Zerofootprint already helps corporations and governments in evaluating and reducing their carbon emissions through various methods. It also helps households through innovative technologies such as this one. This new TalkingPlug is for corporations or households (or anyone with electrical sockets) and will have an initial price tag of about $50. The price may go down considerably if it can make the product on a larger scale.

How does it work? What are its advantages compared to Google’s PowerMeter and other similar up and coming technologies?

Read more of this story »

This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post.

Read more of this story »

More efficient energy storage has been a difficult issue for scientists to crack. It is a major issue preventing more widespread use of renewable energy, and solar energy in particular.

Is this project, one funded by a true oil giant, the one that will make it happen?

Read more of this story »

The $16 million upgrade project is funded by ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act).  Parkson’s Thermo-System Active Solar Sludge Drying Chambers will enable the sludge conversion process to operate under more than 90% solar power rather than using gas or oil.  For disposing sludge in landfills, that translates into a significant savings in preparation and transportation costs.  Even better, it makes sludge products more cost-competitive with conventional soil amendments and fossil fuels, effectively taking the “waste” out of wastewater.

Read more of this story »

My previous post retraced the precipitous decline in the reputation of biofuels that occurred between 2006 and today.  In this post I’m going to talk about just a few of the activities going on for “second generation” biofuels (beyond corn, soy and palm oil, wheat…).  One of the key features of these initiatives is that they reduce the competition with food crops - something which will only become a more significant issue in the future.  I’ll be talking about several Universities and companies who have hung in there through the ups and downs of oil prices and the “trendiness” and “rejection” of biofuels.  I think that these folks are going to make significant long-term contributions. If you have been soured in the past on the biofuel concept, please consider these alternatives.

Algae

There was a recent Wall Street Journal article about “5 Technologies that could change everything.”  One they included was biofuels from Algae.  People have been working on this for a long time including a very long government effort.  The great thing about algae is that you can grow it in places and with water sources that are completely unsuitable for farming.  Algae can be extremely productive.  The problem is that the low capital investment systems are less productive and the highly productive, “bio-reactor” approach has a huge capital cost.  The good news is that there are enough companies working away on this that sooner or later there might be a break-through.  I won’t pretend to be an expert on how this is going, but I have a hunch it will eventually become significant.

Read more of this story »

]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/11/05/rehabilitating-bio-fuels-part-2-interesting-second-generation-options/feed/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/china-forgets-china-only-wind-turbines-policy-but-why/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/china-forgets-china-only-wind-turbines-policy-but-why/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:18:02 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/china-forgets-china-only-wind-turbines-policy-but-why/
A couple weeks ago, I wrote about China’s new policy to focus on buying (almost entirely) “China-grown” wind turbines and wind turbine technologies with Chinese patents. That policy wasn’t a big hit internationally and China is back-tracking.

However, is it changing its stance out of international moral pressure or a major financial incentive (recent deal) in the US? And who is to benefit the most from this shift?

Read more of this story »

]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/china-forgets-china-only-wind-turbines-policy-but-why/feed/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/rice-university-cooks-up-nanotube-stew/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/rice-university-cooks-up-nanotube-stew/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:35:27 +0000 Tina Casey http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/rice-university-cooks-up-nanotube-stew/

Researchers at Rice University have announced the discovery of a new breakthrough method for producing carbon nanotubes in bulk fluids.  Rice’s new nanotube “stew” could spur the inexpensive mass production of carbon nanotube-based products, much like the plastics industry employed bulk loads of melted polymers as a cheap base for making everything from medical equipment to polyester shirts to plastic bags, and countless other things in between.

Rice’s nanotube research was sponsored in party by U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy.  Aside from their military application, carbon nanotubes have a practically unlimited potential for sustainable civilian products because of their strength, light weight, and electrical conductivity among other properties. Lightweight nanomaterials could boost the gas mileage in cars and airplanes, make thinner and more flexible solar cells, increase the efficiency of lithium-ion batteries (in combination with another new high tech material, graphene), and be used in artificial photosynthesis to generate hydrogen fuel.

Read more of this story »

]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/rice-university-cooks-up-nanotube-stew/feed/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/robot-fish-to-better-monitor-water-quality/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/robot-fish-to-better-monitor-water-quality/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:32:10 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/robot-fish-to-better-monitor-water-quality/
An ecologist and an engineer at Michigan State University are working together to create robot fish that can better monitor various factors in aquatic environments.

Combining the brilliance of nature with some top-notch engineering, these two scientists are on to something and getting the funding for it.

The researchers are breaking ground with this and looking to raise water monitoring to another level.

Read more of this story »

]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/robot-fish-to-better-monitor-water-quality/feed/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/welcome-back-pittsburgh-flabeg-brings-200-green-solar-jobs-to-steel-city/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/welcome-back-pittsburgh-flabeg-brings-200-green-solar-jobs-to-steel-city/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:09:47 +0000 Tina Casey http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/welcome-back-pittsburgh-flabeg-brings-200-green-solar-jobs-to-steel-city/ b nnn

Pittsburgh has been laying the groundwork for a high tech green jobs renaissance ever since its mighty steel mills shut their doors 30 years ago.  Now the payoff is coming.  FLABEG, the global specialty glass manufacturer, has just opened a solar mirror factory by Pittsburgh International Airport that will bring an estimated 200 jobs to the region, and perhaps as many as 300.

The new $30 million facility will initially focus on its core production line of parabolic curved solar mirrors.  Months before the plant opened it already received 700,000 orders, and FLABEG expects to reach a capacity of 1 million mirrors annually.

Read more of this story »

]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/welcome-back-pittsburgh-flabeg-brings-200-green-solar-jobs-to-steel-city/feed/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/windsentinel-from-catch-the-wind-could-cut-the-cost-of-siting-new-offshore-wind-turbines/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/windsentinel-from-catch-the-wind-could-cut-the-cost-of-siting-new-offshore-wind-turbines/#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:53:51 +0000 Tina Casey http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/windsentinel-from-catch-the-wind-could-cut-the-cost-of-siting-new-offshore-wind-turbines/

Catch the Wind Ltd. of Virginia has just announced that its new Vindicator laser wind sensor has been deployed on a specialized buoy for a field test off Race Rocks Island in British Columbia.   If successful, the laser sensor would be part of the world’s first buoy-based wind power assessment system, which could shave millions off the cost of assessing conditions at potential sites for offshore wind turbines.

Conventional site assessments for large scale wind farms are done through the construction of a permanent offshore tower, which can cost up to $10 million.  Catch the Wind’s movable buoy-based system, called the WindSentinel, could virtually eliminate that expense and help open up sustainable offshore wind power to small communities, military bases, and other modestly scaled projects.

Read more of this story »

]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/windsentinel-from-catch-the-wind-could-cut-the-cost-of-siting-new-offshore-wind-turbines/feed/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/us-company-transforms-algae-into-bioplastic-could-slash-petroleum-use-by-50/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/us-company-transforms-algae-into-bioplastic-could-slash-petroleum-use-by-50/#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:51:04 +0000 Andrew Williams http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/us-company-transforms-algae-into-bioplastic-could-slash-petroleum-use-by-50/

California-based company Cereplast has revealed that it is developing breakthrough technology to transform algae into bioplastics, and predicts that it could replace 50% or more of the petroleum content used in traditional plastic resins.

Cereplast already makes plastic from renewable material such as corn starch, tapioca, wheat and potatoes, but is keen to trumpet the advantages of the new approach.

According to Frederic Scheer, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Cereplast, “Algae-based resins represent an outstanding opportunity for companies across the plastic supply chain to become more environmentally sustainable and reduce the industry’s reliance on oil.”

Read more of this story »

]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/us-company-transforms-algae-into-bioplastic-could-slash-petroleum-use-by-50/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/31/are-large-for-profit-corporations-intrinsically-less-ethical/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/31/are-large-for-profit-corporations-intrinsically-less-ethical/#comments Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:43:35 +0000 Steve Savage http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/31/are-large-for-profit-corporations-intrinsically-less-ethical/
In the comment streams on my blog posts there is a recurrent theme from one segment of the respondents - they have a deep distrust in the large companies that are involved in modern agricultural technology.  They don’t believe these companies will behave ethically because they are for profit entities “only answerable to their shareholders.”   

I’d like to speak directly to this as a long-time Ag industry insider whose experience does not support these suspicions. I know that some will dismiss this perspective assuming I am biased, but one has to balance potential for bias with actually having first-hand experience from which to speak.  Over the last 32 years I’ve work for or with most of the companies, large and small, that provide agricultural technologies.  Fourteen of those years have been as an independent consultant so I get to know what is going on inside of many companies in a given year.  I have still only had direct knowledge of a subset of what happens, but in all of that exposure I’ve never witnessed an unethical decision or action - not even the consideration of one.  I’ve seen certain decisions that were short-sighted.  I’ve sometimes seen decision-making processes that are more driven by fear than by opportunity.  I’ve seen missed opportunities because vision was lacking.  I’ve occasionally seen failures to take advantage of synergies that could have been realized between divisions of large organizations. I’ve seen problems, but I believe that some level of dysfunction is inevitable in any organization involving people.  Still, unethical behavior isn’t something I’ve seen so I disagree that it is automatically likely just because of the characteristics of the company.  

On balance I’ve also seen these organizations, large and small, frequently make important contributions to society in terms of the productivity and safety of our food supply.  I’ve seen these companies continue to do that in an environment of constant activist attack and very limited public understanding because so few people farm.

Read more of this story »

]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/31/are-large-for-profit-corporations-intrinsically-less-ethical/feed/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/31/spanish-solar-company-solarig-building-8-pv-parks-in-italy/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/31/spanish-solar-company-solarig-building-8-pv-parks-in-italy/#comments Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:15:24 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/31/spanish-solar-company-solarig-building-8-pv-parks-in-italy/
SOLARIG, a company based in Spain that incorporated about four years ago, just began construction of eight photovoltaic parks in Italy this month. The parks will provide 8 MW of energy in total. Over the next few months, it plans to construct photovoltaic projects producing 30 MW throughout different regions of Italy.

But this is just the beginning. SOLARIG has a more global vision.

Read more of this story »

]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/31/spanish-solar-company-solarig-building-8-pv-parks-in-italy/feed/ http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/10/30/nasa-to-irradiate-monkeys-horrible-animal-experiments-or-a-sign-of-progress/ http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/10/30/nasa-to-irradiate-monkeys-horrible-animal-experiments-or-a-sign-of-progress/#comments Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:32:29 +0000 Daniel Hohler http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/10/30/nasa-to-irradiate-monkeys-horrible-animal-experiments-or-a-sign-of-progress/

When I first read the news that NASA was going to start experimenting on monkeys with radiation to study the effects of deep space travel, my heart sunk. As an anthropologist who has studied non-human primates I have seen up close the emotions, the feelings, and the physical qualities we share with our evolutionary cousins. My mind went back to shooting chimps into space, not caring if they lived or died. To cruel (and now illegal) experiments of all kinds performed on our closest living relative.

Now NASA is planing to irradiate squirrel monkeys. Scientists are particularly interested in studying how the radiation impacts the monkeys’ central nervous systems and behaviors over time. Messing with the monkeys brains. Oh great!

Read more of this story »

]]> http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/10/30/nasa-to-irradiate-monkeys-horrible-animal-experiments-or-a-sign-of-progress/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/30/scientists-behaving-badly/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/30/scientists-behaving-badly/#comments Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:27:21 +0000 Steve Savage http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/30/scientists-behaving-badly/

The discussions following my two last posts about climate change opinion shifts and about an anti-science coalition have made it clear that one of the reasons people distrust science is that “Science” fails to speak with one voice.  There are definitely forces from the outside of Science that erode trust, but there are also internal issues.

The problem is that Science will not ever “speak with one voice.”  Scientists often have different opinions about a given topic.  Often that simply represents a healthy part of the scientific process.  When I hear someone say, “scientists don’t even agree about this!” I want to say, “you don’t know many scientists, do you!”  We are trained to questions assumptions and scrutinize analytical methods.  We are taught how to spot artifacts and how to come up with alternate hypotheses.  Some scientists get a little aggressive about this (there is usually at least one curmudgeon in every department).

There are definitely some topics that are so complex that it is impossible to be 100% sure about conclusions.  There are questions that are not amenable to running a controlled experiment.  These are all factors that make a topic like climate change so controversial.  These are legitimate reasons for the lack of a single “answer from science.”

All the above said, there are plenty of examples of scientific disagreements that arise from what can only, honestly be called bad science. Doing science well is non-trivial.  It requires a good deal of mental rigor and comprehensive information acquisition.  If we scientists are honest we all have to admit that we can fall short of the ideal “scientific method” at times.  Trust in “Science” ultimately means trusting “Scientists” and thats sometimes where the trouble starts.  There are 5 main ways that I can think of that scientsts can “behave badly.”  Maybe you can add some more.

Read more of this story »

]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/30/scientists-behaving-badly/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/28/the-bizarre-modern-coalition-of-anti-science-forces/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/28/the-bizarre-modern-coalition-of-anti-science-forces/#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:31:57 +0000 Steve Savage http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/28/the-bizarre-modern-coalition-of-anti-science-forces/

A wise Nebraska farmer I know taught me this saying: “It’s what you know for certain that keeps you from learning.”   This principle is at the core of why certain groups and entities are rejecting good science.

As a scientist, and particularly as a scientist involved in agricultural and environmental issues, I’m increasingly aware of this trend.  In some cases this involves open hostility to science, in others it is just a matter of ignoring the scientific input. What is disturbing is how many different “voices” are in this unlikely “coalition” and the extent to which they are coloring the views of the broader society  (as seen in the recent Pew survey of American attitudes about climate change). 

At acknowledged risk of offending people, I will try to describe factions in the groups that tend to reject things that science would tell them.  I know that what I am talking about does not apply to everyone, or even most people in these groups, but it is still a potent force in our society. 

Read more of this story »

]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/28/the-bizarre-modern-coalition-of-anti-science-forces/feed/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/27/fish-and-solar-cells-will-co-exist-in-pyrons-new-concentrated-solar-project/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/27/fish-and-solar-cells-will-co-exist-in-pyrons-new-concentrated-solar-project/#comments Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:52:02 +0000 Tina Casey http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/27/fish-and-solar-cells-will-co-exist-in-pyrons-new-concentrated-solar-project/ San Diego Gas & Electric has embarked on a demonstration project to test the commercial viability of a new concentrated solar power system that uses shallow pools of water as a passive cooling system for high-efficiency solar cells.  The unique proprietary technology was developed by Pyron Solar of Sorrento Valley, California.

The new technology could be attractive in land-rich areas, and it may also have some application for introducing sustainable energy to more densely developed areas, since its use of high efficiency solar cells enables it to pack more generating capacity into less space.  It also may prompt some new exploration of the opportunity to double up solar energy generation with other operations, such as fish farming.

Read more of this story »

]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/27/fish-and-solar-cells-will-co-exist-in-pyrons-new-concentrated-solar-project/feed/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/27/obama-announces-new-recovery-act-smart-grid-funding-34-billion/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/27/obama-announces-new-recovery-act-smart-grid-funding-34-billion/#comments Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:45:49 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/27/obama-announces-new-recovery-act-smart-grid-funding-34-billion/
Obama discussed a big project long overdo and sorely needed today — modernizing the US electric grid. But it is more than discussion. $3.4 billion in Recovery Act funding is going towards this new project.

This is the most money ever awarded for clean energy in a single day from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act!

Obama spoke at the opening of the Florida Power and Light’s (FPL) DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center (the nation’s largest PV electricity center) to announce and discuss the various benefits of this project.

Read more of this story »

]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/27/obama-announces-new-recovery-act-smart-grid-funding-34-billion/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/25/disturbing-trends-in-what-americans-believe-about-climate-change/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/25/disturbing-trends-in-what-americans-believe-about-climate-change/#comments Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:04:52 +0000 Steve Savage http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/25/disturbing-trends-in-what-americans-believe-about-climate-change/

The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press released results of a major survey tracking what people believe about “Global Warming.”  It is not encouraging!  Across age, gender, race, political affiliation, and religion there have been declines in the number of people who believe that human activity is involved and increases in the number of people who don’t think it is happening.  My own demographic (white, male, 54 years old, political Independent, Evangelical Christian) is among the most skeptical, though the Baby Boom slightly bucks the trend for age.  Some friends and I are working on a strategy to challenge the Church on this issue.

Read more of this story »

]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/25/disturbing-trends-in-what-americans-believe-about-climate-change/feed/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/25/sharp-nails-a-record-358-solar-conversion-efficiency/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/25/sharp-nails-a-record-358-solar-conversion-efficiency/#comments Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:10:46 +0000 Tina Casey http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/25/sharp-nails-a-record-358-solar-conversion-efficiency/ Sharp Corporation has just announced that it has achieved the world’s highest solar cell conversion efficiency using a compound layered design based on the technology used in the solar cells that power space satellites.  Mindful of the link between sustainable energy and the future market for consumer electronics, Sharp has been aggressively pursuing solar efficiency improvements that lend themselves to commercial application.

Instead of silicon, compound solar cells use two or more photo-absorption layers composed of different elements.  The trick is to find materials that generate the most current with the least waste.  Sharp’s innovation is a proprietary technology that enables it to produce a high-efficiency crystalline compound, InGaAs (indium-gallium-arsenide), which boosted the efficiency of Sharp’s previous cells from 31.5% to 35.8%.

Read more of this story »

]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/25/sharp-nails-a-record-358-solar-conversion-efficiency/feed/