption …

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Petitioners Support Offshore Wind Energy And Jobs In Georgia

9 Sep 2012

Seth Gunning of the Sierra Club lets us know why he supports offshore wind energy.

On August 31, SACE and the Sierra Club hosted the “Wind Works: For Jobs, for Georgians” rally on Tybee Island.  The  Tybee Pier and Pavilion, where the rally was held, proved to be a great spot for the event.  We were able to reach out to about 300 people – substantially from the coastal community – …

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From Old Cotton Blue Jeans To Green Home Insulation

5 Aug 2012

Erek Hansen of Curtice, Ohio, stands on a pile of jeans. His goal is to send 5,000 pairs to Cotton: From Blue to Green, a group that collects denim to recycle into housing insulation.

Since 2006 Bonded Logic, an Arizona-based cotton fiber insulation manufacturer, and Cotton Incorporated, an association of cotton manufacturers, growers and retailers, have teamed up to change the final resting place for approximately 200 tons of unwanted denim from the landfill to new homes in the United States, in the form of denim insulation. The “Cotton. …

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States Have Enormous Potential for Generating Renewable Clean Energy

5 Aug 2012

A new study of renewable energy’s technical potential finds that every state in the nation has the space and resource to generate clean energy.

A new study of renewable energy’s technical potential finds that every state in the nation has the space and resource to generate clean energy. The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory produced the study, U.S. RE Technical Potential, which looks at available renewable resources in each state. It establishes an upper-boundary estimate of …

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