Alternative Clean Energy Roundup: 6 May 2013

Online Solar School Campaign Raising Funds to Spread Solar Knowledge for People Power

May 3, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Energy. Sustainability. Community. Through a partnership between these elements, we can create the future we hope for. Human nature is to observe, learn and then make change. This is an inevitable process. With the power of modern technology and our minds, we can embrace this process and initiate movement towards a future of affordable clean energy. We can create a sustainable community for the world.

SolPowerPeople is developing a platform of online learning and interconnection that provides a structure for the entire world to build upon to reach this goal - together. This is the #SolarMOOC Academy- a global community of learning based upon the modern concept of Massive Open Online Courses. With this online platform already full of FREE weekly online lectures, SolPowerPeople is responding to requests from all over the world (including people from developing countries) by beginning to develop an entire school of formalized micro courses. read more>>>

Solar in St. Louis: The US’ First Restaurant Roof Made Entirely of Solar Panels

May 3, 2013 - Solar panels on the roof: no big news there, right? That’s how you do it in most cases. How about a roof made from solar panels, though? No, we’re not talking about solar shingles or other roofing materials that harvest power from the sun: rather, we’re talking about a roof made only from solar panels. Yes, this exists: the New Moon Room, a new bar and dining space at the Moonrise Hotel on the University City Loop, features the first restaurant roof in the US made from solar panels… and nothing else.

This canopy roof over the space doesn’t just collect energy from sunlight: it also lets that light in. read more>>>

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

How to Clean Seaweed from Beaches: Dry It and Use the Biomass for Energy

May 3, 2013 — A research group at the University of Alicante (Spain) has invented an algae removal and treatment system that turns this underused residue into a renewable source of energy: biomass. The process involves several stages of washing, drying and compacting without leaving the beach. Therefore, according to the team led by Professor Irene Sentana Gadea, the system is cheaper, more efficient and more environmentally friendly than the procedure commonly followed now.

With the invention, protected with a national patent, up to an 80 percent of the weight and volume currently removed would stay on the beaches, as now with the seaweed water and sand are also sent to rubbish tips or treatment plants. read more>>>

Green Building Materials Will Reach $254 Billion in Annual Market Value by 2020

May 3, 2013 - Demand for green buildings, and the materials that go into them, has remained relatively buoyant during the global recession.

Future market growth for green buildings and the commensurate use of green materials will be driven by a combination of policies and regulations that prioritize energy efficiency and green design, the expansion of voluntary certification programs for green buildings, cost reductions for green materials, consumer demand, and growing evidence that green buildings confer quantifiable market advantages. read more>>>

GoGreenSolar.com

UK Green Building Makes Foray into Shanghai

04 May 2013 - British green building consultancy the Building Research Establishment (BRE) has entered an agreement with a state-owned Shanghai-based company to upgrade its facilities in the city and promote sustainable construction practices in China.

BRE will collaborate with Shanghai International Shipping Services Centre (SISSC) on the development of part of the state-owned Chinese corporation’s 4 billion pound (AUD$6 billion) flagship marina development on the Huangpu River.

Buildings slated for construction on the marina development in its latest phase will satisfy the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) and the Chinese Three Star Green Building Standard. read more>>>

The 'green economy' as an engine for growth

05.05.2013 - The EU has some 19 million unemployed and the trend is pointing upwards. But, new jobs will only come once the economy picks up. Could a new 'green economy' help create those jobs and halt Europe's decline?

The political demands are clear: More renewable energies, more energy efficiency, lower CO2 emissions and more environmentally friendly technologies.

For years, European governments have had climate protection high on their agenda. It's a mammoth challenge, but also promises enormous potential for growth and investment. read more>>>

The Greenbatteries Store offers great prices on rechargeable batteries, battery chargers, battery cases and holders.

The Microgrid Solution | City of the Future

May 1, 2013 - Last October, Superstorm Sandy provoked widespread frustration and fear after it left more than 7.5 million people in the New York Metro area without power. In the hardest hit areas, outages lasted two weeks or more; in high rise buildings, the elderly and disabled were left stranded, often without access to food and unable to flush toilets for extended periods. Meanwhile, outages throughout suburban New York and New Jersey shut down gas stations, leading to long lines and runs on gasoline in many places.

These failures led many observers to wonder if America’s aging electrical grid — once the most reliable in the world — was up to dealing with emerging climate and other challenges. read more>>>

ENPARK joins Green Economy Partnership delegation visiting one of world's largest Cleantech clusters

6 May 2013 - Dubai and the Middle East first dedicated free zone to the energy and sustainability industries, ENPARK, is currently visiting Denmark as part of the 'Green Economy Partnership' delegation seeking to develop closer synergies between one of the largest clusters in Europe, the Copenhagen Cleantech Cluster.

Saeed Ghubash, Director of ENPARK is accompanied on the trip by members of the Green Economy Partnership. The partnership is a programme mandated by H. H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai that seeks to spur sustainable growth of the Dubai economy by facilitating the adoption of technological solutions with economic and proven ecological feasibility. read more>>>