“Wij krijgen Kippen,” which roughly translates from the Dutch to ”we pick up chickens,” has an unusual educational tool for informing the public about energy usage — their giant egg wanders through the streets of Amsterdam, and nests itself everywhere that local energy is generated. The group’s objective is to help the borough of Amsterdam Zuid transition from traditional energy sources to new, locally produced green energy. Supported by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, Wij krijgen kippen is comprised of a growing group of civilians, entrepreneurs and civil servants. As for their giant wandering egg, it serves as a public meeting point where individuals can learn about the non-profit and their green energy goals, while at night it is transformed into a large-scale projection unit for outdoor movie screenings.

+ Wij krijgen Kippen

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Post tags: dutch energy, energy amsterdam, giant egg, green energy, non-profit activism, public art, public space, renewable energy, we get chickens, wij krijgen kippen

In remote areas without access to fresh drinking water, there is often the dual concern of a lack of electricity — which is what makes French company Eole Water’s innovative wind turbine, the WMS1000, so intriguing. Eole’s modified turbine not only harnesses wind for energy, but includes a compressor similar to that of a dehumidifier, which pulls in air to generate condensation. The condensate is then harvested to produce up to 1000 liters of fresh, clean drinking water each day.

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Post tags: "wind power", "wind turbine", clean water, drinking water, eole water, green energy, green power, rural infrastructure, Solar Power, water scarcity, water wells, Wind Farms

There’s been a great deal of buzz lately about palm oil — the edible oil largely sourced in Indonesia and Malaysia from the fruit of the oil palm, which can also be used to make biofuels. The Environmental Protection Agency recently refused to designate it as a biofuel, as it does not meet the agency’s greenhouse gas requirements laid out in the 2007 Renewable Fuel Standard. Indeed, the release of carbon dioxide from the process of oil palm farming and oil extraction has placed Indonesia as the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases. But the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and agencies representing Indonesian and Malaysian palm oil interests are lobbying the EPA to reverse its decision on palm oil derived biofuels. Meanwhile the Washington Post cited claims from some opponents that the palm oil biofuel ruling could be the “EPA’s most important climate-change decision of the year.”

Read the rest of EPA to Rule on Whether Greenhouse-Gas-Emitting Palm Oils Can be Used as Biofuel

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Post tags: biofuel production, biofuels environment, canopy loss, carbon emissions, deforestation, environmental protection agency, epa, green energy, indonesia deforestation, indonesian borneo, malaysia deforestation, methane emissions, national academy of sciences, palm oil, peatlands loss, renewable energy

Read the rest of INTERVIEW: Inhabitat Talks to Dwell Editor-in-Chief Amanda Dameron About the Light & Energy Issue

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", amanda dameron, dwell, dwell magazine, eco design, green design, green energy, green home, green home design, green lighting, home design, inhabitat interview, sustainable design

Kyocera announced today that it will partner with two other companies to build Japan’s largest solar farm. Located on the southwestern island of Kyushu, the 70-megawatt solar power plant is the start of an effort to explore opportunities to integrate solar within Japan’s electricity grid. Kyocera estimates the cost of the project at approximately $309 million (¥25 billion).

Read the rest of Kyocera Announces Plan for Japan’s Largest Solar Farm

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Post tags: "solar energy", green design, green energy, IHI Corporation, Japan, japan solar power, Kagoshima, kyocera, Kyushu, Mizuho Corporate Bank, solar, solar farm, Solar Power, solar power plant, sustainable design

The Obama administration has signed an agreement to expedite approval for wind farms in the Great Lakes, an area with enormous potential for generating alternative energy. There are presently no wind farms in the Great Lakes, although the area has the potential to generate more than 700 gigawatts of clean, renewable power. So far, plans to install turbines have met with resistance from critics who claim that they would ruin spectacular vistas, lower shoreline property values and pose a threat to fish and bird life.

Read the rest of Obama to Expedite Approval Process for Great Lakes Wind Farms

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Post tags: All of the above, Barak Obama, great lakes, green energy, Lake Michigran, Nancy Sutley, Obama Energy, renewable energy, Wind Cleveland, Wind Energy Birds, Wind Energy Environment, Wind Farms, wind turbines

Read the rest of INTERVIEW: Inhabitat Talks to Panasonic’s Katsumi Tomita About Greening the Electronics Industry

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Post tags: eco design, Eco Ideas, ene farm, ENE-FARM Fuel Cell, fuel cell, Green Appliances, green design, green electronics, green energy, green technology, inhabitat interview, interview, katsumi tomita, panasonic, Panasonic Announces Plan to Lead Green Electronics Industry, panasonic factory, panasonic fuel cell, panasonic recycling, panasonic sustainability, sustainable design, sustainable electronics, sustainable technology

President Obama is hitting the west and midwest with a series of speeches touting his “all of above” energy policy, which reads like a Country Buffet menu. Few will like everything on the plate – in his press release and stump speeches this week he is touting fast tracking oil pipelines and small nuclear reactor research. Energy efficiency and renewable technology took up the slack as he announced the Green Button Initiative as well as a tiny biofuels and lightweight material grant. While it is good news that energy policy is now –finally – the center of debate, what’s missing in the President’s speeches is any mention of the crushing need to reduce green house gas emissions, which has become a political third rail as of late.

Read the rest of Obama Travels the US Touting ‘All of the Above’ Approach to Energy on the Stump

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Post tags: Energy and Politics, gas prices, green button, green energy, obama energy policy, Obama oil pipeline, oil pipeline

While sexy new sustainable buildings and automobiles often make the eco-headlines, the self-storage facility industry has seen a steady uptick towards embracing green energy practices too (they just haven’t been as flashy about it). Many storage facilities have long used energy-saving methods like motion-sensor lights within storage units and hallways and along driveways to save money. After all, it doesn’t make sense to have lights burning constantly in areas that are only being accessed once a month or less. Beyond simple measures like motion-activated lights, the common grid layout of storage facilities makes them ideal for solar panels.

The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat? Send us a tip by following this link. Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing!

Read the rest of Self-Storage Facilities Choose to Embrace Green Energy Practices

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Post tags: "sustainable energy", cedar storage, eco design, energy saving, green energy, green storage facilities, green trends, renewable energy, Secure Self Storage, Solar Power, storage facilities, storage mart, sustainable design

It’s no surprise we are big LEGO fans here at Inhabitat – the iconic building blocks can be used to create everything from cameras and furniture to apartments and massive cathedrals. Now the toy maker is making headlines again by investing $500 million into green energy. Denmark-based LEGO will buy almost a third of a brand new German offshore wind power project planned by DONG Energy company. The investment will account for 32% of the 277 megawatt Borkum Riffgund wind farm 35 miles off the Northwest coast of Germany. This pricey move will not only help power the German grid, but will hopefully supply nearly all of LEGO’s energy needs with wind power.

Read the rest of Lego Invests $500 Million in German Offshore Wind Farm

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Post tags: "wind power", dong energy, dong wind farm, eco news, Electricity, energy investment, germany, green energy, green news, green power, lego, lego energy, lego investment, lego wind farm, news, power, renewable electricity, renewable energy, renewable energy ivestment, sustainable news, wind energy

A newly released study from the Breakthrough Institute shows a clear indication on how dependent Japan has been on nuclear power. First the good news: after the devastating earthquake and resulting destruction of the Fukushima Nuclear Plant in Japan last year the nation reduced its energy consumption by 9.8%. Unfortunately, the reduction in energy is not enough to offset the environmental impact of replacing nuclear energy with carbon-intensive fuels.  From a glass-half-empty perspective, it looks like reducing energy consumption is not a magic bullet as CO2 levels rose 15%. But we are glass-half-full types here at Inhabitat – and the numbers are a clear indicator that the faster Japan transitions to clean, renewable power sources, the better off they (and all of us) will be.

Read the rest of Study Shows Spike in Japan’s CO2 Levels After Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

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Post tags: Breakthrough Institute, Breakthrough Institute Japan, CO2 spike Japan, Fukushima, Future of Japans energy, green energy, Japan CO2, Japan energy future, Japan environmental leadership, japan nuclear, Japan sustainable energy, Japans green future, renewable enrgy Japan

Read the rest of AROA’s Second Solar Tulip Power Plant Springs Up in Spain

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Post tags: "solar energy", concentrated solar power, csp, eco energy, green energy, Haim Dotan, Israel CSP, Israel solar company, low water CSP, solar hot air, solar tower, Solar Tulip, solar waste heat, Spanish CSP

Nations around the world are abandoning nuclear energy in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear crisis, however the UK is considering plans to launch a new generation of reactors by GE Hitachi that recycle nuclear waste into energy-generating fuel. According to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), these new reactors have the capability to consume Britain’s massive radioactive waste stockpile while generating enough low-carbon electricity to power the country for more than 500 years.

Read the rest of New Generation of Radioactive Waste-Consuming Nuclear Reactors Could Power UK for 500 Years

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Post tags: clean nuclear reactors, Department of Energy and Climate Change, GE Hitachi nuclear, green energy, handling nuclear waste, nuclear power, nuclear reactor consumes its own radioactive waste, nuclear reactors, nuclear waste issue, renewable energy

Listening to President Obama’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night we cheered for his green ambitions as he laid out a plan to energize the American economy with the manufacturing of clean technology. We were hoping he’d keep up that steam but today, during a speech in Nevada, he let down our hopes slightly by focusing almost exclusively on oil and natural gas drilling. This was a surprise coming from the President – especially in a state that has such promise for truly renewable energy. With geothermal and solar power available in such abundance in the Silver State, it is a bit curious why the President didn’t seek to point out their merits while speaking in Las Vegas.

Read the rest of President Obama’s Latest Speech Touts American-Made Energy but Gets Stuck on Oil and Gas

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Post tags: "clean energy", "sustainable energy", american made energy, energy policy, energy technology, green energy, green energy policy, nevada clean energy, nevada renewable energy, obama energy policy, obama las vegas speech, obama nevada speech, renewable energy, the energy future

Scottish whisky is becoming quite the green business these days – with whisky power plants and brand new green distilleries popping up throughout the country. Last year we reported that Edinburgh Napier University transformed pott ale and draff from the making of whisky into fuel to run a vehicle, and now the university has turned that process into a business called Celtic Renewables Ltd.!

Read the rest of WHISKY POWER: New Company Celtic Renewables Turns Whisky Byproducts into Biofuel

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Post tags: celtic renewables, edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier University's Celtic Renewables Ltd, energy from liquor, green energy, napier university, scottish biofuel, scottish energy, scottish renewable energy, scottish whisky, Whiskey, whisky, whisky biofuel

President Obama delivered his annual State of the Union address to the nation last night while standing firm on his believe that American ingenuity will carry us safely into a secure future. His overall message was that we need to clear up the partisan politics in Washington in order to write and pass legislation that overcomes the burdens of bureaucracy while opening doors to the technology of the future that can create jobs on American soil. He firmly spoke of his mission to bypass Congress in order to use public land to create clean energy, pledged government funding for innovation in clean technology and manufacturing here in America, promised to stay dedicated to reforms that keep our air clean and reduce emissions, vowed to force natural gas drilling to become safer, asked again for Congress to stop subsidizing oil, and spoke of incentives for businesses to lower their energy bills through power savings. Though he spoke briefly about the opening of new offshore oil drilling, we all know in a climate like that of Washington you’ve got to give a little to get a lot and the President, when it comes to green reforms, was asking for a lot.

Read the rest of Obama’s State of the Union Address Sets Forth a Green Blueprint for America

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Post tags: "clean energy", barack obama, climate change legislation, comprehensive climate change legislation, green energy, green energy legislation, obama, obama energy policy, obama green policy, obama state of the union, obama sustainable energy policy, politics, president obama, Solar Power, SOTU, state of the union, washington, washington green energy policy

2011 was not a good year for nuclear power – we saw Japan shaken by the Fukushima disaster, solar power became cheaper for the first time, and three-eyed fish were found near a nuclear plant in Argentina. Granted these events, you can imagine how heartbeats must have risen at the Nuclear Industry Association (NIA), when someone noticed that the sea around a Scottish nuclear power plant appeared to be luminous green on Google Earth.

Read the rest of Google Earth Reveals Glowing Green Sea Near Scottish Nuclear Power Plant 

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Post tags: "sustainable energy", Fukushima disaster, glowing sea, google earth, green energy, Hunterston nuclear power plant, Hunterston nuclear power plant accident, Hunterston nuclear power plant ayrshire, Hunterston nuclear power plant bubbles, Hunterston nuclear power plant google earth, Hunterston nuclear power plant green sea, Hunterston nuclear power plant leak, Hunterston nuclear power plant nia, nuclear leak, nuclear power, nuclear power accident, renewable energy, three-eyed fish

The UK’s climate Change Minister Greg Barker announced today that South West England will soon be home to the country’s first Marine Energy Park. The park, once completed, will stretch from Bristol to the Isles of Scilly and will have the potential to generate 27 gigawatts of power from the waves and tides of the area by 2050 – the same amount of power generated by 8 coal-fired plants. The project will draw on public and private resources with a huge boost from the world’s leading wave energy research and development facilities located along the future Marine Energy Park’s coastline.

Read the rest of UK’S First Marine Energy Park to Harvest 27 Gigawatts of Wave Power by 2050

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Post tags: "clean energy", "sustainable energy", climate change minister, england marine park, future of energy, green energy, greg barker, kinetic energy, marine energy, ocean energy, southwest marine park, tidal energy, tidal turbine, uk marine park, viable renewable energy, wave energy, wave turbine

If your new year’s resolution for 2012 is to take control of your monthly energy bill and save electricity, kWh Power’s Home Start Kit can help you achieve that goal by monitoring and controlling your plug loads (the energy consumed by a device that’s plugged into a socket). The average household these days has over 25-30 electric devices powered by plugs, and office plug loads account for about 20% of a typical electrical bill, so keeping track of your appliances and electronics can really go a long way. The package consists of 2 energy-monitoring plugs, a USB connector and a license for the Plugwise Source software and is suited for implementation in a single room.

+ kWh Power

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", eco design, energy monitoring kit, energy saving, green design, green energy, home start kit, kwh power, kWh Power is a Service That Lets You Take Control of Your Monthly Energy Bill, monitor energy, save energy, sustainable design, Vampire Power

Scientists at MIT and RWTH Aachen University may have revolutionized the effectiveness of concentrated solar plants – by emulating the pattern found on a sunflower, otherwise known in science as Fermat’s spiral. By rearranging the CSP’s massive heliostats, or mirrors, to resemble the yellow flower’s petals, the solar power harvester can take up 20% less space. Making the system more compact increases the CSP’s efficacy, giving it a higher potential for energy generation.


Read the rest of MIT Scientists Find Way to Maximize Concentrated Solar Plant Efficacy by Emulating a Sunflower’s Pattern

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Post tags: "solar energy", Concentrated Solar plant, eco design, Fermat Spiral, fermat's spiral, green design, green energy, green technology, heliostat, PS10 solar plant, Solar Power, sunflower angle, sunflower solar, sustainable design