Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
Web picks posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
Web picks posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
Speakers at the Renewable Energy Finance Forum said there's a real need to fund and build high-power transmission lines in the parts of the country where wind farms and solar installations would work best, which tend to be less inhabited, according to the Environmental News Network.
posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
The authors say: "Any transition from an economy based on fossil fuels to one based on renewable, alternative, green energy--call it what you will--is likely to be slow, as similar changes have been in the past. On the other hand, the scale of the market provides opportunities for alternatives to prove themselves at the margin and then move into the mainstream, as is happening with wind power at the moment.
posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
The Department of Homeland Security will take the second step in its process to regulate facilities that use and store hazardous chemicals this week, sending out letters to 7,000 sites to tell them they have been designated "high risk."
The letters represent the advancement of DHS' plan to improve chemical security across the board. Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection Robert Stephan said he wants to eliminate any perception among terrorists that American chemical facilities are soft targets.
New Scientist reports that a study found that people think doubling the miles per gallon of a compact car has the same effect on overall fuel consumption as doubling it in an SUV: that is, going from 10 to 20 mpg saves five gallons per 100 miles, while going from 25 to 50 mpg saves only two. The scientists want to flip the Environmental Protection Agency's standard on its head, from miles per gallon to gallons per (100) miles, which they say would make the picture clearer. In this case, 100 miles in the more efficient compact would "cost" 2 gallons, as opposed to 5 gallons in the more efficient SUV.
posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
The statement, prepared by the World Economic Forum, was presented ahead of next month's meeting of the Group of Eight industrialized nations. The U.S. has said it won't agree to any binding targets unless China and India do also.
Bloomberg quotes Paris-based International Energy Agency as saying earlier this month that "Oil, power and metal industries are among the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. To cut their output in half by 2050, an extra $45 trillion must be invested in clean-air technologies."
posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
The Think Ox is about the size of a Prius, runs for 125-155 miles per charge on rechargeable lithium ion batteries, and goes from 0 to 60 mph in 8.5 seconds. One wonders if the Ox name, presumably designed to evoke clean air, will have the same effect on sales that the Chevy Nova---"no go" in Spanish---legendarily had on sales in Latin America.
Posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
Scientific American reports that the project cost $500,000, of which $400,000 came as grants from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. Whether such a setup could be made economically feasible in subdivisions around the country is an open question.
posted by Neil Savage, xconomy.com
Web Picks posted by Neil Savage in partnership with xconomy.com.
Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) say the manure from a single pig could yield 21 gallons of crude oil. Wired Science reports though the pig-based fuel is not yet ready for use in your road hog, the analysis tells researchers how they can improve it. More important, says Wired, is that in doing this study, NIST developed a measurement technique that can be used in analyzing all sorts of fuels.
It's not just the SUV that have America's highways contributing to global warming. Making asphalt requires heating it to 300°F, which means burning energy and emitting carbon. The Environmental News Network reports a University of Wisconsin scientist is studying materials he could mix in with the tar to make low-temperature asphalt.
Even with greener asphalt, the vehicles traveling our highways are still a major source of greenhouse gases. Google's Public Policy Blog thinks plug-in hybrids may provide one way of reducing emissions. Along with the Brookings Institution, they're sponsoring a conference called "Plug-in Electric Vehicles 2008: What Role for Washington," to discuss how the federal government can encourage such cars.
