Cleaner air raises the costs of electricity

The price of electricity produced by coal based power generators, one of the most noxious combustibles, will double starting with 2013 if it will be necessary for the power generating companies to acquire all the certificates for air pollution, declared Gabriel Baleanu, expert from the Economics and Finances Ministry. This will lead to the increase of [...]

McCain’s Vision for Renewable Energy

GOP candidate John McCain has his eyes on nuclear energy to address our current climate crisis. Nothing like solving one problem while creating another. I can understand that he may hate the sun for what it does to his pasty white skin. And that he may hate the wind for messing up his well placed [...]

Wind Power Blows into Peru and Brightens Future

ot too many years from now, parents living in the little town of Alumbre, Peru will probably tell their young children that they remember the days before there was electricity. These “old-timers” will talk about how wind was once thought of as the enemy– blowing out the few candles that provided light as they struggled [...]

BioTown, USA: Is Total Energy Self-Sufficiency Possible?

Sure, it’s easy enough for one person to attempt energy self-sufficiency: put a solar panel on your roof, run your car on biodiesel, and you’re halfway there. But how easy is it for an entire town to become self-sufficient? That’s the question that Reynolds, Indiana has been trying to answer for the past 3 years. In [...]

Harness solar + wind power for < $150

In past journal entries I’ve referred to solar hot water as a low-hanging fruit in alternative energy appliances. If that metaphor is true, then there is a lower cost solar device which is like the fruit falling in your lap — although it will take some work to enjoy it’s benefits. Without repeating what I’ve [...]

10 Ways to Cut Home Energy Consumption

Editor’s note: Our friends at Low Impact Living point out 10 ways you can save energy this summer. This post was originally published on June 10th, 2008. The heat of summer is coming, and that means many of us are about to crank up the AC, make an extra batch of ice, and generally burn energy [...]

Tap Water Is OK

Restaurants in seven cities across the US are part of the initial wave of the Food & Water Watch “Take Back the Tap“ Campaign. “The consumer advocacy group is working with cities across the nation to urge local restaurants and chefs to sign a pledge to switch to serving only tap water, help educate customers about [...]

New Record: World’s Largest Wind Turbine (7+ Megawatts)

The world’s largest wind turbine is now the Enercon E-126. This turbine has a rotor blade length of 126 meters (413 feet). The E-126 is a more sophisticated version of the E-112, formerly the world’s largest wind turbine and rated at 6 megawatts.

Solar and Wind Powered StreetLights In Tokyo

We just wrote about the new LED streelights in Ann Arbor. Now we find these self-contained streetlights that generate 100% of their power from the sun and the wind. During the day, solar power is stored in a battery at the base of the light pole. At night, they illuminate while continuing to generate power [...]

The Destructive Power of Wind: Turbine Disintigrates

Ever been curious exactly what kind of force would be necessary to destroy a wind turbine? Well, luckily for you (and not whoever owns this turbine) now we get to see.