Green Technology

The Quebec government made it official yesterday: $4 billion in wind power projects around the province will proceed to the next stage of development in hopes of producing 6 Tw of electricity by 2015. Private consortiums get the lion’s share of the 15 projects, chosen from 66 submissions. Hydro-Quebec, the public utility, will oversee and buy the electricity, but is involved in the construction of only a few projects. That has prompted criticism from several opposition politicians who... Read Full Story

When we began considering how best to tackle the various aspects of how alternative and renewable energy are being, and/or can be, utilized in the Dominican Republic, we decided to ask a DR1 member who always has expert advice to offer on the subject of wind turbines, to do one or more "guest blogs" for us on what kind of wind turbine systems are being installed in the DR for off-grid home or business purposes.  "Georgios," who installs such systems in the DR, kindly agreed to share with us... Read Full Story

Description: The remote Carrizo Plain's status as one of the sunniest places in the state was exploited by the solar power industry from 1983 to 1994. This was by far the largest photovoltaic array in the world, with 100,000 1'x 4' photovoltaic arrays producing 5.2 megawatts at its peak. The plant was originally constructed by the Atlantic Richfield oil company (ARCO) in 1983. During the energy crisis of the late 1970's, ARCO became a solar energy pioneer, manufacturing the photovoltaic... Read Full Story

New energy-saving technology being commercially-tested for ethanol plants Cellencor’s microwave drying system is on-site at Corn Plus facility for eight days CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – March 13, 2008 – Ethanol plants could significantly reduce their energy costs while at the same time increase the value of their byproducts with an exciting new technology that will begin commercial testing today in Winnebago, Minnesota. An innovative microwave drying process developed by Cellencor Corporation is... Read Full Story

Governor Bill Richardson called for 50 MPG in the CAFE standards during the Saturday night double debate for both Republicans and Democrats from St. Anselm in Manchester, New Hampshire. A FACEBOOK poll (FACEBOOK was a co-sponsor of the debate, with on screen reporter Bianna Golodryga giving us the updates on comments made by Facebook's web visitor, but unlike the prior debates where YouTubers got to propose questions to the candidates, this was strictly a "view from the bleachers... Read Full Story

What if energy was free? What if we could charge our cell phones without having to plug them into a socket, or charge our iPods without having to power up the whole computer? While self-charging, energy harvesting cell phones aren’t operational yet, solar powered chargers are. Solio (www.solio.com) has created a hybrid charger which will give your electrics an environmentally friendly recharge wherever you are, as long as there’s daylight. With this device, one hour of sunlight will... Read Full Story

Defining the Different Types of Water Power Using water to harness power is a tradition, which goes back over two thousand years ago when the Greeks learned how to turn massive wheels to rotate shafts for their wheat flour grinders. In the 18th century, there were literally thousands of communities around the world that used water energy (hydro energy). Hydro power uses the form of falling water by gravity to produce useful energy. The falling water is directed through a turbine, causing it... Read Full Story