Archive for July, 2009
A Recipe for Biodiesel, Plucked From Poultry
Those researchers in the department of chemical and materials engineering at the University of Nevada in Reno are at it again. Last year they showed the world that it was possible to make biodiesel fuel from coffee grounds. This time, it’s chicken feathers. In a paper in The Journal of Agri
Is the ocean Florida’s untapped energy source?
The answer to easing the energy crunch in one of the nation's most populous states could lie underwater. Sea turbines make electricity which moves via cable, left, to shore. A hydrogen by-product is collected on a ship. Imagine if your utility company could harness t
Trans-America Journey Powered by Waste Vegetable Oil
We love to read about different travelers and their adventures, wishing secretly that we could be in their shoes. Here is a young traveler, Stacy Jurich, 2006 graduate of Ohio State University. She is on a 3 ½ month journey across the country, driving her 1981 Mercedes across America. So what is ne
Green politics can be combined with growth
Environmental and climate friendly politics can be combined with economic growth. This is the message the Swedish Presidency want Europe’s Ministers of Environment and Energy to bring home from the upcoming EU meeting in Åre and further to the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen later this ye
Tuvalu plans to be first 100% solar-powered nation
Ask the people of Tuvalu, a small island nation in the South Pacific, what they think about climate change and many of them will simply point to their disappearing shoreline. Only three feet above sea level, the island has suffered in the wake of rising waters -- and even went so far as to sue the B
Report: Minnesota should capitalize on wind energy
Minnesota can capitalize on wind energy and spark job growth in a down economy with the right amount of government support, according to a recent report by think tank Minnesota 2020. Minnesota, the fourth largest provider of wind energy in the nation, could create more than 2,200 jobs and gen
Big Oil Bets on Biofuels
At first glance, it might look like oil companies are pulling out of renewables. At the end of June, BP closed its alternative-energy headquarters. The oil company also has cut its alternative-energy budget and closed several solar factories in Spain. And that's after Shell sold off most of its sola
Nanotech Batteries - A New Energy Future
People want to use clean and green energy and live easy on earth’s resources. Many are changing to hybrid cars and using solar panels side by side with conventional sources of energy. But they hold a grudge. How to store large amount of energy in batteries? Hybrid cars fit batteries for power st
Green your car with tree-based tires
How green can cars eventually be made? Well, in addition to solar power and hemp-based interiors, automobiles might one day sport tyres made from trees. Wood science researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) say there’s potential to use microcrystalline cellulose — something that can be ma
DOE funds to boost algae-based biofuels
The development of algae-based biofuels has received a boost after the US Department of Energy decided to award up to $85million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act towards their growth. The fuels that will benefit include renewable hydrocarbon fuels; and advanced, infrastructure-comp
