Cleantech Authority

Nearly everyone I know has heard something about Vampire power loss, but in case you're new to the subject. Vampire draw is a term that describes when energy gets sucked out through chargers and converters that are left plugged for extended periods of time, much the way a vampire would suck blood from its host. These wall chargers draw power even when their associated electronic device is turned off or completely detached and they release excess energy in the form of heat. Vampire draw culprits include everything from mobile phones, to blue ray players and Xbox's and they aren't just a...

Tonight I discussed the future of our world with two good friends. The first, a mechanical engineer with his Masters from Stanford and years of experience in startups here in Silicon Valley. The second, another ME preparing to enter into the Presidio Sustainable MBA Sustainable Management program here in SF, formerly a lead designer at a wind power startup in the Bay Area. We stayed up talking about the future until 2am... on a work night mind you and after several hours of surfing in Santa Cruz. We were tired and well aware that we'd pay in full the next...

Today I write from Orlando Florida where I'm staying just a few miles away from Disney's Magic Kingdom. While the means for achieving such a spotless and wonderful community here area bit artificial it's hard not to be impressed with the cleanliness, greenery and forward thinking technology being employed. The electronic buzzers that tell you when it's finally your turn to hop on a ride or be seated for dinner, the finger print scanners at the entrance to each park verifying cardholder identity, the electric powered monorails that race around the parks, emitting zero CO2 or exhaust fumes as they...

As a CU alumni and former student at the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship at the Leeds School of Business, I recently found out about an Executive Certificate Program being offered later this Fall 2010. Course dates are August 27, October 1, November 5, December 3 and the price is $990 for early registration, until July 31, and $1200 after that. Individual courses are $395 each. This sounds like a great program for anyone looking to expand their knowledge, spruce up their resume and position for jobs in the new energy economy. Official details follow:RETool: Developing Business and Careers in...

Game console hardware updates usually mean several things: smaller sexier designs, quieter fans, less weight, more memory and less electricity consumption. This is definitely the case with the new Xbox 360 S and it's great news for anyone interested in saving energy and becoming more efficient. With more and more pipelines being laid for digital content and movie distribution, consumers are already using less plastic and gasoline to get their games (the PSPgo is a great example of this). The real opportunity looking forward is in improved efficiency in the gaming system hardware and consoles themselves.The new Xbox 360 Slim...