US OK's First Offshore Wind Farms

Ken Salazar, President Obama's Secretary of the interior, has given the go-ahead for the US Government to begin leasing four large areas off the mid-atlantic coast to energy companies to build offshore wind farms.

The greenest country on Earth

The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is using clean energy to power its country and its economy.

How Green Is Your Internet?

How Green Is Your Internet? from Dan Ilic on Vimeo.

When you use the internet have you thought just how much energy you're using, or the size of your carbon poke print? This story may give you some idea of just how much energy the wired world sucks down.

The Internet has streamlined our lives, making it easier to keep informed, stay in touch, and share ideas -- but it's important to remember that the digital age isn't without its environmental impact. As the world wide web continues to grow, with more and more people getting online every day, the energy it takes to keep it going has increased too, resulting in a carbon footprint that's larger than you might expect. 

How to Save Energy in Summer

Your summer utility bills may be higher than necessary. Here are some easy ways to save energy when it’s hot.

Step 1: Unplug your spare fridge

Got an old refrigerator you keep in the garage? Unplug it for the summer; an inefficient unit in a hot room can really run up your electric bill.

Step 2

If you have central air-conditioning, don’t close the vents to unused rooms thinking you’re saving money. Research has found that closing vents reduces efficiency and cooling capacity, costing you more in the long run. And keep interior doors open throughout the house; closed-off rooms increase cool-air leakage to the hot outdoors.

Set your A/C at 78 degrees Fahrenheit or higher; home cooling costs increase 12 percent for each degree below that.

Step 3: Participate in a direct load program

Ask your local utility company if they have a voluntary direct load control program that gives you energy bill credits in exchange for allowing the company to turn off your air conditioner or electric water heater for brief periods during peak demand times. It’s an easy way to save energy.

Step 4: Line dry

Use the hot temperatures to your advantage and line dry most of what you wash. This alone can shave 5 percent off your energy bill.

Step 5: Microwave your meals

Maximize summer’s bounty by eating meals that require little or no cooking. When you do cook, use the microwave if possible; it uses 2/3 less energy than your stove.

Step 6: Cut back on pool systems

If you have a swimming pool, save energy by installing a timer so the pump only runs about 6 hours a day during off-peak times — not round-the-clock. Now grab yourself a cold drink and enjoy the summer!

Texas produces and consumes more electricity than any other U.S. state, largely due to air-conditioning demand.

A bright idea for wasteful office lighting

Commercial office buildings are one of the main culprits of the current climate crisis. They consume large amounts of electricity and release excessive carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Adura Technologies has developed a mesh-based lighting system that is reducing costs and consumption inside buildings. The technology consists of wireless radios that plug into florescent light fixtures giving employees more control over their personal lighting space. Adura has also created a dual motion sensing-personal control system that is being used at UC Berkeley that allows students to break the hard-wired connection and control their lighting from their desktop PCs.

Dead Flies and Mice Could Power Future Robots

Scientists are developing autonomous robots that can generate their own power. Microbial fuel cells could be the answer, since these microbes can turn any organic material into electricity. UK researchers say they could be the future of sustainable energy.

They're on the lookout for something that can fuel a truly autonomous robot. One that can extract power from any environment it operates in. And it would never run out of juice.

UK researchers are looking into microbial fuel cells, or MFCs. These tiny microbes can turn organic matter into electricity. This could potentially allow robots to function in remote, or even hazardous environments with no worry about their next battery charge.

This is because MFCs can extract electrical energy from any organic material that's digestible by the microbes in the fuel cell. All you need to do is to feed the MFC food - be it plant matter, flies or dead mice. And this will trigger a digestion process that can make electricity. Conventional fuel cells and batteries rely on a catalyst to speed up chemical reactions to make electricity. But they degrade and need replenishing. On the other hand MFCs just need food, and these microbes will continue to generate electricity..

GoGreenSolar takes on the social good

In partnership with Good Magazine, What's Trending presents "People Are Awesome." This week, we're bringing you the story Deep Patel of GoGreenSolar.com, who is trying to bring solar panels to bus shelters to help with our environmental problems.

Stunning solar towers light the way

The world's first commercial solar tower plant gives a breathtaking glimpse of the future of power generation. What's stopping the technology's widespread adoption?

Smart Grid

We explore how a smart grid will connect renewable energy resources to our existing power grid, and help us
share that power more efficiently.  Sid Suryanarayanan and his research group at the Colorado School of Mines study electric power systems. By developing ways to make sure we have a reliable stream of electricity and control systems that regulate energy use, the team is making our power grid smarter.

Graduate student Hilary Brown looks at what changes we can make to our existing grid and explores a new
concept called “distributed generation.” Fellow student Josune Armas writes computer programs to improve
how and when we use electricity at home. Since electricity is cheaper at “off-peak” times, this means we
can save a little cash too.

At the University of Texas at Austin, Ted Song designs, builds and tests a device that regulates and converts electricity from different renewable sources that we’ll be able to use in our homes.

Smart Grid will change where our power comes from and how we all use it so we can keep turning on the electronics we need and love.

Construction of solar power installations

Israel's government cabinet has approved a plan that is designed to speed and
simplify processes for construction of solar power installations.

The goal of the plan is to generate electricity from renewable energy sources in order to
account for 10% of the state of Israel's electricity needs by 2020.

The plan provide guidelines for building photovoltaic facilities in the country, with
specific focus on roof-top installations aiming to resist impairments to Israel's panoramic
environment.