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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.
Panelists debate whether the U.S. is doing enough to heed the warnings of coal industry scientists who say turbines could blow the Earth right into the sun.
Encouraging innovation and reviewing practicality in energy saving homes designed by college teams with Frank Sesno and Don Ferrier, President, Ferrier Custom Homes.
It's a green energy dream. The sun shines all day and the wind blows constantly. But alternative energy is the last thing you might expect, here in Afghanistan's war-torn Panjshir Valley. Yet after three decades of violence tragedy and destruction, this is where Afghanistan could be going green.
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.
A trimaran built in Taiwan from plastic bottles and other recycled materials sets sail for the first time. Its mission is to promote oceanic environment awareness on World Ocean Day.
Named the Polli-Boat, this trimaran is made of recycled materials bound together by a wood-plastic composite.
The main flotation system, Polli-bricks, is made of plastic bottles with strengthened polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the most common plastic in use today.
Its unique hexagonal shape allows the bricks to interlock strongly enough to withstand the pressure of sailing.
Waste advertising banners are used for the trimaran's sail.
[Arthur Huang, Founder and Managing Director, Miniwiz Sustainable Energy Development Ltd.]: "The concept of a polli-boat is using hundred percent trash, basically we are using this new material we are developing, it's basic organic fiber mixes trash polymer. The other is another structural material we design which are called polli-brick, using recycle PET blown into these interlocking brick, so we are using the interlocking brick as a major floatation pontoon."
Eight hundred four of these bricks were used to support the boat.
The Polli-Boat also utilizes wind and solar power, which are interchangeable in different weather conditions.
[Arthur Huang, Founder and Managing Director, Miniwiz Sustainable Energy Development Ltd.]: "It's been propelled, one by renewable resources, obviously sailing that's using wind, the other is using solar energy with we have six modules of soft solar panels and each panel is capable of generating 72 watts, and 72 watts is able to power an electric motor that powered the boat up and down the non-windy area. So the whole idea is the propel, the power system is also going to be renewable energy."
The trimaran is 23 feet long. Huang says its mission, as it sails across Taiwan, will be to promote sustainable energy and environmental awareness.
The boat-launching ceremony was accompanied by an eco-friendly creative boat competition held by the dock.
Sponsored by the National Geographic Channel in Taiwan, ten designs were selected out of almost 200 entries to compete for the most innovative boats using recycled materials.
One of these boats was shaped like the endangered black-faced spoonbill to promote wetland protection.
Another was designed to look like a floating city in an effort to raise awareness of rising sea levels and global warming.
After talks that stretched deep into the night Germany's coalition government has agreed to shut all its nuclear plants in response to Japan's Fukushima accident. The decision marks a drastic policy turnaround. Germany temporarily closed seven reactors in March, just after Japan's earthquake and tsunami sent shockwaves through the industry. German Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen explains the decision.
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.
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?
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.
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 12:05AM 