Alternative Energy Diggs

Long post at one of the BEST climate blogs, with charts. Short version: There is not enough water supply to run the country (U.S.) on corn.read more | digg story

Geothermal power is expensive to tap into (though cheap to maintain) because it involves an exploration and drilling process similar to oil. However, it's as clean as energy comes, and a well-managed field churns up a steady stream of steam power day in and day out for decades at a time.read more | digg story

Scientists at the University of Leeds are turning low-grade sludge into high-value gas in a process which could make eco-friendly biodiesel even greener and more economical to produce.read more | digg story

What if you could use plants to turn industrial waste sites into fertile, productive cropland? Better yet, what if you could produce biofuels in the process? By marrying bio-remediation and crop production, a group of Carnegie Mellon University graduates hope to produce biodiesel and ethanol while cleaning up the environment.read more | digg story

In a state known for its cowboy mentality & colossal CO2 emissions, it comes as a bit of a surprise that it can also brag about one more thing -- Texas leads the country in wind energy production. According to the experts, West Texas might possibly be the nation's bread basket for wind energy, due to its average wind speed of 17mph.read more | digg story

In its annual Human Development Report released yesterday, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) highlighted the untenable environmental impacts of palm oil production. As a supposedly environmentally-friendly biofuel and healthier food ingredient, it is becoming clear that palm oil comes with a pretty heavy ecological cost.read more | digg story

This all-electric, nearly-silent, one-off, custom motorcycle was created by the California Highway Patrol (CHP). While the Chopper holds an intimidating (and beautiful) V-twin motor, its insides have been gutted and replaced with an electric motor that holds six 48-volt lithium cell batteries.read more | digg story

It seems that everyone is getting into the battery business, one of them will succeed in making a smaller, lighter and less expensive battery. This development by ExxonMobil sound very promising.read more | digg story

Soldiers who are packing multiple portable technologies could soon have less heavy lifting to do.read more | digg story

A new type of fuel cell powered with glucose derived from biomass is described in the latest issue of the Inderscience Publication International Journal of Global Energy Issues. The experimental device works by using sunlight to convert the glucose into hydrogen to power the cell, which produces several hundred millivolts.read more | digg story

A North Carolina company has achieved a major breakthrough on LED lighting that will dramatically lower costs. The company will also release the world's most energy efficient LED lights.read more | digg story

For a while there, it seemed like everyone could agree on something. Subsidies for farmers,read more | digg story

An intriguing electric bike, the EV-X7, has a magnetic motor built into its rear wheel. The motor is a hybrid between a electromagnet and a permanent magnet. It was designed by the Axle Group in Japan.read more | digg story

A swimming pool complex with wind turbines integrated into the roof. The turbines provide power for night lighting, pool heating and pumps.read more | digg story

Three wind turbine blades have been successfully installed on the Bahrain World Trade Center, a twin skyscraper complex. This is the first time that a commercial development has integrated large-scale wind turbines within its design to harness the power of the wind. The three massive turbines, measuring 29 meters in diameter...read more | digg story

With airports and highways more congested than ever, new steel-wheel and maglev lines that move millions in Europe and Japan have the potential to resurrect the age of American railroads. Interactive map shows where high speed trains would run, and the chart compares efficiency and eco-friendliness high speed trains vs. planes and automobiles.read more | digg story

Economy would save $500 Billion: new public-private report. Energy efficiency is the cheapest, easiest, lowest hanging fruit to boost the economy and the environment.read more | digg story

Want to invest in a portfolio that focuses on clean and renewable energy providers? Take a look at the ETF, PowerShares WilderHill Clean Energy (AMEX: PBW) based on the WilderHill Clean Energy Index, which has signifcant holdings in solar power companies, as well as other renewable energy products.read more | digg story

We look at the world's largest hydro-electric dam opened last year in China, and ask if the environmental impact of renewable power schemes is really worth it?read more | digg story

Interesting article about hydrogen fuel cell powered cars and Iceland as a show case for advanced auto technology.read more | digg story

The solar water purifier collects heat from sunlight and uses it to evaporate unpurified water running through the panel.read more | digg story

1 Maglev wind turbine, which uses full-permanent magnets to nearly eliminate friction by "floating" the blades above the base could power up to 750,000 homes. According to developers, the technology is capable of scaling to massive sizes, and the ability to generate power with winds as slow as three miles per hour.read more | digg story

Although this isn't the first time we've heard "solar-powered" and "kayak" used in the same sentenceread more | digg story

In an ambitious move, Google has created a new initiative called REread more | digg story

A new Google initiative, known as REread more | digg story

Congress pushes for another look at thorium fuel, saying it could reduce the amount of high-level nuclear waste produced by reactors.read more | digg story

Development of the first hybrid battery suitable for storing electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind is now a step closer.read more | digg story

You can't look at a roof in China's countryside without seeing a solar water heater, often a dozen of themread more | digg story

Brammo Motorsports will be debut their electric Enertia Bike at the EV23 Show. The Enertia Bike was designed from the ground up to be a fully electric bike.read more | digg story

India ranks second in the world for biogas utilization and fifth in wind power. But the largest potential can be found in energy from biomass. In order to map and tap this potential, the Indian government is designing a 'Biomass Atlas', utilizing satellite data as inputs for geographical information systems.read more | digg story

Check out the latest velomobiles on the market, these include electric assist motors and modified carbon shells. (A velomobile is a “bicycle car”, or more officially, a human-powered vehicle, enclosed for protection from weather and collisions.)read more | digg story

While the hydrogen fuel cell might not be viable for commercial vehicles for years, here’s some hope for the promising element.read more | digg story

Unsure what to do with your Thanksgiving leftovers? According to Penn State University (PSU) researchers, feeding table scraps to bacteria may be a clean and efficient way to produce hydrogen that can be used as fuel.read more | digg story

In mid-December Daimler AG will start turning over about 100 battery-powered Smart ForTwos to customers in Central London for a large-scale field test.read more | digg story

Supporters see modern wind turbines not as Don Quixote’s ferocious giants but as elegant symbols of a clean-energy future. But as the industry expands amid global pressure to cut carbon emissions and fight climate change, an increasingly mobilized anti-wind farm lobby in Europe, North America and elsewhere is decrying the turbines as ugly, noisy...read more | digg story

People are attached to their bikes - but happens when that cherished two-wheeled friend has outrun its course? Swedish designer Frida Kallstrom resolves this dilemma with unique furniture designs that will keep the memories of your favorite bicycle intact even after its well-worn parts have deteriorated.read more | digg story

Finally a hydrogen car that everyone can afford…. if only we could fit inside. Released earlier this year, the H-Racer is the world’s smallest hydrogen car (at 16cm x 7cm) and comes with a tiny price tag to match.read more | digg story

If high gas prices have got you down, learn how to make your own bio-diesel with this step-by-step how-to.read more | digg story

Without using any battery power, the player can also play videos (asv/mpeg5 format) on a bright 1.8-inch full color LCD screen, tune into FM radio stations, read ebooks and view photos with a slide-show functionality.

What if the blinds in hotels, homes and businesses around the world were able to collect solar energyread more | digg story

Thomas Townsend Brown discovered an effect which may be related to the electrogravitic effects observed upon condensers at high voltage. He noted that certain dielectrics, and most notably certain types of igneous rocks, exhibited a weak electrical potential.read more | digg story

The fact is, our entire conventional food production and distribution system is highly inefficient.read more | digg story

NanoSolar's PowerSheet cells have reduced the cost of production from $3 a watt to a mere 30 cents per watt. This makes, for the first time in history, solar power cheaper than burning coal.read more | digg story

A civil engineer, Mike Strizki, constructed the first ever solar hydrogen house that runs completely from “homemade energy”.

Wolf Hibertz wants to use the oceans as a future site for homes. The visionary designer has found a way to use sunlight to turn minerals in seawater into limestone. The limestone would be used to construct floating island homes.

The British Prime Minister has committed the nation to a ban on inessential car traffic every Wednesday. The goal is to promote alternatives to car travel and to decrease production of greenhouse gases.read more | digg story

A U.S. company selling a product called the Freeaire Refrigeration System is trying to convince companies with a walk-in freezer, cooler or cold storage that they can dramatically reduce their energy bills by cooling products with outdoor air.read more | digg story

Paranoid about your drinking water? Want to make your castle more self-sufficient? Harvesting rainwater is a good way to escape your city's water system.read more | digg story

Ferrari succumbs to the pressure and commits to the reduction of its fleet's CO2 emissions. It's practically useless, but it makes us feel better -- doesn't it?read more | digg story

A fantastic account of how a 1970s Fiat 500 has been retrofitted with batteries and an electric motor to create the Post Peak Car. Be sure to watch the videos linked to at the bottom of the page.read more | digg story