Nissan Predicts That There’s Plenty of Profit in Electric Cars
Zero tailpipe emissions and a range of 100 miles in the US versions is Nissan’s goal for the line of electric cars it’s planning to start selling in 2010. Unlike other EV manufacturers, Nissan is adamant that there will be no range-extending gasoline engine on their models.

The European models will have about half the range and may take longer to charge, which reflects the difference in patience and driving habits between Europeans and Americans. More …

All Of Europe Powered By Solar?
Will a vast grid of renewable energy someday power all of Europe? This is the plan gaining momentum in Europe, where several leaders have voiced support for tying solar, wind, tidal and geothermal energy into a giant “pipeline” of DC transmission lines that would funnel solar from North Africa’s Sahara desert, wind from the Netherlands and other renewable energy to homes and businesses.

Because of the intensity of the sun’s rays in the Sahara, photovoltaic cells would have 3 times the power of other solar panels and DC lines would allow for power to be carried farther without the energy loss inherent in AC lines. More …

Low Cost LEDs May Revolutionize Lighting
Purdue University scientists have discovered a way to drastically reduce the cost of LEDs by eliminating the costly sapphire base that they required up until now. They replaced it with silicon wafers coated with metal.

Researchers note that if all the incandescent and fluorescent bulbs in the United States and other countries were replaced with these “solid-state” LEDs, power consumption could be cut by as much as ten percent. More …

Tesco Adds To Its Green Ways With Straw
The European grocery chain has already instituted many energy-saving measures. Three-quarters of its vehicle fleet runs on alternative fuels and it has labeled the biggest part of its products with carbon counts.

Now, in addition to plans for energy from wind-turbines, Tesco will build a facility that gets its power and heat from a steam-engine that runs on straw. Even the ashes will be recycled and excess energy will be sold back to the power grid. More …

Will Our Next Energy Source Be Super Bugs?
Extremophiles are strange organisms that survive in environments that would kill any other organism. They can breathe metal and nuclear waste and boiling toxins are meat and drink to them - literally. These little “bugs” can even heal themselves.

What does this have to do with alternative energy? Well, scientists think that we may be able to use their survival secrets to create new sources of renewable energy. More …

Approval Comes For Giant Texas Windpower Project
They say that everything is bigger in Texas and this project might prove that true. With a price tag of $4.93 billion this wind-power transmission project will be able to power 3.7 million air-conditioned homes in the middle of a hot Texas summer.

Texas already has 5,300 installed megawatts of windpower, which makes it the leader in windpower production. This new expansion will bring power from remote parts of Texas to major cities like Dallas and Houston. More …
Ontario Joins The Western Climate Initiative
Six US states and four Canadian provinces now belong to the WCI, a regional carbon trading pact formed to combat global warming. The WCI’s target for cutting greenhouse gases to 15% below 2005 would be accomplished by capping emissions and trading offset credits.

Environmentalists from both sides of the border were heartened by the announcement. The other Canadian provinces that have joined the WCI are British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec. More …
Al Gore Warns of Need for Drastic Alternative Energy Action
The former vice president warned in a speech that the future of the US “as we know it” and the future of civilization is at risk, if steps aren’t taken to convert the power grid in America to carbon-free energy.

Going far beyond what even most scientists and experts have called for, Mr. Gore warned that “every bit has to change” as far as America’s use of fossil fuel and dependence on foreign oil. More …
Solar Umbrella House Is 100% Sun-Powered
Built by the owners/arhitects, this house is stunning, yet very simple and unassuming. It’s self-ventilating and temperature management is built-in, as are radiant floors, solar hot water and even a pool heater.

Other environmentally-friendly touches are a storm water recycling system and earth-friendly construction materials. Completely off the grid, this home is economical and very livable. More …
Low-Speed Electric Vehicles Debut In Quebec
ZENN Motor Company and NEMO electric vehicles will soon be allowed on Quebec’s roads, but only on those that are posted at 50 kilometers (31 miles) per hour. They also must have an orange sign attached and stay in the extreme right lane.

Even with these restrictions, the project is thought to be a good trial for the EV’s and could lead to many more being produced if all goes well. More …

Solar Powered Plane In The Works
Trina Solar LTD will be making the photovoltaic cells for France’s Hy-Bird fuel cell and solar powered plane. It will take almost 300 of them to power the take-offs and landings while an electric engine handles cruising aloft.

With an assembly date planned for the latter part of 2009, this plane could prove to be the salvation of cash-strapped airlines as they struggle to cope with rising fuel prices and fewer passengers.
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Cape Cod Projects Get Closer to Reality
On Cape Cod, nothing has generated more passionate arguments than a wind power project designed to provide power to the Cape’s homeowners with alternative energy. However, two other projects that are poised to harness the tidal energy in the waters offshore are getting closer to implementation.

Near Edgartown, in the Muskegat Channel, 50 tidal turbines may soon be generating enough power for 1500 homes. And on the other side of the sound, 150 turbines have been proposed in another tidal farm that could generate 1-3 megawatts, if the ocean current is strong enough. More …

Solar Tree: A Radical New Concept for Solar Rooftops
With an almost bird-like ability to change the position of its “wings”, this structure of solar structure designed by Gurdeep Sandhu is able to adjust to the sun’s intensity and angle. Most remarkable, it folds up at night and is easy to get to for maintenance and repairs.

The Solar Tree can even be placed in your garden and can be configured to power some or all of your home’s power need. Innovative, yet simple. More …

Recycling Electronics Will Add to Cost In Ontario, CA
If you’re planning to buy a computer, TV, monitor or fax machine after next April in Ontario, plan to pay more for it. Fees ranging from 32 cents to $13 will be assessed to the manufacturers with more electronics to be added to the list in future.

The money will go to set up recycling centers for the more than 90,000 tons of e-waste disposed of each year and it’s expected that the companies will pass all or some of the cost on to consumers. More …

Solar-Thermal Market Could Heat Up In US With Tax Credits
So says Fred Morse, senior advisor of US operations for Abengoa Solar of Spain. The former advisor to President Nixon, who ordered him to investigate how solar energy could be used in the US way back in 1969, has been studying solar ever since.

Morse has 3 decades of solar power research behind him and shares it in an interview that explores how solar thermal energy plants could become competitive with conventional power plants.
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Floating Wind Farms Closer to Reality
With the data that NASA has collected with its QuikSCAT satellite, scientists are better able to plan the location of offshore wind farms. With no hills or structures to block the wind, the ocean has the potential to support many windpower installations, but the trick is in siting them.

Even though windpower is slightly less efficient than solar power, being able to take advantage of vast tracts of ocean surface with floating wind turbines could make up the difference. More …

Worldwatch Reports Growth in Renewable Energy Jobs
2.3 million people are employed in the renewable energy field worldwide, according to the Worldwatch Institute’s latest report. This number includes direct and indirect employment and is rising.

Countries with governments that give “consistent, clear support”, such as Germany and Spain, have the most jobs. This report also notes that as jobs in renewable energy fields have risen, jobs in fossil fuel industries have fallen. More …
Duckweed… Superhero?
It’s very small and grows very fast, but few would even give this pond weed a second look, if it wasn’t for a team of Rutgers University scientists who say it might just save the world. Not only can it be used for biomass; it also is good for bioremediation and carbon capture.

How can a simple flowering plant do all of the above and reduce coliform bacteria and mosquito populations too? More …
The Truth About Tar Sands Oil
There’s a debate going on in Canada about whether or not to extract more oil from the vast Alberta tar sands. With oil prices rising and demands for escaping foreign oil dependence growing, many in government and the public sphere are saying that it’s only a matter of time before the tar sands will be exploited.

Others, however, are calling the idea of getting oil from the sands one of the worst ecological blunders the world could make, because of the devastation and greenhouse gas emissions it would produce.
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New World Trade Center Will Be Powered by Fuel Cells
The NYPA announced that the new building will be the site of one of the world’s biggest fuel cell installation. The fuel cells, using equipment from UTC Power will cost $10.6 million.

In addition to on-site fuel cells, the building will receive clean power from offsite via transmission lines in an effort to showcase the greater energy security achieved by not depending on foreign oil. More …

Investments in Green Technologies Climb
While Europe and the Middle East outpace the rest of the world, investment in environmentally sustainable technology has now become commonplace for the movers and shakers of the financial world.

Total investments in clean technology rose 41% from 2005 levels and are poised to rise even higher. More …
Weather Puts a Damper on Biofuels Market
The recent stormy weather that brought flooding to America’s midwestern farms had a huge impact on corn, soy and other biofuel components. With the forecast indicating that this type of weather, possibly a result of global warming, is here to stay into the future, biofuels are looking less and less like a good idea.

Prominent experts on the environment and alternative energy are suggesting that we would be wise not to pin our hopes on alternative energy sources that are easily affected by the weather.
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Trash to Energy Comes to Ontario
Plasco Energy Group is set to build the first trash to energy plant in North America in Ontario. Impossible until now, Plasco’s low heat method of gasifying trash is the secret to its success in generating power.

While there have been other trash incinerators, none has used this method to generate more power than they consume. More …
New Wave Generator Idea Based on a Snake
The Anaconda, a project from the University of Southampton, may someday provide the solution to the problem of generating wave energy profitably and practically. It’s a long, thin enclosed tube with a turbine at one end.

How it produces energy is the fascinating subject of a video and an explanation that has to be seen to be believed. More …
BLM Reverses Moratorium on Solar Installations
Just days after it had announced that there would be no more permits for solar plants on public land, the Bureau of Land Management had a change of heart. This may have been because of the huge public outcry that arose around its decision.

With 125 major projects in the works, solar power companies weren’t about to just roll over and neither was the public. More …

Solar Tower Concept Heats Up Solar Power
Up to 200,000 homes could be powered by a huge solar tower that looks like a chimney, but doesn’t emit gases. The concept has been used already in Spain in a demonstration project that worked well on a much smaller scale, but blew over in a storm.

The new tower would be much taller, made of concrete and designed to last at least 50 years. While the idea isn’t new, the scale and design have been improved and updated to be more cost-effective and powerful. More …

Ford’s Fumes-To-Fuel Program Creates Power From Paint
Solving two problems with one solution, Ford Motor Company has announced that it will use the VOC’s that its autobody painting generates to run a fuel cell that will power its plant. The VOC’s, which are considered toxic, will be captured forever in beads that will burn in the fuel cell and create the power to run the plant.

This will result not only in a reduction of toxic substances, but also cut down on costs and greenhouse gas emissions from heating and lighting the factory. More …

New Mexico Solar Power Ramps Up In Big Way
The four biggest utility companies in NM are proposing to build the state’s largest solar power installation, now that the US government has done an about-face on their solar power moratorium.
The project would power up to 52,000 homes and use thermal energy to store the solar power for cloudy days. More …

Biofuels Fuel Food Shortages and Prices
According to the World Bank’s recent report, biofuels made from food crops are responsible for up to 75% of the food shortages worldwide. The report also claims that food prices have risen because of speculation over food crops as biofuel sources and because farmers are being encouraged to set aside land just for biofuel production.

The only bright spot in the biofuel sector may be algae as a biofuel source, along with using it for sequestering greenhouse gas emissions. More …

Flush For the Planet
Using gray water for flushing toilets, watering gardens and lawns may be an idea whose time has come. Saniflo makes a greywater pumping system that can use water from bathtubs, dishwashers and clothes washers to flush, irrigate and water.

While many localities have laws against gray water use, others are introducing legislation to allow it. More …

Test Run For Solar Car
Marcelo De Luz from Toronto is taking a car for a test drive. This is not your usual 15 minute drive down to the next highway exit though. Mr De Luz is driving a solar-powered car from Buffalo, New York to Inuvik, which is in Canada’s Northwest Territory.

“No fair,” you say, “The sun is out for 24 hours in Inuvik at this time of year, so of course the solar car will have no problem.” Well, the sun DOES shine all day and night, but the angle of it is so low on the horizon that the car’s solar cells will have a hard time using them to repower, so it’s a true test. More …

New Zealand Leads the Way in Curbing Global Warming
New Zealand may soon be the first country in the world with an emission trading plan that covers all greenhouse gases and all sections of greenhouse gas generators.
It’s goals are ambitious: carbon neutral in the electricity sector by 2025 and in transportation by 2045. The plan also calls for much more reforestation in an industrialized country that is unique, in that almost half of its emissions come from the agricultural sector. More …

Green Motor Oil is Not an Oxymoron
Hard as it is to believe, there is now a motor oil that is completely biodegradable - with the help of a small dose of additive, that is. Certified by The American Petroleum Institute, the G-Oil is made from tallow, animal fat, and exceeds the API’s standards for use in vehicles.

When you’re ready to change your oil, you simply add the G-Disposoil additive to it and it turns into soil. More …

How Do You Recycle a  Wind Turbine?
Aeronautica, a Massachusetts company, has a plan for recycling them, starting with some that are being retired from California wind farms. While these turbines are still perfectly usable, they’re being replaced by bigger and more technically refined turbines, so they’re no longer suitable for large wind farms.

But that doesn’t mean that they can’t still provide power for smaller installations, which is where Aeronautica comes in. More …

Mega Solar Project for Japanese City
Sakai, Japan is embarking on a very ambitious project: a 28,000KW capacity solar power generation station that will reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 10,000 tons annually.

The first facility will be installed on top of a landfill and the second will be on top of the Sharp Company’s building, so that it can run Sharp’s manufacturing installation. Sharp and Kansai Electric Power will be working with the city on the project. More …

Cap and Trade Plan Called For In Western US and Canada
California has proposed a cap and trade program involving the 7 western US and three western Canadian Provinces that make up the Western Climate Initiative. The California Air Resources Board plan would cap CO2 emissions at 305 million metric tons with 85% of the state’s businesses participating.

A market for trading would be developed by the western states and Canadian provinces to buy and sell emissions credits. More …

US Government Freezes Solar Projects On Public Land
Citing the need for evaluation of impact before more construction, the Bureau of Land Management has ordered a moratorium on new solar projects on public land. Understandably, this has alarmed solar industry companies, who feel that time is of the essence for alternative energy to slow global warming.

Millions of acres in Western states are involved where solar power companies propose to lease land where they’ll build installations and sell the power to businesses and homes. More …

Volcanoes Could Power US
Energy industry experts say that volcanoes and hot springs could provide as much as a quarter of the energy the US needs, if exploration proves that it’s feasible to extract it. Right now, the government is inviting companies to purchase leases so that they can explore a volcano near Anchorage, Alaska.

The state is home to many volcanoes and hot springs, thus making it a natural first-choice for exploration. The Pacific Northwest and Hawaii are also possible sites for geothermal energy extraction from volcanoes. More …

Grid Upgrades Needed To Use Wind Power in US
The US is far behind other industrialized nations in the amount of renewable energy sources it uses. That makes it all the more urgent that the transmission grid is upgraded to handle the energy wind and alternative power sources would generate.

According to Don Furman, President-elect of the AWEA, we need to “mobilize our leaders into action” for several reasons including economics, ecology, reliability and community. More …

Can Kudzu Save the Biofuel Industry?
One of the world’s most invasive plants may soon be powering cars and power plants. Known to many as “the plant that ate the south” in the US, Kudzu has many advantages over corn or other food crops. It requires no fertilizer, no irrigation and no pesticides and can grow up to six and a half feet in a week.

If growers can figure out how to harvest it without destroying the long taproot that makes it so hardy, it might help solve the biofuel vs food debate. And while it wouldn’t totally solve the energy crisis or stop global warming on its own, it would add to other efforts.
More …

Bluewind Project Finds Buyer
A windfarm project off the shore of Delaware has found a buyer for its power. Delmarva Power agreed to a 25 yr contract with Bluewind to buy 25 MV of power from the proposed project.

At an estimated cost of $1.6 billion and a final capacity in the 600 MV range, the windfarm will be able to power 110,000 homes. More …

TH!INK Ox Is An Electric Car With a Future
The Norwegian car company Th!nk is getting backing from two US firms that were among the first companies to back Amazon and and Google before anyone knew that the new startups would rise so far. Their backing almost certainly assures that the Ox will be as much of a success in the US and the Th!ink City Car has been in Europe with over 10,000 units due to be sold this year.

With a range of up to 155 miles and an 80% charge time of less than an hour, the five-passenger Ox will probably be priced somewhere around $25K. More … 

Really Alternative Energy: Body Motion
Wouldn’t it be great if you could charge your cell phone by walking from the garage or bus stop to your office? Or maybe by walking Rover? M2E, in Idaho, says that it’s not only possible, but will become reality when their first model goes into production for the military later this year.

While getting an hour of talk time for six hours of movement may not seem like such a good deal, if you’re a light cell phone user, it would be more convenient than plugging the charger into a wall socket. More …
Raytheon Tests Cyclone’s Revolutionary External Combustion Engine
It can be scaled to fit almost any application and runs on a mulitplicity of fuels. Now, Raytheon plans to test the Cyclone eco-friendly engine with a view to further development.

Raytheon has already shown great interest in the potential of the award-winning engine, but wants further testing for thermodynamics and practical application.
More …
Germany Unveils World’s Largest Solar Facility
In addition to the three solar power plants it already has online, Germany is about to add the world’s biggest solar plant to its energy arsenal. The 40 megawatt poower plant will actually pay for its construction after only one year of operation.

The latest plant is only one reason that many experts are calling Germany the “greenest country” in the world. Laws that encourage conservation and alternative energy installation with new construction are helping Germany reduce its dependence on fossil fuel at a rate much faster than much of the industrialized world. More …

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 …