Can the USA stop using coal, oil, and nuclear energy by 2050, and can that transition prove economically advantageous? These two questions drove Amory Lovins and the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), a Colorado-based “think and do tank,” to write Reinventing Fire, a “roadmap for navigating the United States economy through the end of the fossil-fuel …
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LENR Resurrected by MIT – The Early Detractors
(Image Credits: Rossi ECAT) The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) looks to be one of the first academic institutions to validate the claims that cold fusion is real. Cold fusion is now more commonly called Low-Energy-Nuclear-Reactions (LENR), partly to avoid the stigma the term “cold fusion” evokes. And in a strange twist of fate, MIT …
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E-Bikes Help Transition to Electric Vehicles
(Image Credit: AlienOcean) With plenty of excitement around electric vehicles, one sub-group tends to get lost in the fray: electric bikes. These devices are affectionately referred to as e-bikes and are getting more traction as a possible technology for transitioning the general public to electric vehicles. E-bikes are still bikes that can be peddled by …
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Pig Manure Sparks Biomass Evolution
(Image Credit: CBS) Biomass continues to be a promising source for energy and a few recent breakthroughs are worth noting; specifically in the arena of pig manure. Before jumping into the manure, the more exciting news is how multiple technologies are evolving – including wind and solar power – to provide permanent power solutions. Biomass …
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Is 2012 the Year of the OLED?
(Image Credit: General Electric) Solid State Lighting (SSL) encompasses several technologies, including light-emitting diode (LED), organic light-emitting diode, and even polymer light-emitting diodes (PLED). With recent legislation taking effect in states like California regarding efficiency standards for light bulbs, the race has been on to improve upon the gift Thomas Edison gave us in the …
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Turbulent Times for Wind Turbines
(Image Credit: Teratornis) The wind turbine industry has had its fair share of ups and downs in recent years, but 2011 was especially turbulent for the industry. Even with improvements in the technology, the industry’s growth seems to correlate directly with the economic and legislative environment. In spite of a tumultuous 2011, the wind turbine …
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Add-Ons and Upgrades for Your EV
Whether you already own an elctric vehicle (EV) or are considering the purchase, you should know about some of the add-ons and upgrades available. Most of the upgrades hitting the market are geared towards improving mileage or making it easier to recharge your EV. Take for example the Enginer solar power generator. You install a …
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Fast Charging Fast Tracking EV Future
(Image Credit: Road and Track) New technologies are being unveiled at a break-neck pace that could speed up the entry of electric vehicles (EV) coming to market. One of the biggest drawbacks to owning an EV is the charge time. If you max out your batteries out on the road, you may have to wait …
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Nature Inspires Improved Solar Power Production
Scientists are turning to mother nature for inspiration on improved solar panel designs. The concept of copying what nature has had millenia to make is generally referred to as biomimicry and is gaining momentum as breakthroughs are leading to major improvements. Take, for example, one of the principle concerns of the photovoltaic (PV) industry: the footprint. To …
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LENR Coming to Home Depot?
(Image credit: Focardi and Rossi with their e-Cat, retrieved from Brian Wang.) Pure Energy Systems reports that Andrea Rossi announced on January 5th, 2012 that he is in discussions with Home Depot to bring his revolutionary Low Energy Nuclear Reaction (LENR) electrical generators to market as early as Fall of 2012. While the talks are in …
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Fracking’s Fractious Future
Fracking crew works on a Pennsylvania hydraulic fracturing site. (Image credits: AP/Ralph Wilson retrieved from Metro Focus) The future of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking – the act of forcing high-pressure fluids into the ground, causing natural gas and oil rich sands to the surface – is on shaky ground as more voices add to the …
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Sustainable Investing: Conversation with Expert Fund Manager Thomas George
Thomas George started up and manages the TD Global Sustainability Fund, the first mutual fund of its kind for Canada’s second largest bank, TD Canada Trust. He took some time out of his day to talk to Cleantech Authority about sustainable investing. What’s the difference between socially responsible and sustainable investing? Lots of grey in …
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Cleantech Markets and Investing: Interview with Thomas George, Manager of TD Global Sustainability Fund
As Portfolio Manager of the TD Global Sustainability Fund for Canada’s second largest bank, TD Canada Trust, Thomas George’s job is to guess the future of sustainability stocks for the benefit of his investors. In this interview we explored his ideas on what the cleantech industry will look like in the future. What’s the current …
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How Renewable Technologies are Driving Winning US Farms and Ranches that Also Pollute Less
Across the US, a new kind of farming and ranching is coming of age. It combines renewable energy with traditional farming needs for production and harvesting. Whether it’s to cut down on the cost of inputs — be they fuel, fertilizer or feed — increase yields, enhance overall sustainability, adapt to changing weather patterns, or reduce …
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Interview with Paul Bottero, President of inMotive: Electric Motor Efficiency
From idea to marketable product, the path a cleantech start-up takes to success is a bumpy one filled with unforeseen detours. Cleantech Authority spoke with Paul Bottero, President and partner of inMotive, while he was cruising along Toronto’s rail trail on his hybrid Fuji bike to relate his own start-up experience. Tell me about your …
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Gmail Integrates Sustainability Fun Facts
In recent months, Google has gradually integrated a few “Easter egg” style fun facts into their online email offering, Gmail, which speak to sustainability and recycling. In the image below, you can see one about recycling paper that states: “Recycling a 3-foot-high stack of newspapers can save one whole tree.” These messages show up where …
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Exploring Hydrogen Applications for Transportation
70% of planet Earth is covered in water and with 2H atoms and just one O making up that water, Hydrogen ranks as the most abundant element in our world. Since 2003 when then President George W. Bush announced the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative, the US has dedicated over $1B to fuel cell research. Most people …
Affected by power outages due to tsunamis, storms and various other kinds of extreme weather, growing numbers of people around the world are thinking that it’s a good idea to generate at least some, if not all, the electricity they need at home and off-grid. Becoming even partially energy self-reliant is also seen as a …
Art enhances the cultural environment and clean technology improves the physical environment. It’s inevitable that the two would collide at some point. LAGI, or Land Art Generator Initiative, is a project intent on making that connection happen by creating cleantech art. They host a biennial design competition to source the greatest looking, most functional clean …
Advances in LED technology are driving innovation in energy efficient lighting, and that’s bringing the power of artificial light to communities across the globe, as well as making clean, energy efficient, portable lighting more widely available in the developed world. Just take a look at Nokero’s N200, a durable, portable and economic solar-powered LED light …
