Blogs
GE Targets Net Zero Energy Homes by 2015
July 17, 2009 5:21 am | CommentsGE announced today that by 2015 it is developing a turn-key product portfolio that will empower consumers to build — both new home builders and existing homeowners — to efficiently consume, manage and generate electricity to enable an overall net zero annual energy.
Coming Soon: Silk-Screened Batteries
July 14, 2009 10:36 am | by by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | CommentsWho knew those shady vendors hawking silk-screened t-shirts at tourist traps were leading the tech revolution? Actually, that claim belongs to the Fraunhofer Research Institution, but who’s keeping track? The German institute has developed a printable battery that is produced using a silk-screening process similar to that used in t-shirts.
IMEC announces new partnerships and a new pilot line for its solar cell research program
July 14, 2009 7:29 am | CommentsIMEC announced that it has established new partnerships with solar cell material and equipment suppliers. These companies, including MEMC Electronic Materials Inc., Leybold Optics Dresden GmbH, Roth & Rau AG, and Mallinckrodt Baker B.V., have concluded joint-development agreements with IMEC in the frame of IMEC’s newly launched wafer-based silicon photovoltaics industrial affiliation program (IIAP).
Survey Reveals Contractors as Influencers for Adoption of LED Lighting
July 13, 2009 10:04 am | CommentsA recent survey of electrical and lighting contractors demonstrates their importance in the specifying and recommendation of LED lighting products for building projects. According to the survey respondents, contractors are involved in recommending LED lighting more than 70% of the time. Yet a majority of respondents said they would be interested in receiving more training on product installation, benefits, and layout
World's first fuel cell aircraft takes off in Germany
July 7, 2009 7:35 pm | CommentsThe world's first piloted aircraft capable of taking to the air using only power from fuel cells took off in Germany Tuesday, producing zero carbon dioxide emissions, its makers said. "We have improved the performance capabilities and efficiency of the fuel cell to such an extent that a piloted aircraft is now able to take off using it," said Johann-Dietrich Woerner from the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
Next-Gen Incandescent Bulbs Revive Old Debates
July 6, 2009 9:56 pm | by by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | CommentsThose writing incandescent’s obituary may want to stay their pen. The NY Times reports on the efforts towards modernizing the “Edison lightbulb.” Leading the pack is Philips’ Halogena Energy Savers, purportedly 30% more efficient than similar incandescent bulbs. The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act sounded the death knell for traditional incandescents. While it doesn’t ban incandescents, it does set wattage limitations and other restrictions
China blasts US climate bill
July 2, 2009 11:56 am | CommentsChina said on Thursday that it was "firmly" opposed to provisions in a new US clean energy bill that will make it easier to impose trade penalties on nations that reject limits to globe-warming pollution. "China is firmly opposed to such measures," vice foreign minister He Yafei told reporters in Beijing. "We are firmly against such attempts to advance trade protectionism under the pretext of climate change. It is not conducive to world economic recovery. It serves nobody's interests."
Obama's Climate Leadership Faces Test at G8 Forum
July 2, 2009 10:03 am | by Jeff Mason | CommentsPresident Barack Obama, buoyed by a domestic victory on climate policy, faces his first foreign test on the issue next week at a forum that could boost the chances of reaching a U.N. global warming pact this year.
EPA Approves State-based Auto Emissions Standards
June 30, 2009 7:46 pm | by by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | CommentsTo follow up on an earlier story, the EPA has granted California’s request for exemption from federal tailpipe emissions standards. The decision is effective immediately for California plus 13 other states and Washington DC. It allows them to regulate emissions for model years 2009-2011, one year before the federal standards take effect. Says EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, “This decision puts the law and science first…this waiver is consistent with the Clean Air Act as it’s been used for the last 40 years
Firm Delivers 60 Megawatts of Power From Landfill Gas
June 30, 2009 7:49 am | CommentsProviding usable electrical power from waste, Innovative Energy Systems (IES) has developed a clean energy solution that recovers methane gas from landfills and converts it into electricity.
Obama Administration Awards First Advanced-Vehicle Loans
June 29, 2009 10:23 am | CommentsToday, the Obama Administration announced $8 billion in conditional loan commitments for the development of innovative, advanced vehicle technologies that will create thousands of green jobs while helping reduce the nation’s dangerous dependence on foreign oil. The loan commitments announced today by the President include $5.9 billion for Ford Motor Company to transform factories across Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio to produce 13 more fuel efficient models
Cap and Trade Looms on the Horizon
June 24, 2009 8:25 pm | by by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | CommentsThe AP reports that “climate bill” proponents had agreed to concessions in an attempt to sway wary Democrats. In this case, “climate bill” refers to the “Cap and Trade” proposal sought by Barack Obama and activists for years. Along with universal healthcare, Cap and Trade has been a major priority of the Obama administration. Will these concessions finally enable passage of Cap and Trade legislation?
The Solar Industry Shines in Saginaw
June 12, 2009 5:36 am | by Steve Hargreaves | CommentsOutside Saginaw, Mich., an old auto town of 56,000 people about 100 miles northwest of Detroit, a company making silicon for solar panels is doing the exact opposite of the Big Three. It's hiring.
Study: Jobs in fledgling green sector growing
June 10, 2009 5:35 pm | by CHRIS KAHN and SANDY SHORE | CommentsThe fledgling renewable energy industry has grown steadily over much of the past decade, adding jobs at more than twice the national rate, according to a Pew Charitable Trusts study released Wednesday. Solar and wind-power companies, energy-efficient light bulb makers, environmental engineering firms and others expanded their work force by 9.1 percent from 1998 to 2007, the latest year available, according to Pew. The average job growth in all industries was 3.7 percent during the same period.
Report says climate change is adding to migration
June 10, 2009 5:24 pm | by ARTHUR MAX, Associated Press Writer | CommentsGlobal warming is uprooting people from their homes and, left unchecked, could lead to the greatest human migration in history, said a report released Wednesday. Estimates vary on how many people are on the move because of climate change, but the report cites predictions from the International Organization for Migration that 200 million people will be displaced by environmental pressures by 2050.
