Archive for the 'Technology' Category

The World’s Greenest Skyscraper Coming Soon to China

blog pearlriver The Worlds Greenest Skyscraper Coming Soon to ChinaThis fall a new skyscraper claiming to be the world’s greenest building will open in Guangzhou, China.  The 71-story, 2.3-million square-foot Pearl River Tower will be the most energy-efficient super-tall building ever built.

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BMW to Manufacture Electric Vehicles in Germany by 2013

blog bmw BMW to Manufacture Electric Vehicles in Germany by 2013After debuting an electric vehicle (EV) concept car at the Detroit Auto Show, BMW made an even more concrete commitment to developing electric cars, when it decided to use its Leipzig production facility to develop EVs.

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Walmart Plans to Eliminate 20 Million Tons of Emissions from Global Supply Chain

blog walmart 300x214 Walmart Plans to Eliminate 20 Million Tons of Emissions from Global Supply ChainWalmart (NYSE:WMT) recently announced its goal of eliminating 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its global supply chain by the end of 2015.  This represents one and a half times the company’s estimated global carbon footprint growth over the next five years and is the equivalent of taking more than 3.8 million cars off the road for a year.

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NASA Develops Algae Bioreactor as a Sustainable Energy Source

blog bioreactor NASA Develops Algae Bioreactor as a Sustainable Energy Source Most people associate the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with space exploration, but it turns out the agency develops innovate technologies in other areas, including biofuel development. Who knew?  NASA has invented an algae photo-bioreactor that grows algae in municipal wastewater to produce biofuel and a variety of other products. The NASA bioreactor is called an Offshore Membrane Enclosure for Growing Algae (OMEGA), and has the advantage of not competing with agriculture for land, fertilizer, or fresh water.

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Setting the Standard: University of British Columbia Builds North America’s Greenest Building

blog cirs Setting the Standard: University of British Columbia Builds North Americas Greenest BuildingThe University of British Columbia (UBC) is constructing an outrageously sustainable building, which, when completed, will be “greenest” building in North America.  This news is just the latest in a dearth of renewable energy and green announcements and accolades to come from Vancouver.

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American Utilities: Hot for the Smart Grid and Warming to Renewable Energy

blog grid American Utilities: Hot for the Smart Grid and Warming to Renewable EnergyA new survey of American utility companies offers some very revealing information about the U.S. energy industry and renewable energy.  Black & Veatech, a construction and engineering company focused on energy and water infrastructure has published its annual “Strategic Directions in the Electric Utility Industry Survey.”  Their research shows that for the second year in a row capital spending on electric grid infrastructure by utilities has dropped — this has not happened since the days of the Great Depression in the 1930s.

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Voonami, Inc. Opens a Super Green Data Center

blog voonami 300x203 Voonami, Inc. Opens a Super Green Data CenterVoonami, Inc. has unveiled one of the most energy efficient data centers in the United States.  Voonami says its new giant data center will reduce energy costs by 80% compared to other data centers making it the greenest in the state of Utah, and one that will rival Google’s most efficient data centers.

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Feingold-Ensign Bill May Be a Windfall for Renewable Energy Businesses

blog capital Feingold Ensign Bill May Be a Windfall for Renewable Energy BusinessesProposed legislation in the U.S. Senate may help the renewables sector.  U.S. Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and John Ensign (R-NV) have introduced renewable energy legislation that could be a boon for businesses that produce renewable energy technologies, lead to green job creation, and help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

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Need For Clean Energy Policy Still Strong

blog cleanenergy 300x201 Need For Clean Energy Policy Still StrongThose in the clean energy industry continue to play the waiting game in the policy arena.  The question remains as what type of, if any, energy and climate change legislation will be put into action in the US in 2010. I  put my own spin on things this week, heavily relying on EnergyBoom’s archives.  So, if you are trying to get caught up with what has been happening in the renewables game - join me as I venture through the dusty vaults of our past work.

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U.S. Department of Energy Reports on Environmental Effects of Hydropower

Future of Marine TechnologiesThe U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently released the Report to Congress on the Potential Environmental Effects of Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy Technologies.  This report analyzes the potential environmental effects of technologies that capture energy from waves, tides, ocean currents, the natural flow of water in rivers, and marine thermal gradients. Since such marine and hydrokinetic technologies are not widely used at this point, their environmental effects are not well documented.

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