Advanced BioFuels Will Only Add To Global Warming
In a study published by Science, it was found that advanced biofuels such as woods and grasses that are meant to provide alternative fuels without cutting into food supplies (such as ethanol does), will emit more carbon dioxide than burning gasoline over the next few decades .. and yes also cut into food supplies. The study concludes that the land required to grow poplar trees and tropical grasses will displace food crops and accelerate deforestation. Why is this so difficult for governments to understand? Another study published last week in the journal Science also indicates that the UN has exaggerated the carbon savings from biofuels because it ignores deforestation and other land use costs.
also published in the journal Science on Thursday, said the United Nations had exaggerated carbon savings from biofuels and biomass, in a mistake copied by the European Union in its cap and trade law, by ignoring deforestation and other land use changes.
Tags: biofuels, deforestation, global warmingNext Wave Of Stimulus To Flow To Smart Grid?
The government has earmarked $4 billion to help modernize the grid with smarter hardware and applications, allowing consumers to track their energy use and provide the highway to allow renewable energy to flow across that nation. However, those efforts have been stalled a bit by the government’s inability to get funds out quickly. Smart grid companies are frustrated, but Green Beat says the funds will begin to flow soon and continue early next year.
Tags: smart grid, stimilusMariah Power Releases WindSpire iPhone App To Measure Wind Speed
Thinking about putting up a wind tower in the backyard? You might want to measure the average wind speed first and Mariah Power now offers a way to do it with a cool iPhone app. Point the microphone towards the sky and the app will determine the wind speed based on the noise which converts to dB reading corresponding to wind speed. Just make sure the lawn isn’t being mowed. Create With Context created the app for Mariah, which produces home wind turbines designed for average wind speeds of at least 10mph. While the company acknowledges that the readings aren’t 100% scientifically accurate, they plan to develop of a database of wind speeds across the world based on user readings. It should be noted that there are already two wind speed apps for the iPhone – the Wind Meter and Wind Speed app which have garnered mixed review. Mariah claims its app will be more accurate.
Tags: iPhone, mariah power, wind speed, windspireNation’s Largest Solar Plant Begins Producing Tuesday
This Tuesday Barack Obama will inaugurate what will be the nation’s largest solar plant. The 25MW Florida plant, called the Desoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center, sits on 180 acres and will provide enough power for 3000 homes and businesses. It will eclipse Nevada’s Nellis Solar Power Plant for the title of largest solar photovoltaic solar facility in the US, but won’t hold that title for long. First Solar is building a 48MW plant in Nevada and announced recently it will build a huge 2GW plant over in China. It’s a great start though and puts Florida and FPL Group on the solar map.
Tags: barack obama, first solar, florida, fpl group, nevada, solar energyBuild A Homemade Wind Generator
With oil prices now hovering around $60/barrel, the appetite for wind and solar energy has waned quite a bit but that doesn’t mean that we can forget about alternative energies. The demand picture may have changed as the world economy falters but the supply picture won’t. Once the economy improves, cheap oil will be increasingly difficult to come by and prices will rise again. . in a big way.
Perhaps now is the time to look into building your own homemade wind generator! Parts are likely much cheaper and you’ll be well positioned and an expert on wind generators once oil prices skyrocket again. Many families around the the world are discovering that its not too difficult to get your own wind generator built and up and running which is much cheaper than buying a pre built wind generator. .. perhaps just a couple hundred bucks.
In a nutshell, you’ll need to construct a wind turbine tower first and one site recommends just using an old telephone signal tower which can be erected in parts. The most complex part of the construction process is putting together the hubs and blades but with a little patience and elbow grease you’ll be up and running in no time potentially slashing your electricity bill by half.
One of the most popular step by step guides to build your own wind generator is provided by Michael Harvey who has been building wind and solar power systems for friends and family for the past 6 years.
Tags: homemade wind generator, renewable energy, wind powerAmerican Solar Energy Society
I just came across a great resource for everything having to do with solar energy. The American Solar Energy Society was established in 1954 and is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the use of solar energy and other renewable energies. There are some great resources such as email updates, green collar jobs reports, resources for green energy professionals, a job board, a tool to help locate local solar installers and the company puts on one of the largest solar conferences in the US, now in its 38th year. Their pillar product is the magazine Solar Today, an award winning magazine discussing local ASES chapters, sustainable transportation, green jobs and more. The latest issue has articles on the basics of solar and wind power, how to slash your utility bills, heating and cooling efficiency, government rebates and financing as well as a buyers guide to vendors and installers.
Tags: american solar energy society, green collar jobs, solar today, sustainable transportationTracking Solar Energy Companies
Are you looking for solar energy companies? GreenStocksCentral.com is a portal focusing exclusively on alternative energy companies and provides breaking news, analysis, real time chat and full tracking features. The solar energy tracker features a list of publicly traded solar energy companies with info such as company profile, breaking news, current price, next years earnings estimates, the date they report earnings and much more. Here is a screenshot of the tracking system:
Portland, Oregon Tops List of Most Sustainable Cities
My current home, Portland Oregon just topped Sustainlane.com ’s list of most sustainable cities, retaining its title from last year! Portland ranked #1 for Energy & Climate Change Policy, City Innovation, Green Economy, Green (LEED) Building and Knowledge Base & Communications but didn’t rank so well in Water Supply (28th), Natural Disaster Risk (30th) and Housing Affordability (31st)
According to SustainLane.com, Portland began the push to go green about 30 years ago when it enacted strict land use policies, an urban growth boundary, required density and setting a strong precedent for sustainable development. The city aims to be a “20 minute city” where residents spend 20 minutes or less traveling from home to work, shop or play.
Top 5 Sustainability Rankings:
1. Portland, Oregon
2. San Franscisco, CA
3. Seattle, WA
4. Chicago, IL
5. New York, NY
NYC Mayor Bloomberg Wants To Harness Alternative Energy
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told a conference in Las Vegas yesterday that he wants the city to begin tapping into alternative energies such as wind power with wind turbines on skyscrapers, bridges as well as off shore as he recalled the blackout of 2003. While his term ends soon, he did say he is committed to the “greening” of NYC.
Tags: alernative energy, michael bloomberg, new york city, wind powerA Look at the Algae Biofuel Companies From An Insider
A tip to Earth2Tech for pointing me in the direction of a blog by Martin Tobias, an angel investor and former CEO of Imperium Renewables who has a lot to say about the young crop of algae biofuel companies. The general take is overall skepticism acknowledging it will be difficult to take successes from a lab setting and scale out into full blown fuel producing ventures. Martin did say his favorite is Sapphire Energy which recently raised 50 million from ARCH Venture Partners, the Wellcome Trust and Venrock. Have a look at the full article from Earth2Tech
Tags: algae biofuels, earth2tech, imperium renewables, martin tobias, sapphire energy
