America's LargestPosts Tagged green energy
Fuel of The Future: Pee Power!
90 miles per gallon with no emissions? Science fiction? No—urine. Cow urine, specifically, though any urine will do. Ohio University scientists have discovered a way to turn urine into a potent, if pungent, fuel by separating out its hydrogen component, Discovery.com reported last week.
Let’s take a step back—what is hydrogen, why do we want it, [...]
Exxon Makes Big Investment in Algae Biofuels
The world’s largest publicly traded oil company, Exxon Mobile, is investing $600 million in the world’s smallest plants, the AP reported today. Exxon just announced a partnership with biotech company Synthetic Genomics to develop transportation fuels from algae.
Fossil fuels, such as coal, natural gas, and petroleum, as well as their many derivatives, such as gasoline, [...]
Inadequate Electrical Grid Forces Pickens to Indefinitely Delay Massive Wind Project
Forbes reported last Wednesday that Texas oilman, T. Boone Pickens, has announced that he will delay, or perhaps cancel, plans for a giant wind energy project in the Texas panhandle.
Pickens’ project was supposed to be the largest wind power field in the world at a rated generating capacity of 1,000 megawatts per hour — about [...]
Nuclear Power Part of Dr. Chu’s Green Energy Prescription
Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu was one of four ranking Obama Administration officials who recently told the Senate that the United States needs more nuclear power. Together with the secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior, plus the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Dr. Chu told the Senate’s Committee on Environment and Public Works that [...]
Read More »Renewable Energy Industries Face Halt in Growth When Stimulus Funds Run Out
The massive government stimulus package, a.k.a. the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), contains billions for renewable energy development. Among the hoped-for results are reduced dependence on fossil fuels, cleaner air, and millions of jobs in new, green industries. The money is already flowing, but much remains to be distributed to companies developing solar and [...]
Read More »Algae Will Eat CO2, Produce Ethanol at Pilot Plant in Texas
The New York Times Green, Inc. blog reported on Monday that Algenol Biofuels and Dow Chemical Company are planning to build a pilot plant to produce low-cost, non-feedstock ethanol from algae on the site of a Dow plant in Freeport, Texas.
The plant already produces carbon dioxide (CO2), a key ingredient in the photosynthesis-based production [...]
Federal Funds Heading to Iowa to Support Big Alternative Energy Plans
Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced this week that Iowa will receive $16 million for energy efficiency and renewable energy development, the Chicago Tribune reported. It’s part of the Administration’s dual push for alternative energy and economic stimulus, and Iowa merely happens to be one of the first states to receive funds—many others will as well. [...]
Read More »Wind-Generated Renewable Energy: the Sky’s the Limit
Considerable attention has been paid to wind power as a clean and green solution to our nation’s energy needs. Wind offers several advantages: it’s the very definition of a renewable source, since we are not going to run out of wind; and it’s completely non-polluting. But it also has some problems, in particular:
• Variability: the [...]
Green Job Growth Outpacing Other Industries
The renewable energy industry has grown steadily over much of the past decade, adding jobs at more than twice the national rate, according to a new study by Pew Charitable Trusts.
Reporting on the study, the Associated Press said that while the entire energy sector, including fossil fuels, has experienced growth, the most dramatic increases were [...]
Nation’s Largest Solar Energy Plant Planned in New Mexico
New Mexico will soon be home to the nation’s largest solar plant, currently being constructed by NRG Energy, a New Jersey based wholesale energy producer, the Boston Globe reported on Friday. The facility will be large enough to power 74,000 homes.
The facility, nicknamed The Suntower, will be located near El Paso, Texas. El Paso Electric, [...]
Google Says Major Renewable Energy Adancements Could be Around the Corner
Reuters reported this week that search engine giant Google is expecting to be able to produce renewable energy at a price cheaper than coal within just a few years.
Bill Weihl, Google’s director of Energy Strategy, said, “In three years, we could have multiple megawatts of plants out there.” Google has cast the move as a [...]
More Green Energy Blowin’ in the Winds of the Midwest
When you think of game-changing technology—especially green technology—you usually think of the Pacific Northwest, particularly the Seattle area. But when it comes to green-energy technology, you should be thinking of the American heartland, especially Iowa.
Green energy technology—biofuels? No. The hot “new” energy source in the heartland is one of mankind’s first sources of mechanical energy, [...]
Investment in Green Tech Surpassed Fossil Fuel Investments in 2008
The New York Times reported this week that global investment in renewable energy sources surpassed investment in fossil fuel technologies in 2008 for the first time, according to a report just released by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).
The study, prepared by research firm New Energy Finance, reported that last year’s investment in alternative energy [...]
Energy Execs: Obama Energy Plans Unrealistic
The Obama Administration’s energy policy mixes ambition and idealism, with calls for heavy investment in green, alternative, renewable, and sustainable energy sources. One of its central pillars is a call for energy independence. During his campaign, for example, President Obama called for energy independence within 10 years. Since then, his Administration has been [...]
Read More »Editors at Richmond Times Dispatch Give Tough Analysis Obama’s Energy Speech
The Heat Zone took an cautiously optimistic position on President Obama’s Earth Day talk about energy initiatives, especially his promise that if we pull together, we can look forward to a cleaner country, a stronger economy and lower prices for petroleum products like gasoline and heating oil.
Obama’s plan, of course, hangs on reducing demand for [...]
Can You Really Heat Your Home With Mirrors?
It’s a simple but effective idea: using mirrors to reflect sunlight to heat and light your home. Practical Solar , a Boston-based manufacturing company, has created the first PC-controlled, do-it-yourself system that enables homeowners to collect and maximize heat onto a fixed target. The heliostat, a metal pole that tracks the sun, has mirrors attached [...]
Read More »Obama Admin: Energy Agenda Continues to be a Top Priority
Administration officials emphasized President Obama’s dedication to his energy agenda over the weekend. The Associated Press reported this morning that Obama aides indicated that the President would be willing to give some ground on parts of his $3.6 trillion budget, but would stand firm behind budget proposals to fund energy conservation and the development of [...]
Read More »Obama Renews Commitment to Electric Vehicle Development with New $2.4 Billion Grant Plan
President Obama visited an electric vehicle testing facility in Southern California yesterday, where he announced a $2.4 billion competitive grant program aimed at getting electric vehicles on American roads as soon as possible. Obama visited the Edison International electric vehicle testing center in Pomona, CA as part of his town hall style tour of [...]
Read More »Renewable Fuels of the Future are Ready Today
President Obama has designated $15 billion a year (about 10 percent of the $787 economic stimulus bill, according to a New York Times editorial) to developing renewable energy alternatives to fossil fuels to power America.
So what is the state of the industry that is poised to receive these new subsidies? How far along are [...]
Household Fuel Cells Ready to Hit Japanese Market
A new fuel cell for household use, created through a joint venture by Japanese oil and and natural gas companies, will be ready for the consumer market in May. The fuel cell, called “Ene Farm,” generates electricity by mixing hydrogen and oxygen, and redirects heat emitted during the process to heat the air and/or water [...]
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