Could an Artificial Leaf Power Your Home?

A team of MIT scientists announced the newest breakthrough in solar energy this week. They presented their findings to the American Chemical Society. ACS says the new green technology mimics the original green.

"Scientists today claimed one of the milestones in the drive for sustainable energy -- development of the first practical artificial leaf. ... they described an advanced solar cell the size of a poker card that mimics the process, called photosynthesis, that green plants use to convert sunlight and water into energy."

The artificial leaf works by using sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Those elements can then be recombined to produce electricity, with water as the only byproduct. While the idea isn't new, Treehugger explains this is the first model that could be mass produced. "...the new leaf debuted last week uses cheaper materials -- namely nickle and cobalt -- that could be scaled up in manufacturing."



See also: Yes for Real, We Now Have a Genuine Artificial Solar Leaf

Fukushima Disaster: Nuclear Power Isn’t “Green” « 350 or bust

There is disagreement, even among environmentalists, about the place of nuclear power in our future. Because there is no question that nuclear emits less carbon pollution than burning oil or coal, some environmentalists – including high-profile ones such as James Lovelock and George Monbiot – have become nuclear power proponents. What the disaster in Japan highlights is that nuclear is just too risky to depend on. From a risk management perspective, as Fukushima makes clear, we can’t bet on nuclear. Canadian folk singer Bob Bossin said decades ago that building nuclear plants is like putting up an outhouse without digging a hole! Nobody yet has figured out what do to about all that spent radioactive fuel, although Atomic Energy Canada has decided they’d like to bury it in the rocks of the Canadian shield, right in my backyard. I don’t trust that there is any technology that can guarantee that buried toxic waste isn’t going to contaminate the groundwater – our drinking water – at some point in the next 1,000 years.

Source: 350 or bust

Obama doubles down on renewables, energy independence: 80% Renewables in 2035

U.S. President Barack Obama has refocused his administration’s efforts on achieving energy independence and made increasing low-carbon energy sources a top political priority. The President outlined his agenda speaking at Georgetown University today, renewing the call for 80 percent of the nation’s electricity to be generated from renewable sources by 2035.





Source: SmartPlanet

The Full Electric Comarth Mud

Ecouterre Talks to Samantha Pleet in Her Studio

Designer Samantha Pleet talks to Ecouterre about her latest line, her unique fabric choices and how she fits into the future of the fashion industry.

WWF Canada Successes

Silent Island: Grim scenes as RT films Ishinomaki trashed by Japan tsunami

RT presents exclusive footage from quake-tsunami devastated Ishinomaki region. The earthquake and tsunami wiped out entire communities in Japan. People who lost their homes are living in overcrowded shelters while the clean-up operation goes on. But even after that's finished, many will still have nowhere to go.

In wake of tragedy, UN community expresses solidarity with the Japanese ...

Several UN Messengers of Peace, including the Japanese ice skater Midori Ito and the United States actor Michael Douglas, have recorded public service announcements (PSAs) in which they express their solidarity for the people of Japan in the wake of the disaster.

"I want to reach out to you, the people of Japan, from the other side of the world," Mr. Douglas said in his message. "I want you to know that you are not alone, that you are in my thoughts, and the thoughts of people everywhere, as you work to rebuild your lives following the tragic events of 11 March. We are standing by your side, and the international community is ready to help."

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Princess Firyal of Jordan, a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), have also recorded messages of support.

Hundreds protest as nuclear levels soar

Demonstrators in Japan have lobbied for all the country's nuclear reactors to be shut down to prevent radiation contamination.

Fukushima Nuclear Titanic? Seawater radiation hits new high in Japan

Fukushima situation with John Large, an independent nuclear consultant.

Crippled nuclear reactors to be scrapped

The power company which owns the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan has announced the four damaged reactors will be scrapped.

Japan Tsunami Ruins: Picking up life from rubble & chaos

The earthquake and tsunami which caused massive destruction at Fukushima, also wiped out entire communities. People who lost their homes are living in overcrowded shelters while the clean-up operation goes on. But even after that's finished, many will still have nowhere to go

Nissan Eco-ship to Transport Electric Vehicles

Nissan has unveiled a ship it says will provide a more environmentally friendly way to transport its electric vehicles. The vehicle is expected to transport nearly two thousand cars across Europe. Here's more.

Nissan Motors is making headlines not for its environmentally-friendly electric cars, but for a massive ship that will transport them. A transport car carrier called the "City of St. Petersburg," weighs 21-thousand tons. It is the first carrier of its kind to incorporate a unique design, cutting air resistance by nearly 50 percent.

Help to break the circle! Tell somebody!

DG JUST has produced five video clips on Children's rights. These clips are intended to highlight the risks of violation of children rights in Europe and help to enforce these rights. These clips are for teenagers to inform, educate and encourage them to be actors in the defence of their rights for themselves, their siblings and their friends.

3XN Enters Innovative Cooperation with William McDonough + Partners

3XN and William McDonough + Partners announced a partnership to develop one of Europe's first and most ambitious Cradle to Cradle projects; the Green Solution House on the island of Bornholm, Denmark.

Green Solution House will be an innovative "Demonstratorium" facilitating the development and test of new green technologies on an international scale. At the same time the building will function as a showcase in itself; designed according to the Cradle to Cradle principles, the project is anticipated to integrate the latest knowledge within materials and appropriate technologies.

The project is a key element in Bornholm's "Bright Green Island" vision, which promotes the island as an excellent sustainable test community due to its size, population and energy supply. Once completed, the Green Solution House will include facilities for conferences, research and exhibitions.

Read more at Dexigner

World-Leading Sustainable Community in Germany: Vauban District with 59-PlusEnergy-home housing community

The Vauban district is a green, planned community in the city of Freiburg in southern Germany. Construction of this community began in the mid-1990s and opened in 2000. By 2001, it had 2,000 inhabitants living in a greener, more sustainable way. Now, the Vauban district is said to have 5,000 inhabitants and 600 jobs.

Included within Vauban is a 59-PlusEnergy-home housing community that lays claim to being “the first housing community world wide in which all the homes produce a positive energy balance.”

Read more at: EcoLocalizer

The 4th World Economic and Environmental Conference in Qingdao, China

The 4th World Economic and Environmental Conference, sponsored by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and International Energy Conservation Environmental Protection Association (IEEPA), co-organized by the People's Government of Shandong Province, IPA-APEX Beijing International Environmental Technology Co. Ltd and the People's Government of Qingdao Municipality, will be held in Qingdao, China in June 2011.

This conference, expects over 1,000 attendees and representatives of various countries, along with 20 delegations led by mayors from China and which will offer a valuable platform to display development and construction in urban energy conservation, environmental protection, new and renewable energy industries, green building, new energy auto and water resource fields, and an opportunity to cooperate with enterprises at home and abroad.

This conference, entitled Low Carbon Mission in Economic Transition and Development incorporates 10 hot spots, 10 topics and 10 meetings, with a focus on topics such as Low Carbon Development and Economic Mode, Industry Transition and Market Cultivation. Additionally it will focus on hot issues like Chinese low carbon development mode and opportunities, enterprise market and future, ecological city construction, regional economy and green industry, solid waste disposal, green building, property and sustainable green finance system, carbon market, energy conservation environmental protection industry, new and renewable energy, water resources and water treatment, green traffic, new-energy auto industry and carry out in-depth analysis and interactive communication and dialogue with a view to sharing advices and opinions of heads of countries or governments, economists, specialists and business leaders.

For more information: The 4th World Economic and Environmental Conference

Offshore Renewable Energy in the Highland and Islands of Scotland

Scotland has some of the best natural offshore renewable energy resources. Our coastal seas a offshore waters provide perfect conditions for the development of commercialisation of wind and tidal renewable energy technology.

'Fukushima plutonium leak comparable to Chernobyl disaster'

Japanese government is considering the construction of a containment shell at the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant. It would be aimed at averting further radiation leaks in a crisis that is still described as 'grave'. The plan would involve the three most badly damaged reactors being covered with hi-tech material. The level of radiation measured in sea water near the site, is now said to be around three and a half thousand times higher than normal. Workers have been unsuccessfully trying to restore the cooling system at the facility, in what is now the worst atomic crisis since Chernobyl. RT spoke to nuclear energy expert Lars Polmeier, who says there are parallels with that disaster 25 years ago.

Japan's Emperor Akihito Visits Japan Evacuees

Japan's Emperor Akihito paid a visit to evacuees at a shelter in Tokyo Wednesday, as the company that runs the stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant announced its president has been hospitalized for stress and hypertension.

IFAW Hunt Watch 2010: Seal pups perish on the coasts of Newfoundland

The IFAW observation team witnesses dead harp seals on the coasts of Newfoundland. Harp seal pups are the tragic victims of the worst ice conditions on record in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Sadly, the Canadian government is moving forward with the commercial seal hunt, targeting the few seals that have survived without their necessary ice platforms

Run your car on water and nothing else.

This is quite interesting using what they call HH2 gas, this company is working on using water to power cars or weld things. Currently they have a test vehicle which runs as a hybrid with water and fuel but they say they can run exclusively on water alone...

While the technology may not be as unique or breakthrough as the reporter and company spokesman claim (it seems to be based on an electrolytic process commonly known as "Brown's Gas."), it's still a great story to watch, and then do some fun follow-up research on.

I wish there was some more info about this but for now this video will do. Hopefully we can see this technology in service sooner then later.

Water-fueled Car Osaka Japan

The car has an energy generator that extracts hydrogen from water that is poured into the car's tank. The generator then releases electrons that produce electric power to run the car. Genepax, the company that invented the technology, aims to collaborate with Japanese manufacturers to mass produce it.

EcoSummit 2011 Opening Jan Michael Hess

Jan Michael Hess opens Ecosummit 2011 (ECO11) on 24 March 2011 in Berlin at the eco hotel Scandic. We loved our second conference so much and it felt like a Smart Green Economy festival, too. Now you can look forward to lots of ECO11 videos to be published during the next weeks.

Talk to them! Tell someone!

DG JUST has produced five video clips on Children's rights. These clips are intended to highlight the risks of violation of children rights in Europe and help to enforce these rights. These clips are for teenagers to inform, educate and encourage them to be actors in the defence of their rights for themselves, their siblings and their friends.

POLAR BEAR: SPY IN THE COLD - SPY CAM

Spy cameras capture the most intimate and dramatic moments of polar bear motherhood ever seen, in POLAR BEAR: SPY IN THE COLD, premiering April 17 at 10PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel.

Austere Conditions for Fukushima Workers

What If We Have No Nuclear Power?

Video Germany's Green Goals by CNN

Source: CNN

ISWA: 2nd Beacon Conference on Waste Prevention & Recycling

Waste management has to evolve from a situation where we are finding proper solutions for our waste into a situation where we are managing our resources. Waste prevention and recycling are the key components of the new European waste hierarchy and therefore the core of modern waste management.

In the past waste management has been focusing on realizing proper collection and treatment facilities like controlled landfilling and incineration. In many cases this is still the primary focus of waste management. In the long run, given the growth of the world’s population, the increased consumption, and the declining availability of our natural resources (metals and minerals), waste prevention and recycling are essential.

The ISWA Beacon Conference on Waste Prevention and Recycling which will take place on 23 and 24 May 2011 in Vienna/Austria has the aim to provide information and expertise on the current developments regarding prevention and recycling, and to bring experts together from all over the world to exchange knowledge and experience and to enable them to establish new contacts in their network.

Source: ISWA

Inbvesting in Clean Energy: New research by The Pew Charitable Trusts

In less than a decade, clean energy has grown from a small, niche industry to a significant source of trade, investment, manufacturing and job creation. “The clean energy sector is emerging as one of the most dynamic and competitive in the world, witnessing 630 percent growth in finance and investments since 2004,” said Phyllis Cuttino, director, Pew Clean Energy Program. “In 2010, worldwide finance and investment grew 30 percent to a record $243 billion.”

New research by The Pew Charitable Trusts reveals that China has solidified its position as the world’s clean energy powerhouse. China attracted a record $54.4 billion in clean energy investments in 2010–a 39 percent increase over 2009 and equal to total global investment in 2004. Germany saw private investments double to $41.2 billion and was second in the G-20, up from third last year.

The United States, which had maintained the top spot until 2008, fell another rung in 2010 to third with $34 billion in private clean energy investments. The United Kingdom experienced the largest decline falling to 13th from fifth.

Source: Pew Environment Group

AfDB creates $57 mln Africa renewable energy fund

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has established a $57 million fund for renewable enery projects across the continent. The Denmark-backed Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa joins two other similar green energy funds in the region worth $6 billion being run by the AfDB and twelve non-African donor countries.

"It is a clean investment... in only clean renewables," Youseff Arfaoui, the bank's chief renewable energy specialist, told Reuters on the sidelines of an African power conference in South Africa's commercial capital.

Source: Reuters

Stanford's Entrepreneurship Corner: William McDonough, William McDonough + Partners - Balancing Economy, Equity, and Ecology Through Design

How do we love all of the children of all species for all time? The unlikely answer comes from architect, materials designer, VC, and eco-efficiency expert William McDonough, who sees the challenge of cycling biological and technical "nutrients" as industry's ultimate goal.



Source: Stanford's Entrepreneurship Corner

White House Forum Commemorating Women's History Month

The White House is hosts an event commemorating Women's History Month and the 100th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Freaturing remarks by Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, and Senior Advisor to the President, Valerie Jarrett, and a panel discussion of women workers telling their stories of attempts to organize a union in their workplaces.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Radiation (Infographic)

Source: TreeHugger 

March 28, 1979: Reactor Meltdown at Three Mile Island

1979: Equipment malfunction and human error lead to a partial reactor meltdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant near Middleton, Pennsylvania. It is the most serious accident ever involving a U.S. commercial nuclear facility.

Things started going wrong at 4 a.m. when a malfunction caused the main feed-water pumps to stop running, leading to an overheating of the plant’s TMI-2 reactor. Although the reactor shut down automatically, a relief valve — which should have closed as the pressure decreased — failed to operate, causing coolant to leak out and the reactor’s core to overheat.

Read more at Wired

Kenya's 300 MW Lake Turkana Wind Power Project

Lake Turkana Wind Power consortium (LTWP) is poised to provide 300 MW of clean power to Kenya's national electricity grid by taking advantage of a unique wind resource in Northwest Kenya near Lake Turkana. Using the latest wind turbine technology LTWP can provide reliable and continuous clean power to satisfy up to 30% of Kenya's current total installed power.


LTWP will construct a "wind farm" consisting of 353 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 850 KW. The total foreseen power generated by the initial phase of this wind farm is expected to start production in June 2011 and reach full production of 300 MW by July 2012, adding 30% or more to the total existing installed capacity available in Kenya.

LTWP will construct a wind farm consisting of 353 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 850 KW. The total foreseen power generated by the initial phase of this wind farm is expected to start production in June 2011 and reach full production of 300 MW by July 2012, adding 30% or more to the total existing installed capacity available in Kenya. Wind turbines technology has seen recent rapid improvement with the development of wind turbines such as the Vestas V52 that is the design standard selected by LTWP.

Source: LTWP

Future Cars Could Include Parts Made of Pineapples & Bananas

Your next new car hopefully won't be a lemon, but it could be a pineapple or a banana. That's because scientists in Brazil have developed a more effective way to use fibers from these and other plants in a new generation of automotive plastics that are stronger, lighter and more eco-friendly than plastics in use now.

Researchers said the fibers used to reinforce the new plastics may come from seemingly delicate fruits such as bananas and pineapples that are actually super-strong. Some of these so-called nanocellulose fibers are almost as stiff as Kevlar, the renowned material used in armor and bulletproof vests. Unlike Kevlar and other traditional plastics, which are made from petroleum or natural gas, nanocellulose fibers are renewable.

Read more at: LiveScience

How Much Radiation-Contaminated Water Will Kill You?

Radioactive substances are leaching into the water supply near and far from the quake-damaged nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan. After an abnormally high level of iodine 131 was detected in the water in Tokyo on March 23, a media frenzy ensued, residents were told not to let their infants drink the city supply, and stores quickly sold out of bottled water. Are fears of contaminated water justified in Japan? Is the level of contamination actually dangerous?

A 1-sievert (Sv) dose of radiation increases a person's lifetime cancer risk by 4 percent, according to health physicist and radiation safety expert Peter Caracappa of the Renssealaer Polytechnic Institute. To put that in real terms, if 1,000 people are exposed to 1 Sv of radiation, 40 more of them will develop cancer in their lifetimes than would otherwise.

Read more at: LiveScience

T-Box Harnesses Wind Energy from Speeding Trains

Rail travel is one of the greenest means of traveling across the country, but it could be even more efficient if the infrastructure itself produced electricity. Companies have already come up with plans to harness energy from passing trains using piezoelectric pads, and now two designers have developed a device that could harness the wind energy produced by speeding trains.

Ale Leonetti Luparinia and Qian Jiang’s T-Box is a power generator that captures wind energy from passing trains. It is designed to be installed into the spaces between existing rail tracks – around 150 T-Boxes could hypothetically be installed over 1km of track. A passing train travelling at 200 kph would produce a wind speed equivalent to 15 m/sec. The T-Box would be able to catch this wind and produce about 3,500 W of power. If the train was 200m long, going at a speed of 300 kph and travelled 1km in 18 seconds, the T-Boxes would be able to produce about 2.6 KWh. This energy could then be utilized to power remote areas that don’t have electricity or rail sub-systems.

Source: Inhabitat

Google Now accepting student applications for Google Summer of Code

Starting today, Google accepting applications from students for the 2011 Google Summer of Code. In this global program, now in its seventh year, university students receive a stipend to write code for open source projects, gaining experience in real-world software development and creating more source code which benefits everyone on the web.

Source: Google Blog

TEPCO gets radiation levels wrong. Greenpeace start radiation monitoring

TEPCO gets radiation levels wrong; Greenpeace radiation team starts monitoring near Fukushima; Japanese Gov’t admits possibility of partial meltdown; anti-nuclear protests held in Italy and Netherlands over the weekend.

A Greenpeace radiation safety team has started an independent monitoring of the contamination outside the Fukushima evacuation zone. The found that radioactivity outside the 20 km exclusion zone is a public health risk. This story has been running on Le Figaro (France), Waikato Times (New Zealand), Ta Kung Pao (Hong Kong), La Jornada (Mexico), Agora Sao Paulo (Brazil) amongst others.

Source: Greenpeace International

Portuguese Architect Souto de Moura Wins Pritzker Prize

Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura, whose buildings are praised for their careful use of natural materials and their unexpected dashes of color, has won the 2011 Pritzker Architecture Prize, the prize's jury announced Monday.

Souto de Moura, 58, joins Frank Gehry, Tadao Ando and Renzo Piano in receiving the honor that's often called architecture's Nobel Prize. Souto de Moura is recognized for the homes, hotels, museums, sports facilities and other structures he has designed, predominantly in Portugal but also in several other European countries.

Source: Hufftington Post

A MOST Inconvenient Truth Meat & Global Warming: What Al Gore forgot to mention...

By now you've probably seen 'An Inconvenient Truth', and if you haven't, you are no doubt aware that the Earth is in crisis due to ever increasing greenhouse gases. But do you know the whole story?

While Al Gore focused on carbon emissions, which without question are harmful, he failed to mention that there is a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide that is polluting our environment everyday — methane. The largest producers of methane gas?



Source: Animals Australia

Europe's largest onshore wind farm Whitelee set for massive expansion

Whitelee is already Europe’s largest onshore wind farm. It creates enough electricity to power 180.000 homes. Once extended, it will be able to create enough power for 300.000 homes.



Over the next two years Whitelee will be ready to almost double it’s power becoming one of the most biggest wind farms in the world. Scottish Power Renewables said in a statement that this expansion will cement Whitelee’s status of Europe’s largest wind farm. Building the extention will create over 200 jobs. Environmental campaigners welcomed the news, which came as the firm secured a deal with French company Alstom to build the turbines.

Source: Tomorrow is greener

Plutonium Found In Soil Around Japanese Nuclear Power Plant

TEDxKinnaird: The Power of Citizen Journalism by Sonya Rehman

In this talk, Sonya Rehman, recounts the power of citizen journalism via social networking websites and gives her viewpoint on how citizen journalism can pave way for activism.

After writing vociferously for six years, Sonya did a Masters in Journalism from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. Although she was awarded the Fulbright Scholarship, she was also awarded the Pulitzer Moore Fellowship at Columbia. Sonya had the privilege of being selected for an internship with CNN (New York) for the 'Amanpour' show during her last semester at Columbia.

Sonya has focused extensively on bringing all things related to Pakistani arts, to print. One of the goals she chisels at achieving is that of doing her part in keeping all things that come within the ambit of art, alive and kicking. In 2008 Sonya launched The Green Kaleidoscope, popularly known as TGK (no longer online) - a monthly e-zine that successfully reached out to young Pakistanis at home and abroad. She currently writes for mainstay publications in Pakistan (The Friday Times, Express Tribune, Newsline, etc. Along with her writing, Sonya taught Print, Radio and Television at the Lahore School of Economics as a Visiting Faculty member in the winter of 2010.

HRH Prince of Wales introduces the IBM Start Jam: Smarter Businessfor a Sustainable Future

HRH Prince of Wales encourages people to join the IBM Start Jam 5th-7th April so together we can decide the actions we should take to secure a sustainable future.

Sustainability is good for the planet – and good for business. But to be truly sustainable – and to be seen to be sustainable – requires more than just new procurement or recycling policies: it can mean far-reaching cultural and behavioural changes, new skills and new strategic direction.

Building on the success of the IBM Summit at Start last year, Start Jam is a web-based event that will provide an unrivalled opportunity for hundreds of leaders from the UK and Ireland, to pool their knowledge and experience to explore and evolve the next generation of sustainable business strategies.

The objective is to move forward from the examination of the value and importance of sustainability in business, the pitfalls of “greenwash” window-dressing, to the questions around how we affect the strategic and cultural changes required to drive a genuine transformation in sustainability.

BMW DriveNow Concept Animation: You're Personal Mobility Concept

New York Times Still Free for 'Facebookers'

The New York Times has launched its paywall, making it the latest online publication to start charging for access.

Expert Explains Plutonium Find Near Japan Plant

Crews found traces of plutonium in the soil outside of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex on Monday, but officials insisted there was no threat to public health. One expert weighs in on the find.

Death Penalty in 2010: Executing countries left isolated after decade of progress

Countries which continue to use the death penalty are being left increasingly isolated following a decade of progress towards abolition, Amnesty International has said today in its new report Death Sentences and Executions in 2010.

A total of 31 countries abolished the death penalty in law or in practice during the last 10 years but China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the USA and Yemen remain amongst the most frequent executioners, some in direct contradiction of international human rights law.

The total number of executions officially recorded by Amnesty International in 2010 went down from at least 714 people in 2009 to at least 527 in 2010, excluding China.

China is believed to have executed thousands in 2010 but continues to maintain its secrecy over its use of the death penalty.

"The minority of states that continue to systematically use the death penalty were responsible for thousands of executions in 2010, defying the global anti-death penalty trend," said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International's Secretary General.



Read more at: Amnesty International

Dubai Global Energy Forum (DGEF) 2011

The Forum objective is to provide a platform for energy leaders and experts to exchange views on emerging regional and global issues related to energy policies, programs, technologies and investment opportunities. It will also serve as a platform to share current and future policies and best practices adopted by major Energy stakeholders. The Forum also seeks to instigate discussions highlighting the environmental and sustainability issues affecting the region and the world. The Forum is the first global event of its kind in the Emirate of Dubai on energy related issues, which is considered among the most dynamic sectors in the world. The Emirate of Dubai shares the same global energy agenda, which centers around the security of supply, predicting and managing the energy demand growth, and the sustainable governance of the energy sector.

The Dubai Global Energy Forum 2011 is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and will take place over three days between 17-19 April 2011 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Forum will consist of seven major tracks which consist of plenary and parallel sessions addressed by keynote speakers and panelists. Sessions will address specific topics in each track through in-depth analyses and will provide the audience with focused presentations and opportunities for discussions.

Source: Dubai Global Energy Forum (DGEF)

Boral Bricks Announces Cradle to Cradle Certification for Bricks

Boral Bricks, an Australian based company with U.S. headquarters outside of Atlanta, has become a leader in sustainable manufacturing in the building products industry. They just announced that its clay facing bricks produced in Salisbury, N.C. was Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM - Silver.

Source: Boral Mason Contractors

Think City N1 and Think Compact: Two Electric Urban Delivery Vans

Think announced that it will launch two urban delivery variants, targeted at commercial buyers in Europe, of its battery-powered City.

The first derivative, the City N1, boasts a load capacity of up to 523 pounds, or approximately 700 liters in volume (about 25 cubic feet), and will be eligible for significant tax rebates in many European markets. The second variant, which is scheduled to launch in Europe later this year, is the Think Compact electric van. This model was created to meet the needs of fleet customers and features a load-hauling capacity of 900 liters (around 32 cu. ft.).

Source: Autoblog Green

New 6.5 quake in Japan as country turns into mass graveyard

Another strong earthquake off the coast of Japan has rocked the already devastated country. Although a Tsunami warning that was issued following the new quake has since been cancelled. The 9 magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami which struck the country 2 and a half weeks ago, ravaging whole regions, is now estimated to have killed well over 10 thousand. Workers are still battling to contain radiation leaks at a nuclear plant severely damaged by the disaster. Japan's nuclear agency says levels of radioactive iodine in the sea near the plant have risen to almost two thousand times the usual level. And as that crisis looms, many are still struggling with the loss of loved ones.

Japan Kessenuma 'ghost' port city smashed by tsunami

RT crew has been filming in Japan's port of Kessenuma - a traditional fishing town, which was almost wiped out by tsunami. After being struck by the earthquake and the tsunami, it was then ravaged by fires that lasted days. There are at least five hundred dead in Kessenuma. Meanwhile, another strong earthquake off the coast of Japan has rocked the already devastated country. Although a Tsunami warning that was issued following the new quake has since been cancelled.

Japan Fukushima Nuclear Reactor Helicopter Video

Helicopter camera shots shows the devastation in Japan around the Fukushima Nuclear Reactors as a result of the March 11 earthquake & following tsunami.

Nuclear Industry Touts Safety Of New Reactors

Halfway around the globe from Japan's atomic emergency, engineers building a cutting-edge nuclear reactor along Finland's icy shores insist the same crisis could never happen here. And that's not only because Finland is seismically stable.

The 1,600-megawatt European Pressurized Reactor projected to come online in 2013 in Olkiluoto, 195 miles (315 kilometers) northwest of Helsinki, is the first of its kind expected to begin operating after the Japanese disaster.

It has walls thick enough to withstand an airplane crash, components designed to tolerate the extreme cold of the Nordic winter, and decades worth of new safety systems. "(We have) so many backup systems that the kind of accident like in Japan could not happen," said project manager Jouni Silvennoinen. Source:
Hufftington Post

Of course, till the next unprecedented nuclear disaster.

Yes for Real, We Now Have a Genuine Artificial Solar Leaf

Yet another new breakthrough in low cost solar energy just made its debut, and this one is a doozy: a solar cell the size of a typical leaf, that actually creates energy the same way a leaf does: with photosynthesis. No, for real. You just park it in a bucket of water and it generates enough electricity to power household devices… eventually (more on that below). The announcement was made by the lead researcher on the MIT-based project, Dr. Daniel Nocera, who said, “A practical artificial leaf has been one of the Holy Grails of science for decades.”

Source: CleanTechnica

Radiation leak found outside Japan nuclear reactor: partial meltdown of fuel rods

Highly radioactive water has been found for the first time outside one of the reactor buildings at Japan's quake-hit Fukushima nuclear plant, officials say.

The leak in a tunnel linked to the No 2 reactor has raised fears of radioactive liquid seeping into the environment. Officials said the radiation scare inside the No 2 reactor was caused by a partial meltdown of fuel rods. Source: BBC News

Expert: Japan nuclear plant owner warned of tsunami threat

A seismic researcher told CNN Sunday that he warned the owner of the earthquake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant two years ago that the facility could be vulnerable to a tsunami. The owner, Tokyo Electric Power Company, appeared to ignore the warning, said seismologist Yukinobu Okamura.



Source: CNN

Japan nuclear plant data error was 'unacceptable'

The Japanese government has attacked the operator of a crippled nuclear plant for "unacceptable" mistakes. The Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) had said radiation levels were 10m times higher than normal before correcting the figure to 100,000 times.

Workers are battling to stop radiation leaks at the Fukushima plant, hit by a quake and tsunami over two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, Japan has lifted a tsunami warning that was issued after another earthquake off its northern coast. The 6.5-magnitude quake struck at 0723 local time on Monday (2223 GMT Sunday), 109km (67 miles) east of the badly damaged port city of Sendai. It is not reported to have caused any injuries or damage.

Source: BBC News

Status report: Reactor-by-reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi plant

Since March 11, the six reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have been in various states of disrepair after being battered by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Here is the latest on the status of each reactor and what was being done to prevent further emissions of radioactive material.



Source: CNN

Why we don't need Nuclear Energy: Green Energy Plant Generates Electricity 24/7 with Osmosis

SmarterTechnology.com has all the details on the world's first osmotic power plant that was unveiled in Norway today, permitting continuous electricity generation 24/7 by using osmosis to harness the gradient between salt- and fresh-water. StatKraft claims that osmosis is superior to solar, wind and wave power, because it is nearly unlimited, renewable, sustainable and always available.

Solar Powered Western Australian Mine Receives the Energy Generation and Distribution Award

Galaxy Resources has received the Energy Generation and Distribution Award from the Sustainable Energy Association of Australia for its use of solar power in a mine in Western Australia.

The Mt Cattlin site is the first mining operation in Australia to incorporate solar panels on a solar tracker. The tracking system follows the sun throughout the day and provides 15% more solar electricity than fixed systems according to the company.

Galaxy Resources has 14 solar panel arrays on trackers and two wind turbines operating at the Mt. Cattlin lithium mine site; which generate 226 megawatt hours of clean electricity each year - approximately 17% of the mines power requirements.

Source: Renewable Energy News

Quantum Dots Could Increase Solar Panel Electricity Output

New research undertaken in the USA into the tiny light absorbing particles in solar cells – called quantum dots - may have uncovered ways to multiply the energy output of individual electrons, increasing the efficiency of the solar panels and resulting in more electricity from the same amount of absorbed light.

Results published by Mark Lusk and colleagues at the Colorado School of Mines in the April edition of "ACS Nano"” supports the theory of multiple-exciton generation (MEG), which states that an “excitons” – electrons which have absorbed light energy – can then spread that energy to other electrons.

Lusk and his team found that tailoring the size of quantum dots improves the MEG process. Each dot best-suits a region of the solar spectrum, with smaller quantum dots performing MEG better within their region than larger ones. Solar panels manufactured using quantum dots tuned in to the correct slice of the solar spectrum would be much more efficient than those not made with quantum dots.

Source: Renewable Energy News :

Osmotic Power Plant How it works: Free energy by Statkraft

Osmotic power is clean, renewable energy, with a global potential of 1600 to 1700 TWh -- equal to China's total electricity consumption in 2002.

Wind to Wheel W2W 2011: The role of renewable energy and electric vehicle in the future electricity system

The goal of W2W 2011 is providing a space to discuss the challenges of an electrical system with increasing penetration of renewables and electric vehicles.

After an introduction about the general framework of the future electricity system by Leonardo ENERGY, there will be a review of the main renewable technologies, including Solar Thermal Electricity (by Luis Crespo, president of the European Solar Thermal Electricity Industry Association), Photovoltaics (by Eduardo Collado, technical director of the Spanish PV Industry Association) and Wind Off-shore (by Andreas Sumper - CITCEA-UPC & IREC).

The afternoon will be dedicated to the electric vehicle in its economic and technical aspects, including the impact on the electricity grid. A view on some projects will be provided, together with a view on electrical energy storage.

Source: Leonardo ENERGY For more information: W2W 2011

10,000,000 times normal radiation spike at Fukushima 'mistake' - officials

Fukushima plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. claims that an earlier measurement showing a huge spike in radiation levels at the stricken Japanese nuclear complex was 'a mistake'. According to TEPCO spokesman, water testing showing 10 million times higher in radioactivity than normal was 'not credible'.

Meanwhile, three workers have already been exposed to dangerous materials in the continuing battle to avert catastrophe in the wake of the earthquake tragedy which destroyed large parts of the country. The official number of those killed by the quake and tsunami stands at over 10,000, with many more homeless or missing. But Fukushima remains the biggest concern - with the ongoing possibility of nuclear meltdown.

Earth Hour 2011 Hong Kong- Lights out from the Peak

RSA Animate: Changing Education Paradigms

This animate was adapted from a talk given at the RSA by Sir Ken Robinson, world-renowned education and creativity expert and recipient of the RSA's Benjamin Franklin award.

Surui Carbon Project: Google Earth Engine Brazil

Watch as Surui Chief Almir, ACT Brazil Director Vasco van Roosmalen, and Google Earth Engine Manager Rebecca Moore talk about how the Surui people in Brazil are working to counterbalance the effects of climate change through the Surui Carbon Project, and how they are using technology like Google Earth Engine to document it.

Radiation In Massachusetts Rainwater Likely From Japan

Health officials said Sunday that one sample of Massachusetts rainwater has registered very low concentrations of radiation, most likely from the Japanese nuclear power plant damaged earlier this month by an earthquake and tsunami.

John Auerbach, the Massachusetts commissioner of public health, said that radioiodine-131 found in the sample – one of more than 100 that have been taken around the country – has a short life of only eight days. He said the drinking water supply in the state was unaffected and officials do not expect any health concerns.

Nevada and other Western states also have reported minuscule amounts of radiation, but scientists say those presented no health risks.

Source: Hufftington Post

Elektra One First Flight

Elektra One performed the first flight on 19 Mar. 2011 at the Augsburg Airport in Germany. Jon Karkow, an well known test pilot and aircraft engineer performed the first flight. Flight characteristics and engne parameter were tested. The test pilot was very satisfied with the results. Three flights were performed. The climbing rate was 400 ft/min. A new 30 min. flight was performed on 23 Mar. Only about 3kW from the total on board of 6kWh energy was used. In the next two weeks the new variable pitch propeller and the retractable landing gear will be installed.

Developing Nations Pledge Actions To Curb Climate Change

Mongolia says it will erect solar power plants in the frigid Gobi desert. The Central African Republic says it will expand its forests to cover a quarter of its territory. Mexico promises to slash carbon emissions by 30 percent by the end of the decade.

Costa Rica and the Maldives aim to become carbon neutral and even chaotic Afghanistan is promising to take action on climate change.

The pledges from dozens of developing countries, compiled by the United Nations and released Monday, are voluntary, and many made them conditional on financial and technical help from the industrial world.

Read more at: Hufftington Post

A New We: Eco-villages and Eco-communities in Europe Trailer

The Austrian documentary filmmaker Stefan Wolf and his Team traveled through Europe in order to explore well established intentional communities and to present a broad spectrum of lifestyle possibilities to many people.

The variety of situations and voices in A New We inspires hope for the future of humanity and all life on the planet. The lives shown here are more motivated by imagination, vision, respect and cooperation than by economic forces and social expectations. In these 10 communities, the creative solutions to many social, environmental and economic challenges exemplify the nearly infinite capacity for human-, community- and self-development.

Experience 10 ecovillages and ecological communities in 8 European countries. Presented communities: Sieben Linden, Damanhur, Tamera, Valle de Sensaciones, Matavenero, Schloss Glarisegg, Schloss Tonndorf, Krishna Valley, La Borie Noble, Finca Tierra.



For more information: A new We

Scientists To Drill Deeper Than Ever Before, Hope To Sample Mantle

They're planning on going where no one has ever gone before. Scientists say it's now possible to drill through Earth's crust and potentially sample Earth's mantle, according to a commentary in the March 24 issue of Nature. The piece came out on the 50th anniversary of the first attempt to drill into the mantle.

"That has been a long-term ambition of earth scientists," geologist Damon Teagle, one of the commentary's writers, told National Geographic News. Until now, a lack of technology and knowledge about the inner workings of the planet have made sampling the mantle impossible, according to National Geographic. But now the technology exists, including a Japanese drill ship equipped with the six miles of piping that it would take to drill through the planet's crust.

The paper says if everything goes as planned drilling could begin by 2020, though exploratory missions could begin as soon as next month. According to NatGeo, scientists will "bore further into the oceanic crust than ever before" even during the preliminary phases.

Source: Hufftington Post

Fully Charged Delta E4 coupe

A very exclusive first ride in the amazing Delta E4 coupe with technical director Nick Carpenter

Al Gore to Deliver Opening Keynote at Power Shift 2011

This spring thousands of young people will converge from 15-18 April in Washington, DC for Power Shift 2011. We’ll come together to create a vision to take our movement forward, learn from and train one-another on campaigns and tactics, and take bold action to create a clean energy economy.

In addition to Alliance for Climate Protection Chairman Al Gore, Power Shift has several other impressive speakers lined up, including EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Bill McKibben and Van Jones.

Source: Repower America More at: Power Shift 2011

Samsung Unveils See-Through Solar-Powered TV

Compare a television from 10 years ago to the ones on the market today, and you probably wouldn't guess that they were the same type of technology. TVs have become wider, thinner, lighter, and even 3-dimensional, but thankfully advanced technology has allowed for more than just aesthetic upgrades.

Most of today's flat screen televisions are also much more energy efficient, and some, like the newest revelation from Samsung, don't run on electricity at all.



Source: TreeHugger

25 American Mayors Speak Out Against Controversial Tar Sands Pipeline

More than two dozen American mayors have sent a letter expressing concern over the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Representing cities and towns across the United States, their letter notes that the controversial project might “undermine the good work being done in local communities across the country to fight climate change and reduce our dependence on oil.” In light of an expected new environmental review of the proposed pipeline, the Mayors are asking the State Department to be detailed and comprehensive including an evaluation of the “impacts of this pipeline on local community efforts to build clean energy economies.”

“This letter is so important because our cities and towns are where the rubber hits the road on environmental policies,” said Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, director of the International Program for the Natural Resources Defense Council. “They are on the clean energy frontlines in the United States and do not want to see increase of a high-carbon fuel like tar sands undermine their achievements. They deliver services that are imperiled by projects like this pipeline. And, they are responsible for cleaning up spills when things go wrong, so it is no surprise that they are calling for detailed and comprehensive environmental review of the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline that includes the impacts on local communities.”

Source: NRDC

Step into the sensory box

TEDxGeorgiaStrait -- David Wilkinson -- Sustainable Energy Economy

Earth Hour 2011 Szombathelyen

Earth Hour 2011 Sydney Australia

Radiation spikes to 1,000 times normal in sea near Fukushima

Radiation levels in the sea near Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant have spiked to more than 1,000 times the norm. It's been over two weeks now since the devastating earthquake and tsunami which caused the accident at the facility. The official death toll from the disaster stands at over 10,000 people, with many more missing or homeless. Emergency teams are still struggling to control the situation at the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant. Several workers sustained radiation burns while installing cables as part of efforts to restore the critical cooling systems. Nuclear energy experts say the damage to the site is having a dangerous effect on the environment and people's health.

Japan nuclear: Workers evacuated as radiation soars

Radioactivity in water at reactor 2 at the quake-damaged Fukushima nuclear plant has reached 10 million times the usual level, company officials say.

Workers trying to cool the reactor core to avoid a meltdown have been evacuated. Earlier, Japan's nuclear agency said that levels of radioactive iodine in the sea near the plant had risen to 1,850 times the usual level.

The UN's nuclear agency has warned the crisis could go on for months.

Source: BBC News

Earth Hour 2011: Kuching City Scouts Malaysia, Sarawak

Earth Hour 2011: Nepal

Lights Out Cities go dark as world turns off power for Earth Hour CCTV ...

This weekend marks the annual event known as Earth Hour. It's one hour where people are urged to turn off their lights in an effort to show environmental awareness. CCTV reporter Jeff Napshin has more from Washington DC on this growing movement.

It's one of the most famous landmarks in a city known for them. But this weekend Washington's National Cathedral will go dark when the lights turn off in celebration of Earth Hour.

Earth Hour 2011 Fujairah, UAE

This is the earth hour event in Fujairah, UAE with my friends. If you really care about the earth and want to do your bit to save energy and tackle climate change, then turn out your lights for an hour tonight.

Edsa Shangri-La Parade of Lights for Earth Hour 2011 Manila

Children of Isla de Cocomo at the Parade of Lights at Edsa Shangri-La, Manila for the Earth Hour 2011

Earth Hour 2011 Montreal

View of downtown Montreal from Mount Royal. Basically there were only 2 building tops that went dark.. it was nothing so spectacular. The way down the mountain on ice was much more fun! The Mount Royal's cross was turned off too but we couldn't see both at the same time..

Earth hour 2011 Venezuela

Radiation in seawater off nuclear plant spikes to 1,250 times normal

Levels of radioactive iodine in seawater just offshore of the embattled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant spiked to more than 1,250 times higher than normal, Japan's nuclear and industrial safety agency said Saturday.

Samples taken Friday morning from a monitoring station 330 meters off the coast were significantly higher than results from the previous morning, when the level was 104 times above normal. The measurements also showed high levels of cesium and were taken outside the discharge canal for the plant's Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 reactors. Readings from a short distance away, outside the Nos. 5 and 6 units' discharge canal, showed lower but still high radioactive iodine levels some 284 times above normal.



Read more at CNN

Lights Out: Cities go dark as world turns off power for Earth Hour 2011

Houses and businesses across Asia turned off power on Saturday in support of the so-called "Earth Hour". In Sydney, ferries blew their horns as the lights went out on the Sydney Opera House. China's "Earth Hour" kicked off on Saturday night with the tallest building in the capital Beijing - Tower 3 of the China World Trade Centre - turning off its lights. In India, lights at the India Gate were turned off and lit balloons released as a crowd holding candles watched. In Indonesia, the lights on several landmarks, were also turned off or dimmed, and in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, young people gathered outside the city's opera house holding candles as lights went off.

Japan Government Criticizes Nuke Plant Operator

Japan's government revealed a series of missteps by the operator of a radiation-leaking nuclear plant on Saturday, including sending workers in without protective footwear in its faltering efforts to control a monumental crisis.

Thai For Japan : เบิร์ด ธงไชย แมคอินไตย์

Video Thai For Japan: @ Facebook

Earth Hour 2011: Fiji

Radiation spikes to 1,000 times normal in sea near Fukushima

Radiation levels in the sea near Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant have spiked to more than 1,000 times the norm. It's been over two weeks now since the devastating earthquake and tsunami which caused the accident at the facility. The official death toll from the disaster stands at over 10,000 people, with many more missing or homeless. Emergency teams are still struggling to control the situation at the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant. Several workers sustained radiation burns while installing cables as part of efforts to restore the critical cooling systems. Nuclear energy experts say the damage to the site is having a dangerous effect on the environment and people's health.

Earth Hour 2011: Tarika, Saligao, Goa India

Earth Hour 2011: Tarika, a college-going lass from Saligao village, Goa, India, did a neat and commendable job of organising a fine gathering of her villagers, to observe the Earth Hour at the Lourdes Convent high school between 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm on March 26, 2011. The participants included young and old to whom Tarika explained the meaning of the Earth Hour, they sang songs, played their guitars and spoke about how they can save the planet.

Earth Hour 2011 Hong Kong

Earth Hour 2011 @ Orchard Road Singapore - Arabian Dancers

earth hour 2011 Singapore

Earth Hour 2011 Hours: Turn Off The LIghts

The Aurora: The biggest aurora borealis shows in recent years

The biggest aurora borealis shows in recent years. Shot in and around Kirkenes and Pas National Park bordering Russia, at 70 degree north and 30 degrees east. Temperatures around -25 Celsius. Good fun.

Earth Hour 2011: One Person Have the Power to Change

YouTubes Light Switch

Earth Hour 2011 China Music Video

This is the official Chinese theme song of Earth Hour 2011: "Turn off the Light", written and performed by Chinese musical duo and WWF Earth Hour China Ambassadors Yu Quan.



See also: Earth Hour 2011 Official Video: By The People, For The Planet

Video: 1947 Tama electric car tackles Nissan's test track

The year was 1947 and Japan was entrenched in rebuilding the infrastructure destroyed during World War II. Raw materials were scarce and gasoline was rationed. The situation led a team engineers from Tachikawa Airplane company to develop the Tama, a revolutionary vehicle that could run on something other than fossil fuels.

The Tama used a 36-volt lead-acid battery to achieve 60 miles of range and a leisurely top speed of 22 miles per hour. In an odd twist, Nissan, makers of the Leaf, owns what's believed to be one of the last remaining Tamas. Tachikawa, which renamed itself Tokyo Electric Motorcar Co. and then to Price Motor Company, merged with Nissan in 1966. And that's how Nissan got its hand on the Tama, an electrified classic that the automaker wheels out every so often. Hop the jump to catch video of the Tama tackling Nissan's test track.



Source: Autoblog Green

A Nuclear Crisis in Japan unprecedented in history

Raging Nuclear Meltdowns In Progress' Dr. Michio Kaku

Fears Of Serious Core Breach In Nuclear Reactor #3 At Japanese Nuclear Plant

Workers trying to pump out radioactive water from Japan reactors

Two weeks after Japan's earthquake and tsunami disaster, the number of people killed has climbed above 10,000. And there is a new alarm at the Fukushima Daichi nuclear power station. Radiation levels have soared to 10,000 times above the safety limit.

Project Bright: Financial close for 100 MW UK solar project

Mott MacDonald’s role as lenders' technical advisor for one of the world’s largest solar photovoltaic rooftop projects has reached a key milestone with the announcement that the project, known as Project Bright, has achieved financial close.

Eaga, one of the UK’s largest suppliers of heating and renewable energy installations has developed and will construct a portfolio of up to 38 000 solar PV rooftop units across the south of the UK totalling up to 100 MW peak. The project is due for completion by the middle of 2012.

Installations will be fitted on social housing properties and will allow the tenants to benefit from the electricity produced thereby reducing their electricity bills and contributing to sustainable power generation in the UK. Power which is not used by the tenants will be exported to the grid reducing the UK’s reliance on carbon intensive electricity generation.

Source: POWER-GEN

Tidal Power Boom in Nova Scotia Canada

The Atlantis Resource Corporation, a UK-based firm, has won the fourth, and final test bed location for a large tidal power project in Nova Scotia’s Bay of Fundy.

The Bay of Fundy has an estimated 8,000 megwatts (MW) of tidal power available if used at full capacity; the Atlantis Corporation, however, will be testing in Minas Passage, a smaller cove outside Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, which has a predicted 200 MWs worth of potential energy. Once operational, the FORCE project will have laid the groundwork for the largest in-stream tidal power capacity in the world.

Source: Offshore Wind

Radioactive Cobalt Detected In Ocean Around Nuclear Power Plant In Japan

The first Low Carbon Earth Summit (LCES-2011) in Dalian, China

The first Low Carbon Earth Summit (LCES-2011) will be held on October 19-26, 2011 at the World Exposition Center in Dalian, China. The theme of the summit will be “Leading the Green Economy, returning to harmony with nature.

The global low carbon economy wave has attracted attention from almost all walks of life. Particularly after the UNFCCC Copenhagen Conference 2009 (COP-15), those involved are not just limited to the people involved in policy on economic levels, but include almost every community from politics to technology and the general public. Currently, “low carbon” has become one of the most common phrases in daily life. To make contributions to the development of the knowledge-based economy for control of climate changes, Dalian BIT Conferences, Inc. teams up with China Council of Promotion of International Trade-Dalian Chamber to organize the first Annual Low Carbon Earth Summit with the theme “ Leading the Green Economy, Returning to Harmony with Nature.” It will be held in Dalian, China at the World Exposition Center.

Read more at: LCES-2011

Venzuela Goes for Renewable Energy

Venezuela is looking to add itself to the renewable energy map, particularly in wind energy. According to an insider who did not want to be named, Venezuela is poised to build enough wind farms to produce about 1,600MW of renewable electricity by 2020. To kick start this process, there are at least three wind projects already in the works.

There have been reports that claim that Venezuela has the potential to generate about 20,000 MW in electricity, while others state 10,000 MW. The insider states that, “Those numbers are definitely too big.” going on to say “If you consider that 45,000 MW will be installed in the whole North Sea by 2050, how can nearly half of that be put to work in Venezuela?”

Source: Solar Energy

New Solar Thermal Energy System that Delivers Twice the Energy of a Basic Solar Electric (PV) System

Echo is a revolutionary technology that is changing the game in solar energy. The company’s focus on building out a strong channel that delivers value to end customers, and profitable growth to partners, is a winning strategy.

Earlier this month EchoFirst (formerly PVT Solar) the creator of Echo, a revolutionary new solar energy system that delivers twice the energy of a basic solar electric (PV) system, announced it has officially changed its name to EchoFirst. The name change more accurately reflects the company’s core business: the design, manufacture, marketing, distribution and deployment of its patented Echo solar system.


Source: Thermal Magazine

The Sustainable Helios Rehab Sanctuary Skyscraper by CLS

Truly sustainable cities should focus on the economy of resources but also the health of the people. Sufferers briefly “escape” pressured living to rehabilitate within the tower and ultimately release back into society.

The tensegrity-network-based outer-frame houses horizontal access to pods via green ramps. The “hexa-skin” and pod shells incorporate air pollution cleansing TX-Active integrated white panels which also reflect light onto the Solyndra Solar rod arrays encasing the kinetic pods.

The Solyndra capture direct, diffused and reflected sunlight across 360-degree photovoltaic surfaces. Depending on climatic variation, it opens promoting cooling and the rod-system induces ventilation and views, it closes for protection, insulation and energy saving.

Source: eVolo

BMCE Modular Headquarters Rabat and Casablanca by Foster + Partners

Foster + Partners have completed two modular headquarters for Moroccan bank BMCE in Rabat and Casablanca, Morocco. The design comprises a concrete frame enclosed by glazed panels, covered by screens made of cut and curved sheet steel.

The banks’ contemporary interior is wrapped by a traditional, energy efficient envelope and their design is based on a modular system, which utilises local materials and craftsmanship to create a striking new emblem for BMCE.All BMCE flagship branches feature an ‘earth tube’, an electricity-free cooling system: fresh air is drawn into an empty pipe that encircles the building underground, where it is naturally cooled by the earth and released into the branch.

Source: Dezeen

Zero Waste with Green Chemistry

With the advent of technology, the problem of waste has also increased in the world. Companies are trying to come up with novel ideas on how to create lesser waste and also techniques on how to dispose the waste. Now, the invention of novel green chemical technologies is going to play a primary role in helping our society move towards eliminating waste all together while also offering a greater variety of products from biorefineries.

According to research conducted by University of York scientist Professor James Clark, Director of the University’s Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence, the usage of low environmental impact green chemical technologies is going to help make sure that products are genuinely and verifiably green and sustainable.

Source: Energy Business Daily

Lincoln Mixed-Use Development in Denver by Meridian 105 Architecture

Designed by Meridian 105 Architecture, Lincoln Mixed Use is a proposal for an urban mixed-use complex in Denver, CO, consisting of a hotel, retail, parking structure, restaurant, and movie theater.

The building enclosure employs an aggressive energy strategy, with the hotel facade designed to perform as a twin glazed assembly, but consisting of prefabricated window units in lieu of labor intensive curtainwall installation.

The units have densely fritted top and side panels angled to resist solar gain into the cavity during the summer, while allowing it to heat the shell in the winter. The facade is naturally vented in the summertime by the heat stack effect, with air intake at the base and exhaust at the top.

Source: eVolo

Spain on a Mission to Save Energy

In an effort to combat rising oil prices worldwide due to the Middle East unrest, Spain has announced a series of energy saving measures. These include cuts in the speed limit and also lower priced train tickets in a move to get its citizens to use more of the public transport facilities.

Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said, “The goal is to reduce the consumption of oil and gas to reduce our energy bill which has risen in recent days and which we do not forecast will drop.” The Deputy Prime Minister also added that the measures are just temporary, though he did not clarify as to till when these will be in effect.

Read more at Energy Business Daily

Rehabilitation Centre Groot Klimmendaal by Architectenbureau Koen van Velsen

This rehabilitation centre in a Dutch forest by Architectenbureau Koen van Velsen is one of six projects to be shortlisted for this year’s Mies van der Rohe Award.

The use of energy is amongst others reduced by the compact design of the building and the design of the mechanical and electrical installations. Most notably the thermal storage (heat and cold storage) contributes to the reduction of energy consumption. The choice of selecting sustainable building materials and materials requiring little maintenance for floor finishes, ceilings and facade cladding result in a building which can be easily maintained and with a long lifespan.

The Mies van der Rohe Award is the highest European distinction in architecture. The award is granted every two years by the European Union and was first awarded in 1987. The main objectives of the award are to distinguish and reward excellence in architecture and to draw attention to the major contribution by European professionals to the development of new ideas and technologies. The award was previously awarded to a.o. Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas, Alvaro Siza and Norman Foster.

Source: Dezeen

Ecological Wall Created with Organic Waste Containers by Stanislaw Mlynski

The Ecological Wall is a project designed by Polish architecture student Stanislaw Mlynski for an international competition organized by National Taipei University of Technology (NTUT) School of Architecture.

“I proposed to create structural wall using organic waste containers. I believe that arrangement of elements, as well as their shape have potential to create shelters for animals, gather water, reduce CO2 . The solar system has the aim to ensure energetic independence."

Source: eVolo