Green Education: Clean Technology

  After announcing a big EV battery research project on December 1, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) let us know about a Q&A opportunity with one of its scientists regarding batteries. After collecting a number of questions, Berkeley Lab battery scientist Venkat Srinivasan answered several of these questions. Here’s the video: Dr. Srinivasan may still answer questions you have about batteries if you post them in the comments of the video above. If you’ve got some, … Read More A Scientist Answers Your Battery Questions was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  According to the recent announcement, leading solar inverter manufacturer SMA is all set to acquire a majority stake in Chinese inverter company Jiangsu Zeversolar New Energy Co., Ltd. SMA will get 72.5% stake in the Jiangsu Zeversolar New Energy Co., Ltd. which will provide opportunity to SMA to get access into the fast-growing solar energy market of China and to consolidate its leadership in the photovoltaic market. The agreement is yet to receive Chinese … Read More Leading Inverter Company SMA Buys Majority Stake In Chinese Firm Zeversolar was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  JinkoSolar, one of the worlds’ top solar panel makers, along with state-run business Jinchuan Group are going to create a 200 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic solar farm in the Gansu province of China. Located in the city of Jinchang, the new PV farm, which will be one of the largest independently run plants in Asia, will help support three other thermal power plants in the area. The 2 RMB billion project will be on-line by June, … Read More JinkoSolar, Jinchuan Group Co-Backing, Developing 200MW Gansu PV Plant was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  Anti-wind and anti-solar folks (yes, there are a few out there — mostly tied to the fossil fuel industry) love to bring up renewable energy subsidies. However, there are so many reasons why they really shouldn’t be eager to do so. For example, fossil fuel and nuclear subsidies dwarf renewable energy subsidies. Additionally, many indirect subsidies never even get counted in most subsidy analyses — such as the tremendous extent to which we subsidize … Read More A Thought On Subsidies (Reader Comment) was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  When the sun shines, illuminating and inciting photosynthesis for plant life, we also catch it with our solar panels. We catch these rays to use them for our electricity needs, and we catch them to hold for times when the sun is hidden away. When the breeze blows, when wind stirs and incites, green power is also plentiful. However, at other moments when consumers need energy, the wind is not always blowing nor are the sun’s rays raining … Read More Green Storage: New Funding for Catching the Shine of the Sun, and the Stirring of the Wind was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  Electric vehicle charge time may appear to be primarily a convenience issue, but fast charging makes a tremendous difference where practicality is concerned. The Chevy Spark is reportedly being offered with a fast-charging option that will charge the vehicle in 20 minutes. Relatively fast charge times of 20 minutes mean that it is more feasible to recharge your electric vehicle in public if you are almost out of range. The Chevy Spark electric vehicle … Read More Milestone: Chevy Spark Has The Option To Charge In 20 Minutes was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  The Lake Stevens School District is actually saving their teachers’ jobs, buying more textbooks, and funding a new AP class because they can, due to energy conservation efforts. Other schools are doing the opposite due to difficult financial times. And what they did is just about one of the simplest, yet most effective, energy efficiency strategies: They simply turn things off when they are not using them. Energy conservation is the cheapest way to … Read More Energy Conservation Saved The Lake Stevens School District From Cuts was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  Wow, that was fast. Just last summer, we noticed that scientists at Cornell University were developing shrub willow biofuel as a means of helping New York farmers to squeeze extra income from marginal land, and before the ink has dried on the research papers, we’re getting news of a 1,100 acre shrub willow biofuel operation that is already providing biomass for power plants in the state. If shrub willow energy really does catch on, it could provide farmers … Read More Shrub Willow Biofuel Heats Up New York Fracking Wars was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  Here’s an interesting solar energy video that one of our fabulous readers shared awhile back: The post on which the video was shared was a short post that included these two graphics: Merry Christmas, and thanks for helping us advance this insanely promising energy resource! Solar Potential — Insane (VIDEO) was originally published on: CleanTechnica Solar Potential — Insane (VIDEO) was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  Researchers from the Department of Energy (DOE) have for the first time identified an enzyme that is capable of significantly raising the amount of the sugar galactan that is present in the cell walls of plants. Galactan is a type of galactose, which is a 6-carbon sugar that is easily fermentable into ethanol by utilizing yeast. It has long been a substance of great interest to researchers trying to create advanced biofuels from “cellulosic … Read More Biofuel Production Could Get Huge Boost Thanks To Galactan Breakthrough was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  Those suffering from respiratory problems derived from pollution in the air may soon have the chance to view real-time data regarding the conditions in their own neighborhood, thanks to computer scientists from the University of California San Diego. The researchers have built a small fleet of portable pollution sensors that they sent out into the area during a field test — the sensors allow users to monitor air quality in real-time and view the … Read More Monitoring Air Quality From Your Smart Phone was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  California just recently passed the milestone of 1 GW of solar power production (in August). And now it has just surpassed another milestone — it nearly reached that peak August generation level during the week of the Winter Solstice, which is the least-sunny time of the year, setting a new winter solar power generation record. “On Wednesday, December 19, the CaISO’s preliminary figures for renewable energy output, which are displayed in the chart at … Read More California Sets New Record For Winter Solar Power Generation was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  Utility companies can benefit considerably from the utilization of concentrating solar power (CSP) and available energy storage methods, a new study from the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has found. A CSP that possesses a 6-hour storage capacity works well to lower peak net loads for the part of the day when the sun isn’t shining. That’s “enough to add $35.80 per megawatt hour to the capacity and operational value … Read More Concentrating Solar Power With Thermal Energy Storage Is Economically Useful For Utility Company Profits, Study Finds was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  Biking is virtually all good news: Saves money, saves the planet, keeps people healthier, is fashionable among the rich and famous, can reduce prison sentences. And now, studies are pointing to brain benefits from biking. Danish researchers were looking at the benefits of breakfast and lunch on school children and found that how the children got to school was actually of great importance. They found that the kids who walked or rode their bikes … Read More Biking Benefits Body & Brain was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  Is Los Angeles looking to shirk its reputation as a surfer haven and emerge as a cyclists’ sanctuary? Maybe. According to a recent LA Times article, Bike Nation is pledging $16 million to LA’s first (and the country’s second largest, behind NYC’s system) bike sharing program, which will launch in April 2013. Miami Heat stars LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Mario Chalmers don’t have the market cornered on NBA endorsements of cycling initiatives. Los … Read More 2nd Largest US Bike Sharing Program To Launch In LA In April was originally published on: CleanTechnica