BioSolar Takes the Oil Out Of Solar
Almost all solar cells use a backing made of Dupont Tedlar to protect them from extremes of weather. This backing is made from petroleum and is expensive. But, until now, no one has been able to find an alternative that would shield the cells without costing too much.

Enter BioSolar whose protective backing is not only bio-based, but cheaper as well. While the company won’t identify the two plant-based materials used in their backing, they did say that it doesn’t come from a food source. Good news in this time of food shortages. More …

Honda Debuts Hydrogen Car
The FCX Clarity runs on hydrogen and electric and emits just water and no greenhouse gases.The first ones are headed to California, where demand for low-emission cars makes the fuel cell powered Hondas very popular indeed.

The FCX is three times as efficient as a conventional gas-powered car and two times as efficient as a gas/electric hybrid. The first models will be leased for $600/month. More …
Wind Power Takes Off In China
The world’s biggest producer of greenhouse gases has softened the blow a bit by announcing big plans to expand wind power throughout China. As a matter of fact, China now has the 5th largest windpower installation in the world.

That’s 6 GW of power with plans to go up to as many as 27GW by 2010. That’s an amazing leap, if it’s actually realized and will go quite a way toward mitigating the tons of greenhouse gases given off by China’s many dirty coal-burning power plants.
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The Corn is Green for This Cellphone
First of its kind, the new Samsung W510 is made from bio-plastic. Made from corn, the material doesn’t use petroleum or toxic chemicals and is much more earth-friendly than conventional plastics.

The new phone also contains no heavy metals such as cadmium, lead or mercury and the phone’s coating is water soluble. Samsung has also introduced another model with no bromines - the F268. More …
San Francisco Leads the Way In Solar
By initiating the largest subsidized solar power project of any US city, the city by the bay has once again taken the lead in innovation. Beginning with a pilot project, the $3 Million dollar undertaking will provide incentives to low-income citizens and non-profit organizations, then widen to include the rest of the city. More …

DOE Invests $30 Million in PHEV
A 3 year cost-sharing venture would hasten the development of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) and is being shared by General Motors, Ford and General Electric.

The short-term goal is to come up with a PHEV that can travel at least 40 miles on a charge, which is the average commuter’s round-trip distance per day. The project will also work on improving the batteries, drivetrains and other features that keep the PHEV from being ready for mass-market sales. More from CleanTech …

And The Winner Is…
Norway’s $100,000 Sophie’s Prize went to Stanford biologist and writer Gretchen C. Daily for writing about the economic benefits of protecting the environment.

She was selected by the jury for her “visionary and focused finding on practical solutions…” and for her authorship of many books and articles that have made her one of the most visible figures in the debate around global warming and sustainability. More…

Rotating Wind-Power Tunnel Construction Starts
In Dubai this month, the world will see the start of a project that boggles the mind and takes a giant step in alternative energy production. A tower with 59 floors, each of which can rotate completely independently will rise and between the floors will be wind turbines.

Solar panels on the roof and the turbines between each floor will generate 10 times the energy the building needs. With earthquake resistant construction and floors that rotate at the push of a button, the tower will truly be one of the wonders of the world when it’s completed. More from EcoGeek …

New Wind Turbine Design Increases Productivity
FloDesign, a small MA based company, has come up with something that the big wind turbine companies haven’t thought of and it may revolutionize the wind energy business. Their “shrouded turbine” also pivots without a motor, thus bypassing the problem of motors that overheat and even catch on fire.

The company has allegedly even gotten the attention of Al Gore with its arresting design that’s based on jet engine technology, which is what FloDesign’s parent company has been involved in.
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Will Algae Work As Ethanol Source?
One of the criticisms of ethanol is that it contributes to food crop shortages. A company in Maryland claims that they have a solution to that: growing algae in tubes to produce “algenol”.

While similar companies claim that they could even use the leftover biomass from producing algae-based ethanol to feed animals, no one has yet refined the process enough to actually implement it in the real world. Can Algenol Biofuels achieve that goal? More …

Cap and Trade System Works in Europe
According to an analysis by MIT, controlling greenhouse emissions by trading carbon credits is working well, despite the fact that it had a shaky start.

There’s been no negative impact on the European economy and the MIT team feels that the system could be a very good model for similar operations in the US and other countries. More …

Trash Could Power Homes
Pollution and trash are two problems that seem to go hand in hand. On the Isle of Wight, the government is attempting to solve both problems by burning trash to make electricity for 2,000 homes.

Although reducing the amount of trash generated is the ideal method of dealing with it, burning it in a safe manner to produce electricity is the next best thing. While recycling is also a good option, not everything can be recycled and we’re running out of places to put our trash. More …

New Clothes Washer Uses a Cup of Water
Imagine loading your clothes into a washer, adding a cup of water and doing your wash. Scientists at Leeds University say that you’ll be able to do just that, at least in Europe, within two years.

The water doesn’t do the actual cleaning. That’s accomplished with small plastic chips and detergent. The washing machine has already proved itself by removing tough stains like lipstick and coffee. More …

California Edison Adds to Its Solar Power
90% of the solar energy in the US is already purchased by Edison, but it intends to add even more solar capacity to power at least 160,000 homes.

Slated to go online in 2011, the solar power will come from the Antelope Valley installations Edison will build north of Los Angeles. These plants will use an advanced solar-mirror technology to increase efficiency and make construction easier, since they don’t require heavy equipment for assembly. More …

Verizon Earns Award for Fuel Cells
By powering its offices and call-center with seven fuel cells, Verizon has been awarded the Energy Star Award. The largest fuel cell powered facility of its kind, the site is powered by generating energy from waste heat.

Verizon has also recently announced that it intends to hold suppliers to new energy consumption standards that it has put into place for certain kinds of equipment. More …

Turning Trash Into Gas
CleanTech Biofuels, HFTA UCal Berkeley and Green Tech America are on a mission to make ethanol from garbage. Clean Tech claims that they can reduce landfill waste by 90% - which would mean a huge reduction in greenhouse gases.

Add to that the easing of the problem of overflowing landfills and fewer places to site new ones, and it’s clear that the project will make a huge difference to the environment and the consumer.
More from Gas2 …

$45 Trillion is Needed to Halt Global Warming
The International Energy Agency says oil use and CO2 gases are “clearly not sustainable” and calls for an “Energy Revolution” to reduce the world’s dependence on fossil fuel.

Unless emissions are cut 50% by 2050, thousands of nuclear power plants and wind farms are built, the earth will not be able to overcome the effects of global warming. More …

Scrubber Could Help Remove CO2 From Air
A group of US scientists say that they’re less than two years away from a prototype machine that will remove CO2 from the air. The scrubber, as they call it, will be small enough to fit into a shipping case and will remove as much as a ton of CO2 a day.

While this isn’t an answer for the problem of global warming, it’s a good start and could help slow it down while other solutions are worked on. More …

Small May Be the New Big In Renewable Energy
Huge wind farms, large solar collectors and towering hydroelectric dams may be what you think of when you think of renewable energy, but it’s not what comes to Agustin Ortegui’s mind.

He’s the Mexican-born inventor who has come up with the concept of “Nano Vent-Skin”, a substance that would cover a structure in a solar material that is embedded with micro-turbines. Instead of adding on, the material would be an integral part of the structure right from the drawing board. More from Inhabitat…

Free Energy From Waste Heat
Of course, the heat has to be paid for first, but if it’s then reclaimed to make power, the savings are enormous. This is why a major Northeastern US paper company has hired Thermal Energy International of Ottawa, Canada to install and operate a $20 Million waste heat recovery system.

Even if oil prices don’t rise as predicted, the project will mean $40 Million in fuel savings over the course of eight years. More from Clean Break …

Role of Carbon Trading Becoming Clearer to Business
The value of carbon trading reached $64 Billion last year, but many CEO’s and business managers still don’t understand its terms or procedures. As the threat of global warming becomes clearer, they’re scrambling to master the basics of removing CO2 from the atmosphere.

Carbon credits, carbon offsets, carbon futures… It’s a new asset class with its own infrastructure that business must understand or be left behind. More …

Siemens Announces R&D Center for Wind Power Research
Siemens, the German energy company says it will collaborate with the  National Renewable  Energy Lab on the installation of a 2.3 MW pilot wind turbine at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) near Boulder, Colorado.

The center will include the installation of a Siemens 2.3 MW pilot wind turbine for testing and developing future wind turbines. Siemens cited the nearby university and NREL’s support as reasons for locating its facility here. More …

HP and Solar Tech Collaboration Changes Everything for Solar
Within the next 2 years, even high energy use facilities, like data centers, may be able to take advantage of solar panels. And they won’t have to have them on the roof, because the new transparent ones allow the building’s color to show through.

The new panels are twice as efficient as ones in use today and have transparent resistors. More …

Hawaiian Homes Will Have Solar Water Heaters by 2010
If you’re planning to build a new home in Hawaii by 2010, better make sure the design includes a solar water heater. A new national regulation bans natural gas or electric water heaters after that date and mandates that all new construction go solar for hot water.

The cost of electricity in Hawaii is the highest in the US, so solar makes sense as a cost-saving measure as well as an environmental one. The governor of Hawaii has set a goal of at least 70% renewable energy by 2030 and the water heaters are a good first step. More …

Japanese Bathing Habits Affect Global Warming?
Japanese households consume less energy than US or European households, but the Japanese government things they could do better, especially considering that consumption has been rising sharply.

It is urging Japanese families to speed up the timet they spend on family baths and showers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Apparently, Japanese bathers spend more time in the tub, which means reheating water and using more hot water in the first place. The government’s goal is for each family member to shave a minute off their bathing time. More …