Dairy Farming and Sustainability
by: Environmental Leader, 2011-09-21 10:34:26 UTC
Promo video highlighting sustainability advancements at California dairy farms.

Computer Energy Efficiency Doubles Every 18 Months
by: Eco Geek Latest, 2011-09-13 19:36:07 UTC

A new study done by an engineering professor at Stanford University has found that the energy efficiency of computers doubles roughly every 18 months, and has done so since the very first general purpose computer, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) that was built in 1956.

With help from Intel and Microsoft, Professor Jonathan Koomey was able to gather information about computing devices from 1956 until now and with this new finding, Koomey is revising and improving Moore's law -- the observation that computer processing power doubles every 18 months.  Fortunately, the things that contribute to that power improvement (reducing component size, capacitance and communication time between them) also increase energy efficiency.

This finding has great implications for the future of computers and battery-powered devices.  As we constantly increase the performance power of computers and gadgets, we'll be improving their energy efficiency as well -- a much needed trend as we become more reliant on our portable devices.

Also, theoretically, we're far from the limit of how much electricity we can save.  In 1985, physicists projected that we could improve computer energy efficiency by a factor of 100 billion and since then we've only hit a factor of about 40,000.

via MIT Tech Review

Canada's Geothermal Resources Could Power the Country One Million Times Over
by: Eco Geek Latest, 2011-09-19 20:11:11 UTC

Canada's federal Geological Survey Commission has released a report stating that the country's geothermal resources are so vast that they could power the country one million times over.

Heavy concentrations of geothermal stores near the surface in the Northern and Western parts of Canada (including British Columbia, Alberta, the Yukon and Northwest Territories) are the stars of the new report, though resources exist across the country.  A team of scientists from the agency said that as little as 100 projects could completely power the country while generating very few greenhouse gas emissions.

Geothermal has its downsides, like high upfront costs and long construction times because of the tricky nature of drilling miles into the earth, but once a geothermal plant is operational, the energy is practically unlimited and -- unlike wind and solar -- constant.

Countries like Iceland, Indonesia and St. Lucia have started relying on and even exporting energy from their large geothermal resources.  Canada could easily be next.

via Montreal Gazette

Electree Solar-Charging Bonsai Now Available for Pre-Order!
by: Inhabitat , 2011-09-20 22:56:37 UTC

We’ve reported on Vivien Muller’s beautifully designed Electree before, but now her spectacular design is finally available for pre-order! The bonsai tree fits on any side table, and also doubles as a solar charger for your devices. The tree, fitted with 27 solar panel “leaves,” will be available for around $400 USD.

Read the rest of Electree Solar-Charging Bonsai Now Available for Pre-Order!

---

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: eco design, Electree, green design, Mister Ecologie and One Development & Consulting, solar bonsai, solar charging station, Solar Power, sustainable design, Viven Muller

A New Cleantech Accelerator, Greenstart, Reveals Its Inaugural Class
by: fast company, 2011-09-20 22:59:03 UTC

Fun apps for your phone aren't the only startups that need financial support. These four companies will now have the opportunity to get funding for their ideas to change the face of energy use.

It's a rough world out there for cleantech startups. With highly publicized failures like Solyndra in the spotlight, investors are likely wary of taking on anything that isn't a sure bet. But not all hope is lost; this week, an accelerator program focusing exclusively on cleantech launched this week in San Francisco, and it may just provide the warm, incubating environment that startups need to succeed.

Dubbed Greenstart, the accelerator is the brainchild of three veteran entrepreneurs, none of them with a cleantech background, but all of them with serious networks in the investment and startup community. "Starting a company is really hard, especially as a first-time entrepreneur. We've all been starting companies since our early 20s. There are so many things that if had known when we were just starting, we would have made much better decisions," says Mitch Lowe, Greenstart's managing partner.

Greenstart chose four companies out of 129 applicants to participate in its first three-month accelerator (there will be three each year), which will introduce the startups to potential investors, provide mentorship from successful entrepreneurs, offer prototyping space, assistance with grant writing and legal assistance, and help the companies identify early adopters for their services. Each startup will also receive a $25,000 to $100,000 investment from Greenstart.

So how did the Greenstart founders choose the startups? "They have to expand the use of clean energy or reduce the use of dirty energy," says Lowe. "There are a lot of interesting ideas ready to be commercialized now, that could be producing revenue now." And in fact, some of these startups already have prototypes and a customer or two--they just need some cash and coaching to really get started.

The four companies in the inaugural Greenstart class are Lono, LLC, a company that manufactures the Smartershade, a "smart glass" technology that allows different levels of light to enter based on user controls; Sylvatex, the manufacturer of a renewable diesel fuel made out of biomass-derived ingredients; Tenrehte Technologies, which is behind the PICOwatt Wi-Fi-enabled, energy-monitoring smart plug; and Wa.tt, a free energy monitoring tool that gathers and analyzes information from multiple energy accounts.

These are undoubtedly companies with funding potential. Sylvatex, for example, has already tested its fuel in vehicle engines, and it has a commitment from the city of San Francisco to test the stuff. "Where we're at in the Bay Area, people aren't used to really investing in this space, so we have to put together a nice package and speak in English that they're used to hearing. That's where Greenstart will be valuable," explains Sylvatex CEO Virginia Klausmeier (pictured at top with a Sylvatex-powered car).

And Lono already has a two-inch by two-inch prototype and a development and manufacturing partner. "Greenstart will give us structure to make sure we're going in the right direction," says Lono cofounder Michael Stacy.

Lowe, for his part, is confident that all of the startups are worthy of funding. "We want to unleash that wave of people who can make a difference sooner," he says.

[Image: Sylvatex, Tenrehte]

Reach Ariel Schwartz via Twitter or email.

atelier vraay: hybrid radiator barstool
by: Designboom - Weblog, 2011-09-19 08:30:00 UTC

the dutch designer continues his exploration of producing functional objects through the use of electrical heaters.

read more

Defining Recycled Content in Paper Products
by: Environmental Leader, 2011-09-20 15:04:39 UTC
Despite the fact that paper products with recycled content have been around nearly forever, there is still much confusion regarding basic definitions. For some of us, recent changes in the FSC labeling guidelines have added an extra layer of confusion. First, let’s consider the difference between recovery and recycling.  While these terms often get used [...]

Software Briefing: AltaTerra, Microsoft, HP, Hara
by: Environmental Leader, 2011-09-21 14:06:41 UTC
AngelPoints, CloudApps, GreenNurture, and Tripos Software are four software vendors profiled in a new report by AltaTerra Research examining the emerging market for products aimed at getting employees to think green. “Software Solutions for Engaging Employees in Sustainability” looks at overcoming the disconnect that exists for many employees between how high-level environmental goals apply to [...]

10 Solar Power Innovations to Watch Out For
by: Ecofriend, 2011-09-21 07:13:33 UTC
Shallu Sharma:

The Sun has blessed us all with an alternative energy form which could be used in various ways to generate energy without harming environment and depleting natural resources. The day is very close when all the electronic gadgets we use will work on solar power.

Given below are 10 solar power innovations to watch out for.

1. Converting Infrared Light to Electricity

Using visible light to produce electricity is a normal trend these days but researchers have found a new technique producing electricity by using Infrared rays. Titanium and Vanadium are added to the solar panel’s semiconducting material, which absorbs visible light as well as infrared light to produce electricity. The whole system has absorption limit of 63% as compared to 40% that of conventional system.

2. Thin Film Solar Record

Necessity is the mother of invention. This quote holds its true significance here. The shortage of silicon in the past few years has forced researchers to find out new alternative for thin films. In the same regard, the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has come up with thin solar film which resembles silicon film in appearance as well as functionality. This solar film is formed using copper indium gallium diselenide and is 19.9% efficient.

3. CoolEarth Inflatable Solar Balloons

Most of the companies are trying to cut down on the use of photovoltaic cells as they are very expensive. But the question is that if not photovoltaic than what? To answer this question CoolEarth is working on its inflatable solar collectors. These balloons are 400 times cheaper than the concentrators of similar size and can be mounted on wires further reducing any installation charges. Maintenance is as easy as installation. Any small damage could be healed with tape and replacement also takes not more than 15 minutes.

4. ‘Hairy’ Thin Film Solar Panels

History is full of strange and weird inventions. To add to it, one researcher has found out a technique of growing light absorbing nanowires on carbon-nanotube material. This strange research of growing high efficiency photovoltaic material has been carried out by the researchers of McMaster University. The aim is to produce cheap and high performance solar cells.

5. Moth Eyes Biomimicry for Solar Panels

Silicon is coated with anti-reflective material to increase its light absorbing capability so that more electricity could be produced from it, but still the process in not very effective. To find a solution to this problem, researchers noticed that moths have non-reflective eyes for defense against night predators. Moth-eye efficiency could be realized from the fact that it reflects back only 2% light.

6. Day4 Energy’s Innovation

There have been many successful innovations in the laboratory that have defeated the performance of solar PV, but only few were feasible enough to reach the market. Day4 Energy’s has recently made a practical innovation by increasing the efficiency of their solar cells to 17-18%, which could reduce its cost by approximately 25%. These solar panels will be soon available in the market.

7. 1366 Technologies Bringing Solar Power Closer to $1/Watt

1366 Technologies, silicon photovoltaic manufacturing company is ready with its prototype of multi-crystalline silicon solar panel. Making three different innovations to the conventional multi-crystalline silicon solar panels have improved its efficiency by 20%.

8. Solaria: 90% of the Power with 50% of the Silicon

Solaria’s solar cells produce 90% of the usual solar panel’s energy by using only 50% of silicon. Thus it is very cost effective method of producing energy. Unlike conventional solar panels that have silicon covering all over the surface, Solaria slices the silicon into small strips and places them away from each other so that they no wrap the whole panel surface. Instead, a molded plastic cover collects the entire light from panels and transfers it to the silicon strips, thus increasing the efficiency and reducing the cost.

9. Sunrgi’s Extremely Concentrated Photovoltaic Cells

Sunrgi have claimed that they will shortly create electricity at wholesale cost of 5 cents kWh by using an innovating technique. They will do so by focusing Sun’s light to 2,000 times into exceptionally efficient solar photovoltaic cells.

10. Japan Hopes to Have Solar Power Station in Space by 2030

Japan has always amazed world with its innovations and technologies. With the intention of doing the same, Japan is working on a Solar Power Station that will be installed in space by 2030. It will be a massive and a costly investment. It is estimated that orbiting portion alone could stretch for kilometers and weigh 10,000 tonnes.

5 weirdest solar powered green products
by: Ecofriend, 2011-09-21 10:23:18 UTC
Preeti Dahiya:

The solar energy powered green products are a rage all over the world and people prefer these products over other non-green products as they offer better durability and are eco friendly. These days a variety of such green products are available in market at very affordable prices. These products vary from simple daily use products to business related products. People have shifted their interest more towards green products and have helped our environment in some or other way.

So here is a list of top five solar powered gadgets for your UV ray-absorbing pleasure:

1. Go Urban cargo pants by Silver Lining

You might not have seen anything like this before. This is a unique concept that is made out of your cargo pants. These specially designed cargo pants are provided with 5 volt solar panels that allows you to charge your gadget on the move without any hassles. You don’t have to worry next time your battery goes off, as this cool cargo pant will charge it instantly. Stylish design with silver linings makes it even more attractive. Priced at $920, this gadget is worth a deal.

2. Logitech K750 solar-powered keyboard

Logitech launched their latest technology in electronic industry. They have developed a solar powered keyboard which is going to solve out all your power related problems. It’s hard to ignore the fact that the wireless gadgets like keyboards become so annoying at times when they run out of battery. So here is a perfect gadget for all those people who want to get rid of their battery operated keyboard. This wireless solar powered keyboard can be carried anywhere and never runs out of power. It can be operated using solar energy and is available at an affordable price of $80.

3. Eton NSP500b Solar XL sound system for iPod and iPhone

This cool sound system from Eton is what defines a perfect solar energy powered gadget. This boom box supports all your latest devices including iPhone and iPod. The wireless stereos are considered to be one of the most power consuming devices and, thus, are referred as costly devices to handle. But this ultra freaky gadget will never let you down when you are enjoying on a picnic trip with family or having a party at beach with friends. Enjoy the sun with high sound music for unlimited time as this device will get charged using solar energy. Priced at $249.95, this awesome gadget is really hard to miss.

4. ReVIVE Series Solar Restore external battery pack

Next up is the Solar restore external battery pack from Revive which is another cool portable device to charge up your mobile phone on the move. This handy gadget with awesome looks is equipped with solar panel for any device that takes micro-USB. The only limitation about the gadget is that it will charge only 50 percent of your gadget’s battery. But with its compact structure and high durability, it’s hard to miss this gadget. In addition, the battery of your gadget can be charged using an AC adapter. The product is available for $28.99 in market.

5. KC Solar and Wind Charger

The KC solar and wind charger gadget is specially made for people who have been looking for a gadget to beat the heat. So why not going for this cool solar handheld fan? This fan is actually not a fan; instead, it is a 3-in-1 portable charging device. It can charge up the 4,000 mAh battery via AC adapter. This green gadget also uses solar and wind power to charge up the device. So next time, if you run out of battery, you have got an option to charge it without much hassles. The gadget is fairly priced at $79.85.