February 26, 2013 - Solar3D, Inc., the developer of a breakthrough 3-dimensional solar cell technology to maximize the conversion of sunlight into electricity, today announced that the Company has filed a Patent Cooperation Treaty international application for its next generation solar cell design and methods of fabrication in the United States Receiving Office. Pursuant to current regulations, all countries that are currently PCT contracting states were designated in the PCT application.
"This is the first big step in the final stretch toward making the Solar3D Cell available to the world. As we approach commercialization, we felt it imperative to expand the scope of our filing to cover our technology, process, and our potential geographic marketplace," said Jim Nelson, CEO, Solar3D. "Since we filed our initial patent application in 2010 and subsequent applications in 2012, we have made a number of new advances that have us poised to take an extraordinary product to market." read more>>>
February 26, 2013 - With the recent launch of MIT’s Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, MIT News examines research with the potential to reshape medicine and health care through new scientific knowledge, novel treatments and products, better management of medical data, and improvements in health-care delivery.
Using sunlight, researchers and students at MIT are trying to change how medical equipment is sterilized in remote clinics — and a pilot project in Nicaragua has begun to show promising results. read more>>>
Feb 19, 2013 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that rural electric cooperatives and utilities in 12 states will share $330 million in loan guarantees to improve generation and transmission facilities and implement smart grid technologies. Of that, approximately $8 million will go toward smart grid technologies.
The announcement was made during this week's NRECA TechAdvantage conference in New Orleans.
The utilities that will receive the funding, contingent on meeting the terms of the loan agreements, are: read more>>>
25 February 2013 - American utilities are locking in fixed-price contracts for wind power following the renewal of the Production Tax Credit (PTC) for wind energy
A total of 66 US utilities bought or owned wind power at the beginning of 2013, nearly half of them for large amounts over 100MW. Since President Obama extended the Production Tax Credit (PTC) for wind energy in the ‘fiscal cliff’ bill, signed at the beginning of January, utilities have continued to sign up for more wind energy which is now more cost-competitive than ever. read more>>>
Feb. 27, 2013 - Despite the considerable challenges and bottlenecks faced by China's offshore wind power market, the country's efforts in technologies for development of offshore wind power have remained strong. Thanks to years of coordination and cooperation between the government and domestic offshore wind power players, the first batch of offshore wind power license projects, most of which have been idle for more than two years, are likely to go online in 2013.
So far, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hebei, Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces as well as Shanghai have completed their planning for offshore wind power development. Liaoning, Fujian, Guangxi and Hainan provinces as well as the city of Dalian are currently finalizing their plans. read more>>>
Feb. 26, 2013 - The U.S. Department of Defense has released a comprehemsive Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap that details the Department's plan for managing the effects of climate change on its operations and infrastructure in both the short and long term.
Long a leader on measures to address climate change, the U.S. military's Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap is a blueprint for addressing climate related impacts in a national security context. See GLOBE-Net article 'Renewable Energy Major Priority for Military'.
The Defense Department's strategic focus on climate change adaptation began in 2010 with the publication of the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) by the U.S. Secretary of Defense. read more>>>
February 26, 2013 - The intermittent nature of solar energy may be less of a concern to utilities with the creation of a new, more accurate forecasting method.
February 25, 2013 (ENS) – The U.S. EPA, eight states and 13 citizens groups have reached an agreement with American Electric Power that requires the nation’s largest power company to cut air pollution at 16 of its coal-fired power plants across the Midwest and South.
February 24, 2013 (ENS) – If Congress does not act this coming week, automatic federal spending cuts, called the sequester, will go into effect March 1 that will impact the environment. Funding for parks, energy development, travel, clean air and water, fish and wildlife protection, pollution prevention, and disaster readiness will be cut.
February 27, 2013 - Residential electric water heaters can help integrate wind into the power system, according to research from Ecofys energy consultants funded by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.
02/25/2013 - Wind energy companies are getting into the solar game.
February 25, 2013 - Wisconsin's energy-efficiency is set for growth this year with the help of the utilities' statewide energy-efficiency and renewable energy program Focus on Energy.
02/25/13 - There is a good reason why Argentina’s flag sports a shining sun. At present, Argentina only produces about 10MW of solar power, but that figure is soon about to receive a giant boost as the country plans to increase its capacity by 35 times and the government begins to hand out incentives to private companies. International developers are looking to the western regions where projects are estimated to produce over twice the amount of energy coming from solar in Germany, the world’s current market leader. The plans would assist in the efforts of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner to increase the amount of energy generated by renewables from 2 percent to 8 percent by 2013.
Feb. 24, 2013 — Bottles, packaging, furniture, car parts... all made of plastic. Today we find it difficult to imagine our lives without this key material that revolutionized technology over the last century. There is wide-spread optimism in the scientific community that graphene will provide similar paradigm shifting advances in the decades to come. Mobile phones that fold, transparent and flexible solar panels, extra thin computers... the list of potential applications is endless.
The growing global demand for medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) could help drive Nepal’s green economy, while improving livelihoods in its poorest communities. The study focuses on the cultivation, processing and trade of high-value MAPs, which are found in the forests and grasslands of the mountains in the northern part of the country. Given Nepal’s high degree of biodiversity, the study confirms Nepal’s significant potential to develop its BioTrade sector. This study is part of Capacity Building for BioTrade (CBBT) project, which is implemented by UNEP with financial support from Germany, and has conducted similar studies in Namibia and Peru. 
The BioTrade sector in Peru has grown by 20 per cent in the last five years - generating significant revenue and promoting sustainable development, while simultaneously supporting pro-poor development. The report sheds light on national and international regulations, certification and labeling processes and the role of the private sector and public-private partnerships. It also outlines specific areas for policy reforms and investments, in both the public and private sector, which can help the BioTrade sector realize its growth potential. Recommendations include economic partnership agreements; developing a national investment strategy for the BioTrade sector; enhancing research and development; building capacity and introducing economic and fiscal incentives. 
With its rich biodiversity, prior rural development investments and achievements in environmental management, Namibia is positioned to benefit from emerging markets of BioTrade. While highlighting the opportunities, this study is an important reminder of the many challenges that Namibia has faced and continues to address with regards to reducing socio-economic inequalities, maintaining economic growth and achieving a higher level of sustainable use and trade of biodiversity-based products. The study identifies a number of key sub-sectors in need of additional policy support and investment to derive secure and higher sustainable development returns from BioTrade. 
February 22, 2013 - Business leaders at the world's largest listed companies have been facing growing pressure from investors to embrace environmental best practices, following the launch of the Carbon Disclosure Project reporting season and the publication of new research showing shareholder support for environmental resolutions is on the rise.
The 2013 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Exhibition and Forum (2013MIECF) will take place from 21 to 23 March at the Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel. The theme of this year’s MIECF is “Sustainable Cities – The Way Towards a Green Future”. A series of green activities includes forums, seminars, exhibition, business matching, Green Public Day and technical visits, contribute to a better platform for business and investments. MIECF has gradually become an important platform for the Pan-Pearl River Delta and the international environmental protection industry to promote a green economy and technology.