Green Education: Clean Technology

  Other than our own stories, here’s some top cleantech, climate, and even fossil fuel news of the day: Solar Solar-Powered Prisons in California Represent Big Savings for Taxpayers: “Prisons are a necessary component of modern society, but even the most die-hard “get tough on crime” proponent doesn’t want to spend a ton of money on them.  So, where do you keep costs down? Guards? Buildings? Cutting most categories of spending probably also means cutting … Read More Solar-Powered Prisons; CSP–Fossil Fuel Integration; EWEA 2013; Duties On China Wind Towers… (Cleantech & Climate News Of The Day) was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  Modern electronics usually use a little bit of electricity while they are switched “off,” often for the sake of convenience so that you don’t have to set the time or retain settings or wait awhile for something to start up. However, the settings bit is unnecessary, as they can be (and often are) stored using EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). Normally, the Tesla Model S does not completely switch off when you turn … Read More Simple Software Update Increases Tesla Model S Range By Up To 56 Miles Per Week was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  A group of researchers from Penn State University has uncovered a new issue for fracking, the natural gas drilling method that involves pumping a pressurized mix of water, chemicals, and other substances thousands of feet underground. Until now, one major focus of concern has been fracking water contamination from chemicals in the original fluid. The new twist, according to the research team, is that the spent fluid comes back laden with a brine containing elements that have … Read More Prehistoric Flowback Adds Fresh Trouble To Fracking Woes was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  Here’s a pretty big opportunity some of you might be interested in: the chance to be invited to Abu Dhabi as VIP media in order to cover the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, which is January 13-17. (This is a big event: the organizers expect 30,000 people from 150 countries to attend Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.) In particular, Masdar writes that the winner “will be selected for an all-expense paid trip to Abu Dhabi (January 13-17) and … Read More Win A Trip To Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week: Write A Blog Post About Water-Energy Nexus was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  Want to hear what Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Senator Mark Udall (D-CO) think about the future of the US wind industry? Have questions you want to ask them? Today’s your opportunity. At 4pm ET on energy.gov/live, the two clean energy leaders “will discuss the progress of wind energy and the importance of robust policy support to ensure continued American leadership in the sector,” the Department of Energy (DOE) writes. “The event will be livestreamed on … Read More Live Conversation Today With Energy Secretary Steven Chu & Senator Mark Udall (D-CO) On Future Of US Wind Industry was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  Yikes, that’s a bit of a humiliating stat, isn’t it? I’ve covered this sort of thing previously, when comparing solar power capacity of various countries to TWh of electricity production, to GDP, and per capita. At the end of 2011, Germany had over 39 times more solar power capacity per TWh of electricity production than the US, and it was second only to Italy. Relative to GDP, Germany had almost 24 times more solar … Read More Chart: German PV Capacity = 50% Of Peak Summer Demand; US PV Capacity = 0.5% Of Peak Summer Demand was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  The megacities of the world are facing the reality of very likely having to deal with increasingly powerful super storms and rapidly rising sea levels as the effects of climate change worsen. Many of these already vulnerable urban areas are rapidly growing and expected to continue to do so into the foreseeable future. These coastal urban areas are also often economic hubs where trillions of dollars of businesses, industry, infrastructure, and banking is based. … Read More World’s Megacities Face Extreme Flooding As Sea Levels Continue To Rise & Storms Increase In Intensity (Large Percentage Of World GDP At Risk) was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  Applications for the construction of nearly 1 GW (1,000 MW) of new solar power capacity have recently been received by Brazil’s national electricity regulator, ANEEL. A total of 21 new requests have been received by the agency in recent weeks. Among these applications are: 7 new PV plants in the central state of Minas Gerais, including the 30MW Patos de Minas solar project, the 30MW Tupaciguara project, the 30MW João Pinheiro project, and a … Read More 1,000 MW Of New Solar Power Plant Applications In Brazil was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  Europe’s largest onshore wind farm is now up and running. Located in the heart of Dobregea Constanta County in Romania, the 600-megawatt (MW) Fantanele/Cogealac wind farm is being run by CEZ Romania, a branch of the largest Central European utility, the CEZ Group. The project is using 240 of General Electric’s 2.5MW wind turbines, with the last turbine coming online in November. “We chose GE because of its proven technology and the extensive experience of … Read More Europe’s Largest Onshore Wind Farm Now Online was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  According to a recent study, the benefits of electric vehicles is not just their low energy costs, but also their much lower maintenance costs. The study found that electric vehicle (EV) maintenance costs are 35% lower than that of typical vehicles powered by combustion engine. This is partly due to the fact that electric vehicles contain far fewer mechanical parts and lack the fuel and air regulation systems that ICE vehicles rely on. There is also … Read More EV Maintenance Much Cheaper Than That Of ICE Vehicles was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  This article has been reposted from RenewEconomy with permission. RenewEconomy passed around the hat this past week for a few ideas on what would be big in 2013 in clean energy in Australia. What emerged was a couple of key themes – the continued proliferation of solar PV and the growing interest in energy storage. And it might just be the year that big solar (solar thermal) makes its mark. “Watch solar thermal for a vision … Read More Hot Tips For Australia In 2013 — Energy Storage, Big Solar was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  Lux Research has published list of the “Top Emerging Technology Companies in 2012,” and the list is full of cleantech companies — solar, grid storage, bio-based materials, energy efficiency, and more. Well, it’s no surprise, cleantech is clearly one of the fastest growing segments of the market, and one of the most needed and most promising. Here’s Lux Research’s full press release on the list: BOSTON, MA – December 18, 2012 – Global megatrends like energy … Read More Lux Research’s List Of Top Emerging Technology Companies In 2012 Is Full Of Cleantech Companies was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  Other than our own stories, here’s some top cleantech and climate news of the day: Solar Power Top PV Module Suppliers Developing Own Utility Projects: “Research from Wiki-Solar has found that the most successful module providers to utility-scale photovoltaic plants are developing their own projects to accommodate their products.” PG&E Grant Supports Solar Job Training, Community Vitality: “The Solar Intern Program is a three-month paid internship that provides job training for people seeking careers … Read More Solar Job Training, EV Predictions For 2013, Ford C-Max Breaks Hybrid Launch Sales Record… (Cleantech News Of The Day) was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  Scientists at GE’s global research labs have adapted jet engine technology to create a super-thin cooling device that will keep your tablets cool no matter the weather or usage. “It’s like a pair of lungs, it contracts and expands,” says Peter deBock, lead thermal systems engineer at GE Global Research. Coming in at just three millimetres thick, the “dual piezoelectric cooling jets” utilize jet engine technology that is normally used to improve air flow through jet … Read More Jet Engine Technology Will Cool Your Tablet was originally published on: CleanTechnica

  A European consortium has been awarded a €13.3 million grant by the European Commission to push the development of cost-effective integration of renewables like wind into the electrical grid. The consortium, eStorage — made up of Alstom, the consortium leader; Elia, a transmission system operator; EDF, a generation company; Imperial College, an academic Institution; DNV Kema, an engineering consultancy and testing & certification company; and Algoé, a management consultancy — will look to develop a solution … Read More eStorage — Improving Wind & Solar Energy Integration Into Electrical Grid was originally published on: CleanTechnica