India, one of the biggest markets for alternative energy technologies, is being targeted by German businesses.
Berthold Breid, CEO of the German Renewable Energy Academy is in Kolkata, India at present, leading a nine-member German delegation promoting its renewable energy products and technology.…
Solar cells using new tech breakthrough will deliver same power at 10% of the cost – Caltech…
Big Energy firms avoid grilling for price gouging during cold winter…
SAN FRANCISCO — Locals will use home loans to finance green improvements now San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has unveiled a new financing program, Green Finance SF.
UK academic says the UK loses 60% of power in generation and distribution…
Here is an example of how to make the best use of the home you have – however un-eco it was to start with.
Pete Vigs has slashed his family’s energy use by converting to a net-zero solar powered home that uses no oil or gas.
His 4 part video (click keep reading to see it) shows all the changes he’s made, three years into a 10 year peak oil preparedness plan. To his surprise, his life is now better while using much less energy and having less impact on the environment.…
When considering Peak Oil, the US Department of Energy usually stands among the most optimistic sources regarding the depletion of world oil reserves. Now its senior forecaster has come to accept that “Liquid fuel” production will peak next year and from then on decline slowly, with occasional increases, but still on a long term downward trend. And the US army scenario planners agree. They are now basing most of their scenario planning on just such an eventuality.
Glen Sweetnam, who is supervising the DoE’s next annual International energy outlook, is the most prominent official analyst on energy inside the Obama administration.
He says it may still be that some unforeseen source of oil suddenly emerges between now and next year, but admits that the source of that oil is currently “unidentified” …
HGTV Holmes on Homes star, Mike Holmes says homeowners with a sunny roof should lease solar panels, both to futureproof their technology and to feed any surplus into the grid.
““I’ve got a few acres in the country near Torronto, behind my house. Since I’m a contractor, not a farmer, I lease the land to a local guy who grows crops and grazes his animals,” the celebrity home contractor told Canwest. “The land could lie fallow – which is not necessarily a bad thing – or it could be put to use. Which do you think is the better idea?
There are millions of square feet of roofs in the country lying fallow, in a manner of speaking. What if that space was turned over to solar farmers who, just like the farmer leasing the field, are able to lease solar panels to the householder to put those roofs to good use?
“Ideally, we’d like to move away from centralized production for power. Part of the cost of energy production is not just generating it, through hydro or coal, but getting it out to the millions of homeowners who need it. If we can reduce distribution costs, we’ll increase our energy efficiency. Moving to local micro-generation is more sustainable and has a significant environmental impact. We take the pressure off the existing grid and reduce emissions.…
Oorja Protonics, which specializes in methanol fuel cells, is soon to release a product able to run a home or small business.
Check out the video on the next page: the 5-kilowatt fuel cell fits on top of a gurney. Its about the same size as a suitcase and the power costs about 25cents per kilowatt hour.
“You could use it for auxiliary power for trucks, RVs or marine applications, or for off-grid power for homes or farms,” said CEO Sanjiv Malhotra. “This pays for itself in less than 12 months” compared to conventional power.
For larger applications, the fuel cells can be chain-ganged together. Connect twenty of them and they would be capable of generating 100 kilowatts of power — as much energy as the recently unfurled Bloom Energy Server, but at a tiny fraction of the price.…
A sunspace can make a dark room into a bright living space. It is also a source of solar heating for your home and a place to garden all year round.
A sunspace is usually a light-frame enclosure made of glass or other transparent glazing, aluminum or wood framing, windows, skylights and sliding glass doors. Also known as conservatory, greenhouse, solarium, or sunroom.
Pre-engineered sunspace kits (such as this one) are available in a variety of sizes and styles but be careful to find one which specifically aims to enhance the solar heating capacity if that is what you are after.…
The UK government has issued a draft policy document empowering town halls to bring in decentralised energy schemes.
A 12-week consultation exercise on revised planning policy statements (PPSs) covering climate change and the natural environment was launched last week.
Councils are urged to assess their area to secure decentralised energy opportunities to meet the needs of new development. ‘Local authorities should look for greater integration of waste management with the provision of decentralised energy, co-location of potential heat suppliers and users and district heating networks based on renewable energy from waste, surplus heat and biomass,’ says the draft.…
The world’s oil reserves have been exaggerated by about 33%, according to Sir David King, the UK Government’s former chief scientist, who warns of shortages and price spikes within years. 2014 is the likely year he says when demand exceeds new supply.
