Green Energy News Items - 3/09/2008
Riverstar Can Power a Home or a Village
Hydro-power is clean, abundunt and a good alternative to fossil fuels, except for the dam problem. Damming rivers to produce hydroelectric power can be harmful to the river’s ecology, fish and mammals. But what if hydroelectric power could be produced without dams?
What if one small, generator - light enough to be handled by one average-sized human being - could power a riverside home or a remote African village located on a river or stream? Bourne Energy’s Riverstar does just that. As long as the river runs, the Riverstar will continue to generate clean, dependable energy without upsetting the ecological balance or placing construction on the river bottom. Gizmag has more at Bourne Energy’s Riverstar: a fresh approach to hydropower.
Blowing in the Wind: Leaves that produce solar and wind power
Teresita and Samuel Cochran are a brother and sister who have teamed up to produce an innovative technology. Their “leaves”, attached to buildings like so much high-tech ivy, use both wind power and solar power to produce electricity.
Their company SMIT (Sustainably Minded Interactive Technology) was formed when both Cochrans were working on their theses and decided to help each other with their projects. The leaves are solar panels made from a thin film with “stems” that generate piezoelectric energy from the motion of the wind. The project is featured at The Museum of Modern Art through May. Teresita was interviewed for a Limelight Feature at Ecolect.
Greenpeace Says Electronics Are Getting Greener, But Not Green Enough
In spite of Apple’s new green laptop, The MacBook Air and Nokia’s Evolve phone, there were no electronic products that scored more than 5 points out of 10 on their scale for green technology. Greenpeace asked 14 companies to submit their greenest products and then tested them for “substitution of toxic substances, energy efficiency and recyclability.”
How did they do and which are the greenest laptops, PDA’s and phones? Find out at Electronics greener, but long way to go: Greenpeace.
Wind Map Will Help Consumers and Developers
3Tier, a mapping company, will soon release a map that will help consumers decide whether windpower is a viable option where they live. The information will be free and available on the Net. Wind speed and direction is very important in siting windpower projects, for both homes and businesses. While it’s possible to pay project engineers to determine if your site has sufficient wind energy to power a wind turbine, it makes more sense to do the preliminary research yourself. The Seattle Times article “Helping Developers Map Out Renewable Energy Source has more.
Dizzy the Dog Fetches Recyclables
Dizzy, a mixed breed dog from Cornwall, England, is the environment’s best friend. He patrols the beach near his house, fetching bottles and cans and bringing them home to his owner’s recycling bin. His only real fault is that he tends to get carried away and fetch cans while guests are still using them at barbeques, so his owners have to insist that their friends use glasses to drink from. Then again, glass is much better than disposable plastic cups, so maybe Dizzy knows what he’s doing. Read about Dizzy the Eco-Dog at Gimundo.