The days of a single dominant energy source are just about over. In the U.S., no one source provides a majority of the energy that is converted into electricity. Recent numbers put coal at the top of several sources. It is responsible for 45% of the electricity generated as of 2010. Moving forward, there will be a [...]
Archive for the ‘Clean Technology’ Category
LightSail Energy, Storing the Wind and Sun
April 3rd, 2012 
Eric Wilson Energy Star Program Celebrates 20th Anniversary
March 30th, 2012 Chris DeArmond Since being created by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1992, the Energy Star program and its partners have helped save Americans nearly $230 billion through increased energy efficiency of appliances and electronics. More than five billion products from more than 60 different categories have been sold under the voluntary program. According to EPA’s March [...]
Why Dig for Energy When We’re Bombarded Every Day?
March 25th, 2012 Eric Wilson Ever wonder why oil is underground? I don’t mean how it got there (decomposing organisms trapped below layers of sediment that were compressed). I mean why we go through the trouble of digging it out of the ground. I realize it’s energy dense, but hear me out. I find it kind of curious to think [...]
Bloom Energy Servers Installed at JMB Realty
March 24th, 2012 Eric Wilson Just about two years ago we first wrote about Bloom Energy. At the time, the company’s revolutionary energy servers (Bloom Boxes) seemed like the next big thing in clean energy (or the next big miss). While the cost was sky high, the technology enabled computer-like servers, which stacked fuel cells in close proximity, to generate [...]
Posted in Clean Technology, Eric Wilson, News 
Tags: Bloom Energy, Electric Vehicles, LEED, Los Angeles, USGBC 
No Comments »US Imposes Tariffs on Chinese Solar Panels
March 21st, 2012 Eric Wilson ABC News and The New York Times are reporting that yesterday, the United States’ Commerce Department has levied a small (2.9 to 4.73 percent) tariff on imported Chinese solar panels. Last year American producers of solar technology pushed the Commerce Department to pursue a case against the Chinese. Their argument was that Chinese manufacturers “may [...]
Posted in Business, China, Clean Technology, Eric Wilson, News, Policy, Renewable Energy Tags: Photovoltaic, Solar Energy No Comments »Geothermal Air-Conditioning Systems for Japanese “Combini”
March 19th, 2012 Justin Manger Seven-Eleven is the largest of the combini (convenience store) chains that can be found on nearly every block in large cities around Japan. Selling everything from juice and rice balls to beer and fish, underwear and band-aids, niku-man (meat stuffed steamed dumplings) and adult magazines, the combini is a uniquely Japanese experience. They are also [...]
On Sale this Year: Natural-Gas Powered Pickups
March 8th, 2012 Chris DeArmond With natural gas prices hovering around $2.44 per MMBtu—less than half of what they were 18 months ago—compressed natural gas (CNG) is now starting to make sense as an alternative fuel for vehicles. According to the Wall Street Journal, the number of dual-fuel vehicles is increasing. In a recent press release, General Motors said it [...]
Posted in Business, Clean Technology, Conservation, Energy Efficiency, Green Products, News, Transportation Tags: Carbon Dioxide, Cars, Chris DeArmond, Natural Gas No Comments »Ben and Jerry’s Greener, Cleaner Freezer Gets EPA Approval
March 7th, 2012 Eric Wilson If you’re anything like me, when you walk into the market/bodega/corner store/mega-mart/supermarket, you can’t help but how much energy is consumed by refrigerators and freezers. I have read that the chest style freezer (read: not upright ones) are more efficient. It makes sense, since colder air is denser than warm air and easily sinks down [...]
Posted in Clean Technology, Eric Wilson, News Tags: EPA, Organic, Video, Washington DC No Comments »Army Not Messing Around with $7 Billion in Energy Projects
March 5th, 2012 Justin Manger Over the next 30 years, the U.S. army is aiming to buy solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and other alternative fuels to the tune of $7 billion dollars. Here is the draft proposal in which they are looking for 99 large-scale renewable projects. This is all part of a plan to have renewable energy at or [...]
Creative Localization of Solar Power at Japanese Oyster Farms
March 2nd, 2012 Justin Manger Big companies that operate worldwide use product localization to cater to the tastes and preferences of the various countries in which they conduct business. At the Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta you can taste soda from around the world and discover how some variations are much sweeter than others. In Japan, there is no Diet Coke, [...]
