Green Options » Clean-tech

Sony’s ODO Twirl n’ Take Kinetic Powered Camera

Courtney Carlisle — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:44:54 +0000

What happened to the ODO Twirl n’ Take? We first saw the wind up camera in 2007 when our friends over at Engadget posted the pics below. Then, today AOL’s Green Channel at Switched had more video from Engadget posted.

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Scrapping Fossil Fuel Subsidies Can Decrease Emissions

Joshua S Hill — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 19:51:08 +0000

Normally, when you think of an energy subsidy, specifically a fuel subsidy, it’s all good news. With the ever increasing price of fuel, and the world’s economy going to hell in a handbasket, any help we can get is a good thing.

But a new report from the UN Environment Program (UNEP) has turned that idea on its head, and for good measure. Because once you get right down to it, would you rather the government put their moneys in to helping out sustainable and renewable energies, or propping up the old ones?

Subsequently, the UNEP has recommended that fossil fuel subsidies should be scrapped, and that in doing so could not only decrease the amount of greenhouse gases, but also give a “not insignificant boost to the global economy.”

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Speaks on Energy, the Environment, and Obama at DNC Sunfest [w/video]

Timothy B. Hurst — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 09:22:52 +0000

Clear skies and Colorado’s strong, high-altitude sun provided an appropriate setting for a solar energy event at this week’s Democratic National Convention. Held in and around Coors Field in Denver, the event mixed two of my favorite things–renewable energy and politics–at one of my favorite places to be–a baseball park. Unfortunately, there was no baseball.

Outside the stadium was the normal smattering of solar demonstrations, booths, and vendors, Inside the stadium was a political rally of sorts; mixing music with speakers, including an impassioned talk given by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

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Put it into [Re]Drive, Where SimpleTech is Clean Tech

Courtney Carlisle — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:28:13 +0000

The [Re]Drive External Hard Drive from SimpleTech is an energy efficient hard drive wrapped in an eco-friendly package that is so stylish, you would never hide it away in a cabinet but put it front and center on your desk.

This plug n’ play system works with your USB 2.0 and 1.1 jacks, is Mac and PC compatible (phew!) and automatically turns on and off with your computer to conserve energy.

Did I mention how good looking it is? The hard drive is made with renewable bamboo and recyclable aluminum, the most recycled metal on the planet according to SimpleTech.

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13 Magnificent Renewable Energy Successes and Failures

Gavin Hudson — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:26:23 +0000

Last week, EcoWorldly hosted a renewable energy festival, highlighting energy projects and issues around the globe. Here, with links back to the original articles, are some inspiring successes and dismal failures in renewable energy as they were explored by our team of international environmental writers this past week.

To keep up with all international environmental news and views from EcoWorldly, subscribe to our RSS feed.

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South Korean Islanders Ask ‘Who Owns the Wind?’

Gavin Hudson — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 05:15:17 +0000

Jeju island in South Korea is said to have three things in abundance: wind, women, and rocks. But neither the rocks nor even the women are creating as much stir these days as the wind.

The goal of Jeju is 500 MW of wind power by 2020. That would cover 20% of the island’s energy needs. And that’s not including the island’s existing solar energy. However, the rapid growth of the wind energy industry has some people asking “who owns the wind?”

As in other regions where wind farms are springing up around the globe, some locals on Jeju island find themselves divided into supporters and opponents of wind farm development.

Before visiting Jeju’s two existing 10 MW and 15 MW wind farms, I spoke with Kim Dong-joo, an activist at the center of the wind energy conflict, in his office at the Korea Federation for Environmental Movement of Jeju.

“It’s a really good thing to spread renewable energy. Jeju island has a very strong wind to use for power generation, so many companies have made plans to invest to make a wind farm to earn money,” says Mr. Kim. “But,” he says, “these companies have only one goal; that is to earn money. So they do not think of anything like citizen participation and democratic decision-making. They did not think of anything, just earning money. So I think the cause of this social conflict is that the companies don’t think about the people involved on Jeju.

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Upcoming Events Explore Permaculture, Clean Tech

Cassie Walker — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 06:00:26 +0000

I’m always on the lookout for interesting new events that expand my knowledge, and introduce me to new people and ideas. Two such events are coming up over the next week in the Los Angeles area.

First up, this Sunday from 6pm - 8pm, a permaculture workshop will be held at All Shades of Green. For the uninitiated, like me, permaculture is generally defined as, “a system of perennial agriculture emphasizing the use of renewable natural resources and the enrichment of local ecosystems.” In layman’s terms, it refers to the design of agricultural systems that mimic natural systems.

The workshop will cover topics like building healthy soil, attracting wildlife, and landscape design. The facilitator, Melinda Joy Miller, founder of the Shambhalla Institute, is also a renowned feng shui master, so she brings those elements to bear as well.

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Watch Your Back - Protecting Your Green Invention

mcmilker — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:57:45 +0000

When I spoke with Nancy Cronin Edwards last week, she had just returned from TechConnect Summit in Boston. Cronin Edwards is a principal in ipCapital Group, a consulting firm specializing in intellectual property strategy, and had been speaking at the conference and was excited, but also concerned about growth in clean tech.

It wasn’t the growth which caused her concern; it was the viability of many of the companies crowding the field. While many of those flocking into the realm of clean tech are serial entrepreneurs with the successes (and failures) that lead to carefully crafted business plans, many are also new to entrepreneurship and in Cronin Edward’s opinion may overlook the importance of integrating intellectual property into overall strategy.

Early stage companies need to selectively consider what they choose to protect with a patent. A number of them haven’t considered that part of their strategy. She warned.

Over the past few years, Cronin Edwards has seen a tremendous growth in interest in the area of green technology, but warns that there are pitfalls for ecopreneurs. She explains that as there is a lot of media play on green washing, companies that divert into the green area, if going green is not part of their core strategy can run into trouble. Going green must be consistent with a firm’s business model or going green will end up being disruptive.

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Countdown to the California Clean Tech Open

Julie Sammons — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:07:24 +0000

Looking for a ten thousand-fold return on your investment? For just $250 and the time it takes to complete a three-page application, you could be the next $100,000 winner of the California Clean Tech Open. Just be sure to submit your bright idea by midnight on June 14th.

Clean Tech Call for Entries

“The California Clean Tech Open is unique among business plan competitions: it seeks entries from professionals, scientists and students alike; focuses solely on clean technology; and […] the prize package of cash, services and office space goes above and beyond other awards and is not typically available to early-stage start-ups.“

Eligible entries are accepted in categories as diverse as green building; smart power; air, water and waste management; energy efficiency; renewables; and transportation. Competition winners will be showered with an incredible array of resources designed to fast-track the startup phase. The generous prize packages include $50,000 in cash, one year of office space, legal and insurance services, marketing support, accounting services, and enrollment in the exclusive Summer Workshop Series for entrepreneurs.

Not ready to share your big idea with the world? CCTO offers a wealth of resources for non-entrants, including:

CCTO Sustainability Starter Kit

Formerly reserved for competition winners, CCTO’s extensive Sustainability Starter Kit is now available for download at no cost to curious clean tech ecopreneurs. Proposing concrete solutions to a broad range of challenges faced by sustainability change agents, the kit includes information on topics such as:

Sustainable supply chain management
Waste management strategies
Company case studies
The five rules of green marketing
B2B resources for forward-thinking companies
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Clean Tech Investing and Solar Taking Off

Cassie Walker — Thu, 15 May 2008 06:00:58 +0000

Last week, UCLA Anderson hosted the California Clean Innovation conference to facilitate the new ideas that will drive the future of clean technology. I must admit to being a bit intimidated by the topics to be discussed - I’m far from technically inclined - but the event was well done and I learned a ton.

First, what we’re all interested in…the moolah. I’ve been hearing a lot about the investment going into clean tech these days. The first keynote speaker, Ira Ehrenpreis of Technology Partners in Palo Alto also explained why this is so.

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South Korean Solar System Community on Jeju Island a Brilliant Idea

Gavin Hudson — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:22:34 +0000

Solar System Powers Donggwang Green Village on Semi-Tropical Jeju Island

Donggwang is on the western half of Jeju-do, the largest of South Korea’s semi-tropical southern islands. Near the village, Halla Mountain, a volcano and the tallest mountain in South Korea, rises from the island’s center amidst a patchwork of small farms.

Donggwang has achieved what even the most powerful countries in the world are still struggling to accomplish: total energy independence with clean technology.

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Animation: SeaGen Tidal Power Turbine

Timothy B. Hurst — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 22:05:56 +0000

Watch this excellent animation of how the new SeaGen project in Northern Ireland built by Marine Current Turbines will work. Transport of the units began a few weeks back and the installation of SeaGen should be completed shortly.
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e2 energy: “Coal & Nuclear: Problem or Solution?”

Timothy B. Hurst — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 20:04:14 +0000

In light of our new Live Debate on nuclear energy running in our Green Options Discussion Forum, I see an opportunity to provide some context with another gem from the e2 energy series on PBS. e2 energy is a series of well-produced and thought-provoking pieces that go beyond the issues raised in the longer programs. Running time is 3 minutes.
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Video: Stream-Fed Micro Hydropower in Action

Timothy B. Hurst — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 07:50:21 +0000

Very short and very simple. I am very envious.
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Ending the ‘Feast or Famine’ Cycles of Clean Energy Development in the US

Timothy B. Hurst — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 21:34:25 +0000

Since the energy crisis of the late 1970s, the federal government has employed various policy mechanisms to support renewable energy development. Driving through the neighborhoods that were developed in the late 70s and early 80s, it’s not hard to notice all of the old rooftop solar water heating arrays that were installed because people were taking advantage of a tax credit made available by the Carter administration. But the tax credit expired after Reagan took office, which is why I don’t see rooftop solar hot water nearly as much anymore (at least not recently installed).

The same thing will happen if the renewable energy tax credits expire

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Geothermal - It Ain’t Sexy But It’s Smart

Timothy B. Hurst — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 21:18:42 +0000

Wind turbines and solar photovoltaic have become the iconic symbols of clean energy and environmental consciousness. But what about the other less ’sexy’ forms of clean energy? Well, of course using less energy is the cleanest form to use, and it is usually the most cost-effective. But for people who want to increase the uptake of energy from clean sources, it may be more difficult. Unfortunately, not everyone has a strong enough wind or solar resource to make those investments cost-effective. Many folks living in urban settings would find it virtually impossible to implement either of those technologies. However, geothermal can provide or assist with heating and cooling needs for urban and rural alike. Geothermal exchange can be scaled for a single family home on up to entire city blocks, or more.

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Especially in the North American west, the geothermal resource is quite accessible. Now there are essentially two kinds of (residential) geothermal and I will not go too far into the details other than to say that one kind only needs to dig down 6-12 feet to tap the earth’s stored temperature. The other kind may take hundreds of feet of drilling but taps into a much hotter source. (There are also utility-scale geothermal facilities that are being developed in places where the source cannot be ignored, because hot waters bubble all the way up to the surface. Iceland, for example, gets 26% of its energy from geothermal and they get their remaining energy from hydro).

Low-Energy Water Desalination From Seawater Greenhouse

Joe Mohr — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 15:15:22 +0000

326 million trillion! It sounds like a number I would come up with as a kid, say, in reference to the number of things I find disgusting about my sister, or the number of reasons I need a new bike, or the number of mosquito bites I got on a weekend camping trip. But, it turns out, 326 million trillion is a real number. It happens to be (approximately—because who could count them all?) the number of gallons of water on our wonderful planet (Earth). That’s an overwhelming, impressive and — when you learn that 98% of that water is ocean water, and therefore too salty to consume, or use for irrigation — frustrating figure!

In these times where climate chaos has caused more frequent severe droughts, and our population continues to grow (read: consume water) at an awesome rate, people are becoming more and more concerned with water conservation. Humanity finds itself increasingly at a loss for freshwater while roughly 315 million trillion gallons of unusable seawater taunts us from our shores.

Sure, desalination plants are becoming more common. They are very expensive, however, and so energy intensive that they only further contribute to the climate change they are attempting remedy (thereby, joining corn-based ethanol as the two largest non-solutions to our climate problems).

Fear not my fellow water-loving earthlings! There is an even better way to remove the salt from salt water: a Seawater Greenhouse! This UK-based company explains the process as one that:

uses seawater to cool and humidify the air that ventilates the greenhouse and sunlight to distill fresh water from seawater. This enables the year round cultivation of high value crops that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to grow in hot, arid (conditions).

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Clean Tech Open: Start-up Competition Sponsored by Acterra, Google, Lexus

Cassie Walker — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 13:28:42 +0000

Lately, I’ve been hearing about a lot of investment going into green companies and technology, which has me wondering: Is “green” the new tech boom? GE is “doubling down” on clean tech investments. According to Cleantech Network, last year’s 4th quarter saw $600 million in venture capital investments. So, if the opportunities are ripe for budding entrepreneurs and you have a great idea, how do you get started? The 2nd annual California Clean Tech Open might just be your ticket to success.

Sponsored by Acterra: Action for a Sustainable Earth, a non-profit based in Palo Alto, the competition seeks to solicit business plans from new clean tech companies. According to Acterra, the competition serves to, “…create economic growth and environmental sustainability by sparking a clean technology cluster in California. By giving winners early-stage capital and expertise, the competition speeds clean technologies from lab to market. The goal is to foster innovative new businesses.”

The best of these new businesses will each win prize packages valued at $100,000. These “startup in a box” packages include business essentials, designed to help the winners take their ideas from the planning phase into operation. For starters, winners in each of the competition’s six categories will receive $50,000 in cash from their category’s sponsor:

Transportation, sponsored by Lexus
Smart Power, sponsored by AMD
Green Building, sponsored by Google
Air, Water and Waste, sponsored by ENVIRON Foundation
Renewables, sponsored by PG&E, SCE and SDG&E
Energy Efficiency, sponsored by PG&E, SCE and SDG&E

Winners will also receive one year of free office space, as well as a range of free services, including legal, accounting, and public relations. Additional prizes will also be awarded to all finalists.

Last year’s Open garnered 156 entries, but this year the competition is expected to be tougher, with double the number of entries received by the June 30th deadline. Winners will be announced in October.

To help you fine tune your entries, an Executive Summary Workshop will be held on June 14th at the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). This event will provide information about the application requirements and judging criteria for the required three-page executive summary. It will also include an overview of the sustainability judging criteria, and some sustainability best practices.

With all of this support and incentive, what are you waiting for?

The Question of the Next Century Will Be…

Sara Holt — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 14:53:59 +0000

Bioreactor Photo Credit: Chlorophyll Collective

How do you take a damaging substance and evolve it into something beneficial?

In 2005, the United States produced 6,008.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

So, how do you turn 6,008.6 million metric tons of CO2 into something essential for human existence?

From the experts at the Chlorophyll Collective, the answer is simple: Take a bunch of algae, submerge it in water, blast it with carbon dioxide and sunlight, and get our essential OXYGEN as a waste product. (You may remember the basic equation for photosynthesis from your early days in Bio/Chem101)

In fact, did you know over 70% of the oxygen in the atmosphere is not produced by trees, but by algae? This means our very lives depend on algae for existence!

Given that we are now in an age where the U.S. contributes at least 6,008.6 million tons of CO2 to global warming every year, the Chlorophyll Collective has decided to start acting locally by creating basic air and water-cleansing machines using our CO2 emissions as fertilizer for the algae that in turn, give us back oxygen (as their waste product!) The machine, called a bioreactor, is pictured above and can be made very easily with plastic tubing and chicken wire.

Additionally, algae expert and CC counfounder Aaron Baum points out that algae are unique in their CO2 eating properties,

…because they thrive on concentrated CO2, which other plants can’t handle. This means they can eat the exhaust before it gets into the atmosphere! Algae also remove other damaging greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide and can also clean our waste water, such as agricultural run-off, sewage, and animal manure, transforming it into clean air, water, and fertilizer.

Taking it one step further with various experiments with intensive research, the Chlorophyll Collective has also discovered the benefits of growing algae with our CO2 waste far exceed original intentions to provide us with cleaner air and water. Using fat lipids and other algal nutrients for the latest clean technology, “We will be able to open up entirely new arenas in biodiesel, bioplastic, fertilizer, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, & other health foods, or neutriceuticals,” says Baum. Potentially, we could even be making biofuel fertilized by its own waste products.

Using our CO2 waste to fuel the natural oxygen-giving processes of algae, the Chlorophyl Collective is creating natural global cooling methods to combat global warming while increasing our air and water quality to help us breathe better. In the city, this means setting up a bioreactor (or many) would help counterbalance the pollution and sickness that results from oxygen deficiency (or CO2 overload, depending on your view).

If you're interested in learning more about the Chlorophyll Collective, or want to start making you're own simple algae-based oxygen-machines, check out http://tribes.tribe.net/chlorophyllcollective

The New Lobbyists: Venture Capitalists

Amy Stodghill — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 13:08:02 +0000

Venture capitalists have been sinking a lot of cash into alternative energy and clean technology start-ups in the past few years. $727 million was invested in 2006 alone, which was up from $195 million in 2005.

However, these venture capitalists are finding that in order for their new alternative energy businesses to grow and thrive they’re going to need a little help from state and federal governments. This means trying to influence politicians - not an easy task considering they’re going up against big oil companies that have been heavily lobbying the government for years. In 2005, oil and gas company lobbyists spent $59 million, whereas venture capitalists spent $2 million.

The president’s State of the Union address called for an increase in domestic fuel production including ethanol and biodiesel, which is promising for those who have invested in the production of these fuels. And states across the US are increasingly making climate change and related issues priority item.

The increase in venture capital funds for alternative energy and clean technologies are also having a positive impact on job growth in silicon valley.

Venture capitalists are often entrepreneurial and typically invest in young companies, or assist in product development and with the intent of getting a high rate of return on their investment within three to seven years. Alternative energy investments include funding for companies in solar and wind technologies, and alternative fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.

Via The New York Times

Further reading:
National Venture Capital Association

Cleantech Venture Network