Ariel Schwartz is the editor of CleanTechnica and a contributor at Fast Company, Inhabitat, Triple Pundit, SF Weekly, and NBC Bay Area Online. A graduate of Vassar College, she has previously worked in publishing, organic farming, documentary film, and newspaper journalism. Her interests include permaculture, hiking, skiing, music, relocalization, and cob (the building material). She currently resides in San Francisco, CA.
A new study from Greenpeace, the European Solar Thermal Agency, and the International Energy Agency’s SolarPACES Group has shown that concentrated solar power (CSP) could generate a quarter of the world’s energy needs by 2050–and create thousands of new jobs and prevent millions of tons of CO2 from being released.
Electric cars have been getting plenty of attention recently, but what about electric jetskis? The ECO Jetski–the first all-electric jetski–reaches speeds of 50 MPH and has an impressive battery life of three hours. Check out a video of the yet-to-be-released jetski in action below.
The whole thing is happening without flashy ad campaigns, so it’s not surprising if you’ve never heard of municipal solar financing. But the financing program, also known as “property tax” financing, is a veritable underground solar revolution.
Last week, we took a look at San Diego’s revolutionary solar plan, which will allow residents to pay for solar panels through property tax bills over a 20 year period. But don’t pack your bags for Southern California just yet. Annapolis, MD has a similar plan , dubbed the Annapolis (EZ) Energy Zone Program.
Do you live in San Diego, CA and want to buy a solar panel system but just don’t have the cash? Congratulations, it’s your lucky day–or rather, it will be your lucky day beginning in July. That’s when a revolutionary program goes into effect that allows residents to pay for solar panels through property tax bills over a period of 20 years.
Move over, corn: there’s a new biofuel in town. A tiny flowering plant called duckweed, often seen in shallow ponds, produces significantly more starch per acre than corn according to researchers North Carolina State University. The plant thrives on animal waste, quickly transforming it into a leafy starch that can be turned into ethanol.
You might think that renewable energy developers have few problems convincing towns to let them move in. But things can get surprisingly tricky when it comes to wildlife protection, according to a new map from the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Audubon Society. The Google Maps mash-up shows which renewable energy project locations are likely to provoke a fight based on the location of wilderness areas, areas where roads are banned, national parks, wildlife refuges, areas under consideration for wilderness protection, and areas that lack legal protection but contain endangered species.
What if you could buy a system that networked your window shades, thermostat, and washing machine together in an energy-saving tango? What if the system was part of your monthly Verizon FiOs package? A Verizon-powered home energy management system might just be available by the end of the year, according to industry sources.
We recently learned that Denmark plans on building the world’s largest wind farm. With a net installed capacity of 209 MW, Horns Rev 2 (companion to Horns Rev 1) will provide power to 200,000 homes. The North Sea offshore wind farm is scheduled for completion later this year.
For info on the construction process of Horns Rev 2, check out the MSNBC video below.
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