Tag Archives: Earth

Though the first official assessment that climate change was caused by human activity came in 1988, with NASA scientist James Hansen’s famous testimony to the U.S. Congress, the “carbon neutral” concept, which refers to achieving net zero carbon emissions, is a relatively new one. The non-profit Climate Neutral Network, which developed the Climate Neutral Certification, was incorporated in 1999; the …

Marc Lopata says his job is to uncover the dark side of microgrids. And that’s just what the president and principal engineer for Microgrid Solar is doing in a project that combines energy storage and solar energy at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T). The project is located at the “Solar Village,” which consists of multiple houses built by …

Environmental Advocate Shares Affordable Gadgets that Shrink Your Footprint – and Your Bills   Just as intended, the 44th annual celebration of Earth Day on April 22 will be surrounded by talk of our environment, our impact on it and what we can do to better live in harmony with it. “We’re seeing more and more people who realize that, …

UPDATED FUKUSHIMA CIVILIAN PANEL REPORT HIGHLIGHTS LARGELY UNADDRESSED “HUMAN FACTORS” AS IMPORTANT AS EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI IN 2011 REACTOR DISASTER Lessons Unlearned? As Third Year of Anniversary Nears, Expanded Version of Fukushima Review Panel Report Published in English in Book Form by the Bulletin of Atomic the Scientists. An extensively updated and expanded version of the Independent Investigation Commission on …

Still Largely Untapped, Industry Group Tells CARB As the California Air Resources Board is examining their new scoping plan for implementing the state’s ambitious climate law, AB 32, the leading geothermal industry group has issued a status report on the state’s geothermal resources that says they are still largely untapped. Geothermal power is “a viable, cost effective, and plentiful renewable energy …

With California’s strict new guidelines for LED lighting, manufacturers are working to come up with lights that provide both energy savings and lighting quality. As they work to improve their technologies, we’re seeing LED lights that can be used for many, if not all, applications. That’s the word from Mike Watson, vice president of corporate marketing for the manufacturer Cree. The company has released …

Geothermal Energy’s Environmental and Health Benefits Worth $117 Million Annually Benefits of geothermal energy touted in air emissions analysis The Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) has released an Air Emissions Comparison and Externality Analysis showing geothermal energy provides significant benefits to public health and the environment as one of the least-polluting and most environmentally friendly forms of energy. The analysis found …

Responding to a challenge by California Gov. Jerry Brown, more than 500 of the world’s top global change scientists have outlined the main environmental issues – from climate change to pollution and population growth – that policy makers must address immediately to avoid an approaching global tipping point. Gov. Jerry Brown discussing Earth’s tipping point with UC Berkeley professor Tony …

Benefits of geothermal energy touted in air emissions analysis The Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) has released an Air Emissions Comparison and Externality Analysis showing geothermal energy provides significant benefits to public health and the environment as one of the least-polluting and most environmentally friendly forms of energy. The analysis found binary geothermal plants produce virtually no greenhouse gases (GHG) and …

Alternative Energy HQ has been featured in a list of 101 Terrific Energy sites. Thanks! Techniques for harvesting solar energy, wind energy, and even the tidal movements of the ocean have been around for decades, but the importance of improving their efficiency and increasing their availability is growing rapidly. As oil companies sink more resources into dangerous practices like hydraulic …

What’s the thing you can’t live without. Oxygen. Umm, close. What else? Alarm clock. Quite witty, but not exactly. Electricity? BINGO! Indeed, electricity has taken such an important place in our lives that you can’t even think of living without it. Even in your dreams, you enjoy in ACs, you work on computers and take out fresh, crispy bread out …

Breakthrough For Hawaiian Solar Power Announced By Clean Energy Groups Barriers should come down for homeowners, businesses wanting to add rooftop solar Honolulu, HI — Today, national organizations Earthjustice and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Inc. (IREC) commended the Hawaiian Electric (HECO) utilities’ path-breaking plans to enable more rooftop solar systems to connect to the grid. The utilities and clean …

Sierra Club, Earthjustice File Legal Challenge to Protect Solar Tax Credit in Hawai‘i State tax proposal would slam the brakes on solar energy, Hawai‘i jobs Today, the Sierra Club, represented by Earthjustice, filed a legal challenge in state circuit court to the Hawai‘i Department of Taxation’s recent decision to cut back on tax credits for residents and businesses that install …

By Michael Gorton, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Principal Solar Despite the sluggish economy, the US solar industry has seen massive growth in the past two years, creating jobs across the country, driving innovation and attracting investors. In fact, solar installations reached 742MW in the second quarter, up 45 percent over the prior quarter, and a 116-percent increase over …

Global climate models may be overstating the warming properties of black carbon particles, according to new research led by the University of California, Davis. The study will be published online Aug. 31 in the journal Science. “Our results don’t change the fact that things are going to warm — just to what degree, literally,” said Christopher Cappa, a UC Davis …

NEW REPORT RANKS WORLD’S BIGGEST COUNTRIES ON RENEWABLE ENERGY NRDC: Countries need to do more, beginning with Rio+20 Earth Summit U.S. production of renewable energy has increased by more than 300 percent in the past decade, but the United States still lags far behind Europe and Indonesia and is only slightly ahead of Mexico in the percentage of electricity it …

Our friends over at Celsius have raised the bar and worked to promote a call to action with regard to ending fossil fuel subsidies. We at Alt E HQ support this effort and ask you to read the article below and join the cause: Dear friends, This is huge. Two weeks ago we joined a diverse coalition to launch an …

In celebration of the 75th birthday of the Golden Gate Bridge, space scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, are topping each tower with a glittering solar candle. Space scientist John Vallerga describes the Solar Beacon project and how the public can experience it. Video by Roxanne Makasdjian. The “candles” are mirrors that the public can control through the Internet …

As Ratepayer Rebellion Rages in Florida, Small Modular Reactor and “CWIP” Advance Financing Drive Stopped Dead in Iowa; Next Battleground States: Missouri and North Carolina. Though its trials and travails at the national level get all the attention, the nuclear power industry is finding fewer and fewer friends in statehouses across the nation. In the Southeast, traditionally the stronghold of …

Thinking Neutral: Small Towns Look to Renewables to Reduce Reliance on the Grid By Dave Levitan The town of Fowler, Colo., (pop. 1,087) sits in a 150-mile corridor between Pueblo and the Kansas border that boasts about half a million head of cattle. A few years ago, Fowler, like much of the country, faced a difficult economy and rising energy …