French farmer is new sun king
Bright winter sun dissolves a blanket of snow on barn roofs to reveal a bold new sideline for Jean-Luc Westphal: besides producing eggs and grains, he is to generate solar power for thousands of homes.
Economic crisis has cast doubt on funding hopes for many big renewable energy projects, but the giant panels built into roofs on this sloping farm at the foot of the Vosges hills in eastern France are attracting attention from farmers to financiers.
Westphal is one of a small but growing band of farmers in the European Union’s biggest agricultural producer who are taking up new incentives for solar power to supplement farm incomes as well as help France meet renewable energy targets.
Google unveils $4.4 trillion Clean Power by 2030
Washington, Oct 4 (IANS) Search engine giant Google has unveiled a $4.4 trillion plan dubbed Clean Power by 2030 that calls for all energy in the US to come from renewable sources.
The web giant in a release posted on its site said: ‘While this plan will cost $4.4 trillion (in undiscounted 2008 dollars), it will ultimately save $5.4 trillion, delivering a net savings of $1 trillion over the life of the plan’.
The three basic elements of the clean energy plan are new transmission lines and policies like national renewable portfolio standard, new generation vehicles running on non-oil fuels and greater energy efficiency by installing smart meters and real time pricing.
Greener hybrid: Toyota Camry concept for L.A. show uses no gasoline
Spinning off yet another variation on the clean-energy theme, Toyota plans to display a CNG-hybrid version of its Camry family sedan at the Los Angeles show in November. Using compressed natural gas (CNG) instead of gasoline to fuel the engine, said Irv Miller, group vice president for corporate communications, highlights the fuel’s growing emergence as a domestic energy source in abundant supply.
Development of a CNG infrastructure, Miller noted, is ahead of that for hydrogen, with 1.8 million miles of pipeline in the United States. The supply also is readily available, not dependent on imports or development of new refining methods.
The announcement was made during the company’s Sustainable Mobility Seminar in Portland, Ore., where several speakers noted challenges facing the development of biofuels and an infrastructure to support hydrogen fuel cells.
Intel’s secret weapon: Fresh air
Fresh air could save millions in datacenter cooling costs, Intel has claimed, after a successful experiment in the New Mexico desert.
Replacing air conditioning by piping in outside air saved power costs with no appreciable increase in server failure rates, the company concluded in a research paper. Despite a lot of dust and major temperature changes–both long considered undesirable in datacenters–the equipment wasn’t affected, said Intel.
“Servers… were subjected to considerable variation in temperature and humidity, as well as poor air quality; however, there was no significant increase in server failures,” said the paper. “If subsequent investigation confirms these promising results, we anticipate using this approach in future, high-density datacenters.”
Bill Gates invests in algae fuel
Bill Gates’ investment firm is funding Sapphire Energy, a company that intends to make auto fuel from algae.
Sapphire Energy said Wednesday that a series B round will bring the total amount it has raised to more than $100 million. Investors include Gates’ investment firm Cascade Investment, as well as Arch Venture Partners, Wellcome Trust, and Venrock.
The lowly algae is the renewable fuel industry’s great green hope. Because algae is rich in oil and can grow in a wide range of conditions, many companies are betting that it can create fuels or other chemicals cheaper than existing feedstocks.
Applied Materials touts ‘largest’ solar setup
The solar power installation at Applied Materials’ headquarters is further evidence that companies looking to go green should think blacktop.
The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based maker of gear for making high-tech products announced Friday that it has completed the installation a pair of solar power systems that together can produce 2.1 megawatts of energy–which qualifies it, the company says, as the “largest solar power deployment at a corporate facility in the United States.”
At the nearby Mountain View campus of green-minded Google, an expansive solar installation accounts for 1.6 megawatts. In Nelson, Calif., Far West Rice Mills earlier this year dedicated a 1-megawatt solar array.
Google and GE in energy deal
Filed under: Renewable energy, Search Engines, Top Stories
The internet giant Google has teamed up with technology multinational General Electric to develop a “smart” electric power grid and promote clean energy.
Both companies want to make renewable energy more accessible and useful.
In a joint statement they said: “Our economic, environmental and security challenges require we use electricity more efficiently and generate it from cleaner sources.”
“Clean energy is eminently doable and solvable,” said GE ceo Jeff Immelt.
“This just makes good sense,” said Google CEO Eric Schmidt.
The World’s First Portable Fuel Cell Charger
Medis Technologies recently revealed working units of the 24-7 Power Pack, the world’s first portable fuel cell charger. The pint-sized powerhouse uses “liquid borohydride technology” to give an ipod an extra 60-80 hours of life. Best of all, the Power Pack is recyclable and contains no environmentally hazardous chemicals.
Although today’s gadgets rarely rely on disposable alkaline batteries, their rechargeable lithium counterparts are subject to draining their charge at the worst possible moment. Who hasn’t hit the road only to wind up with a bricked cell phone or laptop because they forgot to bring a wall wart?
The Solar Stik Portable Power Generator
The Solar Stik™ is a small-scale energy generator that is capable of providing clean, green energy wherever it is needed most. The versatile system takes advantage of both solar and wind turbine technology and is quick to set up, making it perfect for applications ranging from boating and recreation to providing emergency relief and humanitarian aid.
Energy is hard to come by in many areas of the world, and clean reliable energy is even rarer. This holds doubly true for the sites of natural disasters, where it is extremely important to have a reliable source of power for rebuilding efforts.