When power plants begin capturing their carbon emissions to reduce greenhouse gases – and to most in the electric power industry, it’s a question of when, not if – it will be an expensive undertaking. Current technologies would use about one-third of the energy generated by the plants – what’s called “parasitic energy” – and, as a result, substantially drive …

tsport100 asked: Worlds fastest street legal ELECTRIC CAR 1972 Datsun 1200 Whtie Zombie. This car is based in Oregon… there are something like 18 hydro electric power plants in that state!? Hydro actually generates 58% in Oregon (In Washington it’s over 70%) and coal less? than 7%.Only about 15% of the energy from the fuel you put in your tank …

U.S. ENERGY SECURITY EFFORTS UNDER ATTACK IN ANNUAL DEFENSE BUDGET BILLS House Defense Bill Undermines Public-Private Initiative to Develop Domestic Alternative Energy Sources to Reduce Reliance on Foreign Oil The House on Friday approved a $642 billion annual Defense authorization bill, 299-120. Included in the bill are harmful provisions that would undermine efforts to reduce the military’s dependence on the …

You have to check out this new development in the wind energy field. Altaeros Energy has come up with a blimp that is tethered to the group and can be raised from 300-1500 ft in the air to capture wind energy which is then transmitted to the ground via the tether. From their press release: Altaeros Energies, a wind energy …

Washington Out of Step With Public? Little Confidence Seen in National Lawmakers Finding Solutions is Evident in Across-the-Board Political Support for Grassroots Drive to Take Back Issue. Clean energy issues and solutions. Majorities of Republicans, Independents and Democrats agree that the United States should move away from its reliance on dirty energy sources that foul the air and water and …

Committed to sustainability and preserving the environment, The Cliff House Resort & Spa has installed one of Maine’s largest solar thermal systems. The installation uses 2,100 tubes on 70 collectors. That’s 10 times the size of an average solar project. The solar installation will save an estimated 11,000 gallons of propane annually and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than …

Mix of GIS, technical and financing advice helps countries shift from high-carbon imports to low-carbon domestic energy By embracing an integrated mix of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and grid technologies, countries can put their energy systems on a more sustainable path while developing economically, according to a new report from the Worldwatch Institute. The report, Sustainable Energy Roadmaps: Guiding the …

The premise behind the zero energy homes is that you have a house that not only generates its own energy through renewable energy sources but also has less of an initial carbon impact with the materials that are used to build the house. The theory is that you end up with a carbon neutral home. Zero energy homes and similar …

Interesting new study out of MIT that examines the development of solar technology and whether it will make solar cost competitive with coal for energy production. A study identifies early-stage technologies that could be combined to cut the cost of solar panels in half. By the end of the decade, manufacturers in the United States could make solar panels that …

Solar power can be used in agriculture to save money, reduce carbon emissions and increase self-reliance As governments, large corporations and homeowners alike seek to lessen their impact on the environment they live and work in, farmers too are looking to cut their emissions and work with the land instead of against it. Eco-friendly farming has been going on for …

With More than 15 Times the Solyndra Loan Guarantee on the Line, U.S. Taxpayers Being Kept in the Dark About Huge Vogtle Risks; Nine Groups Cite NRC Law Violation in Going to Court to Block Vogtle Licensing. WASHINGTON, D.C. – February 16, 2012 – If you are a taxpayer who liked the less than half a billion dollar Solyndra federal …

SolarReserve Reaches Major Construction Milestone in Completing Tower for World’s Largest Molten Salt Solar Tower Plant Nevada project represents leading solar thermal technology worldwide – integrated energy storage provides predictable and zero-emissions electricity day or night to meet peak demands SolarReserve, a U.S. developer of large-scale solar power projects, today announced completion of the 540-foot solar power tower for its …

ALTA DEVICES SOLAR PANEL RECEIVES NREL VERIFICATION OF 23.5% EFFICIENCY Technology Moves Closer to Solar Power without Subsidies Alta Devices’ most recent solar panel has been verified by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) at 23.5% efficiency. This is the highest solar panel efficiency yet achieved and demonstrates Alta’s progress toward its objective of developing solar photovoltaic (PV) solutions that …

The solar power industry sustained an impressive growth in installed capacity with new capacity of 27.7 Gigawatts (GW) coming on line in 2011, on top of over 17 GW in 2010. This takes the total installed capacity worldwide to 67.44 GW. The capital cost of solar photovoltaic power plants have declined to around $2430 / kilowatt, which makes it possible …

By Elisa Wood January 18, 2012 This is the era of Big Oil. Could the next be the era of Big Efficiency? A new report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy suggests the possibility. Re-invented with today’s smart energy technologies, energy efficiency could displace 40 to 60 percent of our total energy needs by the year 2050, according …

ACEEE REPORT: U.S. BETTER OFF “THINKING BIG” ABOUT ENERGY EFFICIENCY INSTEAD OF FOCUSING FIRST ON DEVELOPMENT OF NEW ENERGY SOURCES How Lack of Emphasis on Major Energy Efficiency Investments Leaves “3 Jokers in the U.S. Economic Deck”; Slashing Energy Use 60% Could Generate 2 Million Jobs & Save the Equivalent of $2600 Per Household Annually. WASHINGTON, D.C.///January 12, 2012///America is …

Biodiesel is a renewable fuel for diesel engines derived from vegetable oils or animal fats. It is made from renewable sources, burns with less emissions than regular diesel and is biodegradable. Because we no longer need to mine fossil fuels this source ticks all the right environmental boxes. Luckily for us, choosing biodiesel also ticks all the right financial boxes, …

Gas is what powers the majority of vehicles.Recently, however, as more attention has been placed on the health of our environment, more and more manufacturers are beginning to look at different options. There are now many different types of vehicles that are powered by alternative methods. Here are a few of them: Power by Liquefied Petroleum Gas This type of …

“GDC Strikes Steam in Menengai,” exalts the cover of this spring’s issue of Steam, the magazine of Kenya’s Geothermal Development Company. A column of steam spurts high into a deep blue sky in the cover photo—the geothermal industry’s equivalent of the black column that spurts from a successful oil well. But steam is even more valuable than oil, at least …

Not only big corporations are now shifting to the use of solar power electricity systems. Attracted to its various benefits, corporations, non-profit organizations, schools and even small businesses are investing for their installation. Along with their benefits, rewards from the state, solar rebates from local utility companies, inflating rates of electricity and effects of global warming contribute to the desire …