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This Saturday, March 29, millions of people around the world will turn OFF the lights from 8-9PM (your local time) for Earth Hour. Some of the world’s most iconic skylines, including Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco, will go dark for one hour in this dramatic call for action on climate change. With 25 cities participating in 10 countries, Earth Hour will be the largest voluntary power down in history. This year partner cities include: Adelaide, Bangkok, Brisbane, Canberra, Christchurch, Copenhagen, Dublin, Manila, Melbourne, Montreal, Odense, Ottawa, Perth, Suva, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Toronto, and Vancouver. In the US, Denver, Miami and Charlotte have also signed on. Last year, 2.2 million people and 2,100 Sydney, Australia businesses turned off their lights for one hour. The collective effort reduced energy consumption by 10.2% for one hour, the equivalent effect of taking 48,000 cars off the road for a year. North American cities such as Chicago, Toronto, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Detroit have initiated ongoing Lights-Out programs to reduce greenhouse emissions, save money, and protect migrating birds. The bulk of spring migration dates from mid-March through June, while fall migration begins in mid-August, and extends through October. Many migratory birds fly at night, and […]
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Congress has paved the way to an oil-free transportation system, according to the report, Driving Our Way to Energy Independence, from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR). ILSR has been advocating for small scale, local-based economy using bio-based fuels and other products since 1974. Although widely criticized for not going far enough, The Energy Independence and Security Act, passed by Congress in December 2007, could still tip the balance toward a renewable fuels infrastructure. "The Act’s vehicle efficiency mandate will force car companies to hybridize most of their new vehicles which makes it possible for plug-in hybrids to use electricity as their primary fuel," explains David Morris, ILSR Vice President. "The biofuels mandate will result in the production of sufficient biofuels to meet nearly 100 percent of the fuel needed to run the backup engine." Driving Our Way to Energy Independence envisions a 75-25 split between miles driven on electricity and biofuels, noting, "Once drivers have the ability to fill up with electricity, they will, because an electric powered mile costs only 3 cents, while a gasoline powered mile costs over 15 cents." "An electric-biofuel transportation system is nearly oil free," says Morris, "since only 2 percent of the nation’s […]
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Political Action Committees (PACs) – pools of money formed to support the election of certain candidates and to influence the political agenda – have been employed to support the environmental agenda for some time now. The Sierra Club, for example, has used a PAC for many years to get environmentally-oriented candidates elected and to un-seat those that vote against the environment. This year, it plans to raise $1.5- $2 million to support its pro-renewable energy, anti-nuke agenda. For this election year, the New York League of Conservation Voters launched The Climate Action PAC to support candidates committed to agressively tackling climate change. The group is targeting NY state legislative seats in 2008 and local races throughout the state – including New York City – in 2009. "Climate change is the biggest issue of our time and the most important thing we can do to fight it is to elect the right leaders," says Marcia Bystryn, executive director of the Climate Action PAC. "By mobilizing dollars and voters, the Climate Action PAC will demonstrate that New York’s elected officials can no longer afford to give lip service to global warming. If politicians pursue an aggressive climate change agenda, we will give […]
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Automotive X Prize Purse Set at $10 Million Electric Vehicles, Diesels Take Spotlight at New York Auto Show NREL Thin-Film Solar Cell Achieves Record Efficiency Vermont Approves a Wide-Ranging Clean Energy Bill New Guidelines Launched for Green Home Remodeling Automotive X Prize Purse Set at $10 Million The X Prize Foundation officially launched the Automotive X Prize last week and announced Progressive Insurance as its title sponsor for the prize purse, which will be set at $10 million. The Progressive Automotive X Prize is an international competition that challenges competitors to design, build, and bring to market a car that exceeds 100 miles per gallon, or its energy equivalent fuel efficiency, while meeting market requirements for size, capability, affordability, and safety. To date, more than 60 teams from nine countries have signed up to compete for the prize. Applications to compete for the prize will be taken until mid-year, at which time the applicants will go through a qualification process to confirm that their cars are production-capable and consumer-friendly. The competition will be divided into two vehicle classes: mainstream and alternative. Mainstream vehicles must carry four or more passengers, have four or more wheels, and travel 200 miles or more […]
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DOE Selects 12 Solar America Cities to Receive up to $2.4 Million California Utility to Install 250 Megawatts of Solar Panels California Agency Reduces Zero-Emission Vehicle Requirements Northern California Utility Draws on Renewable Natural Gas FERC and Oregon to Coordinate Reviews of Wave Energy Projects Washington Nationals Start the Baseball Season in a New Green Park Boulder, Colorado, to be Nation’s First "Smart Grid City" DOE Selects 12 Solar America Cities to Receive up to $2.4 Million DOE announced last week its selection of 12 cities across the country as Solar America Cities. Each city will receive $200,000 (a total of $2.4 million) to integrate a variety of solar technologies, such as solar water heating, solar photovoltaic electric systems, and large-scale solar thermal electric systems (concentrating solar power). Combined with industry cost sharing and funding from each city, the total amount invested will be approximately $12.1 million. The 12 cities include Sacramento, San Jose, and Santa Rosa, California; Denver, Colorado; Orlando, Florida; the combined twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Knoxville, Tennessee; Houston and San Antonio, Texas; Seattle, Washington; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In addition to the funding, DOE will also provide hands-on assistance from technical experts […]
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DOE to Invest Up to $13.7 Million in 11 Solar Cell Projects Report: Four Key Clean Energy Markets Increased 40% in 2007 Tesla Motors Starts Production of its Electric-Only Roadster Cargo Ship Completes Maiden Voyage Using Towing Kite Washington State Approves Bill to Slash Greenhouse Emissions Oregon and South Dakota Approve Renewable Energy Tax Incentives EIA: New Energy Act to Yield More Renewable Energy by 2020 DOE to Invest Up to $13.7 Million in 11 Solar Cell Projects DOE announced last week that it will invest up to $13.7 million over the next three years in 11 projects run by 9 universities that will develop advanced solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing processes and products. With a minimum university and industry cost share, up to $17.4 million will be invested in these projects. The chosen universities include Arizona State University, the California Institute of Technology, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, North Carolina State University, Pennsylvania State University, the University of Delaware, the University of Florida, and the University of Toledo. Each of the 11 universities will work with an industry partner that will help transition the discoveries to the marketplace. All of the projects will involve researching […]
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By Lester R. Brown In a report compiled in early 2007, the U.S. Department of Energy listed 151 coal-fired power plants in the planning stages and talked about a resurgence in coal-fired electricity. But during 2007, 59 proposed U.S. coal-fired power plants were either refused licenses by state governments or quietly abandoned. In addition to the 59 plants that were dropped, close to 50 more coal plants are being contested in the courts, and the remaining plants will likely be challenged as they reach the permitting stage. What began as a few local ripples of resistance to coal-fired power is quickly evolving into a national tidal wave of grassroots opposition from environmental, health, farm, and community organizations and a fast-growing number of state governments. The public at large is turning against coal. In a September 2007 national poll by the Opinion Research Corporation about which electricity source people would prefer, only 3 percent chose coal. One of the first major coal industry setbacks came in early 2007, when environmental groups convinced Texas-based utility TXU to reduce the number of planned coal-fired power plants in Texas from 11 to 3. And now even those 3 proposed plants may be challenged. Meanwhile, […]
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It used to be that the mobile networks which power cell phones could be located just about anywhere, powered by dirty diesel generators. But high oil prices are forcing companies to think harder about how they provide connectivity. How do you install cellular base stations in rural areas of India or Africa when the fuel accounts for the majority of operating costs, not to mention the cost of trucking the diesel there in the first place? Then there’s the problem of preventing the fuel from being stolen once it arrives. Companies like Ericsson, Nokia and Siemens are thinking greener. Why not use renewable energy to power remote base stations? The concept seems to be catching on: two Asian network operators are expected to announce plans for over 500 base stations powered by a combination of solar and wind. That’s what Dawn Haig-Thomas from industry group GSM Association, told Business Week. "It’s our hottest area," she said. Both solar and wind need to be used to ensure a constant supply of energy. In fact, the growth of the cell phone industry depends on solving the power source problem. A large percentage of the expected 5 billion users (by 2015), up from […]
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DOE Sets New Energy Star Criteria for Washing Machines and CFLs USDA Offers $221 Million in Clean Energy Loans and Grants Renewable Energy Continues Rapid Global Growth in 2007 U.S. Ethanol Production Totaled 6.48 Billion Gallons in 2007 Report Places Even Odds on Hoover Dam Running Dry by 2017 EIA: Record Oil Prices to Cause a Gasoline Price Spike DOE Sets New Energy Star Criteria for Washing Machines and CFLs DOE announced last week that more stringent requirements are being put in place for all washing machines under the Energy Star label. By July 1, 2009, all qualifying Energy Star washing machines will have to be at least 43% more efficient than the current federal energy efficiency standards and have a maximum water factor (WF) of 7.5; that is, each load will use 7.5 gallons of water per cubic foot of capacity. By January 1, 2011, all Energy Star washing machines will be 59% more efficient than mandated energy standards and will have a maximum WF of 6.0. The 2011 criteria are expected to save consumers $120 million on annual utility bills while saving 11.2 billion gallons of water and 659 million kilowatt hours of electricity. Energy Star is a […]
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DOE and USDA to Invest Up to $18.4 Million in Biomass Projects Venture Capital Firms to Work with Three DOE National Laboratories Daimler and GM to Launch Hybrids with Lithium-Ion Batteries Europeans Add Their Unique Style to Green Cars at Geneva New Mexico Act Requires Utilities to Save Energy DOE and USDA to Invest Up to $18.4 Million in Biomass Projects DOE and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced they will invest up to $18.4 million in 31 biomass research, development, and demonstration projects over the next three years. The projects will be run by a variety of universities and private businesses in 16 states and will focus mainly on developing improved crops for biofuel production and on researching cheaper ways to produce biofuels, bioproducts, and energy from a variety of sources. They will explore a diverse range of crops, including sugarcane and guayule, a desert shrub that produces rubber, and will employ some unusual conversion technologies, such as microwaves, liquid salts, and solar thermal energy. Of the $18,449,089 to be invested, $13,225,554 will be provided by USDA and $5,223,535 will be provided by DOE. See the list of all 31 projects in the DOE press release. Venture Capital […]
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