First US Community to Be Powered Completely By Wind
Rockport, Missouri is small with a population of only 1,300. This doesn’t detract from the fact that it now receives all of its electricity from wind power. Four turbines, part of a group of 75 installed in 3 counties, provide all the power that Rockport needs for its homes and businesses.

The townspeople were pleasantly surprised to find that there are two other side-benefits from the windpower project. The windpower provider pays hefty taxes to the town and landowners can lease their land for wind turbine use. Truly a win-win situation for the town and the environment. More …

Climate Change Toll Would Mean Billions Lost for States
A new study has determined the projected loss in dollars for several states, according to the Center for Integrative Environmental Research. The University of Maryland group which studied the impace of climate change on the US as a whole last year, studied the effect of rising oceans levels, loss of tourism, drought and other factors in the study.

The states studied were Ohio, Georgia, Kansas, Illinois, Colorado, Nevada, New Jersey and Michigan. The western states, especially, will almost certainly suffer from drought  which will have a drastic effect on the states’ inhabitants and tourism. More …

California to Offer Low Cost Loans for Solar, Energy Efficiency
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger put his signature on a bill that will allow cities to loan money to small businesses and homes so that they can install solar panels for electricity and hot water. The loans can also be used to improve energy efficiency by upgrading air conditioners or windows.

Paying back the loans would be integrated with residents’ utility or property tax payments, which would make it a seamless process and easier to administer for the cities. More …

Canada’s Oktok Solar Community A Role Model
With solar panels on almost every garage, this community is able to provide hot water, electricity and heat even in the coldest days of the Canadian winter. Geothermal storage of the day’s solar heat is the reason and it’s showing how well solar works even in cold climates.

With ingenuity and a system of storage for future use, solar energy can be a viable option for almost any climate. More …

US Schools Are Going Green
School administrators are changing their views from thinking that they can’t afford to green their schools to realizing that they can’t afford not to. With energy costs rising daily, heating, cooling and providing water for schools is getting almost impossible with traditional methods.

That’s why, especially when they construct new schools, the bottom line is starting to include things like geothermal heating systems, solar panels and even waterless urinals. More …

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.
More …

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.
More …

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.
More …
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 …