$7000 Residential Vertical Wind Turbine Can Power Your Whole Home

Mariah Power is planning a bigger version of its $5000, 30 foot, 1 kilowatt, residential vertical axis turbine. The new $7000 (without the $3000 US tax credit) version will be able to produce 3 kilowatts, enough to power the average residential home. More here, http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/2020/

All-Electric ZAP Alias Now Taking Reservations

Zero Air Pollution (ZAP) has announced that it is taking reservations for its 2 seat, 3 wheeled electric vehicle: the ZAP Alias. The car is projected to be ready for sale in 2009 at $32,500, and on line reservations are being taken for a $5000 deposit. The car can got 0 to 60 in 7.7 seconds, has an EV range of 100+, and get up to 100 mph. More here, http://ecotality.com/life/2008/08/21/the-zap-alias-is-bringing-sexy-back/

Life Cycle: Green Shoe Fetish

From The HuffingtonPost

Last time, we learned that your yoga mat may be messing with Earth's Zen. Today, we look at another staple of the American workout: tennis shoes.
Not the Chuck Taylor kind. The rubbery, cushy, pumped-up, neon kind that may or may not feature springs, air pockets, reflectors, retractable wheels and motion-sensitive lights.
Training for the New York City marathon in 2004, Sarah wore through three pairs of these running-shoes-on-'roids in twice as many months. In an era when the majority of "tennis shoes" are purchased not for athletic endeavors but for comfort, these products don't hold up to the promise suggested by their $100 price tags, she noted (and then doled out for another pair). Read more here, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/simran-sethi/life-cycle-green-shoe-fet_b_119569.html

Where are the bees going?

Eco-Libris blog reviews the new book of investigative journalist Michael Schacker 'A Spring Without Bees', where he gives a clear reply to the question why the bees are dying and offers solutions to this crisis that poses a great danger to the world's food supply. "Only 26 years" said the beekeeper, "this is how long we have. After that, you will be eating only corn, wheat and rice." Read more here,
http://ecolibris.blogspot.com/2008/08/spring-without-bees-by-michael-schacker.html

Eco Cabs - Emissions and Fare Free Transportation

Imagine you're drunk. Toasted. No way you're driving home. Too far to walk. No cash in your pocket, and the ATM card's back at home. Then you see it. This little green bug of a vehicle, pulling up to you, and someone says, "Need a lift? We don't charge." More here,
http://www.triplepundit.com/pages/eco-cabs-emissions-and-fare-fr-003424.php

Google to Invest in Geothermal

Google.org, the public-spirited division of Google.com, charged with addressing "climate change, poverty and emerging disease," is using the backdrop of the National Clean Energy Summit here in Las Vegas to announce a new round of clean energy financing. More, http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/19/google-to-invest-in-geothermal/

Human Caused Wind Changes Drying Southwest

Since the late 1970’s, the winter storm track located above the western US has slowly been sliding north. The combination of global warming and the ozone hole have forced this change, making for fewer winter storms in the American Southwest. Read more here, http://planetsave.com/blog/2008/08/19/human-caused-wind-changes-drying-southwest/

NREL Sets New Solar Cell Efficiency World Record at 40.8%

Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have set a world record in solar efficiency, creating a solar cell that is 40.8% efficient at converting light, compared to the previous record of 40.7%. Read the press release here, http://www.nrel.gov/news/press/2008/625.html

BYOB Stirs Controversy

Henry’s Farm, a local organic farm that brings a wide range of produce every week to my local farmer’s market, stirred the pot a bit lately when they asked shoppers to byob, or pay $0.25 for a biodegradable bag to tote their produce home. BYOB? It stands for Bring Your Own Bag. A bit more here, http://planetsave.com/blog/2008/08/08/byob-stirs-controversy/

Tall Ship Belem Delivers Wine by Sail and Saves Carbon

Built in 1896, and named for the Brazilian seaport at the mouth of the Amazon, the Belem originally shipped chocolate in its hold from Brazil to France. At 170ft its first shipment of wine from Languedoc France to Dublin this February carried 60,000 bottles of fine wine saving an estimated 140 grams of carbon emissions per bottle. More here, http://greenupgrader.com/3182/tall-ship-belem-delivers-wine-by-sail-and-saves-carbon/

How Safe is Your Lawn? Organic Lawn Care, Lead in your Backyard, and the Safety of Astroturf

Whether you are growing vegetables or a lawn in your yard, the presence of lead in the soil is a concern. The cause of such contamination could be flakes of leaded paint, the remnants of gasoline, or the residue from pesticide application of lead arsenate. Lead can remain the soil for hundreds of years. Read more here, http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/08/18/how-safe-is-your-lawn-organic-lawn-care-lead-in-your-backyard-and-the-safety-of-astroturf/

Solar Car: Around the world in the Solartaxi

The Solartaxi will be the first completely solar-powered car to drive around the world. It’s the creation of Louis Palmer, a Swiss educator and adventurer whose goal is not to make it in 80 days, but to raise awareness that global warming can be stopped and that solutions exist to lower greenhouse gas emissions. More here, http://greenupgrader.com/3146/science-fact-around-the-world-with-the-solartaxi/

Fuel Cells for Portable Electronics, and Beyond

Hydrogen fuel-cell cars have received a great deal of attention over the years as a clean alternative to petroleum-based transportation, producing only water for exhaust. Certainly the technology is known. Demonstration vehicles have been produced by several manufacturers and Honda is starting to roll out a fleet of 200 FCX Clarity fuel-cell cars, available for lease to select customers for US $600 per month. More here, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=53179

New Solar Cell Material Is 23% More Efficient, Captures Infrared Light

Researchers in Spain have developed a new material that can absorb infrared light, in contrast to today’s solar cells which only absorb visible light. Because infrared light makes up half of the sun’s output that reaches the Earth, current solar cells that can only absorb visible light have a theoretical absorption limit of 40%, and only 30% in practice. Read more here, http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/dn14436-solarcell-material-can-soak-up-more-sun.html?feedId=earth_rss20

Oregon wind farm could be world's largest

The Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council gave its approval of the site of a wind farm billed to be the largest in the world. The Shepherd's Flat Wind Farm, which would span Gilliam and Morrow counties in north-central Oregon, is proposed to have 303 wind turbines with a peak capacity of 909 megawatts -- instantly doubling the state's current wind-generated capacity of 889 megawatts, making it one of the largest wind farms in the country. More here, http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2008/07/28/daily1.html

Tribe in Canada Will Use Wind Energy to Power 30,000 Homes

The First Nation community of Beardy’s and Okemasis has agreed with the alternative energy company SkyPower to develop a large wind park. It will be known as the Willow Cree Wind Project. According to the primary source for this article, construction of the park might begin as soon as 2010. The turbines will be built on approximately 12,000 acres of land located near Big Quill, a community near the town of Wynyard, Saskatchewan. The planned wind park will produce 100 megawatts of energy, enough to power 30,000 homes per year. More here, http://ecoworldly.com/2008/08/12/first-nation-tribe-in-canada-will-use-wind-energy-to-power-30000-homes/

Sweden Rolling Out 183 MPH High-Speed Green Train

Maybe you’ve heard about the proposed high-speed train in California. Well, Sweden is beating the West Coast to the punch with their Green Train.
The Green Train, or Gröna Tåget, will cut energy use on rail lines by 30 percent through lowered operational costs and journey times. Top speeds reached 183 MPH on a test run. Read more here, http://cleantechnica.com/2008/08/12/sweden-rolling-out-183-mph-high-speed-green-train/

Oregon Launching First Solar Highway in the US

Oregon is once again taking the lead with renewable energy by installing the country’s first highway solar energy project. The project will consist of a 104 kW solar photovoltaic system that covers 8,000 square feet and produces 112,000 kWh each year. That’s 28% of the energy needed to power the project’s location, the Interstate 5 and Interstate 205 interchange in Tualatin. Read more here, http://cleantechnica.com/2008/08/13/oregon-launching-first-solar-highway-in-the-us/

Toxic chemical levels finally dropping in Arctic food animals, new study shows

After decades of concern about southern pollutants poisoning traditional foods that northern aboriginals depend on, a new government study suggests levels of toxic chemicals in a wide range of animals across the Arctic are finally dropping. Read the story here, http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/080714/national/arctic_pollutants_dropping

Australian Scientists Make Huge Automotive Breakthrough in Fuel-Cell Technology

Scientists from Australia’s Monash University have made what one professor is calling the most important development in fuel cell technology in the last 20 years. The scientists have managed to redesign fuel cells, so that in the future, they will make hybrid cars more reliable and cheaper to build. Read the rest here, http://gas2.org/2008/08/03/australian-scientists-make-huge-automotive-breakthrough/

Indian Solar Loan Program Offers Access to Light

If you live in a rural area of southern India, two lights can literally save your life.
Just ask Vinoj Kanaya, farmer of silkworms who lives outside a small village located 250 kilometers from the new Silicon Valley of Bangalore. Like many people in developing countries, Mr Kanaya wanted something better than burning wood, dung or kerosene for which he paid a higher proportion of his income than someone in a developed country. Read more here, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=53274

In Beijing? Hitch a ride in a Mini Cooper rickshaw

Pedal-powered Mini Cooper Clubman
Planning on attending the Olympics in Beijing this summer? If so, prepare yourself for a slight alteration to one of China's more unique methods of transportation. More, http://en.autos.sympatico.msn.ca/news/article.aspx?cp-documentid=9245120

Miscanthus Shows Great Potential as Ethanol Feedstock

In the largest field trial of its kind in the United States, researchers have determined that the giant perennial grass Miscanthus x giganteus outperforms current biofuels sources -- by a lot. Using Miscanthus as a feedstock for ethanol production in the U.S. could significantly reduce the acreage dedicated to biofuels while meeting government biofuels production goals, the researchers report. More here, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=53213

Will Buying a Gas Scooter Save Me Money?

The popularity of gas scooters is squarely tied to the price of gas. So it’s of little surprise that the popularity of scooters is at an all-time high. Prius drivers everywhere are having difficulty turning their keys in the morning, knowing they will only get a scant 48 mpg. Read the rest here, http://thegreenroutine.net/gas-scooter-save-money/

Kite Energy Could Power 100,000 Homes

If we told you that a free-flying kite could provide enough energy to power your house, you might consider us crazy. How about all the homes on your block, or even an entire city? Scientists at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands recently tested just such a technology, tethering a 10 square meter kite to a generator to produce 10 kilowatts of power (enough energy for 10 homes). They are currently planning to scale the experiment with a 50 kilowatt kite and a 100 megawatt array called the Laddermill that could potentially power 100,000 homes! More here, http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/08/05/kite-power-delft-univerity-of-technology/

New Lighting Technology Offers Alternative To CFLs and LEDs

Residential Lighting reports that a new energy-efficient lighting technology, dubbed ESL (electron-stimulated luminescence) was patented in June by a startup company called Vu1. More here, http://cleantechnica.com/2008/08/01/new-lighting-technology-offers-alternative-to-cfls-and-leds/

Mexico & Agaves: Moving from Tequila to Ethanol

With a history that stretches well back into pre-Columbian times, certain varieties of the Agave family are beginning to capture the attention of investors and researchers interested in indigenous plants and trees in countries around the world that are not used to produce food and have attributes that make them prospective sources of ethanol. Read the rest here, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=53265