Biofuel Propels Plane to New World Record
Camelina oilseed is part of a new biofuel industry initiative that has significant potential for an eco-business.
New Computer Promotes Small Scale Hydro Power
Engineers at the Oregon State University College of Engineering have developed a computer program that is able to accurately predict how much electricity a small scale hydro power installation will produce now and in the future, even if local data is unavailable.
Portable Solar Panels Bring Power To Remote Locations
John Hingley of MIlton Keynes, England, has developed a portable solar panel system he says is a self contained microgrid for remote areas or places hit by natural disaster.
CLEANTECH REVOLUTION TOUR → BERLIN Updates
Via CleanTechnica: We’ve got several notable updates regarding our first cleantech conference — CLEANTECH REVOLUTION TOUR → BERLIN — to share with you. First of all, we now have: → a Facebook event page (share with friends!) → an event webpage (which we’ll continuously update) → an eventbrite page for registering (again, register, and share with friends!) … and a confirmed location (C13events) in a very energy-efficient building that offers a great venue for everything we plan to do at the “consumer cleantech conference.” We’ve also brought in…
Pre-fab Solar Plan Could Slash Cost Of Solar Farms
A start-up in Australia is experimenting with pre-fabricated solar systems that can be transported to remote locations and set up in a matter of days or even hours. Later, they can be taken down and moved to a new location.
How to Green a Burrito or Fresh-Mex Restaurant: Top 10 Sustainable Strategies
Want to green your Fresh-Mex or burrito place? There are some sustainable strategies unique to both restaurants in general and those which serve cuisine like burritos, tacos, and nachos. Here are the top 10: Organi-fy your staples. Beans and rice are a staple on most Mexican/Fresh-Mex menus, and represent the grand majority of the calories you’ll be delivering. The great news is that this is an easy thing to get organic without breaking the bank. At our local food co-op,…
This Nonprofit Provides Free Energy Audits for Small Businesses
One way for small businesses to green up their operations can be through choosing a renewable energy source, whether it’s a rooftop solar installation or the purchase of clean energy through their local utility. However, a much lower hanging fruit for small business sustainability initiatives, and one that can have a big positive effect on the bottom line as well, is reducing the energy demand of the business. Of course, improved energy efficiency doesn’t sound nearly as exciting as getting…
Wave Energy Prize Challenge Seeks to Halve the Cost
Compared to some of the other renewable energy technologies, such as solar and wind, wave energy is still in its infancy (OK, maybe its early adolescence), and so far, wave energy advances haven’t yet come close to producing a cost-effective solution for electricity production. And yet because some 50% of the US population lives within 50 miles of the coast, if it were more feasible, both in terms of efficiency and cost, wave energy could eventually prove to be a…
Smarter Solar Irrigation Model Uses Centralized Solar, Distributed Pumps
In rural areas of Senegal, getting water for irrigating crops often comes with a hefty price tag, not only in terms of the cost to buy the fuel for it (about $1 per day for an average gas-powered irrigation pump), and the time necessary to procure it from the nearest gas station (which could be an hour away by car), but also in regards to the polluting emissions of the pumps themselves, which are not clean-burning or very efficient. Because…