Renewable Energy

The greening of the transportation sector is rife with conflict. Frequent debates occur over the benefits and disadvantages of several emerging technologies. Which has better energy-efficiency? Hydrogen or battery electric? Which is more feasible in the short-run? Plug-in hybrids or biodiesel? Which is more eco-friendly? Hybrids or compressed natural gas? The answers to these questions [...]

Read On »

Looking to hasten the evolution of a smarter grid for the 21st century, Lonmark International is promoting and facilitating development of open, multi-vendor standards, products and services across the property/facilties management, construction, industrial, transportation and telecommunications industries.

Read On »

Green procurement is going to be legislated by EU environment officers. What makes a product green and other issues will be addressed as part of a prioritized environment policy package.

Read On »

In a previous post (link), I covered how BIM (Building Information Modeling) was changing the Architectural, Engineering & Construction (AEC) industry, and also provided insights on the market drivers that green technology vendors in this space should be aware of, to leverage BIM for growth. In this column I will cover some insights on growth [...]

Read On »

At this week’s GreenWest Expo (www.greenwestexpo.com), city representatives and industry players were on hand to discuss how each can mutually benefit each other. In this short video segment, four specific strategies are proposed to increase clean technology and green building development in urban centers.

Read On »

On May 13th UPS announced the purchase of 200 hybrid-electric and 300 compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, further adding to what is the largest “green” or alternative fuel commercial fleet in the industry (see my recent post about the UPS Telematics program). The purchase of 500 new alternative-fuel vehicles will grow that fleet 30% from 1,718 to 2,218 low-carbon vehicles. On [...]

Read On »

Integrated Environmental Solutions last week released a freely downloadable version of VE-Ware, sophisticated simulation software that enables architects, building owners and facilities managers to assess energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions associated with their properties and designs.

Read On »

While at the Alternative Fuels and Vehicles Conference in Las Vegas yesterday, I gleaned insightful information regarding natural gas vehicles (NGVs). According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, the Honda Civic GX (which is currently the only NGV passenger model being produced today) ranks higher than the Toyota Prius in their Greenest Vehicles [...]

Read On »

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) yesterday announced the implementation of a GHG program in Brazil. The ‘Brazil GHG Protocol Program’ enables companies to monitor and better manage GHG emissions on a voluntary basis. It is a commendable commitment to improving environmental standards in the cooperate world; however this progressive focus towards environmental [...]

Read On »

If you’ve ever been on a road trip, you’ve probably seen this sight at a rest stop: one, or many big rig trucks, just…idling. Not going anywhere. What is this, like a computer on “sleep,” ready to go? No. The answer may surprise you. At least in the US, truck drivers are required to rest [...]

Read On »

Think back to when you actually saw a UPS truck sitting at a crowded intersection waiting to turn left. Depending on where you live, it may have been awhile. Because in some test markets Brown doesn’t go left. (and I’m not talking about the upcoming election.) While most UPS trucks are probably still turning left at [...]

Read On »

With the rising cost of power, and the greater awareness of the human impact on the environment, home solar power has long since moved beyond deep green people and would be militia and out into the broader society. But who to go with? And how to to do it, at what cost? For many, this [...]

Read On »

Biofuels have been both lauded for their eco-potential and criticized for their eco-inefficiency. Proponents of biofuels point to the possibilities of sequestering carbon through crop growth and energy independence from foreign petrol sources. Major criticisms against biofuels point to the high petroleum inputs required for production, the use of crops for fuel instead of feeding [...]

Read On »

Taco Bell recently announced their plans to install new “Grill-To-Order” cooking machines in all of their locations. The company is making this step to not only reduce water and energy usage, but also improve cost efficiency. Each installation is estimated to save $5,900 a year in electricity cost per store. System-wide Taco Bell expects to [...]

Read On »

Smart Glass Jewelry has launched a “recycled line.” In this case, “Recycled” as in glass accessories form sources as broad as wine bottles to Perrier, Coca-Cola, beer and many other bottles. Although recycled glass can involve the use of massive blast furnaces and other energy intensive mega-machinery, Kathleen Plate’s recycled line of glass jewelry is [...]

Read On »

Next time you bite into fish bought at the deli, think for a moment what brought it to your store: Probably a wax coated box. A box that is difficult or impossible to recycle, depending on area facilities, and requires separate sorting, adding to the labor involved in processing store waste. But there needs to [...]

Read On »

If you are one of those people out there who thinks a green car means you have to own a hybrid or a natural gas vehicle, think again. There are ways to essentially “green” your car without meeting the above criteria. Basically, it matters not what type of car you have: the way you operate [...]

Read On »

Cambridge, Massachusetts has earned a reputation as a community promoting forward-thinking energy and environmental policies. From sustainable building to transportation and green collar jobs, Cambridge’s stated goal is to become the “greenest city in America” (they’re currently at number 6 according to Popular Science).  The Cambridge Energy Alliance is a major step toward that goal.  Featured last [...]

Read On »

“We can once again actually ‘sail’ with cargo ships, thus opening a new chapter in the history of commercial shipping” Thus is the verdict from MV Beluga Skysails captain Lutz Heldt upon completion of the vessel’s 12,000 mile round-trip maiden voyage. The crew and vessel were at sea for nearly two months, giving the “skysail” concept ample [...]

Read On »

One problem consumer’s face when wanting to use biofuels is building an in-house processor for creating biodiesel to further shave costs. This is no small feat so Renewal Biodiesel has created a second generation do-it-yourself system that makes it a snap. The system is aptly coined the FuelMeister II. The biggest benefit to this system [...]

Read On »

With the ability to detect, relay and store an increasing range of data about the environment in which they’re placed, wireless sensors are among the most promising of new technologies with lots of potential for improving environmental management. And they’ll soon be common in homes around the U.S., according to ON World.

Read On »

The introduction of LED light bulbs into the market has been hindered due to several factors. Namely: lumens (brightness) color (led produce blue radiance vs. white) market promotion and affordability. Although LED bulbs for residential and commercial applications are not quite where they need to be, they are starting to scratch their way into the [...]

Read On »

One cold day last Fall, I was coming out of Briar Patch Co-op, the first LEED certified commercial building in Grass Valley, California. Outside was a pack of bikers, who seemed to have that “biker shine,” that ineffable energy that they have, and this grouchy writer was having none of it. Or tried not to. [...]

Read On »

We’ve been keeping tabs on the progress of the Beluga SkySails, first modern commercial cargo vessel to harness wind power with a deployable computer controlled kite. The ship arrived in the Venezuelan port of Guanta on Tuesday, leaving from Germany on January 22nd. SkySails didn’t deploy the high-tech kite system until reaching the Azores, midway in her voyage. Once fully deployed, [...]

Read On »

The proposed future of air travel is quite a marvel. Seems unfathomable compared to the pollutant, oil-guzzling airliners of today. With the endless and testing delays, the awkward security, and greenhouse gas-emitting beasts, it’s a wonder why solutions have not yet come to fruition. It just so turns out, it is all happening rather quickly [...]

Read On »

Waste management. Two words that have in the past been little more then a euphemism for trash pickup, one step to the dump. Now, the company which bears that name has made a concerted effort to shift the perception of what it does to be far wider, and much cleaner then simply a means to [...]

Read On »

The 1980′s witnessed the inception of wood-pellet stoves but the benefits and efficiency of this innovative product, has not showed its face until recently. A pellet stove is a small electric unit that burns small pieces of recycled and compacted sawdust pellets. The advantages to wood pellet stoves are many, for one, they are extremely [...]

Read On »

Are you curious to know your energy consumption within your home or business? Here is a simple and easily integrated device for your home or business. Considering the world-wide focus on green building sustainability this is a good measurement point for determining your energy consumption. E-Mon has recently introduced a line of Green Class meters. [...]

Read On »

Last month I wrote about an innovative idea from SkySailsof Hamburg Germany set to make shipping more energy efficient while reducing carbon emissions (merchant shipping accounts for some 800 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year): A computer controlled, deployable kite system that harnesses the wind and, under ideal circumstances, can reduce fuel consumption by up [...]

Read On »

Are you eating? Here’s a few statistics to chew on: In the US, restaurants are the top electricity consumer among retail businesses. 33% of it. Each restaurant produces an average of 50,000 pounds of waste. Eat up, unless you want to add to that last figure. That is, unless you happen to be dining at [...]

Read On »