April 1, 2014 - China is chasing Europe’s lead and wants to capture the ocean’s waves and tides for clean and renewable energy.
The country is investing large amounts of money and entering into ventures with Lockheed Martin and partnering with the Netherlands to develop various tidal power projects.
China has 11,000 miles of coastline and, if it becomes affordable, harnessing the sea could be the key to reducing pollution and advancing the renewable energy sector in Asia and elsewhere.
The Wall Street Journal’s Jason Bellini joins Here & Now’s Robin Young with details. read more>>>
APRIL 2, 2014 - A black-and-red tower with what look like white wings juts out of the water in Strangford Lough, a fjord that runs from the Irish Sea deep into the farm country of Northern Ireland.
Curious seals stick their heads up as a boat draws close, but they don’t seem to be bothered by the strange-looking device, which is actually a windmill, except its blades are under water.
SeaGen, as the machine is called, might be the most convincing evidence available that the large-scale harnessing of tidal power is becoming more than just an engineer’s fantasy.
Since 2008, SeaGen has been fixed to the sea bottom about 80 feet below the surface in a narrow channel where the tides race in and out of the 18-mile-long Strangford Lough. The fast-moving currents spin the machine’s twin propellers. When they are operating, lowered into the water along the shaft of the tower, they generate enough electricity to power more than 1,000 homes, producing an estimated 3,000 pounds, or $5,000, per day in revenue.
With the wind and solar energy industries well advanced, the oceans are looking more attractive as a new source of clean energy to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions. There are obvious pluses: The tides, especially along the coasts of some countries, including Britain, are powerful and more predictable than wind. read more>>>
March 28, 2014 - Focus on Energy, Wisconsin utilities' statewide program for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects funded by the state's investor-owned utilities and participating municipal and electric cooperatives, has released the 2013 results of their Multifamily Energy Savings Program. Focus on Energy works with eligible Wisconsin residents and businesses, providing information, resources and financial incentives to help implement projects that otherwise would not be completed.
In 2013, 89 properties took advantage of the Common Area Lighting Package (CALP), designed to help multifamily buildings lower electricity bills through lighting upgrades in common area spaces. THE CALP collectively saved the state of Wisconsin 1.7 million kilowatt hours, and on average, it will save each property owner nearly $2,000 over the life of the upgraded equipment. read more>>>
Wind demand in 2013 ended up much softer than 2012's record-setting performance, but 2014 promises to be significantly better with expectations of stabilization and growth in both the US and China, and continued strength building in some emerging markets.
February 13, 2014 - Preliminary estimates suggest worldwide wind energy installations were 34-35 GW in 2013, "a substantial dropoff" from a record-setting 2012, according to Steve Sawyer, Secretary General of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). In fact 2013 will have been the first time in nearly a decade where global demand contracted, almost entirely because of softness in demand in the U.S. and China, added Steen Broust Nielsen, partner with Make Consulting.
This year promises to be significantly better (though perhaps not quite so good as 2012), with expectations of stabilization and growth in both the U.S. and China, and continued strength building in some emerging markets. GWEC's initial expectations for 2014 are for 45-48 GW, and with some upside. The largest variable, as has been the case for several years now, is the extent of the U.S. recovery. In Europe, Germany and the U.K. continue to drive the market, with emerging growth in countries like Sweden, Denmark, and Finland, and some eastern European countries like Poland and Turkey. And China, like the U.S., is showing signs of reawakening as one of the bigger influences on the global industry. read more>>>
March 27, 2014 - Energy efficiency is the least expensive method of providing U.S. energy consumers with electricity. So says the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).
"The cheapest energy is the energy you don't have to produce in the first place," said ACEEE Executive Director Steven Nadel. "When utilities are examining options on how to provide their customers with cheap, clean electricity, energy efficiency is generally the best choice." read more>>>
Mar. 26, 2014 - In a region where on average more than 60 per cent of electricity is provided by hydropower facilities — in contrast to a less than 20 per cent globally — the future of water availability matters.
So, this issue dominated the second day of the Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC): Developing, linking and applying climate knowledge, organised by the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) that took place in Montevideo, Uruguay last week (17-21 March).
The idea that emerged was to create a “new climate knowledge” for the hydropower sector, one that would help protect hydropower projects from future climate variability, said Sebastian Vicuña, researcher at the Interdisciplinary Center for Global Change at the Pontificial Catholic University of Chile. read more>>>
Mar. 21, 2014 - The Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation has confirmed the finalists for the first round of the CCEMC Grand Challenge: Innovative Carbon Uses. The successful projects will be announced in Edmonton at Zero 2014: A Conference for a Low Carbon Future, on April 15. The finalists were selected from 344 submissions, from 37 countries, on six continents and will each receive $500,000 to help develop their technologies.
Grand Challenge Round One finalists are diverse and include innovative projects linked to fertilizers, concrete, building materials, fuels and a variety of chemicals used to produce consumer goods, such as ski boots, fishing rods, clothing and inks. read more>>>
25 March 2014 - New Energy Technologies Inc has developed a new high-performance SolarWindow array in association with researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
New Energy is a developer of see-through solar window coatings which generate electricity on glass and flexible plastics. Its new SolarWindow measures over 232 square centimetres, an improvement upon previous achievements by the company at NREL. As with the company’s other products, the window features the highly-uniform coloured tints preferred by window manufacturers for installation on skyscrapers worldwide. read more>>>
March 25, 2014 - Researchers of the Universitat Politècnica de València, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC, in Spanish), the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech (UPC) and the Universidad Rovira i Virgili de Tarragona have developed a silicon photovoltaic cell capable of turning infrared radiation into electricity.
Nature Communications magazine has published this new development led by Francisco Meseguer professor from the CSIC, at the joint lab UPV/CSIC.
The sun is an inexhaustible source of energy which well-exploited, could solve many of the energy suply problems we have today. read more>>>
March 25, 2014 - Although more and more of our electrical energy is coming from sources where supply is variable -- whether from wind turbines, solar parks or biomass facilities -- grid structures, industry and private households alike are not yet prepared to deal with the inevitable fluctuations. Smart energy management systems are the way to put robust supply networks in place and to ensure that renewables are harnessed as efficiently as possible. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Energy Alliance will be showcasing their energy solutions for energy providers, small and medium-sized enterprises and homes at this year's Hannover Messe.
"Wind, solar and biogas are all energy sources with their own strengths and weaknesses. And it's by combining the strengths of each in a smart way that we'll be able to guarantee Germany's energy supply into the future," says Dr. Kurt Rohrig, deputy director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology IWES in Kassel. read more>>>
Mar 29, 2014 - Living in a green home is better for the planet and better for your health, pocket and conscience. A green home is one which can be sustainably built, operated and maintained. Here is a list of traits that mark a sustainable home.
March 28, 2014 - By slowing and absorbing certain wavelengths of light, engineers open new possibilities in solar power, thermal energy recycling and stealth technology
March 28, 2014 - The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), building science society ASHRAE and the International Code Council (ICC), developers of the ICC Family of Codes for the built environment, today agreed to jointly develop the 2015 edition of the ICC/ASHRAE 700 National Green Building Standard. This is the third edition of the standard and the first time that ASHRAE has partnered on its development.
March 28, 2014 - Latest research finds that the trailblazing 'perovskite' material used in solar cells can double up as a laser, strongly suggesting the astonishing efficiency levels already achieved in these cells is only part of the journey.
03/28/14 - The Cumulus parasol is a solar powered parasol that inflates itself when the sun starts shining. This artificial cumulus protects you from the sun. Whenever the sun comes out, the parasol inflates automatically to a cloud-like shape using a solar panel positioned at the top in about 20 seconds. The inflated Cumulus has a diameter of two meters. Lacking a metal core structure, the inflated cloud is aerodynamic, allowing it to withstand windy weather. The nylon surface makes it durable, lightweight, and strong, while the silicone coating makes it water proof. When it is sunny, the solar cells power a fan that inflates the body of the parasol. When the sun goes away the parasol deflates automatically, or it can be turned off using an additional switch integrated in the pole. 
03/28/14 - Distracted motorists in the quiet Canberra suburb of Crace often skid straight into the roadside as they pass the corner plot of the Girasole house. There’s nothing out of the ordinary about the modern home's appearance, which is designed to complement the character of the street, but not many have ever seen an entire home move. Inhabitat was fascinated to visit this extraordinary house; would it move fast enough to cause motion sickness, we wondered? How do you design a functional interior within a circle? And how does the house run almost entirely on natural resources? Hit the jump to see a time-lapse of the Girasole's rotation and learn more about the extraordinary house that follows the Australian sun. 
March 31, 2014 - The recent Intersolar Summit celebrated New Jersey as a leader in solar energy -- not only in the state, but across the nation -- with some going so far as to claim that New Jersey should be a model for the United States and foreign countries.
March 31, 2014 - As electricity prices continue to rise, an increasing number of industries are considering combined heat and power (CHP) as an alternative for power generation, due to the option of using both natural gas and biomass as fuel.
March 27, 2014 - St. Louis-based Microgrid Solar is proud to be the engineer-of-record and installer of the first microgrid in the U.S. to be centered around a “Solar Village”. Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) created the Solar Village, which consists of multiple houses built by the university’s students, from 2002 to 2009, for competition in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon. This competition challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. Missouri S&T students, faculty and staff, along with members of the university’s microgrid advisory board (Ameren, City Utilities of Springfield, Rolla Municipal Utilities and Electric Power Research Institute), several Missouri manufacturers (Milbank, EPRI, and Ford) and the Army Corps of Engineers, have worked together for two years to design and implement the advanced microgrid testing facility at the Rolla, Mo., campus.
Mar 27, 2014 - Upgrades to a microgrid at Wesleyan University in Middletown, MA make it the first project to be finished under Connecticut's microgrid expansion initiative. Wesleyan received a grant of nearly $700,000 to connect a second gas generator and expand the microgrid to encompass the athletic center (which doubles as an emergency shelter).