Deciding that "Hey, all this green building actually saves us money!" massive media chain Best Buy will only be constructing eco-friendly stores starting in early 2008. The shift in construction methods — according to the United States Green Building Council — will save the corporation almost one-third in energy costs. Over time, that’s big bucks, considering how large Best Buy’s outlets are. From the article,
"The Best Buy prototype will have
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While these stories on solar efficiency going up and up might become as repetitive as Al Gore on the cover of magazines, they’re still an important reminder that R&D, investments, and technology are moving ever forward in this industry.
It was announced today that the University of Delaware has achieved 42.8% efficiency with a silicon solar cell in the conversion of sunlight to energy. The previous record-holder [...]
An almost 700 mile long fence between the US and Mexico border is raising alarm with environmentalists concerned about impacts to wildlife and the surrounding ecosystem. The fence is being created to help curb the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States; a construction move that Mexican officials claim will cause irreparable environmental damages. From the article,
A report prepared for the Mexican government by experts and environmental
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While the world has been heaping praise upon hybrid technology for its mileage-boosting properties, a forgotten and alienated alternative has quietly been evolving with even more impressive green numbers. I’m speaking of diesel engines, of course, which, up until a few years ago, were nary on the radar of American consumers. Early diesel engines in the U.S. were dirty, loud, and generally associated with some pretty terrible cars. Buried [...]
We all look at photos of air pollution in urban areas and cringe — how could anyone breathe the air in such settings? Then again, when you’re in the thick of a downtown city, very little indicates (beyond smell) that what you’re breathing is less than adequate for your health. Besides, you’ve got a meeting in 20 minutes!
Yes, the air (in America at least) is much better today than it was decades ago. [...]
As countless Discovery Channel specials have taught me: Throw enough water at any desert region and in a little more than a few days, you'll be staring at a lush paradise. Such is the case with Texas which — together with Oklahoma and Kansas — has received 330 percent its normal rainfall over the past several weeks. Every major river basin in the state flooded — a feat that has not occurred since 1957. [...]
It's not just the environment that stands to benefit from renewable sources of energy like solar power. According to a new white paper released by the IC² Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, more than "123,000 new high-wage, technology-related, advanced manufacturing and electrical services jobs" could be generated by moving towards solar technologies. This is based on [...]
I've been a doubter of fuel cell technology for a very long time. Commercialization has always seemed just "over the next hill" with promises of "we're almost there" silencing the eager in the backseat. Before going green was cool, and when gas purchases didn't require a second thought, a hydrogen economy seemed too expensive, too laborious, and not worth the investment or effort. My, how things have changed. Fuel cells are now poised to [...]
Is there a more iconic sports car than a blood red Ferrari? Sure, the Corvette is up there, but to me the Ferrari has always been the epitome of "zoom zoom". It's encouraging, therefore, to hear today that over the next decade, the Ferrari brand will become much more environmentally friendly. While the company stopped short of announcing an all-electric model, such additions as regenerative breaking, advanced turbocharged engines, massive weight reductions and biofuels [...]
Search for "Largest corporate solar installation in the U.S." and you'll see Google pop up in the results. As of yesterday, the search engine giant became a lot less dependent on the grid by flipping the switch on nearly 9,212 solar panels. The output of more than 1.6 megawatts will serve up enough energy to power almost 1/3 of the campus. For some perspective, that's enough energy to power more than 1,000 homes! [...]
