Geothermal energy can also be captured from heat pumps. Heat pumps tap into the heat near the Earth’s surface. This type of energy capturing can be used to heat water supplies or heat/cool buildings. Geothermal heat pumps transfer heat by pumping water or a refrigerant through pipes (also known as heat exchangers) below the Earth’s surface. During the winter months the water and refrigerants absorb heat from the Earth and deliver it to buildings and such. During summer months pumps are ...

Continue reading ...

Geothermal energy is heat derived from the Earth. It is both clean and sustainable. It can be excavated from shallow ground, hot water, hot rocks, and magma. Geothermal energy can be extracted through power plants and heat pumps.

There are three types of geothermal power plants. The first type is called dry steam and uses heat from deep within the Earth to generate steam, which produces electricity. Wells drill into the Earth and pump hot water to the surface under high pressures. Once at...

Continue reading ...

A Climate Central report from earlier this year highlighted the amount of energy infrastructure around the country that is close to sea level. Louisiana, of course, comes across as the clearest example of energy infrastructure at risk to rising seas, with 163 major energy facilities at five feet above sea level or less. Surprisingly, New Jersey and New York are ranked 5th and 6th in the country, respectively, for the amount of infrastructure that is within 5 feet of sea level.

Hurricane...
Continue reading ...

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has launched a new tool and redesigned DOE’s Alternative Fuels Data Center Web site to help fleet managers, municipalities and consumers choose from a wide variety of alternative fuels and energy efficiency strategies for reducing petroleum use, vehicle emissions, and operating costs.

The AFDC’s new Petroleum Reduction Planning Tool is an interactive Web application that allows fleet managers to evaluate th...

Continue reading ...

Have “power down” days. We humans are addicted to electricity and all its accompanying gadgets. There should be a few days each year (once per season is nice) where the family “powers down.” This means no TV, music, computer, electric lights, etc. (You can still eat, of course, but try using the more natural gas stove instead of microwave radiation.) My husband and I have powered down for many a Winter Solstice. It’s a way of slowing life down for a bit and reconnecting with each ot...
Continue reading ...

In one 50-minute period last month, the Intro to Engineering students at Chatfield High School in Jefferson County, Colorado, charted the strength of solar panels at their desks, then climbed through a trap door to examine the 100-kilowatt solar array on their school's flat roof.

"You see a couple of panels that have been shattered by last year's wind storm," teacher Joel Bertelsen told the 32 students, who were peering intently at the panels when not testing the springiness of the roof. "I...
Continue reading ...

Donna DeForbes a great writer and eco-mom, she is our new contributor!  Donna wrote a very cool post about bio gas and the multiple options out there for transforming solid waste into energy.  According to the article, under the gentler moniker of ‘bio-gas’, businesses around the globe are seeking ways to harness the power of human waste, which contains bacteria that releases methane gas (also known as Natural Gas and CH4).

Using solid waste from 70 homes, British company GENeco powered a ...
Continue reading ...

In 2000 the Zero-Emission Bus (ZBus) regulation was established. Its intentions were to develop a Californian transit system made up of 15% zero emission buses. This formation of this regulation would also meet California’s air quality, greenhouse gas, and energy security goals.



Source: Zero-Emission Bus Design

Zbus’ produce zero smog pollutants and when compared to diesel-fueled buses, is predicted to reduce greenhouse gases by 46 percent. They have centralized fueling that allows one s...
Continue reading ...

Since the late 1830’s companies around the world have been striving to create a technology that can replace traditional batteries and generator technologies. They seek a technology that will help to overcome the pressing environmental concerns the world is facing. That is where the fuel cell comes in. Fuel cells are electrochemical energy devices that convert hydrogen and oxygen into water, which can then produce electricity and heat. They are most similar to the average household battery; ...
Continue reading ...

Earlier last year, Japan experienced a 9.0 earthquake followed by massive tsunamis. The destruction that occurred killed thousands and left many more homeless. One of the many unfortunate side effects of this natural catastrophe was the threat of nuclear disaster.

Concerns revolving around energy and basic life services for the future plagued Japanese people. That is where a Japanese advertising firm, TBWA/Hakuhodo, along with Nissan, NEC, and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, came...
Continue reading ...

They say a picture is worth a thousand words — but what happens when what you want to look at is impossible to see?
 
That’s where the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s Electrofuels program comes in. The 13 projects that make up the program seek to develop renewable liquid fuels that use microorganisms to harness chemical or electrical energy to convert carbon dioxide into liquid fuels, without using petroleum or biomass. For example, scientists at Columbia University are using...
Continue reading ...

Energy breakdown for the food production system includes about 20 percent of overall energy used in agricultural production, 14 percent for transport, 16 percent for processing, another 7 percent for packaging, 4 percent in food retailing 7 percent in restaurants and caterers and a whopping 32 percent goes to home refrigeration and preparation.

What do you think are the solutions to this challenge:


Continue reading ...

It's one of our favorite times of the year—when hundreds of concerned citizens from across New York State travel to Albany to call on lawmakers to vote green!

Please join us for the 22nd annual Earth Day Lobby Day!

	When:	Wednesday, April 25, 2012 9:30 a.m.–3 p.m.
	Where:	New York State Capitol Albany, NY
	RSVP:	Click here to register

At Earth Day Lobby Day, you'll hear from state government and environmental leaders, learn about environmental bills that are pending in Albany, and lob...

Continue reading ...

The 7th annual Photovoltaics Summit will take place April 17-18, 2012, in San Diego, California. The conference will address the issues, markets and technological advancements that will drive PV developments in 2012 and beyond. This year's event will examine all of the successes and challenges the industry has faced over the past decade, and provide attendees with the knowledge they need to compete and succeed in the coming years. 
 
Location: The Westin, San Diego, CA, United States 
Summary: T...
Continue reading ...

Fireside Chat: Canadian Corporate Leaders To Share Culture Building Strategies In The Green Economy

Event Date & Time:
March 7, 2012  4:30 PM - 6:30 PM

Location: Toronto, Ontario and LIVE Webcast . Bennett Jones, 1st Canadian Place, 100 King St. W. (King & Bay), 34th Floor, Toronto, Canada. Toronto, Ontario and FREE LIVE Webcast

During the discussion you will learn:
• The value of communicating a clear vision throughout your organization
• Specific examples of culture building strategies
�...
Continue reading ...

DOE Announces Funding for Nationwide Student-Focused Clean Energy Business Competitions

Washington, D.C. - As part of the Obama Administration's effort to support and empower the next generation of American clean energy entrepreneurs, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced $2 million in available funding for the National University Clean Energy Business Challenge. This nationwide initiative will create a network of regional student-focused clean energy business creation competitions ...
Continue reading ...

Via NREL Newswire
 

The kids are back in school in post-Katrina New Orleans, and there's light at the end of the classroom.

Five years after Katrina flushed water through the failed floodwalls, destroying homes, damaging classrooms and dashing dreams, the opportunity to build green schools that save millions of dollars on energy bills is just within reach for the school districts that serve New Orleans.Hurricane Katrina knocked out dozens of schools along with thousands of homes, and for quite a...

Continue reading ...

Via DOE

Golden, Colo., Oct. 13, 2010 – Thirty-four clean energy companies, including five Colorado companies, will gather in Denver Oct. 19-21 to present their clean energy business cases to a panel of national venture capitalists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory 23rd Industry Growth Forum. 

In addition to the business case presentations, a comprehensive agenda of speakers and in-depth panels will address the most important topics in the industry today...

Continue reading ...

Via U.S. Department of Energy

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) Chair Nancy Sutley recently announced plans for the installation of solar on the roof of the White House residence. The plans are for two solar panels that will provide electricity, and a solar hot water heater that will heat water for use in the residence.

The announcement came on the one-year anniversary of President Obama's Executive Order (EO) 13514 on Leadership in Environmental, Ene...

Continue reading ...

(Via BusinessGreen)

American Businesses for Clean Energy (ABCE) group, one of the leading corporate coalitions pushing for the adoption of climate change legislation, last week released an analysis of green business lobby groups revealing that more than 6,000 firms are now fully in favour of clean energy and climate legislation

The study said that combined, the companies, which include 21 Fortune 100 companies and many of the largest corporate names in the US, employ 3.5 million people and hav...
Continue reading ...

Via Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University

Our colleague and good friend Steve Schneider, the Melvin and Joan Lane Professor for Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies and senior fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford, died on July 19, 2010, while traveling from a meeting in Stockholm to London. Steve was not only a man of formidable intellectual depth and breadth, but also a committed and compassionate advisor, mentor, teacher and friend. ...

Continue reading ...

There is a new energy efficiency program from NYSREDA, where you can swap your old appliances and receive a cash rebate by purchasing a new ENERGY STAR® qualified refrigerator, freezer or washer.  The purchase must replace an existing appliance. Plus recycling your old, existing appliances of the same type, makes you eligible for the maximum rebate.

for more information, or visit the program website: www.nyapplianceswapout.com


Continue reading ...

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has authorized a measure that would add a fee of between $4 and $34 per ton of carbon dioxide to electricity generated from coal-fired power stations in North Dakota that is exported to Minnesota. By adding this fee to coal power, it is hoped that it will spur the further development of renewable energy sources.

Continue reading ...