Alternative Clean Energy Roundup: 24 June 2013

5 green building blocks

June 14, 2013 - How sustainable your home is depends on how green the construction material is, says Nirthya Rajan

Using green building material while constructing your home is the easiest way to make it sustainable. Here's a list of five products made of components that are renewable and environmentally responsible.

Fly ash bricks read more>>>

Green Deal boosts house prices by up to 38%, DECC claims

June 24th 2013 - In an apparent bid to encourage take-up of its Green Deal scheme, the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) has released data that suggests home improvements that reduce energy bills can also add up to 38% to the property value.

According to research commissioned by the DECC, an average English home improving its energy performance certificate (EPC) from band G to E, or from band D to B, could add £16,000 to its sale price. In the northeast, improved energy efficiency from band G to E could increase this value by more than £25,000, or in the northwest by £23,000. read more>>>

Nature Power 18 Watt Folding with 8 amp Charge Controller Solar Laptop Charger

Duke Energy No. 8 in solar capacity, survey says

June 17, 2013 - Duke Energy is ranked eighth in the country among holding companies for total solar capacity, as measured by Solar Electric Power Association.

Among individual utilities, Duke Energy Progress in the Carolinas was ranked eighth nationally for its annual increase in solar.

The association reported Duke Energy's regulated utilities have 183 megawatts of capacity available for its customers. read more>>>

Willow biomass the next best thing in renewable energy

June 18, 2013 - The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) is launching an outreach and training program to develop commercial-scale production of willow biomass as a renewable, sustainable energy source -- bridging the gap between developing technology and practical use -- as part of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's Regional Council Initiative.

The training program is receiving $397,000 from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and builds upon the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Biomass Crop Assistance Project (BCAP), which awarded $1.2 million to landowners and producers in 2012 to support the establishment and maintenance of up to 1,200 acres of willow biomass crops. read more>>>

NP 40 watt Folding Monocrystalline Solar Charger 12v for Laptops

Including All the Benefits in Cost-Benefit Analyses of Solar

June 18th, 2013 - When it comes to evaluating our energy options, policymakers typically perform cost-benefit analyses. That seems pretty uncontroversial, right? Where it gets squirrelly is in the selection of ingredients. What costs to include? Short term costs, or long-term? Include externalities? If a particular technology emits pollutants that threaten life on earth as we know it, how much should that matter? That kind of thing.

Same thing on the benefits side. Do you value the resource as a short term or long term generator? read more>>>

Japan Undergoes Solar Boom With Over 7.4 GW Already Installed

06/18/13 - As the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant continues to leak radiation, Japan is turning its sights away from atomic power and towards solar energy. At the end of 2012, the country had installed solar power-generating arrays that provide a total 7.4GW capacity. According to Bloomberg analysts, that number is expected to double. The explosive growth, thanks to a feed-in tariff established by former prime minister, Naoto Kan, could establish Japan as the second fastest emerging solar market behind China and trailing only Germany and Italy in size of installed infrastructure.

Although more expensive than imported fossil fuels or nuclear energy, Japan is nevertheless moving towards more renewable sources. read more>>>

Wind Power Science Kit

Construction companies going green

June 19, 2013 - Egyptian construction companies are increasingly aware of their responsibility to preserve the environment, according to recent statistics.

According to a report published by McKinsey and Company in 2010, the Egyptian share of the world emission of carbon dioxide was 0.7%, in which the construction and cement production industry were among the largest producers. Combined, they produced 22% of the total CO2 air releases which consequently affect the Egyptian climate. read more>>>

Report Forecasts Sharp Growth in Use of Green Building Materials

May 28, 2013 - Navigant Research forecasts the demand for green building materials will reach $254 billion in annual market value by 2020.

A new report from Navigant Research (www.navigant.com) forecasts the demand for green buildings and the materials that go into them will grow from $116 billion in 2013 to more than $254 billion in 2020. read more>>>

GoGreenSolar.com

Shale success far from certain

June 19, 2013 - Shale oil production is not large enough to make a difference in world supply and tip the balance in global markets, according to Mesirow Financial's Deputy Chief Economist Adolfo Laurenti, although it is advancing rapidly.

Having grown by 14 percent in 2012, Laurenti notes how dramatically the U.S. shale gas and oil industry is boosting state economies like North Dakota and Texas with new jobs and tax revenues where, from 2006 to 2012, job creation outpaced the rest of the country. At the same time, all major oil states are showing gains in energy-related jobs. read more>>>

Warmer world will keep millions of people trapped in Poverty, says new report

Jun. 19, 2013 - Regular food shortages in Sub-Saharan Africa….shifting rain patterns in South Asia leaving some parts under water and others without enough water for power generation, irrigation, or drinking….degradation and loss of reefs in South East Asia resulting in reduced fish stocks and coastal communities and cities more vulnerable to increasingly violent storms.

These are but a few of the likely impacts of a possible global temperature rise of 2 degrees Celsius in the next few decades that threatens to trap millions of people in poverty, according to a new scientific report released by the World Bank Group. read more>>>