The North Wales Tidal Energy Project

clipped from www.exploration-architecture.com The North Wales Tidal Energy Project by Grimshaw employs a new form of technology to generate tidal energy using an offshore lagoon instead of a barrage. The lagoon would be constructed out of rock and boulders and would create 30 linear kilometres of new rocky shore. In contrast to barrage schemes this proposal would have a very positive environmental impact - boosting biodiversity and providing breeding grounds for birds. Above one of the turbine halls a pavilion was included in the design to provide space for a renewable energy exhibition centre with seminar rooms.

The Sahara Forest Project

Clever plan. Would cost.

clipped from www.exploration-architecture.com The Sahara Forest Project combines two proven technologies in a new way to create multiple benefits: producing large amounts of renewable energy, food and water as well as reversing desertification. A major element of the proposal is the Seawater Greenhouse - a brilliant invention that creates a cool growing environment in hot parts of the world and is a net producer of distilled water from seawater. The second technology, Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) involves concentrating the sun's heat to create steam that drives conventional turbines, producing zero carbon electricity twice as efficiently as photovoltaics. The two technologoes have very promising synergies that make the economic case even more attractive. Client - Seawater Greenhouse Limited Architect - Exploration Environmental Engineer - Max Fordham & Partners

clipped from www.impactlab.com Measure Your Home Energy Use With The Spark Lamp September 7th, 2008 at 11:21 am The Spark Lamp concept by Beverly Ng is an LED lamp that you can flip over during the day to recharge itself using solar power. It’s designed to educate the owner about their power consumption. The lamp sports integrated WiFi which wirelessly keeps track of you home’s power usage. When you turn the lamp on, it will change colors and flash to tell you what your home’s power consumption is. It’s no accident that it looks like a houseplant as a metaphor for how plants are powered by sunlight through photosynthesis. The Spark Lamp was created in reaction to the Swedish’s government response to the energy crisis. In Sweden, future homes will have smart meters that will give real-time feedback to homeowners on the internet. But data on a website is not all that engaging so the Spark lamp was developed to enhance the experience. Via SlipperyBrick

When will Congress act to promote alternative energy?

They talk a good game, but the tax credits needed to boost the industry in a massive way are being held up. If and when Congress gets serious about removing our dependence on foreign oil we'll know it...they'll extend the tax credits that are set to expire this year.

This would not only be a major shot in the arm for the industry, but for our entire economy as well!!!

clipped from www.fool.com Our politicians like to talk a good game about helping wean us off our dependence on foreign fossil fuels, but they won't let something like that get in the way of good partisanship. T. Boone Pickens has been expending a lot of energy boosting the "Pickens Plan" to invest in natural gas and wind power. He might get more mileage if he devoted some of that time to persuading Congress to extend the tax credits that have helped fuel growth in the alternative energy field. If the credits are allowed to expire at the end of the year, the wind and solar industries may end up being as limp as a ship's sails on becalmed seas.

Experts Confirm Open Water Circling Arctic

There have been some breathless headlines in the last few days about the North Pole’s being an “island” for the first time in 125,000 years.

clipped from dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com [UPDATE 9/6: The National Ice Center on Friday said that a navigable passage has opened through sea ice along the entire Russian Arctic coast, although the center added that patches of dangerous thick ice still pepper the area. In a statement, the center said: "This is the first recorded occurrence of the Northwest Passage and Northern Sea Route both being open at the same time." The full statement is below in the comment string. Here's an animation loop of the retreating sea ice.]

New “Green” Designation Available for Realtors

Take the three day course and become a green specialist.

clipped from blogs.wsj.com A new tool is now available for investors looking to buy a so-called “green” building, a property that has environmentally-friendly features like energy and water efficiency and that produces minimal pollution and waste. A new program instituted by the National Association of Realtors(R) has begun certifying brokers as green specialists. Brokers can earn the designation from NAR’s Green Resource Council by taking three days of courses or completing the program online at their own pace.

Woman turns pizza oven into solar, wins awards (iJet)

Nicole Kuepper has a dream. She wants to bring power and light to the 2 billion people in the world who lack electricity. She envisions enabling people to "read at night, keep informed about the world through radio and television and refrigerate life-saving vaccines".

"What started off as a brainstorming session has resulted in the iJET cell concept that uses low-cost and low-temperature processes, such as ink-jet printing and pizza ovens, to manufacture solar cells."

The 23 year old PhD student won two Australian Museum Eureka Prizes - the nation's top science awards.


Nicole Kuepper

The processes she developed for the iJET solar cell don't require the very expensive clean rooms and high-temperature ovens of traditional solar panel manufacturing plants, but rather pizza ovens, nail polish and inkjet printers, making them accessible to developing countries.

While it could take five years to commercialise the patented technology, providing renewable energy to homes in some of the least developed countries would enable people to "read at night, keep informed about the world through radio and television and refrigerate life-saving vaccines". And it would also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Ms Kuepper said that the solar cells should be of high enough quality to be used anywhere in the world.

More Information

Nicole has a Eureka moment - twice


Global Warming - Ink Jet to the Rescue