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Price of Solar Energy Decreasing in India
February 13, 2012 08:40 AM - Scott Sincoff, ENN
Solar energy may have a reputation to be more expensive in most parts of the world, but not in India. In the world’s second most populous nation, electricity stemming from solar energy is now cheaper than oil-based energy. The Indian government also has an objective to inaugurate 20,000 megawatts of solar panels by 2022. India’s solar success may have positive implications for other developing countries to show a new and inexpensive alternative energy source for use in not only for basic heating, but to also use for new and innovative technology.
World's biggest offshore wind farm officially connected to the Grid
February 10, 2012 07:44 AM - Click Green Staff, ClickGreen
The world's biggest offshore wind farm was officially opened today after record-fast construction in the middle of the Irish Sea. The 102 turbines of the two connected Walney wind farms cover an area of 73 square-kilometres and were formally connected to the National Grid in a ceremony today. With a capacity of 367.2MW, the huge project can provide low-carbon, green electricity to 320,000 homes. The generating capacity of each turbine, supplied by Siemens Wind Power, is 3.6MW, and the rotor diameter of the turbines is 107m for Walney 1 and 120m for Walney 2, with a maximum height of 150m from sea level to blade tip.
German-Saudi Partnership to Build Polysilicon Plant in Red Sea City
February 9, 2012 08:49 AM - Andrew Burger, Cleantechnica
Germany's Centrotherm Photovoltaics, the world's second-largest manufacturer of solar photovoltaic (PV) equipment, has signed an agreement with IDEA Polysilicon to construct a polysilicon solar PV manufacturing facility in the Saudi Arabian Red Coast city of Yanbu, according to a Reuters News report. The agreement aims to provide IDEA the technology and know-how it needs to become a market force in the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region, a market that's attracting more and more interest from industry players globally.
Scotland releases blueprint for offshore renewable energy roll-out
February 8, 2012 12:52 PM - Click Green Staff, ClickGreen
A blueprint to streamline the scoping, planning and consenting of offshore renewables developments has been published by the Scottish Government today. The report, prepared by a task force comprising Marine Scotland, environmental regulators, renewable developers and The Crown Estate, was welcomed by Alex Salmond as he co-chaired the first 2012 meeting of the Scottish Energy Advisory Board (SEAB).
Once, men abused slaves. Now we abuse fossil fuels
February 6, 2012 04:51 PM - Andy Gryce, Population Matters
Pointing out the similarities (and differences) between slavery and the use of fossil fuels can help us engage with climate change in a new way, says Jean-François Mouhot, visiting researcher at Georgetown University, USA. In 2005, while teaching history at a French university, I was struck by the general disbelief among students that rational and sensitive human beings could ever hold others in bondage. Slavery was so obviously evil that slave-holders could only have been barbarians. My students could not entertain the idea that some slave-owners could have been genuinely blind to the harm they were doing. At the same time, I was reading a book on climate change which noted how today's machinery — almost exclusively powered by fossil fuels like coal and oil — does the same work that used to be done by slaves and servants. "Energy slaves" now do our laundry, cook our food, transport us, entertain us, and do most of the hard work needed for our survival.
Nuclear Power - environmental advantages
February 5, 2012 07:55 AM - CHARLES CHAVES/ecoRI News contributor
Renewable energy and nuclear power increasingly factor into the evolving American energy equation to replace polluting coal. Even some environmentalists acknowledge that nuclear is a viable emissions-free option to dirty coal while renewable-energy technologies continue to advance. Nuclear fission reactors generate electrical power by splitting the atomic nuclei of uranium. This process creates a massive amount of heat — thermal energy — and radiation. The resultant heat is in turn utilized to make steam from water that then moves turbine blades to drive generators to produce electricity.
Electric Vehicle Market Forecast — 10 Year Horizon Looks Strong
February 3, 2012 08:29 AM - Phil Covington, Triple Pundit
IDTechEx has been tracking developments in the electric vehicle market for the last eleven years by touring the world's companies, research institutes and conferences to gain insights into key technology changes and business opportunities in the EV market. They have just published their new 2012 forecast with a 10 year horizon, and whether you like EVs or not — their take is that they are here to stay.
Kick-Starting the Bio-Based Economy
January 31, 2012 02:31 PM - Mackinnon Lawrence, Matter Network
Massive, varied, and intricately woven into the fabric of modern industrial society, the global chemical industry was valued at over $4 trillion in 2011, according to Pike Research’s Green Chemistry report. The non-pharmaceutical chemicals industry in the United States is valued at around $700 billion per year. The rise of bio-chemicals promises to transform that industry. Bio-based chemicals and plastics — often referred to as bio-based products — are commercial or industrial products (other than food or feed) that are derived from biological products or biomass. They serve as direct replacements for the building blocks used in petrochemical production.
Energy Poverty Remains a Global Challenge for the Future
January 31, 2012 12:01 PM - Editor, Worldwatch Institute
Washington, D.C.—Despite massive gains in global access to electricity over the last two decades, governments and development organizations must continue to invest in electrification to achieve critical health, environmental, and livelihood outcomes, according to new research published by the Worldwatch Institute for its Vital Signs Online publication.
AT&T Orders 1,200 CNG-Powered Chevrolet Express Vans from General Motors
January 31, 2012 08:27 AM - Editor, Justmeans
AT&T plans to take delivery of 1,200 Chevrolet Express compressed natural gas (CNG) dedicated cargo vans to be deployed to AT&T service centers nationwide. It is the largest-ever order of CNG vehicles from General Motors. AT&T, which has announced its intention to invest up to $565 million to deploy approximately 15,000 alternative fuel vehicles over a 10-year period through 2018, will use the vans to provide and maintain communications, high-speed Internet and television services for AT&T customers.