The great river turbine is a conceptual design for a large (one hundred foot diameter) stainless steel water turbine developed to function as a tourist attraction and as a powerful electricity generator. The electricity is generated by the current of the river as it flows through the turbine rotating its twelve massive blades, which in turn activate a powerful generator. The stainless steel turbine is mounted on a specially designed, public access moored barge.

+ Michael Jantzen

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Post tags: "clean energy", "sustainable architecture", clean technology, great river turbine, green architecture, green design, hydroelectric power, michael jantzen, renewable energy, sustainable design, water wheel power

Germany fed a whopping 22 gigawatts of solar power per hour into the national grid last weekend, setting a new record by meeting nearly half of the country’s weekend power demand. After the Fukushima disaster, Japan opted to shut down all of its nuclear power stations and Germany followed suit after considerable public pressure. This seems to have paved the way for greater investment in solar energy projects. The Renewable Energy Industry (IWR) in Muenster announced that Saturday’s solar energy generation met nearly 50 percent of the nation’s midday electricity needs AND was equal to 20 nuclear power stations at full capacity!

Read the rest of Germany Sets New Solar Record By Meeting Nearly Half of Country’s Weekend Power Demand

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Post tags: "solar energy", 2020 energy goals, alternative energy, clean tech, cleantech, eco design, EU, Fukushima, germany, green design, meltdown, news, nuclear, nuclear disaster, nuclear power, protests, renewable energy, solar panels, sustainable design

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Post tags: "clean energy", "sustainable development", Blueseed, clean tech, Dan Dascalescu, eco design, energy generation, floating silicon valley, googleplex of the sea, green design, max marty, paypal, Peter Thiel, renewable energy, San Francisco, sustainable design, visa free city, waste treatment

Despite recent clashes between the US and Chinese solar industries, it seems that the entire solar power sector is prospering. As stated in a new report from GlobalData, with the ever-increasing number of solar power installations, the cost of energy generation is falling. In fact, it is falling so quickly that the report predicts that by 2017 it’ll be cheaper than generating power from traditional fossil fuels.

Read the rest of Solar Energy Generation Costs to Compete with Fossil Fuels by 2017

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Post tags: "solar energy", globaldata solar power parity, NREL solar panel, optical furnace, renewable energy, SILICON WAFERS, Solar cells, solar energy generation costs, solar grid parity, solar panel construction, Solar Power, solar power energy usage

Read the rest of Berlin’s Technik Museum Is Topped with a Historic Candy Bomber Plane

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Post tags: "wind power", 'Candy Bomber', Architecture, German Museum of Technology, kreuzberg, renewable energy, Rosinenbomber, Technik Museum, windmill

According to a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change, Americans are willing to pay for slightly higher electricity bills for clean energy. The survey, led by researchers from Yale and Harvard, asked this question: would consumers be interested in a law requiring utilities to source 80 percent of their power from sources including nuclear, solar and wind by 2035? The results indicated that on average, Americans are willing to pay an extra $162 more a year for an energy policy that mandated 80 percent of electricity is generated from renewables by 2035.

Read the rest of US Consumers Willing To Pay Higher Utility Bills For Clean Energy

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Post tags: "clean energy", "wind power", Andrew Leiserowitz, clean energy policy, congress, Joseph Aldy, Matthew Kotchen, national clean energy standard, NCES, renewable energy, solar

Wind energy is one of the cleanest, most reliable sources of renewable energy out there, but there’s one strike against it: Most wind turbines aren’t exactly the most attractive sight. But for anyone who says that wind energy can’t match form to function, feast your eyes on the Enessere Hercules wind generator, which was designed by Terry Glenn Phipps. With curved wooden blades, the 23-foot-tall wind turbine looks more like a sculpture than other more utilitarian wind turbines, and because of its clever design, it can harness the power of wind coming from any direction.

Read the rest of The Enessere Hercules Wind Turbine Generates Wind Energy in Fine Style

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Post tags: "clean energy", "wind power", "wind turbine", Enessere, Hercules, renewable energy, wind energy, wind generator, wind turbine design, windmill, wooden wind turbine

“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

Saudi Arabia has long been a wealthy country because of its enormous oil reserves. But the kingdom also is rich in sunlight, and it now promises to invest over $100 billion to develop 41 gigawatts of solar electricity by 2032. The plan could eventually transform Saudi Arabia from the world’s largest oil exporter to a leading innovator of solar energy and technologies.

Read the rest of Saudi Arabia Promises $109 Billion in Solar Power Investment

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Post tags: "clean energy", "solar energy", carbon emissions, Middle East, oil and gas, renewable energy, saudi arabia, solar, Solar Power, solar thermal

Yesterday legislation dubbed the “End Polluter Welfare Act” was announced in Congress by Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and U.S. Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN). The bill will put an end to as much as $113 billion in taxpayer subsidies from which oil, gas and coal companies would otherwise benefit in the coming decade. The money will instead go towards green energy investment, while ending such loopholes as allowing oil companies to deduct the costs they incur cleaning up their own spills and other environmental damage.

Read the rest of Bill Introduced in Congress Will End $113 Billion in Fossil Fuel Subsidies

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Post tags: "clean energy", bernie sanders, Climate Change, coal, congress, end polluter welfare act, energy industry, fossil fuel companies, fossil fuel subsidies, keith ellison, loopholes, office of fossil energy, oil and gas, renewable energy, taxpayer subsidies

Going to the gym is of course great for your health, but there are at least two things that we dislike about traditional fitness clubs: you have to exercise inside (which feels particularly silly in the spring and summer), and the machines waste energy when they ought to be producing it. The Great Outdoor Gym Company, a British fitness company, offers a solution to both of those problems with gyms that are located outside and use human-generated energy to power light installations.

Read the rest of Finally, an Outdoor Gym that Generates Energy Instead of Wasting It

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Post tags: "clean energy", England, exercise, fitness, great britain, Great Outdoor Gym Company, human generated power, human power, kinetic energy, Outdoor gym, renewable energy

When driving along a sprawling motorway towards the UK city of Bristol at night, a massive glowing helicoidal tower welcomes visitors and locals. Installed in 2008, the tower, called Twist, was designed by acclaimed British artists Ackroyd & Harvey. With its light powered by the sun and the wind, the 65-foot high tower has become a permanent landmark in the Southwestern English city.

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", "wind power", Ackroyd & Harvey, bristol, green technology, grey slates, Recycled Materials, renewable energy, Solar Power, Twist

Imagine a solar cell that comes in a jar instead of a big, clunky panel, and that could be painted on a piece of plastic. It might be closer than you think - scientists at the University of Southern California have developed a new type of solar cell made from nanocrystals that are so small that you could fit about 250 billion of them on the head of a pin. Due to their size, the nanocrystals can be made into an ink and painted or printed onto clear surfaces. The breakthrough could open the door to solar cells that can be printed onto plastic instead of glass, and then bent and shaped to fit anywhere.

Read the rest of USC Researchers Develop Liquid Nanocrystal Solar Cells that Can Be Printed Onto Plastic

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Post tags: "clean energy", "solar energy", clean tech, green technology, liquid solar cell, nanocrystals, nanotechnology, renewable energy, science, solar, Solar Cell, Solar Power, University of Southern California, USC

At airports, the usable space is limited to a few areas: runways, terminals and storage facilities. Much of the rest of the land is left fallow, requiring maintenance from airport operators (mowing the grass, keeping wildlife from interfering with planes, etc). But what if that land could be used to generate energy? US Department of Agriculture researchers have been exploring alternative uses for unused airport land with the goal of reducing wildlife hazards, and in a new study they’ve shown that much of this land could be converted for solar, wind or biofuel production.

Read the rest of USDA Researchers Want Airports To Double as Renewable Energy Farms

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Post tags: "clean energy", airports, biofuels, Dr. Travis DeVault, National Wildlife Research Center, renewable energy, solar farms, Solar Power, switchgrass, US Department of Agriculture, usda, Wildlife, wind energy

The web is buzzing today over a new research study that looks at the effect that large Texas wind farms have on surface temperatures in their immediate surroundings. “New Research Shows Wind Farms Cause Global Warming,” says one FOX headline; “Wind Farms are causing global warming, researchers say,” says another. Unsurprisingly, it’s all just hot air. The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, does find that wind farms are causing a slight increase in local temperatures, which is very different from global warming. Come, we’ll explain.

Read the rest of Sorry, FOX News – Wind Farms Are Not Causing Global Warming

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Post tags: "wind power", FOX Nation, Fox News, media criticism, renewable energy, science, West Texas, wind energy, Wind Farms, wind turbines, windmills

Are wind farms contributing to global warming? The answer is no – but they could cause the temperature to rise in localized areas on a really hot day or night. Researchers suggested in the journal Nature Climate Change that wind turbines could have an impact on regional weather, especially at night when wind farms are generally operating at or near full capacity. The study, focused on wind farms in West Texas, will surely give renewable energy foes another excuse to oppose any massive clean energy projects.

Read the rest of Study Suggests Wind Farms are Warming Local Climates

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Post tags: "wind power", farming, global warming, Liming Zhou, renewable energy, texas, wind energy, Wind Farms, wind turbines

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 Solar-Powered Restaurant Aan Zee Rests Lightly in the Dunes in the Netherlands

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", "wind power", aan zee, Cargotecture, eco design, eco dining, eco restaurant, emma architecten, emma architects, green architecture, Green Building, green design, oostvoorne, organic restaurant, renewable energy, Restaurant, restaurant aan zee, shipping containers, Solar Power, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, the netherlands

A war of words between Donald Trump and the Scottish government is escalating over plans to install wind turbines near Trump’s golf course, set to open this summer near Aberdeen. Trump claims Scotland’s emphasis on developing wind power will ruin the economy. Scottish leaders reply that a renewable energy policy is the best way for Scotland to boost economic development as the country edges towards a 2014 referendum on leaving the United Kingdom. The rhetoric on both sides has become heated, and Trump plans to testify in front of a parliamentary committee tomorrow.

Read the rest of Donald Trump Claims Scottish Government “Betrayed” Him With Wind Farm Plans

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Post tags: "clean energy", "wind power", aberdeen, Alex Salmond, Donald Trump, golf, golf course, renewable energy, Scotland, scottish coastline, Trump International Golf Links, united kingdom, wind turbines

US Energy Secretary Steven Chu and his British counterpart Edward Davey are set to announce a major collaboration between the two nations to develop new floating wind turbine technology. Traditional offshore wind turbines are drilled into the ocean floor, so they can only be built where waters are shallow enough to reach the bottom. Developing floating wind turbines would enable nations to tap into winds that are located in deeper waters. Under the agreement, each country will offer millions of dollars to contractors that produce demonstration projects.

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Post tags: "clean energy", "wind power", floating wind turbine, Offshore Wind Farm, offshore wind turbine, renewable energy, wind energy, wind farm, wind turbines