Alternative Clean Energy Roundup: 15 June 2013

Bristol named European Green Capital for 2015

14 June 2013 - Bristol has been crowned the European Green Capital for 2015 at a ceremony in Nantes.

The city beat Brussels in Belgium, Glasgow in Scotland and Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, to the win. Nantes in France currently holds the title.

The title rewards cities which consistently achieve high environmental standards and are committed to further improvement and sustainability.

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He said: "You talk to all of the cities that have been green capital - they're all here with me tonight - and they say it's made a huge difference to their cities, to the perception of the city, to making sure it's a really good place to live in. read more>>>

Obama to ramp up international climate action, adviser says

06/11/13 - President Obama’s top climate adviser said a recent agreement with China is the beginning of a more aggressive international agenda on climate change from the White House.

“We’re ripe for a few more deliverables,” Heather Zichal said Tuesday during an energy and environment conference hosted by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) at the Capitol. read more>>>

Confronting Climate Change

White House plots climate strategy with Senate, House Democrats

06/11/13 - Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) met with White House chief of staff Denis McDonough last week to coordinate climate strategy, the Rhode Island Democrat told reporters Tuesday.

Whitehouse said he and Waxman requested the sit down with McDonough. The pair of lawmakers lead a bicameral effort aimed at pushing executive action on climate change. read more>>>

Wind tower manufacturer sending regular shipments aboard ferry

June 11, 2013 - Vacationers taking the SS Badger across Lake Michigan this summer will be accompanied by oversize trailers carrying massive pieces of steel.

The ship is carrying wind towers produced in Wisconsin and headed to wind farms under construction in Michigan.

The Badger is carrying the huge towers under an arrangement that extended its shipping season last year. read more>>>

Wind Power in America's Future

How EPA Fights Climate Change Even When Congress Doesn’t Want It To

Jun 13, 2013 - Environmental groups have a tough time getting Congress to do what they want. Case in point: In the early months of 2010, the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Environmental Defense Fund waged an all-out campaign urging the Senate to pass a sweeping climate-change bill backed by President Obama and leaders in the Democratic-controlled Senate. The measure crashed and burned that summer.

But the green groups—and Obama’s top environmental officials—knew they could resort to a different tactic: lawsuits to compel executive action. read more>>>

PGE top of the renewable energy heap

June 12, 2013 - Portland General Electric (PGE) is at the top of the ranks when it comes to renewable power customers and renewable energy sold. According to the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), PGE has more renewable power customers and has sold more renewable energy than any other utility in the United States.

NREL's ranking of the nation's top utility green pricing programs has shown that PGE has had the most renewable energy customers since 2009, but this is the first year they also sold the most renewable energy. read more>>>

Learning from Wind Power:

Microgrid Deployment Forum Takes Shape

November 8-9, 2013 | Cancún | Mexico - The market for remote, island, and off-grid systems is by far the largest microgrid sector worldwide. This is driven by the attractive financial returns from reducing diesel fuel consumption as advances in solar, wind, energy storage, and controls enable systems that are primarily powered by renewables. The drive to reduce CO2 emissions and achieve energy security and independence are also powering the growth of island and off-grid microgrids globally.

The Microgrid Deployment Forum 2013 is a two-day event that carefully examines the business models, optimal technology mix, and critical steps for successfully deploying microgrid systems in remote, island, and off-grid environments. read more>>>

Green Investment Bank (GIB) publishes market report on Anaerobic Digestion

13 June 2013 - The GIB’s new report will be used to inform the bank’s strategy for potential debt investment in the AD sector

The UK Green Investment Bank (GIB) has published its first market report on anaerobic digestion (AD). The report is the first of its kind and gives an overview of the issues and challenges facing the AD market as well as identifying opportunities for investment. read more>>>

Introduction to Wind Energy

McCamley's Solar Wind Turbine Generates Energy From the Wind and Sun

06/13/13 - Like peanut butter and jelly or chips and dip, some things were just meant to go together. A team from the University of Bath in collaboration with SME McCamley Middle East Ltd has developed a new wind turbine that they claim will overcome many of the problems associated with traditional renewable power generation. Their hybrid technology encases a vertical blade wind turbine in an outer frame that is outfitted with solar cells. Bat and bird friendly as well as quiet, the design is able to be installed on buildings in order to assist with urban electricity projects.

While most turbines lose their ability to function when winds are extremely high, the new design is able to safely operate in storms. read more>>>

Rainforest Connection Tackles Illegal Deforestation With Solar-Powered Smartphones

06/13/13 - Rainforest Connection is an online system that was developed to inform park rangers protecting rainforests of illegal deforestation activities. The platform fits discarded smartphones with solar panels and utilizes a custom app to to generate real-time data on deforestation activity. The system has the potential to recycle old smartphones while helping environmentalists in ecologically vulnerable areas combat illegal logging.

The smartphones utilize and app to monitor audio frequencies across areas of protected rainforest. If it detects, for example the whirl of a chainsaw, then it will send alerts to the authorities. read more>>>