Thursday, April 11, 2013

Alternative Clean Energy Roundup: 11 April 2013

Global Solar Photovoltaic Industry Is Likely Now a Net Energy Producer
Apr. 8, 2013 — The rapid growth of the solar power industry over the past decade may have exacerbated the global warming situation it was meant to soothe, simply because most of the energy used to manufacture the millions of solar panels came from burning fossil fuels. That irony, according to Stanford University researchers, is coming to an end.

For the first time since the boom started, the electricity generated by all of the world's installed solar photovoltaic (PV) panels last year probably surpassed the amount of energy going into fabricating more modules, according to Michael Dale, a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford's Global Climate & Energy Project (GCEP). read more>>>

Clean energy shift to bring major health benefits: UN
April 10, 2013 - Air pollution is an underestimated scourge that kills far more people than AIDS and malaria and a shift to cleaner energy could easily halve the toll by 2030, U.N. officials said on Tuesday.

Investments in solar, wind or hydropower would benefit both human health and a drive by almost 200 nations to slow climate change, blamed mainly on a build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from use of fossil fuels, they said.

"Air pollution is causing more deaths than HIV or malaria combined," Kandeh Yumkella, director general of the U.N. Industrial Development Organisation, told a conference in Oslo trying to work out new U.N. development goals for 2030. read more>>>

Air/Q: Safer, Greener, More Effective Air Freshening for the Home

Rosie The Riveter On A Wind Turbine: Women And The Growing Green Economy
Apr 9, 2013 - In March, the Bureau of Labor Services released its green jobs report, which reported a total of 3.4 million jobs associated with the production of green goods and services in 2011 – up from 3.1 million green jobs in 2010. Growing at a rate four times faster than all other jobs, the green sector offers new opportunities for good-paying jobs across the U.S. and raises the question: Are women benefitting from the transition to a green economy as much as men?

A new study suggests not, finding that women hold just three out of ten green jobs in the U.S. and are making less than men in the green sector. read more>>>

Ethiopia picks green energy for sustainable growth plan
April 11 2013 - Foreign firms are interested in the biofuel sector in Ethiopia, the country’s parliament speaker says. Ethiopia aims to achieve middle-income status by 2025 while developing a green economy

In general energy affects all aspects of development – social, economic and environmental – including livelihoods, access to water, agricultural productivity, health, education and gender-related issues. read more>>>

GoGreenSolar.com

Barbados a leader in establishing a green economy
April 8, 2013 - Barbados is listed as one of seven countries in the world that have undertaken and succeeded in completing the Green Economy Scoping Study.

And minister of the environment and drainage Dr Denis Lowe has disclosed that a report will soon be laid in Parliament outlining in detail the various aspects of the study as the country pursued programmes to achieve a green economy.

Lowe said Barbados was now among such countries like as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Moldova, Namibia, Nepal, Peru and Ukraine, who have undertaken and completed the study. Ghana, Kenya, Serbia and South Africa are also expected to have their studies completed shortly. read more>>>

Germany's newest incentives to kickstart energy storage for solar
March 07, 2013 - Germany’s upcoming incentives for energy storage could have a major impact on the prevalence of storage and its cost to consumers.

The German Federal Ministry of Environment announced plans to introduce incentives for energy storage, especially storage for solar photovoltaic systems, this year. Despite funding glitches, the incentives are expected to roll out soon.

And when they do, they could spur wide adoption of a technology that’s already attractive to a lot of Germans who have rooftop solar arrays.

The levelized cost of solar is much lower than grid power in Germany, said Tobias Rothacher, senior manager of renewable energy for Germany Trade & Invest. read more>>>

EcoLunchBoxes: Green Your Lunches

Smart grid awareness tied to energy security
April 10, 2013 - According to new research from Zpryme, nearly 74 percent of adults in the U.S. are still not familiar with the concept of the smart grid.

Zpyme concludes from evidence it has gathered that energy security concerns revolve around a nation's reliance on petroleum and strong energy-efficiency policies, so, to the extent that the smart grid can be aligned with energy security, the more likely the population will endorse the smart grid. read more>>>

An Intelligence-Driven Approach To Cybersecurity
20 Mar 2013 - This is a "smart" world. From smart grids and smart weapons to smart phones and smart appliances, technology is driving increased capabilities, improved productivity and greater cost efficiency. But there is an irony in this proliferation of high-tech efficiency, and that is the inability of technology, by itself, to deliver "smart" cybersecurity.

Sophisticated technology tools are capable of detecting and blocking a majority of cyber threats faced by most users. But in vital industries and government agencies where compromised systems can have far-reaching consequences, tools alone are insufficient. These enterprises - the energy industry among them - are often the targets of advanced threats from highly motivated attackers. read more>>>


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