For today’s company spotlight, I wanted to look at smart meters. Smart meters have been in use since 2006 in the United States and have gained wide penetration in some areas and caused backlashes in others. In the near future many utilities will be switching their customers over to this technology. So what exactly are [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Green Technology’
Itron: A Global Leader in Smart Meters
May 21st, 2012 
John Basalla Five Friday Facts: The New World Trade Center
May 18th, 2012 Justin Manger The following facts come from a pamphlet sent to me by a relative who visited the construction site and memorial pool at the World Trade Center in New York City. The 1 World Trade Center (WTC) building is expected to reach it full height soon, whereupon its 408-foot (124 m) radio antenna will be installed [...]
Maxwell Technologies: Creating the Replacement for the Battery?
May 14th, 2012 John Basalla If you read enough articles about electric or hybrid vehicles, sooner or later you see references to ultra capacitors. Ultra capacitors are currently widely used in many energy saving devices and have a bright future, including potentially replacing the standard battery. Maxwell Technologies (stock symbol: MXWL) is one of several companies at the forefront of [...]
KiOR: Turning Trees into Oil
May 7th, 2012 John Basalla The following post is the first by our new contributor, John Basalla, a CPA currently working in Tokyo who is interested in the business side of green technology. All his “Green Tech Company Spotlight” articles can be found at the following tag or on John’s page. What does KiOR do? KiOR is an alternative fuels [...]
Five Friday Facts: U.S. Navy as Energy Innovator
May 4th, 2012 Justin Manger Here is an interesting time line from a pamphlet from the Esri Federal GIS Conference on the Navy’s evolution with energy, including last year’s large purchase of biofuels. 1774: USS Alfred, Navy’s first battleship, powered by wind and sails. 1955: USS Nautilus, first nuclear submarine 2009: First Navy aircraft engine tested on biofuel blend 2010: [...]
An Unusual Two For One: Controlling Weeds While Generating Energy
April 16th, 2012 Justin Manger Working with Coretec Inc., a manufacturer that specializes in energy-saving machinery and systems, Fuji Electric announced last December that they had come up with a weed-control mat that is now getting attention as a possible new application for photovoltaic power. Municipalities in Japan occasionally use weed-control mats over soil to keep unused or sloped areas [...]
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 [...]
Chevrolet Introduces “Ecologic” Window Stickers
March 1st, 2012 Chris DeArmond A little over a month ago, Chevrolet announced it would begin displaying window stickers highlighting the environmental features of its vehicles sold in the U.S. “Ecologic is simply a recognition of our systematic attention to environmental responsibility and our commitment to monitoring our progress as we continuously work to reduce our environmental impact.” These environmental [...]
Posted in Business, Clean Technology, Green Products, News, Transportation 
Tags: Cars, Chris DeArmond, Energy Conservation, Green Technology 
No Comments »Top Fuel Efficient Electric Vehicle on EPA’s List? i-MieEV
February 28th, 2012 Justin Manger The what? Mitsubishi might have chosen a name that is a little easier to remember; that aside, I guess they are hoping the efficiency of the car makes it memorable. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s 2012 Fuel Economy Guide, North American-spec i-MiEV an all-electric vehicle (EV) produced by Mitsubishi Motors North America [...]
Posted in Business, Clean Technology, Energy Efficiency, Green Products, Japan, Justin Manger, News, Transportation Tags: Battery, Cars, Electric Vehicles, Green Technology No Comments »Update on Tesla: Still Losing Money But Ramping Up
February 20th, 2012 Justin Manger Now that the Big Three automakers are back on their feet and turning a profit after imploding during the financial crisis (only Ford didn’t take government bailout money), it has to seem harder than ever for a start-up car company to compete in this brutally cut-throat industry. Tesla Motors, however, is not to be dismissed. In [...]
