Google X, the tech giant’s top secret experimental branch, recently announced that it will take over Makani Power, a startup that develops wind turbines that fly through the air like a kite, rather than being mounted on massive poles cemented into the ground. The acquisition is just one of many significant investments Google has made into renewable energy technologies, and indicates that airborne wind turbines might soon be ready to move out of the experimental phase and into commercial reality.

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Post tags: "clean energy", "wind turbine", 'kite power, Airborne Wind Turbine, Google, google x, makani power, renewable energy

Lumos Solar just unveiled their newest product: a modular and customizable photovoltaic structure called the SolarScape. Perfect for patio covers, pool awnings, carports, walkways, bus stops and commercial overhead applications, Lumos SolarScapes provide an aesthetic and architectural solution for providing shade and renewable energy. The structures are based around the award-winning LSX Frameless Module System, and their versatile design allows renewable energy to be integrated into everyday life in entirely new ways.

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Post tags: alternative energy, green design, lumos solar, lxs canopy, lxs frameless solar modules, photovoltaic panels, renewable energy, solar panels, Solar Power, solarscapes, sustainable design

Work on the world’s largest hydropower plant is expected to start in October, 2015 following commitments from the World Bank and other development agencies to finance its construction. South Africa has also agreed to buy more than half of the energy that would be generated at the 4800 MW Inga 3 plant at Inga Falls on the Congo River. Preliminary reports show that a series of dams on this section of the river would have a relatively small environmental and social impact, but International Rivers and other non governmental organizations warn that virtually none of this power would improve the lives of local residents in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

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Post tags: Africa, African Development Bank, Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, Environment, hydropower, International Rivers, News, off grid solutions, renewable energy, South Africa to buy DRC energy, world bank, world's largest hydropower plant

A team of Norwegian research scientists has unveiled a concept that could store energy on the seabed. Conceived by Subhydro AS, the underwater pumped hydroelectric power plant would use high water pressure to create and store electricity for later use on the shore.

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Post tags: energy storage, renewable energy, SINTEF, subhydro, Subhydro AS, tidal power, water pressure, wave power

In the developing world, mortality rates for expectant mothers total over 300,000 deaths each year. The WE CARE Solar Suitcase is a brilliant new device that aims to reduce this figure by providing hospitals in off-grid areas with access to a steady source of energy and light. Designed by Dr. Laura Stachel and her husband Hal Aronson, the system includes high-efficiency LED lights, a universal cellphone charger, 12V DC outlets, a set of 40 or 80 watt solar panels, and a 12 amp-hour sealed lead-acid battery.

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Post tags: birth, clean tech, Design for Health, developing nations, dr. laura stachel, green design, hal aronson, health technology, Light, photovoltaic light, renewable energy, Solar Power, solar suitcase, solar-powered light, sustainable design, wecare solar

Offshore wind farms and tidal energy facilities harness the power of the wind and the ocean – but why should we have separate turbines for each task? Offshore technology company Mitsui is developing a hybrid wind-current power generating system that combines a floating vertical-axis wind turbine with an underwater turbine that generates power from ocean currents. The clever apparatus would cut down on material waste, and it could produce twice as much energy as a conventional wind turbine.

Read the rest of World’s First Floating Wind-Current Turbine to be Installed Off Japanese Coast

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Post tags: floating wind turbine, Hybrid wind and ocean current turbines, Japan, Mitsui Ocean Development & Engineering Company, MODEC, ocean currents, ocean power, offshore wind, renewable energy, tidal turbines, vertical axis wind turbine

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Post tags: "natural materials", clean tech, Daylighting, eco design, green design, iPhone, Justin Capra Foundation for Investments and Sustainable Technologies, modular design, natural light, Prefab, remote controlled, renewable energy, romania, smart energy, Soleta zeroEnergy One, sustainable design, tiny home

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Post tags: First Floor K-12, green public schools, LEED certified US schools, LEED Platinum school US, renewable energy, Sandy Grove Middle School LEED, SfL+a Architects, solar energy schools, solar panels, Solar Power, Spotlight solar, Spotlight Solar Sandy Grove

Yale researchers recently discovered a way to boost the efficiency of solar cells by a whopping 38 percent by coating them with a fluorescent dye. Polymer solar cells are popular for their low cost, low weight, large area and mechanical flexibility, according to Physorg, but they only convert roughly 50 percent of the solar energy absorbed into usable electricity. The organic squaraine dye improves light absorption and recycles electrons, thereby hastening the light to energy conversion process.

Read the rest of Fluorescent Dye Boosts Solar Cell Efficiency by a Whopping 38 Percent

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Post tags: "solar energy", alternative energy, cleantech, Förster resonance energy transfer, renewable energy, solar cell efficiency, Solar cells, solar research and development, Squaraine dye, Yale University solar research

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Post tags: "solar energy", alternative to rooftop solar, clean tech, eco design, Fortune Brainstorm Green Conference, green design, nrg energy, off-grid energy solutions, renewable energy, solar canopy, Solar Power, sustainable design

As Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster demonstrated, no nuclear plant is ever completely safe. In January 2012, the San Onofre nuclear generating station (SONGS) in Southern California was closed due to the discovery of a radiation leak and other damaged components. It has now been over a year, and Southern California Edison (SCE), which operates the station, has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for permission to bring the plant back online. Unfortunately for them, a shocking photograph published by local ABC affiliate 10 News has cast doubt over whether SCE’s request should be granted. The image, taken almost a year after the plant’s closure, shows a leaky pipe being held together with masking tape, plastic bags and broom handles.

Read the rest of San Onofre Nuclear Plant Investigation Finds Leaky Pipe Held Together With Tape, Plastic Bags, Broom Handles

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Post tags: Electricity, fossil fuels, nuclear industry, nuclear plant, nuclear power, renewable energy, safety, san onofre

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Post tags: "sustainable energy", alternative energy, Andre Borschberg, bertrand piccard, California, fuel-free airplane, green transportation, HB-SIA, moffett air filed, mountain view, NASA Ames Research Center, photovoltaic panels, renewable energy, solar impulse, solar impulse across america, Solar Power, solar powered airplane, sun-powered plane, world's first solar plane

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Post tags: eco design, Energy Floors, green design, kinetic energy tiles, renewable energy, Sustainable dance floor, sustainable design, Temple Night Club

In 2009, Inhabitat reported that Helius Energy was teaming up with the Rothes consortium of whisky and scotch companies to create a biomass power plant fueled by by-products from the local distillery. This week, the whiskey-fueled power plant officially opened – and according to reports, it is capable of powering 9,000 homes with clean energy.

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Post tags: "clean energy", alternative energy, Helius Energy, renewable energy, rothes consortium, scotch, Whiskey, whiskey power

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Post tags: "A liter of Light", "clean energy", david de rothschild, Eco Architecture, Green Building, green energy, hydroponics, Ilac Diaz, low tech, manilla, Philippines, plastiki, Recycled Materials, recycled plastic bottle pavilion, renewable energy, South Africa, Stephen Lamb, Sustainable Building, Touching the Earth Lightly

Lockheed Martin just announced plans to partner with the Reignwood Group to construct the world’s largest Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) plant off the coast of southern China. The OTEC process—which uses the temperature difference between the cold waters of the deep ocean and warm surface waters to generate electricity—is nothing new, but few facilities have ever been constructed. The floating pilot plant will generate 10MW of electricity – enough to power the Reignwood Group’s planned net-zero energy resort on the nearby mainland.

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Post tags: "clean energy", china energy, green energy, lockeed martin, Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion, OTEC, reignwood group, renewable energy, ridgewood, thermal energy, water energy

Artist Michael Jantzen has released designs for a solar-powered seed-sowing machine that would plant flowers in response to evidence of environmental destruction. Placed in various locations around the world, these structures would detect signs of pollution and automatically release small quantities of flower seeds onto the ground below. The result is a paradox: the more flowers blooming around one of the apparatuses, the worse the environmental degradation in the surrounding area.

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Post tags: "solar energy", American artist, Art, eco-friendly art, environmental art, environmental degradation, environmental destruction, green design, green solar design, michael jantzen, renewable energy, Solar Power, Solar-powered Eco-Seed Sowing Machines

The UN recently outlined its development goals for 2030 at a conference in Olso, where Director General of the U.N. Industrial Development Organization Kandeh Yumkella stated that air pollution is a bigger killer than AIDS and malaria combined. He went on to say that the transition towards cleaner energy sources could cut this death toll 50% by 2030.

Read the rest of UN Says Air Pollution Kills More People Than AIDS and Malaria Combined; Clean Energy Could Halve Death Toll

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Post tags: air pollution, Air quality, alternative energy, green energy, Kandeh Yumkella, pollution deaths, renewable energy, UN Industrial Development Organization, World Health Organization

Despite significant gains in both large scale solar and wind energy throughout the globe, a new report released by the International Energy Agency (IEA) states that the rapid uptake of renewables is not enough to stop global warming. The goal of keeping global temperatures from rising above two degrees celsius – considered by scientists to be crucial to maintaining some kind of normality – is still a long way off, because most of the world’s energy is still derived from coal.

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Post tags: "solar energy", biofuel, carbon capture and storage, ccs, Climate Change, coal, dirty energy, Environment, global warming, IEA, International Energy Agency, News, nuclear, renewable energy, two degrees, wind energy

March marked a historic month for renewable energy, as for first time ever 100% of new utility electricity generation added to the US grid came from solar power. According to a report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), seven solar projects in California, Nevada, New Jersey, Hawaii, Arizona, and North Carolina added 44MW to the grid. It may not be a particularly jaw-dropping figure, but as projects from other energy sources added no new generation, solar’s record month does point to a promising outlook for the industry.

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Post tags: "wind power", green energy, nrg energy, renewable energy, renewables grid, SEIA, solar capacity, solar electricity, solar grid, solar industry energy, solar plant, Solar Power