Green Energy News Items - 03/06/2008
Costa Rica’s Eco Village
Solar Vistas is the first solar-powered development in Costa Rica. Aimed at Europeans and Americans who often vacation or retire to Costa Rica’s coast, the village will be built with green building methods and eco-friendly homes.
Furthermore, the company’s CEO says that they’re not at all worried about competition, but are trying to educate other builders and promote competition to increase energy-efficient construction in Costa Rica. Read more about Solar Vistas Eco Community here.
Wave-Powered Boats
Wind power has been moving boats for centuries, and it may be improved upon to the point where it’s a viable option in future. However, until now, there’s never been a boat that runs on waves. Enter the Suntory Mermaid, which will make a run from Japan to Hawaii using the power of the waves under its bow.
At 5 knots an hour, it won’t be setting any speed records, but the fact that it’s using the new technology is impressive. The solar panels it carries on its roof will power its interior lights, another good thing. The EcoGeek explains more in his blog post, Duh, Powering Boats with Waves.
Nuclear Power Just Doesn’t Add Up
When physicist, Joshua Pearce of Clarion University of Pennsylvania tries to balance the nuclear books, he says that he finds that it just doesn’t add up. In order to replace fossil fuels with nuclear power, the industry would have to grow by at least ten percent from 2010 through 2050, a pace that is just not sustainable.
Added to that, when the increased pollution, heat and mining limits are factored in, things look even bleaker for the nuclear power business. Pearce’s further conclusions can be found at Nuclear Cannibals.
Using the Wind to Produce Clean Water
Delft University of Technology is the site of a new project that uses wind to produce drinking water. A windmill pumps the water through a reverse osmosis process, and then stores the water for future use.
Already in use to produce electricity, windmills would be ideal for remote coastal villages where drinking water is scarce or nonexistent. In Drinking With the Wind, the project’s director writes about this promising technology.
US and Canadian Cities Consider Ditching the Drive-Thru
Sure, it’s convenient to drive up and order that latte and doughnut, but is it good for the environment? Idling cars worry several city councils in the US and Canada, where bans on drive-thrus may soon be reality.
Already, two cities in California and North Carolina have done it and North Vancouver, Canada is considering a moratorium on drive-thrus. Read more at Numerous Cities Contemplating Drive-Thru Ban at EcoSpace.