Green Design » Green News

A hydrogen fueling station powered by the wind

Liane Yvkoff — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:57:04 +0000

By building a wind turbine to power a hydrogen production and fueling station, a little hamlet in Long Island is positioning itself a bellwether for carbon-neutral transportation.

Originally posted at The Car Tech blog

Clean Energy: How Much Hot Air?

Renewable Energy News - RenewableEnergyWorld.com — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:41:07 +0000

NewScientist’s January 28 issue is likely to unsettle clean energy advocates — but it is worth the read. The cover article, “Power paradox: Clean might not be green forever,” posits that even renewable energy can warm the planet, and eventually change climate, if we continue to ratchet up power production to serve our ever

Suntech, DuPont to Collab on Solar Backsheets, Supply Chain

Renewable Energy News - RenewableEnergyWorld.com — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:36:42 +0000

It's easy to think about modules as singular units of power output, but the reality is that they are a collection of diverse components, each with influence over the end system's total cost and performance. For DuPont, its focus is of course on the materials side, from metallization pastes used to form contacts on the solar cell, to backsheet materials that protect the panels themselves.

DOE’s Untold Impact on Solar

Renewable Energy News - RenewableEnergyWorld.com — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:30:04 +0000

The Obama Administration's $60 billion Loan Guarantee Program (LGP) for renewable energy is considered a failure because of Solyndra, Beacon Power, and potential 2012 bankruptcies. What is not well known is that 75 percent of the program's deployed funds went to relatively low risk power plants that will catapult the U.S. to a leadership role in the utility-scale solar sector. This is hardly the hallmark of a "failed program." The program is akin to Shakespeare's King Henry V, who said as a delinquent Prince: "I'll so offend as to make offense a skill, redeeming time when men think least I will."

Wind Power to the South: AEP Contracts to Lower Electricity Costs

Renewable Energy News - RenewableEnergyWorld.com — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:01:00 +0000

In a series of deals the investor-owned utility says is good for consumers' wallets, American Electric Power subsidiary Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO) recently signed long-term power purchase agreements for a total of 358.65 MW of capacity from wind projects in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.

Judge rules Honda overstated hybrid fuel economy

Wayne Cunningham — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:46:10 +0000

Heather Peters won a suit in small claims court against Honda, claiming the company misled her through fraudulent advertising into buying a Civic Hybrid.

Originally posted at The Car Tech blog

Stanford pioneering a wireless electric highway

Liane Yvkoff — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:17:13 +0000

Stanford researches may have solved the problem of range anxiety by wireless charging technology that could one day create an electric highway.

Originally posted at The Car Tech blog

NLP Solar Sales Training Live Webinar February 8th & 9th

Renewable Energy News - RenewableEnergyWorld.com — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:03:00 +0000

Miasolé Claims 17 Percent Efficient CIGS Device, 14 Percent In Production

Renewable Energy News - RenewableEnergyWorld.com — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:23:10 +0000

Miasolé says it has created a 17.3 percent "champion" thin-film copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) solar photovoltaic device, results obtained in its own labs and not (yet) independently verified.

Offshore Wind One Step Closer to Reality in the Mid-Atlantic

Renewable Energy News - RenewableEnergyWorld.com — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:11:27 +0000

Today the Obama administration moved forward with plans to develop the enormous offshore wind energy resources along the Mid-Atlantic coast, using a "Smart for the Start" approach designed to expedite the siting process while incorporating strong environmental protections.

‘Green’ solar cell is made from plants

Martin LaMonica — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:52:27 +0000

To make super cheap solar cells, MIT researchers look to commandeer the process of photosynthesis in plants.

Originally posted at News - Cutting Edge

Experts Predict End of Month for Ontario FIT Review Update

Renewable Energy News - RenewableEnergyWorld.com — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:02:34 +0000

By late February the renewable energy industry should have direction from the Ontario government on some of the major changes ahead for the province’s landmark feed-in tariff program. “I am hoping we will have an announcement then with the megawatt (MW) targets and pricing, then new rules and contracts in March, and application processi

If Solar is Contagious, Can Utilities Help Spread the Bug?

Renewable Energy News - RenewableEnergyWorld.com — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:00:03 +0000

You may have heard it before, but it is worth mentioning again: In residential communities, solar is contagious. But a recent study, "Peer Effects in the Diffusion of Solar Photovoltaic Panels," conducted by Bryan Bollinger of the NYU Stern School of Business and Kenneth Gillingham of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, published in December sheds some new light on the phenomenon.

Executive Roundtable: The Future of Utility-Scale Renewables

Renewable Energy News - RenewableEnergyWorld.com — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:37:00 +0000

Renewable energy in the United States is at a crossroads. With several federal tax grants set to expire by the end of 2012, utilities are trying to decide if the falling prices of solar and wind technology makes renewable energy competitive enough to invest in despite vanishing federal aid.

Understanding Wind Farm Exposures and Managing Risk

Renewable Energy News - RenewableEnergyWorld.com — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Wind energy is becoming one of the most widely used sources of renewable energy. In fact, according to the American Wind Energy Association, the wind energy industry has added more than 35 percent of all the new power generating capacity since 2007. As the industry grows in popularity, new developers continue to enter the market, and existing developers may likely expand their investments in wind farms.

Chevy Volt sales take a hit

Martin LaMonica — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:38:35 +0000

Sales of the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt electric cars start slow in 2012, with Volt sales apparently impacted by a now closed safety investigation.

Originally posted at News - Cutting Edge

Europe’s 2011-2012 PV Installs: Two Tales of Growth

Renewable Energy News - RenewableEnergyWorld.com — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:55:51 +0000

Two reports out in the past week examine Europe's solar PV market in 2011, indicating slowing growth in the flagship countries and promise in some smaller regions for 2012 and beyond. Note that the data that follows is preliminary; final 2011 numbers won't be known until later in the first quarter, including some likely revisions thanks to a stronger-than-expected fourth quarter in several key regions (more on that below).

Solar Trade Dispute: Behind the Jobs Numbers

Renewable Energy News - RenewableEnergyWorld.com — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:11:07 +0000

A recent report has generated lots of buzz by finding that as many as 50,000 jobs could be lost over the next three years if a 100 percent tariff is placed on Chinese solar panels. Yet from where I'm sitting, I see a far different number from the same report: The industry could add 15,000 jobs by 2014.

Latin America Report: Energy Summit Headed to Rio

Renewable Energy News - RenewableEnergyWorld.com — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:05:45 +0000

Twenty years ago, international leaders descended on Brazil to lay the groundwork for what would eventually become the Kyoto Protocol. This summer, a 20-member United Nations panel will once again head to Rio de Janeiro with an even more ambitious agenda.

China Set to Vigorously Develop Green Economy

Renewable Energy News - RenewableEnergyWorld.com — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:51:05 +0000

Due to growing urbanization and resulting environmental threats, China has invested nearly US$50 billion annually into its renewable energy sector since 2009. China's five-year investment in environmental protection is on track to reach 3.1 trillion yuan (US$454 billion). By 2015, its environmental protection industry is expected to top 2 trillion yuan (US$317 billion).